tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40150059674906313792024-03-20T19:28:07.783+10:00Nicky JaneNicolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16431221720064845807noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-39343033122773052872018-03-18T12:00:00.000+10:002018-03-18T12:00:11.747+10:00Hamilton, I Like You A Lot!<div class="MsoNormal">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you read my most recent favourites post, you will know that I have developed a new obsession. This has somewhat affected the rest of my life in that I tend to not get anything done anymore. What I have been doing is listening to Hamilton non-stop (geddit?) and doing my best to learn all the lyrics (I’m currently up to Take A Break, in case you were wondering). So, while I haven’t been productive in ways that make a difference to my life, I haven’t done absolutely nothing this week (read: month).<o:p></o:p></div>
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For those of you who are unversed in the joys of Hamilton (first of all, what are you doing with your life?), it is a hip-hop musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda about the first Treasury Secretary of the United States, Alexander Hamilton. It’s far more exciting than it sounds, trust me. The songs are insanely catchy and (for the most part) are historically accurate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was introduced to Hamilton through my already Hamilton obsessed friend, who will remain nameless since sometimes people with addictions don’t want to be identified. She discovered Hamilton last year and showed it to us last November (I think). I have so far been the only one of the three of us to develop the obsession. In the beginning, I stubbornly refused to fall into the obsession, but it gradually chipped away at my resolve, and so the spark of interest was fanned into a flame of obsession. I know exactly when my full-blown obsession started as well. I first listened to it all the way through on the night of Friday the 16<sup>th</sup> of February (and I cried, but who doesn’t?). Since then, I have learned pretty much all the words to Act 1 and find myself singing them at random points throughout the day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you didn’t already know, I am a casual History Nerd™. My favourite thing about learning history is the little facts that seem inconsequential and then not having to be tested on them. Memorising facts was one thing I hated about history class in school. Another reason I dropped history class was that I found the research long and boring. Since there are no penalties for not learning facts about history once you’re out of school, I have loved learning seemingly unimportant things about the Founding Fathers of the US. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For example, did you know that Aaron Burr (sir) once got an ice cream headache and thought he was dying? Also, Thomas Jefferson was the one to bring ice cream over to the US from France. Why are all my Founding Fathers facts about food? I don’t know, but here’s a non-food related Lafayette fact: to leave France to help out with the American Revolution, Lafayette disguised himself as a woman and fled through Spain, getting on a boat named ‘Victoire’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So far, I have found no negative effects of this Hamilton obsession. I needlessly sprinkle Hamilton references throughout mine and my friends’ Facebook group chat, talking in real life and just randomly singing little bits of songs that get stuck in my head. I also have found that it is always hanging out in the back of my mind, even if I haven’t listened to it for a while (for further reference, a “while” is usually around 6 hours). For instance, if someone says something like ‘Pardon me’, my first thought is ‘Are you Aaron Burr, sir?’. Another relatively common one is ‘What time is it?’, my answer being ‘Show time!’, and overall, it’s kind of ruining my life in the best way possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Upon further thinking through, one possible negative effect is the constant death glares of people who don’t obsess over Hamilton as much as I do (read: at all), but I see that as more of a challenge than a negative aspect. <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you can relate to this in any way, honestly, there is nothing I can do for you. The only way I’ve found to get out of an obsession (if you even <i>want</i> to, that is), is to find a new obsession. Finding a new obsession is a lot harder than it sounds, though, so just keep going through your life and eventually you’ll get through it. But trust me, you’ll be back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What are you most obsessed with at the moment? Do you love Hamilton as much as I do?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></span></b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-19079450103900392732018-03-10T12:00:00.000+10:002018-03-10T12:01:04.110+10:00My Week In Outfits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKalrs5TGeYjj6j9_RRhnMhuhat4rex1bdbryzthoECtiN_90t7NlsW3Yb8dcfKVn7GHdDzNZPiEb2bFuDZ6gs-uvaXuLzZdqRoYpDp-dcNL1Eu4_xvjWWEE9DesFtAqJbtHmO4Xwz4I/s1600/IMG_5697.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkKalrs5TGeYjj6j9_RRhnMhuhat4rex1bdbryzthoECtiN_90t7NlsW3Yb8dcfKVn7GHdDzNZPiEb2bFuDZ6gs-uvaXuLzZdqRoYpDp-dcNL1Eu4_xvjWWEE9DesFtAqJbtHmO4Xwz4I/s400/IMG_5697.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!</div>
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Uni has gone back recently, and I thought it’d be nice if I showed you what I wear to it. I do go every single weekday, even if it is only for one class, or one hour (yay timetabling!). It has been rainy every day this week (except Monday), so despite only just coming out of summer, it has been cold and miserable. Due to this, jeans made an appearance for the first time since September last year. Anyway, on with the outfits!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Monday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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On Monday, I wore a black t-shirt from Big W and denim shorts that I got for Christmas (that I think are also from Big W, in the petite section). The belt is one I found in my cupboard since I lost the belt that originally came with the shorts (whoops!). On my feet, I wore my white Converse, which are now considerably less white from constant use, and some socks, obviously. I didn’t put on any makeup because I didn’t have time. Scratch that, I’m just lazy, okay?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Tuesday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLu4A7QOFRIH9EaQhOI_qX8hUiZZXmXTvreP1CH35euBKQvdHoHFtEAfCGJDVFRZzNib3ErUiWgGef156KFWn63iRGclYASGTWWjdUWTmEimbxpudbWve3ozFWvFh8yNCQ91dXxX-fm04/s1600/F8741506-6F65-4A8F-8784-3BE6D6B7820B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLu4A7QOFRIH9EaQhOI_qX8hUiZZXmXTvreP1CH35euBKQvdHoHFtEAfCGJDVFRZzNib3ErUiWgGef156KFWn63iRGclYASGTWWjdUWTmEimbxpudbWve3ozFWvFh8yNCQ91dXxX-fm04/s400/F8741506-6F65-4A8F-8784-3BE6D6B7820B.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Tuesday, the first rainy day of the week, I (stupidly) wore a dusty rose coloured crop top from Supre<b> </b>and some high waisted black shorts from a boutique in my neighbourhood. It rained a heck of a lot on Tuesday, but only really when I was outside, which is fantastic when you leave your umbrella at home! I put on my white converse again, since they are the most closed in shoes I have. No makeup again, since I’m lazy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Wednesday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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On Wednesday I remembered to bring my umbrella (yay!). I wore a black t-shirt with white daisies on it from Temt<b> </b>and some blue skinny jeans from Glassons. They are the comfiest jeans I have ever owned and protected my legs (as much as they could) from the rain that managed to creep beneath my umbrella. I wore my Converse shoes again (obviously) and no makeup, since I’m lazy and I don’t need to impress anyone (mostly lazy, though).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Thursday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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On Thursday, the second rainy day of the week (and the last thank God). I wore my Glassons jeans again since it was still cold and quite windy, and a black and white striped crop top from Supré. This outfit was so very comfortable, and I will definitely wear it more often especially as it gets closer to the colder months of the year. On my feet, I wore my usual Converse shoes to finish everything off. On my face, I wore nothing because I’m lazy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Friday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Friday brought the sun back (finally!), so I wore a more summery outfit. My top was a light pink one from Myer (specifically Miss Shop) with the words ‘good vibes only’ in darker pink around the collar. I wore a black skirt with a silver zip down the front from Divided by H&M. It’s a fairly old skirt, so I don’t reckon they’ll still stock it, but it is very comfortable and easy to wear and pair with other things, so I wear it a lot. As far as makeup goes, I think you can gather by now that I don’t wear it much to uni, so I don’t really need to tell you that I’m too lazy any more, do I?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Which day was your favourite outfit?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-2131723072145590782018-03-03T12:00:00.000+10:002018-03-03T12:00:23.070+10:00February Favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFr10Bqx8XlZ3Z_XiecgsLhaoIGD2q5_w6YS894FCYG-myMxxkGpnAKhRjsORZ6MAifm22dXUKuM9BkxTdqhyphenhyphenlz7H1x5U-OM909bW2lt9uQ4WEel7wjpoD6vroy4Xpfqu6m0-Gr_W0-M/s1600/IMG_5651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFr10Bqx8XlZ3Z_XiecgsLhaoIGD2q5_w6YS894FCYG-myMxxkGpnAKhRjsORZ6MAifm22dXUKuM9BkxTdqhyphenhyphenlz7H1x5U-OM909bW2lt9uQ4WEel7wjpoD6vroy4Xpfqu6m0-Gr_W0-M/s400/IMG_5651.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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How is it that we are already two months into this year? I swear I say this every month, but time moves far too quickly for my liking. February brought with it a new semester of university, which, as much as it needs to happen, I wish my holidays could have gone on forever. I am already stressing about all this term’s assessments (that I better start on, like, yesterday). In saying that, though, there has been a lot to love about this month, so let’s get started.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For the past few months, one of my friends has been trying to get the rest of us to fall in love with Hamilton, a rap musical about America’s first Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. I began listening, actually listening, to the lyrics this month and have become completely obsessed with it. At first, I was just intrigued by his life story, but now I’m completely invested in learning about the American Revolution (I mean, as much as I can be while I have uni work to do) and all of the lyrics to each song. I don’t think I could possibly pick a favourite song (at least not yet) because it's still so new to me and I need time to figure it out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My next favourite is my insulated water bottle that I got for Christmas. It is truly magical. If you leave it in the fridge overnight without the lid on, the water will get cold and then be cold all day when you take it to uni. Even though we are now technically not in summer anymore, it still gets hot and I’ll need some hydration to get me through the day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I got a new bag for uni this year and I love it so much. I bought it from Sportsgirl in preparation for uni about 6 weeks ago. It works much the same as any other bag does, and the zip doesn’t break like my old one did, so that’s a plus. Also, the roses on it are a really nice touch, aesthetically, which is honestly a huge bonus for me. Last year’s bag was fine, but it’s got nothing on this one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The last thing on my favourites this month could potentially cure cancer. I know, I know, big claims, but trust me on this. I downloaded an app called DreamLab this month that does calculations to help cure cancer while you charge your phone. I use it almost every night (sometimes I forget to) and have so far clocked up a total of 628 calculations. It makes me feel like I’m making a difference in people’s lives and, potentially, I am. The calculations my phone does while charging help to find ways to treat and cure cancers throughout the body. Each project has millions of calculations that need to be completed, and every little bit helps, so I highly recommend you download and use this app. It’s free on the App Store (and maybe Google Play but I’m not certain) and really easy to use.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What have you loved during February? Do you like my favourites?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-63438340054914246382018-02-24T12:00:00.000+10:002018-02-24T12:00:24.283+10:00The Mystery Blogger Award<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jlMgOoW9j0-9xVWjnwLIdnGxQYjZaPG_6qGXRw4nS_rTgc4QZGwgsgs5ANRS2Yq_hyMCcdaL3Yp2__sK4cBBlUte5kiYdt1Af5do54ne3iVSMtUW73sBBApgLth9mbCFsP6uPHAh6BY/s1600/the-mystery-blogger-award.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="786" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jlMgOoW9j0-9xVWjnwLIdnGxQYjZaPG_6qGXRw4nS_rTgc4QZGwgsgs5ANRS2Yq_hyMCcdaL3Yp2__sK4cBBlUte5kiYdt1Af5do54ne3iVSMtUW73sBBApgLth9mbCFsP6uPHAh6BY/s400/the-mystery-blogger-award.png" width="396" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was recently nominated by <a href="http://willandsandrine.com/">Will </a>from willandsandrine.com for the Mystery Blogger Award (thanks, Will!). The Mystery Blogger Award was invented by <a href="http://okotoenigmasblog.com/">Okoto Enigma</a> to give bloggers recognition in the community and allow their readers to learn a little bit more about the person behind the posts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Three Things About Me</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>A big thing you’ll need to know about me is that when I get obsessed with something, I really get obsessed with that thing. So much so that it is pretty much the only thing I think about for months on end. My current obsession is with Harry Potter, in case you were wondering.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>I have a strange kind of fascination with history. I have always found it interesting, finding out about the lives of those who’ve gone before us, but I would hate to do a course on it because research is not one of my strong suits and neither is remembering specific facts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Another thing you should probably know about me is that I am a very disorganised person. Going to uni has sorted me out somewhat; I’ve got all my assignments in on time, but I am really bad at time management. This may or may not have something to do with my Intense Obsession Thing™.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Question Time!</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Why did you decide to start a blog, and when did you do it?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I started a blog waaaayy back in 2013 when I was 14, so I’ve been at this for a while. I started a blog because I thought it would be a fun way to spend my time when I wasn’t working on school things. I was inspired by people like Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter to make it focus on beauty, but nowadays I just write about whatever I want and hope you all like it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What’s your best advice about blogging?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Spend time brainstorming blog post ideas and bulk write your posts if you know you won’t have time to write soon. Perhaps I should follow my own advice…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What do you do in your free time?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I spend a lot of my free time on the internet, scrolling through Instagram and sending my friends Snapchats. I also spend a lot of my non-free time doing this and I definitely need to change that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What’s the last book you’ve read? What is it about?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The last book I read was The Selection by Kiera Cass. In a nutshell, imagine The Bachelor but the guy is a prince and you live in a dystopian world where you’re born into a class labelled with a number from one to eight. The lower the number, the better off you are. America, the main character, is a five and ends up being ‘selected’ to be one of the women the prince has to choose from.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What’s the weirdest thing about you? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I guess the weirdest thing about me is that I really hate getting things on my hands. Eating donuts is exceedingly difficult. Sure, I love them, but is having cinnamon sugar all over your fingers really worth it? Of course, it is, but I have to be careful to not get any of what is on my hands on anything else. I absolutely must wash my hands after eating donuts and not touch anything else until I do so.