A Macquarie University Orientation Week

Hello Internet people,

Sad to say this, but my life hasn’t been that exciting lately. In fact, I haven’t left my house in over 4 days. At the moment I live in my bed and in my pajamas. It’s honestly very sad, and I can feel the cabin fever kicking in. Thank gosh for Youtube and fan fiction, or I would have run out of my house screaming by now. I do apologize for that ridiculously long introduction, but I will now get on with this blog.

This is a little bittersweet for me, but I got an email from the Macquarie University Village about their Freshman orientation week. Since I’m a study abroad student, I count with the “freshers,” as the new students are called. Sadly, a lot of the awesome events that I would like to attend, occur before I get there. I will however, be there for the end of that orientation week is over. I think it’s awesome, and I will not despair as there are still plenty of events going on. A lot of these events do overlap with my mandatory IES orientation, but that’s not a big deal. I’m sure that I will have a fantastic time either way (yay optimism!). I’m just really pumped to do things like a movie night, and a murder mystery tour of campus. There’s also going to be a party at a club, and a trip to a water park. However, I have not RSVP’d to these because it seems like these trips will cost money. I have to be very conscious of my budget, because I will need money for things like the rent, and a car over the summer. They do seem like awesome events though, and I think I will RSVP to at least one of them, because I am pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone.

I just wanted to let all of you know about that, and what kind of orientation things will go on at Macquarie University, without revealing too much, as I have a terrible fear of violating some strange rule and getting sued. I hope you all enjoyed reading about this. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Less than 6 days until the excitement begins!

Bye everyone!

My Going Abroad Packing List!

Hello, Internet people!

Well, I will be leaving in 8 days (squeal). I hate packing last minute because it causes me stress, and I tend to forget very important things. Like stuff to comb my hair with, or an umbrella, or towels, or even a toothbrush. However, that will be nothing to the anxiety I will feel, if I forget my passport, because then I will be beyond furious, and unable to board my very expensive flight. So yes, I have packed my bags and am ready to zoom off into the horizon of adventure(???). I know personally, that trying to figure out what to pack is a pain in my butt.  After all, how does one pack for a 3.5 month trip to a country that they have never been to? As I was packing, these questions came to mind:

How many swimsuits do I pack? How many day dresses? How many night dresses? How many business clothes? How many club outfits? Do I pack heels, even though I can’t walk in them? The questions just go on and on. While IES alumni do leave all of us packing tips, I still had questions, like: What does “inexpensive” even mean? One of the things they suggest is to buy these “inexpensive” items when I get there. So, those packing lists were just a rough guideline for me. One tip I will take though, is to pack less than I think I will need, because I hate clutter in my life, and I tend to overpack. So without further ado, what I packed.

• 3 day dresses
• 5 night dresses
• 6 shorts
• 3 jeans
• 1 legging (brown)
• 1 stocking (black)
• 3 business outfits
• 5 crop tops
• 3 regular tops
• 3 tank tops
• 4 sweaters
• 2 cardigans
• 6 towels (2 beach ones)
• 2 sandals
• 1 knee high boot
• 1 combat type boots
• 1 waterproof shoes
• 1 flipflops
• 2 wedges
• 1 pair of high heels
• 2 pillows
• 1 comforter
• 5 pajamas
• 4 swimsuits
• 1 jacket
• 1 large empty duffle (for souvenirs/stuff that I end up buying while in Australia)

I did end up packing my high heels, but because I can’t walk in them, I’m just going to use them to get into clubs that won’t let you in wearing “sandals.” All of this stuff ended up filling 1 large suitcase, 1 regular suitcase, and a small duffle bag. That is personally, too much stuff for me to carry, so, as I have several days left until I leave, I will take some things out of my suitcases and attempt to make more room for my other stuff, which I don’t have yet. That includes sheets for my king sized bed, cups, plate/bowls, and a pot and pan. I have no idea what to take out of my luggage, but I will try my best to minimize the amount of stuff that I have. If anyone has suggestions about what to remove/what I have too many of, please let me know in the comments, as I would greatly appreciate it. I will let you guys know at the end of my trip what I really needed, and what I wish I had brought with me/what I wish I didn’t bring with me. Basically, it will be my suggested packing list. I will try to be very specific in hopes that it will help any of you going abroad to Australia.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this!

