Okay so this post isn't even remotely topical - but with the absolute storm that has been this year I feel its relevant - I'm also hoping that there are some other rare birds out there that feel the same way as me.
Christmas Eve. Christmas Day. Boxing Day. New Years Eve. New Years Day - it's all a bit of a blur, and an anti-climatic one at that. Don't get me wrong, I am spoilt rotten every Christmas, promptly pissed by about 11am and my Mum makes a killer Christmas dinner - but for years there has been a niggling feeling that it's time to do something different.
I have always experienced a very weird, claustrophobic and anxious feeling on the build up to a New Year - and by the time I get collared in the kitchen and dragged into a rowdy, mismatched and out of time chorus to 'Auld Lang Syne' (Why do we even sing that?) I almost want to run for cover. So in 2014 - I was adamant to ignore the fact that it was New Years Eve and spent the night holed up with my very compliant boyfriend watching Sons of Anarchy and eating crap. I had no regrets - until now; now I'm convinced that turning your face away from Big Ben chiming you into the New Year is cursed - and so I'm in a limbo between having outgrown awkward family parties and being far too financially crippled to go out to a swanky soiree and sip on champagne whilst nibbling on microscopic sized canapes. I've grown weary of watching the firework displays from an LCD screen- I want to be somewhere amazing and breathtaking that truly makes you feel like the next year of your life could be something special.
I long for a BBQ on the beach with beers followed by an afternoon surf in Australia on Christmas Day - or perhaps a day of skiing amongst the clouds followed by hot chocolate and 'Home Alone' all tucked up in a log cabin in Meribel, but then ask me about New Years Eve and I'm stumped! I have never felt as though I'm in the right place on New Years Eve - where does everyone go? Is there some secret club or venue that gives out free cocktails and grants your resolutions? I guess it's one of life's big cliches - I want to be at the epicenter of it, where attractive people are laughing and dancing and drinking; not particularly in a crowded living room that's still littered with wrapping paper and Christmas crackers where your drunken Uncle manages to offend your Aunty's Christmas Jumper so badly that they don't speak for another year.
Where do you go on New Years Eve? What did you do on the New Years Eve that turned out to be your best year yet? Although I am a huge believer in fate - I cant help but keep the phrase 'start as you mean to go on' in mind as I try to think of a plan for the dreaded night. With many other aspects of my life, I feel it has to be all or nothing - either I'm going to be throwing myself into the spirit, wearing '2016' glasses and singing a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne whilst kissing strangers on the chiming of a new day or I'm hoping to be watching fireworks from a midnight picnic with friends, delirious, happy and full of hope.
Any hints, tips and tricks to avoid a catastrophic 2016 would be welcome!
Tuesday 21 July 2015
Tuesday 14 July 2015
The Technology Taboo
Technology and our obsession with it - this is one of the things that bugs me the most in my everyday life. This is probably the most hypocritical thing I have ever posted because I am sat here on a laptop (strike one) with my phone next to me (strike two) and will probably promote this blog post on instagram when I've finished!! (STRIKE THREE!)
I mean - for some people, technology is amazing, it unites families, lovers and friends across the globe and it enables our pixelated horizons to be endless. But, and this is a big but, it also goes a long way to isolate some people. Working as a waitress, I can't tell you how many people come for a meal with good company - yet sit there like statues across the table from each other with eyes only for their phones - and the other half of them are too busy taking selfies and pictures of their food to just breathe and enjoy the experience. (Or realise that they look like complete idiots)
Don't get me wrong, I am guilty of food pictures and admittedly the occasional selfie, but where do we draw the line here? Are you really enjoying your meal or are you more hungry for the satisfaction of getting 89 likes for your burger? (Which might be cold by the time you actually eat it) Are you putting a selfie up to boost other people's confidence and to encourage them to love themselves or are you doing it to put others down and to try and get your exs' attention? Are you really enjoying your life and seeing what is around you or are you spending it at the other end of a phone?
