Tuesday, 2 April 2013

The Next Chapter - Melbourne



Well as many of you know by now I have decided to move to Melbourne in May. I'm one of those people that 'follows signs in life' and it's funny how one thing happens and starts a new thought process which is followed by a few more things happening supporting that new thought process (if that makes sense!) I just realised that my blog is now two years old. My first few posts are about leaving my previous job, the big 2-5 and preparing to head overseas and two years later I find myself in a similar scenario all over again, moving overseas, leaving family, having to find a new job, house etc I never seem to do just one thing at a time! But I figure that if I can move to London where I knew less than 5 people and land a job within a month then I can move to Melbourne where I have close friends and a bit more security waiting for me. I'm definitely at a point where I am wondering what to do next. Where do I want my career to go? What do I really want to do? I have a homeware and fashion background behind me now, where do you go from there? A lot of people go through life not really knowing what they want to do where as I have the opposite problem - I want to do too many things. I have the usual nerves and 'what if' questions floating through my head but I have worked hard to achieve everything that I have and am working on a website so I will be able to freelance and gain more variety in my work. I figure if I am prepared for my move as much as I can be then the rest will follow as it is meant to.

In the weekend my Uncle asked me what I would do if I won the lotto. Apart from the usual financial securities I said I would love to open a bakeshop. I have always loved baking and find it not only relaxing but a way to create as well. So now my latest idea is to start a blog around sweet creations and also sell at a stall with my bestie Ash who has already agreed to come on board - she is a lawyer who is also at a 'where do I go from here' point in her life. So while we figure it out, we shall bake!

Along with all this change, I feel it is also time to say farewell to my big OE blog especially as I won't be doing as much travel from the land of Aus. I did think of creating a new one as I will be exploring Australia and also heading to South East Asia at the end of the year but as time goes on I feel myself becoming more private and I want to focus my blogging and future endeavours on my work projects rather than my personal life.

I am so grateful for this blog and I want to thank everyone that has followed me on my journey - I have had the best two years of my life. I may even download my blog and design a book of my big OE (there we go again, something else to work on!)

I hope you have all enjoyed my journey and maybe it has inspired you to do some more travel of your own or take a leap of faith and start something new that you have always dreamed of doing. There is no such thing as luck and as Lucius Annaeus Seneca famously quoted: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

So work hard, stop wishing and start doing! Thanks again and take care xx



Easter Weekend


I hope everyone had as much fun over Easter as I did! I got to see most of my family and spend some good quality time with them before I leave the UK. We went ice skating on the Thursday night with over 12 of us going (I lose count there are just too many!) I hadn't been on the ice since my teens but got the hang of it pretty quick with a few 5 year olds helping me along the way! I also got to see a few of my my wee cousins in their Easter play and there is a photo of Summer (top right) after she had finished her performance - so sweet! We all just had a big chill weekend really and my Auntie Ali baked up a storm for a fundraiser at her work so we went along to that to support her while they raised some serious money! I stayed with my Auntie Anne and Uncle Eric who make sure I am fed 24/7 and are always laughing at something (mainly at me when I am there!) I appreciate every minute I get with my family and I am envious of people who are always around their's because there is such a sense of security and happiness that comes from spending time with loved ones and I feel like I have finally experienced what it is like to be a part of big family. My heart was breaking when I left yesterday, all the children are just beautiful little people who welcome you with so much love every time they set eyes on you and it will be hard not seeing them as frequently as I have been. 3 more weeks in London to go!