The Boat House, Balmoral Beach

Despite all the photos of the beach in the last few posts, I actually never go in the water. I'm not much of a beach person (I know, how un-Australian of me) and I can't really understand people who lie in the sun to get a tan.  It's so hot! I don't like the feeling of the hot sun rays hitting my skin, plus it doesn't help when I get weird blotches instead of a nice even tan (I did have a tanning phase in my early-twenties, never again). Then again, I prefer the cool season over summer.
I do appreciate the beauty of Australian beaches though! I love walking along the water and then stumbling across a nice cafe nearby for brunch, like we did at Balmoral Beach. Perfect way to spend a summer weekend.
Ah, how I long for the weekend. Just three more days to go.

New years break 2014

Happy New Year!

I've had a great year-end break so far! Let's see what I've been up to from December 2013:

- Went to the Blue Mountains Hot Springs on 14 Dec as my Christmas present from the wonderful bf :)
- Barbecues and dinner on Christmas day.
- Boxing day shopping craziness at Pitt St Mall, never again!
- Icecream at Bar Italia, Leichardt.
- Bike riding at Bicentennial Park which was a lot of fun and a great work out.
- Bargain shopping at DFO, Homebush.
- Korean bbq at 678 Korean restaurant for my little brother's 21st!
- Brunch at Reubens and Bill's.
- Fireworks at the Entrance with friends on NYE

And to start off 2014, I'm off to go camping at Coolendel tomorrow! Bushwalking, canoeing, tents, campfires and all! I have a few rolls of film to develop already, can't wait to share all the photos.

Hope everyone has had a great start to 2014!

My plans for 2014

I've neglected this blog (once again) for a few months. Hope everyone (or anyone) reading my blog are all well and swell! It's almost the end of 2013 and christmas decorations are in full swing everywhere. At this time of the year, I usually look back and think, 'What?! It's already the end of the year? I feel like I've achieved nothing! No memories!' But years 2012 and 2013 were good to me. I want to write a separate post outlining the highlights of each month. That would be a nice ride down memory lane and an opportunity to be grateful for all that has happened :)

I really can't wait for 2014. I'm planning to finally move to London! 

The reason why I say 'finally' is because I've always wanted to do this since my uni days but after graduation I felt like I needed to gain more experience and save up some more money. So after 20 months since graduation, I feel more confident handing out my resume and digging into my savings account for the big move. All this time I've been thinking about it and focusing on savings and gaining experience, but now that I only have 3 months to go (I'm planning to leave at the end of March) and actually have a list of to-do's for each month it is quite nerve-racking and scary! There's always this thought in the back of my mind saying 'What if I can't find a job?', 'What if I hate my roommates and sharing a place with people?', 'What if I run out of money?', 'What if I find a crappy job that does nothing for my career?', 'What if it's better to seek stability, get married and stay in Sydney?', 'What if 'What if I get paid half of what I'm paying now?' - it goes on and on! Gah!

However, as Paul Coehlo says, "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure".  Gosh, I love that book. I think I'll read the Alchemist again for some motivation. Anyway, yes, I will not allow my fear of failure get in the way of achieving this dream that I've thought about for so long! I can't wait to experience living abroad again and travel around Europe. I'm going to make it the best two years of my twenties. 

I'm thinking of creating a separate blog about my preparation and, once I'm there, my life in London. I've read so many helpful blogs about moving to London and I'd really love to give back and help another person out there in the world on the same boat as me, to encourage and prepare them for their big move. I guess I'm quite attached to this one that has archives from 2008. Wow, that's already 5 years ago. Wow, I've had this blog for 5 years. 

What to do...perhaps I'll create a domain such as, 'lifeinlondon.com' or 'hannathewanderlust.com'. Does that sound cheesy or even make sense? 

It would be nice for the purpose of ticking things off my list to record everything online. 

I'll try to figure out a way to export the contents on this blog to a new domain. 

I'll let ya'll know.

It's so exciting but scary at the same time. Hope to share my journey with you guys!

The Good Living Growers' Market, Sydney

Four days of work + three assignments due this week = I am officially attached to another object by an inclined plane wrapped helically around an axis!

A.k.a I am officially screwed!


I wish February 2012 would hurry and arrive already!

Lesser photographer

It's nice to know there are people out there with the same view when it comes to 'photography'.

A Lesser Photographer is a great concept which I totally agree with! You can have the latest gear, equipment and post-processing technique but it doesn't mean it will guarantee the best image nor does it immediately classify you as a 'professional photographer'.

