Last night in Charlotte, NC

Tomorrow morning I fly out to Miami where we will then go on to drive up for Fort Lauderdale and spend the night in a hotel. The following day we board the Liberty of the Seas to spend 12 days at sea crossing over to Spain.

In my short time in Charlotte, North Carolina, I’ve observed a few things. 

Fashion is very….conservative. I spent a good two days walking around malls and looking in different shops. Most of the items we saw were block colours, with only a few having prints or patterns on them. In Australia a lot of clothing stores have interesting t-shirts and tank tops. Bright patterns and prints across a lot of them. I found myself feeling a bit lost as I walked around trying to find something I was would usually buy.

Shop Assistants and general workers are always so happy and smiley. It’s a bit eery. Just thinking about standing in a store and folding clothes for hours on end makes me feel a bit cranky, but whenever I go somewhere, everyone is so happy and upbeat. I suppose that’s what they get paid for, but I can’t imagine anyone staying that happy all day. 

The houses are massive around here. I’m accustom to seeing small houses that sit close to the kerb and are practically piled on top of each other. Here, the driveways are these long curving paths that cut through the perfectly manicured green lawns. Each house of course comes with the standard flowery shrubs under the windows, tall trees that match the neighbours, and window shutters that don’t work as window shutters. The doors are all bigger than needed and sitting in grand archways. Windows all looking roughly the same, varying in colour, and generally sitting in the same spots on the front of each house.

I have a theory that everyone is trying to make their house more grand and distinct than their neighbours but also trying to fit in with everyone else and not stand out too much. To conform.

Mailmen. I can’t tell if it’s genius or laziness. Probably a mixture of both. All the mail boxes are sitting up on the kerb alongside the driveways so it is accessible by road. The mailmen drive up in their trucks, simply lean out where the door would normally sit, and deliver the mail without having to get out of their seats. Lazy, but genius.

One thing that I was hoping would be different were the accents. It varies from person to person, but everyone pretty much sounds regular. Given the slight drawl and excruciatingly executed words, I didn’t have any trouble understanding anyone.

Next stop Miami and Fort Lauderdale. And then a ship. 

♡ I have an urge ♡

I have the urge to write. And keep writing. Write poems, or novels. A series, however terrible it turns out (and my poetry would probably be just as bad).

I was sitting at the dining table, absently listening to the conversation the others were having. My attention peaked when they started talking about how my Great Aunt Joanne spent all this time researching before she wrote her book, Trade Girl. 

I began thinking about how when I was younger. Before I had a computer, before I watched tv and played games on consoles. How I used to beg Mum to buy me an exercise book from the grocery so I could write stories and plays and poetry. I gave up on them. A lot. I ended up with mostly empty exercise books that I refused to touch as they had been tainted with the beginnings of a different tale.

Being away on a holiday with little internet and a lot of spare time to contemplate between outings, I’ve also been really wanting a new book to read. Soooo I started toying with the idea of writing, but I don’t quite know what to write about. I want it to be something a bit longer than 20 pages, but also something good to read, something that requires a lot of imagination and interpretation. Something that has good characters and people can get really in to. I need something original and comfortable, which are two things that don’t quite fit together normally without some kind of fear.

I’m not sure if I should be writing something like Joanne did, based in an era with historical events to make it real, or something completely imaginary and different to everyday life as we know. At the moment everything I come up with ends up sounding lame and boring, it’s all been done before. I’m still toying with the idea, just not quite sure where to start..

I saw a squirrel! And two foxes, and a deer.

Squirrels are just as I imagined them really. Small, fluffy little things. When they’re just chilling out, their tales sit hunched over their bodies, making them look even fluffier and cuter than they really are. Eventually when the little guy noticed I was there he scurried away like a strangely coordinated bunny rabbit.

The foxes I spotted were both running through the back yard. Only about knee high, red toned hair though not a bright red. I thought their tails would’ve been bigger, perhaps a bit more noticeable but alas they weren’t. 

