One of Society's Many Traps

Not sure where to start today.

What an interesting thing life is. Is it even a thing? Maybe 'event' is better suiting. Life is an event, after all. I do not believe it's over after life, it didn't start when we were born. Life is just time. On this planet. In this body. Living with these people. I believe we are in contact with everyone and everything before we were given this body as a tool to navigate this planet. We know everything, everything we need to know is already inside us, we just have to find it. So many people go to others for help because they believe they 'know' more than we do. In a way, they might, but for our self-help we need, we know everything. We go to others to help ourselves to try to identify it so we can tackle it ourselves. "They can only show you the door, but it is you who has to walk through it."

At this moment in my life, I'm struggling trying to find my way. Find the ultimate answer to the "What to do with my life" question that plagues all people. Some people know what they want to do, and lots of us don't. We are told that after high school, go to university, which lots of us do and get a high paying job. Spending money that we don't have to get a higher paying job. I am one of those people who didn't go to university. Well, actually, I did. After high school, I wasn't planning on going to university, but my older brother told me to at least have a back-up plan. I wanted to travel after high school, I had planned on having a gap year, rediscovering my homeland, Australia, ever since we had moved to Canada. But since I had no money, I decided maybe it was a good idea to have a back-up plan and so I applied to a university on the west coast of Canada, in a tiny town called Nanaimo. I studied Japanese and Liberal Studies and Theatre there for one semester. I loved the studying, the classwork and the professors, but I didn't like where I lived in residence. I had no friends, except for the one I made in the internationals building, but it just wasn't for me. I came back to live at home and taught skiing. Near the end of the ski season, I thought, maybe I should go and teach skiing in Australia, so I applied to a few ski hills and got a job with a ski hill a few hours from Canberra in the Snowy Mountains. So I headed off for a magnificent adventure! I only ended up staying at that ski hill for two and a half weeks. I hated it! But I didn't let that quench my thirst for adventure. I went back to Sydney and decided on what I was going to do with the remainder 5 months I had away. I booked a tour that started in Melbourne and went up through the red centre up to Darwin. Best 18 days of my life. Best $7 I ever spent on that tour was riding a camel around a little yard. Stayed in Darwin for an extra week, and booked another tour in New Zealand. I loved my adventure away! Re-connected with some amazing people, and met fantastic new ones. I came back to Canada with an idea of what I wanted to do. Midwifery it was. I applied to an Australian university and a Canadian one. I taught skiing again in Canada, liked it less than the year before. I got into the australian university, but to save money, said no and waited to get into the canadian one, as midwifery was just beginning here so who would apply to do it? Well, I didn't get in. As I heard afterwards, there were only 20 people admitted into the program. The competitive average was a 4.0, well I had a 3.7, there was all of three universities in all of Canada that offered the midwifery program, all of them only taking all of 20 students. Well, I was dumb-founded. I had no idea I wasn't going to get into the program. So here I was, teaching skiing, not making a whole lot of money, and doomed to spend another year out of school. So here I am heading into my third gap-year.
This year, I applied to two canadian universities. What I've come to realize is, this world we have isn't here to help us achieve our passions. The human society has turned into a money-maker business. And no one cares about anything but money.
I haven't given up on my midwifery hopes. My plan is to get an under-grad, teach english abroad (because I can't do this without an under-grad degree), then get into a midwifery school. I don't have to achieve my goal now, but I am not getting sucked into this loan business. I want to pay for everything with my own money, but it's going to be hard. I will probably have to, in the end, take out a loan, but I want to travel in my life. I want to be able to travel and explore the world with no money limits. I want to travel to Morocco, Greece, Turkey, South Korean, Japan, Thailand, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, France, South Africa, back to England and Australia. I want to see the world, full of it's different cultures, languages, religions. I want to see the world, in all her glory, before the end of my life event.

Long days..!!

