half a year later

Can you believe I've been here over six months already? No? Me Neither! It's literally been the best decision I've ever made coming out here. I've met some great people and seen some beautiful places already and the travelling adventures are only just beginning. I thought I would do a more 'arty farty' post with some of my favourite pictures of the journey so far.

Enjoy XOXO

    

nearly 20 years to realise...

So as I'm sat sipping my cup of tea it's suddenly dawned on me that next month I will no longer be a teenager, which is bloody crazy as it only seems like yesterday I was starting secondary school and meeting who I thought were the people I'd be friends with forever. But as I've lived on this strange thing we call Earth reality has kicked in and I've realised a lot... so I thought I'd share them all with you guys.


1. People come, and people go.
Okay, you'll probably be surrounded by lots of people that you enjoy the odd catch up over a coffee with, going shopping, or having a couple drinks in town with but the number of genuine, close friends you have will slowly decrease. The good news is that the quality of them few friends will be greater and you will appreciate their friendship more than ever. You're the only person who chooses the people you want to surround yourself with and at the end of the day people change and not everyone you thought were your 'best' friends will be a friend at all in the end. Which sounds upsetting, I agree but throughout your lifetime there is a never ending path filled with opportunities to meet fantastic, new people. You just gotta go with the wind cause I guarantee it will lead you to the best.


2. Your siblings are pretty cool people to have around.
You may of been bullied by them in the past or vise versa but you soon realise you'd be completely and utterly lost without them. Your whole life you took them for granted and they probably did annoy the shit outta you but you begin to realise they are and have always been one of your best friends. They obviously know you a lot more and in a different extent to others as they're family so at the end of the day they're gonna be there until the end. My brother, for example I'd like to say we got on very well until around our teenage years were we fought like cat and dog. It became uncool to talk to little me in the school corridor so he'd quite frankly take the piss out of me along with his friends. Lovely of them, I know! Nonetheless though, I have some great times with Matthew and as we've got older I thoroughly enjoy his company even if it's just ordering a takeaway and watching movies in the living room.

3. Travelling is now a good time to do it.

If you're into that thing I mean... but then again I'm not sure who isn't keen on seeing as much as the world as possible. Within this time period of your life I personally feel like it's the ideal age as you are old enough to fund your own travels and you still have a good sense of freedom before who knows, come another 10 years- your whole entire life could be, well most likely be completely different compared to today. There's a chance you could have your own little family to look after, or considering it so it becomes difficult to start jetting off anywhere.

4. It's probably a good time to start saving.

Yes, don't get me wrong it's a wonderful feeling to be able to say you have money but in your teens it all goes on absolute rubbish - its the truth lets face it. Unnecessary things which at the time are great, like that new pair of shoes you wanted for a couple of weeks but as you get older you begin to have major responsibilities so you realise them shoes weren't actually that important and you would actually survive them in your wardrobe. I'm not saying never treat yourself because we all do need a little splurge on something every now and again for a little treat but just prioritize. The increase within your age also comes with the sad increase of things you have to spend your money on, for example a mortgage on a house or maybe upgrading your car and I guarantee with even just a small saving bond that will help you out in the future.

5. Let go of the past.

Everybody has had tough time throughout their lifetime but trying to live your life with grudges will only bring you down and will not allow you to move forward whatsoever. If something happened five, ten years ago that haunts you still to this day honestly just try brushing it off. I know it's harder said than done but do not let what disturbed your past, disturb your future because trust me it's not worth it and well we do only get one shot at this whole life malarkey. I'm not telling you to forget major events which happened, I mean fuck- I spent many, many years full of hatred towards my mother due to her affair which I'm never going to forget nor will I forgive but I've became the bigger person and I'm living with it. I'm a strong believer in everything happens for a reason, sometimes its hard, but then again I don't recall anybodies life being a walk in the park. Just be happy and do what makes you happy.

6. Life is better lived with no regrets.

Make wise choices, take every opportunity presented to you seriously, and ultimately... go with your gut feeling. Live life to the full, but live it the way you think is best. You don't want to spend the next twenty years thinking 'why the hell didn't I just go on that date?', or 'why did I even become an accountant, I hate numbers!'. We have all done stupid mistakes in life which yes, you probably regret a lot but to constantly have that on your mind isn't gonna change the past, it's going to change you as a person.

