Time Management.

Aloha you beautiful people!

So I have decided that you should all definitely become my best friends, seeing as you seem to be able to put up with my blog posts that make no sense AND I'm definitely lacking in friends at the moment.

That aside, today was my second day of university, I'm starting to get used to the sheer size of the place, as well as finding the lecture theatres that always seem to be tucked away not wanting to be found. I had quite a disastrous experience yesterday when the room I had written in my planner was not the room my lecture was in. So I was standing out in the pouring rain about to burst into tears when I found another group of people who also had written down the wrong room and together we waded through the puddles and arrived 20 minutes late to our lecture (oops).

Since uni started I've been working on a study timetable, because I lovveeee them! (Does that make me weird) and I had to make sure there was something filling every hour of my day. Here's a quick picture of it:

Isn't it pretty? Anyway, do any of you guys like to do up timetables? I think most of you aren't at university, but maybe you just like the idea of having a set routine?

Most people say that such a set structure is bad, but I love it! Because I know that I have enough time set aside for breaks, and I have free spots incase something comes up suddenly and I have to shuffle my  work load around. I even gave myself time to do my pilates 6 times a week, so now there is no excuses that "there wasn't enough time!"

Hope you're all having a fabulous week

Over and out,

Erin

Participating.

Sorry I haven't been updating too much recently, but I've actually been participating in life instead of spending all day everyday on the internet! (Round of applause please)

So as everyone know this Thursday just gone was Valentines Day, and I spent the day at my new university. The two weeks prior to this day I had been so petrified of going to the "induction day" that I honestly felt sick. I didn't know a single person that was going and I guess my fear of being alone in a crowd of people sort of overtook me. To my happy surprise however, when I got there at least half the people were looking as nervous as I was and just sort of standing awkwardly by themselves.

Within the first ten minutes of being there one girl came up and introduced herself to me, we both had nobody we knew there so we stuck together and went around finding other people who knew nobody who could be our friends too. The people that we met were so nice and I'm just glad I had the confidence to talk to them.

Then halfway through the day when we were doing another introducing activity I spotted a boy that I went to primary school with, so went up and started talking to him and ended up having a good conversation with him. I don't know what came over me on that day but for some reason I wasn't even nervous to go up and talk to anybody, which probably seems normal to all of you, but I am the shyest person you will ever meet, so to talk to even one person I didn't know was an achievement let alone more than 20!

It's definitely made me less nervous about starting university for real in a weeks time.

Over and out,
Erin

Someone tell these men to stop queueing at my door.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!

May the day be as beautiful as all of you.

Personalised Pet Portraits.

Now this isn't so much a blog post as me asking a massive favour from everyone who reads this. My sister has recently set up a small business-like thing where she draws portraits of people's pets for them and then sells them. She is so amazing at what she does and I would love it if you could take two seconds out of your day to go and check out her Facebook page; I know you won't regret it.

https://www.facebook.com/PersonalisedPetPortraits?ref=ts&fref=ts 

Surviving High School.

So I was at an assembly today at the school I graduated from last year for people who achieved an OP 1-5. Naturally, being back in that school environment brought back a lot of memories, both good and bad but I think the overwhelming feeling was that I really missed the place. I mainly miss it just for silly little reasons, but they all add up.

I thought today I'd share with you a bit about my school experience, and some tips that I would give people on how to make it out the other end of school still mentally stable.

I started at my new school in Grade 8, when I was this tiny stick thin thing that only knew one other person who was also going there. Coming from a public school (and I have nothing against them, just my own experience) and then going into a private school for highschool was a massive shock for me. I had never done any serious assessment leading up to grade 8, and had also never had a science, geography or history lesson. I guess you could basically say that my education was not quite up to scratch for the first 7 years of my schooling.

This new school changed all that, suddenly there were tests, assignments, homework and much more but my favourite thing was that there were no boys there to be distractions! As I passed through my years of high school each year got gradually harder and harder until I reached my senior years where it felt like you were given a million and one assignments to do all in the first week!

So I developed some strategies to deal with this mountain of work. If you're in highschool now, or at any point in your education hopefully these will help out. I'm also writing them down so I don't forget them before I start uni in a week (ahh!)

