'Where have you been all my life?'

Howdy everyone! I have missed blogging a lot lately, and the fact is that I haven't had much time to blog. As you all know I am currently completing my last year of school. While this is great, it also means that there is a lot on my plate in terms of homework and school commitments. To top that off, the past week has been a little crazy for me as my grandma has been very sick. I thought I would let you all know where I have been so you don't think I have forgotten about you (that's if anyone even reads my blog haha). Anyway, stay tuned for an upcoming blog post tomorrow in regards to a successful fundraiser morning tea I held today. 

Chelsea Elizabeth xx

Achieve Your Dreams!

Wow... The time has flown, especially when you consider the last time I blogged! While there are no excuses, I must admit that schooling has taken over my life, but on the bright side, it's my last year! 

I never really understood my friends, family and peers when they told me to "make the most of [my] junior years, because school will never be so easy", but I've definitely grasped that concept. You see, the pressure the final year of school puts on one is quite intense, and the work load very demanding, which leads me to my next point.

Seeing as initially I found myself completely stressed about the year ahead of me, yet have now started to adjust to the peak and trough nature of the year, I thought I would give you some advice for any school year or study you're undertaking, in order to remain on top of things!

So first thing's first; set a goal. I find that the only way I can motivate myself to write a whole practice essay when I'm already tired and grumpy from a long school day is to remind myself of the reason I want to do well- to one day be a successful journalist. Whether you want to be a doctor, electrician, architect, or are simply unsure, have a goal of some sort and I can guarantee it will inspire you!

After you've set some achievable and realistic goals (you don't want to be too harsh on yourself), it's time to organise a study routine. I find it quite useful to make myself a weekly timetable where I ensure that I balance out my study time with exercise, free time, and quality catch-ups with friends and family. On top of this, I usually write a little to-do list every day that makes my workload appear more manageable as I break it down into the time it will take me to complete it. If this doesn't work for you, another suggestion I have is to make use of the sticky notes application on Mac and Windows, having a note for every subject, and further breaking it down into the study and homework you have for each one. 

So once you have set a goal and implemented it by managing your study, you will find that things become quite routine, and studying isn't such a burden. Despite the heavy significance we place on the notion of studying, the main piece of advice I hope that you extract from this post is that you need balance in your everyday life, and while we all have goals, don't let them interfere with your physical and mental state. I always ensure that I exercise at least 4 times a week, and I particularly love jogging as I feel it releases any negative tension and stress, while also contributing to a healthier state. In conjunction with exercise, I try to maintain a healthy diet, while also living by the "everything in moderation" motto. I find that when I do eat healthier; incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains into my diet, I generally feel a lot less anxious, and take a more positive approach to not only my schooling, but my life as a whole!

"Good things come to those who are willing to get up & never give up".

Image via www.erinbiggcosmetics.com.au/media/

There you have it- my advice for you all to achieve your goals. I hope this post assisted in your attitude towards your schooling, and motivates you to do your best. I hope you all know that you can achieve anything when you put your mind to it, and why not start doing so today?

Chelsea Elizabeth xx

The Unknown

Not only does the idea of finishing school provide some relief to me, but it also gives me a sense of exhilaration. You see, my goal after graduating is to attend university where I hope to study arts and journalism. While I know that this requires a large amount of work and effort, I am not worried or nervous, but rather the complete opposite. I am really looking forward to knowing that the world is at my feet; that I can travel the world and have the opportunity to meet new people. I love thinking about the future because as much as it is daunting not knowing what's ahead of us, I find it quite curious, as though I'm a walking movie that slowly unfolds before my own eyes.

Who knows what's to come in time, but for now I love to dream of the vast possibilities,

Chelsea Elizabeth xx

7 Things I Loved About December

Seeing as the end of December is creeping up on us all, I thought I would share with you the seven things I loved about this month, whether it be things that I did, places I visited, or items that I bought, I will share seven of them with you and hope to continue this for every month that I continue blogging.