From a purely personal view - I am so glad I had a childhood before the tech-takeover, I spent my days climbing trees and making dens with my cousins, coming home covered in nettle stings and dirt. And the amazing thing is, I preferred that to sitting inside on the playstation and slowly becoming part of the couch. (Although I don't regret a single second I spent completing simpsons hit and run with my sister.)
My point is - are we all becoming zombies? Are we taking each other for granted because we are all only a text message away? Is life becoming too easy and electronic for the younger generation? Will the younger generation feel that they constantly have something to prove? I am actively trying to delete (literally) these negative leeches from my life - I deleted Facebook four years ago (yes, deleted, not deactivated) I have been twitter free for about a year and I exist only on Instagram and of course, here. Undeniably, I am the biggest romantic hippie at heart and if we could all go back to writing letters and post cards to each other and only being able to reach each other by payphone or land line my inner hippie would be at peace - but I know that in the world of today that is almost impossible and yes, impractical.
Despite the impossibilities, I think we can all try to actively be more human - I don't want my own children growing up in a world where your worth is determined by your likes or followers, or where they constantly feel the need to post pictures of ridiculously expensive clothes and belongings that truly have no worth in life whatsoever. I despair at people who do this already - I want to beg you all to leave your phone at home for the day and see the world around you, not this tiny narrow minded world that exists only inside your phone/laptop/ipad - and I promise you that your head will feel clearer. Amazing things can happen through the use of facebook, twitter and instagram etc, but they can also lead to people diving head first into other people's business and relationships, just the smallest thing posted on social media can ruin someone's day or even potentially their life, and this is what baffles me, just delete it - and all that negativity is gone.
But I guess for some people, that's the issue - they love to hate it, they can't live with it and can't live without it, and that is the technology taboo.
I mean - for some people, technology is amazing, it unites families, lovers and friends across the globe and it enables our pixelated horizons to be endless. But, and this is a big but, it also goes a long way to isolate some people. Working as a waitress, I can't tell you how many people come for a meal with good company - yet sit there like statues across the table from each other with eyes only for their phones - and the other half of them are too busy taking selfies and pictures of their food to just breathe and enjoy the experience. (Or realise that they look like complete idiots)
Don't get me wrong, I am guilty of food pictures and admittedly the occasional selfie, but where do we draw the line here? Are you really enjoying your meal or are you more hungry for the satisfaction of getting 89 likes for your burger? (Which might be cold by the time you actually eat it) Are you putting a selfie up to boost other people's confidence and to encourage them to love themselves or are you doing it to put others down and to try and get your exs' attention? Are you really enjoying your life and seeing what is around you or are you spending it at the other end of a phone?
From a purely personal view - I am so glad I had a childhood before the tech-takeover, I spent my days climbing trees and making dens with my cousins, coming home covered in nettle stings and dirt. And the amazing thing is, I preferred that to sitting inside on the playstation and slowly becoming part of the couch. (Although I don't regret a single second I spent completing simpsons hit and run with my sister.)
My point is - are we all becoming zombies? Are we taking each other for granted because we are all only a text message away? Is life becoming too easy and electronic for the younger generation? Will the younger generation feel that they constantly have something to prove? I am actively trying to delete (literally) these negative leeches from my life - I deleted Facebook four years ago (yes, deleted, not deactivated) I have been twitter free for about a year and I exist only on Instagram and of course, here. Undeniably, I am the biggest romantic hippie at heart and if we could all go back to writing letters and post cards to each other and only being able to reach each other by payphone or land line my inner hippie would be at peace - but I know that in the world of today that is almost impossible and yes, impractical.