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Best Posts</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I have a lot of posts in my archive, which only came from years and years of persistence and determination. I reckon my favourite posts to write are definitely the short stories. Since I have to submit them for assessment, I spend a lot of time perfecting them and by the end, I’m really proud of them. In order of when I posted them, they are <a href="http://nickyjane99.blogspot.com/2017/08/short-story-night-terrors.html">Night Terrors</a>, <a href="http://nickyjane99.blogspot.com.au/2017/09/short-story-beginning-again.html">Beginning Again</a>, and <a href="http://nickyjane99.blogspot.com.au/2018/01/short-story-absolutely.html">Absolutely</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">I nominate:</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://meganblogsabout.com/">Megan</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://missangellane.com/">Angel</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://forevermotivated.blog/">Jasmin</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://amysbookishlife.co.uk/">Amy</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><a href="http://poeticallypetite.com/">Sarah</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://thecrankydamsel.wix.com/thecrankydamsel">Viola</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://justarianablog.wordpress.com/">Ariana</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://becc4.blogspot.co.uk/">Becca</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://cherylwonggg.com/">Cheryl</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><a href="http://cleanandsassy.com/">Victoria</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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I'd love it so much if you do it, and please let me know if you do! Of course, you don't have to do it, but where's the fun in that?</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Questions</span></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>What is your favourite thing about blogging?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Where is the place you most often sit to write your blog posts?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>How do you incorporate blogging into your daily life?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>What is one thing you’ve learned about yourself from blogging?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>If you had to choose between having feet for hands or hands for feet, what would you choose and why? (funny)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Rules</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Add the award logo to your blog<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->List the rules<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide their blog link<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Mention the award creator and link to their blog as well<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>List three things about yourself<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Answer the questions your nominator asked<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Share a link to your best post or posts <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>Nominate 10 to 20 people and notify them<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> ·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>List your 5 questions for them to answer in their posts. Make sure one of them is weird or funny and specify which one that is<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>And that's it! Thank you so much to Will for nominating me! I had so much fun doing this and highly recommend doing it if I nominated you :)</o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love, Nicky x</b></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-81185672287299128362018-02-18T12:00:00.000+10:002018-02-18T12:00:58.823+10:00Uni's Back and I'm Slack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since it’s been so long since I’ve done one, I thought I’d give you all a bit of a life update. Not much has happened since then, but a lot of things are about to happen soon. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I go back to uni this week and I could not be less ready if I tried. I mean, sure, I have notebooks, pens and things, but I am not ready for the early starts and the assignments. I’ve been on uni holidays since early November last year and I feel like it has gone by like the snap of my fingers. At the beginning of the holidays I was looking forward to my four months off, to all the time I’d spend with my friends, sleeping in, and staying up until the early hours of the morning not having to worry about alarms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve sorted out my timetable and since I was two minutes late to the registration page, I have managed to get at least one class every single day. Pro-tip: get to the registration website at least half an hour early. I did have it all set out in a spreadsheet and it was going to be great. I’d get Mondays and Fridays off, but then I forgot about my pro-tip and landed all of the worst class times. I suppose it could be worse, though. At least I have all of my classes during daylight hours. Having classes at night would be awful, to say the least.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This semester I have elected to do tons of reading again. Unlike last semester, which was all children’s and teen’s books, nice and easy, this semester is all of the classics like Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and some Shakespeare thrown in for good measure. Let’s just say I’m looking forward to being able to say that I’ve read them, but not so much looking forward to the hard slog that it will be actually reading them what with all of their olden day's language and confusing turns of phrase. And if the books themselves are a challenge, I can’t even begin to imagine what the assignments will be like. I was lucky last semester to not have any exams, but I don’t think I’ll be as lucky this time around.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another thing about the books; they are expensive as bloody heck! All up, they come to around $200 (note to self: pay Mum back at some point). Sure, I already have Jane Eyre, but that was one of the cheaper ones so isn’t really that great of a saving in the first place. Maybe I should get onto reading Jane Eyre before I get bombarded with a whole lot more books, at least that’ll be a little bit of a head start…<o:p></o:p></div>
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My sleeping schedule has been completely messed up since about Christmas with me often falling asleep well past midnight and waking up well past what is deemed acceptable. To be fair, Mum’s definition of acceptable is 6 or 7 am. The fact that I wake up most days at 8 doesn’t seem like much of an issue to me, but to her, it’s a problem. One day in January I didn’t wake up until after midday and that was a shock and disappointment even to me. I didn’t tell Mum about that day; what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Anyway, what was my point? I had a point. Oh! I have to wake up at 6:30am most days and I have no idea how I’m going to do that. The first few weeks are going to be absolute hell on earth. Alarms will simultaneously be my best friend and worst enemy. I’ll cope though, I have done it before and I can do it now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Other than that, that’s all that I have going on in my life right now (thank God) so this is where I leave you. Until next week, adios!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-67353990031758713892018-02-11T12:00:00.000+10:002018-02-11T12:00:50.019+10:00The Harry Potter Tag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOt22ihOVtdbxDlDxI3cajZZYp3JujZQawrDlKkgBjTim2Hxv0rXA4jNKy6MFtFt0nqVyGcLqXKog13xX30Q85Ii8v8Lfp05n21ZBXXcfcDYPDmImSrBdADw7I4M_uwVNdk9CSffMIKY/s1600/IMG_5618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivOt22ihOVtdbxDlDxI3cajZZYp3JujZQawrDlKkgBjTim2Hxv0rXA4jNKy6MFtFt0nqVyGcLqXKog13xX30Q85Ii8v8Lfp05n21ZBXXcfcDYPDmImSrBdADw7I4M_uwVNdk9CSffMIKY/s400/IMG_5618.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today I thought I’d do the Harry Potter Tag. I saw this on a blog a while ago and unfortunately, I don’t remember whose it was! I wasn’t tagged, but I’ve been a HP fan for as long as I can remember so I thought I’d do it anyway. So why not?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>1.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">What house are you in?</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwaokUAC7savhchZTjm5oRIzz5__nbOTjyz670RCi7264CWWR4fH5fsoWiCmul-TvTbu-DuHKcmfKUYTAjgiIAdvqtSu7auX-g29U6GH_qPDaQO9FTtIUTvwxoqKNbSAhuz43R-HVnYk/s1600/HUFFLEPUFF%2521.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="877" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwaokUAC7savhchZTjm5oRIzz5__nbOTjyz670RCi7264CWWR4fH5fsoWiCmul-TvTbu-DuHKcmfKUYTAjgiIAdvqtSu7auX-g29U6GH_qPDaQO9FTtIUTvwxoqKNbSAhuz43R-HVnYk/s400/HUFFLEPUFF%2521.png" width="360" /></a></div>
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I have done the Pottermore test a few times and I’ve gotten Hufflepuff most of the time and Gryffindor once. I do consider myself a Hufflepuff at heart (and a proud one at that) since the time I got Gryffindor I did the “Gryffindor” answers. I think Hufflepuff fits me quite well; I am very loyal, a great friend, hard-working (when I get around to it), and do believe in justice for all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also have done the Ilvermorny version of the test and got Thunderbird, but I don’t really know what that means. It means less to me than the Hogwarts house; I guess it’s because I’ve grown up with the Hogwarts houses and not Ilvermorny.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>2.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>What is your Patronus?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMY6babxuTx74lcYYsXAK4znp0BV9NOg2EVXA2tAHtte-8b51QQCzKI-5djx28w0_hQhkD_2PxYAmFN-oFoeSTtZJ_CNSYo1AV0TJpuVrqTrG4WtuVVgaGYq-_FSmYsSpRgNRzCHUXgs/s1600/issa+hedgehog.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="301" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGMY6babxuTx74lcYYsXAK4znp0BV9NOg2EVXA2tAHtte-8b51QQCzKI-5djx28w0_hQhkD_2PxYAmFN-oFoeSTtZJ_CNSYo1AV0TJpuVrqTrG4WtuVVgaGYq-_FSmYsSpRgNRzCHUXgs/s400/issa+hedgehog.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My Patronus is a hedgehog. I don’t really know what this means, but hedgehogs are my favourite animal, so there’s that. Unfortunately, hedgehogs aren’t allowed as pets in Australia (something about spreading diseases) but that won’t stop me from loving them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>3.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>What is your wand?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyKqnXhZl_GrPnF2Dhzo_5ge4BqUp0KufQv-VAdjelTiMaVEAeNPB_mbXOEggAae_Ev5NeL4xpkx9lbbn4_V7JQSL-VIuB42dE0FqfcZ5jXK1IWNDaIqceVBdAL-cgvPPy7lfgNjfRnQ/s1600/my+wand%2521+look+at+my+wand%2521+be+grateful+its+not+your+neck%2521.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="597" height="85" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYyKqnXhZl_GrPnF2Dhzo_5ge4BqUp0KufQv-VAdjelTiMaVEAeNPB_mbXOEggAae_Ev5NeL4xpkx9lbbn4_V7JQSL-VIuB42dE0FqfcZ5jXK1IWNDaIqceVBdAL-cgvPPy7lfgNjfRnQ/s400/my+wand%2521+look+at+my+wand%2521+be+grateful+its+not+your+neck%2521.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My wand is 10 inches, elm wood, phoenix feather core, and has a hard flexibility. </div>
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The wood type means that I'm present, have magical dexterity and a certain native dignity. Elmwood wands produce the least amount of accidents and are capable of highly advanced magic in the right hands. </div>
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Phoenix feather cores are capable of the biggest range of magic, and act of their own accord sometimes. They also are the hardest to tame, apparently. I don't know what that says about me, but it's interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The hard flexibility of my wand indicates that I am not very adaptable or willing to change if necessary. That doesn't sound very nice, but maybe it just means that I am stubborn and not willing to budge on the things I really want.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>4.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>What would your boggart be?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I reckon my boggart is snakes, spiders, or losing my friends and family. As much as I hate snakes and spiders, I can think of nothing worse than being left without anyone who loves me. I don't know what that boggart would look like, but it would definitely be the worst thing ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>5.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>What position would you play in Quidditch?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Since I have the hand-eye coordination of something with neither hands nor eyes, I reckon I would be best suited to sitting in the stands supporting my less uncoordinated friends on their brooms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>6.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>Would you be a pure-blood, half-blood or muggle born?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I reckon I’m a half-blood. My mum has read Harry Potter, Dad hasn’t, so I’m a half-blood.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>7.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>What job would you want to have after leaving Hogwarts?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I think I’d want to be a writer for the Daily Prophet or The Quibbler. They’re both essentially creative writing if you think about it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>8.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>Which of the Deathly Hallows would you choose?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I would choose the wand. Why would you choose anything else? The cloak? No, use the wand to make yourself invisible. The stone? There are theories that the visions are just death drawing you to him. Wand all the way. I wouldn’t use it, but if I had to have one that’s what I’d choose.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>9.<span style="font-size: 9.33333px;"> </span>Favourite book?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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My favourite of the books is the Prisoner of Azkaban. I love the storyline the most of all of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Least favourite book?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I reckon my least favourite book is the Deathly Hallows, just because then its over. There's no more. Ever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>11.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Favourite film?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I think it’s the Philosophers Stone because of all the nostalgia. I also love the Prisoner of Azkaban because of how much I love the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>12.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Least favourite film?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Probably the Half-Blood Prince. The book was so great, with all the Voldy backstory and romantic undertones that aren’t the main focus of the story. The movie turned that brilliance into a teen drama with very limited Voldy backstory. And they burned The Burrow down for absolutely no reason. Just why?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>13.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Favourite character?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Sirius Black. Which is another reason the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book. He meant so much to Harry and was one of the only connections to his parents. I also love Remus for these reasons, but Sirius is my favourite.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>14.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Least favourite/ most hated character?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Umbridge. ‘Nuff said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>15.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Favourite teacher at Hogwarts?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Its either McGonagall or Lupin. McGonagall is the strict but loving mother to all of her Gryffindors, and Lupin is the best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Harry ever had.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>16.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Least favourite teacher at Hogwarts?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I would say Umbridge again, but she didn’t really teach anything, did she? So by that logic, I’ll say Snape. I also just don’t like him as a person, but that’s a whole other story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>17.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Do you have any unpopular opinions about the series?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t really have any. A lot of my opinions are widely shared in the Harry Potter community, like not accepting the Cursed Child as canon, not liking (or even hating) Snape, and not hating Malfoy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>And that's the Harry Potter Tag! I encourage you to do it if you haven't already. Please let me know if you end up doing it on your blog, or leave your answers in the comments!</o:p></div>
