25 Money saving Tips

25 Money saving Tips

Wednesday 22 February 2017

I am a university student and therefore I will do almost anything to save money, I also planning on moving to another city in three years time and because I am into planning for my goals at the moment (thanks to my passion planner) I am already saving for that. I have also gone through my monthly accounts and cut out the things that I really don't need, and reduced other things that I don't use to its full potential, I also looked into other subscriptions services and it was going to cost me more to cancel it but while requiring about cancelling it they have given me two months free and I've decided I will keep this subscription (It is important to note I do use this service, but it isn't a necessity if it would have been better, in the long run, I would have cancelled it), I am also going to be maximising this subscription potential further as I have not been doing so at the moment.

1. Plan out your meals, this way you know what you're having and when and you'll avoid eating out.

2. Cancel Subscriptions you don’t need anything from Netflix (I know, but do you really need it) to magazine subscriptions

3. Reduce monthly expenses. I recently reduced my phone account by $50 a month and it took about $20 Minutes to do it, that’s  saving of $600 a year.

4. Walk. When you need to just go down the road walk instead of drive, you will feel better for it ad you won't be wasting money on petrol.

5. Make a herb garden. Fresh herbs can cost around $3 per bunch of fresh herbs but if you buy a plant they are $3.99 and they keep giving you produce,

6. When going shopping look at what you want, then walk away and wait 24 hours if you still want or ‘need’ that item then go and buy it but make sure you really need/want it first.

7. Plan your meals, so you know what you're buying what you go to the grocery store and you don’t buy the wrong things.

8. Get cash out, and that is the money you have to spend for the week. This way you are aware of how much you are spening and what you are spending money on

9. Buy drugstore make up, I know it kills me to write this as much as I love my high end brands, it is cheaper to buy dugstor ena dyou can often find dupes for your favourite products. Ehen you are buying high end products do your research and make sure it is a product that you love and will you.

10. Join a library or swap books with friends, this will save money buying new books and most public libraries are free.

11. Stop wasting food, if you made too much freezer it, and all those off cuts of things make a stew or soemtihng at the end of the week with them.

12. Rather than eating out or ordering in cook your food, if you think you wnt have time cook head of time, and freeze it.

13. Stop buying take away coffees. If you really need a flat whte buy the ones in the packets from the supermarket its still more expensive than istant but its cheaper han buying a café flat whute everyay

14. Wash your clothes on cold it will save on hot water.

15.  Buy a reusable drink bottle rather than a bottle of water when you go out this way not only are you helping the planet you will also save on buywater

16. cancel your gym membership. Even if you go to th gym its cheaper to google a hiit workout on youtube, you will also save time and money getting ot the gym.

17. Track your money, have a notebook or even in the notes section of your phone write down everything you buy and how much it costs, keep those receipts so you know what you are buying.

18. Rather than going out invite your friends over, and everyone bring a dish.

19.  Don’t buy Premix alcoholic drinks. A pack of four to six premixes are around 10-$20 A bottle of Vodka can be around $40-$60 yes that costs more but you also get a lot more drinks from it and you can change things up with different flavours and have fun trying new things.

Being Single, Dating and Relationships

Being Single, Dating and Relationships

Thursday 16 February 2017

This is out a day early because I want to just press publish and know before I go to bed whether anybody hates me.

I have written this blog post twice already and deleted it, let me explain why. I don't want details of my love life strewn around the internet, that's all. I can hear some of my friends now saying "you're more single than single, you don't have a love life" alright thank you for that but I have no desire to have any potential love interest details or anything else on the internet and yes I am aware that it is about what I choose to share however I am also choosing to make a conscience public decision that the finer details of my love life will not be discussed in any blog posts EVER unless I am in a very long term relationship and feel it is something you all need to know. All you need to know now is I am single, ~potentially like somebody~ but very single and currently enjoy flirting with everything that is single and has a heartbeat ~we all know that is accurate~.

