2011: The Year From Hell, 2012: The Year of Australian Kiwi

I have to be honest an say that I am not at all sorry to say goodbye to 2011, it's been a terrible year. From leaving uni, to being unable to find a job, and stressing out about my future, the year really only improved after I went back to uni and did my history paper. Then I went on holiday in Melbourne and that was just... words can't describe it, it reminded me of where I want to be in the future. Who said country air is good for your health? I didn't, that's for sure!

But, 2012 is going to be my year. I'm going to TAFE to study Childcare, something I love, and I'm going get a job (at Woolies or Coles or something like that), and do my creative writing course. I'm going to go to the gym more often and set up a yoga and meditation practice. 2012 is going to be the year of Australian Kiwi, so watch out world! Here I come!

~ Australian Kiwi

New Year's Resolutions


1) Go to the gym three times a week for a workout.
2) Do a full hour of yoga once a week.
3) Read Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now and A New Earth.
4) Go out nightclubbing on Friday night once before I turn 19.
5) Finish one book in the Voices of the Trojan War collection.

Retail Therapy, Mebourne Style

I have left Mildura (but sadly it is only temporary) and traveled to Melbourne with my family to spend Christmas in the best city in the world. I haven't even been here a full day and I already have a new t-shirt, two new dresses, an engraved mirror and comb, a heat pack and two new books about ancient Greece.

Have I Got Your Attention

I brought my new tee (it's hot pink in real life, even though it looks orange here) for $15 at a store called Ginger Tree which is next door to the apartment I am staying in with my family.

The First Blue Dress

Also from Ginger Tree, this beauty was discounted from $49 to $29 dollars and the shop assistant gave it to me for $25. It is a beautiful dress, and I have a top which is a similar colour, so I already know that this kind of blue looks good on me. It is light-weight enough for summer in both Melbourne and Mildura and stylish enough to be considered smart casual. A side note, this dress sits perfectly on my figure.

The Second Blue Dress

$40 at the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne (discounted from $45) this one is very similar to the one above, but there are important differences. For a start, this dress is made of a much heavier material than the one above, which means that wearing it on really hot days when there is no air conditioning is out, and it is definitely formal rather than casual. The material also has a slight shine and is more figure hugging than the dress above, but the dark colour and detailing around the chest draws attention away from my body.

Engraved Mirror and Comb

Brought more because it looks good than because it is practical, this lovely set was $15 at the Queen Vic markets. My name is engraved on the mirror.

Heat Pack

It may not look very impressive, but this little beauty is one of the most nifty things I have seen. You click an aluminium disk in the pack and some chemical reaction occurs and the pack goes hot. I'm hoping it will help with neck, shoulder, back and period pains.

AND SAVING THE BEST TILL LAST...

The Ancient Greek World People and Places

I brought this book for $10 at a store on the corner of A'Becket and Elizabeth Streets in Melbourne called The Book Grocer. This book is a detailed reference tool packed full of facts and photographs of the ancient Greek world and giving detailed information on everything from the way they built their temples, to what they ate! In fact, there is a whole section on ancient Greek architecture, which I am loving!

The war that killed Achilles

This book is said to be something of an analysis of the Trojan War, drawing on material from Homer's Iliad and other lost epic works that make up the story of Troy. It looks at the broader themes that the war spoke of, and how these the ghosts of Troy still haunt us to this day with the continuing conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, there you have it, let Australian Kiwi loose in Melbourne to go shopping, and this is what you get. I'm sure there will be more photos as I continue my holiday, and of course, there is Christmas tomorrow.

See ya!

~ Australian Kiwi

'Secrets' by One Republic

This song just makes my heart bleed, the idea of breaking down the dam wall and spilling all your most precious secrets is a haunting, terrifying thought, yet oddly compelling. If I was with someone I trusted, someone I loved, I would want to share some secrets I have kept all my life, some good, some bad, and some frightening. In reality, secrets will shape your life... or they'll destroy it.

~ Australian Kiwi

The Return of Spring

The Return of Spring

I had to share this beautiful painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau titled The Return of Spring which was painted in 1886. This painting is how I imagine Aphrodite, and Bouguereau has painted a very similar painting depicting the birth of Aphrodite, which was painted earlier in 1879. I have posted it below for comparative purposes.

The Birth of Venus