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<o:p><b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-25442758806132029942018-02-03T12:00:00.000+10:002018-02-03T12:00:44.238+10:00An Open Letter to Procrastination<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Procrastination, you and I have a sort of love-hate relationship going on. To be honest, its been going on for far too long You are great at making me happy and doing fun stuff all the time like checking social media and listening to music. You are also great at distracting me with these things to the point where I don’t do the things I need to do with the day. Believe it or not, I do actually have things to do and can’t just waste all my time listening to your every command! In case you were wondering (which I highly doubt you were), I have a few ideas of how to combat your incessant nature.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You are the main reason for all my stress at the moment, which will exponentially increase once I’m back at uni with a mountain of assignments and books to read and study. You divert attention away from things that are actually important like housework or writing blog posts. Honestly, I would have written this a lot sooner if I didn’t have you encouraging me to check my phone or watch a 3-hour Markiplier live stream I’ve already watched. Furthermore, I have a schedule for my housework and you do not do me any favours when I still haven’t done any of those chores 3 whole days (sometimes more) later. I get paid to do chores, in case you didn’t realise, so I really don’t appreciate your antics! Also, keeping on telling me that I’ll have plenty of time to do it later isn’t good either. There will always be a spanner thrown in the works when you use this little trick, making it take longer than you promised me it would. The fact that I believed you in the first place – bah!<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are a few things I’ve thought of to reign you in a bit. And God knows I need to reign you in a bit. Or maybe a little bit more than a bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First off, writing a to-do list every morning so that I know exactly what has to be done that day. I’ve done that today, actually, and it’s worked quite well. I’ve done all my chores for the day and I’m kinda proud of that. Sure, I left writing this for last (which is another kind of you that I can’t deal with), procrastinating “non-fun” stuff with easier “non-fun” stuff, but at least I’m doing it and not putting it off further!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another thing I have done today and plan to continue to do is to add a little reward at the bottom of my to do list which can only be done after I’ve done everything else on that list, no matter how many things there are. Today, my reward is unlimited time on my phone until the end of the day. Therefore, the sooner I finish my work, the more time I can spend doing fun stuff. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One more thing I want to implement is kind of cheating in a way, but I’m gonna go with it. I’m going to put music on while I do my chores, to tide you over a bit while doing “non-fun” stuff. It makes all those “non-fun” but very necessary things less mind-numbing. In a way it makes you procrastinate from making me procrastinate, so it’s a win-win situation in my book!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, no one seems to like you. I’ve heard people say that you’ve ruined their lives. So, cheers!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-65641913121842417232018-01-28T12:00:00.000+10:002018-01-28T12:00:15.890+10:00January Favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ftoGwcCGXuNDJuikCeWHRT4RP2A11rJLmCpjXcJzqLb772OPho0E_P4SkZlLq4seFCACG_IeqcOEIkTj1tIa6VSJmqdjsJYfd073W_ZSsdYnwqmT6Gak6xEzgvRH0gJZN9z0tWE-WNY/s1600/IMG_5586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ftoGwcCGXuNDJuikCeWHRT4RP2A11rJLmCpjXcJzqLb772OPho0E_P4SkZlLq4seFCACG_IeqcOEIkTj1tIa6VSJmqdjsJYfd073W_ZSsdYnwqmT6Gak6xEzgvRH0gJZN9z0tWE-WNY/s400/IMG_5586.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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How is it that we’re already one-twelfth of the way through 2018? I swear it was 2015 yesterday. Since it is the end of the month, that means another round of monthly favourites. January is always a hard month for favourites. I never really do anything in January; I kind of just sit around, sleep in and watch TV. I have come up with a couple of things, though, that I have loved throughout this month, so I’ll share them with you now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first thing on my favourites list is Harry Potter related (is my obsession obvious yet?) thing that I received for Christmas from one of my friends. On an entirely unrelated note (wink wink), she is now my best friend. It is a purse that looks like the Hogwarts letter Harry got when he was eleven. I really love it. I transferred my money over to it as soon as I could and has been in constant use ever since. The inside has plenty of card spaces and a zippy section for coins right in the middle. Other than that, it makes me smile every time I look at it, which is pretty nice if you ask me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another thing I have been loving this month is the pair of denim shorts I got for Christmas. They are just plain ol’ denim shorts, but that is what makes them great. They go with every single top I own, making them extremely versatile, and they are really comfy. They are a petite size, which is great for tiny people like me. They hug my waist perfectly, which is a welcome change from having a massive gap between the top of my jeans and my back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The final thing on my list of favourites this month is season 4 of Once Upon a Time. Mum and I have been sporadically watching this all throughout last year, but this month we committed ourselves to finishing it. This season the focus was on Frozen and also on the big Disney villains Ursula, Cruella De Vil and Maleficent. Everything about it was just fabulous. There are so many twists and turns all the time and sometimes it's hard to keep up but its so worth it. For those of you that haven’t seen it (or, heaven forbid, <i>heard</i> of it) it is a show that puts a twist on the old fairy tales like Snow White and Cinderella. If you are a hardcore Disney fan, I highly recommend this show to you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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They are all of my favourites for this month. I do hope you enjoyed this post and I’ll be back again next week with a new post!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Did you like my favourites? What favourites did you have this month?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>Love, Nicky x<o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-59252171085143952942018-01-21T12:00:00.000+10:002018-01-21T12:00:30.922+10:00Short Story | Absolutely<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone,<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, I wrote a short story for uni last
year that I haven’t yet shared with you. I got a fairly good grade on it (I
can’t remember the number, but it was better than the previous one) so I
thought I’d jazz it up a bit and put it out there for all to read (and
hopefully enjoy). <o:p></o:p></div>
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I moved into
Hudson’s house over the course of a month. I didn’t have to take many things
with me, because he had furniture already.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
sat down on his grey leather couch in his – our – living room once we finished
unpacking and putting my stuff throughout the house, each with a plate of
leftover strawberry and cream surprise birthday cake sat on our laps. I could
almost hear Mum’s laughter as we found the surprise: chocolates in the centre,
tumbling out all over the plate. I really miss her sometimes. I wish I could go
home. I miss my bed. I miss seeing Mum and Dad every day. I miss home. But I
have this new home with Hudson, I should be happy. I trust the system; they’ve
never been wrong before, so I should have nothing to worry about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">While
finishing off our cake, we sat in silence, the spoons scraping our plates the
only sound. Occasionally, one of us tried to start a conversation, but trailed
off back into silence. I kept my eyes on my plate, not daring to look at him
and make this situation more awkward than it already was. How did we end up as
a Perfect Pairing? This isn’t going well at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He
finished his cake and put his empty plate on the coffee table, leaned back on
the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table and his hands behind his head.
He let out a sigh and I looked at him, and immediately wished I hadn’t. Even
with the discomfort of the situation, his eyes were still as green and alluring
as they were when I met him a month ago. I found myself getting lost in them,
but shook myself out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I’m
not very good at this. I’ve never been in a relationship before,” I said to
him, breaking the silence. I looked back into my lap in shame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Hey,”
he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay. We can learn together.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> I felt the corners of my mouth quirk upwards
slightly, “You think so?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Yeah.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He
looked into my eyes and I felt like he was staring into my soul. He leaned
closer to me and rested his hand on the small of my back. I’d never noticed how
freckles dotted his nose and cheeks, or how he began to close his eyes, or how
I closed mine, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
sound of my phone ringing made me pull back from him and open my eyes. Hudson
looked at my still ringing phone with disgust, as did I. I picked it up,
feeling slightly frustrated as I pressed the speaker to my ear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Hello?”
I asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Yes,
hello, is this Ebony Wolfe?” a calm female voice asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Yeah,
that’s me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“There
has been a mistake with your file. We paired you with the wrong person,” she
explained. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;">My mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 1cm;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“B-but
you always get it right,” I replied, my voice shaking. “Always.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Not
this time. You must come to the Pairing Centre immediately, so we can issue you
your correct file.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“And
if I don’t?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You
will be arrested.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Oh-okay,
I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I said before immediately hanging up. I ran to
my bedside table and yanked open the drawer that I kept Hudson’s file in. All
his details were printed at the top of the page, his picture attached below it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 1.0cm;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Name</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Hudson
James Wolfe</span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">Date of birth</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: 25th April 2074</span></div>
<b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">Gender</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: M</span></div>
</b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">Height</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: 177 cm</span></div>
<b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">Hair colour</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Brown</span></div>
</b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">Eye colour</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Green</span></div>
<b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">Skin tone</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: Fair</span></div>
</b><div style="text-align: left;">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;">ID No</b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">: 742811</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">How
could the Pairing Centre be wrong? They’re never wrong. No one in living memory
had ever been re-paired before. Mum and Dad’s was correct. I don’t know much
about Hudson’s parents, but I assume theirs was correct as well. We were the
first mistake. The first mistake since the Pairing Centre was set up. Since the
war. 75 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You’re
not actually going, are you?” Hudson asked after I filled him in on what was
happening. I was sitting on my side of the bed, staring at Hudson’s file
clutched in my hands.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Of
course, I am. The Pairing Centre works,” I said, not taking my eyes off the
file. If I looked at him, I’d change my mind. I couldn’t let that happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“No,
it doesn’t. They made a mistake with us. Do you know what they do with
mistakes?” he said, sitting down next to me on the bed, his voice raised in
fear and desperation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“No,
but I have to go. I don’t wanna get arrested, or worse,” I replied, beginning
to stand up. I needed to leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">He
grabbed both of my arms, forcing me to sit back down and look at him, “W-what
about us? What about learning together?” he asked, his words catching in his
throat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I
care about you, okay? But I can’t get arrested,” I said, resting my head on his
shoulder and taking a deep breath, then I lifted myself back up and looked him
in the eyes. “It won’t work out. The woman said so.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Fine,”
he huffed, almost in tears, releasing my arms. “Go.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
drive to the Pairing Centre was agonising. I found myself trying to rationalise
it all. He can’t be the one. The Centre said so. Then why was this hurting so
much?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
Pairing Centre was as dreary and mind-numbing as I remembered it. The line of
people stretched back to the door and was moving at a snail’s pace. When I
finally got to the front of the line, I told the woman my name and handed her
my ID card.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Ah,
yes, Mrs Wolfe, right this way,” the woman said, ushering me down the hall to a
door marked <i>Error Correction Office.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Now
sit and wait here, miss, I must retrieve the file,” she said, seating me in the
wooden, blue cushioned chair facing the plain, white desk laden with files and
a computer in the centre. I sat with a hopeful smile on my face. It will work
this time. It will. A couple of minutes passed, and the woman returned with a
new file and a syringe filled with a clear liquid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“This
might hurt a bit,” she said, placing the file on the desk and picking up the
syringe. I squinted to read the label on the syringe. <i>Memory Modification Serum</i>. I jerked my arm away from her and stood
up from my chair.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Why
would you have a whole office devoted to errors if I was your first one? That’s
how you have a perfect record. No one remembers your mistakes,” I accused,
crossing my arms. The woman opened her mouth to reply, but no words came.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">No
one’s marriage was correct. No one knew of the Centre’s corruption. Of the
government’s corruption. No one except me. I have to get out of here. They’ll
be after me. What will they do to my family? To Hudson? To me? People have to
learn the truth. Things have to change. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I
sprinted for the door, pulled it open and let it slam against the wall on my
way out. The woman slammed a red button on the wall. They’re coming for me. I
flew out the front doors to the car, running as fast as my legs would carry me.
I wrenched the door open and shoved the keys into the ignition. I sped all the
way home, paying no mind to the speed limits. I wrenched opened the front door
of our house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Hudson!”
I yelled as I got inside. “They’re after me. Come quick!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Where
are we going?” he asked, breathless, as he sat down in the car.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I
don’t know. Away from here. Where no one can find us. Somewhere safe,” I
answered as I sped down the road. The sirens rang in my ears and the blue and
red lights danced around the car with a blistering fury. My hands gripped the
wheel tighter than I had ever gripped it before, my foot pressed the
accelerator pedal into the floor and tears threatened to stream down my face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“But
they’re everywhere. They can always see us. Always.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“We’ll
just have to keep running then.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We
drove and drove until the car whined and trembled with exhaustion, completely
out of fuel. I pulled the car over to the side of the road, next to a sprawling
wheat farm. We lost the police a while ago and the stars dotted the sky with a
glistening light. Even out here, in the middle of nowhere, I still had the
unnerving feeling of being watched.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“What
now?” I asked. We were leaning on the side of the car, staring out into the night,
into the wheat farm we’d been stranded next to. The only light came from the
stars in the sky and one flickering lamppost on the other side of the road.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“I
don’t know. We could walk, but we don’t have food so…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 1cm;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“What’s
going to happen to my family? How do we save them?” I thought out loud. Those
questions rocketed around my mind like a swarm of angry bees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“That’s
something we’ll have to work out later. We have to focus on us right now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You
mean that?” I replied, turning to face him, his eyes sparkling in the
starlight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Yeah,
I do,” he said, leaning towards me and closing his eyes. He’s going to kiss me.
