I FORGOT

It's been two days since I made a post on here! I remembered at some points, but figured I'd do it later. I guess it's safe to say that later never came.

On Tuesday, I didn't do much other than go to the city for churros with Anastasia, and it was a lot of fun. After churros, we sat in the library and made a tinder group, and just sort of mucked about a bit.

That's me sitting in a lone chair, for some reason we thought that chair was really funny, all by itself. Eventually she had to leave to go to band practice and I had to go home to make curry. Pretty late that night, I started online shopping for shoes - I think that's the main reason I forgot to make a post.

The next day, yesterday, I was home all day, online shopping - again. It was kind of weird because I'm really not that much of a shopper. I don't often go shopping and buy things if I just don't need them, but I hadn't spent that much money since I got a job and I guess I just wanted to. I have to say though, I'm glad that feeling is gone now. And I have three exciting packages coming in the mail!

Now I have to get ready! Adios, you will see me again tonight. Days 12 & 13 over.

SICK :(

I missed a post yesterday because by the end of the day I was soo sick! I just had no energy whatsoever. All I did yesterday was work at Judy's shop, alphabetise the travel bookshelf (which made my hands super grubby, by the way) and then come home. I didn't go to work today or yesterday, and I probably won't tomorrow because I don't think it's a good idea to go to work at a restaurant, being around lots of food and lots of people when I'm all germy and gross.

Today (after one of the worst sleeps I've ever had) I stayed in bed literally all day, watching Gilmore Girls. The highlight of my day was when Rodney brought home my fave ice cream - vegan, of course - and I devoured it all in one sitting. No regrets.

It's legit 'so good' hahah

I'll probably spend much of tomorrow the same way, but hopefully I'll manage to fit in a drive seeing as I didn't today or during the week - but we'll see how I feel.

End of days 8 & 9 :)

FRENCH & BOWLING

I love being able to run. Every time I run that little bit further or faster or longer, I just get so proud of myself, because running is hard! Well, for me at least. At the moment, though, I can't do it. I got sore knees after jumping back into it too hard after not running for months. So while I wait for my knees to repair themselves - I'm sure they will soon, right? - I'm back to biking. Which I also love.
This morning I rode along the Capital City Trail which goes past my old high school, and I'm 90% certain I rode past two of my old teachers - awkward. They were both teachers I really liked (Rainer and Jamie) but I didn't particularly feel the need to bump into them with greasy hair and a red face.

I came home, jumped in the shower, did some french, took Kelly for a walk, did some more french, DIED at how beautiful Salem, MA is - particularly in Autumn (or 'fall'). I want to go there soo much, and essentially I could just book a flight and GO. But can I really? Part of me wants to be spontaneous and crazy and just do it, for real, but the other part of me is too concerned about judgemental people, and about how I wouldn't know anyone. But it's kind of my last chance to go during halloween, which is legit my DREAM. Plus, I won't be able to do it for another four years because of uni and exams...

After French class, I was walking to Melbourne Central when a boy, probably about my age, came up to me and asked if I was German. It wasn't really in a creepy or annoying way, it was just kind of funny. He said I looked German because of my blonde hair and blue eyes, although my eyes are really more grey/green. He tried to introduce himself but I was kind of in a hurry to meet Beth and I didn't want to give him the wrong idea or anything, so I just said I had to meet my friend, and he was totally cool about it. Ten or so minutes later, when I had made it to Melbourne Central and was on an escalator right near our meeting spot, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time and another guy started talking to me. He asked if my lock screen was a picture of a cat, to which I said no, and showed him the picture of Kelly. He then proceeded to show me a picture of his kitten, ask me about uni, tell me about how he wanted to change courses because there wasn't much of a job market in the field he was currently studying, ask me to play touch football, ask me for my Facebook and ask my for my phone number until I said 'umm maybe not...' and managed to get away! He seemed nice but he wouldn't let me leave! I then greeted Beth, we got burgers at Grill'd (the vegan burger there was surprisingly nice! It had pineapple which I wasn't expecting, but it totally made it) and then played three games of bowling before getting really tired and going home.

