New semester!

Second semester of second year began with a bang! I have my first speech clinic this semester. I'm so excited, but it can get overwhelming and stressful.

I had my first clinic session yesterday. I can already see how rewarding it is going to be! My three clients are absolutely adorable and my co-clinicians are reliable and as motivated as I am! I have to admit though, having three one hour sessions is unbelievably draining (I'm still feeling the effects today!!!)

As clinic ended I was walking down the corridor and was greeted by this beautiful sunset:

It was such a calming moment for me, the whole of Wednesday and yesterday I was doubting my abilities and just generally over-thinking, stressing and freaking out. But in the end, I had what it took, meeting clients and the running of the first session went really well. All I need to do is take one step at a time and keep looking forward :) 

Thanks Family!

So as you all have probably realised, I love and adore my family. But sometimes, I really just want to gently nudge them off a cliff. A specific incident where I wanted to do some gentle nudging strongly comes to mind! 

Yesterday, most of the family helped my great aunt move into a new flat - that did cause a few homicidal thoughts to spring to life, but mostly it just gave me inspiration to complete my degree as I washed kitchenware for 5 hours straight (NEVER AGAIN WILL I EVER WASH KITCHENWARE FOR FIVE HOURS!!!). After 5 hours of  torture "family bonding", Pops decided to take us for lunch at the local pub. I was delighted. Shame, how innocent I once was!

So we arrived at the local, one happy little family! A cute waiter cheerfully seats us at our table and brings us our menus and drinks. This is where I made the fatal mistake of mentioning to the table that the waiter was a sweet and handsome fella. Idiot and clearly an amateur mistake. I blame drinking on an empty stomach. When the poor unsuspecting chap arrives at our table again, my grandpa's loony girlfriend asks if he's single- he replies no -hearts all around the table break-. THEN she shows her dismay and proceeds to tell him that she wanted him to give ME his number if he was eligible. Thanks Astrid! 

http://giphy.com/gifs/awkward-icarly-nickelodeon-GA89JfpXiTrwc

My mom  (To think that I once trusted you Mother!!)  just took the situation from embarrassing to excruciating! She tells him WHY they wanted to hitch me up! She told him how I had just experienced a devastating heartbreak and that my ex was moving out of the flat on our property that day.

http://giphy.com/gifs/awkward-chloe-moretz-kWHR3f23hTzz2

I wanted to dig a hole and hide. Shame, the guy took it really well. I think he saw how ambushed and beet red I was.

Thanks my FamDam! Expect coal for Christmas! And watch your backs...

21 Questions

I was nominated by my mom (Gill's jottings) to do the 21 Question Challenge. I filled in most the questions on Friday but never had time to finish as I went to the Ballito Pro Free Concert! 

1. What is your current fashion obsession? I love the sneakers (specifically Vans!) and since it's winter, the knitwear tops are a fav with me!

2. What are you wearing today? Jeans and a long sleeve grey T-shirt with purple Tomys and a floral scarf.

3. Hair?  I have a pixie cut. I recently had more blonde highlights put in and my roots are now dyed copper.

4. Do you nap a lot? Nope, I don’t really like sleeping during the day. I get FOMO. But every now and again if I'm really tired or sick I will.

5. Why is today special? I am going to the Tropika Ballito Pro Concert tonight!

6. What would you like to learn to do? I have always wanted to learn a musical instrument, but I don't have the time or patience

7. What’s for dinner today? I don't know! Will see what's at the concert. 

8. What are you listening to right now? Jeremy Loops (ALWAYS), Hozier, Majozi and Echosmith all feature on my playlist. Right now I have no music on unfortunately, but if I did that's what would be playing.

9. What is your favourite weather? Autumn in KZN. It's so pretty and not too cold and not too hot. 

10. What’s the last thing you bought? A pair of shorts and a top from Cinnamon Clothing! 

11. What are your essentials when traveling? Cell phone, water-less hand sanitiser and my iPad.

12. What’s your style? Casual mostly. I like the floral and "flowy" vibes.

13. What is your most challenging goal right now? Finishing my degree with the best marks possible! 

14. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?  I'd have to say either Venice or Dublin.

15. Favourite vacation spot? The Drakensberg and I love anywhere in Europe.

16. Name the things you cannot live without? My family, my pets, my friends and my glasses.

17. How was your childhood? Fun, lots of time spent outside playing with my brother and sister. I was quite sickly but it never really affected me. 

18. What would you like to have in your hands right now? Chocolate.

19. What are you most excited for? My trip to Aus in December and Speech clinic this upcoming semester.

20. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? Corfu in Greece.

21. Which countries have you visited? I have been very blessed in that my grandfather has taken my family on many overseas holidays. I’ve visited: Egypt, UAE, England, Ireland, France, Monaco, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Vatican City, Spain, Greece, Turkey,Czech Republic and Croatia. 

I nominate Shaelyn from Just Shae to do the 21 Question Challenge.

Anyone who is interested in doing the 21Questions, feel free to copy and paste it. Be sure to leave your blog address so that I can come and see your answers!

Drakensberg Trip part 2

On Sunday, we decided to do a Geocache at the Mermaid Pools.It was such an interesting and remarkable place. It made one think about how powerful and breathtaking nature can be.  If it had been warmer I would've swum in the pools!

Mlambonja River

Mermaid Pools

View of the river and Rhino Peak (Top Right of the picture)

At the Mermaid Pools layers of fossilised trees in amongst the sandstone have been exposed due to the Mlambonja River carving into the layers of rock. The fossilised trees stick out due to their charcoal colour in contrast to the whiteish sandstone.