Oh my God. Am I ready?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Too
late. His lips were on mine before I could make up my mind. I felt my heart
race inside my chest and I kissed back, which surprised me. I rested my hands
on his chest and stood on my tippy toes to reach him better. Then he pulled
back – all too soon in my opinion – and rested his forehead against mine,
looking deeply into my eyes, and I into his.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“So,
you’ll stay with me?” he said in a hushed tone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Absolutely.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank
you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 1cm;"><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-52727922127304468012018-01-13T12:00:00.000+10:002018-01-13T12:00:38.724+10:00Summer Morning Routine<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I am currently sweltering through a hot and humid Queensland day (I’m used to it but still), I thought I would share with you how I get ready in the morning. I haven’t really done anything important with my days for the past few months really, but getting ready for the day is somewhat important to me, so let’s get on with this!<o:p></o:p></div>
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During summer holidays, there are no alarms in sight, so I wake up anywhere from 8am to midday depending on what time I fall asleep. From there, I pick up my phone and scroll through Instagram for around fifteen minutes at the very least, then send my friends a ‘Good Morning’ snapchat no matter how bleary-eyed I am. I then waste time on my phone for at least another fifteen minutes, at most another two or three hours (no joke, this morning I spent about three hours on my phone before even thinking about breakfast – I told you it was bad).<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I eventually do drag myself out of bed (which takes a lot more effort because of the heat), it is time for a breakfast of Coco Pops. There is never a healthy breakfast in the house when we’re on school/uni holiday, so Coco Pops it is. Yes, I know that practically no cereals are truly “healthy”, but shh. I also take my phone to the breakfast table and scroll through Instagram some more, which is also unhealthy, but I just can’t help myself. Once I’ve finished breakfast, I return my phone to the charge since it’s usually down to 50 or 60% by this point, and I have to use my phone later in the day as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I head off to the bathroom to shower off that sheen of sweat already on my body since it reaches 28 degrees by 9am, 30 degrees by 11am. Once the water has pushed the sweat off my body, I clear out my pores with one of two face washes, depending on how I’m feeling, either Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action face wash or Garnier Pure Active 3-in-1 face wash. Then I make myself smell sweet like lollies with Lush’s Snow Fairy body wash, which is my most favourite scent from Lush. Sometimes I’ll wash my hair with Head and Shoulders Anti Dandruff shampoo and conditioner, but that’s only if my hair is particularly bad. I’ll then take out most of the moisture from my hair and let it air dry (since it’s far too hot to even <i>think</i> about a hairdryer).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I’m out of the shower and the layer of sweat has regathered on my skin, I put on the least amount of clothes I possibly can (gotta get that breathability). Then I run a brush through my hair (no matter what state of wet or dryness it is at) and put it up in a ‘do that’s as far away from my neck as possible without looking like a unicorn (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Usually, it’s a messy bun kinda thing right on top of my head since it doesn’t matter what it looks like because it’s purely for its use value. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I then spend the rest of the day trying to find spots with a nice breeze where I can sit and read or scroll through my phone. Sometimes the air conditioner gets put on, but the rest of the days all the windows and doors are opened to allow as much airflow as physically possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What’s your current morning routine? Do you like mine?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love, Nicky x</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-24263947549489417632018-01-06T12:00:00.000+10:002018-01-06T12:00:10.836+10:00New Year, New Start<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Happy New Year! Welcome to 2018! I had a blast in 2017 and I can’t wait to see what this year has in store. Each New Year, I set a few resolutions, even if I don’t always stick to them. I try to keep them in mind throughout the year, but sometimes you just forget, you know? I have written some for this year, and while I don’t expect to stick to all of them, I do think I’ll get through some of them at least.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My first resolution is to drink more water. I got a new water bottle for Christmas that isn’t going to leak everywhere like my old ones did, so I think it’s time to start stepping up my hydration game. I will take the water bottle with me when I go to uni and out and about and refill it if necessary. I used to have an app on my phone that reminded me to drink water, which was really helpful, and I think at that point I was the healthiest I’ve ever been, so I’ll definitely give that a go.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next resolution I have on my list is to get back into Parkrun. In case you don’t know, Parkrun is a free, timed 5k run done every Saturday morning that I used to do a couple of years ago. It brought me a lot of happiness, especially if I got a PB, so I want to try and get back into that again. Also, I need to work off the weight I’ve accidentally put on over Christmas. It isn’t much, but it’ll help me to be more confident in myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My next resolution is to read more books. I read fourteen books last year, half of which were Harry Potter books, and most of the rest of them were for uni. I have a ton of books that have been on my to-read shelf since Christmas 2016, so I want to get into those. At the moment, I have my Goodreads Reading Challenge set at 15 books, which is only one more than last year (and tiny in comparison to some people I know), but goals can be changed if need be.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next resolution I’ve set for myself is to maintain my GPA. It currently sits at a 5, in which 7 is the best and 1 is the worst. It's not the best GPA out there, but I don’t want to have it drop since I worked so hard to get it where it is. I kind of found my groove in the second semester of uni last year and I hope to continue that into this year. Who knows, maybe I’ll even improve my GPA!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another resolution I have is to go to sleep earlier, or just get more sleep in general. At the moment, and throughout last year, my bedtime has been around 10pm, but I never actually fell asleep until well after 11pm from staring at my phone in the dark. In theory, my plan should be to charge my phone outside of my room so I don’t get tempted, but I have to have an alarm for early uni days, so I think my real plan is to stop using my phone before I turn off my lights, which should be at around 10 or 10:30pm depending on how much uni work I have.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My next resolution kind of ties in with the previous one and it is to limit my phone usage as much as I possibly can and maybe even do a mini detox. Currently, I have to put my phone on charge at least twice a day every day because I go on social media for, wait for it, four and a half hours a day (and yes, I went to Battery in Settings to figure that out). No one should be on social media for that long. That’s around a third of my waking hours spent on my phone, and that’s not even including games and the like. My plan will be to use my phone as a kind of reward system after I’ve done all of my tasks on my to-do list, or else I’ll just delete all my social media and live like a caveman for a week.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My final resolution on my list is to enter my writing into some competitions and journals. If you’ve been here a while you’ll know that I’m taking a Creative Writing course at university to improve my creative writing skills, and since I’ve honed them a bit since this time last year, I want to see if I can get published in a journal or win a prize for my writing. I think that will be really cool. It means that I’ll have to write a lot more than I have been doing, though, since practice makes perfect and all that jazz.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Have you set any resolutions for the New Year? Do you like mine?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-33107122729342487422017-12-31T12:00:00.000+10:002018-01-03T12:16:54.041+10:00My Christmas Day 2017<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<br />
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Seeing as it was Christmas just this past Monday, I thought it would be nice to tell you how I spent mine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I woke up at the ungodly hour of 6am; we were supposed to wake up at 5:30, so I guess that counts as a sleep in. I grabbed my bagful of presents that was hanging on my door and brought it out to the lounge room near the tree. We (me and my younger brother) dug through our bags to see what Santa had delivered to us. I received a rose gold light up ‘N’, a tiny little body wash from Bath and Body Works, a sonic face cleansing brush, a blue insulated water bottle, a green off the shoulder jumpsuit and strapless bra to go beneath it (which is not pictured because that’s weird), and an avalanche of chocolate money (which I ate while watching the others opening their presents, so no picture of that either).<o:p></o:p></div>
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After completely emptying our bags, it was on to tree presents. One from Mum and Dad and the other from Santa himself (even though we discovered the secret about eight years ago, we still get Santa presents). From Mum and Dad, I received a black Mimco pouch with a rose gold circle in the centre. It is really pretty, and I love it so much. From Santa, I received a Fenty Beauty Foundation brush, which feels really nice and soft on my hands. Now I just have to find a foundation to use it with…</div>
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After presents, it was time for Christmas breakfast. We had to go fast since we had to be out of the house before 8 o’clock, having to be at Christmas lunch by 8:30. Mum had served up some choc-chip waffles (by accident, she didn’t realise they were choc-chip when she bought them!) with strawberries cooked in maple syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream. Delicious! After breakfast was finished Mum announced, “We need to bang!” (to which I scoffed). I soon realised she meant the Christmas crackers. I won one of mine and lost the other. Inside the crackers were little tealight candles covered in glitter, a paper crown and a corny joke or two. We then hastily got ourselves ready, packed the presents and food into the car and we were off to Christmas lunch with Dad’s family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were a little bit early to Christmas lunch (well, we weren’t last to arrive, at least) and I had been sitting down for maybe 5 minutes when I started seeing some little sparkling lights in my eyes. A migraine. Who gets a migraine on Christmas? This girl. I immediately told Mum and she got up to find the Panadol. After a little while, the migraine went away and I felt that weird feeling you get after migraines, sort of a feeling of emptiness, I guess. Soon after that it was presents time! The first presents I received were from Grandma and Granddad, and they were Harry Potter: A History of Magic and a bucket of Honeycomb flavoured Maltesers. My next presents came from my Dad’s auntie (who I just call Auntie), and they were an umbrella (awesome since my last one broke), a purse with Paris on, and a bracelet and a bookmark inside the purse itself. From my Dad’s cousin (whose house we were at), I received a photo frame with a string in it to peg about four or so pictures to, which I will definitely utilise once I find a place on my wall to hang it. And finally, from my Dad’s other Auntie and Uncle, I received Harry Potter: A Journey Through the History of Magic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After presents, it was time for lunch. There were a vast array of hot foods on offer (it was lucky that we ate inside in the air conditioning!). Onto my plate, I stacked some ham, Mum’s roasted baby carrots, some roast pumpkin and potato, roast chicken, and some cauliflower bake with melted cheese on the top. It was bloody delicious if I do say so myself. There was barely time to fit in dessert as well, which consisted of the most amazing pavlova you have ever seen. It even had chocolate shaved onto the top! Then we absolutely had to leave so we weren’t late for Christmas dinner with Mum’s family.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once we had arrived at Grandma’s house, we were blissfully welcomed into the air conditioning (thank God, it was at least 30 degrees at the time). We sat around for a little while just cooling off in the air con before moving into the front room for the third round of presents that day. First, from my Auntie and Uncle I received rose gold headphones and a rose gold pouch for them to go in. From Grandma and Grandpa, I received a blue and white striped top and some denim shorts with a cute little belt. And finally, from my other Aunt and Uncle, I received a black flowery off the shoulder jumpsuit and a box of Maltesers (that I still haven’t opened yet).<o:p></o:p></div>
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After presents were done, final preparations were made for dinner before it was served to the masses. Despite having a massive lunch, I filled my plate entirely. I got some turkey, some potato salad, Mum’s ambrosia salad and watermelon salad, and some green salad that I mostly got solely for the avocado in it. I also managed to steal some of my cousin’s ham since she didn’t want any more. The whole time, I was battling a sudden head cold that I assume I got from being in and out of air conditioning all day. My nose was running, I was sneezing loads and my eyes were watering enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool (and lemme tell you, they aren’t small). After dinner, we went back inside and played some Jenga (it turns out that even when I try to cheat at it, I still lose) and had some pudding with custard and chocolate sauce.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, despite my body fighting against me for most of it, I’d say I had a pretty good day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>How did you spend your Christmas?</i><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-53548160262025365092017-12-23T12:00:00.000+10:002017-12-23T12:00:47.154+10:00The Christmas Tag<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I thought that since Christmas is literally right around the corner that I would do a little Christmas tag to get everyone in the mood for the big day. I, of course, am already in the Christmas mood and am overly excited for it. Once the Christmas tree is up, decorations placed about the house, and lights strung along the front of the house, its hard not to feel at least a little bit Christmassy. So, on with the questions!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>What is your favourite Christmas movie/s?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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There are so so many Christmas movies, but my favourite ones are The Santa Clause (all three!), The Polar Express, and Elf. There weren’t any Christmas movies on TV this year – at least when I looked – but I have marathoned Harry Potter twice and although they’re not particularly Christmas movies, they make me happy and the Christmas scenes make me wish I could spend a Christmas at Hogwarts, but alas I never got my letter, so at home in Australia it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We have always opened our presents on Christmas Day, in the morning. Sometimes we’ve had to get up super early because Dad had to leave for work (how rubbish is it to have to work on Christmas?), but we always do them in the morning. We have bags that hang from our doors (they’re like stockings but bigger) that get filled with little presents like books and pyjamas, and our main presents under the tree, one from Santa and one from Mum and Dad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I don’t know if I have a favourite Christmas memory, but one that I do have that I like a lot is one year when Christmas was at my house I got Just Dance 3 on the Wii. After presents and dinner, we all got together in the living room and took turns in groups of four dancing like idiots and laughing a lot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Favourite festive food?