I originally intended to take at least one photo of Beth at the bowling place, I even brought my DSLR, but I felt so awkward pulling it out. I definitely need to work on being more carefree with stuff like that - who cares if I'm taking a photo of my friend anyway?

That concludes day... 4? xx

BRIGHT 2016

Over the weekend, myself and some family took a little trip to Bright. I had heard from a friend that in Autumn, the trees all turned a wonderful orange, which is something you don't come across much in Australia. Or, at least, in Melbourne you don't. And given that I'm more than slightly obsessed with American Autumns - which include many an orange leaf - I absolutely wanted to check out this Autumn-Wonderland-Town.
Upon arrival, I was only a tiny bit disappointed to find that it wasn't quite the orange wonderland I had expected, we had come too early. Nevertheless, the trees were beginning to turn, some had already turned completely, and the town was still very picturesque.
Once we had checked out the cottage we were staying in, which had a very aesthetically pleasing bathroom mind you, we went for a drive through the streets and up to Huggin's Lookout.






This was easily among some of the best views I've seen, in my 18 short years, and I can't say that the camera shots do it justice.

After Huggins Lookout, we drove down to the Arboretum (a memorial park, I think) and while this was not exactly filled with colour, as we had been told, it certainly contained some beautiful views and I managed to get some good shots of Rodney.

On our way back to the cottage, we detoured down a long road scouting for some Autumnal magic, and though we didn't find quite what we were looking for, it was a nice drive anyway.

Later that afternoon, we went for a stroll around the park near our accommodation and then retired for the day.

One thing I do wish I had brought with me, was some DVD's or my laptop. I found that I didn't have much to do when we weren't out exploring and I read nearly an entire book in the two days that we were there. (City of Ashes, if you were wondering).


The next day wasn't as eventful, but I managed to get some photos in the morning when we went down 'Cherry Walk'.



 The rest of the day was spent driving around the mountains, through most of which I managed to sleep. It wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it made Rodney happy which was good.

Let me know where your last holiday was!

LIFE UPDATE!

Rachael walking Louie along the lake across from our air BnB - right before we left!

HI
Okay, so I got back from Paynesville just under a week ago - twas fun but I am glad to be back!
I didn't take many photos there because I didn't bring my DSLR, but I do have a few on my phone (and there are a few on my 'Phhhoto' account: @fishbowl).
We came back on Sunday after a short trip that included lots of dog walking, cave exploring, winery visits and me practically binge reading The Maze Runner series.

My week since our return has been very busy up until now. The day I got back, I began obsessively watching the new 'Shadowhunters' TV show on Freeform!! I've seen the first episode probably four or five times now?

In a few sentences, my past week has included:

Monday: my friend Madison came over and we basically just made soup and watched Shadowhunters.
Tuesday: I hung out with two other friends, again watching Shadowhunters, and making vegan + gluten free Anzac biscuits.
Wednesday: I had a sleepover with my friend Izzy and we played Animal Crossing and made rice paper rolls for dinner.
Thursday: I went op shopping with Madison, hoping to find some 90s style clothes.
Friday: I went to another friend's house to play Animal Crossing and plan our joint birthday party, although we didn't end up having much to plan.

(I actually sound like a little kid with all this Animal Crossing... I swear I'll be a legal adult in 7 days.)

The clothes I bought whilst op-shopping included a velvet-looking black hoodie, a black cardigan and an oversized navy blue t-shirt with embroidery on the front.

I just thought I'd show the shirt (the cardigan and hoodie don't need much imagination to picture haha)

I've been a little bit stressed lately because I found out what university I'll be going to, and struggling with the decision to defer or not... so if anyone else is going through/has gone through the same thing, let me know what you did! Although at this point in time, I'm leaning towards a deferral - I don't feel ready for school again, ew.