The deer was smaller, more delicate looking. With thin legs, a small head and a relatively skinny body, I always imaged deer as these strong, large animals. The one I saw, I’m sure was strong, but I didn’t think they would be quite THAT small. Perhaps it was only a young deer.

The cars in America are quite a bit wider than the ones in Australia. Taller too. The utes, or 'trucks' as they call them, are these tall, block-like things. All the ones I have seen so far are shiny, which to me suggests they aren’t used for what they were originally designed and just a statement. Most other cars all look relatively new, or clean. I haven’t seen a ‘bombshell’ car yet. 

I’ve seen a few police cars, a few police officers as well. The police here look like they’re dressed in very casual clothing. Either that, or their posture is appalling and makes them look underdressed.

I also went to the shops today, or what I believe Americans call the ‘mall’. They aren’t particularly busy and a lot of shop employees are quite smiley. Happy. Too happy. No one should be that happy to stand for hours upon hours and serve people. Makes me a little suspicious. The shopping centres, or malls, are also very clean, which is also a bit strange. 

In a half hour I am to attend what I am told to be a very ‘American’ dinner. I’m both looking forward to it to see what is usually made, and also a little worried that it will be large servings and strange tasting food. We shall see.

Too many planes...

Never again will I travel on a plane for 15 hours. Never. Ever. Again. I will give QANTAS a bravo for such good service and the most decent plane food I’ve ever had.

When I arrived in Dallas Fort Worth, the immigration line was massive. It took my Grandparents and myself a good hour to clear the line. When we reached the immigration officer, we were fingerprinted and photographed. For security purposes I’m sure, however I’m not so sure I like the idea of having my fingerprints in someones system for good. 

With our spare 40 minutes between flights we sat down for a quick snack and coffee. The nearest place that had seating and food was a cantina. The walls were covered in paintings of spanish women and a seemingly endless playlist of spanish music in the background. I can’t remember the name of it and it smelt weird, but a place that sold food was all I needed. Craving chips, or fries, the only way I could get my hands on them was by ordering a cheeseburger. I didn’t quite think it through. The burger was roughly the size of my entire head. Americans…

Our next flight from Dallas to Charlotte only lasted 2 hours. Small seats, crowded, no service or any form of inflight entertainment. I was only awake for 20 minutes of it thankfully. I managed to get my iPod out and sleep listening to music. Waking up a few times when bass lines or the treble were a little bit too loud to be comfortable.

Needless to say I was overdue for a shower. Once I had arrived at my Grandmothers sister’s house, Joanne, the bed I was given was like heaven compared to my previous sleeping arrangements.

♡ Flights ♡

So for those who don't know, I'm currently travelling with my Grandparents to the US and through Europe. So far I've only flown one leg, Perth to Sydney. A dreadful 5 hours on a plane to be driven straight across to the International Airport where we stayed overnight in an attached hotel. 

In about 3-4 hours my Grandparents and I board our next flight to Dallas where we will then board another flight that continues onto Charlotte, North Carolina. To say that I really dislike the idea of this next flight is a bit of an understatement. 15 hours on a plane. Two inflight meals. With a two hour wait for the next flight, which only takes 2 hours, I get a little tired just thinking about it.

Now I haven't spent too much time alone with my Grandparents. Usually my Mum or my siblings accompany me. So far I've confirmed what I already know. 

My Grandfather loves his history and can talk about it for hours on end. Last night I hypothesised different ways a nuclear war could begin and how different countries would behave and what treaty's would be called into play. With him knowing every single treaty signed and how each country is would respond by using past events as a basis, it was a quite interesting conversation.

My Grandmother is rather quiet. Though she always has been so that wasn't really much of a surprise. She looks after me and questions how and where I will sleep and what pillow I'll use and making sure I have everything with me when I leave planes and airports. Though she did forget her Nintendo DS on the last plane...

♡ It's time... ♡

...to make a bucket list! Haha. I haven't completed it yet but it's a start.

