A new year of resolutions

(source : kimsthoughts.com)

It sometimes freaks me out when I think about how Sydney will be celebrating the New Year 11 hours before I will be. The fact that they will already be in 2012 and here in London we will only be in 2011! It makes me feel as if we are in some sort of twilight zone and the possibilities that different people are in different time zones is amazing. 
Then I just come to the realisation that the reason this happens is because the earth revolves around the sun and we all can't be in the one spot at the same time! Do you realise this is how my brain thinks?!

New Years Resolution 1 - Start thinking smarter!  

So, as the New Year approaches its inevitable that we start to think about what resolutions we would like to have for the coming year. Normally they are always about weight, life, exercise and yes mine will probably also be those but I want my bigger focus to be others and leave those as smaller points.


Let's start the list - 


New Year Resolution 1 -  Follow my travel plan and discover the world, Utilise every weekend possible (money pending!) Take photos, eat local cuisine, travel light (so hard to do!) pick up new customs and take home a piece of the place visited.


New Year Resolution 2 - Soak up all aspects in my new job - develop myself, build relationships and skills and ultimately grow within the business.


New Year Resolution 3 - Start focusing on my own personal business dreams following alongside my career. Always make time to keep writing & posting, drawing & developing, buying & creating. A passion should become a career.


New Year Resolution 4 - Ring home more often! I have become very slack with this. I blame it on the time zone difference (see it really controls my life!). 


New Year Resolution 5 - Share my day and discuss what happened in more detail with my partner. Sometimes little things like this are taken for granted and I will make sure that doesn't happen this year!


I probably could continue but really I think its nice to focus on a few. Other things should just be part of your everyday life. 
Now that I have written my 5 resolutions on this blog, you are all witnesses and have the right to question me to see if I am keeping up with them!
I hope that I can share with you soon bits and pieces and tick off my list in record time!


So...

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

Spend the night with people you love and celebrate the year ahead together! 

xx Karina

I blame the festive season

What has been going on? I have been very slack in posting recently but I do blame the festive season and all the crazy, wonderful things I have ben doing.
The season started off with Angela's Christmas Party and ended with our work Christmas party (which was last night).
Both nights lived up to their expectations proving the connection we have as friends strong and extremely funny!
So, as the New Year approaches I look forward to many more wonderful times celebrating, laughing, dancing and sharing together!

Here are a few pics for your light entertainment...


Angela's Christmas Party

Work Christmas Party

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year! Thank you for taking the time to read and enjoy my blog.
I look forward to sharing the many new and exciting inspirations and loves of my life.


My Christmas this year was spent with wonderful friends and family eating way too much food, dressing up very Christmassy and having lots of laughs!
To them I say thank you xx

Day of disappointments

It was a day of disappointments but a ray of sunshine did come through at the end.
Now to add onto all of this I am a bit sick the moment and I am extremely busy with work (Christmas, late trade and sales - eww!) my body is exhausted and wanting Christmas to be here. But you see if Christmas arrives too soon then I won't be ready in time! Life is such a catch 22!
So back to my day...I had a few appointments to get through today, one being my dress for the engagement. I recently found a vintage shop that reproduces vintage gowns and I picked out an amazing white one hoping for it to be remade. So I trekked into the store, after speaking on the phone prior with the sales assistant saying that this would be possible to do. When I arrived the seamstress started saying in a very round-about away that she can't remember the dress and that she wouldn't be able to do it. I became very disappointed. I only have 4 weeks until the party and now I had to start from scratch! I think the most annoying part was that at first I was told that this could happen and that was the reason why I went in.
So I decided to leave and dragged my feet behind me in search for a new dress! Walking around Brick Lane in the rain I went into a few of the vintage stores, but nothing was nice....until I came across House of Vintage.
Shopping for me has to be a whole package. A beautiful store, lovely garments and amazing staff. I love when someone who works there offers thier help and opinions and gives you ideas. I was very impressed by this store, there were so many dresses that I LOVED! But finally I got it down to two.
Two gorgeous dresses in vivid colours, but that two had to become one.
And this one, I love!

