TWENTY-NINETEEN

"We obsess with memory and we obsess with the future. 

That's what intelligence is, the ability to see the future, 

to simulate the future in complex realistic ways." 

- Michio Kaku

As another year draws to an end, we find ourselves reflecting on the past 365 days and begin to create new goals for the next 365...

I was on a flight either to or from Sydney for work when I was listening to a podcast interview with Michio Kaku. He said "We obsess with memory and we obsess with the future. That's what intelligence is, the ability to see the future, to simulate the future in complex realistic ways." It may be from the same interview with the same man but he compared humans to dogs. How we are more intelligent than animals because we have the ability to think about the future, to somewhat grasp it I suppose. Whereas dogs cannot. They don't plan for tomorrow, they don't think: "What should I get up to tomorrow?".

LUCID DREAMING

"Dreams are real as long as they last.

Can we say more of life?"

- Havelock Ellis

I laid on the warm tiles and stared up into the bright blue cloudless sky this afternoon. Feeling the warmth of the sun and listening to the calming sound of the water fountain. Later I found myself playing music on our old forgotten piano. And tonight... I sit here reading old novels I had written 7 years ago, captivated by my own young wild mind and reminded by how creative I once was... yet saddened by what 'growing up' can do to it.

I haven't taken a break like this since... three years ago. A break where I took time to really get back in touch with my own creativity. My largest novel ever written was 185 A4 pages long and 104,680 words. And it's crazy to think I don't write anymore, not fictional stories at least. I don't blog anymore either... and I ought to get back in touch with my deeper thoughts.

WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME

"Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful? 

Will you still love me when I've got nothing but my aching soul?"

- Lana Del Rey

Yes - I am temporily back! Won't be regular fortnight posts and unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to even commit to monthly ones but it's November (birthday month!) and my last post was back in July. The hiatus has been unbearable and I have missed the sanity of writing (not so much the dressing up for photos part - or having photos taken part either).

CONSTANT MOVEMENT

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states,

other lives, other souls."

- Anaïs Nin

In the words of Lonely Planet: "Hong Kong is a city of contrasting light and constant movement; a whirl of commotion that combines climbing skyscrapers and golden stretches of sand with steaming bowls of wonton noodles and ceaseless traffic."

KØBENHAVN: HOPE & HAVEN

"It is hope that gives life meaning. And hope is based 
on the prospect of being able one day to turn the actual world
into a possible one that looks better."
- Francois Jacob 

I will forever remember those days spent warm and toasty inside the cafe of Espresso House. And I will forever remember that  unexplanable sensation capturing my soul, the feeling of being inspired. Though gloomy on almost every day, and almost every hour, I did not feel depressed. Rather, I felt very... calm. Is it the fact that I am at the furtherest point away from home that I have ever been in my life? A young Australian girl across the oceans in Scandinavian land... Or maybe's it's just what Scandinavia does to you, the lifestyle, so restful and so tranquil. 

BERLIN: THE GREY CITY

"She sees 

in black and white

thinks in grey

but loves in colour"

- JmStorm

New Year's Eve spent in Berlin was the most extraordinary way to ring in the new year! Walking home after the epic main fireworks show at Brandenburger Tor, with continuous self-set fireworks left right and centre filling the sky with beautiful technicolour, was absolutely thrilling! It sounded like gunshots all around us, giving us a great sense of the historical World War II atmosphere that happened in this very path we treaded on as we made our way past the Reichstag, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people marching along with us. There was over a million visitors who celebrated the New Year's Eve countdown at Brandenburger Tor, one of Europe's biggest street parties!

PRAGUE: THE GOLDEN CITY

"Never let the odds keep you from doing what you
 know in your heart you were meant to do." 
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Prague, the Golden city. The perfect place to spend Christmas... surrounded by Christmas spirit and cheer: Christmas lights, trees, markets and my first gingerbread man (well... bear). My European edition of blogposts has finally reached Christmas, and it's already mid-year now. Why am I talking about Christmas in June? To think only 6 more months until Christmas 2018!

Forgive me but I feel like I need to take a breather this fortnight (more like right now, as I collate my thoughts). For a minute I felt so overwhelmed by the hectic past week (my Christiaan & York watches have been selling out - OH! Just got another sale~) that I had no clue where to draw inspiration from for this fortnight's article. I just hope I don't burn out. I'm always like this, an ambitious heart who takes on too much and then it reaches a point where I start turning things down and saying no, probably for the best. Health is most important.