Despite the impossibilities, I think we can all try to actively be more human - I don't want my own children growing up in a world where your worth is determined by your likes or followers, or where they constantly feel the need to post pictures of ridiculously expensive clothes and belongings that truly have no worth in life whatsoever. I despair at people who do this already - I want to beg you all to leave your phone at home for the day and see the world around you, not this tiny narrow minded world that exists only inside your phone/laptop/ipad - and I promise you that your head will feel clearer. Amazing things can happen through the use of facebook, twitter and instagram etc, but they can also lead to people diving head first into other people's business and relationships, just the smallest thing posted on social media can ruin someone's day or even potentially their life, and this is what baffles me, just delete it - and all that negativity is gone.
But I guess for some people, that's the issue - they love to hate it, they can't live with it and can't live without it, and that is the technology taboo.
Monday 6 July 2015
With thanks to Allen, Jack and Kai.
Okay so sometimes (a lot of the time) I feel like my head is going to explode - as most people hopefully do? And this is a result a combination of things: of my thankfully stable but very rigid upbringing, of my own naive choices that I have made so far and of the current situation I am in.
But I wouldn't change a thing - or would I?
By the age of 19 I'm sure most human beings have contemplated why they were put on this earth, why they have all these thoughts and feelings, and some of us have maybe decided where we want this life to take us? I certainly have, but my problem is that I am living a life that doesn't quite match up to what I want - but here's to hoping that it's only temporary.
So I have ALWAYS, always been immersed in my own little world, my family used to describe me as more 'away with the fairies' than down here on earth, I was happy if I was reading, writing poems or short stories, or at the beach in the sand dunes/amongst the waves pretending to be the last survivor of an apocalypse with my dog, Floss. - But then I got too focused on being normal, somewhere along the lines I lost that burning desire to chase my dreams and reality slapped me around the face and said 'You'd better knuckle down so that you can get a well paying job, please your parents, buy a house, pay your bills and have children'. And so I got sucked into a vortex of boredom, school work, a tedious relationship and my dreams were locked away with all the books I used to read. Life was like this for about three years, I hated everything, including myself. This feeling of misery spanned from the ages of about 14 - 18. There was confusion, hatred, rebellion, bulimia, a suicide attempt and the only thing I poured my heart into was my high school work. I am not ashamed of this phase but nor am I proud, and to be blatantly honest I don't think all of the above is uncommon in young teenagers now.
But then I suprised myself - I was sick of the High School that I had attended for 5 years and it's little cliques that just led to betrayal and insecurity, so I took a jump, but I wasn't alone. I jumped holding the hand of another teenage girl who was my best friend at the time. We moved to a separate sixth form (if you're reading this from the U.S - sixth form is basically the last two years before graduating high school) and despite this leading to us being broken up, it also led to the best relationship I have formed in my life so far. In sixth form I studied Art, Media, English Literature and Law. I was still holding onto that boring focus, still in that tedious relationship, planning to do Law at University. Despite this, English Literature opened up that precious space reserved in my heart for reading, where all those old dreams lived. We studied the romanticism of the enlightenment in a Room With a View and the amazing whole other language of Chaucer's middle English. What really struck me, what blew the dust off those old dreams was the despaired craziness of Allen Ginsberg in Howl, who leapt out from the pages and seized me by the shoulders, shaking me and telling me not to be like those robotic machines whose brains and imaginations were eaten up by the industrial rat race of Moloch. I then read 'On the Road' by Kerouac and that became one of my all time favourites - it somewhat whet my appetite even further for travel and craziness.
And also, in my English Literature class, was the person who would change my life forever - not that I knew this at the time. He sat opposite me, with tanned skin, blue eyes and dirty blonde hair and after getting to know him, I realised that he shared the same dreams, thoughts and wishes as me that I had denied and locked away - and I uncontrollably needed to have him. I can't tell you how much he opened my eyes, he made me realise that I had been living a lie for three years, in a relationship that didn't really make sense. He is now the guy I get to call my bestfriend, soulmate and lover - the guy I get to scream at, laugh with, cry when he's gone and also the guy that I can plan the rest of my life with.