*Deep Breathe* Can we talk about tinder? Well too bad we are going to, Tinder is like, this magical place where you match with a whole lot of boys ~emphasis on BOYS~, plan your wedding with them, then ghost them. Okay, maybe that isn't everyone else's experience but I would never actually date anyone on Tinder and I am well aware some people have met their true loves and all that bs on there but it ain't my thing and I don't think it ever will be. I have never found online dating romantic and while I have downloaded and deleted tinder to many times for me to count the last time I deleted it, was the last time! I will NEVER have Tinder ever again ~but also never say never~ but this year I won't that is a promise. I don't find the idea of Tinder appealing and while I appreciate people laughing at my lame jokes and telling me how great my boobs are* I have friends to do that and now you have a million questions so I'm ending this paragraph.


Dating is hard! Next topic. I'm joking, but dating is hard. There is like ten levels till you actually get to the stage of dating these days and I'm not going to lie I have a short attention span and I typically don't like people for more than two weeks, if you have made it past that two weeks I am sorry but I will probably like you for the next 6 months or more, just deal with it. In three months I am 19 and I have only ever had three, nope four crushes that I would consider actually crushes (This does not include people I have liked for less than two weeks, because we can not count that high) yea I have gone on dates with more than four people, okay okay I only dated one of those four people and lets just say glad that shit is over. I am joking one of my life rules is to never be mean about an ex. He was a great guy, although he wasn't emotionally available and the first time we dated I was like 13 and obviously that shit was never going to work. I also made mistakes and it was a very long; on again off again four years, don't get me wrong as a 13-year-old girl I wasn't exactly at the height of my perfection as I am still to reach that.

Roses and Good Morning texts. Does that sound perfect to you? Well, it's my idea of hell. I'm joking, but it isn't my jam. I had always said that if a guy sent me roses I would marry him, that quickly changed when some douchey guy sent me roses. Now you're probably thinking WTF he sent you roses he ain't a douche well hold up let me explain and stop being so judgy. I had met this dude once let me emphasize that ONCE and might I add to that I had met him ONCE while he was sleeping with (he thinks they were dating LOL) my best friend (Refer back to the paragraph about Tinder as she met him on Tinder). Now you see where I am coming from and while I could keep talking about the rose saga I don't want to have any court cases on my doorstep so next.** Good Morning texts, the thing girls lust over on FB. Hang on though I am not against good morning texts well not completely anyway. It's just; don't expect a reply I am either asleep or it's too early for human communication or we are NOT dating and I have no obligation to reply to you and ever if we were dating I would still be under no obligation to reply, to you. And I think that is also enough said on the topic but also don't get mad when she does not reply like shit son. I could speak about this dude for a whole paragraph but I'm not going to, actually when asking permission to speak about, him, he said no, when I tried to explain he said no, I then blocked him again and that's the end of our communication.

Okay, I have talked about me being single, Tinder, dating, roses and good morning texts and now relationships. Can we not talk about this though just like skip over it. Pretend I didn't type relationships in the title. I have a vast amount of experience n every other area but not dating. The only real serious relationship I have had was on and off for four years and that was from the age of 13 to 17 it's not exactly what I would call a relationship, I was a kid. He told me he loved me and I think I was more in love with the idea of him than ever actually being in love with him so well it obviously wasn't going to work. There was someone else I dated that I would also say was a fairly serious relationship however that is complicated and something I'm not ready to talk about on here because well I don't want to have to deal with that.

50 Fun (Mostly) Free Things To Do Alone

50 Fun (Mostly) Free Things To Do Alone

Friday 10 February 2017

YES! You read that right ALONE!! I am single like NEVER been more single in my life and most of my friends aren't which means I often have the choice of been a third/fifth/seventh (you get the point) wheel or I just hang out by myself. Yay for learning to be more independent (this is where my mother says I have always been annoyingly independent). Okay, in all seriousness I like hanging out by myself, I am an incredibly busy person and when I hang out with friends I try and make it at either breakfast, lunch or dinner because I have to eat and so do they thus saving time. That makes me sound like a bad friend, but who doesn't like food! To prove to you I am really busy I have my blog (obviously, you know that), I am also a student and I have a part time job I also travel 4-5 hours each week for therapy. I told you it was a legit reason.

