Reviving this old thing! Post number 100.

When I started this blog I was finishing my final years of school, and now I am finishing the final year of a University degree; something I was never certain that I would get to do. It's a surreal feeling.

Currently I am 20 years old and about as stressed as possible. I have a never-ending list of assignments and personal projects, and most of them are due within the week.

As part of my Nursing degree we've had to complete practical placements, where you work in a hospital or aged care facility for a certain number of weeks in a professional role, undertaking tasks and being assessed. I have my last one of these placements beginning on September 9th, and it's a rural hospital placement - I have to move 110km away from home for 8 weeks.
I am incredibly excited to get this opportunity, and to grow and learn in a community nursing environment which I have never before had the opportunity to do!

As far as my personal life goes; I have had a wonderful year with a lot of personal development. I undertook a placement in January in an operating theatre - I nearly failed this placement and learnt a lot about how to approach others in a work environment and also how to deal with harsh criticism. I grew from this as a person, though it wasn't an enjoyable experience. I then travelled to the south of England for a month (February/March) on my own, staying with various family members or friends I had met online. It was so refreshing and invigorating to travel alone, meet people I had never seen face to face, and to just do whatever I felt like doing. Letting the days flow in whichever way they wanted to was absolutely fantastic. I became far more independent and feel I learnt a lot about what I want from life.
I then returned to University for 8 weeks, bought myself a car, and undertook a further 8 week placement on which I was able to slip into a management position and gain much needed experience doing the work I will, hopefully soon, be being paid for. The nurses I worked with were so incredibly supportive and wise. After placement ended I had more time to spend with a boy I had inklings of feelings for; which blossomed nicely into a deep-seeded crush, which I for once acted on! We're now dating, and have been together for just under 3 months. I'm pretty happy with this.
My anxiety and depression was diagnosed earlier in the year and I have been seeing a psychologist for 4 months - at today's session he told me that I had made remarkable progress and our future appointments need only be on an as-needed basis. So that's something I have also made progress on!

This year has been so wonderful thus far - I have grown and developed as an individual in ways I never thought I could. It certainly shows what I can achieve if I set my mind to it!

It's a bit embarrassing to look at those first twenty or so posts - but it's a slice of my history, and shows how much I have progressed since!

I won't make any promises of future posts, because to be honest - I don't know when I will find the time.

This is going to be a long one

I've been keeping a diary, a proper one, that I keep up-to-date and stuff. It's really great because I can get thoughts out of my head and organise my life better, and it's just something I have been really enjoying. It also means that I can update you guys PROPERLY and post, with accurate dates, the important things I have been doing lately!

On November 2nd, I hung out with Sarah for her 18th birthday, saw Moonrise Kingdom, a really fantastic film set in the 60s, and bought Sherlock season 2 on DVD finally.
On the 3rd I slipped into pre-exam-depression, and apparently complained a lot about having to coach skating the following morning.
Emma visited on the 4th and we had a lot of fun playing on the Wii, and on the 5th I got my SD card stuck in the CD drive of my iMac, but saved it so that's okay! I also started my TARDIS dress on the 5th.
On the 6th I tried to go without the internet for a day but failed.
On the 7th I watched the election coverage and studied all day.
The 8th was filled with studying also, but with Stef and in the state library. I also got a lot of mail.
The 11th was my 20th birthday and I spent it doing things that made me appreciate life. I got up early and watched the sunrise from Brighton jetty, skyped with Suzie for a lot of the day, studied outside in the sunshine and ate a lot of birthday cake.
On the 12th Dailybooth was announced to be shutting down FOR GOOD within the week and so there is legitimately 5 pages in my diary dedicated to how sad I was about that.
On the 17th and 18th of November I went to Adelaide Supanova and met Harriet in REAL LIFE and we got along so so well it was amazing. We are truly kindred spirits and I aspire to one day live with her for an undetermined length of time because we click so well and I think it would be a crime for us to not be in the same living space at some point in our lives.
I also spent the 19th with Harriet just wandering around the city and sitting by the river chatting about everything and anything.
Skipping forward to the 25th when I left for Perth. Sitting in an aeroplane high above the world had me thinking about how simple yet complex life is, and how little I truly appreciate, and how we tend to rush past things of true beauty and don't stop to really see things... it was an enlightening thought process that I cannot put into words.
All of the time I spent in Perth was amazing and I spent a week there, with great people in great surroundings.
I also sketched a lot of people on trains or in restaurants. Check it out

I blurred out the writing on some, not because it's personal but because it distracts too much for my liking. You can try to read it if you're creepy. 