So that brings me on to where the hell I am at now - I know who I want to be and what I want to do - but I'm also sitting a law degree at the same time. But I guess I'm happy with that - because as well as making my parents proud, I'm also being able to be myself by the things that I can do in my spare time, such as the places I can travel to, the music that I give myself in to when the headphones come on and the words that I drink in and devour on the pages of the books that I read. So I'm managing to hold it all together in chaotic balance - with the hope that after graduation I can unleash my inner writer and go get that job writing for the people out there like me, the romantics, the desperate, the happy, the passionate and the explorers!
I guess what I'm trying to do with this blog is to inspire you - to find who you want to be, what makes you happiest, and whether that's earning money in an office job or driving a bus - I'm not here to judge you or tell you what job you should do I'm here to tell you to be yourself because this life is not a rehearsal, and time doesn't wait for anybody. Life is cruel, short and could be even shorter if you're an unlucky soul, so do what you want to do with it while you have the chance.
But, as for opening your eyes, don't thank me, thank Allen, Jack and Kai.
But I wouldn't change a thing - or would I?
By the age of 19 I'm sure most human beings have contemplated why they were put on this earth, why they have all these thoughts and feelings, and some of us have maybe decided where we want this life to take us? I certainly have, but my problem is that I am living a life that doesn't quite match up to what I want - but here's to hoping that it's only temporary.
So I have ALWAYS, always been immersed in my own little world, my family used to describe me as more 'away with the fairies' than down here on earth, I was happy if I was reading, writing poems or short stories, or at the beach in the sand dunes/amongst the waves pretending to be the last survivor of an apocalypse with my dog, Floss. - But then I got too focused on being normal, somewhere along the lines I lost that burning desire to chase my dreams and reality slapped me around the face and said 'You'd better knuckle down so that you can get a well paying job, please your parents, buy a house, pay your bills and have children'. And so I got sucked into a vortex of boredom, school work, a tedious relationship and my dreams were locked away with all the books I used to read. Life was like this for about three years, I hated everything, including myself. This feeling of misery spanned from the ages of about 14 - 18. There was confusion, hatred, rebellion, bulimia, a suicide attempt and the only thing I poured my heart into was my high school work. I am not ashamed of this phase but nor am I proud, and to be blatantly honest I don't think all of the above is uncommon in young teenagers now.
But then I suprised myself - I was sick of the High School that I had attended for 5 years and it's little cliques that just led to betrayal and insecurity, so I took a jump, but I wasn't alone. I jumped holding the hand of another teenage girl who was my best friend at the time. We moved to a separate sixth form (if you're reading this from the U.S - sixth form is basically the last two years before graduating high school) and despite this leading to us being broken up, it also led to the best relationship I have formed in my life so far. In sixth form I studied Art, Media, English Literature and Law. I was still holding onto that boring focus, still in that tedious relationship, planning to do Law at University. Despite this, English Literature opened up that precious space reserved in my heart for reading, where all those old dreams lived. We studied the romanticism of the enlightenment in a Room With a View and the amazing whole other language of Chaucer's middle English. What really struck me, what blew the dust off those old dreams was the despaired craziness of Allen Ginsberg in Howl, who leapt out from the pages and seized me by the shoulders, shaking me and telling me not to be like those robotic machines whose brains and imaginations were eaten up by the industrial rat race of Moloch. I then read 'On the Road' by Kerouac and that became one of my all time favourites - it somewhat whet my appetite even further for travel and craziness.
And also, in my English Literature class, was the person who would change my life forever - not that I knew this at the time. He sat opposite me, with tanned skin, blue eyes and dirty blonde hair and after getting to know him, I realised that he shared the same dreams, thoughts and wishes as me that I had denied and locked away - and I uncontrollably needed to have him. I can't tell you how much he opened my eyes, he made me realise that I had been living a lie for three years, in a relationship that didn't really make sense. He is now the guy I get to call my bestfriend, soulmate and lover - the guy I get to scream at, laugh with, cry when he's gone and also the guy that I can plan the rest of my life with.