• Make flashcards: I made my own special ones so each subject had a different colour and picture, and then every single day after school I would right down any new things that I learnt that day onto the flashcards. Even if it was only one definition I would write it down, this saves sooooo much time the day before exams where you can just revise instead of trying to learn everything again!
• Make a study plan: Even if you don't stick to it exactly it does give a good outline of how much time you actually have to complete the work you have, and helps prevent long bouts of procrastination!
• To-Do lists: These are probably my best friend. As soon as you walk in the door after your school day go straight to your to-do list and write down everything that you have to do. It might also help to list them in order of importance or when it needs to be completed by. You don't have to complete the whole list, just work through it from top to bottom, it helps you see how much work you have to do.
• TAKE TIME OUT FOR YOURSELF: Probably the most important point, especially in your senior years things get so hectic that sometimes you can forget to take care of yourself too. I made my designated time Friday afternoons and I would only do the things that I wanted to do.

There's probably heaps more things that I could list for you but right now this is all I can think of, I might add to it later.

Let me know what you think.

Over and out, 

Erin

New Bedroom.

This post is actually quite pointless if you ask me, but I just wanted to let you guys know the exciting news that I have a new bedroom! After being cramped in the tiny room that was actually the nursery from when I was born I figured it was time for a bit more space. My mum actually came up with the idea to swap my bedroom and hers and I couldn't be happier! This layout gives me heaps of floor space to be creative and to do my daily workouts (although mum doesn't really appreciate my jumping when she's downstairs.) 

I also love being able to start afresh with decorations. I've tried to stick to a sort of "travel theme" since that's where my passion is, although I think it might be a bit obsessive having three maps of the world in my room..... oh well!

The flags above my bed are Nepalese Prayer Flags from my trip to Nepal and I've printed pictures of some gorgeous locations and things that just generally make me smile to stick up behind it (it's an ever expanding collection)

My desk gets it's own set of windows which I am really excited about, so it's almost like a separate space from the rest of my room for work. I'm hoping to get an Australian flag to hang on the wall soon as well.

Let me know if you like it!

Over and out, 

Erin.

How I stay happy.

I know that in our day and age there seems to be more and more young people unhappy with their lives, and being led into the downward spiral of depression. I thought for this post that I'd just let you guys know what I do to stay happy on days when things don't seem to be going my way. I would recommend trying this to anyone who might be feeling a little down.

I have a notebook where I write down things that make me smile, they might only be simple things, but that is the best thing about it. It shows you that sometimes the smallest things are the best. I don't write in this notebook everyday,  but when I experience something that really makes me smile I write it down. Here's my list so far: (Starting from 2011)

• Children's eyelashes fluttering as they fall asleep
• Laying down and watching the sky
• Realising you have amazing friends
• Spending long amounts of time with friends
• When little kids give you a hug without you asking them
• Being organised
• Complimenting people
• Receiving compliments
• Nice pictures
• Meaningful quotes
• Hearing your favourite song on the radio
• Having a pretty hairstyle
• People who are nice to you
• Friends that laugh at anything with you
• Cute objects
• Not having much homework
• When people ask if you're okay
• Free things
• Understanding something at school
• Making people smile
• Being told you make a difference
• Doing good deeds
• Cuddly toys
• Enjoying a lesson
• Amazing dreams
• Birds flying
• Amazing clouds
• Sitting and watching the world pass by
• When somebody notices a slight change in your appearance
• Keeping a diary
• Looking at old work
• Talking to someone you haven't talked to in a long time
• Bedtime stories
• Feeling beautiful
• Nice handwriting
• Warm mornings
• Old memories
• Remembering funny moments with friends
• Going to bed early
• Glitter
• Meaningful hugs
• Writing poetry
• Holidays
• Good books
• Feeling that you belong
• Smiling for no particular reason
• Thinking of everything you can do with your life
• Photos that capture people mid-laugh
• Anklets
• Spoiling myself
• Taking photos
• Feeling like a kid
• Pets
• Helping others
• Change
• New beginnings
• Quotes
• The world
• Inspirational people
• Sleepovers
• Train rides
• Photographs
• Dressing up
• Imagination
• Books
• Acting like a kid
• Dresses
• Love
• A sense of community
• A clean room
• New things
• The smell of books
• Time
• Learning
• Handwritten letters
• Getting mail
• Christmas
• Getting texts from people you love
• Being inspired
• Meeting your idols
• Concerts
• Elegance
• Random texts
• When something you were worried about turns out fine
• Owl City
• Making pancakes
• Making people smile
• Pretty words
• Archery
• Going outside
• Exploring
• Pens that work really well
• Fog
• Sunflowers
• Nail polish
• Luck
• Colouring in
• Braiding hair
• Taking chances
• Pampering myself
• Children's innocence
• The sunshine
• Truly being yourself
• Having time for you
• Talking to old friends
• Finding your new favourite song
• Sport
• New hobbies
• Going for walks
• Exercise
• The olympics
• Being proactive
• Productive days
• Black outs
• The weather before a storm
• Watching a storm roll in
• The sound of rain
• Going out of your comfort zone
• Looking after yourself
• Meeting new people
• Big changes
• Learning about what you're passionate about
• Writing letters
• Receiving letters
• Making your own clothes
• Exercising
• Pushing yourself
• Redecorating
• Doing random acts of kindness

That's my list so far. Everytime I'm upset or down I always go back and read it to remember to appreciate what I have. Let me know what ways you use to stay happy!

