January | 2014 | Never Have I Ever...

Typical Australian slogan and the perfect title to a post purely dedicated to how I spent my Australia Day 2014 – the only day a year where it is perfectly acceptable to wear the Australian flag like a cape, have cheap, tacky tattoos on your face, and above your butt and even to talk like a complete and utter bogan for the entirety of the day.

Particularly low-key this year, I spent my Australia day with a few close friends in their backyard with a few (a few too many) drinks and a BBQ. A few games of guitar hero, accompanied by a particularly out of tune rendition of “bohemian rhapsody” by four particularly awful singers. At this point it seemed like a brilliant idea to play a few (once again, a few too many) games of kings cup…luckily for me, I wasn’t too badly affected…which is more than I can say for the girl who ended up drinking the cup. The rest of the day seemed to blend together, playing various games that tested the limits of friendships and let’s not forget the shameful rounds of “truth or dare” and “Never have I Ever”.

Unlike a friend, who shall remain anonymous, I did not find myself passed out on a beach in Sydney wearing nothing but an Australian flag…I finished the day slightly tipsy, laying down on a lounge made, I’m assuming in china, drinking vodka from Russia, watching a psychological-thriller movie made in America with friends who have come from all different parts of the world…multiculturalism at its finest.

So…what did I do that I have never done before? Well, Never have I ever: rolled with the punches. I guess you could say that for the first time in a long time, I actually let myself have a good time without worrying about what might go wrong or who might ruin my night or trying to control what direction the night is going in, I just went with it and guess what- the world didn’t end. I’m definitely starting to see that rolling with the punches may not always be a bad thing.

It was definitely a day to remember and it just goes to show that with the right group of friends, you can have an absolute blast no matter how extravagant or bland your plans may be. Australia Day 2014, you were great. Where else in the world could you possibly want to live? Straya, m8.

and what would Australia day be without a few trashy snapchats (Yes, I screenshot peoples snapchats and I’m not even sorry)

Last year was probably one of the worst years for me, and like so many people do, I got caught up in all the negative things that seemed to be happening that I let over a year of my entire life go by without really doing anything that I can look back on and be like “Yeah…that was a great day”.

I’ve realised that by trying to please everyone, I please nobody and that maybe it’s time to be a little but more selfish. I love my family and friends but I’ve noticed lately that my true friends will accept me whether or not I make decisions that they approve of or not. And lately I’ve noticed that the world doesn’t end when I do something for myself and likewise, when someone falls through on me, the world keeps turning.

I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from my best friend, who hasn’t even started uni yet but already has seen more of the world in one year than I could ever hope to and she’s got more post school experience than I do too. She didn’t stick to the norm and go straight from high school to uni, and truth be told, by the end of this year we’re going to be in the exact same position yet she’s done so much more with her time than I have.

So I’ve decided to change my whole perspective on my life, I’m going to take charge of my life – personally, academically, socially and any other possible aspect you can think of. All my motivation for this blog came to me on a weekend away with some friends last weekend and a little game called “Never have I ever”. This game (although originally used for gossiping purposes) is actually genius because I realised that in 5 years time, I don’t want to look back and think “Wow I really wish I had of done this or that while I was young enough”. Hence, this blog. I’m going to set myself the challenge to do at least one thing a week that I haven’t ever done before. It won’t necessarily have to be something like jumping out of a plane (although that is definitely on the list) but I really want to make it my mission to make this year my year.

So (although I’m almost a month late) 2014 will be my year. I will make the most of it, and try to say “yes” to more things that are outside my comfort zone. Tomorrow (technically today, but I haven’t gone to sleep yet so let’s stick with tomorrow) will be the first day of a new week which means the start of the new me. Out with the old and in with the new. I realise how cliché this sounds but I truly believe that this year will be my year and having finally figured out who my true friends are, and who the fake ones are, I’m already off to a better start than I was last year.

It took me a while to realise, but life isn’t fair, and it’s never going to be. Good deeds aren’t always repaid with good karma, and bad deeds aren’t always punished. At some point, you have to pick yourself up and make a change because nobody else is going to do it for you. No more excuses. 2014 will be my year and I will make the most of it 🙂