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I don’t know if it's festive, but every year my mum makes chocolate truffles and they are very good. I have at least five of those. Last year I had to be careful since I was wearing a white skirt. Another favourite is Ambrosia salad. It is <i>technically</i> a salad, but it is made up of mandarins, marshmallows and shredded coconut. I mostly just eat the marshmallows, but I still love it nonetheless. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Favourite Christmas gift?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Is it bad that I don’t really remember what I got for Christmas as a kid? One Christmas I do remember, I must’ve been twelve, I got my first ever phone. I was so happy that I finally had one that I accidentally broke it. I loaded too many apps onto it at once and it kinda crapped itself. Dad gave me a replacement hand-me-down phone for the two weeks it took to fix it, but after that, I took good care of it, like I do with all my technology nowadays.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Favourite Christmas scent?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Oooooh, that’s hard! It would have to be those Christmas spice candles, I reckon. Can’t get much better than that!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We always go visit either my Grandma or Great Aunt (on Mum’s side) for Christmas Eve nibblies and chats. I have kind of developed the tradition of always watching the Christmas Eve Carols on the TV. I’ve done it ever since I was little, and still do, even if no one watches them with me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>What tops your tree?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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We have two trees, mostly because Mum buys way too many decorations to fit on the one tree that the excess goes on the other. Our main tree (the one the presents go under) has an angel atop it. I believe it may have been a wedding present, but I can’t be sure. I named her Christine and she watches over our present openings every year. Our second tree sits in the front room in front of a window so we can see it twinkling from outside. Atop it sits a red tree topper stick thing. I don’t really know how to describe it but it’s shiny, red, and has gold glitter on it around the base.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I don’t know if I ever actually asked for it, but my auntie always told me to ask Santa for a pony. Mum or someone would ask four-year-old me what I’d like for Christmas and apparently, she’d be sitting right near me whispering in my ear “A pony! A pony!”. I never did get a pony, but to be fair I never did put it on my list. I don’t think it would have mattered either way; Mum would never have let Santa deliver me a pony.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><b> 10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><!--[endif]--><b>What is the best part about Christmas for you?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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My favourite part of Christmas is definitely the food. Sure, seeing family is good, and gift giving and receiving is great and all, but Christmas breakfast, lunch and dinner are where it's at. The best part of the food, though, is the Christmas crackers – terrible jokes and the paper crowns everyone wears on their heads while eating is so good!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Are you as excited for Christmas as I am? Either way, have a great holiday season!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-74939374810508865172017-12-16T12:00:00.000+10:002017-12-16T12:00:39.784+10:00Christmas Wishes | Random<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvy1cz33MEIKuAiV0lb3rwzslLNv-AS00m2px5Fr71l-Y6HWPd-IhbnvfCcSqDXce9q_O-kiWrZWpyVSIPkIz6bXj-1ct2Rx_-4TKw9ThE7h5-s98ldH0Vm4-JNcQnGFdXYkLoeoR4zEQ/s1600/IMG_4942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="750" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvy1cz33MEIKuAiV0lb3rwzslLNv-AS00m2px5Fr71l-Y6HWPd-IhbnvfCcSqDXce9q_O-kiWrZWpyVSIPkIz6bXj-1ct2Rx_-4TKw9ThE7h5-s98ldH0Vm4-JNcQnGFdXYkLoeoR4zEQ/s400/IMG_4942.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome to the third and final instalment of my Christmas list this year! In this one, its everything that didn’t really fit into a category on its own, so I’ve lumped them all together and dubbed them ‘Random’. Most anything could be on this list, other than clothes, books and makeup, seeing as I usually have enough of those on my list to warrant their own category, and therefore post. Anyway, here’s the random assortment of items that made it to my Christmas list!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22A3FPXAB-uW9OK_RGgYQvGkl2KyzNX_S0P6jEbETRvx8ZnMzHZ8juwyjws1oIzPFnu9hBXGMjEtkfbO6K5bcTNuDm7zQYJBd1tOaRFOAESxbx9KOLHyq1l-9G3-wT67dFeDG3m-hMSw/s1600/bucket+of+maltesers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22A3FPXAB-uW9OK_RGgYQvGkl2KyzNX_S0P6jEbETRvx8ZnMzHZ8juwyjws1oIzPFnu9hBXGMjEtkfbO6K5bcTNuDm7zQYJBd1tOaRFOAESxbx9KOLHyq1l-9G3-wT67dFeDG3m-hMSw/s320/bucket+of+maltesers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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First off, which I put on my Christmas list almost every year, is a party sized bucket of Maltesers. It takes me about a week to eat through the entire bucket (mostly) by myself. I do intend to share, but nobody asks. Even when they do I give them, like, one or two. I am generous mostly, just not with Maltesers. They are truly the best snack food. I can sit in front of my laptop or on my phone for hours just munching away at the slowly emptying bucket. Sure, the bucket <i>says</i> party size, but some parties can be just one person, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next thing on my list is a Harry Potter thing (Are you even surprised by this point? I’ve mentioned it in my last two or three posts now). I would really like a Harry Potter themed phone case, like a Marauders Map kind or a Hufflepuff kind (but Hufflepuff merch is particularly hard to find), but I really don’t mind as long as it’s Harry Potter related to be honest. The current phone case I have I received last Christmas, and its great and all, but the pattern is slowly being rubbed away by my fingers constantly touching it, particularly the area in the middle of the case. The plastic is also cracking in places from when I’ve dropped it or thrown it onto my bed with a bit too much gusto and it slides across my bed and lands on the floor just beyond the bed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The third and final thing that made it on to the random assortment of items on my Christmas list is iTunes cards. I know, boring, right? But I really need them. At the moment I have about $3 left in iTunes credit, meaning that if any of my musicians release an album I will be able to buy about one song. I know for a fact that both Shawn Mendes and Dean Lewis are working on albums right at this very second and if I don’t have enough money to purchase their music, I might flip out, or scream, or faint, or all of the above. Can you tell I like music? Or am I being too modest? Maybe I should calm it down one or two notches…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Aaaaaaand that is the end of the random things on my Christmas list and thus the end of this Christmassy little series! I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What random things are on your Christmas list? Do you like my list?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-1984784989455299472017-12-09T12:00:00.000+10:002017-12-09T12:00:45.165+10:00Christmas Wishes | Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR687NeGLG-cp49n0gx4wA9zjUeXNRnR57oirYVmTQJtwx8jXThXQfn2VmKDVzkdAMGz-7_t3ChrQzsQtSTafQYMsYc7At_-i-mXUftm7I-sh0wYO5jVhgKWB4C8kiMunlXoDYtphiyg/s1600/IMG_4941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="750" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR687NeGLG-cp49n0gx4wA9zjUeXNRnR57oirYVmTQJtwx8jXThXQfn2VmKDVzkdAMGz-7_t3ChrQzsQtSTafQYMsYc7At_-i-mXUftm7I-sh0wYO5jVhgKWB4C8kiMunlXoDYtphiyg/s400/IMG_4941.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome back to the second instalment in my Christmas Wishes
series. This time we talk all things books! I have gotten back into reading in
a big way this year and I can’t wait to share with you the books I would like
to read next (after I’ve read the current ones on my bookshelf first!) once I receive
them for Christmas.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJNbu1qIY2z5yCiBW2PjdNOCspjZ0R7atGCmJ7kLecDOav2NQzKdPqQy4dOC4AN2VZCcferTQxkauMDQoXABiHiXr5_k1JnHI_kPzw1ce1rFTBecliz1oXl3cFnavbrfTyqZ03qckVG8/s1600/the+strange+and+beautiful+sorrows+of+ava+lavender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="331" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJNbu1qIY2z5yCiBW2PjdNOCspjZ0R7atGCmJ7kLecDOav2NQzKdPqQy4dOC4AN2VZCcferTQxkauMDQoXABiHiXr5_k1JnHI_kPzw1ce1rFTBecliz1oXl3cFnavbrfTyqZ03qckVG8/s400/the+strange+and+beautiful+sorrows+of+ava+lavender.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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The first book on my list was also on my birthday list and
it is <i>The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of
Ava Lavender</i> by Leslye Walton. First of all, the cover is really pretty;
the way the golden feather stands out against the blue background, just yes.
This book tells the story of a girl named Ava who is quite normal except for
the fact that she has bird wings. To find a place where she fits in and to
understand herself better, she goes on a quest. I think the whole idea of the story
sounds very interesting (I kinda wish I’d thought of it first!) and I would
really like to read it to find out more about Ava.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2c9l-rNGyaVIBekq91znHMuJ4m9xvLGxYWLl9tXhB2YAdtvSgRGCos09UUcKrOCY5dCT-RBcGGpucUooJU9NIunk98csCsfK0pNv8uD1D4WZw1x1FLmHIwphcpkXtgryZOyD86LhF1DY/s1600/magonia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="236" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2c9l-rNGyaVIBekq91znHMuJ4m9xvLGxYWLl9tXhB2YAdtvSgRGCos09UUcKrOCY5dCT-RBcGGpucUooJU9NIunk98csCsfK0pNv8uD1D4WZw1x1FLmHIwphcpkXtgryZOyD86LhF1DY/s400/magonia.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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The next book on my list also has a golden feather on the
cover (I guess I have a thing for golden feathers on book covers) and was also
on my birthday list. It is <i>Magonia </i>by
Maria Dahvana Headley. This book tells a story of a girl who has a strange lung
condition that makes breathing very difficult. One day, she looked up into the
sky and saw a ship and heard someone calling out her name. The world she sees
is called Magonia and she finds up there that she can breathe and has some kind
of powers as well. She finds out that Magonia and Earth are on the precipice of
war and she must decide where her true loyalties lie: Earth, where she grew up,
or Magonia, where she belongs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another book on my list is <i>Incarnate</i> by Jodi Meadows, which doesn’t have a feather on the
cover, but it does feature a butterfly which is just as pretty, I think. This book
has been on my list since last Christmas, and also was on this year’s birthday
list, so I’ve been wanting this one for a little while now. It is about a girl
who is a ‘new soul’. Everyone where she lives reincarnates when they die into a
new person, but with the same soul. She is the first to have a completely new
soul and she must find out why and whether she’ll be reincarnated once she
dies. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The final two books on my list are both Harry Potter related
(I told you there was a running theme of Harry Potter, didn’t I?). The first is
<i>A Journey Through the History of Magic</i>
and the second one is simply <i>A History of
Magic.</i> As the massive Potterhead that I am, I would love to have both of
these books, so I can know all there is to know about the wizarding world. <i>A Journey Through the History of Magic</i>
looks at some of the original manuscripts of the books, the curriculum at
Hogwarts, and much more. <i>A History of
Magic </i>is the book of the exhibition celebrating the 20<sup>th</sup>
anniversary of the Philosopher’s Stone, and contains artefacts from the British
library, sketches and illustrations, as well as essays about the subjects of
Hogwarts from experts in those fields. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Those are all the books on my Christmas list and I do hope
you enjoyed this post. Next week is the final instalment of this series, so
stay tuned! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What books do you want
for Christmas? Do you like my list?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-67876836532184473512017-12-02T12:00:00.000+10:002017-12-02T12:00:02.526+10:00Christmas Wishes | Fashion and Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j8d4DkAJEWv4zVH_1ULOhgppwI36QTJCdEWHb0MAPMouuecahFxihDy0YJVrpzZeJV_xMrlI-dV-c5Pqns2lRgknIOGrZrAa0TMENtfJ1bhMmEIIZG4_QH7s-zV2yTKqpbet3DJg8W8/s1600/IMG_4940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="750" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7j8d4DkAJEWv4zVH_1ULOhgppwI36QTJCdEWHb0MAPMouuecahFxihDy0YJVrpzZeJV_xMrlI-dV-c5Pqns2lRgknIOGrZrAa0TMENtfJ1bhMmEIIZG4_QH7s-zV2yTKqpbet3DJg8W8/s400/IMG_4940.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Welcome to the first instalment of the series where I show you everything I want for Christmas. In this post, I will show you all of the beauty and fashion things I have on my list. There’s not as much stuff on my list this year. I'm not sure why, I just don’t. I guess there’s just not as many beauty and fashion things on the market that pique my interest, but I do have a couple of things so stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first thing on my list is a Mimco Lovely Medium Pouch. It is very pretty in its simplicity, being a shiny black material with a rose gold circle in the centre, and I wouldn’t mind getting it for Christmas. Every single one of the girls in my family has one, and I don’t really want to be left out of that, so I have to have one. I can use it like a clutch for when I go out, or like a coin purse to keep in my handbag all the time. It will be very useful and also pretty. Win-win!</div>
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Another fashion thing on my list is a summery, floral dress. I haven’t got anything specific about it that I want like fabric or shape, I would just like it to be flowery and flowy, so I can wear it in the summer months and not get too hot. I really like floral patterns and flowers in general, so a floral dress would be lovely. I have quite a few summery dresses, but none that have flowers on them, so I need to fix that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkj9QR8K43LGncrC2LEbhj7SX9lQU3vnADUVxEevQZc5ou8cMq7hb7nBrMfI9mQe4whmY0pb-lopP2XpCjEg2hNwB8iSaZl6dKJTLDnJTIlAO_OaWH-cE5lSsC6zkW5lL5aUNMqWhqXs/s1600/hufflepuff+shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1049" data-original-width="700" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzkj9QR8K43LGncrC2LEbhj7SX9lQU3vnADUVxEevQZc5ou8cMq7hb7nBrMfI9mQe4whmY0pb-lopP2XpCjEg2hNwB8iSaZl6dKJTLDnJTIlAO_OaWH-cE5lSsC6zkW5lL5aUNMqWhqXs/s400/hufflepuff+shirt.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The last of the fashion-y things on my list is a Harry Potter shirt. I really want one because I love Harry Potter a really lot and shirts are a good way of showing it. In particular, I would like it to be either a Marauder’s Map one or somehow Hufflepuff related, as that is the house I belong to (you’ll find that this is a theme throughout my entire list). I have recently rekindled my love and obsession with all things Harry Potter and think that a shirt of it would be a perfect fit (mind the pun).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfLMaYN4WnJZ8j2qxpE5Zi0LzoHanIIrq1PjQ7QJlMXx6dBr6XZhCiqTfvW_TDimWltI4DvQCfUgN3CARaptQgQ1xddwPb77acZAXifT0kbw6bQAarvfsu1CY66cOVyLVHLHUFQbAfcY/s1600/fenty+foundation+brush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfLMaYN4WnJZ8j2qxpE5Zi0LzoHanIIrq1PjQ7QJlMXx6dBr6XZhCiqTfvW_TDimWltI4DvQCfUgN3CARaptQgQ1xddwPb77acZAXifT0kbw6bQAarvfsu1CY66cOVyLVHLHUFQbAfcY/s400/fenty+foundation+brush.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now, on to beauty things! The first of these is a Fenty Beauty Foundation Brush. I have heard that Fenty Beauty is really good quality, so I would really like to try it. I don’t wear makeup often enough to warrant asking for actual Fenty makeup, but having nice brushes is always a good thing, and better than the ones I have at the moment that are all old and falling apart a little bit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP3chFqAjXHtCZR0uUuA00XjKYRuzfpOIvSWR6AnhDPX-kKtUIhMZNWrHZRTC2eKX5ZCKymkdI29kcv2Kk6Yb0AXiAD8ghv5D8tkm6dw3iAFGeJpbadRdeYnHzM-z3m_kxgPUYHKjfI8/s1600/tea+tree+flawless+bb+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="450" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRP3chFqAjXHtCZR0uUuA00XjKYRuzfpOIvSWR6AnhDPX-kKtUIhMZNWrHZRTC2eKX5ZCKymkdI29kcv2Kk6Yb0AXiAD8ghv5D8tkm6dw3iAFGeJpbadRdeYnHzM-z3m_kxgPUYHKjfI8/s400/tea+tree+flawless+bb+cream.