I got back home on the 4th and had been very sick (and still am) all train journey. I have been working almost every day except Mondays and Tuesdays doing Santa Photography and I am really enjoying that.

I also spent $100 on Topman christmas jumpers and $14 sending Christmas cards around the world.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas

and I might be visiting England in February. I will keep you posted! (unless I forget)

Art updates

Hello!
My, it has been a while since I updated this old thing!
I'd like to show you my finished nightdress, but the truth of the matter is that it isn't finished!
So i'll just dump some art stuff here :)


This is something I have been working on for ages; because I keep dropping it and then going back and trying to finish it! It's not finished yet, but this is a sped up video of some of the work I did to it on my Livestream just over a week or so ago!

This is Roxy and Calliope, from the webcomic Homestuck.

Drawn in the same kind of style that Calliope uses in the comic, and done quite quickly & very rough!

Amy  Pond, from the episode "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship"

That's about it from me as far as good art goes, you can check out my stuff on tumblr if you're interested!
Squirrel's Art (aerocave-art)

Lavender's blue, dilly dilly

Today I finally got around to picking some Lavender, which I have been planning on doing for at least a month, because all of our Lavender bushes are in flower!

I separated them into four bunches and have hung them up on a coat-hanger in my room, so for the next week or so, everything will smell like Lavender and nothing will hurt!

I have been browsing a whole lot of dressmaking blogs lately, and I found what looks like a delicious recipe for 'Lemon Lavender Tea Cookies' over at The Cottage Home, and plan on making it with the Lavender I picked today!

 I have also been busy sewing a nightdress that I designed, though currently I have hit a wall with my motivation for basically everything, so haven't made much progress on it. I was sick with an URTI and bronchitis for about 3 weeks, and am only just getting over it, being on my fourth course of antibiotics, so we'll see how that goes! My University studies are going well, though as I said, my motivation has been lost and I am not sure when I shall find it again, though I really hope it will be soon.

I'll post again really soon, with some information on my nightdress project! I am so proud of it, it is the first time I have sewn something entirely myself, with only guidance and not help from my mother. So proud.

I hope you are all having a cozy winter, and that none of you lose your motivation to do things~

What happened over Summer

Hello!
I decided to let this blog go, to not update it ever again (albeit half-heartedly, obviously). So, clearly, I am back!
A lot happened over my Summer holidays.
Mainly, I went to Sydney and Melbourne and got to see the AMAZING Harry Potter Exhibition!
I decided to read 50 books this year, got a new computer, started driving again and became a trainee figure skating coach.
The plan was to eventually become a fully accredited coach, but I wont have time to do that AND pass my Nursing degree. So I chose Nursing!

The HP Exhibition was absolutely fab. It was a truly wonderful experience, being up close to the props and costumes from the films. My favourite parts were the Dementor, The Bloody Baron's costume and the Great Hall set up. Hagrid's hut and the interactive sections were really good too. None of it was bad. Even the one little broken mandrake with the sign that read "I'm taking a nap!" was brilliant.

The Ford Anglia! This was the only thing I could take a photo of, as it was in the Foyer and not the Exhibition, where photography was NOT ALLOWED else be ATTACKED BY NARGLES.

Apart from that, we did the usual tourist-y tours of Sydney and Melbourne, which was fun!

Here are some photos, and I will update again soon, I promise :)

Playing hide and seek with a Dinosaur!

Captain Cook's Cottage

Cathedral

Busy Elf!

That's what i've been! I have a job as a Santa photographer and have been flat out. When i'm not calming down children and taking happy snaps i'm playing Sims3, wrapping presents, fixing my quilt and altering petticoats. So busy. I'm sure nobody really cares whether i update this or not so i don't think i will for a while!
I'm gonna go take a nap. Ex-hausted.

Summer to do list and short update

Quite a few things have happened since i last updated!

I finished all my assignments for Uni and started studying for my exams.