This year to tackle my issues of the 'unknown' I am trying to do something each week that scares me slightly and has unknown 'traits', thus doing fun things ALONE is deffo on that list. Also, I am a uni student I can't afford to do fun expensive things ALONE, like you want cheaper accommodation; get a boyfriend, you want to go on holiday; oh yep its a twin package (yeah, they got you there didn't they). Don't get me wrong I love hanging out with myself but places that charge less or only have twin deals; I hate you! (Sorry, had to be said. Am I right single people or am I right??)

**Sidenote: When I started writing this post I was putting my little sarcastic comments next to each 'activity' then realized not only would this take way too long to write but it would also be extremely boring and long for you to read, thus now only some have my comments (although if you want me to add snarky comments to all of them, let me know in the comments below. )

1. Go to the Beach.
2. Go on some kind of nature walk.
3. Workout hahahaahaha, I know
4. Read a book.
5. Paint your nails.
6. Lie on the grass and listen to music like some cool 80's hippy
7. Watch a movie
8. BUBBLE BATH!!
9.  Start a garden with vegetables or flowers or herbs. The possibilities are endless.
10. Cook a new recipe using only the ingredients in your cupboard (haven't been shopping in a week? no problem, I'm sure your week old broccoli will taste great!)
11. Meditate
12. Make a goals list
13. Write a letter to literally anybody.
14. Get crafty
15. Ride your bike (that is if you haven't had it in you garage for five years and grown out of it)
16. Clean out your wardrobe and donate the stuff you no longer use, because yay for giving to charity!
17. Pamper time
18. Window shop ALONE
19. Go for a drive
20. Binge watch NETFLIX or some cheap site where you do not have to pay  **Sidenote I am not encouraging illegal downloading of anything!
21. Go to a museum
22. KNIT
23. Learn something new
24. Organize your phone (I know nothing is in folders and it's an absolute mess, sort it out!!)
25. Compliment yourself.
26. Walk your dog.
27. Scream (It is satisfying)
28. Check your emails and REPLY to them
29. Scroll the internet.
30. Read Jokes.
31. Keep doing what you are doing right now.
32. Pick flowers.
33. Clean your house.
34. Do your washing, yes I know you haven't done it in three weeks stop being lazy and do it
35. Do something with your hair; curl it, straighten it, cut it all off, the possibilities are endless.
36. Dance
37. Go onto the Sephora website put everything you could ever want in your basket then press the little X in the corner and remind yourself you can;t afford to buy anything
38. Create a bucket list
39. Meal Prep.
40. Create a budget.
41. Foooooood
42. Swimming
43. Random act of kindness
44. Pinterest, need I say more.
45. Drink WINE (not encouraged if you are legally not allowed, have water instead)
46. Stalk your ex on Social Media.
47. Affirmations (Yes, I mean to stand in the mirror and tell yourself how damn sexy you are.)
48. Go to the park
49. Lie on the floor and think of all those fantastic responsibilities you have and what you should actually be doing.
50. Nap

I am somewhat impressed that I got 50 things down okay I know I cheated with a few but close enough.

What are some free things you love to do? Do you like hanging out alone?

Let me know in the comments below.

Auckland

Auckland

Monday 6 February 2017

If you know me you know this was going to be a blog post at some point! I love Auckland but it hasn't always been that way. I use to have a strong hate towards Auckland for various different reasons, however, after living on the north shore for a year I have come to live this city I once hated.