It's simple. It's about the photo, not the camera.
Some of my favourite images on this blog are from my trusty Panasonic point-and-shoot camera (here, here and here).

I was contemplating on whether I should spend 2k on a Nikon d7000 or use it on my trip to London, but after reading this from the Lesser Photographer, I have decided to save it for the 'diversity of my image library' and make the most out of the cameras I have now ;)

$1200 could buy you the latest prosumer DSLR body or a plane ticket to place you’ve never been, with change to spare for a guide. Which would add more to your life experience and to the diversity of your image library? There are plenty of very fashionable photographers with little in their images to showfor it.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost - poem

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

By Robert Frost

Getting Old

You know you're getting older when you now no longer order a mocha caramelatte and, instead, a latte with no sugar becomes your morning fix; you prefer tea without milk or sugar; you crave a '2&5' Vit A fruit juice instead of your usual 'strawberry squeeze' smoothie at Boost Juice; and when a cup of green tea before bed becomes a daily ritual...
Hello mid-twenties.

Woah.

I don't think I have been this BUSY before. It's a "good" busy though. Apart from being constantly tired, there's a positive energy to everything that I'm doing. It's fun!
The downside is that I don't have much time to take photos. I'm thinking of taking my camera everywhere to capture the everyday things around me.

Also thinking of going overseas at the end of this year. Figuring out dates and finances at the moment but hopefully I can book that ticket before November!

The Alchemist

I just finished 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho and there could not have been a better time to have read it. The simple yet profound message on following one's heart, on tackling the fear of failure when pursuing one's dream and to live and appreciate life in the present was so enchanting in the allegorical narrative of Santiago's adventures. Wow, the memories of my heart filling up with possibilities and inspiration as I immersed myself in the book to and fro from work on the train will leave a great impression on me for a some time.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the book:

- "My heart is a traitor," the boy said to the alchemist, when they had paused to rest the horses. "It doesn't want me to go on."

"That makes sense," the alchemist answered. "Naturally it's afraid that, in pursuing your dream, you might lose everything you've won." 

"Well, then, why should I listen to my heart?"

"Because you will never again be able to keep it quiet. Even if you pretend not to have heard what it tells you, it will always be there inside you, repeating to you what you're thinking about life and about the world."

"You mean I should listen, even if it's treasonous?

"Treason is a blow that comes unexpectedly. If you know your heart well, it will never be able to do that to you. Because you'll know its dreams and wishes, and will know how to deal with them. You will never be able to escape from your heart. So it's better to listen to what it has to say. That way, you'll never have to fear an unanticipated blow." 

- "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity"  

- "When I have been truly searching for my treasure, every day has been luminous, because I've known that every hour was a part of the dream I would find it. When I have been truly searching for my treasure, I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve."
  

- "Because I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now."  

- "There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure"

Rozelle Markets & Harry Potter

I bought a sewing machine for $50 at Rozelle Markets. Score! It works great too! Made a book cover with some scraps lying around the house and then bought some more fabric from Lindcraft. What to make next...

I watched the final instalment of Harry Potter today. It was brilliant! By far the best HP movie IMO.
Must say it is quite bittersweet to think that there will be no more new HP book or movie releases.

I haven't touched my DSLR in ages because film is so much more fun! I always have loved film (with my Olympus Trip, Gakkenflex TLR, Holga etc) but my Yashica SLR camera has made it all the more enjoyable. I was going to write a lengthy post to elaborate but Hei Astrid's wonderful series on 'Why do you shoot film' and the 60+ responses from film photography enthusiasts articulates the many reasons why I personally enjoy shooting with film, each explanation touching a chord, that I don't feel the need to write a separate post.
Click here.
Enjoy :)

Simplicity - Books - Bookshelf - Yashica SLR film camera

On a rainy day all I want to do is stay indoors with a warm cup of tea, snuggled inside my heated electric blanket on my comfy bed with a good book.

Why Men Cheat

I came across an interesting article written by author Peadar de Burca (male) who interviewed 250 unfaithful men to find out why they, and other men, cheat. Here are a few excerpts from the article:

Why did I interview these men? I wanted to find out why men cheat so that I wouldn't make any mistakes when I met the woman I loved.
The media glorifies seemingly potent, powerful men - Clinton, Rooney, Jagger - no matter how they misbehave. But let me show you what real cheats are like. They're not vital or confident, not deep down. They are the most miserable men on earth. A man who cheats is not a man who is secured by the ballast of maturity and empathy. Many women don't spot these defects. And many women are surprised to know that cheating has little to do with sex. The men I talked to spoke more of 'new experiences'...

