Al's adventureland

I have moved over to wordpress (better editing software & options).

http://alsadventure.wordpress.com/

I love my city

..and I love my town. I have been lucky enough to live and work near the city (Melbourne) during the week and then come and stay with mum down the coast on the weekend for a while now and I love it!! With my departure coming quickly I have been appreciating the best of both worlds, and would like to share some of my fave photos of the areas.

* Sunset at Dromana in summer. I remember salty sand, cold water and yummy icecreams. Growing up near the beach was a wonderful thing, and weekly family fish and chips every friday night after a swim.

* My fave view - Seawinds gardens. Many a time over the years I could be found sitting on a blanket, with a picnic and just enjoying nature. With a view like that it really helps to put things into perspective.

*Melbourne - this is a shot of the iconic trams and flinders st station. I remember growing up down the coast - an hr and a half from the city - it always filled me with awe to go to the city. Everything was so exciting, and busy, and there was a real pulse and atmosphere. I still see that now.

I love new adventures, and exploring around new areas. You never know what amazing things you will discover!

I hope that everyday is a new and fun adventure for you!

My favourite vintage find

You know when you find a piece of clothing that makes you feel amazing - you put it on and instantly you feel different. Prettier. More feminine. Funkier. Happier.

Last week I was lucky enough to find one of these. I picked up a vintage 50's dress from a sample sale at work (one of the benefits of working in fashion) for $5. I tried it on and it fit me perfectly, giving me the illusion of 50's curves. It is flowy, the skirt part is pleated and it makes me feel like I am a woman. Gotta love that. The material is also gorgeously soft, and durable. It doesnt crease when I sit down and it has a beautiful blue floral pattern. I wish I had a photo right now to show you.

I am looking forward to discovering a whole new lot of vintage goodies when I get to Canada. There just doesnt seem to be much quality stuff in the thrift shops around Australia (something about us being a young nation or something maybe). 

When two becomes one

Now, if you are my age you might be picturing a certain Spice girls song - but this post isn’t really about them. No, not at all actually.

Last Saturday was my brothers wedding! And what a magical day it turned out to be. The weather was perfect, everyone looked lovely, the food was great and the entertainment - well let me talk about that later! Sorry about the washed out photo, I thought it was better than none and it has a kind of romantic old world feel to it I thought (paired with the fact I dont think my bro would want any photos of him posted on my blog heh).

My bro and his wife had asked me to do a reading on the day (which they gave me full creative control over) - they didn’t even ask to read what I had written before the ceremony. That is trust! Especially when you know me and what interesting thoughts could come out. It all turned out well though, and I got some very sweet comments from various guests about my reading.

It is hard to believe that they had been dating for 7 years, time sure does fly! So with that in mind it was a beautiful ceremony that captured them both perfectly. At the reception, after the speeches we were all surprised to be directed outside where there was a fire dancer! He was really good, he got everyone clapping and dancing and we were captivated (especially considering we’re in a drought and the grass around him was catching on fire now and then). Haha. He handled it all well though.

I was glad to be a part of such a special day in my brothers life and happy to welcome a new sister-in-law to the family.

It was a big week for me, as a few days before that I also handed my notice in at work! 5 weeks to go!!!

My last page of chapter 26.

I mentioned to a friend recently that you know you're getting older when you start saying thankyou when people say you look a lot younger than you really are. When I was in my early twenties and people said I looked 16 it made me grimace. The other week someone said she thought I was 18 and I said thankyou. I guess now I'm fast approaching 27 that time has arrived for me. Today is my last day of being 26 and tomorrow begins a new chapter. The 27th chapter (or is it technically 28th?) in the book of my life is going to be wonderful!!  

I can vividly remember my 26th birthday as a few weeks earlier I had broken up with my ex boyfriend and also fallen out with two people who were at the time two of my best friends. I was pretty lost for a while but as with every hurdle and downward spiral in my life I got back up and came out of it stronger and wiser. Every situation has a lesson, some can be painful to learn but all are worthy. My other friends encouraged me to still go out, so about 7 of us had dinner at a little tibetan restaurant in northcote. It was lovely.

This year I dont have any of that drama going on - and I have the impending overseas adventure to look forward to. My brother's wedding is in 2 weeks and I still cant quite believe it. I'm sure it will be great though! My wedding reading is complete and I am happy with it, if all goes well I might share it later!

Have a great weekend!

p.s less than 8 weeks to go!

Masquerade me

Ever have one of those moments where you think "this isnt just a coincedence, this was meant to happen!" ?? Well I did, on Saturday.

I was at a Masquerade party (which was cool in itself) and I met a couple who had lived in Vancouver for 3 months a year or so ago. They were so enthusiastic about the country and my trip and it just gave me a buzz. They gave me great insight into an Aussie's side of things and I learnt some valuable info.

I am now at the single digit stage, just about 9 weeks until I leave! Time is flying past and I am trying to run with it. I havent slept much the last few days, I have so much on my mind. I am trying to organise my homestay experience and that is proving harder than I first thought, but I'm still going! Dont count me out yet.

It's Australia Day today! Yay! I wonder which country I will be in next Australia Day??!

Welcome to 2010!

It's now almost 2 weeks into the new year which is exciting in itself but even more so as it is the year of my big adventure!! The countdown is now at a little over 11 weeks til departure. Now that the moment is finally well on its way after many long years of wanting to take this step, I am feeling quite calm. I think that by the time I fly off I'll be as prepared as possible, and yet still open for adventure!

I was reading a journal I had kept from about 7 years ago and in it I stated that "I really want to go to Vancouver." I spent years making plans with friends to travel overseas (the plans ranged from europe/uk to canada/usa) and they spent years breaking them. My independence just grew stronger throughout and I guess I just decided that now the time has come - I'm not getting any younger. Even though I'd moved out of home I had a job (with a new promotion) that allowed me to save money and I tightened my belt. I started really saving and researching and making plans.

Europe, UK or Canada? I decided that I wanted to combine a working holiday visa with some study in Drama and that involved staying in the one place for a little while. This narrowed my options considerably until it didnt even seem like there was a choice. I was headed to Vancouver. So I applied for my WHV and bought my plane ticket. There is still a lot more to organise before I leave but that's all part of the fun, isnt it?

Happy adventures,

Al

The countdown!

Watch check. Ok, maybe calendar check. Hhmm.. ok that makes it just under 13 weeks until I head off on my adventure. Wow, that time is going to fly past really quickly! I still have so much to organise.

Grab a seat and next time I'll tell you all about my plans and how this came about.