Then on the 11th i had a pretty awesome birthday, with some really awesome people. Milly (pictured centre) and Alex got me Harry Potter lego, which is the first lego i've ever owned! 

Caitlin bought me a TARDIS mug, and i got a lot of tea from Lana.

With my birthday out of the way i studied for my exams and finished them mid this week. Then i got a job! Exciting, i know! Two and a half years of job hunting finally paid off. 

So now, over summer i'm relaxing and fulfilling a list of things to do!

As well as slowly decorating for christmas :)

This is the list as it currently stands;

1. Buy the Deathly Hallows part 2 DVD and have a Potter marathon. A proper one. Without stopping.
2. Take Alanah shopping for her Birthday present.
3. Buy a swimsuit. Preferably a pre-60s style one.
4. Actually wear it to the beach.
5. Sew a christmas dress
6. Sew a pinafore
7. Sew an early Victorian era maid’s apron
8. Read; Snuff - Terry Pratchett
9. Read; Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levithan
10. Write out christmas cards & decide on presents
11. Sort through the piles of old, year 11 and 12 artwork underneath the sofa. Bin most of it.
12. Paint at least one portrait. In oils.
13. Take a minimum of two bags of clothes to an op shop.
14. Obtain a tweed jacket for Female!Eleven costume.
15. Record another Amy Pond impressions vlog. Properly. Why is the last one on 300 views most of it is just me talking about mum being sick.
16. Finish reading; Reaper Man - Terry Pratchett, Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
17. Read; Anne’s House of Dreams - L.M.Montgomery
18. Learn how to light and maintain our paraffin lamps.
19. Visit the Harry Potter exhibition in Sydney and see the wonderful Alexandra and various other people who i haven’t organised what i am doing with yet.
20. Decorate the house for Christmas. Properly. I expect there to be lights and tinsel everywhere. E v e r y w h e r e.
21. Read The Hunger Games, else be murdered when you return to Uni and you-know-who finds you forgot to read them.
22. Read the Chronicles of Narnia in chronological order
23. Clean my room

THE Amy Pond jumper

You know the one i mean. The bright red dolman sleeved number she wears in Flesh and stone/Time of angels. The one she is most commonly depicted wearing.

This one;

I don't own the rights to this .gif

I bought it.
Well, one of them. They are available through American Apparel, if you didn't already know, and come in various colours. It's one size fits all, though, so i'm not too sure how it'll turn out. I'll keep you posted on that!

Want one? (Well of course you do!) If you're in Australia you can click -this link- or you could just head on over to your American Apparel online store and search for "Unisex dolman sleeve hoodie"

It's back in stock, though, so it mightn't be around for long!

P.S. I am so excited for it to arrive but mum wont let me camp out at my letter box for 5+ days

I think i may have pulled a muscle in my back

That title may end up being completely unrelated, i have no idea, i haven't finished writing this post yet. In fact, believe it or not, i am actually only 30 words in. Crazy huh? Anyway, i just adjusted my sitting position on the couch ready to write this and a muscle in my back* just went "lol nope" and it really flipping hurts.

A quick explanation as to why i missed a few weeks of blogging; because i did. Sorry to myself for failing the blog at least once a week challenge. My bad.

~ONWARDS~

Guess what? Alright i'll just tell you; i have one assignment and two exams left before i'm finished for the year! 'Course, that one assignment is worth 50% of my overall grade for that subject, and is due in a week... Hey, i've started the outline, i'm not leaving it until 4 days before it's due for once, be proud of me or something!
Hey, it's two weeks today until my birthday! Not to mention, in 64 days i can eat chocolate again :)
If you have no idea what i mean, go here: 365 days without chocolate!


I should really start planning my blog posts.
Here is a picture of me that adequately demonstrates how i have been feeling for the past week or so

That was a really nice orange, actually, and if i wasn't about to eat a finger bun i'd go grab another.
OH what about combining oranges and finger buns?! .... On second thoughts, i think putting two good things together and hoping for the best really only works with fish fingers and custard. I'm not game enough to try orange and finger bun.
Alright, iCal is telling me i need to either revise for my Human Body test or get on with that report, so i must be off! Sorry this was so disjointed but SUCK IT UP.
Get it? Because of the orange.. and.. oh forget it.