So that brings me on to where the hell I am at now - I know who I want to be and what I want to do - but I'm also sitting a law degree at the same time. But I guess I'm happy with that - because as well as making my parents proud, I'm also being able to be myself by the things that I can do in my spare time, such as the places I can travel to, the music that I give myself in to when the headphones come on and the words that I drink in and devour on the pages of the books that I read. So I'm managing to hold it all together in chaotic balance - with the hope that after graduation I can unleash my inner writer and go get that job writing for the people out there like me, the romantics, the desperate, the happy, the passionate and the explorers!
I guess what I'm trying to do with this blog is to inspire you - to find who you want to be, what makes you happiest, and whether that's earning money in an office job or driving a bus - I'm not here to judge you or tell you what job you should do I'm here to tell you to be yourself because this life is not a rehearsal, and time doesn't wait for anybody. Life is cruel, short and could be even shorter if you're an unlucky soul, so do what you want to do with it while you have the chance.
But, as for opening your eyes, don't thank me, thank Allen, Jack and Kai.
Friday 3 July 2015
The Beginning
So this post, "The Beginning" is all about where I've already been - because I can't possibly launch into my further travels without telling you the few places I have already ticked off the list.
June 2014 - Amsterdam
I travelled here with my best friend, my other half, and my ultimate travel companion. The flight itself felt like a dream, we took off into a dusky pink sky at 3.00am and when I woke up - what felt like 5 minutes later, we were touching down at Schiphol (which, by the way is the biggest freaking airport ever - but don't let that put you off, it's also the most organised I've ever been to in my short 19 years.) We collected our apartment keys and jumped on the train underneath the airport, engaging in a chance meeting with a lone-traveller, a very mysterious American guy who we would strangely bump into again a couple of days later in the red light district. The train took us straight to centraal, which is where the chaos and my uncontrollable love for this city began.
Bicycle bells, more bicycle bells. Ringing abruptly and somewhat impatiently but with a cheerful tone. Trams, more trams, people crossing the street, canal barges, the occasional brave car driver amongst the rushing bodies, bikes and barges. The city was bathed in a warm summer smog and inevitably, the hypnotizing, nostalgic scent of weed. After working our way back to the apartment with ease (I am a dab hand with a map and the public transport - all those trams - is fantastic and easy to use) we dumped our stuff and headed back out.
Admittedly, Amsterdam is much of an intoxicated (read that how you want to) blur. The vibrance and scent of the flower market that we were lucky enough to stumble into, the relaxed vibe of the Vondelpark that united joggers, lovers, workaholics on lunch meetings, tourists and rastas singing for shrapnel and the mysterious streets that meet at the canal intersection, I was hopelessly in love with this city.
So - as for the practical side, if you're planning on going there, there are a few things I can recommend. If you're exploring the city for a few days, we bought a 48-hour tram ticket for 12 euros and it was definitely worth it, we hammered those things and the trams are pretty easy to navigate. Also, if you're travelling there during the summer months, please reserve a day for the Vondelpark, just go with a picnic and good company and watch the world go by. The Waterlooplein market is also a must, vintage jackets and denim galore - at very cheap prices. As for the big bike scene, we didn't hire bikes - it's a very walkable city if you're relatively fit, its all flat and the walk from the Vondelpark East back into the city centre is adorned with amazing vintage treasure chest shops.
March 2015 - Puy St.Vincent, French Alps
So after meeting my soulmate, he opened up my world to all sorts of things but I have to say the best thing yet has been snowboarding. At first, hell no, as a child I was fearless but then I became aware of that thing called gravity and was often crippled by my fear of heights. Kai, (the said soulmate) was having none of this. Slowly but surely he has helped (forced) me to conquer this fear and I owe a lot to him, snowboarding is now a huge part of my life and we plan to do a ski season together when I finish my law degree.