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Speaking of foundation brushes, I would also like something to go with the brush. It is The Body Shop’s Tea Tree Flawless BB Cream. I have run out of my current BB Cream and would like another to replace it. The shade matches my skin pretty perfectly and it doesn’t break me out (touch wood). I want to try getting back into wearing face makeup more often. Not every day, especially if I’m not going out, but more often than I have been. Mostly I just put on some concealer if anything at all. I feel like with a new BB Cream that it will get used and I will get used to wearing makeup more often.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s all my fashion and beauty related things on my Christmas list. I do hope you enjoyed this post and stay tuned because next week is the second instalment of this Christmas list series.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What fashion and beauty things do you want for Christmas? Do you like my list (so far)?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-56091937216194535682017-11-25T12:00:00.000+10:002017-11-25T12:00:01.423+10:00November Favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjKqStH66NVO0vg1VRl5sveZtiIypqsceIATye6mWNxO4uCJ0QyksFSPcUYmXIzJgssq1Do05FNGiyWKmVpy2WEvClSjMghhnDSiutBmhN9CFffSmnTy5_y583zDYJA8HbxEOdzHgdcI/s1600/IMG_4914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjKqStH66NVO0vg1VRl5sveZtiIypqsceIATye6mWNxO4uCJ0QyksFSPcUYmXIzJgssq1Do05FNGiyWKmVpy2WEvClSjMghhnDSiutBmhN9CFffSmnTy5_y583zDYJA8HbxEOdzHgdcI/s400/IMG_4914.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I can’t believe we’re already at the end of November. It just flew by! As did the whole year, really. I’m so excited that its almost time for Christmas as well. I am very much looking forward to it. There haven’t been many new things that I have used and liked this month, but I’ve managed to compile a couple of things that I have loved throughout the month of November, so here we go!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkn1DfeEGcDHX3RPjQVblS_Ij-O1jsAfYiZ2WDtsjroDwW8ru6aO6Sq3Bh0JVd8HDn_vySIhoqpnIV6nFZtGmOy_KcY3C7o91ig4iOwOdwh2JVyKDAlCWR7r8f-n-4XiNSVxQoER70-cQ/s1600/Image-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkn1DfeEGcDHX3RPjQVblS_Ij-O1jsAfYiZ2WDtsjroDwW8ru6aO6Sq3Bh0JVd8HDn_vySIhoqpnIV6nFZtGmOy_KcY3C7o91ig4iOwOdwh2JVyKDAlCWR7r8f-n-4XiNSVxQoER70-cQ/s400/Image-1.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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First off, not having to go to university has been absolutely wonderful. I had no exams at the end of this semester, so I finished up as soon as my last assignment was submitted (which I did a day early so I could have an even earlier start to my holidays). I’ve had so much time this month – I mostly devoted it to doing nothing much at all – and it has been fantastic. I have had more time to devote to my blog, which I have done as best I can – the laziness just takes over sometimes. I have had to be patient with my friends as they still had exams up until this week, so we couldn’t always hang out when I wanted to, but now I’m housesitting with a bunch of them for two weeks! The lack of university has also meant that I have slept in nearly every day this month since I switched my alarm off almost four weeks ago. It has been absolute bliss not having to wake up early to catch the bus. The other week, I didn’t wake up until midday. Mum was really mad at me for wasting half the day, but I thought it was great. I did feel a little bit guilty, but honestly, I think it was my body saying, ‘hey, you missed out on some sleep back there, here you go,’ and I couldn’t be more thankful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJjU6LCdi0OWChtpv3gmlIuKtPLldhv-z_wwgg71HaN0V8NashZS0wsDmKEnaMf6VGj9xquayAxrFQzYgBI19xk7SXyWgOlUF8ltmp0hKkgLaf-m5sshkW8qMPgoO6LeIeZciFpVaNcs/s1600/Image-1+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJjU6LCdi0OWChtpv3gmlIuKtPLldhv-z_wwgg71HaN0V8NashZS0wsDmKEnaMf6VGj9xquayAxrFQzYgBI19xk7SXyWgOlUF8ltmp0hKkgLaf-m5sshkW8qMPgoO6LeIeZciFpVaNcs/s400/Image-1+%25281%2529.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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Another thing that I have been loving over this past month is that channel 9 have been doing a Harry Potter movie marathon over the past four weeks, one movie every Friday and Saturday night. I am extremely annoying to watch Harry Potter with – it’s not <i>my</i> fault I know the entire script – and my family are sending me death glares every couple of minutes when I recite each line word perfect. I really love Harry Potter, okay? My friends understand me, but it doesn’t seem that my family does, which is a bit of a shame, but oh well. The final one is airing tonight and I’m very excited. I can already hear you saying, ‘but you’ve seen it already a million times!’ but I don’t care. I love love love them all so much and I don’t care who knows it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FEUJpljr8-CXgHb62a2sfUCvuqAiD05ESvvZxVWVFg66YPWcuN8r9zSaiULRPAL2rkNhxmajWvQQVi-FH6vPViESJyrJUtFvvgG5JWrzZKb-M2clPxAEYoK66a9SEKoE8s_dQ7NCDTY/s1600/IMG_4905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2FEUJpljr8-CXgHb62a2sfUCvuqAiD05ESvvZxVWVFg66YPWcuN8r9zSaiULRPAL2rkNhxmajWvQQVi-FH6vPViESJyrJUtFvvgG5JWrzZKb-M2clPxAEYoK66a9SEKoE8s_dQ7NCDTY/s400/IMG_4905.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I haven’t really read any books or tried any new products this month, but I did get some new clothes recently, and my favourite is this red and white stripy top from Glassons. It feels really nice to wear, first of all, and it looks really nice with high waisted jeans (unfortunately on picture day my jeans were in the wash). The top is a little bit cropped, but not a lot of my tummy shows, which is fine by me. It sits really nicely on me and is very comfortable. I also got it in plain black, but I don’t wear that one as much. I like wearing light colours, not fading into the background with dark ones. It’s a really good quality top and I really like wearing it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-E5VA5PgRxoHmr5Yi9JZLoFsEbQP0ex6bbLqf-ArSb9P7rJKOzQRGauKyeD3m9IB9mZdrqieEjzPf_uYU7FsVRXLP41BfIqr5IBj7HjzQOWGYLc48Z7_Dihhjp08Y7jNP-eLsd6FuSQ/s1600/duolingo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-E5VA5PgRxoHmr5Yi9JZLoFsEbQP0ex6bbLqf-ArSb9P7rJKOzQRGauKyeD3m9IB9mZdrqieEjzPf_uYU7FsVRXLP41BfIqr5IBj7HjzQOWGYLc48Z7_Dihhjp08Y7jNP-eLsd6FuSQ/s400/duolingo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This month, quite spur of the moment, I decided to try my hand at learning French. So, I downloaded Duolingo on my phone and have been taking the lessons daily. So far I can say lots of basic phrases like ‘The apple is red’ and ‘The child is a girl’. I have learned that objects have genders – for example, a table is always female – and that singular and plural words often sound quite similar, which can be a bit annoying for someone trying to learn it. I have really enjoyed learning French so far and will continue my learning into the future. I would definitely recommend learning a language as well. It broadens your mind and allows you to understand people you wouldn’t have been able to before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What have your favourite things this month? Did you like mine?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-38032600486757639392017-11-19T12:00:00.000+10:002017-11-19T12:00:20.131+10:00Uncontrollable Laughter and Everything After<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFb-OFB6ObMAgSdkqP2yYx3RuEGaWZp_1tnn-GoZBlPln3-898rxtHXSrOR4kpyZb32NgVoYEgyp78mzLp3-D0Pjk_1lpe_7VqkQaDtKVrnM398WRVObd5TsyAsO2bndWNRTw57onD68/s1600/IMG_4894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFb-OFB6ObMAgSdkqP2yYx3RuEGaWZp_1tnn-GoZBlPln3-898rxtHXSrOR4kpyZb32NgVoYEgyp78mzLp3-D0Pjk_1lpe_7VqkQaDtKVrnM398WRVObd5TsyAsO2bndWNRTw57onD68/s400/IMG_4894.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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It has been a little while since I updated you on the goings-on in my life, so I thought that there was no better time to do so than now. The past couple of months have been full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and I’ve managed to make it out the other side (relatively) unscathed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I just spent five minutes straight laughing at a cat video, so much so that tears were falling down my face. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen all day, all week actually. I really wish I could show you the video, but I don’t know how to save them from Instagram to my phone. Basically, there was a cat getting annoyed at their owner’s feet moving under a blanket. The cat was hissing at them, then leaned his head back and shook it like he was powering up and then went for the kill and bit down right on the owner’s foot. I showed all my family members and we were all pretty much in hysterics. I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in a very long time, so it was nice, especially that I could share it with my family. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In other news, I still haven’t got my final marks back from uni yet, which I really want because then I will know my current GPA. Last semester it was pretty bad, but I think I did better this time around so maybe it’s improved, even only slightly. There is a story I’ve written for one of my assessments at uni that I really wanna share with you all, but I want to edit it with the feedback from the markers, so there’s nothing I can do about that yet. Final marks and feedback aren’t due to come out until the first of December, so there’s a little bit more waiting to do on that front.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Speaking of coming out, the results of the same-sex marriage survey came out the other day and it was a resounding yes! I’m so happy that the majority Australia is so supportive of same-sex couples getting married and that we aren’t as bigoted and “ist” as people think we are. I voted yes, obviously, and I’m so happy that loads of other people did, too. Now, I know this doesn’t mean same-sex marriage is legal yet, but soon. It will happen soon. Frankly, it’s been embarrassing not having same-sex marriage legal when there are so many other places that it is legal, but now we’re on our way and I’m so excited.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another thing to be excited about what's coming ever closer is Christmas! I am sooo pumped for Christmas. I still need to sort out an outfit for Christmas Day and a Christmas list itself, but Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year and I just can’t wait. I can’t wait for all the Christmas movies to come on the telly, singing Christmas songs and not being stared at as harshly as I would in, say, April, and for the house to be decorated in all things red, green and sparkly. Also, I’m going with my friends to a Dean Lewis concert in a little under three weeks’ time, and I’m mighty excited about that. One more thing, one of my friends’ parents are going on holiday for two weeks for their wedding anniversary and my friend has invited us to live at her house during that time. I haven’t asked Mum if I can go yet, but I’m sure she’ll say yes so shhhh it doesn’t matter. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Aaand that's all that's been happening in my life recently. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing it (and experiencing the things I wrote about).</div>
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<i>What’s been happening in your life lately? Are you as excited for Christmas as I am?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span></b> <o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-60154962194662787242017-11-11T12:00:00.000+10:002017-11-11T12:00:36.431+10:003 Things University Taught Me<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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So far in my first week of my four months of holidays, I’ve managed to be rejected from the job I interviewed for, live without a deadline, unlike my exam-having friends, and not much else. Sure, I’ve been reading, but that’s about the most productive I’ve been. Oh, and I washed my hair this morning. That’s something, right? It’s nice to not have dirty, greasy hair. I definitely left it far too long between washes, but at least it’s clean now. From all my not-doing-anything, I haven’t been writing at all. I’ve not even come up with any ideas for any posts. I’m sitting here writing this, struggling to get words down. It’s like trying to fill out a 280-character tweet. It takes planning, effort, and absolute determination. But I will push through. I will. Today I wanna talk to you about what I’ve learned from my first year at uni, other than what my classes taught me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First off, I learned that I am rubbish with time management and that I need to get better at it. There have been so many close calls when it comes to deadlines. I always made the deadline, but it was almost always down to the very last minute. Now, every morning, I write a to-do list, even if there is nothing I have due. I even put things down like ‘make bed’ and ‘eat’, because sometimes I forget. I find the to-do list insanely helpful with remaining on top of things. It doesn’t always work to get me to do work, but for the most part, it does its job well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have also learned that I’m not as rubbish as making friends as I thought. Sure, I don’t have their phone numbers or know where they live (that sounds a bit more ominous than I intended it to), but I know their names and can talk to them about uni and stuff. It’s nice to not feel so alone at uni, especially when the rest of your school friends go to different universities. I haven’t seen them since I last went to uni two weeks ago, but that’s okay, at least I’m not alone when I go there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another thing that university has unintentionally taught me is that I am better at things than I thought I would be. I never thought I’d be able to deal with all the assignments at university, especially because of my lacking time management skills (that I’m trying to improve). I think that I’ve proved to myself many times over that I can juggle six assignments at once, and get at least a passing grade on each of them. I’d thought before going into uni that I would drown in the massive workload, as everyone else stood on the boat, SS We’re Better Than You, watching and laughing at me sinking further and further under the waves of task sheets. Wow, that was an image. Don’t know where that came from. Anyway, I’ve learned that I can swim through the waves of assessments with a bit of difficulty, but considering I thought I’d drown, staying afloat is an achievement.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I guess you could say I’ve learned a lot in my first year of university, even if all of it wasn’t entirely intended. I did learn things that were set, obviously, but that wouldn’t make for an interesting post, now would it? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What have you learned about yourself this year? Do you go to uni as well?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love, Nicky x</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-53087929111954786842017-11-04T12:00:00.000+10:002017-11-04T12:00:07.047+10:00October Favourites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge5zJlT3R9yIAb_gyeC2WHbBRIDDp0dW49CJ6n9PgXSArxD1fBa0EZxzZX8U3kolcKy5mznLlrey2Fpxp9_CAgKCljHP9bDz1501pdObjGR-x-sc3tij7lKycTraad8_-jRSd6BrNz3U/s1600/IMG_4785.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="638" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhge5zJlT3R9yIAb_gyeC2WHbBRIDDp0dW49CJ6n9PgXSArxD1fBa0EZxzZX8U3kolcKy5mznLlrey2Fpxp9_CAgKCljHP9bDz1501pdObjGR-x-sc3tij7lKycTraad8_-jRSd6BrNz3U/s400/IMG_4785.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
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Hey lovelies!</div>
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I can’t believe it’s already November. This year has just flown by; how is there only two months left in 2017?! I submitted my last university assignment two days ago, so I am officially a free agent (yay!). I haven’t got all my marks back yet, but I’m sure I’ve done alright (at least enough to pass). Also, I had a job interview last Friday so I might be getting a job soon (squee!). I haven’t had many new favourites this month as I simply haven’t had time to go shopping, but I still found some new things that I already own to love. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiKpzqiwMXHfKk6NQjkJ_5Q1xrSI2wuaMcu4ezQV3PcQd6PlezTW2A8jZr0xkdtBB43abCeb80gFjdcTsj2FcZjDVHk6yZgkAUUSZhcRG1qVEoz2yfut-bdx6gEc0T5vOdgTW7mOGRMc/s1600/IMG_4782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="638" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiKpzqiwMXHfKk6NQjkJ_5Q1xrSI2wuaMcu4ezQV3PcQd6PlezTW2A8jZr0xkdtBB43abCeb80gFjdcTsj2FcZjDVHk6yZgkAUUSZhcRG1qVEoz2yfut-bdx6gEc0T5vOdgTW7mOGRMc/s400/IMG_4782.JPG" width="398" /></a></div>