I grew up north of Auckland however, that changed seven years ago when the town I was living in became a part of the Auckland supercity, that meant i technically lived in Auckland. Not going to lie I despised Auckland for making this change. I grew up on a farm in the country, I in no way wanted to be a part of the city. however moving closer to the city this year I have fallen in love with Auckland, which is a sentence I was certain i would never say.

Some of the places  love in Auckland include:

Piha

My favorite because was an hour and a half away from where I was living in Auckland which meant, I had to find another beach. Granted Piha is still 40-60 minutes away from where I live, it was still closer and also close to family which is obviously ideal.


Titirangi

I love Ttitirangi, I also have family that live in Titrangi thus, I have gotten to know the place fairly well. I love the cafes, the bush and the overall vibe of the place.

Albany

I have uni in Albany and spend most of my time there so it would be very wrong fir me not to include it in this post. I have found my favorite cafe, and a lot of my other favorite spots in Albany it definitely feels like home now.

What place makes you feel at peace? Do you have a special place?

Let me know in the comments below.

The Unknown

The Unknown

Friday 3 February 2017

The unknown and overcoming it is something I have struggled with for a very long time and is something I talked about in my new years resolutions post.

The Unknown and the though of it scares me, but like with any fear I talked about it with my therapist. It doesn't mean just because I have talked about it with my therapist for a couple of sessions that I am magically cured and no longer scared of the unknown because it defiantly doesn't work like that, although i wish it did.

*deep breathe* since I was a id i hated doing things that i didn't know every detail about, I hated meeting people and doing things that I couldn't predict the outcome to and throughout the years with the experiences I have been through it has enforced this fear more and more, I was finding myself stopping doing things because I couldn't predict what was going to happen.

Last year, things had to change. I made massive decisions that ultimately I didn't know what was going to happen. I had to make the decision whether I was going to better myself and further my life or I was going to take the safe option. I chose to take the riskier option. I chose to move cities, start uni, a new job and so much more! It was terrifying and looking back all so worth it. It was worth it because of the experiences I have had (both positive and negative), the knowledge I have gained, and the friends and people i have met, as well las so many more things.

While these are things that I have taken a chance with it doesn't mean I wasn't terrified by them, I am also finding that I am still making decisions out of fear of not knowing what is going to happen. I have needed the start of potential relationships with amazing people because i am scared of getting hurt, I don't do things and avoid places and doing things because I can't predict the outcome. One event imparticular have been heavily based on not knowing what is going to happen and with this particular thing whatever I decide I cannot predict the outcome, which obviously is something that I struggled to deal with. Ultimately I have realised that, this is probably something I will always struggled with however I came to the decision on what to do in that situation. I decided that ultimately I have to do what is best for me, I don't know if it will be the right decision in 6 months, five year or even 20 years but right now this is the best decision for me. Yes, it could be viewed as the most predictable option but ultimately I chose this decision because it is the best thing for me.

Ultimately sometimes the safe option is what is best for us and that is how we should live always choosing the option that will be best for you, whether that is scary and unknown or not. My therapist and I made a list as we do quite often that list consisted of some of the  things that I have done that I didn't know what the outcome was going to be and it turned out the it was mostly positive outcomes, sure there were things that turned out to be crap ut from those experiences I have learned valuable things and they have helped shape me into the person i am today.

Live life with the thought process of how good is it going to be for you, what are you going to learn that will be of value to you!

Defining My Faith // January 2016 | New Year, Same Me

Defining My Faith // January 2016 | New Year, Same Me

Wednesday 25 January 2017

I am taking a deep breathe as I start to write this post as I don't know how it is going to go. I have no structure or plan. I do know roughly what I want to talk about but that could honestly go in any direction so please bare with me.

I am not religious. I feel like that is a bold statement especially because thats the main topic of this pot but hear me out. I don't define myself as religious in any way, shape or form. You may disagree but i don't care. I don't define myself as religious because to me that sounds cult like and to be honest something I don't want to be apart of. I do however have faith, 100% believe in God. Don't get me wrong I have my moments of doubt but we all do. None of us are perfect and I definitely at times have doubt that God is real.