Okay so enough waffle about my fear of heights, earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity of visiting the alps with Kai, his family and some family friends. It changed my life. It was like a dream, flying over the mountains that looked like they had been dusted with icing to the point of perfection, against an amazing blue backdrop - it really was something straight out of a Toblerone or Evian advert. Then came the coach trip - and while my fear of heights has gone, the awareness of gravity still remains. This three-hour white knuckle, stomach turning coach trip almost had me on the floor with my eyes closed saying the lords prayer - anyone who has ever travelled along the road of a mountain range with lots of twists and turns will hopefully get my jist. However, we arrived (in one piece) and the coach trip was forgotten, I was instantly immersed in a world of blue skies and snow, and it felt like it was just me and my board, turning and flying amongst trees and along ridges, on top of the world, excited to be alive.
May 2015 - Paris/Disneyland
Okay so this one was just a little girly trip as a reward from me to me, for managing to keep my shit together in the face of the events that unfolded this year. I went with one of my closest friends who also deals with a lot of crap. We needed it. And where better to escape to than the happiest place on earth?
I was surprised by the city of Paris - we made a last minute decision to go from our disney hotel into the centre, we jumped on the RER at about 6pm in the crazy heat (black skinny jeans = big mistake) and disembarked at Gare Du Nord. After about 20 minutes of wandering and ending up back beneath the impressive facade of the train station (I didn't have a map this time) we grabbed a taxi and breathed a sigh of relief after changing into cooler clothes bought from H&M on the Champs Elysees - glamorous, I know. By this time we were lost, surrounded by beautiful people speaking the seductive eloquent language, our feet were tired and we were starving hungry. So naturally, we took a table in a beautiful little square at a restaurant called 'La Pepiniere' and chowed down on canard and prosecco. We left with full stomachs, renewed energy to explore this sexy city by night and admittedly, the number for a very friendly waiter apparently called 'Steeve' - if you're reading this Steeve I'm very sorry we didn't text you.
We then wandered the streets a little more and just like two Cinderella's, had to make it back for our train at midnight before our tickets expired. A very handsome, polite man who was admiring my friends good looks showed us back to the station (not quite the fairy godmother - but thankfully not quite 'Taken' either) and we made it back to La Marne Vallee Chessy just in time to get enough sleep before Disneyland the next day.
And to finish off is the place that I call my second home. Here in Wales, you wouldn't think there is much to marvel at - and I wouldn't blame you. However, nestled in the coastline of the Llyn Peninsula, branching out West from North Wales, is a hidden gem where the wind whispers to you as it plays with your hair with its salty fingers and the sea reaches up to kiss your bare feet - my parents have been bringing me here for long as I can remember, and now that I can drive and have my own car, I try to divide as much time between home and here as possible. It started up my passion for photography and my longing to be near the sea. It's also home to the 3rd Best Beach Bar in the world! (Apparently)
So - that's the extent of my travels thus far, before I complete a surfing road trip in my beautiful home country in August, Singapore & Thailand in September and Budapest in October. Feel free to join me on my journeys, I'll keep you updated!
All pics are my own.
If you're interested in what i'm up to day-to-day (god knows why) my instagram is@holly.rhiannon
June 2014 - Amsterdam
I travelled here with my best friend, my other half, and my ultimate travel companion. The flight itself felt like a dream, we took off into a dusky pink sky at 3.00am and when I woke up - what felt like 5 minutes later, we were touching down at Schiphol (which, by the way is the biggest freaking airport ever - but don't let that put you off, it's also the most organised I've ever been to in my short 19 years.) We collected our apartment keys and jumped on the train underneath the airport, engaging in a chance meeting with a lone-traveller, a very mysterious American guy who we would strangely bump into again a couple of days later in the red light district. The train took us straight to centraal, which is where the chaos and my uncontrollable love for this city began.