Over and out,

Erin.

Photos that capture people mid-laugh

Nepal 2012.

After almost two months of being home, I have finally been bothered to upload my pictures of my trip to Nepal in December last year to my laptop. I thought it'd be nice to show you guys what I got up to over there, since it's something I'm really passionate about and want to do more in the future.

Hiking through Chitwan National Park

A busy street in Kathmandu

 As you can probably guess by the gorgeous pictures, Nepal was an adventure and a half! I was in a team of 11 students with a leader and two teachers, and we spent 3 weeks in the beautiful country. The first thing that hits you when you get to Nepal and step out of the airport is the extreme poverty of the place. There were people everywhere with disabilities and the entire place was so dirty that we had black gunk up our noses for the whole time. But that aside the people there were so friendly, always offering to help, and it goes to show that you don't need everything to be happy, you just need to be able to appreciate what you have.

A local on top of an unfinished building in Kathmandu

The first "activity" that we did was our 6 day hike. Most of our group was pretty fit, but the first day of our trek absolutely killed us. We were climbing up the mountainside at a pace that was almost too fast to keep up with, and it may have had something to do with the fact that the Sherpa that was leading us had climber Mt Everest six times and lived to tell the tales! When our tents came into view that first night

 I think we all wanted to cry with happiness, and the view was absolutely stunning. Our tents were pitched on a field overlooking the Annapurna range (pictured) and it made for some absolutely breathtaking views when the

  

Prayer flags at Monkey Temple, Kathmandu.

 sun rose and set. The next five days of the trek were just as exhausting but so rewarding. Everyday the sherpas would power on ahead of the group and set up lunch and dinner for us. We had a rule in country to "Boil it, peel it or forget it" so needless to say that every meal we had was piping hot. A few of us (including me) got sick partway through but that didn't stop us from completing the trek in high spirits.

Our next adventure was in the town of Pokhara. Similar to Kathmandu, this town was however much smaller and a lot quieter, which I enjoyed more than the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. One of my favourite things about Pokhara was the gorgeous lake that stretched out to almost touch the mountains, and apart from the colourful boats on it, you could also sit and watch people paragliding off of the mountains. At any one time there were at least 20 paragliders in the air. I wish I could have gotten a photo of them.

Put we weren't in Pokhara just to have fun. We also had work to do! Before we left for Nepal we had done a years worth of fundraising to raise enough money to do a community project. Our project was to paint classrooms of a local school that was in dire need of some

A monkey at the aptly named "Monkey Temple"

Boats in Pokhara school that was in dire need of some touching up. 

touching up. While we were working the kids would peer through the windows at us. There were no glass windows, only iron bars (you can imagine how cold it would be in the winter). Whenever we had lunch breaks we got to play frisbee with the kids and teach them a bit of English. They all quickly learnt how to say "camera" because their absolutely favourite thing was to have photos taken of themselves. (See the two pictures below). They were such gorgeous kids that it was almost impossible to believe that most of them would be going to home to a place

where they might not even have dinner. At then end of our six days working there we had managed to paint the whole bottom storey of classrooms and had also donated school supplies and enough money to finish painting the top classrooms. An effort well done on everybody's part.

Our next adventure was so amazing it is almost hard to believe that I actually did it.
Chitwan National Park was about a 6 hour bus ride from Pokhara so by the time we

Our campsite overlooking the Annapurna Range

got there we were all pretty exhausted, but not exhausted enough to not get excited when we saw an elephant roaming along the same street we were on! The place that we stayed at while we were there was a big step up from the tents we slept in on the hike and the kindergarten classroom we slept in at the school, so the beds were hugely welcomed by everyone. I even got to have my third shower in as many weeks.

The hi-light of the whole trip for me was the "elephant washing" that we did. Basically we got to sit right on the back of an elephant while it
sprayed us with water from it's trunk. After a few of those sprays it would sit down in the river and then throw you off of its back. It was the most fun I
have ever had! and one that you would no doubt pay thousands for in any other country. We also went on an elephant safari where we saw some more wild animals such as a mother rhino and her child as well as some deer. It really was a breathtaking moment to be able to experience all of it from the back of an elephant.