If you had asked me 2 years ago if i believed in God or had faith I would have black out said no. 8 years ago i would have said yes and now I also say yes. So why the shift from yes to no and back to yes. I was bought up as Christian and as I got older I didn't agree with some of the idea that were bought up around me, I also had events occur in my private life that I didn't understand why God would let that happen. After a lot of education and developing my own thoughts about certain topics I have come to the decision that I do have faith and I do believe in God.

In the last 6 months my faith has got stronger and it is stronger than it has ever been. I have had interactions that have made my faith stronger, I have also attended 'events' that have made my faith stronger and that is something I will never be ashamed of. This year I want to expand my faith more, I want to start going to church which is another topic that is more complicated than it may seem from the outside but it is something I will potentially do a blog post on.

What is your stance on religion? What are your beliefs? 

Let me know in the comments below. (Please be respectful of other people)

Mental Health Goals // January 2016 | New Year, New Me

Mental Health Goals // January 2016 | New Year, New Me

Sunday 22 January 2017

My Mental Health is obviously important, as is everybodies! This year I want to continue to kick ass with my mental health and continue to improve it. This year I said goodbye to depression, while I am sure that I will at some point have depression again, I am currently depression free. I also have my PTSD under control which is excited. Don't get me wrong though there is definitely some things I still won't do and other things I struggle to do but in 2016 I definitely achieved things I didn't think I would in terms of my mental health.

This year I want to continue to talk to you guys about mental health and how it can effect people. Mental Health education is super important and therefore something I want to be talking about more. Last year I posted a depression post that I worked with the mental health foundation on. I want to continue to work with them to release more blog posts educated you all. I also want to talk publicly about my own struggle with mental health both on my blog and other public platforms, I want to do this because I feel as though hearing other peoples stories has helped me and could potentially help others.

My own personal mental health isn't really something I talk about. This is because I am a fairly private person and don't like going into details it is also something that is obviously hard to talk about. I want to talk to you guys about the things I have struggled with and continue to struggle with. I will talk to you all about my diagnosis, and what my mental health means in terms of my feelings and all that. I also want to open up to you all about why i don't talk about it, and why I find it such a taboo subject. I feel like there is some obvious reasons however there is also other personal things that I don't talk about often and I only once publicly spoken about (which I have since deleted the instagram post). My mental health has improved an amazing amount in 2016 ad is something I want to keep improving. I am currently seeing a therapist and I have that funded till November which I will definitely keep going to because it has helped me in ways I never thought possible. I also want to talk to you all about going to therapy and my opinions on it because it is a little more complicated than it may seem.

What is your stance on mental health? Is it something you have struggled with?

Let me know in the comments below.

The unknown: Something more than that??

The unknown: Something more than that??

Friday 6 January 2017

The unknown and overcoming it is something I have struggled with for a very long time and is something I talked about in my new years resolutions post.

The Unknown and the though of it scares me, but like with any fear I talked about it with my therapist. It doesn't mean just because I have talked about it with my therapist for a couple of sessions that I am magically cured and no longer scared of the unknown because it defiantly doesn't work like that, although i wish it did.

*deep breathe* since I was a kid I hated doing things that I didn't know every detail about, I hated meeting people and doing things that I couldn't predict the outcome to and throughout the years with the experiences I have been through it has enforced this fear more and more, I was finding myself stopping doing things because I couldn't predict what was going to happen.

Last year, things had to change. I made massive decisions that ultimately I didn't know what was going to happen. I had to make the decision whether I was going to better myself and further my life or I was going to take the safe option. I chose to take the riskier option. I chose to move cities, start uni, a new job and so much more! It was terrifying and looking back all so worth it. It was worth it because of the experiences I have had (both positive and negative), the knowledge I have gained, and the friends and people i have met, as well las so many more things.

