Where have the last three months gone!? When I came back to blogger after the summer, it looks as if I had fallen off the face of the earth. Cliche' I know. But truth be told, I had... Since the end of semester last year, I had fallen into a completely unformulated schedule of work and play, which didn't leave much time for any contributions to be made to this little project (except for the odd photo or two). Looking back though, it was a wonderful summer, and it would be a pleasure to share it.
First of all though it must be noted that, at the closing of each semester, it is every university student's goal to make as much money as they can over the summer break. From any outsider looking in, it would have seemed as if I made a small fortune over my break. I worked two jobs from the moment I finished the academic year, and worked solidly right up until the new year. Oh and for the last month or so, I added a third to the list.
However, this break was unlike many of my other summer breaks. Somewhere amidst those double shift days, I realised that it was time to choose life. It was time to slow down a bit. Time to stop and appreciate those blissfully warm summer days that mother nature had blessed us with. And time to appreciate the hours I had to spend with the people I adore the most.
So in an attempt to make up for summers sporadic blogging, I will share some of it's best bits...
Girls Gold Coast Getaway
Towards the end of last year, the best friend and I made a last minute decision to spend part of our summer in another state. The type of holiday we wanted was one full of energy and excitement (because the two of us can barely sit still when we're out together). And so we decided to book some flights to Queensland's Gold Coast. Spontaneous last minute trips like this don't allow much time for the anticipation to fade out. So when another of our friends' pronounced that she would be joining us, our excitement levels reached their maximum. While we were in the Gold Coast though, we found ourselves becoming fixed to an everyday ritual of spending sunlight at the beach, dusk in a restaurant and dark in a bar. Some nights though, we thought it best to stay in and share drinks and stories on the balcony of our hotel room. And of course, a trip to Queensland wouldn't be complete without a visit to Dreamworld or street shopping. Overall, it was probably one of the most amazing and memorable getaway's I have had.
Big Day Out & Other Music Festivals
It's no wonder I have no money left! My summer was jam packed with music festivals!!! My friends and I welcomed the year with Field Day 2011. The day was spent dancing the troubles of the last year away with an amazing bunch of people, listing to some amazing artists, and generating an unstoppable amount of positive energy. Stand outs for the day have to include
Sleigh Bells and
Marina and the Diamonds.
It wasn't long before we were all on our way to an insanely BIG DAY OUT!
Little Red helped kick start our day in high spirits. Their hit "Rock It" was incredibly crowd moving for such an early set time. Similarly,
Washington was a mid-day standout. She is a lovely lady, and managed to turn the outside area almost orchestral during her song "Clementine". Next up was
Gypsy & The Cat (a personal favourite) followed closely by
Angus & Julia Stone. This folksy duo dazed the crowd for an ultimate afternoon chill out. Angus and his harmonica could have made me melt even if it wasn't thirty-something degrees that day. We welcomed the night swaying away to
Sia and giggling at her onstage antics.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes were amongst some other amazing acts on the day... But right now this post is getting super long now and I really wish I had done a more detailed review earlier.
Good Vibrations (which I half bartended/half attended) & Soundwave were the other festivals I was lucky enough to attend this summer. Both lineup's featured some of my favourite artists and were again, great days spent with great people.
Parties, Parties, Parties
Summer was also the seasonal host to many of my closest friend's birthdays, and this year in particular, the engagement of a lovely couple. Each of these events were truely unique in their own way. Regardless of the setting (backyards, nature reserves or the basement of a Sydney club), each provided for the ability to create some stand out memories, and to catch up with the amazing people I rarely get to see.
With the change of the season, comes a dramatic change of schedule. One which I am still trying to get used to. I am back at uni full time now and still working where I can. I'm finding it really difficult to accept how little time I am going to have, and so writing this has allowed me to really appreciate summer (and all of it's added self discoveries). Although now it has gone just as quickly as it had come, it was kind enough to give me long sun filled days, enough time for me to spend hours with the people I enjoy the most, and even more spare time to create a relation with someone new.
Autumn, you have a lot to live up to!
