A Hello for 2015

Photo taken at The Star 16th December 2014 

Why hello! Hello, hello!
Ahhhh, it feels good to finally start a new post on my blog. The familiar layout sings to me, I've been reminiscing on older posts and I'm back to tweaking the html codes. Yet at the same time it feels a little strange - I've been away for so long that I can't even remember how to re-size my pictures nor the correct colour of my font.
My apologies to all of my readers and friends who have been checking my blog only to find that my last post was about 6 months ago. I am so sorry, but that time away was very important to me. It became apparent to me  that I needed to re-focus on myself and my new life. And now as I write this I feel like a new, inspired and happier Natalie.

So firstly, and most importantly, I quit my job at the casino. I was always wanting to leave this place whether or not I had another job lined up. Above is a photo of myself during my last few days (look at that happy face). Below is a message I wrote for my friends and family over Facebook, and I think it sums up how I was feeling back in December:

"I woke up today at 8am in an attempt to get back into normal 9-5, weekend off mode. I have been at The Star for 3 years and have been on nights for about 18 months straight. I am suffering with no sleep but I am grateful to be moving on with my new life chapter.

I want to thank the kind people who became great friends and who have had a positive influence in my life. There are those who have made me laugh, shared coffees with me, carpooled with, trained with, partied with and have made the long 10 hour 8-6 night shifts dealing stupid baccarat all the more bearable.
I find myself for the first time in a long time pre-making my lunch box (mainly spam sandwiches?) and ironing my own clothes and setting an alarm for 6am to prepare myself for peak hour traffic. And I've just realized I'll be sitting in an office for 8 hours without a 15 minute break every hour (gasp!).

Anyways, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I am sorry I won't be suffering with you all, working beside you during the holidays... But hey, as a lot of people have told me, I found my golden ticket out of here so I will remain positive and keep moving forward.

Thank you everyone (yes, I even include the haters).Enjoy Night Shift. I will be back on my birthday to play just one squeeze Baccarat game and CHOIII and DIIINNNG the crap out of those cards in front of a fresh lumpy dealer. I need to get that out of my system tongue emoti 

I will miss you guys so keep in touch! You know who you are x
Natalie #19621 BJ BA RO"

 This was a turning point. I decided I didn't want to deal games for the rest of my life and to stress with night shift and constantly be on the fight to get my weekends. It just wasn't healthy nor fun. So I started interviewing for other jobs and eventually landed a dream job. I returned to Buying. I was an Assistant buyer at a fashion company a couple of years back so it only seem natural to go in that direction. I started at Costco Australia Head Office two days after I resigned from The Star. And I am so happy.

Another wonderful thing to happen to me is this guy. Hai. He waltzed into my life about a year and a half ago and changed it forever. He cares for me, loves me like nobody ever has, and always makes me smile. My life feels complete with him by my side and when I'm with him I feel at home.

The new job has improved my daily life. I finish work early and I'm home before its dark. It gives me time to catch up on my TV shows, read my books and play my games. Gym has crept back into my life and the exercise has given me a new energy boost. My sleeping patterns has improved immensely. My manual driving is stress-free because of all my solo-driving-practice. I used to carpool and it used to put pressure on me to perfect my skills.

And, these dogs. These dogs are my family and I love them. I have learnt to be more appreciative of these little fur balls especially since they have been great companions these last six months. All three have distinctive personalities that always cheer me up every time I walk through my house door.

And of course, my little blogging holiday was made better with Betty by my side. She has been there for me through everything. I am especially grateful for her presence during the hard time I had towards the end of my last relationship. Even though I ended things it was still quite heart-breaking to handle, but with no judgement and with a full heart she held my hand and never abandoned me.

So there it is, my six months in a nutshell. When I reflect, it seems my life has become quite routine, consistent and tame. I guess you can call it, and I say with amusement, quite 'corny'. And I love it! As spoken by the sincere Kate Winslet in the movie The Holiday: "I like corny, I'm looking for corny in my life". In hindsight she was making perfect sense. I like corny. And I have found corny in my life!

My Christmas Wish List for 2013!

Happy Holidays! Christmas is around the corner once again, and I've composed my favourite things for the season. Remember, I live in Sunny Australia and we celebrate Christmas in the hot sizzling Summer, so don't get confused. I spend my days at the beach or park eating char-grilled corn and lamb chops!

#1 Funkita Underwear: This Melbourne based swimwear company has released a new range of underwear this silly season! The prints are bright and cute, with a comfortable design for your body.

#2 Frank Body Coffee Scrub: This is the perfect body scrub to get your skin smooth and silky for summer. The ex-foliating formula consists of lovely things such as coffee, almond oil, brown sugar and orange to target cellulite and removing dead skin cells

#3 Surf Ski N Dive: This store has some cute Summer Christmas gifts (pineapple candle!) in stock right now. Surf Ski N Dive stock the leading brands for the surf, snow, street and skating culture for years now so you're sure to find the perfect gift.
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#4 Personal Planner Personalised Diary: Personal Planner this year has bought the perfect gift for the new year. You can order your very own personalised diary where the front photo, colour, design, layout and size can be customised in just minutes.

#5 Limecrime Velvetines: I'm always a sucker for lipsticks. Limecrime has come up with this magical formula for a lipstick that goes on wet and dries matte, leaving a velvet finish with bold and opaque colour. Currently comes in Suedeberry, Red velvet and Pink Velvet.

#6 Stonemen Underwear: The underwear this year comes in designs inspired by cities of the world and their skylines and landscapes. The underwear never disappoints and is as comfortable as ever.

#7 Sunseeker Swimwear: This swimwear is just amazing. This year they have released a range with is bold and colourful, with amazing cut out details that hug the skin comfortably. Perfect for the beach!

#8 Jelly Bean Sandals: Jelly Beans are back! These retro babies have been revamped and revitalised this year. These comfortable and summer sandals now come in neon and pastel colours, in glitter and in leopard prints and more!

#9 Stain X-ile Stain Removing Pens: Ever laugh a little hard with that drink in your hand or piece of marinated meat and accidentally drop it into your lap in the heat of the moment? I have. And a little water and tissue is sometimes not enough to remove annoying stains (especially on white). Well with Stain X-ile, a convenient pen tool, I can now remove stains easily and fast once its out of my handbag. So handy, especially since its safe to use on fabrics.

Well that rounds out my Wishlist for the year. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Happy Christmas!

My New Years Day BBQ with Friends 2013

A Personal Event: New Years Day BBQ 2013 with my friends (thanking ING DIRECT and their Wave and Save promotion  for funding my experience)

As most of you know, I started my New Years Day working. I actually started at 4am and ended my shift at 12pm. It meant I had a quiet moment when the clock striked midnight 1st January 2013.
Although I had a quiet night, I was determined to make it a wonderful and fulfilling day. With 10 of my best friends over we set up the Aussie BBQ and grilled sausages, Haloumi cheese, honey soy chicken, prawns and onions. I packed my plate with the meat, home-made creamy potato salad and fruit and ate merrily.
I was humbled by the company of my friends, in which we settled on drinking beers and chilling for the rest of the afternoon. Then, suddenly, my boyfriend's relatives came home carrying a huge bucket full of freshly caught cockles (they are like mini mussels). Too excited, we got pots out and started cooking them - dipping them into salt, pepper, lemon juice and chilli flake mix.
Fuelled with fresh seafood, we taught some of friends the game BEER PONG and from there I can't remember much of the night. Except we challenged each other in at least 20 rounds of the game, and got too drunk to take any more photos or eat any more food. Happy New Year!