Every Day Is Valentine's Day

Well, I'm finally in London! WOOHOO!

I'm so grateful that I have friends who live here and are happy to take time out of their lives to explore with me. So my first weekend here, two of my friends, Jordi and Rach, took me out to Surrey, more specifically, Leatherhead to complete the Mole Gap Trail. 

We were so lucky that it was such a beautiful day...although that was questioned in the morning thanks to the overcast skies and the light rain. But THANKFULLY, the sun came out and it ended up being a perfect day. 

So, the Mole Gap Trail is a 10km (6 miles) walk through beautiful paddocks, cute countryside roads and even through some properties. The great thing about these trails is that a lot of the countryside homes allow explorers to trek through their property as part of the trails. I've never heard of anything like that in Australia. I made sure I took heaps of photos and lots of video footage on this walk (YouTube video link below). All photos were taken with my iPhone 7...bloody good job Apple! 

The walk was guided by signs as seen in the first picture and arrows. Such a cool way to guide explorers! 

That's right, this Aussie gal is moving all the way to the Land of Crumpets! 

Look, you might be thinking that an Aussie moving to London is completely unoriginal. Well, I'm hear to tell you... yeah, it's unoriginal... but living an expat life is something that all young people need to experience. And now, it's my turn!

Now, why do I want to move to London? Well, there are three main reasons for my decision... 

Firstly, it is something I've wanted to do for a really long time and by "long time", I mean since my sister moved to London in 2009. After visiting her, I knew moving to London was something I wanted to do too. I immediately fell in love with the city; the shopping, the architecture, the culture, and did I mention the shopping? Yep... 8 years later and I'm finally doing it! But I can't imagine moving to London at any other time in my life than right now. 

Major flashback to 2009, my first time in London. Tourist look is a solid 10/10

Secondly, it's all about getting out of my comfort zone and taking risks. Not only do I come from a somewhat sheltered family (sorry Mum, you know it's true), I am also a slightly fearful & anxious person. I have always been the one who needs to be near her family. For me, moving to London is a big deal! I mean, I'm moving my life to a new country where I won't have the same support network as I have here in Australia. It's also a huge risk; I haven't secured a job yet and I don't know where I'll be living. But, perhaps the unknown is good. As lame as it sounds, it will be a character building experience and will help me grow as a person. 

Lastly, Brisbane is just not offering me what I need and want at this point in my life. I work within the creative industries and while Brisbane has some sort of a creative scene, you know where else does? You guessed it ... LONDON CALLING!

My last trip to London in 2015. Again, tourist look is a solid 10/10

How long am I planning on being in London? That's the fun/scary thing... I have no freakin' clue! I could be there for 1 month, 3 months, 3 years or 10 years. Right now, I have a guaranteed 2 years to make the most of my time in London, so all I can say is, we'll see how I go. All I can do is just go for it, work hard and enjoy every moment. Because regardless of how long I'm there for, it will still be an amazing experience.

Now, if you want to follow my journey, what I recommend is that you follow this blog, follow me on Instagram and YouTube. Yep, that's right, you'll have the pleasure of seeing my pretty face on so many social platforms! How lucky are you!?

So here's to new adventures and not looking like a tourist in anymore of my photos!

Cheers and cheerio Brisbane ❤️

Aya x

Weekly Wishes - a curation of amazing things that I need want in my life. Whether it is jewellery, shoes, clothing, food or the perfect cup of coffee, you'll be wishing you could have it too!

{14k Moissanite Flower Ring by Luxuring: eco friendly fine jewellery)

This gorgeous ring is definitely at the top of my wish list. I am desperately wanting a flower diamond ring. Originally, I was going to get an antique ring (probably still will), but after discovering Luxuring and seeing that it is made of recycled gold and ethically resourced gemstones and diamonds, it is surpassing my original antique choice. 

So, I'm in my final year of uni and my god, life is hectic! But that's uni; hectic. So many assignments...no wait...so many group assignments! Bloody QUT. I think most university students will agree that sometimes uni can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. We stress, we cry, we eat and we drink. We either stay up all night to write an assignment/study or we give up with a "that will do" attitude. I am so sick of crying and stressing out over assignments; it's not good for my health and for my future frown lines. This year, I want to conquer university and it's craziness!

Here are my survival actions. I've only just started adopting some of them, so I hope the rest of the year brings me more peace and control in my life.  

Buying a Planner 

Seriously. I bought a planner from Kikki K and I'm so glad I bought it. It was the first thing I bought before starting uni. I've put all of my assessment in the calendar section and I've customised the tabs provided to whatever I want. It's the organisational item you need for everything: calendar, to-do lists, meeting notes, projects and inspiration. I bought the medium sized planner. This is the one that I have:

My advice is to find an area in your house/apartment/room that is specifically for study, even if it is the corner of your room. It's great having an area designated for uni because you know once you are there, you are there to get things done. My house has a downstairs study and I've set up a desk with some cute accessories and filing systems. I still have a lot of decorating to do: I want to make it an area that is mine to motivate me.