Bicycle bells, more bicycle bells. Ringing abruptly and somewhat impatiently but with a cheerful tone. Trams, more trams, people crossing the street, canal barges, the occasional brave car driver amongst the rushing bodies, bikes and barges. The city was bathed in a warm summer smog and inevitably, the hypnotizing, nostalgic scent of weed. After working our way back to the apartment with ease (I am a dab hand with a map and the public transport - all those trams - is fantastic and easy to use) we dumped our stuff and headed back out.
Admittedly, Amsterdam is much of an intoxicated (read that how you want to) blur. The vibrance and scent of the flower market that we were lucky enough to stumble into, the relaxed vibe of the Vondelpark that united joggers, lovers, workaholics on lunch meetings, tourists and rastas singing for shrapnel and the mysterious streets that meet at the canal intersection, I was hopelessly in love with this city.
So - as for the practical side, if you're planning on going there, there are a few things I can recommend. If you're exploring the city for a few days, we bought a 48-hour tram ticket for 12 euros and it was definitely worth it, we hammered those things and the trams are pretty easy to navigate. Also, if you're travelling there during the summer months, please reserve a day for the Vondelpark, just go with a picnic and good company and watch the world go by. The Waterlooplein market is also a must, vintage jackets and denim galore - at very cheap prices. As for the big bike scene, we didn't hire bikes - it's a very walkable city if you're relatively fit, its all flat and the walk from the Vondelpark East back into the city centre is adorned with amazing vintage treasure chest shops.
March 2015 - Puy St.Vincent, French Alps
So after meeting my soulmate, he opened up my world to all sorts of things but I have to say the best thing yet has been snowboarding. At first, hell no, as a child I was fearless but then I became aware of that thing called gravity and was often crippled by my fear of heights. Kai, (the said soulmate) was having none of this. Slowly but surely he has helped (forced) me to conquer this fear and I owe a lot to him, snowboarding is now a huge part of my life and we plan to do a ski season together when I finish my law degree.
Okay so enough waffle about my fear of heights, earlier this year I had the amazing opportunity of visiting the alps with Kai, his family and some family friends. It changed my life. It was like a dream, flying over the mountains that looked like they had been dusted with icing to the point of perfection, against an amazing blue backdrop - it really was something straight out of a Toblerone or Evian advert. Then came the coach trip - and while my fear of heights has gone, the awareness of gravity still remains. This three-hour white knuckle, stomach turning coach trip almost had me on the floor with my eyes closed saying the lords prayer - anyone who has ever travelled along the road of a mountain range with lots of twists and turns will hopefully get my jist. However, we arrived (in one piece) and the coach trip was forgotten, I was instantly immersed in a world of blue skies and snow, and it felt like it was just me and my board, turning and flying amongst trees and along ridges, on top of the world, excited to be alive.
May 2015 - Paris/Disneyland
Okay so this one was just a little girly trip as a reward from me to me, for managing to keep my shit together in the face of the events that unfolded this year. I went with one of my closest friends who also deals with a lot of crap. We needed it. And where better to escape to than the happiest place on earth?
I was surprised by the city of Paris - we made a last minute decision to go from our disney hotel into the centre, we jumped on the RER at about 6pm in the crazy heat (black skinny jeans = big mistake) and disembarked at Gare Du Nord. After about 20 minutes of wandering and ending up back beneath the impressive facade of the train station (I didn't have a map this time) we grabbed a taxi and breathed a sigh of relief after changing into cooler clothes bought from H&M on the Champs Elysees - glamorous, I know. By this time we were lost, surrounded by beautiful people speaking the seductive eloquent language, our feet were tired and we were starving hungry. So naturally, we took a table in a beautiful little square at a restaurant called 'La Pepiniere' and chowed down on canard and prosecco. We left with full stomachs, renewed energy to explore this sexy city by night and admittedly, the number for a very friendly waiter apparently called 'Steeve' - if you're reading this Steeve I'm very sorry we didn't text you.