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I recently ran out of my face cleanser, so I dug through the bathroom cupboard to find another. I found the Garnier PureActive 3-in-1 and it works really well for me. It can be used in three separate ways: as a cleanser, as a scrub, and as a mask. In the mornings, I smear it all over my face and leave it there while I wash my body to give the mask time to work its magic. In the evenings, I use it as a normal cleanser since I don’t think you should really do more than one face mask a day. my skin has really thanked me for this. I have only gotten very few pimples since I’ve been using it and my skin feels smoother than it used to. It does promise to get rid of blackheads, and I still have quite a few of them on my nose, but I can use some pore strips for that. Overall, great cleanser!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Nintendo has very recently released a new mobile app called Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, where you go around catching fish and bugs, crafting furniture and setting up a campground for the animals that live there. I have been absolutely addicted to this game since I downloaded it two days ago. My phone says I have played it for a total of 5 hours and 6 minutes in the past 2 days. When I was little, I used to play Animal Crossing on my DS for hours and hours every day, so getting the app just seemed like a logical next step. I really enjoy playing it, even if there is no museum and very limited shops. Everything works seamlessly and has the same adorable art-style that made me fall in love with it in the first place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another one of my favourite things that has been happening this month is that my cat, Stanley, has been sleeping on my bed. I love watching him curl up at the end of my bed. He stays there for hours. When I’m sitting on my bed not paying attention to the rest of the room (probably on my phone) and I feel a little dip in the bed, I look around and he’s walking around finding a good spot to settle down. Right now, as I’m writing this, he’s laying down on my pillow, looking as relaxed as can be. He woke me up this morning and as soon as I lifted my head off the pillow, he began making himself comfortable on it. Today is sheets changing day, but I can’t move him; he looks so happy, but also he’ll hiss at me if I try to move him. I love him so much. He’s so cute.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My final favourite this month is finishing my first year of university. In my final week, I had five things due, three on one day, two on another. I managed to survive that week, getting everything in on time, so now I think <a href="http://nickyjane99.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/my-anti-bucket-list.html">I can do pretty much anything</a>. I have enjoyed this year at uni, even with all the assessment struggles and speech nerves. I’ve made new friends and learnt new things about writing and about myself as a person. I’m really looking forward to my second year, but I’m very happy to have a four-month break in between. I’ll have a lot of time to read and write and relax and hang out with my friends (unless I get that job!) and not to mention Christmas!<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s all my favourites for this month. I do hope you enjoyed this post.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What have you been loving this October? Do you like my favourites?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love, Nicky x</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-83426337191319168502017-10-14T12:00:00.000+10:002017-10-14T12:00:00.999+10:00My Anti-Bucket List<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Did you know that this is my 150<sup>th</sup> post? Me neither, until I looked at the numbers. I lost track of how many times I’ve posted and 150 has just come out of nowhere, you know? I’m not doing anything special to celebrate, though, since I’m so busy with uni stuff (which I’m currently procrastinating from doing by writing this. I’m still being productive, right?). I’m a bit scared of doing a giveaway because I’m not entirely sure how they work and I also have nothing to give away nor any money to buy something to give away. Instead of that, I thought I’d tell you about some things I never ever want to do in my entire life. An anti-bucket list, if you will.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b> 1.</b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><b> </b> </span><!--[endif]--><b>I never want to go skydiving. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t see the appeal in jumping out of a plane. I am a generally anxious person and putting me in a situation where I could die heightens it beyond belief. What if the parachute doesn’t work? What if the plane crashes? What if I land weirdly and injure myself and/or die? Why would you jump out of a perfectly functional plane when you can just, you know, not?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>2.</b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>I never want to go bungee jumping. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Why would you willingly throw yourself off a bridge? That does not sound like my idea of fun. I know some people find this very fun and exciting, but what if the rope snaps? What if you drop too far and hit your head at the bottom?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>3.</b><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]--><b>I never want to lose my love for reading. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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That would absolutely crush me. I would hate to hate reading and struggle to understand the people that do. I already know people who hate Harry Potter, which makes me really sad. I also know people who don’t read. One of them said, “What’s the point of reading if there aren’t any pictures?”. Also, I was just reminded of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone movie where Hermione says, “Honestly, don’t you two read?”.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I never want to go to prison. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Not that I’ve done anything to get me there, but I’d hate to imagine little tiny me in a prison with big scary lawbreakers. What would I even do to go to prison? I’m one of the most goody-goody people I know. I’d probably end up going to jail for something really stupid. Or straight up murder. For hating books, obviously.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>I never want to watch a horror movie. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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My mind already assumes everything that goes bump in the night to be a demon. I don’t need any more nightmare fuel thank you very much. I hate being scared and I jump at a lot of things, even if they’re not scary. I also don’t like seeing blood and gore all that much, and would much rather watch a Disney movie, or Harry Potter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>I never want to have to worry about money. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I want to be able to live comfortably without having to worry about if I can afford things. Of course, at the moment I have it pretty sweet. Living with my parents and not having to worry about anything, but it won’t always be that way. I want to be able to support myself once I move out of home (which I hope to do before I turn 25).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> <b>7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>I never want to get a tattoo. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m not even that good at deciding what to order at a restaurant, so deciding what to have permanently inked on my skin would be impossible. Also, I have a very low pain tolerance so it would be absolute hell. If I was to get a tattoo, it would have to mean a really lot to me. I’m not gonna go and get my significant other’s name on my bicep, then later have to cross it out when we inevitably break up. I don’t have anything that means enough to me that I want to permanently display on my body.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And that’s my anti-bucket list. I do hope you enjoyed it!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Do you agree with me? What do you never want to do in your life?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Love, Nicky x</b></span><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-75540640520096387742017-10-07T12:00:00.000+10:002017-10-07T12:00:12.003+10:00Spring Morning Routine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Seeing as it is now spring, I thought I would share with you how my morning routine has changed from winter to spring. Where I live, spring is pretty much skipped over straight into summer. Last week we literally had three days in a row with maximums over 30 degrees Celsius and we’ve already started having summer storms. Because of this hot, summery weather, my skin has been breaking out a bit more than it did in winter. Anyway, here’s my new morning routine!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first thing I do when I wake up is scroll through social media apps on my phone for about fifteen minutes, depending on how much time I have before I leave for university. Then I get up and have a shower. Once I’m in the shower, I wash my face with Simple Spotless Skin Triple Action Face Wash or the Garnier Pure Active 3 in 1 face wash if I have a breakout of pimples. Then I get my Lush Snow Fairy body wash on a loofah and wash my body. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Once I’m out of the shower, I get dressed (obviously) into a light dress or crop top and skirt, since spring and summer are synonymous where I come from. I probably should moisturise my body, but the truth is I forget to. I have so many barely used body moisturisers sitting on shelves and in drawers all around my room. I don’t even really moisturise my face, but I’m more likely to moisturise my face than my body. I only do it if I notice that my face is dry. If I do notice this, I use the Formula 10.0.6 Picture Perfect Day Gel Moisturiser which also has SPF in it, which is great especially for the summer time.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After maybe moisturising my face, I go to the kitchen and make some cornflakes for breakfast and take my puffer (since I have asthma). I watch some YouTube videos on my phone while I eat. I only get time to watch one or two videos, but it’s something at least. After breakfast, I brush my teeth. Ever since I got my braces off, I have been doing my best to keep my teeth as clean as possible; I don’t want to ruin what I’ve waited so long for, after all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Next, I brush through my hair with my Tangle Teezer and put my hair up into a ponytail. The height of the ponytail depends on two things: (1) how hot it’s going to get in the day and (2) how cooperative my hair is. If it does not cooperate, I end up going with a low pony. I don’t bother with makeup much at all unless I’m doing something important that day. I don’t deem university as important as I kind of just get in there, take notes, then go home. I like to think that it’s because I’m so confident in my own skin but mostly it’s that I can’t be bothered. <o:p></o:p></div>
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After doing my hair and not doing my makeup, I pack my bag (unless I did it the night before) with whatever I need that day like notebooks, pens, my laptop and things like that. I then go to the kitchen to fill up my water bottle and cut up an apple, since I’m always home by lunchtime so I can just take a snack and be okay. I then go back to my room and put on some deodorant so I don’t stink up the place, and if I remember, I’ll put on some perfume.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I pick up my bag and heave it onto my shoulder, bid goodbye to anyone still in the house and hightail it up the street to the bus stop. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Do you like my morning routine? What’s yours?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><b style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;">Love, Nicky x</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-10343311865487939912017-09-30T12:00:00.000+10:002017-09-30T12:00:04.470+10:00September Favourites<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCFBK0saDjqZem2EpEvKjtQJr9f8eGzfLSbEH6FgqSA411SlGECrm_KlWtmcCEBFcrYVCG-P6B4zpg4uujV9Zm4hkvNmgQH_wabocK6DW6x5g1Zrd17PR0Fm-UETEmAYBqVrenYl9EkE/s1600/september+faves+cover.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="489" data-original-width="487" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCFBK0saDjqZem2EpEvKjtQJr9f8eGzfLSbEH6FgqSA411SlGECrm_KlWtmcCEBFcrYVCG-P6B4zpg4uujV9Zm4hkvNmgQH_wabocK6DW6x5g1Zrd17PR0Fm-UETEmAYBqVrenYl9EkE/s400/september+faves+cover.PNG" width="397" /></a></div>
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Hey everyone!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Again, we have made it to the end of the month. Only three more to go this year. There are less than 100 days until Christmas and I’m already ready for it to hit me like a one-horse open sleigh. September gave me a lot of stress. There were three assignments all due in one week, and none of them were easy. I finished them all, thank goodness, and am currently on my uni break. Its only one week, but at least it’s something. I have spent the majority of this week watching movies and spending time with my friends, but Mum keeps hounding me to get a head start on the assignments due in the coming weeks. As of yet, I have done exactly zero work on any assignments, but I am reading a book for one of them so that counts, right? Anyway, on with the favourites for this month.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I started rereading the Harry Potter books right at the end of last year (Goodreads says I started Philosopher’s Stone on the 16 of December and finished it on the 18<sup>th</sup>). Overall, I finished the first three books before the end of 2016 but didn’t finish the Goblet of Fire until late July because of uni. The final three took me until mid-September to finish and I loved every moment of them. I cried a lot more than I thought I would. Considering I usually never cry over books, crying over Sirius, James and Lily was a lot for me. I can’t explain how much these books have changed my life. I grew up trying to be like Hermione and learned the power of love and friendship. I love the world of Harry Potter – so much, in fact, that I dreamt I was a witch the other night – and get pulled right into the world whenever I open the books.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Since I had a week off uni, I decided I would marathon the Harry Potter movies (as if I couldn’t get enough from the books). I have not yet finished the marathon as Mum wants me to do work. I have one more left to watch, but having seen them all a billion times, I think I can speak with authority on this subject. I love the movies just as much as I love the books. Admittedly, there are a lot of inconsistencies between the books and the movies, but for the most part, everything is perfect. The movies are a lot easier (and faster) to get pulled into as they go for around 2 hours each, whereas a book can take up to (in my case) six or seven months to read. I think the total run time of the movies is 19 hours and a bit, but I consider marathoning the movies to be at least 2 movies per day. Once, Mum and I watched them back to back to back and managed to finish the series in two days (and I cried at every death, even Voldy’s – I may have already been crying from Harry’s death though). I can’t put into words how much I love the world of Harry Potter, but I do love it very much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It makes sense that this month’s favourites are very Harry Potter-centric, seeing as September 1<sup>st</sup> this year was ‘19 years later’, the day Albus Severus (still not okay with that name) Potter got on the train to his first year at Hogwarts. I don’t really have any other favourites from this month, as I’ve been so busy with uni and Harry Potter that I haven’t had time to try new and different beauty bits. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Do you love Harry Potter as much as I do? What things did you like in September?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-17713039309331252632017-09-24T12:00:00.000+10:002017-09-24T12:00:20.479+10:0025 Facts About Me<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Hey everyone,<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m sorry that this post is up a day late, but I was far too busy this week to write a post. I had one thing due on Tuesday, then two things due by the Friday. In true me fashion, I left all of them until almost the last minute, and so had no time to write anything for my blog. I would promise that I will do better, but the truth is I just don’t know. I’ll be able to post by Saturday this week since I have a week off uni, but after that I’ll just see how busy I am and go off that. Uni finishes up for me in early November, so after that I am sweet. Anyway, today I wanted to tell you 25 random facts about me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My middle name is Jane (though you may have already guessed that since it’s in my blog’s name).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->A subject at school that I really enjoyed was chemistry. Not because I was any good at it; me and my friends would always joke around and laugh at stupid inside jokes we had.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My absolute favourite colour is mint green. I am obsessed with it. I also really like rose gold, which is why I have a rose gold phone, phone case and uni supplies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I have never left the country in which I live (Australia), but I have been down to New South Wales and Victoria a couple of times.