________________________________________________________________

*It feels like it could be my Thoracolumba fascia, but it's more than likely just my Latissimus dorsi. 

Thoughts which occurred to me whilst writing this post;

• I wish i could Ctrl+Shift+C and motherlode my life.
• Do you think deaf people who are skilled at lip reading can understand cartoons? Maybe it's the mark of a good animator when a deaf person can lip read what the characters are saying...
• There is a hole in the lining of one of my bags, and this means i have a huge secret compartment that all of my pencils and pens like to disappear to. It was so secret even i didn't know about it for the first few days.

I am so unbelievably thick

I am not going to be private or discreet over this. It's my party blog I can cry if write what I want to.
In the last few weeks of my "relationship"* with my last boyfriend I suspected that he fancied someone else, who is probably rather lovely. I ignored this hunch of course, thinking that I could trust him to be honest with me. Oh how wrong I was. He will deny it and say that wasn't the case, but there's no use because I am so over his lies, you have no idea. I was so certain that he was a nice, honest and caring person. Which he is, when the situation calls for it. I would not have hated him if he had been honest with me. I knew there was someone else yet he denied it and I followed suit. "It's the distance, it's too much" he would say, when what he meant was "there is someone here who I can be close to and i'd much rather be with her".

I am just so angry, I feel sick, I hate myself for trusting him and for ignoring my hunch. I really wish he had been honest with me, we could probably still be friends if he had. That is what I hate the most.
Not to mention how swiftly he managed to move on. Several days, was it?


And I know you will read this, [redacted], so I would like you to know that I HATE you. I am not going to take this back. I swear to it, I will hate you for a rather long time. I will not stop hating you, but I will move on with my life because you are not worth even thinking about.

That is all.

*I now use this term very loosely.

This is a title

Distance is horrible. Being really far away from someone you care about makes everything ten times harder. I can't do LDR's anymore.
I really.. i can't write at the moment.
Here, have a youtube video i rather like..

And we shall say no more on the subject.

I love my Segway

It has been well over a week since my last post and for that i am sorry.
A lot has happened, however not a lot that i can blog about. Does that make sense? I could quite easily rant about certain social events which took place in my (usually mundane) life over the past week, but it would turn into a bitch-fest. I would be led to write some really hurtful things and then people would read them and i would probably be killed. So, instead, this is a short post to say; a lot has been happening, but not a lot that i can tell you lovely people about.

~Segue*~

Do you all remember how i am supposed to be reading Terry Pratchett's Discworld series in publishing order? Well i have decided, as of about half an hour ago, that it does not apply to any of his Tiffany Aching books. Why? Because we bought 'I can wear midnight' yesterday and i want to read it now.

Adios Amigos.

*Someone actually asked me, in a comment on one of my vlogs, what  "this Segway phrase" is that i keep using. Because, clearly, every time i change topic in a vlog i think of motorised, two wheeled transportation.

I'm in a posting mood, sorry!

Just going to dump a heap of photos here and link to my deviantArt and Flickr 

A picture, a link and not much else

Today i went mad. I was on hold for a total of about 2.7 hours today. Internet connection troubles. That is all i shall say on the subject.

dis was mi

In other news;
http://lrs.unisa.edu.au/ess/echo/presentation/5f304f6d-e54e-4e48-8660-11d476b541b5
if you skip through to 18:20 you can hear me breaking down into hysterics, Ash's bit after my breakdown is quite hilarious also, and then i quickly gave my section before succumbing to the inevitable giggle fit. Ohhh boy.

It's a serious problem, guys

We had a full day workshop on Epidemiology today. We then broke off into groups to research and then present on a topic. My friends and i chose Erectile Dysfunction. And oh my god, i couldn't do it, i was in a fit of giggles and i couldn't control myself. Ash decided to try and ease my pain and spoke while i was trying to calm down but then he said "so if you want to get into some Hanky Panky then that's not really possible-" and i was GONE. I ended up giving my bit of the presentation in a  really strained voice, having to take breaks to constantly say "i'm so sorry this is a really serious issue but i just can't compose myself"
I stupidly included a joke, i mean, everyone laughed it was great, but i was in tears laughing at that point oh my god.
I was so embarrassed, the lecturers assessing us ended their response with "and ten points for managing to include the phrases 'Hanky Panky', 'You've gotta be keen' and 'You lot suck' into your presentation"

The little things

I'm one to be fascinated by the small differences in the world. Someone's quirks, their actions, the way old buildings are drowned out by tall, bland flat things with no detail... you name it. Small details that often get overlooked. I can't resist them. I'm not always alert to the small details, to the little things, i often get distracted or i'm too busy.