What animated their stories was being born again in another's eyes. A new woman meant a new them: briefly they could stop being their old hated self.
What doesn't fade is the thrill of having a secret life, a parallel universe where they are the stars in a movie that is dramatic, full of hidden moments and original scents. The life domestic becomes the life fantastic. Most cheats are escaping the mundane. But the worst ones need to escape themselves.
The persistent cheats want to flee themselves because they hate themselves. They aren't happy. One word to describe a cheat? Insecure. Regardless of looks or income, these men are lacking.

To date, I've spoken to almost 100 women who've been cheated on. Their stories are passionate and honest. Some women were inspring: they moved on from the cheats and blossomed. But many didn't value themselves enough to do anything but put up with it.
While I appreciate the reasons women gave for giving a second chance, I'm not buying them. Money, children, the length of time spent with their husband...these have all been mentioned, but what it really comes down to is belief - many women find it impossible to believe they can go it alone. Here's the news from the front line: most forgiven cheats don't stop. I only met one who did and that was because he became too ill to philander. Cheats are cowards and they exploit weakness. But they fear strength...

I talked to all nationalities. One was a 28-year-old Frenchman called Guy. Not a witty, urban charmer but an uncouth lump, whose face reminded me of a sofa one too many people have sat on. He had one useful feature: self-awareness. 'A man like me, a man who cheats, is a man who tells them everything, but gives them nothing,' he said. A man's actions define him, not his words. It's not what he says to you, it's what he does for you. ' But many women, they like the man who is selfish, they like the man who has problems,' said Guy, who looked like he had many...

You want to know how a man will behave in a relationship? Watch how he behaves around the people who raised him, don't just listen to what he says. How does he interact with his sisters, his mother? How does he value them? The men I talked to showed a startling lack of respect when reflecting on theirs.  

Don't focus on his job or income, focus on his energy. Does he make time for those that are close to him? Watch. Maybe you'll find that you do indeed have someone who is interested in being the sort of man that thinks of others rather than his own selfish pleasure.  

My research has been turned into a play and soon a book. I hope both will help women believe they can demand a certain standard and behaviour from their men.

 

Icecream truck photos - Yashica SLR film camera

Every time I see a pink ice-cream van it reminds me of my childhood.

Sydney CBD and Queen Victoria Building (QVB) - Yashica SLR film camera

On the weekend, R and I went to Newtown and it pleasantly reminded me of Jiyugaoka with the interesting arts and book shops, vintage stores and cute little cafes! This is what I was looking for!
One of the things I really enjoy doing in my spare time is going for a walk, going to art and book shops, indulging myself with photography books, scavenging through flea markets and taking photos of interesting things I see. It makes my heart happy when I go into a beautifully fitted shop, stocked with pretty stationery, unique design items, an array of art and photography books on display and other one-of-a-kind vintage stock. It's strange how I'm hesitant on  spending $80 on a pair of shoes but happily swipe my debit card away on a $60 photo book (which I did on Sunday, 'tis splendid!). My mum used to tell me that as a kid, I'd always whinge asking her to buy me another picture book at the supermarket instead of going to the toy section like other normal kids. Perhaps things never change ;)

Now that I only have ten more days left until I start my new job and uni again, I think I will check out several inner-city suburbs like Newtown, Glebe and Surry Hills! Life is sweet!

On a random note, had dinner with D and T today and he asked, "When did you start taking photos all of a sudden?" and I replied, "Um...well, according to the blog it says I started since 2008 but I never told anyone about it at first." haha wow..2008 seems so long ago. I was 21 then. Now I'm heading towards my mid twenties. Sob.

Eerie - Yashica SLR film camera

Ten more days of freedom.
This time it's different.

Sydney trains - Yashica SLR film camera

By the way, this is one of the old train carriages. Click here (a post from early last year) to see a slight glimpse of the new "millenium" trains we have in Sydney :)

Macquarie Point #2

As much as I do complain about Sydney being small and boring, it really is a beautiful city.

Macquarie Point, Sydney - Yashica SLR film camera

Before catching up with J, I went on a walk around the city and eventually went all the way to Macquarie Point at the perfect time - during sunset. It was really quite stunning.

I have more photos from that walk (second roll with my Yashica) and will post them up eventually.