Bye everyone!

Candles Anyone?

Hello Internet world,

I’m back with another blog. This time it's a non beauty review, You all must be wondering when the heck i’m leaving to Australia. I, like you, can’t wait to start my adventure and tell you all about it. The good news is that I’m leaving to Orlando in less than 10 days. Woohoo! That means Harry Potter World! After that I will begin my journey to Australia, which is when this blog will finally become exciting. Until then, I decided to post an equally as exciting (NOT) blog about my current obsession: Candles!

I just love me some candles. They’re so relaxing and give any room such nice lighting. Sure, you could just get a yellow light bulb, but you would miss the delicious scent that is a candle burning. Since I think it’s ridiculous to spend 15+ dollars on one candle (yes, I am talking to you Yankee candle.)

I have the Scent Portfolio ones from Target. They cost five dollars each, and the big one costs 10. My favorite scents are: Sea salt and sand, Sugar blossom, and Jasmine and sweet pea. That is in order from my absolute favorite, to my least favorite (I still love Jasmine and Sweet pea though.)

I will attempt to give you guys a description of the scents. Sea salt and sand does not smell like it sounds. It’s sweet scent, but it’s balanced out by the somewhat floral scent. It doesn’t smell like anything that I have ever smelled, so unfortunately this description may not make much sense to you. Imagine a blue raspberry Jolly rancher. Now imagine a green apple Jolly rancher, and combine the scents. Can you imagine it? Good, now throw in a light smell of the ocean (a nice smelling one), and mix in a floral scent. That’s what this candle smells like. The good thing is that when you burn this candle, the smell isn’t overwhelming. It’s light and just gives the room a hint of a really good fragrance. It’s just enough smell to be relaxing. I loved this candle so much, that I got the big 10 dollar version of it.

The second candle is Sugar Blossom. I can’t describe this very well. The scent is really nice, but it’s faint, so i’m going to try to describe it to you. It’s a sweet smell, if you can imagine that. It’s also lightly floral, and a little bit soapy. It’s clean smelling, but also sweet, with the smallest hint of vanilla. I’m not very good at this. It’s a very nice smell, but I have to warn you that it is really light. Even when you burn it, you can’t really smell it. It’s not a fragrant candle, but I really like the smell. You just need to get a good pull to catch a whiff of it. When you burn it though, you will just smell fire. This is only my second favorite because of the scent, not the quality.

The final candle is Jasmine and Sweet pea. This is my newest candle, and I haven’t had the chance to burn it yet, as it has literally only been mine for a few hours. First, I love the color of it. It’s a hot pink, fuchsia, purple color. It has a light vanilla scent, with lots of floral (i’m sorry, i’m not good at identifying flower smells). It also smells a little bit like a tart, strawberry candy. It also smells a little like a perfumed soap. I really like it because it has a strong scent, and smells really nice. I can’t wait to burn it.

These are all soy candles, so it could be the soy that gives them all a vanilla like undertone, if that makes any sense, at all.

So yes, I adore candles. They are the perfect touch to any spa day, or if you just want to relax, or if like me, you hate really bright lighting. I hope that you guys enjoyed this not so exciting blog anyway. In conclusion, you can get decent candles, for a not ridiculous price. I highly recommend that you guys go smell these candles yourself, if you can.

Just in case you were curious about what the inside of the candles look like, and because I like blogs with pictures, here’s a closer look. (I do love Sea Salt and Sand)

And yet some more pictures:

Those two are Sugar Blossom on the left, and Jasmine and Sweet pea on the right. Don’t the colors compliment each other well?

I promise that these blogs will slowly start to get more exciting.

Thank you for reading.

Bye everyone!