From time to time though i'll catch myself focusing on the refined details of someone's personality, the way their eyes change depending on who they're talking about... which direction their mouth curves when they half-smile... the little things. Do they feel the need to press the button at the pedestrian crossing a certain number of times? one... two... three... wait a while... two more quick presses... getting frustrated, pressing it viciously over and over again... watching the traffic lights... cars have stopped and they're crossing before the green man is illuminated.

It's not only people, either. In fact, it's probably more-so the world in general that i notice.
The week before last i went for a rather long walk (turns out i ended up walking about 10km more than i thought i had) and as i recall i spent about 10 minutes just staring at a building. I stood on a nearby bench and just stared at it. Before i add why, that does sound a little odd, doesn't it? And i'm sure i looked very strange to passers by. This building had a large black band across one wall with hundreds of little LED lights and scrolling across it were scientific poems and jokes. The Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC), for anyone who might be interested. Anyway, i was determined to read all of it and find how long it took for the obvious loop of text to be repeated. It took longer than i expected, but it was really interesting so i didn't exactly mind. Or notice.
My point is, i was the only one taking the time to read it, all the business people obviously were not phased because they'd seen it all before, and strangely didn't even seem to notice me, someone who obviously did not belong there, standing on a bench and staring incessantly at a building. I suppose if i'd been dancing around or making some noise i'd have been noticed.

Isn't it odd how people get so caught up in their texting or iPods and fail to notice the world around them? I keep coming back to this point, i know, it's getting old Victoria would you stop now please, but honestly i don't understand how people can be happy to just go about their lives without seeing the beauty in the world. The only time anyone seems to notice the smaller details is if it's 3am and they're in an unoccupied part of the city. At which point they suddenly think absolutely everything is out to get them and oh my goodness what was that noise?

So this was my Sunday

Quite a lot of interesting or blog-worthy things happened today!

The first is simply an awkward situation i had at work. I realise i have never mentioned this on my blog before but at the ice rink where i work i often get regular customers, but that's usually young kids who like to follow me around quizzing me on Harry Potter, so i'm not complaining! Though we have one regular who used to skate Friday nights several years ago, and has only recently started coming back on Sunday mornings. He is 23 (?) and very... forward. I wont drag this out much longer, basically, he started asking a lot of questions about how the hell i can have a boyfriend on the internet who i have never met. And the last question he asked before i refused to talk to him anymore was "So... are you a naughty girl or a good girl?". It just made me really uncomfortable! I asked him what business it was of his and he was all "oh.. just interested, i mean-" 'No. You do not ask people that. What the hell?! Please leave me alone!"
My boss just laughed at me and said i should have replied with "I'm a naughty girl". To which i retorted with a nice long glare, which of course just made him laugh more.
So that was work today.

Onwards and upwards! Usually my parents visit my Grandmother whilst i am at work on Sundays, so this means i never get to go and see her, which is sad because i love her dearly! So today i convinced my Father to take me after work to see her. My Nan is the cutest little old lady ever, she doesn't even measure up to my shoulders anymore. Her new house has been decorated in true Grandmother-style, ornate rugs on all of the things, basically. Oh, and a whole lot of books! But that's not my point. My point is, that my Nan is a huge sucker for romance and gossip. We've just had a wedding several days ago which she couldn't attend, in Ireland, so she is really very interested in everything love-related at the moment. Which brings us to the actual point of all of this ramble! Phew. Sorry.
So i got talking to my Nan about my boyfriend who is in New Zealand (Hi Cody! Look, i'm mentioning you!) and she got all excited, telling me that i should use the money she gave me towards a car to go and see him. Which i am fine with! Dad cut in though and said that "if he likes her enough he'll come see her in January, she isn't to go gallivanting across the globe!". Nan had a bit of a sulk for... about a minute, when she realised that meant she would be able to meet him in January. She proceeded to convince Dad that he has to stay with us. Nan and i are a good team.
I'm going to install Skype for her next weekend and teach her how to use it "Ooh i shall email all of my friends and tell them!!".