Yesterday was my birthday! Wahoo! Although it ended up being quite lousy as I was working from 8:30 am to 9 pm. But, on the bright side, everyone wished me a happy birthday which was a very nice and made me feel very ^^ !
Today was much more relaxing, as I worked from 8:30-1:30 and so I had the whole afternoon to relax and get some extra shut eye. Although, tomorrow is going to be a big one too because I'm working from 8:30-9 again! And then I'm working my regular weekend hours of 8:30-5.
What is life if you don't get short on sleep a few times I suppose. Although, I do quite enjoy being bright-eyed and bushy tailed every morning when I go to work. Which isn't happening after those long shifts. I hope they don't expect me to work preschool the day after tomorrow. haha I'll keep you posted on that point.
So even though it means I'm putting money in the bank- I don't like being short of energy. I don't like feeling that I'm not putting all I've got into my work and whatever else I'm directing myself towards. That makes sense right? I don't want to burn myself out for money. That would be absolutely ridiculous.
My parents are laughing at me now because I'm looking 'fierce'.
I haven't done anything for my birthday- I haven't gotten even one present! I've only gotten a card from mum and dad and a card posted from my brother who left New Zealand today and gone back to Singapore. :) That made me happy, but that's it! But that's okay- I'm super busy with work, and maybe we'll postpone it to my next and only day off next week- Tuesday.

Hopefully we'll get to do something awesome.

In Canada, working hard!

I've now been in Calgary for an entire month! Time flies for sure, but it goes a lot faster when you're having fun and that is entirely true for me! I've gone back to work, and have been now for 3 weeks now! It has been quite difficult switching back to routine after 6 months of holiday. I don't like getting up in the mornings, I've re-discovered. But as much as I don't like waking up in the mornings, it is still worth getting to work for. I mean, apart from having to deal with snotty-nosed children, I love my job! haha, but really- My office is absolutely gorgeous. Being outside all day, being oober happy and thinking up games to play with children, and have skis on our feet- it's an absolutely wonderful job. I wouldn't do it if I didn't get paid for it though- too hard and definitely uses too much energy, and sometimes the parents are a little mean and sometimes they say some unbelievable things but I guess that's all in the job description.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

So over the new years, my parents and little brother and I are all going to Canmore for two nights to do some snowshoeing and winter activities (and for me- other than downhill skiing- which I love but I do want a break from wearing ski boots all day!)

Well, I got one more day until I get my 2 days off in Canmore which will be super nice and I'm really looking forward to stay away!

Pauanui and Whangamata

Yesterday, I got woken for a day adventure! It's not usually I wake up with a smile plastered to my face- but I had one on yesterday due to the fact that my mother had ticked my face with my alpaca wool bunny rabbit. Okay, so that fact that I don't usually wake up with a smile on my face is a wee lie, I usually do, but underneath I'm usually grumpy...)
Anyway, the trip was to Pauanui Beach! We stopped half-way in Thames for a cup of tea at a cute garden cafe. It was so cute and adorable.

Puananui Beach

After arriving in Pauanui, we had another lovely picnic, a walk down the beach, a walk back up the beach and then a lie down in the sun.

Getting sunburned on my shoulders. Yay.
We saw a few really good blossoms of the famous pohutekawa tree which was gorgeous. Especially since it is still November, I haven't actually seen pohutekawa blooming in such big clumps!

So it was about 3 in the afternoon when we left Pauanui to visit Whangamata, another little beach town. In Whangamata, we walked along the beach and splashed (well, I did anyway) in the water. Afterwards, as the sun was setting and it was getting rather hot, we stopped at a little fish and chip-ery and got some fish and chips and ate at a picnic table on the seaside. Unfortunately from the picnic table, we couldn't actually see the seaside, but that didn't matter as it was only a few paces away!

Whangamata Beach

We didn't end up getting home until about 8 pm where we rinsed off all our sandy feet and then watched Miss Fisher! A perfect end to a perfect day!

Strawberry Fields

So since Raglan let's see...we've made 2 excursions!

