The Blogcademy

All photos are by Jel Photography

If you are superstitious in any way shape or form, you know that when you go to an event and you know it just feels right... well this is was how I felt when I went to the Blogcademy! Not only did I meet my idol for the unusual and beautiful, but I meet some amazing people along the way. The Blogcademy is a course that you can take to help make you a better blogger, the content covers not only how to make your blog pretty but also how to make sure your message is getting to the right crowd. I mean at the end of the day if you want certain people to read your blog you have to make sure you are delivering the right content for them to read!! There were many moments throughout the course that I was like... oh I know that, but I just did not know how to articulate it. 

The ladies who took this seminar Gala Darling, Rock N Roll Bride & Nubby Twigglets (aka The Headmistresses) were very informative, funny and their own sparkly individual selves. I walked away from this course wanting to create, design and most of all get my voice out to you!

Take a look at the course I link above and it might just be your cup of tea...I would also like to list the amazing ladies who I was fortunate enough to meet, they have stunning blogs that I want to share with you. So start clicking and enjoy!!

• Danielle 'Devel' Bunkall - her retro inspired clothing label will definitely tempt the shopaholic 
• Sara Satterthwaite aka BusinessBestfriend - not only does Sara talk about business solution she also get some insightful tips
• Bec Brown aka CloudsofColour - has breath taking photos and painting some amazing art!
• Abby Drake - her blogpost are always an interesting read 
• Jasmine Platt - A personal & spiritual development coach, an amazing woman who I really enjoyed chatting too

Enjoy 

Much Love

Z

 

A waywards guide to DTR

I thought since this recently happened to me and is the most popular topic around my circle of friends (both girls and guys); DTR "Defining The Relationship" seems to be the most frustrating topic that both genders are experiencing in the early stages of a relationship.

For both guys and girls this can be quite an awkward stage when you have been with someone for awhile. Not to get to tricky, but my definition of being with someone is you either, hang out a lot with them, speak to them regularly, are affectionate with each other (kissing, hugging and sleeping with one another) and that you have been doing this for a period of time. Oh and of course that this person is the only person you have been doing those interaction with.

Now I thought I would break this down one step further, why do we need to define a relationship? Well from my experience it can save you from a lot of embarrassing scenarios, i.e. when friends ask you if they are your partner/bf/gf and all you can give them is "oh we are sleeping together" or "we are seeing each other but we are not dating". Believe me when I say this but it does wear thin after awhile and having the kind of uncertainty will in the end will drive anyone a bit banana's.

A DTR appears when either one party is unsure about how each other feels about the relationship and are unsure where to head from it. It is important to have some kind of direction with someone, because at the end of the day you can avoid unnecessary events by being clear and that just means you can get on with your life. Think of it as forward planning, without any lose ends.

So you have reached that point that you realised that you need to define the relationship, so now what?

Here are some suggestions about breaching the topic that you can use,

• Slip it into conversation about other friends relationships, maybe use "oh they are just a great couple,are we a great couple?"
• Be straight forward and ask "are we an item?" 
• Go the other direction and make a comment about how its nice being friends and see if they turn around and go "I thought it was more than that?" (pre-warning, you have to be sure with yourself in case they might actually feel it is a more of a casual thing)
• Ask them out "will you be my girl/boyfriend" you could use starters like, I really enjoy hanging out with you or you make me happy to get the ball rolling.

These are only small ideas on the whole scale of things, but if you have been in a similar situation I would love to hear your feedback. Was it good? bad or indifferent?

Much love and happiness

Z 

Procrastionation Day 16th October

Well well, it seems to have been sometime since I had enough material to warrant a procrastination blog post! I have come to admire people who are very consistent at blogging, it is no easy task to say the least. I find that I will only blog about something that inspires me or that I really just want to share with the world cause it made me smile and I definitely all about sharing the laughter.

So since my wardrobe tamming is taking longer than a week I thought I would give a little peak at what I have been reading over the past month, so enjoy this mini adventure!

• This post about how you feel about you ex had a little bit of truth to it for me, what about you?
• I realised that I unconsciously do this, but we should always surround ourselves with powerful like minded people; because it will make us better!
• It was really kind of mind blowing to read this article on how the current and past generation are dealing with competition of popularity.
• As I don't want kids, reading about what parents shouldn't say to non parents made me become more frustrated with people who say these things constantly to me.

Some food for thought really, a bit of light blog reading; but remember enjoy your day and that even though you are procrastinating you are education yourself too!

Peace

Z

Wicked - The Muscial

A musical was definitely on my bucket list of things to do, everyone in there life should try and see a musical; I was really happy I went to a modern one as I think I would not be prepared enough for a classic such as The Phantom of the Opera. I know they are in different genre but it would be best to start out with a musical that had a mixture of drama, comedy and action; it keeps you more interested.

The modern musical I saw was Wicked, the story that was before Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ. It was original a book by Gregory Maguire in which became so popular that it was re written for the stage and boy it now makes me want to go out and buy the book! The cast I saw were highly talented and could sing amazingly, but I guess that is to be expected when it been on Broadway for almost 10 years!! It was also quite fun when we realised that the Wizard was a Kiwi, the whole audience cheered and it made me smile to think that in a semi formal setting we cannot help but applaud and be proud at how well they are doing!!