BUDAPEST: PEARL OF THE DANUBE

"The trouble is, you think you have time."

- Buddha

The beautiful river of the Danube flows elegantly through Budapest in the most grandeur manner. With Buda on the West and Pest on East of the river, there is modest competition between the locals as to which is the 'better side'. This was very reminiscent to Perth: North of the river vs South of the river. A constant friendly debate between my partner and I, who reside in different parts of the city.

My partner and I often have late-night strolls on the riverside of Perth however none in any city I have ever visited so far is comparable to the fairy-tale ambience of the Danube river in Budapest. The late-night strolls in this alluring city was the most enchanting experience. Cold crisp nights with lights glistening off the surface of the waters like diamonds. The night was sparkling. Hand in hand with my partner, I'd spend forever wondering if I would ever experience this calm euphoria feeling again. Romantic was an understatement. It was flawless. 

VIENNA: THE IMPERIAL CITY

"What is to give light must endure burning."

- Victor Frankl

Europe was 5 months ago, I know... and I haven't even uploaded photos of Vienna yet, which is only halfway through my European escapade. Nonetheless, let's get this done! Vienna, Austria, known as the Imperial City is so immensely grand and beautiful when it comes to the excitement of Christmas. Could you believe there was not a single Christmas market in Rome when we were there a fortnight before Christmas? Vienna held the most amazing Christmas markets I have ever experienced, surpassing those of Amsterdam, Belgium and Italy. Christmas markets. At. Every. Square. Possible.

ROMA: THE ETERNAL CITY

"La citta Eterna!....Rome! The Eternal City! 

Did no one read the info packets?" 

- Ms. Ungermeyer 

(The Lizzie McGuire Movie)

You know, the best things are never planned. Ever. Stumbling around in search of a great gelato place and then... BAM. Trevi Fountain! Staring right back at me in absolute colossal grandeur. The Eternal City is nothing short of amazing, dripping in extraordinary culture and history. Four full days of Roma filled with Pasta... Gelato... and Ancient Cathedrals. It's safe to say this was our favourite holiday destination in our entire Europe trip.

FLORENCE: THE RENAISSANCE

"We need a renaissance of wonder. 
We need to renew, in our hearts and in our souls, 
the deathless dream, the eternal poetry, 
the perennial sense that life is miracle and magic." 
- E. Merrill Root.

Florence was absolutely breathtaking. The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore was incredibly stunning. To imagine that the human mind and strength was responsible for its creation is astonishing. As the first Italian city that I have ever experienced (well technically a transfer in Bologna - home of Bolognese and Ferrari), I was stunned by the beauty of the warm colours of all the buildings: shades of yellow, orange, peach and beautiful emerald dark green boards on the windows. It was magic everywhere. Florence was definitely the most beautiful city of my entire Europe trip.

BRUSSELS: A GRAND PLACE

"You are never too old to set another

 goal or to dream a new dream." 

- C.S. Lewis

2017 was a breezy year in that I gave it mediocre effort. I guess the failed attempts to do better got to me. I was always an optimist. People knew me for being bubbly… but those closest to me, truly closest to me, saw that part of me dimmed. Like a candle’s flame losing oxygen. I entered the deadly mindset of “Why try? If I end up exactly where I would have anyway?”. Applying to all those jobs I didn’t even know if I wanted, in the hopes to not end up here, exactly where I am anyway, in a job I never really chose. All those attempts of doing well in my studies only to end up with the same mediocre grades...

AMSTERDAM: WITH YOU

"I wanna travel the world with you. 

Go to every city, take pictures and be happy."
- Anonymous

December was an amazing time... because my dreams came true. I've never been so far across the globe before. It truly puts into perspective that the world has so much to offer, so much more to experience. That's why travelling is so therapeutic. For those with broken hearts from whatever cause... travelling makes your life seem small, and your problems and heartaches insignificant. That is not to say I travelled with a broken heart in the beginning, no, I travelled with an open heart ready to let the world's wonders change me, with my love strongly by my side.  

TRÈS CHIC

"Wander, expand your mind and see that the world
is larger than you think. And that your problems
are smaller than you know."

It's unbelievable how it's already 2018. Maybe as we grow older we become more aware of time, while also losing complete awareness too. A strange phenomenon really. We really notice it when time ticks over each year, and we really notice it when our age ticks over to a next one. Yet we completely lose track of where all the inbetween goes, because I guess life gets busier and sometimes we just get lost in it all. (Just don't forget that as we are growing up, our parents are growing old. Cherish your limited time with them.)