While these are things that I have taken a chance with it doesn't mean I wasn't terrified by them, I am also finding that I am still making decisions out of fear of not knowing what is going to happen. I have needed the start of potential relationships with amazing people because i am scared of getting hurt, I don't do things and avoid places and doing things because I can't predict the outcome. One event imparticular have been heavily based on not knowing what is going to happen and with this particular thing whatever I decide I cannot predict the outcome, which obviously is something that I struggled to deal with. Ultimately I have realised that, this is probably something I will always struggled with however I came to the decision on what to do in that situation. I decided that ultimately I have to do what is best for me, I don't know if it will be the right decision in 6 months, five year or even 20 years but right now this is the best decision for me. Yes, it could be viewed as the most predictable option but ultimately I chose this decision because it is the best thing for me.

Ultimately sometimes the safe option is what is best for us and that is how we should live always choosing the option that will be best for you, whether that is scary and unknown or not. My therapist and I made a list as we do quite often that list consisted of some of the  things that I have done that I didn't know what the outcome was going to be and it turned out the it was mostly positive outcomes, sure there were things that turned out to be crap ut from those experiences I have learned valuable things and they have helped shape me into the person i am today.

Live life with the thought process of how good is it going to be for you, what are you going to learn that will be of value to you!

Looking back on 2016

Looking back on 2016

As I look back on 2016 i am glad that it is gone however I am also glad that it happened. 2016 globally was a sh%t year, personally; it was a sh$t year. However, if i look at it as a bigger picture its not as bad as I think. I've learnt a lot, experienced a lot and met a lot of amazing people.


January
2016 started off with passing high school and getting accepted into university. This came with a lot of stress. The stress involved picking a university, and finding a flat in another city. I also go to visit a lot of family which was awesome.

February
I moved to a new city, got my restricted license and started uni all within two days. February was busy, long and stressful. This month was also very daunting, I have anxiety (to say that is an understatement) however with uni my anxiety wasn't that bad, I think was more because I didn't have time to process things and thus, no time get anxious however I will never forget the 30seconds that I was at the lights that I suddenly felt anxious. The light soon turned green and the anxiety quickly disappeared.



March
March was pretty much filled with uni assignments, not really to much else.

April.
April was a good month. My birthday is on a public holiday which meant that i had a three day weekend for my 18 combine this with the fact it was 3 of my other friedan 18th it equalled an amazing weekend with an amazing bunch of friends and too much alcohol consumed. Regardless, it was still a good weekend and was a nice break from uni even if I did regret it the next day. This month also had its ups and downs. I had a pretty bad depressive episode at the end of the month, it started off with driving to work, I got there and burst into tears, literally had a meltdown in the carpark of work. That was fun and stressful. I drove home and called my aunty and went and stayed with them for a few days. This did mean that I missed uni and work but it was for my mental health and that should always be number 1.

May.
May was also pretty boring catching up on assignments from my meltdown (haha, sh*t I was a mess) and basically getting my shit together as well.

June.
June was the same as March although I was in a much better mood because I had holidays coming up and was going to Niue in July.

July
Most of the month I spent with family and in Niue. I loved Niue and it is such a beautiful place. You can check out my blog post on Niue here. I also started second semester at uni, same old thing as semester one.

August, September.
I'm going to combine the two because they were pretty boring. I kept going to therapy as I had throughout the year which was hard because my therapist is in Whangarei and I was living in Auckland but I managed it and it has resulted in me kicking my mental illness in the butt, maybe not really kicking it in the butt but I have made so much progress and if I may say I am proud of myself. I also starting going to a young adults christian group which was amazing and over the last few months I have continues to explore my faith which is also something that I will continue to do. I also moved house, forgot about that one although is probably of some importance!

October
The friend I met at uni who had become one of my best friends called me a f%^&ing b^%&h (still don't know why). Yea, so that happened. Obviously, We are no longer friends.

November
I finished exams (thank goodness!), moved back to Whangarei (only over summer), and relaunched my blog. November was amazing! There really isn't anything else to say.