So take a chance, try something new! I did and I certainly do not have any regrets on that aspect.

Peace

Z

Spring is upon us!

Wherever you may be are in the world, time seems to be going at a rapid pace! The seasons seem to change at blink of an eye. So for the first week of Spring I thought I would give a collaboration of both a procrastination post and a beauty review. Get ready southern hemisphere the sunshine is coming, so get that sunscreen out and floppy hats!

• This article on matte skin is perfect! I love, love, love matte skin... 
• I am in love with Marie Forleo, her vlog on how to follow through has definitely made more focused on how to complete all the projects I start.
• One thing that has surprised me is how my taste varies from the mainstream population, as much as I like current trends as the next woman, I ended up wearing the most peculiar things during the seasons. What I am talking about is this opi nail polish!

Beauty Review

Dove Antiperspirant Deodorant

I was given this as a present from my sister, sometimes the simplest gifts are the best. This is a limited edition spray, though product inside is the same as the normal white packaging only that the money is donated to the pink ribbon foundation. To my surprise there was no white mark in my shirt after wearing it all day, the scent was not harsh and it lasted me a good amount of time, you cannot really review too much on this product unless you go into the details of chemicals in it; which I am not going to do. Reasonably priced if you are looking for a no fuss antiperspirant I say give it a go!

Maybelline Volum'Express Flared Falsies 

This product has been raved about and criticised just as much, I like the packaging of this mascara and the size. What some people do not realise is that it can become annoying having such a large mascara, especially if you want to keep it in your purse as a top up. It lasted all day, however it did flake a little near the end of the night; but by then I don't care how it is I just want to take it off! I am a non waterproof kind of girl, I find it easy to take off this mascara at night and it builds up very nicely to make a fuller voluminous effect. At the pricier end of the drugstore range, for me it has been worth every penny and I haven't yet found a same priced mascara that can beat it. 

Olay Provital Day Cream

As much as I like to deny it, I am aging and as many beauty gurus says your need to start using anti aging cream even before there are signs of wrinkles! Well the first thing I noticed about the product was the smell, it smelt to me like baby powder which is definitely not my kind of smell that I would enjoy...however it has grown on my and I don't mind it anymore. As to application it is easy to spread on and sinks into your skin very quickly without leaving too much shine, with moisturisers that have SPF in them there is always going to be a hint of shine as one of the components that makes up SPF has a shine factor to it. But hey isn't that what powder and foundation are for? make the shine go away?? I am still halfway through this product so I would have to say I do notice that my skin has adapted to this product well, there has been no breakout using this product and my skin does seem to have a little bit more of a glow to it. So I do give it a thumbs up for a basic anti wrinkle cream, not sure how it would benefit someone who is trying to decrease more predominant lines.

Lastly I did find this brief overview of Spring Trends for 2013 my favourite in this clip was the sea foam and pistachio trend, check it out if you want some ideas!!

Until next time,
Peace Out

Z

Graduation

Hey peeps!

I have been so caught up in graduation that I have completely missed keeping you posted, well what can I say, if you ever get the chance to study and graduate do it! The whole process itself was surreal, I couldn't believe I had finally got up on stage and collected my degree. Almost four whole years it took me to acquire this piece of paper, saying that I completed the advance study in the management field. I think everyone will say that their graduation is different from anyone else's and it is! 

AUT winter graduation consisted of the graduates walking down Queen St at 9.30 am, it definitely gives you an ego boost when the main CBD street in Auckland City shuts partly down to allow you to walk up to the centre where the ceremony will be held. I walked with a friend that I had made at the beginning of my degree, we reminiscence about the days where we would meet up for coffee and discuss how we were going to complete an assignment or that we can't wait to graduate. It made it feel more special that I had someone who was experiencing the same thing along side me, we were definitely grinning like Cheshire cats. 

Once we arrived at Aotea Centre, we were greeted by our peers in a traditional Maori welcoming (I am pretty sure it was a welcome or at least an acknowledgement). Then we headed into the centre, I am pretty sure there was about 250 people who graduated along side me; it was surprising how many people were graduating and to think I may have walked pass these people everyday. The funny thing I experienced and I know a few of you will nod your heads in agreement, is when you walk up to the stage you feel like you are in a tunnel and all you can see is the chancellor in front of you. I was told by my friends that quite a few people were cheering for me but low and behold I heard nothing, I was that focused about not tripping I missed the cheering! 

Oh and what I wore to the graduation was a white dress from Cue and plain black flat boots that I picked up from number one shoes. As much as it would have been nice to wear heels, I knew I would not last the day in them if I did. There were some girls wearing 6 inch stellittos and you could see them wobbling as they walked over uneven ground.. maybe I am old fashion but that doesn't seem attractive to me.

Well there is my summary of one of my life changing events, I am now a graduate! ready to take on the world of employment. Stay tuned

Peace Out

Z 

TGIF: Inspirational Weekend Boost

Hey Peeps,

Since it is Friday I thought I would share with you my top 10 inspirational quotes that I have come across in Pinterest. Hope this kicks off your weekend and give you a smile on your dial, promise to get my graduation post up soon! Pre warning this post is going to be a photo overload!!

Have a awesome weekend!

Z