I've also been feeling really jealous in some of my friendships recently, which isn't that unusual, except for the fact that it's sticking for longer than a minute or two this time. I don't really know the best way to go about this and it's hard to let go of these sorts of feelings but I think the best thing to do is take a step back and let yourself realise that you're not co-dependent on this person, you have a life outside of them and just reacquaint yourself with yourself! Maybe even spend a day with other friends.
I'm just writing this incase anyone reading it can relate, because it's a pretty frustrating feeling that I don't think we have all that much control over.

Anyway, sorry if this post was all over the place, just wanted to update everything! Leave a comment and I'll be happy to talk to you! :) x

25 FACTS ABOUT ME

AH It's been a while! I'm in a bit of a rush, as I'm leaving for Paynesville in two and a half hours and I have yet to pack - but I wanted to post something before I leave.
I usually love reading other people's tags and facts about them, but I'm not sure if I want them to be a huge part of this blog - I have other things to discuss (aka favourite movies and good books hahah)
Anyway, without further ado, here are 25 random facts about me!

1. My middle name is Molly
2. I have two older brothers
3. I don't eat any animal products!
4. I love reading - my favourite book is City of Bones
5. My three favourite movies are Lords of Dogtown, Palo Alto and Brokeback Mountain
6. I am very introverted - I like spending time alone
7. I love organisation and stationary, but in reality I'm not very organised
8. I feel weird wearing big brand names like Nike
9. I haaaate conflict
10. I frequently stress about whether I'm wasting my life
11. My hair is naturally light blonde and I love it
12. I have a jack russell terrier, her name is Kelly 
13. 13 is my favourite number
14. Wrapping presents is my favourite thing about Christmas
15. I liked school until year 10 and after that I hated it
16. I was born on the 30th of January
17. I am very good at under-packing!!
18. My favourite season is Autumn
19. I have very weak nails :(
20. I had braces for two years (from about 12 - 14)
21. I am so socially awkward it hurts
22. I have absolutely no idea what I want to do with my life
23. My favourite holiday is Halloween
24. I have never been in a relationship
25. I feel like the more makeup I put on, the weirder I look

And now I'll leave you with this adorable photo of Kelly - aren't her eyes so pretty? Comment a random fact about yourself or something we have in common!! Byee :))

BOOKS I READ IN 2015

HELLO, so something I love to do in my spare time is read. I didn't read heaps of books this year because I was being stubborn (I didn't want to read my school books but whenever I picked up a book that wasn't for school I felt guilty and thought if I'm going to read then it should be for school. Solution? don't read anything...) but nevertheless, here is a list of all the books I read this year (sorry it's SOOO long).

• Palo Alto by James Franco. This is a collection of linked short stories which were inspired by memories of life growing up in Palo Alto. The stories are all pretty much about teenagers who spend their time drinking and being angsty. The reason I read this book was because I loved the movie so much - it's one of my favourites - but I was a bit disappointed with the book. The stories weren't particularly gripping and I ended up forcing myself to keep reading.

• Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. This is an australian fiction book about two families living in the same house of a period of twenty years. I had to read this for school and I have to say, it's better than it sounds. I enjoyed this book, it's easy to read, the characters are believable, and although it can be slightly weird at times, I feel like most people could read this and enjoy it.

• The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting - a paranormal YA book that I read because it was suggested by Carrie Fletcher from itswaypastmybedtime. Overall, I enjoyed this book although I think it was a bit too young for me - it's definitely on the young side of young adult. It's about a girl who can sense the bodies of people who have been murdered and focuses particularly on her trying to find a serial killer (I think? It's been a while okay)

• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. To be honest, this wasn't my favourite book. While it was an easy read and the idea was cute, I felt myself disagreeing with how the themes of this book were dealt and worrying about the message it was sending. Eleanor (the main character) is a victim of domestic abuse and instead of dealing with this in a realistic and confronting way, it is as if she is rescued by her high school boyfriend, romanticising all the wrong elements of what could have been a meaningful story. 

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was a book that I reread this year. I originally read it for the first time in year eight (four years ago) although I don't think I ever finished it or really understood what was happening. This time I read it through and loved it. It is written so well and I love that it is written from the perspective of a young girl, simply a bystander to everything that is going on. I would definitely recommend this book.

• Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin is a book that I had been meaning to read for years so I finally picked it up and I was not disappointed. It's an autobiography (but it reads like a fictional story) about Li Cunxin's journey from poverty in China to being a world famous ballet dancer. It's been a while now since I read this but all I have to say is go read it!!

• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Basically it's a YA fantasy about a boy who discovers his family isn't as normal as he thought and there are time loops and special powers involved haha. It was a good book, I'd be interested in reading the next two but I'm not rushing out to buy them right now.

• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. A YA about a girl, who is coping with her sister's death, and a boy with bipolar. I liked this book, read it very fast and if you're a fan of Paper Towns by John Green, you will enjoy this as it reminded me a lot of it. However, it is not dissimilar to any other YA contemporary books I have read so if you're looking for something more original, maybe keep looking.

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. This book killed me. I read this because one of my friends practically insisted on it and I don't even know where to start with this book. I could write a whole review on it.  It's about the lives of four male friends from the time they graduate college until their deaths, and you go into it not really knowing much. It's very well written, the characters - for me - weren't all completely likeable but they were realistic, which impressed me. And let me tell you, this book is SO emotionally gruelling, your heart will hurt. I have never, and probably will never again read a book so completely heart wrenching.
  I hadn't been able to decide whether this is something I would recommend to people purely because I didn't know whether I wanted to put them through that pain, but it's such an important book. Read it. It doesn't romanticise anything, and a book that can make a person feel this much, must be a good book.

• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. A YA fantasy book that I have been obsessed with ever since I first read it in 2012. This is no doubt my favourite book series (it's called The Mortal Instruments). I reread it this year because - keep in mind I'm trying really hard not to get too excited and write this in all caps - they're making a TV series!!! I love these books and the world that Cassandra Clare created. The characters are witty and wonderful and completely swoon-worthy (lmao I'm so lame) and this isn't just one book series either. It's a whole world with two series' already out and another one on the way. Do yourself a favour and read this book.

• The last book I finished in 2015 was Obsidian by Jennifer L Armentrout. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with this book. I read this purely because I wanted something easy to read while I was stuck in the car for six hours, and I wanted it to be a romance that I could get excited about. So I downloaded this (on my kindle), not expecting much, although it had a big fan base which gave me hope, yet I can't even be bothered writing this because I'm just so frustrated with that book. There were very few good moments between the two main characters and by the end of the book, their relationship had not progressed at all. The writing was not impressive to me - it seemed like it was a fanfiction or something written on Wattpad. So if you're looking for a YA fantasy/romance where the characters are actually likeable, I wouldn't read this hahah.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year! Sorry it was so long but leave me a comment on what you thought of these books, or which books you read in 2015! 

The past few days

Friday the 24th: Woke up to my dog, Kelly, throwing up in my bedroom... She got it all in an empty plastic box that just happened to be on my floor. I have concluded she did it for my benefit, thanks Kel. hehe

Saturday the 25th: Went to Jackson's house with Maddi and Arabella, and played Just Dance haha

Sunday the 26th: Arabella and I watched the Book Thief and I proceeded to do no homework after she left!

Today, Monday the 27th: Maddi and I are convinced Kyle has a vendetta against us (he's trying to kill us, probably for the mandarin peels), I bought fruit roll ups at lunch and got weird stomach cramps after that - no clue why???

have a fab day x

Making changes (yes, I know it's not New Year)

Okay, so apparently I forgot I have a blog haha but I'd definitely like to get into it more! I think before I was finding it really difficult to figure out what to blog about but at the moment I am really excited to do this.
I think in the future I will be posting about recipes, trying to help people understand plant-based lifestyles and basically just what's happening in my life.
Honestly I'm not that interested in reading product reviews that other people have made, so I probably won't be doing many of them, unless they're about movies or something which I am really quite impressed with.
My ideal future would probably involve blogging about plant-based living and travelling, so maybe that's what this will turn into! (If I ever get to travel hahah)

This probably wasn't a very interesting post but it's helping me to feel organised and motivated, thanks for reading!!