1. Finishing school- The beginning of December meant for me that school was finally over and it was finally time to sit back and relax (for a little bit anyway), without feeling guilty. 

2. Discovering True Blood- You know that feeling when you have nothing to watch and desperately need a new television series to be glued to? Well True Blood was that television series for me, and to say that it was good was an understatement which can be seen in the fact that I watched all six seasons within two weeks. I have to say though, I am looking forward to the last season which will be out in late 2014. 

3. Constantly spending time with other people- December is not the quietest of months, well not for me anyway. Every weekend I found myself out and about visiting family and friends whether it be for birthdays or Christmas parties, it never ended, which I enjoyed as I love spending time with family and friends and not to mention the food that usually comes with it.

4. Getting an SLR camera- I really enjoy taking photos of all sorts of things, and especially because I chose to study media next year, I really liked the idea of having my own SLR camera, and now that I do I find that I'm forever looking for new and unique things to photograph. 

5. The Jan/ Feb 2014 issue of Frankie- As mentioned above I am studying media next year at school and also aspire to be a journalist, so receiving such a quirky and inspiring magazine for Christmas from Mum (Thanks Mum) was quite convenient and special in a sense. Being a newbie to Frankie, there is so much to love about it including it's fascinating articles that present quite unusual and peculiar views and insights, the art found on the cover as well as being printed on many pages and not to mention the simplistic layout of each page. I can assure you that I am not going to be a one time reader of the magazine!

6. Christmas- By now you should all know that around Christmas time, I am in my element as I love the carols, the lights, the decorations and the food that comes with it. This Christmas was no exception to that as I had such a beautiful day surrounded by such amazing family, and to be completely honest, I'm quite sad that it's already over. 

7. The sales that follow Christmas- Two words, retail therapy. Some people love football, some love music, well my love lies with shopping. I am a sucker when it comes to sales and recently I have bought a few lovely items that I've had my eye on for a while now on sale including a cute sweater from Manning Cartell that was reduced... bargain!

Let me know what you're favourite things were this December,

Chelsea Elizabeth xx

School's Out!

Howdy everyone! I'm very excited to say that the school year is over for 2013 and I am now on Summer break. It's such a great feeling knowing that I have no more early morning wake-ups and can now sleep in later. I wish I could say I was free to relax and do whatever I want to this Summer, but unfortunately I do have a high pile of holiday homework for 2014. While this is the case, I thought it might be great to write a list of everything I want to achieve this Summer as next year I will be engrossed with a lot of school work seeing as it is my last year, therefore I probably won't have much time at all to chill out and enjoy myself. As I achieve each point of the list, I will cross it off and slowly, slowly I hope to have completed the entire list! 

30 Things To- Do This Summer:

1. Have a picnic with friends or family.
2. Take lots of pictures and create a 2013 Summer scrapbook.
3. Take a yoga class.
4. Start writing a journal and fill it out daily.
5. Go for a bike ride with friends.
6. Go roller- skating. 
7. Buy flowers for somebody.
8. Send handwritten letters to family and friends.
9. Make a Summer playlist and make a copy for a friend.
10. Make homemade lemonade!
11. Finally finish reading 'The Bell Jar'.
12. Watch 'Girl Interrupted'.
13. Go to the drive- in movies.
14. Make homemade ice-cream with cool toppings ('Cold Rock' style).
15. Have a water fight with friends.
16. Have/ host a backyard camp out.
17. Make homemade pizzas!
18. Reorganise and redecorate my bedroom.
19. Find cool vintage band t-shirts (and buy them)!
20. Watch the sunset.
21. Volunteer my time to a good cause.
22. Eat Ben & Jerry's ice-cream.
23. Change my hairdo. (I ended up putting colour in my hair and cutting it shorter)
24. Try frozen yogurt!(it was quite delicious)
25. Meditate daily.
26. Play laser tag with friends.
27. Spend a day in more than three places.
28. Take heaps and heaps of photos.
29. Feed the ducks.
30. Live every day to the fullest.

Let me know what you think,

Chelsea Elizabeth xx