We then wandered the streets a little more and just like two Cinderella's, had to make it back for our train at midnight before our tickets expired. A very handsome, polite man who was admiring my friends good looks showed us back to the station (not quite the fairy godmother - but thankfully not quite 'Taken' either) and we made it back to La Marne Vallee Chessy just in time to get enough sleep before Disneyland the next day.
And to finish off is the place that I call my second home. Here in Wales, you wouldn't think there is much to marvel at - and I wouldn't blame you. However, nestled in the coastline of the Llyn Peninsula, branching out West from North Wales, is a hidden gem where the wind whispers to you as it plays with your hair with its salty fingers and the sea reaches up to kiss your bare feet - my parents have been bringing me here for long as I can remember, and now that I can drive and have my own car, I try to divide as much time between home and here as possible. It started up my passion for photography and my longing to be near the sea. It's also home to the 3rd Best Beach Bar in the world! (Apparently)
So - that's the extent of my travels thus far, before I complete a surfing road trip in my beautiful home country in August, Singapore & Thailand in September and Budapest in October. Feel free to join me on my journeys, I'll keep you updated!
All pics are my own.
If you're interested in what i'm up to day-to-day (god knows why) my instagram is
Thursday 2 July 2015
Life, it's struggles and the amazing places it will take me.
Okay, so, heregoes!
since I am an aspiring writer I thought it might be time to give myself a kick up the ass and actually record my thoughts and dreams somewhere other than inside my head/random pieces of paper/ my beloved journal.
Currently - I have no clue how to use blogger and also have no clue if anyone is going to find my thoughts and dreams even remotely interesting.
So I'll just start with what inspired this 'kick up the ass'. I've lost a lot this year - most prominently, my childhood. I turned 19 in March so I guess it was time to grow up anyway but I didn't expect it to be so abrupt - I found my Grandad at his home lying on the floor, half naked and soaked in urine as a result of boredom and excessive drinking which had resulted in a form of dementia - the change was instant.
In that moment, I knew that everything had changed, the world wasn't how I previously knew it. You think that your Grandparents will always be there, telling you stories, putting plasters on your grazes and overfeeding you to the point of fatigue. Now, his house wasn't the same place filled with memories and laughter, it was cold, dark, reeking of alcohol and urine and the shadow of the carefree little girl that used to read on the stairs slipped out of the back door whilst I quickly collected my thoughts. My first action was to put on some underpants for him - I guess the first thing I wanted to save was his dignity for when the ambulance and my Dad arrived.
And then, just a couple of months later, my beautiful, free-spirited Nanny on the other side of my family lost her battle with a very rare form of stomach cancer. It was brutal, she was here with me, sat at this very table from which I write this, smiling and glowing with her usual healthy complexion, a week later she was days away from death under the stark, uncaring fluorescent lights of a hospital ward with dank skin and bewildered, un-focused eyes from all of the pain relief. In the end though, it was just how she would have wanted it. The sun had fallen below the horizon, the sky was a pale cornflower blue after a hot summers day, and the birds seemed to quieten as I left the hospital and waved to my Mum and Sister's forlorn faces. I knew it was the end, she finally let go at 6.00am on a Sunday morning, the day of rest.
Whilst all of this was going on - I also had my law exams, and I guess the biggest lesson I've learned is that no-one pats you on the back and says well done for getting on with things. I mean, look at your own parents, friends, loved ones, they get on with it, they keep on giving and providing, keep on smiling.
And for me, that's just growing up, you realise that life isn't a playground anymore - no one gives you a gold star for not just giving up when life gets tough.
But hey - it isn't all bad, speaking of people who keep smiling, one of my beautiful friends (yes, I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by a handful of people who care, ALOT) who lost her Dad last year text me out of the blue with an amazing offer to stay in Singapore and visit Thailand for 2 weeks during September.
That leads me on to what this blog will hopefully be about - life, the struggles of it, and the crazy amazing places it takes me.
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