Christmas spirit

The dreaded flu has hit but I can't let it stop me!
So to get me through the night I got myself into the Christmas spirit.
I went with the theme of red and white and stocked up on Christmas baubles and strung them across the window.
Now all I need is a sight of snow through the sparkle and shine of my Christmas view.

Santacon

I completely forgot to mention that on the weekend I was in central London for the car free shopping day on Regent street and on this day to my surprise there were a thousand Santa's roaming the streets.
Out of curiosity, when I went home I searched online to figure out what was going on. Twitter let me know of Santacon.
Santacon is all about spreading the Christmas cheer and gathering people together. Check out the website to see exactly what they are all about.

http://www.santacon.co.uk/what-is-santacon/

Christmas love

Feeling the Christmas spirit today so I thought I would share with you a few of my favourite Christmas quotes.

'Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends' Margaret Thatcher

'Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas time' Laura Ingalls Wilder

'May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love' Unknown

Did you know?

Christmas songs are playing in stores and on TV and my most favourite song of all time fills my ears and makes me very happy. The song I hear you ask is 'Last Christmas' from WHAM. This song ultimately makes me say out loud and share my love for George Michael to anyone nearby. Often this admittance is responded with a curious look at the fact of my love for George. This made me realise how many little secrets like that do I have?

I thought I might share a few with you that maybe some might know and some might not. I think that each of these have shaped my upbringing or paved my life.



1.
My love for George Michael. I have loved him for some time. I love all his songs, his moves and his life story. I find that I can sing along and feel uplifted when his songs play. I like his first life in WHAM and then his second life as George Michael, after he came out.


2.
I only started reading books non stop about 2-3 years ago and what made me start reading were the Twilight books. I started reading the books at work with a few workmates and just kept going. We became quite obsessed and started a book club. Now I enjoy reading before bed. I read classics to autobiography to love stories. I actually really like submerging myself and imagining what's going on.


3.
I used to be in the Brownies and Girl Guides. I joined when I was about 9 or 10years old. I joined because I missed out of joining netball. I really enjoyed going, as we would do arts and crafts, work for badges, play games and go on camps (ok I didn't love these). Brownies and Girl Guides allowed me to meet lots of great people and helped me to become more confident.

4.
After school I was accepted into University to do Social Work. I deferred for a year and really concentrated on my love of the fashion industry. I knew that I wanted to be in the fashion industry but was also interested in helping people.

5.

I use to play 'schools' with my dog Houdini in the backyard. I use to put a jumper and a backpack filled with books on his back. I can't believe he allowed me to do this. He would actually walk around with me also. I would constantly make up games, talk to imaginary people and I really quite enjoyed this. I think having this type of creativity and imagination was great to help me be creative now in life.

Well there are a few little secrets for you. Do you see these secrets from my past in my traits as an adult?

A day behind

Yesterday was my last day off before my next 6 in a row. That's what happens with Christmas and retail.
So to enjoy my last day I vowed to make the most of it.


It all started with a spin session at the gym. Since moving to the NW I signed up to the local fitness centre to ensure the 'Heathrow Injection' didn't bite at my feet. It was also to keep me active and healthy coming up to the winter months. After the intense workout I grabbed a coffee, did a few errands and headed home to do some work - only to find out the Internet wasn't working, making my posts a day behind.
Since the Internet wasn't being my friend I decided to head into central London to try and do some Christmas shopping. I know that it is only going to get busier and my timing is short so any spare moment to try and find a few presents was key. I actually managed to find a few and clarified other things I was going to buy for people.

I am actually getting excited by Christmas, its only two weeks away and I was hoping for a white Christmas (as you all know!) but for some reason I don't think it is going to happen. It has gotten dramatically colder in London recently but I don't think it is yet at that point to snow.