By the end of our journey we were all exhausted and ready for the long flight home, but at the same time it was bittersweet leaving the country that we had learn to love so much in those three short weeks. Looking back now I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. The things I learnt about

Stunning view of the Annapurna Range.

not only myself but also the beautiful of the world and the people that populate it are lessons that I am going to take with me through life, and memories that I will cherish forever.

If I have one word of advice for you, it would be that next time you consider getting away on a holiday, try and think outside of the box in terms of where to go. Don't go to destinations just because they are "easy destinations" you should go places that open your mind and your heart to the world.

If you have any questions about my experience let me know.

We were higher than the clouds!

The gorgeous kids and I at ShreeRam Primary School

The kids.

Chitwan National Park

Elephant safari

Spotted some Rhinos!

Kathmandu

Some of the girls in my team getting sprayed by an elephant

 Over and out,
Erin.

I've been tagged.

Tag.

So today I discovered that  I was nominated for a 'Liebster Award' by the beautiful Sabrina at Cattails & Cardigans. This is an award given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.

The rules are as follows:

1) List 11 facts about yourself

2) Answer the 11 questions that have been given to you

3) Create 11 new questions for the bloggers that you are nominating for the award

4) Acknowledge the person who nominated you by linking back to their blog

5) Choose 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers that you feel deserve recognition 

and post on their blog to let them know about the award. 

11 Facts About Me:
1. I'm 17 years old
2. From Queensland, Australia.
3. I have one older sister (Aimee) who is the most amazing person I've ever known.
4. I dream of having a job that involves travel around the world.
5. I start my first year of university in two weeks and I am petrified.
6. I can't stand people who chew with their mouth open.
7. I am insanely shy when around people I don't know but super loud around my friends. People are shocked when they realise how loud I can be.
8. I don't have any tattoos or piercings but I want to get my ears pierced for my 18th Birthday.
9. I've lived in the same house my entire life.
10. I hardly ever see my two best friends and yet we remain super close.
11. The first time I went overseas was to Nepal in December 2012.

Sabrina Asked:
1. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Hopefully travelling around the world and helping to protect our natural environments + plants
2. What is your MUST HAVE beauty item?

I can't say I'm much of a beauty guru, I hardly ever wear makeup, but if anything; foundation because it covers up all those gross pimples on my face!
3. Why did you start blogging/Why do you keep a blog?

I started it to have a different creative outlet as well as a personal one. I have a tumblr but you don't really get to know who I am on there, and I'm too shy to start youtube videos.
4. What is one thing you're thankful for that blogging has done for you?

It's given me the chance to more openly express myself as well as share what I do with the world.
5. Who is your celebrity crush?

Oh gosh this is a hard one. I'm rather in love with Josh Hutcherson6. Do you have any guilty pleasures? If so, what are they?

Not really actually... although I do love the feeling of buying a new book and forever have a list of books to buy.7. What do you feel your greatest accomplishment is so far in life?

Going to Nepal and helping those in need over there.8. You can have a half-hour conversation with anyone no longer living. Who do you choose? Why?

Einstein. Don't you think that would be the most fascinating thing in the world??9. What do you love to do in your free time? (blogging doesn't count.)

I loveeee reading, anything fiction. I'm currently reading the Inheritance Cycle for the second time.10. Do you have any pets?

Yes at the moment I have two cats.11. What is your favorite color?

Orange.

 I tag.

Molly @ The Minkema Home.

Janine @ Bake, Glue and Trend.

Julia @ Julia Kingsley.

Lauren @ LaurenZetta Beauty

 Beth @ Bethhwashere

My Questions:

1. If you were to live in a different country to the one you are in now, where would it be and why?

2. Have you ever travelled overseas? Where to?

3. If you could only have one job for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

4. What is your greatest fear?

5. What is your all time favourite quote?

6. Favourite song at the moment?

7. Where is your favourite place in the world?

8. If you were born 10 years later how do you think you would be a completely different person?

9. What is your favourite thing about blogging?

10. What are your hobbies?

11. If you had the power to have the entire world listen to you for just 5 minutes what would you tell them?

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and if I tagged you and you do this questionnaire let me know so I can read it! 

Over and out,

Erin.

(I promise my next post won't revolve around me quite so much)

Character Strengths.

Sorry I haven't been updating much recently but to be honest my life is quite boring of late, I've just been resting up before university starts. I did however, take a character test today. I don't know what it is about these tests that tell you more about yourself but I absolutely love doing any kind of them, it just makes me happier with who I am (most of the time anyway). The one I did today tested you on 24 Character Strengths and then listed them from your strongest to your weakest. To be honest my results didn't really surprise me.