December
I feel like this was the same as everyone else December. It was controlled by Christmas, I also participated in blogmas and got my end of the year results (We aren't talking about those).

It was an amazing year, although it had its up and downs but I got through it in one piece!

What was your 2016 highlights? What month was your most eventful?
Let me know in the comments below.

New Year, Same Me, New Goals 2017

New Year, Same Me, New Goals 2017

Saturday 31 December 2016

I never considered myself to be somebody that would set new years resolutions because I firmly believe that if you want to achieve something that you shouldn't have to wait for the 1st of January to be able to do it. I believed and still believe that if you want to achieve it, you should just go out and do it. However, with saying that I have set new goals for 2017. They may not be ones that are measurable or achievable but who isn't up for a challenge. I have set nine goals/ challenges for myself to achieve in 2017, follow me if you want to follow my journey in 2017.

1. Blog
I want to grow my blog and make it something that I am proud of. Don't get me wrong I am proud of it now but I want to be able to dedicate time every week to making this place of the internet an accurate representation of who I am as a person. I want my blog to be a digital version of myself. The digital version representing both the pain and the joy I have through the year, I want to share my deepest insecurities, my happiest moments, the goals I achieve, memories iImake. I want you to see who I really am!

2. Health and Fitness
As I said on blogmas day 23 health and fitness is something I definitely want to improve on. I want to be as fit as I was three years ago, I want to do yoga and go for runs as I use to. I want my outlook on food to change, I want it to nourish my body. One of my main goals for 2017 is to cut out most sugar, and to pretty much cut out food that isn't going to nourish me that means post-hangover pizza and burgers.

3. Fear.
This is something I struggle with, always have probably always will. While I can blame it on several mental illness and events in my past ultimately I have decided not to, it's something I can and want to change. My fear of the unknown and my fear of things like heights are completely different thus I am going to put them as separate points. My goal for this year is to do one thing a month, 12 in total that scares the crap out of me. This may be bungee jumping or skydiving. However, scare me? It will. Conquer?  Well, we will have to see about that one.

4. Unknown.
The unknown is my biggest fear. It has changed how I see and react to different events. I have had this fear for a few years. I have a fear of not knowing if you're  going to fall in love, or get your heart broken whether you're going to have that first kiss or it will be a disaster it is all terrifying. However that is something I want to overcome I want to be excited by the unknown I want to be excited to think I could fall in love or get my dream job or whatever it may be because it the end of the day as a friend put it; if it is meant to be it will be. Sometimes we have to just do things and not overthink things, which I have a history of doing, I'm a self-confessed control freak and that is definitely something that I want to let go of.

5. My past.
This is a big one for me, a lot of things that have happened in my past I talk about to very few people. I feel vulnerable and open when I talk about these things and that is something nobody like to feel, however, the events that have occurred in my life have also happened to a lot of other people as well and in 2017 I want to be able to embrace my past and to help others with my story and my experience. There is probably less than 20 people that know what happened and even less know the effects and what I know have to deal with because of it, but so many people go through the same thing and don't have a way out or don't see a way out. I have found a way to be myself again and that is something that I have so many people to thank for.

6. My Faith.
This is a big one my faith is something I struggled with for a long time. When I was younger (4 or 5) I would go to Sunday School and I also went to a private Christian School for two years (Some of my friends a couple of years ago couldn't believe it, I'm not exactly a type A Christian) however growing up I saw a lot and experienced even more and that definitely changed my outlook on my faith and God. I lost respect for him however over the last year I have, started finding my faith again and have definitely experienced some amazing things. In 2017 I want to explore my faith more and what being a Christian means to me.

7. Acceptance.
I am not perfect nobody is, however, I want to learn to accept myself and be nicer to myself. Yes, I have acne, freckles, scars and so much more but at the end of the day, they have come with me through every experience some experiences causing scars whether they are visible or not. I am who I am and I need to learn to love myself, and who I am just as much as the next person.

