January | A Month in Review

Hey everyone, I'm finally out of my Christmas food coma. Happy New Year (yes, I know it's February) - can you all believe it's 2018?

I hope your start to 2018 was great, I'd love to know what everyone got up to. Possibly, it may have been so good that you don't remember 😉

I was lucky enough to be on the P&O Pacific Explorer over the New Year with my family, where we sailed off to the New Caledonia islands and enjoyed food, cocktails and had a good partayy!

First port was the lovely island of Noumea where we took a tour of the island and relaxed by the beach. It was bliss. 😎🌞

Third port was Isle of Pines, which despite being overcast, was a beautiful day. We sat by the beach (again), drank coconut water & pulled out some light reading material.

Our last port was Mare, which I ranked my favourite of them all. We took a beautiful scenic drive to the private beach, laid out our towels and basked out in the shade to a beautiful blue view. There were no complaints. Minus, the blue bottles that were aggrivating the 'fearless' swimmers.

If you have never been on a cruise and have the means to do so, I recommend you book yourself a trip! It's great way to have a bit of a digital detox (you can get internet onboard, if you wish) and not have to worry about the mundane on-land issues of taxis, who's deso, who's cooking, etc., and just have fun.

Like all good things, they must come to an end. Returning home was a tad bit difficult, as I now had to face the reality that I can no longer say I'm a 'student', but rather, I'm a graduate looking for employment. Lets just say the job application process can be quite a stab to ones ego. Positive thinking Hannah - onwards & upwards. I'm sure other students are in the same predicament - maybe we should make a support group.

However, I was lucky enough to have my best friend and girlfriend whisk me away for a few days for a girls long weekend in the city. It was a much needed break from the applications and a great few days full of fun with the gals. Plus, I got to feed a giraffe - it was magical!

Bits & Bobs

Bondi Sands SPF 30 Sunscreen Oil & Sun Bum SPF 50 Original Spray Sunscreen 

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, it is estimated that over 14,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in 2018, making up for more than 10% of cancer diagnoses.

Source: PartridgeGp

These statistics are an all too scary reality of what damage exposure to the sun can do to our skin - plus when we live in a place like Australia, which is geographically located closer to that ozone hole located over the Antarctic, those UV rays hit us harder and faster than our neighbouring countries... and frankly, I would rather be a naturally pale ghost than face the trauma of a melanoma diagnosis. 

So, I made it my aim before I set sail that I wouldn't get burnt and stock up on sunscreen.

Source: Bondi Beauty

The girls from Portobello PR introduced me to the amazing range of sunscreens from Sun Bum and Bondi Sands, and they honestly smell and feel incredible. Plus, they do the job. It's a win win! Smelling like a piña colada and not getting burnt over the holidays was amazing! 

I've Been Binge Watching...

Victoria | Season 1

Source: UD News

Yet again I found myself this month watching bingeing on another period drama, 'cause you can never really have enough!

This series follows the life of Queen Victoria in the early parts of her incredible 63 year reign - where we see her succession on the throne as well as her marriage to Price Albert.

Through this series we get to take a look at the transitions an 18 year old must go through being placed on the throne at such a young age, the tug-of-war between duty and love and what it takes to prove people of your power as a female placed in charge. It's hella empowering.

This is only season one (I believe there are another two seasons), but I am already finding Queen Victoria to be the more 'bad-ass' of the royals and I'm livin' for it.

Mind you, Lord Melbourne (played by Rufus Sewell) is actually quite good looking, which doesn't go unnoticed by the Queen - she is only human. ;) 

I'd love to read more on what the second longest reigning Queen was like and what influence she had, with great power comes great responsibility and I think she wore that like a badge of honour.

Where to watch: Netflix (only Season 1 at this stage)

The Sinner

Source: Zimbio 

As soon as I saw the trailer for The Sinner I knew I couldn't pass up on watching this crime/mystery drama series. However, I didn't quite prepare myself for what laid ahead, which was a lot of mind f*ckery (excuse my french) and some quite confronting plot twists. That being said, it is definitely worth it - especially if psychotic crime related events are in your interests (just don't write that in your Tinder bio).

Until now I'd never really rated Jessica Biel as an actress who'd taken on many compelling roles, so seeing her take up this role and deliver with such a powerful performance really surprised me - in the best way possible. Her ability to become Cora Tanetti, a woman who for unknown reasons stabs a random civilian to death at a public beach, takes a lot of gusto. You may think I've already spoiled the show in revealing this detail, but actually, the detail is in what led Cora to do what she did and in uncovering things from her past that are unknown to her and those around her - till now. 

Based on a novel of the same name by Petra Hammesfahr, the series has been adapted (with a few minor changes) into this Netflix drama. Supposedly the book was more intense, with the series being 'toned down' - so the book must be pretty f*cked up. Whether you choose to read the book, enjoy the TV series or participate in both, I think it could be something that makes your favourites list this month.

Where to watch - Netflix 

Flipping through... 

Big Magic - Elizabeth Gilbert

Unlike a lot of those who have picked up this book I have not previously had the privilege of reading Gilbert's work. Mind you, I plan on changing that in the near future. 

I found Big Magic to be a book that was very easy to digest and pick up - no matter what time of the day it was or what mood I found myself in. Gilbert hasn't fluffed around with fancy language in an attempt to confuse or impress, but rather address this wildly unexplored concept and delve into what she believes to be 'big magic'. 
 
As someone who considers themselves a creative person, being a writer/journalist, this book more than anything was a huge anxiety reliever. The best upper you could ever take. It acted as a reminder that whether you succeed or not, whether you are acknowledged or not, whether you fail - that creativity will always be with you, even when/if you feel like all is lost.

Yes, you may DO need to work hard. 

Yes, you might not be able to make it your livelihood.

However, you should never let the fear of those things stop you from letting creativity run it's course. The hurdles that you face only act as minor infractions and may, in fact, make you more thankful and appreciative for the outcome in the long run. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and reading this book. It was melancholy (which some may find overbearing), but I feel that any creative spirit will find some part of this book worthwhile and liberating.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 - Speaks from the heart & touched mine.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck! - Mark Manson

On a similar note, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck! looks at life from quite a nonchalant point of view (a bit different from that of Gilbert).

Mark Manson has taken a very anecdotal and matter-of-fact tone with this book, pulling up times in his life where he really should've stopped giving a f*ck but by learning to not give a toss, we inevitably do, and that loop continues and spirals inevitably (and sometimes out of control). Manson in this book explains that there are things (to an extent) that will always be out of our control and learning to accept that, gets us closer to the paradise of not giving a f*ck.

This book isn't your traditional self-help book, I would go so far as to say it is more of a life-guide companion to keep you in check and remind you by trying not to give a f*ck you have to give a f*ck. Your mind is blown right?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 -  A masterful piece of irony, intuition & hard hitting truths.

Listening To...

Okay usually I'd like to ramble on a bit more about my music faves, but I'll keep this month short because I've already bored you to tears with my ramblings above. Short & sweet Hannah - here we go.

1. The Greatest Showman was an absolutely incredible demonstration of sheer musical brilliance, the movie was great but the music (undoubtedly) was the show-stopper. I cried - god dammit Hugh Jackman! 'Never Enough' by Loren Allred was my personal favourite *cue ugly crying face* - you can check it out below...

2. I became obsessed with Bruno Mars' '24K Magic' album this month. I have owned it on vinyl for a while, listening to it here and there, but in January it seems I just kept putting the needle on it. Plus, the 'Finesse' track feat. Cardi B is just poppin'!

Some of my favourite tracks from the month can be found in the playlist below...

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