Your Top Strength

Appreciation of beauty and excellence You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

Your Second Strength

Zest, enthusiasm, and energy Regardless of what you do, you approach it with excitement and energy. You never do anything halfway or halfheartedly. For you, life is an adventure.

Your Third Strength

Gratitude You are aware of the good things that happen to you, and you never take them for granted. Your friends and family members know that you are a grateful person because you always take the time to express your thanks.

Your Fourth Strength

Hope, optimism, and future-mindedness You expect the best in the future, and you work to achieve it. You believe that the future is something that you can control.

Your Fifth Strength

Creativity, ingenuity, and originality Thinking of new ways to do things is a crucial part of who you are. You are never content with doing something the conventional way if a better way is possible.

Strength#22

Social intelligence You are aware of the motives and feelings of other people. You know what to do to fit in to different social situations, and you know what to do to put others at ease.

Strength#23

Spirituality, sense of purpose, and faith You have strong and coherent beliefs about the higher purpose and meaning of the universe. You know where you fit in the larger scheme. Your beliefs shape your actions and are a source of comfort to you.

Strength#24

Capacity to love and be loved You value close relations with others, in particular those in which sharing and caring are reciprocated. The people to whom you feel most close are the same people who feel most close to you.

My first strength "Appreciation of beauty and excellence" was actually one of my New Years Resolutions this year, so to see it as number one was a big confidence booster. I do see myself as a happier person now because I've learnt to appreciate so much more.

That being said, my weakest trait doesn't really surprise me either. "Capacity to love and be loved", you probably think I'm some strange person who doesn't know how to love now, but it's not like that at all. There are people in my life that I love and I'm sure at least some of them love me, but I have an extremely hard time getting to know people well enough to "love" them. I have such a small network of friends that you can't even call it a "group" because I can literally count the people I truly love on my hands. I think it may be because I've had so many people walk in and out of my life that I've learnt not to put too much of my life into one person since they will probably just leave again.

What are your strongest character traits do you think?

Over and out,
Erin.

25 things you didn't know about me.

Yes, I'm jumping aboard the large number of "25 facts" posts. I figured that I never did really introduce myself to you guys fully, so here are 25 random yet totally true facts about me which will hopefully give you a bit of insight into who I am! Let's go:

1. When I was little I used to grind my teeth on the wooden railing of my stairs. Safe to say mum wasn't impressed. The teeth marks are still there.
2. When I was 4 my mum took me to join dancing. I walked into the class, stood there for five seconds, burst into tears and then ran back to my mum. I never went back.
3. I started Rhythmic Gymnastics when I was five years old and continued until I was 16. 

4. I first learnt to sew when I was 12 years old and loved it ever since

5. I've never been kissed, never had a boyfriend, never gone on a date.

6. At the end of 2012 I went on an overseas trip to Nepal where I helped paint classrooms for a school there.

7. I only have 2 best friends, but they are all I need.

8. I'm insanely shy

9. I collect coins that commemorate different things.

10. I topped my Geography class in my final year of high school

11. I have one older sister who I love to death

12. I've only ever been overseas once yet I dream of travelling for my entire life.

13. I've always had a strong urge to give up everything and go and live somewhere secluded, surrounded by nature. I wish I wasn't too scared to do it.

14. I could have gotten my learners drivers license two years ago. I still don't have it.

15. I was insanely in love with One Direction from 2011-2012. My obsession is slowly fading.

16. I love fantasy books. Anything mystical and magical draws my attention. Books about real life people bore me to death.

17. I broke my foot doing a simple move at gymnastics training. My coach proceeded to tell me it wasn't broken so I walked on it for 2 days.

18. I absolutely love braiding, and at my highschool I was known to braid numerous peoples hair in a day, I even did some for formals!

19. I recently donated 22cm of my hair to a foundation that makes wigs for people with cancer.

20. This year is my first year of university.

21. I write poetry, but don't let anyone I know read it.

22. I once anonymously talked to a close friend for months to help her out when she was suffering badly from bulimia. She told me nobody who knew her in real life cared that much. She didn't know it was me.

23. I love to people-watch, and love reading body language.

24. I have jinxed myself twice: once when I told my mum I had never had a blood nose, and then got a blood nose on the same day, and once when I told my friend I didn't have any wobbly teeth and then got one kicked out on the monkey bars that lunchtime.

25. This probably makes me sound up myself but I honestly don't judge people, and I get really angry at people who say judgemental comments.

And 1 for luck:

26. I don't have opinions very often and it tends to be a bad thing. I used to not participate in classes, not because I was scared to but simply because I didn't have a point of view on the topic. Is that a bad thing?

Over and out,

Erin.