8. Anxiety and Mental Health.
This year I have made so much progress with my anxiety which of course is amazing, however, over the next year, I want to be able to say that anxiety is something that no longer affects my day to day life. I don't want to be scared of having a panic attack in the middle of the supermarket (which yes has happened this year and it was not a good time).

9. Getting my sh*t together.
I hate when there are no plans, hence, why I am a self, confessed control freak. In 2017 I want to get my sh*t together both in my personal life, as school and professionally. By personally I don't mean getting into a relationship, I mean seeing my friends and family more and making time for the people in my life that have been there for me and supported me, if that happens to mean I meet someone amazing and fall in love so be it, although it isn't something that I will be actively seeking out (although you can apply below, I am joking). School, this year started off great I got pretty decent grades although the second semester well lets just say that didn't go so well, I also had a lot more going on and was travelling to Whangarei every week for therapy, however, my time in between that wasn't thought out very well, thus this year I have a goal to attend all my tutorials. Yes, every single one. I am aware that there may be events that cause m to not be able to make it but there is always an exception to the rule although a hangover is not one! Improving my grades is something that is extremely important to me and a goal I definitely want to achieve in the new year. Professionally, by this I mean my blog and well you can just go and see number 1 for this.

What are your new year resolutions? What do you want to see from me?

Let me know in the comments below.

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Niue

Niue

Wednesday 30 November 2016

Niue is an amazing place to visit. The scenery is incredible and the people are lovely. It's definitely different to anywhere else I have been.

I love how untouched the Island is, in comparison to Rarotonga; Niue isn't commercialized and has only a small shopping area that is really only for necessities. Everything is very down to earth. 

The fish while snorkelling are amazing, as is the coral. There are also coconut crabs all over the island that predominantly come out at night, but are amazing if you see them. The fishing is on a whole other level. We went on a fishing charter early one morning and three of us caught 8 Tuna within an hour, yea when I say the fishing is a whole other level I mean it!

The pools and the caves are incredible all around the island. You could literally spend a three or four days just going to all the pools and caves.... and We did. Once We were in some of the caves I started to regret the amount of horror movies I have watched, but nonetheless they were beautiful.

Whangarei Falls

Whangarei Falls

Whangarei Falls is one of those touristy walks that people do when they come to Whangarei, although I'm not technically a tourist because I lived there for two years I do love going to the falls. The best time is to go right after it has rained then you a guaranteed that there will be heaps of water flowing from the falls.

While the falls are magic, the walk there is as well. It takes any where from ten to fifteen minutes and it is a fairly flat walk. I love this walk because of the scenery and nature. Who doesn't love to be indulged by nature?

What to Study // November 2016 | Life

What to Study // November 2016 | Life

It was always a big deal to make sure you knew exactly what you wanted to study at university before you got there. I definitely had that pressure but because I chose such a versatile degree that pressure left once I started university. I found out there was a lot of people who didn't know what they wanted to study and that made me feel so much better. Do what makes you happy, and don't stress about it because you can always change. Here are my top tips for choosing what you want to study:

1.     Don’t stress over what you are going to study.
 Don’t stress, you ultimately have your first year to really decide what you want to do and if you change a few times during the year that is okay. I have personally changed my major I think three times this year. I have always known I wanted to do psychology but this year I made the decision to do a double major and my other major I have changed several times and that is oaky.

2.     Just because it’s a hobby doesn’t mean it can be a career you will enjoy.
 Originally I was going to do a double major in Psychology and English. However, while studying English at university I found as though the passion that I had for English and writing had evaporated with studying English. That terrified me because I relate my identity and writing so close together. Making the decision to drop English as my major was a huge decision but I am so happy I made that decision I have since decided to do Security studies as my second major and I am really excited about that because it challenges me in a way that writing never did. I have also found that since I stopped doing English as my major and dropped those papers, I have found my passion for writing and also have found my passion for my blog again.