7. Being in a relationship doesn't mean you're boring.

You will eventually realise that wanting to spend your Saturday night flat out on the couch, watching movies and eating junk food with the person you truly care about is nothing to be ashamed of. Your bank account will love you for it as you won't be blowing all your money on booze in town getting wasted, and although your friends may tease you for it, just remember a time will come when the tables have turned and it will be them in the exact situation.

8. You are the person responsible for your own happiness.

Seriously, although you might meet somebody who literally makes you the happiest person just remember you were the one who chose to get close to that person. Only you. You decide every choice in life therefore you create your happiness. "If you don't like where you are... Move. You are not a tree". Quite a funny, little quote but bloody hell it's very true.

9. Learn to love yourself before anybody else does.

I am a very self conscious person and don't like to accept compliments, so this for me is quite a hard little task but as I'm getting older I'm gradually learning to be happy with myself. I know nobody likes to admit you are truly happy with the way you look or as a matter of fact I'm pretty sure not many people are but I've learnt that if you are constantly negative towards yourself, you'll never accept positivity from others. To appreciate the value that someone else places upon you, you need to realise just how much you're worth. Eventually you will know just exactly what you deserve.

10. Your metabolism is slowing down as we speak.

I really do hate to break it to you but as we get older our metabolism does sadly, slow down and eventually you need to put effort into keeping in shape whilst we all wish we were that carefree, little child back in the day. We all like to pretend to be oblivious that the 'one off' takeaway we ate the other day will do no harm were in reality we know fine well it's going to our hips and ass, which in today's society ain't all that bad I guess. If you like to keep active, why not invest in a gym membership or even so just start going on long walks with a friend. No I don't mean a hike up Kilimanjaro but the odd stroll every now and again will keep you fit and healthy.

11. We are no longer invincible.

Hangovers are real and they make you consider stop drinking alcohol for life as it gets hard to cope with them the way you used to. I mean, a three day bender was for amateurs and if you couldn't hack it you really weren't as hardcore as you made out to be, but the thought of waking up and carrying on drinking now makes you really ill and not pick up another bottle of wine for a while. Also to be able to laze around in pjs, watching tv for a few days to recover is inevitable as life now has responsibilities. 

12. There is a whole world outside social media sites.

I know we all like the odd mooch scrolling up and down looking at what people have got up to but the time will come when you don't really care what others are doing every second of the day because you are so focused on your own life outside of it all. Also posting irrelevant pictures on Facebook or Twitter will seem pointless now as trying to show everybody how interesting your life is really isn't any of their business. 

13. Opportunities are precious.

Do not take things for granted but grab all opportunities with both hands and do as much as you can... while you still can.

14. Other peoples opinions are irrelevant.

We live in a society were we are too scared to do, say or even wear what we truly want to because we do not think it's acceptable or we are too scared of what other people will think but I tell you what, fuck them. I've gotten to the point were I've looked back on the past and realised I've missed out on a few things what could potentially of been great because I was too scared of what people would of thought. It really isn't anybodies business what you do with your life. I mean the quote 'if ... told you to jump off a cliff would you?' and the answer is quite blatantly no because that's crazy, but the same goes with everything. For example, your 'friend' doesn't agree with your choice of guy because he isn't all that or she thinks you can do better, does this mean you're going to instantly drop everything and change your mind? Yes, opinions and advice from others are great and can be useful but when it is wanted. Unnecessary information can eat you away and make your life miserable so ignore them.

 15. Your life is only just beginning.

Don't spend your twenties wishing you had your life all planned out already because in reality this is when your life truly is beginning - so spend it piecing it all together for your future, with the experiences and lessons that you endure each day. And above all of it... have bloody fun. Break out of your comfort zone, go do something you've always wanted to do but haven't got round to it for some silly reasons whether that being you're too scared or just haven't been able to. Just do it, who knows you might learn something new about yourself.

XOXO