Fossilised trees (circled)
Source: http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC39MER_fossils-at-mermaids?guid=4863d38b-d833-4f01-97c4-304c451ae358

On Monday we spent the day in Himeville. We stopped at Kenmo Lake, which is on a piece of land that a family has opened to the public. We found a Geocache there and took plenty of photos of the picturesque scenery. I could only imagine how stunning it would've been a few weeks earlier when the trees flourished in the autumn colours. 

The rest of the week we mostly spent time relaxing, playing board games, and of course roasting marshmallows next to the fireplace! That is what I love most about vacationing in the Drakensberg- there is no pressure to rush or bustle about. The peaceful, quiet and tranquil atmosphere allows for complete relaxation (absolute bliss!).

Mommy and I

I love the Berg, it is my "happy place". I can't wait to go back!

Drakensberg trip 2015

Just before 1st semester exams ended, my parents and I went for a trip up to the Drakensberg. The Drakensberg is about a 3 hour drive away from where I live. We went up on the Saturday and came back home on the Thursday.

On the trip up, we stopped and did a Geocache at Afriston Train Station (for those of you who do not know what Geocaching is, please read about it here.).

Railway line at Alfriston 

Alfriston Station

We had planned to have lunch when we reached our timeshare, however our stomachs started growling so we unanimously decided to stop at Underberg for lunch! We had a lovely lunch at Lemon Tree Bistro. The Bistro had such a quaint and relaxing atmosphere- though, the delish sangria may have caused that! I had the Harissa pasta, it was splendid.

Lemon Tree Bistro

Inside the Lemon Tree Bistro

Pasta Harissa

Pasta Gamberi

We stayed at Riverbend (which are self-catering chalets) within the Drakensberg Gardens Resort. It was so nice just to relax (even though I did study two of the days that we were there) and spend time with my parents. It's weird, many people my age would find it boring and weird to go on holiday alone with their parents, I however thoroughly enjoyed it! My parents and I get on so well, I am very grateful for that! They are a huge support in my life.

View from Riverbend Chalets

Drakensberg Moutains with sprinkles snow

I will post a few other bits and pieces from out little trip tomorrow! Sorry that I have been away for awhile- thankfully exams are over so I will have more time to blog :D

The big 2 - 0

On Thursday 4 June I turned 20. It is rather surreal to believe that I am finally out of my teens. I can't say that I am too upset about that!

I feel like I'm starting on a clean slate, a new chapter! I hope to make my twenties better than any other decade that I have experienced thus far. 

In my twenties I hope to:

• Be content with myself as I am and show a little more self-love.
• Be more grateful for  everything I have.
• Be proud of what I have accomplished.
• Show appreciation to the people I love more often.
• Find a partner who will appreciate me, love me, understand me and motivate me.
• Travel while I have few commitments (The Rockies is a must!).
• Get married if I find someone I want to marry (lol).
• Buy a house/flat.
• Do more volunteer work.
• See more of South Africa (Cape Town especially).

My birthday was rather low-key because I'm writing exams, and I hate throwing parties! So in the morning we went to my sister's house for breakfast, and then we had bunny chows for dinner. We went out for dinner to Lupa Osteria in Hillcrest for my "official birthday dinner".

Birthday dinner at Lupa Osteria

Sipping on Bellinis

Just a note - I am writing exams at the moment, but I will try post as often as I can. 

Moving on .

Moving on after a breakup is harder than I ever thought. I understood it was pretty bad, afterall there are songs about it; emotional pictures all over tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest and the Internet in general; there's even movies about breaking up. But I feel like that didn't prepare for what it is really like, if anything, it's made society desensitized about breakups. It's made people think like it isn't really a life-altering period of life.

You know, just go out and have a piss-up with your friends, cry for a week, get a new haircut, eat chocolate for a day and then exercise for a month and lose 5kgs  and you'll truly be okay! 

Yeah no, that isn't how it works. Well it doesn't work for me because:

1. I don't really drink much.

2. I'm not good at crying (unless you put me in front of the TV with Marley and Me or Hachiko playing- then the waterworks REALLY get going!).

3. If I cut my hair any shorter I will cry.

4. I'm eating chocolate, I'm still not all better.

5. No comment. I haven't been exercising. I guess I can't say that this won't work. Whoops 

Okay, let me be serious now, I understand that I can't be miserable forever- hell I really don't want to be! But I can't tell my heart to stop having feelings; I can't stop my head from remembering times together; and I honestly can't stop feeling upset about some of the sacrifices and effort that I put into what I thought was my future, but now has turned into nothing.

Apart from that, the past month has been the weirdest time of my life. Someone whom I thought was one of the most important people in my life faded into the background. For a while I teased myself into thinking he was now no one to me, but this past weekend that changed- I realized that even though I no longer feel the chemistry and feelings of love, I still worry about him, and if I still worry about him that means I'm not truly over him. My mom said something that I believe is true- I'm in the habit of loving him. I may not truly love him, but there is still a part of me that "pretends" to. 

I know that what I did was right, it wasn't good for either of us to still be together. However, I think that I have been trying to rush myself into being normal and stable after the breakup. I want to be fine, but I can't pretend like breaking up after four years wasn't a big deal in my life, it will affect me. 

Sorry that the post is rather long and depressing, and it also shifts around a bit. I did this for myself, just to get it all out so it's more of a random diary entry than a blogpost.