So all I have to do is get through these next 6 days to enjoy a couple off and then back it up with a few more and then its Christmas!!


Merry Christmas!! I like that I can start saying this now!

Invitation inspiration

So the engagement venue is booked -tick! Now it's time for the invitations.
I am actually very lucky, as a friend Angela from work boyfriend, Alessio is a graphic designer and amazingly Angela has convinced him to help out ;).
You see, I can always come up with ideas I like that I gain from inspirations I've collected along the way but the hard part for me is putting it all together on a program to create the final product. This is where Alessio steps in.
Alessio has all my inspiration pictures and thoughts and this weekend we are getting together and deciding the final product.

I am very excited and watch your mail boxes!


Some of my main inspiration below -

What a day!

I have been here for 9 months and the gypsies have hit! And I don't mean 'My big fat gypsy wedding' gypsies.(although I have come across those gypsies before in the tube and my goodness what a commotion they caused), my visit today was by the stealing kind.

You know, you kind of expect them to be in Rome or Paris but now my friends they are overtaking St Paul's.

I had a late start this morning so I went to the gym and then headed in for lunch before work. I was sitting and enjoying my £11 lunch (yes I know £11 lunch!) when this strange couple walked in. I was minding my own business using my phone searching on the Internet. The guy then came over to me and straight away made me uncomfortable coming too close and asking me in another language for directions. As he was doing this he was moving a piece of paper in front of my face. Automatically alarm bells range for me - first of all he was coming too close so I was backing away, second the paper that he was holding was all wrinkled and was a tube map of the Piccadilly line (um, St Paul's is on the central line - at least get yourself a proper map) and third he kept asking the same thing until I looked down and I held my hand out over my phone, pushed his hand back and said 'No I don't know, No' to him.

They made me so angry! How easily I could have been fooled. I am actually quite thank full that I have a good sense of what is going on around me (thanks to my dad who always says to think ahead and be aware).

After checking everything was still in my possession (ring included) I headed to work furious the day started off so abruptly! So if your in the St Paul's area - be warned!

Trips on my mind

I've got a New York state of mind at the moment and thoughts have turned to preparations for many trips away next year.

One of the main reasons we moved to the UK was to travel. We started off strong heading away most spare weekends but now we have slowed down quite a bit. I guess that is mainly due to saving, the daily grind and the cold weather, but really we shouldn't have that excuse.

A lot of people say that when they are here they start settling and the idea of travelling is taken over by everyday things.

So to ensure this doesn't happen to us I have started to plan next years adventures.

January - Heading home to Australia

February - Fingers crossed its Florence with Peppy & Mia

March - Jenni's visit and NY

April/May - F1 somewhere

June/July - Euro cup..Poland I think

August/September - Spain

October - UK weekend trip

November - Istanbul??

Oohh and still so more to think about...

New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of..

7 years

So 7 years together, some would say that a milestone, some would say an itch, I say here's to many more.

I can still remember the night we met clearly and I know he can too and still every year we talk about how we crossed paths and enjoy each others company while looking forward to many more.

Unfortunately I had to work on Saturday and wasn't receiving any of my man's texts making me very annoyed at the fact that he forgot to organise anything. Finally I got through to him once work was finished and found out we were heading to Gaucho in Hampstead. Gaucho is an amazing Argentinian restaurant located throughout London with a great reputation and it most definitely satisfied.

After our three courses we headed home, seeing that a movie would be missed. And to my surprise at home there were flowers!!!

After 7 years I am stilled surprised and loved!

http://www.gauchorestaurants.co.uk/

My new love

My computer finally went to heaven, but that meant I got a nice new shiny one and I am in love with it. I decided to go for a smaller 13 inch laptop compared to my previous 15inch, which I think will serve me better especially when I am on the move.

Looking forward to spending lots of nights together conjuring up amazing ideas.

I heart you new computer...

The most wonderful picture of Marilyn Monroe...