Adding a To-Do List to your Desk

Having a to-do booklet on my desk in my study allows me to set my priorities for the day. Whether it is spending an hour on a marketing assignment or studying for an upcoming test, it's good to have at least two priorities for the day. I find it easier to write what I need to do, it's so satisfying crossing off a task on my list. I feel like I've achieved something. I make sure my to-do list doesn't just focus on university tasks, but also other daily tasks. 

Don't make uni your entire life

Some people do uni work 24/7 (this has been my most recent experience). It's absolutely crazy! There has to be some balance; something I lack. To bring balance back into my life, I've decided to set "business hours" for my uni work: Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. This way, I can be super productive by getting everything done within these hours. One thing I do is make sure I have a break every 2 hours for at least 15 minutes. This short break allows me to feel refreshed and ready to tackle more uni crap (haha). 

Treat Yourself

Or treat yo'self! I make sure I treat myself, whether it's having a glass of wine (or a few) at the end of the week or buying something new to wear. It's a good way to reward myself for working hard!

Release the stress

So far, my stress relief has been food. I'm upset about an assignment, I cry and then I eat. It's not a good habit to be in. My NEW stress relief is going to be exercise. Instead of eating chocolate or going to Maccas (I did this after handing in a 40 page assignment 5 minutes before it was due - I sprinted through the campus like there was no tomorrow. I probably looked insane), I will exercise. Usually, whenever I'm upset or angry, I find that the cycle classes at my gym are the best way to release negative energy. So from now on, whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed or upset about uni, I will go to the gym. It's important to get rid of all that negative energy. 

If you are feeling the way I am feeling about uni, make sure you try these out!

Well I've come to the end of my Frugal February challenge - well done, me. It was an interesting month filled with ups and downs but overall, I think I did pretty well. Let's see how I went:

WEEK ONE 

Look, to be honest, I ended up at the shops during the first two days of Frugal February. On the plus side, I didn't buy anything and I wasn't there for the purpose of shopping. I was there to watch my mother shop.

I really tried to wear things I hadn't worn in a while. I rehashed a pair of satin Sportsgirl boxer shorts which were great to wear on really hot days. Those shorts were the only "older" item that I started to wear again.

Overall, one week without shopping wasn't a challenge.

WEEK TWO

Confession: I spent money on a birthday present. I personally don't think it counted as a fail because it wasn't a purchase for myself.

Things did start to get harder - my favourite brands were releasing and advertising AW16 stock. Instagram was alive with many NEW SEASON posts. It was a downward spiral from there - seeing the posts, going to the website, having a good look on the website and creating a shopping bag. I also received some NEW ARRIVALS chat from my sister. Our chat began with her message saying, "Warning: do not go to the shoe section at DJs in the city!" Great...

I almost caved at the sight of all the new season arrivals but I stuck to my challenge. Instead of shopping, I made several cakes...YUM!

WEEK THREE

FAILURE ALERT: I bought a lipstick and two t-shirts. However, I paid for them with my credit card which I don't have to pay off until March so that's fine, right?

In my defence, that day was not a good day emotionally for me. A month of no shopping isn't that long, but this one emotional day made me weak. Why was it emotional? I was consumed anxiety and disappointment in myself and I felt like I was lacking direction in my life. I wanted to relieve that distress by buying something. Yes, it was nice to have new things, but that post-purchase satisfaction wasn't there. Shopping wasn't a problem solver and it should never be treated like that. Overall, I'm disappointed that I let my emotional state take over me. 

On a non-depressing note, I started to notice that I was missing mix-and-match pieces. There were tops or bottoms I wanted to wear, but nothing to wear them with. 

WEEK FOUR

The end was coming and I could feel it. I would embrace it. I made a few shopping carts on my favourite online stores. I don't know why - I didn't plan on buying any of the items straight away.

University was about to start, so I made sure I had a planner - thanks Kikki K! I considered that an essential purchase. Again, I tried wearing things I haven't worn in a while with some success.

You know what was fun about Week Four? I rocked a sequin skirt :P

FINITO and REFLECTION 

I think I had this impression of myself that I was obsessed with shopping, but Frugal February has allowed me to see that perhaps I'm not that crazy. I don't feel the need to go shopping, which is great!

Frugal February really allowed me to observe and take note of my current wardrobe. I now know what I need rather than what I want. There are items that are missing from my wardrobe, so I need to focus on purchasing those rather than making emotional purchases. I need more vibrancy and colour as well as "going out" options. There are only so many basic tees you can buy. 

While technically I may have failed with my emotional purchases, I have learnt from that experience. I feel like I'll be able to re-adjust how and what I spend my money on. 

Frugal February was a success and will be back next year!