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->The first time I went on a plane I threw up on my mum. From then on I have always taken motion sickness pills before flying or boating.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I’m not very good at cooking (or I just don’t like it). Neither is my mum, but when we cook together somehow, we make it fun (and also not burn the house down). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 7.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One place I really want to visit when I’m older is London. I really want to go to Kings Cross station, but I haven’t got my letter, unfortunately.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If you couldn’t tell, I’m a massive Harry Potter nerd. It is my favourite book and movie series of all time. There’s none better. I recently finished rereading the series, and have just started rewatching the movies.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I’m up to the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is my favourite of all the books and movies. Sirius is my favourite character, so the third movie/book will always hold a special place in my heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Speaking of Harry Potter, I am a proud Hufflepuff and believe that we are highly underrated. Cedric didn’t die for nothing, you know!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 11.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My favourite kind of music is pop music. Just anything on the radio, really. I’m a massive fan of Katy Perry and Shawn Mendes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 12.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I don’t have any tattoos, but if I was to get one, it would probably be related to Harry Potter in some way. Maybe a lightning bolt, or a golden snitch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 13.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I did Dance up until the end of last year. I gave it up before I started uni, considering I would be too busy to dance and keep up with my work. I reckon I was right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 14.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I still haven’t gotten past the Learner stage of driving. I have to get up quite a few more hours before I can even consider taking my test, so it’s a bit of a way away yet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 15.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I’m really bad at remembering to wear jewellery, even though I do have a lot of it and have had my ears pierced since my 8<sup>th</sup> birthday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 16.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My favourite food would have to be avocados. I know such a millennial thing to say, but I would eat them all the time if I could.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 17.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I am a pineapple on pizza kind of person. I’m sorry if this offends you; the door is over there if you need a minute to breathe.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 18.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I kinda want to write a book, but I have no idea what it would be about. Fiction, obviously, but past that, I have no idea. I think fantasy is a cool genre since you get to create your own worlds, but I don’t know if I could pull it off like J.K. Rowling did.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 19.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I am a very introverted person. I would much rather stay in and read than go out to parties with lots of people I don’t know. I do love my friends, but staying in is just great, isn’t it?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 20.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Seeing as I live in Queensland, Australia, I have never seen snow in my life, except for on TV. I’ve heard that it gets sludgy and gross after five minutes, but I feel like it’s a crime that I have been denied the opportunity to build a snowman and make snow angels.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 21.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I earned the title of Sneezy Nic when I was little, since I sneezed a lot when I was a kid. It’s lessened in severity as I’ve grown older, but the title still remains.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 22.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My favourite candle scent is vanilla (I know, boring), but I also really like lemon myrtle. It’s so lovely and fresh.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 23.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I’m really bad at remembering to light the candles I have though, so I have a ton of mostly unburned candles that I’ve collected over the years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 24.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->My first word ever, as far as my mum tells me, was ‘pretty’. Dad says it was ‘Parra’, since that’s his footy team, but I’m more inclined to believe Mum on this occasion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--> 25.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->I own so many books I haven’t read yet. I sure can’t wait until I’m off uni so I can finally read them!<o:p></o:p></div>
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So that’s it. 25 facts about me. I hope you enjoyed this post!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>What are some random facts about you?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4015005967490631379.post-90393604485930629322017-09-16T12:00:00.000+10:002017-09-16T12:00:07.103+10:00Short Story | Beginning Again<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Hey everyone,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I wrote another short story recently. So recent, in fact, that I only submitted it to uni yesterday. I think it's alright; obviously, I haven't got any marks back for it yet, but I'm confident it will do well. I hope you enjoy it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">My room is empty. Everything in boxes on a truck full of our stuff. I feel like we barely moved in here. I’d only just started unpacking before we were moving again. I guess that’s what it’s like when your dad’s in the army. I should be used to moving by now, but I’m not. My school friends lose touch every time we move. Every. Single. Time. And every single time I go through the same ordeal of having to find new ones, even though I know I’ll say goodbye before I properly get to know them. I wish it wasn’t like this. Why can’t Dad just have a normal office job? We’d live in the same place for longer than 2 years. I really hate moving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Come on, Mel, we’re leaving soon,” Ashton murmurs as he walks past me, carrying a box labelled ‘Footy Stuff’ in black Sharpie, “You can’t stand in that doorway forever.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Watch me,” I say, desperately trying to hold on to the last bit of ‘home’ I have left. They can’t drive away without me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Okay, I will,” he says, placing the box on the floor and leaning against the wall on the other side of the hallway. He was staring at me, I could tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I can’t leave Raina, Sadie or Lily. I have their numbers in my phone, but as with every big move, I’ll lose contact with them and never see them again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Melina,” Mum calls from downstairs, “We’ll leave without you if you don’t come down in the next ten seconds!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I must’ve wasted three precious seconds getting a final look at my old room, soaking up as many memories as I could before racing down the stairs and into our old station wagon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This is it. I’ll never see this place again</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, I think as Dad manoeuvres the car out of the place we briefly called home and onto the Pacific Highway, up to Queensland.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Hey, Mel, d’ya wanna play I spy?” Ash asks innocently, poking me in the ribs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Sure,” I say with a wry smile after Mum gives him a stern look. She hates when we play loud games in the car. I don’t really know why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“You go first,” Ash says gleefully. I stare out the window, trying to find something that isn’t a tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with F.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">After many guesses of random things starting with F, my favourite being fleas (“How could I ever spy a flea, Ash?”), he finally yells, much to Mum’s dismay:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Flowers!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I nod and applaud his efforts. He laps up the attention, even earning a little smile from Mum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Well, I knew that F couldn’t have been for friends. You’re rubbish at finding those,” Ash teases, laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s true. I’ve never been very good at making friends after moving. The friend groups already have no vacancies by the time I get there, no matter how early I book in. I can’t just go barging into a tight-knit group of girls and expect them to be friends with me. I can see their stunned and disgusted looks already at my nervous, trembling hands and my words that fall out on top of each other, resulting in a mess I can’t clean up. I can see that empty corner near the toilets, waiting for me to eat my lunch there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I laugh it off and stare out the window for a minute or so, collecting my thoughts and taking a deep breath.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Ash, it’s your turn.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">By the time we get to Brisbane, it’s late afternoon and we’re all starving. Dad insisted we keep driving until we get there, saying traffic could get worse later in the day. We pull into a Macca’s near to where our new house is, clamber out of the car and into Macca’s before you could say “Are we there yet?”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Mel, can you order for us while we find a table?” Dad asks, “You know what we’ll have.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Yep,” I say, letting out a shaky breath. <i>You can </i>do<i> this, Melina.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I amble up to the counter and stare at the menu, my heart beating too fast, avoiding eye contact with the cashier. She clears her throat and asks what I’d like to order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“C-could I-I please g-get the-”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Two medium Big Mac meals, one small McChicken meal, and a Hamburger Happy Meal. All with fries and a Coke, please,” Ash recites to the olive-skinned teenage girl behind the counter. I whisper a thank you to my brother on the way to our table.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“No problem, Mel. I know how hard it is for you to talk to strangers,” he says, giving me a pat on the back, “Besides, the chick was hot.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“She’s way out of your league, Ash. And you’re only nine, anyway,” I say as we wait for our order to be ready. Maybe she’ll be one of my friends. I doubt it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Order one sixty-eight!” the same girl calls from behind the counter. Being closest to the counter, I get up to retrieve the meals. I do my best to disguise my utter terror.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Th-thank y-you,” I manage to blurt out, but she’s already moved onto the next customer. <i>Great. Awesome. The one time I am able to finish a sentence and she ignores me. Why do I even try?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I eat my dinner in relative silence. Ash and Dad discuss the weekend’s footy results. Dad and Ash’s team, the Bulldogs, didn’t go too well this week. Mum and I grin and nod as they discuss everything that went wrong and how the better team lost and blah blah blah. Why do they even try?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">***<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It took about two weeks to unpack all my things and put them around my room. After repainting the walls light blue, I tried to arrange the furniture exactly as it was in our old house. My bed in one corner, with blue sheets and pillows galore; a plain bedside table next to my bed, displaying a digital clock and lamp; my desk sat in the other corner, decorated with trinket boxes and scented candles; a tall, wooden cupboard stood up against the wall, full to the brim with clothes and topped with random junk. In the middle of the wooden floor lay a circular rug with a pink flower pattern on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Wake up, Mel, it’s a school day!” Mum calls from somewhere near. I sit up, bleary-eyed, rubbing the sleep from my face. Oh no. The first day of school after the holidays. Always the worst, without fail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I eat cereal in front of the TV, trying to distract myself from the day to come. It wasn’t working, of course. My stomach had already started churning. Anxious thoughts were already rocketing around my head, bouncing off one another and obscuring the rational thoughts from view.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Eight o’clock rolls around, and I’m a nervous wreck. I get into the car, already trembling, and focus on the horizon the whole drive to school. No matter what I do, my stomach still churns with no signs of slowing down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Alright, Mel, we’re here,” Mum announces from the front seat, parking the car on the side of the road, “I still have to drop off Ash, so we can’t take too long.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I clamber out and haul my bag onto my back. Mum begins walking me to the office.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Wait,” I whimper, causing Mum to stop and turn to me. My stomach still had not calmed down. I run over to the freshly manicured school gardens and re-introduce myself to my breakfast. The cornflakes intermingle with the Milo into a puddle of shame as I wipe my mouth, hoping no one else saw.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Shit,” Mum mutters, “Sweetie, have some water. It’ll help.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I follow her instructions and make a silent prayer that I won’t throw up again. Finally making it to the school gates, we head for the office. The office lady tells us that my homeroom was room A14. Waving goodbye to Mum, I trudge across the school grounds in the direction that the office lady had pointed, and soon find the door with A14 emblazoned on it in sharp white lettering. I take a seat at the front and push my bag under the desk. A stout, balding man is sifting through files at the front of the class.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Good morning, class, and welcome to the start of a new year at school. My name is Mr Brady, and I’m homeroom teacher for this year,” he announces once the bell rings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">There is all the usual starting-at-a-new-school malarkey of timetables and lockers, but before too long, we are off to classes. I walk off to grade ten maths alone, not making eye contact with anyone while waiting for the teacher to show up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Hi, are you that shaky girl from the other day?” says a girl I recognised as the one from Macca’s, who was standing across from me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Oh no. She’s gonna judge me. I can already feel those disdainful looks burning into my retinas. To my surprise, she extends her hand out to me and I tentatively reach my trembling hand out to shake hers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“I’m Serena,” she says, beaming at me, her eyes twinkling. I noticed a student council badge gleaming on her uniform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“I- I’m Mel-Melina,” I stutter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“How are you adjusting to the new school? I know I was nervous when I started here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“I-I’m not coping too well, a-actually,” I answer, my hands still shaking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Wanna sit with me at lunch then? I can show you round, ease your nerves.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Th-that sounds great, th-thanks,” I say with a jittery smile. Maybe this new school won’t be as bad as I thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Love, Nicky x</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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