And one last thing, update on the dungarees;

Bee Four

Aft Her

So the bleach did work, but they're still a bit darker than i want, so i'll bleach them again quite soon!

I hope you all had nice weekends :)

Today i altered some overalls

Except i call them dungarees, but it seems i am the only person left in my age group who does so, therefore i translated the title for you all. 

I cut the legs shorter and then attacked them with sandpaper, though you can't tell because of the webcam quality. After which i soaked them in diluted bleach, though i think i diluted it a bit too much because they still look quite dark to me. (picture is pre-bleach) 

They're on the washing line now, and as luck would have it, it has just started to pour down with rain! Not to worry. I also might bleach them again next time i'm looking for something to procrastinate with.

Unfinished projects. I don't mean to have so many of them! I just get bored so easily. Well, that and i have a lot of other things i need to get done! None of which i am doing now, of course.

What else? OH! The Nike Air Mag/Marty McFly kicks! How brilliant are they? Everyone seems to be kicking up a fuss because they don't auto-adjust, but the way i see it, come 2015 maybe they will?!
Anyway, we had a BttF marathon last night, and decided that if we were to turn it into a drinking game it'd be as follows:

• Take a shot every time Doc says "GREAT SCOTT!"
• A shot for every time Marty McFly runs a hand through his hair
• A drink every time Doc raises his eyebrows
• Every time Doc has a massive freak out or starts explaining things at a ridiculous pace, you have to drink until he calms down

And then we decided you would be under the table about half an hour into the first film.

GOOD DAY TO YOU, SIR!

n... new what? huh?

For an hour there i didn't think this new interface/editing/thing was going to load!
That probably doesn't make sense, but, basically i've apparently upgraded to the new Blogger and it looks very nice but it is confusing and takes a while to load.
Oh, i can add my location now? uhhhh.... no thanks!
Look here! I can allow or not allow comments! I get so many comments, that will be really useful for when i don't want to allow all of those thousands of comments that i get. Thanks, Blogger!

Another thing i seem to be able to do with this new interfaceywhateveritis is i can look at the statistics for who views my blog! I was not aware these stats existed, but apparently i had a few hundred views last month which is... which is news! I um... I was quite certain that only a handful of people read this. Maybe only a handful of people do, and they have really slow internet like me and need to refresh the page 20 times before it loads properly.

In other, and fortunately completely unrelated news (And now for something completely different), I started Pratchett's 'Witches Abroad' about 10 days ago, and without any intense reading sessions i finished it this afternoon! This is a bit of an accomplishment for me, considering i had an essay to write, the Royal Show to attend and several other time consuming things to do.

The Show was quite a bit of fun. I bought some rose water turkish delight and i've all but inhaled it. I do this every year. I'll be wandering through the wool shed thinking about re-learning how to spin wool as i have a spinning wheel now, i'll saunter up to the Melba's stand and grab a small tub of the glorious god-given treat and then i'll be wishing for months to come that i'd robbed nearby children of their spending pennies and bought the entire stock load.

Yet another off-the-top-of-my-head thought, my hair is getting quite long, i like this.

And... that's all for now!

Dresses

There is just something about dresses that i love. I have always loved dresses, even when i was going through that moody, pre-pubescent "i will wear only baggy, black clothing" phase. I was just in denial.
We have what i like to call a progress report from when i was little, and it says that my favourite activity is to "twirl about in frilly frocks" which is still true today.

I have several favourite dresses, but my upmost favourite i have only worn once.

I bought and altered it for a party in.. oh, about October last year? Being quite a major party, everyone has seen this dress, and i'm not one to never wear a dress i like twice, but it was at this party, in October, that i met mister Michael who then became my boyfriend in April. So it's kind of linked with that memory... meeting a really nice boy who wasn't on the internet and actually took an interest in me for the first time. 

I really want to wear this dress again, though. Ah well maybe i'll have the confidence to soon.

In other news, here are a selection of dresses i have loved over the years from ModCloth.com, which i plan to sew at some point in time (probably this Summer)

 

I'll let you know if i make any dresses this Summer, which i should do, because they are so much fun to make.