1. See the Northern Lights
2. Week long snorkeling trip
3. Cover someone's car in post-it notes
4. Attend the Perth HOLI ONE Festival
5. Skydive
6. Grow a Cherry Blossom tree
7. Enroll in an Art Class
8. Visit a Castle  Chateau du Chillon 28/5/2014
9. Take a Dance Class
10. Learn to play Chess
11. Swim with Sharks
12. Watch a meteor shower
13. Picnic watching the sunset
14. Grow a Flower Garden
15. Drink a Butter Beer
16. Learn Archery
17. Own two full full-size bookshelves
18. Go to Bora Bora
19. Have a Best Friend
20. Run through Central Park, NY
21. Start a memory jar
22. Visit Bali
23. Make a quilt
24. Go Zorbing
25. Solve a Rubik's Cube
26. Visit Pompeii 4/6/2014
27. Have one thousand dollars in savings
28. Pet an Elephant
29. Finish University :)
30. Attend a Ball

John Green - Looking For Alaska

I hate reading books that are typical and boring. My first impression of John Green’s Looking For Alaska was that it was a typical teenage romance novel. Forcing myself to read on, disregarding the urge to hide it somewhere and forget I ever purchased a bad book, I found after reading for a while I was beginning to enjoy it. The tone had changed from a romance novel to a more so social theme. Less interactions with the attractive girl and more with the male peers. Shortly after though it had changed back to romance. The tone flicks back and forth quite frequently.

With each chapter title a countdown of days before an unnamed event, and eventually a count of the days that had passed after the unnamed event. I’ve found that having each chapter with these titles quiet intriguing.

Comparatively, Looking For Alaska is an easy book to read. The writing style is laid back and informal. The language easy to follow regardless of the depth of your vocabulary.

I’d give this book a 5/7.

Counter-Strike:Global Offensive

The game that has slowly taken up all my spare time. There really isn’t much to say about it without being completely biased. 
Firstly, I game using a PC. Hands down the best way to play games online. Secondly, when it comes to comparing CoD and CS, which is an argument that happens all the damn time, CS is the clear winner in my eyes. It’s simple. Anyone can play CoD. Doesn’t matter if you’ve accumulated 20 hours total in your entire life playing the game, you can play it as well as someone who’s racked up over 100 hours. When it comes to playing CS, experience really does come into it.

The game itself is really well done. There isn’t really another way to put it.
The gameplay is exactly what you’d expect from a CS game, the maps are well thought out, and the weapons are something to be learned. It sounds a little strange that having to learn a weapon is a good thing, but if they all behaved the same with the same recoil and range, then the game wouldn’t be challenging. 
The only real downside to CS is the community, however it is like that with most gaming communities unfortunately. All games have people that decide it’ll be fun for whatever reason to cheat. Also the attitude of the CS community is less than ideal but whenever there’s a tournament or competition, everyone is generally supportive of the players.

Overall I’d probably give it a good 4.8/5. Only taking 0.2 points off for the people you encounter in games sometimes but that’s really unavoidable.


Check out my friend Domika's and Lauren's Twitch streams if you're interested in watching a few games. Domika also streams DayZ and Dota 2 occassionally and interacts with her stream quite a bit which is quite entertaining. The links are in the side bar.

Aren't they Cute?!

Hey Guys! 

So over the weekend I decided to get back into sewing and made two cute felt owls. The idea behind them was something easy to make that didn't require a lot of money to buy material. In total, including the stuffing, it came to around $27AUD. What really secured the idea of making these was having the excuse of sending them to my two gaming teammates, Lauren and Domika. Plus I'm obsessed with owl designs.

Overall it took about a day to make them both. Hand-sewing on both eyes and the beak, machine sewing the rest of it. 

Making the coloured "feathers" shapes and sizes fit together and overlap a certain amount was probably the most frustrating thing.

I am glad I did it though, it was a fun project and interesting to see the difference between the two shape wise as it was all cut free hand. 

Hopefully next time when I decide to make something similar that includes stuffing, I'll plan it a little better.