The first one was back to Paeroa to visit the antique shops and for a coffee which was really nice, we found a really cute coffee shop with a courtyard and vines over the walls and everything!! After stopping there, we continued on to Waihi Beach for another picnic at the seaside! Where I found tons of shells- as the tide was out this time- and decided to give myself a manicure!

Yesterday we went out again to what originally was supposed to be a trip to the post office but we managed to drive from here to Papakura to Ardmore to Clevedon to Maraetai and back to Hunua! So we did lots of driving! We went to Ardmore to visit a place called Strawberry Corner, where they have a property in a kind of corner and they have a massive field of strawberries.

So we went and we bought some strawberries and some strawberry ice cream which they made by putting a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a machine followed by a scoop of strawberries and then it mixes it together and it creates this jumble of yumminess! We then drove into Clevedon and went to a wool shop which was quite expensive but it was the first touristy kind of shop I've found relatively close to Hunua which was quite nice! Next because we were full of ice cream we decided to go for a walk to walk a little of our food off, and so we went to Maraetai and had a nice long walk on the beach!

And we finished watching Call the Midwife season 1 which I like very much! And then went to bed!

Uncle Jamie is leaving back to the UK today :( I wish him a good flight home and I hope to see you again!

A lovely sunset in Hunua!

Me and my mother!

Raglan Expedition

This morning I got woken up by---nope, it wasn't the rooster--it was a cow!!!!!! We had some bobbies put in the paddock right outside the lounge living room and they were moooooing and moooing and for goodness sake they're still at it! But so today we decided to go on a day trip to Raglan. It was a sunny day here, and then as we neared Raglan the weather deteriorated and started to rain and then it just remained cloudy for the majority of the day. So, we wandered around first off and I bought some sunglasses- yay! And then, we went out for fish'n'chips and did a little walkies on the beach. Went out to continue wander the shops and went for a little ice cream. I tried the hokey pokey flavour which is famous to New Zealand and honestly, I didn't know what hokey pokey was until I looked it up on the computer just now and as it turns out- honeycomb toffee in vanilla ice cream. Yum. Then we went to the Raglan Beach to have a very nice long walk where we saw two horses and their riders, it was lovely and I want to do that! Ride on the beach, it'd be lovely!
Now we're back home and awaiting to watch Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries!

Tea Stop on the way to Raglan

Raglan Beach

What I wish to do on the beach!

Eating Ice Cream!

Waihi Beach

Well, yesterday I woke up with my mother cuddling me! It was too hot!! But never the less I had to get up early anyway because we were planning a picnic in Waihi Beach. So we made our sandwiches and everything and we drove for an hour or so before we stopped at a railway station for coffee and cake before moving on to Waihi and Waihi Beach. It was so lovely, we had a little walkies on the beach one way and then walked back and then it was decided that we were going to go for a little swim/paddle in the sea.

So what did we do? We got into our swimmers and gallivanted straight into the sea screaming all the way because it was so cold!! But we managed to get wet, all the way up until our necks! So then, completely refreshed, we had our picnic on the beach, by the sea, with the sun shining on us..(only later did we realize how strong the sun had been..!!)

We went for a little stroll on the seaside afterwards and then drove up to the lookout point on a hill where we had a little wander and coffee before heading on our way back home. On the way home we stopped at a little town which was full of little antique shops with really cute window displays. (and unfortunately because it was Saturday afternoon, all the shops were shut.) They had little old dolls in the windows with prams in one shop, and in another was full of quilted goodies- it was just an adorable little place where I could easily have spent quite a bit of money! But while we stopped here, we did buy something- dinner of fish'n'chips! (Or as the kiwi's say; Fush 'un chups!) Which were very yummy. And I'll give you a little tip from the aussie part of me: if the fish and chips are wrapped in yesterday's newspaper they are going to be delicious!!

A photo of me eating fish and chips in the park- definittely a wee bit sun-kissed..!!