Pink bits

Anyone who knows me will know that I harbour an unconditional love for all things bold and bright.

My wardrobe contains every shade of the rainbow and when colour blocking came in, it made my year.

So, you can imagine my sheer excitement when I spotted this absolute GEM  in Forever 21 during a recent day trip to San Francisco.

It was lust at first site. For a measly US$16.80, I had to have this statement piece under my arm IMMEDIATELY. 

This little neon acquisition paired with today's arrival of my Victoria's Secret spring break order has me feeling very rosy indeed. 

I was momentarily devastated to see my rainbow Push-up Triangle Top with Sexy Brief Bottoms - available at http://www.victoriassecret.com/swimwear -  didn't look quite as good on me as they did on the VS Angel. Curse my lack of long limbs! 

Still, i'm stoked with my new purchases. 

Don't they look cute together? 

Snow days

Last weekend, my gal pals and I got lucky.

Some friends from back home were road tripping around the finest slopes in the States. In a late night facebook conversation they spontaneously (and as we were later informed – drunkenly) made us an offer we couldn’t refuse; to accompany them during their last few days at one of America’s most renowned holiday destinations.

Pick up arrangements were made, bags were packed haphazardly and homework was rushed.

Lake Tahoe was calling.

The following morning, we thanked our dedicated drivers with Jamba Juice and copious amounts of cookies as we piled into their big American Chevy.

Five hours, some gridlocked traffic, a wrong turn and a few sugar highs later… we arrived in a quaint town with cosy lodges and fairy lights on every rooftop. Vodka Red Bulls were inhaled and the games began.

In true Aussie-style, we rose bright an early the next day on only a couple of hours sleep to hit the slopes at Heavenly.

In between sliding into a fence and falling over causing a human traffic jam, my initial skiing performance screamed beginner.  But, after a few hours with a ski instructor (for only $135… the cheapest rate to get on the mountain) I managed to get the hang of it! 

 

Bottom line: Lake Tahoe is a must-do. Scroll down to see for yourself. 

Big shout outs to Kev – our spirited chauffer, Chris and Nick – his loyal shotgun riders, and Franko – the best chef ever.

CHEERS BOYS!

Smells like college spirit

Welcome to my new world. A wonderful place where;

• Houses are tagged with huge greek symbols
• Vodka comes in 2L bottles at $25 a pop 
• Beer Pong champion is a coveted title
• There is a seemingly constant smell of weed lingering in the hallways
• It's actually cool to wear a hoodie with your uni's initials on it
• Pre-drinking is called 'pre-gaming' and people start at 7pm, not 11pm
• $5 gets you a novelty sized slice of pizza AND a t-shirt
• Activities such as pilates and yoga are considered subjects
• Ben & Jerry's is served in waffle cones 
• Every weekend is a 3 day weekend
• The campus is so big that people ride bikes and skateboards to get to their next class
• House parties have taken the place of clubs, and
• The best way to drink beer is from a keg whilst being dangled upside down (and YES - this does mean i have accomplished number 8 on my bucket list.) 

But! Fear not, mother and father! College life is not all play and no work. The education system here is not dissimilar to that of high school in Australia. You're in a class with only 20 - 30 other students, professors always take the roll and homework is assigned (and checked!) on the reg'. 

I realised pretty quickly that my less-than-studious habit of flagging half the lectures and tutes in the semester wasn't going to fly in this joint. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. Those last minute cramming slash teaching-myself-an-entire-semester-of-work sessions will be far from missed.

To maximise the stereotypical college experience I opted to live on campus. I'm sharing an apartment with two girls; one is American and the other a fellow international student, from China. 

Aside from the occasional hairball in the sink and asian ballad blasted at 3am (i'm about to start dreaming in Chinese), this arrangement is working out quite well. 

Classes only started two weeks ago and i've already met some amazing people, many of whom are exchange students from other countries. A word to the wise here, kids... If slash when you come to the U.S you must milk being an Aussie, mate. Obviously i'm not telling you to go around claiming you love riding kangaroos or putting shrimp on the barbie' (who even does that?) But! these people love to hear you are from down under, and it comes in handy every once in a while. 

With all that said, i apologise for being such a lousy blogger of late. Making my way in this mayhem proved slightly more time consuming than initially thought. 

I've selected a few snaps to help paint the picture for you folks back home. Hope you are all well :)

Much love, the college rat. xxx 

Well hello, San Francisco

Our visit to the Bay City was bittersweet. It was the final destination for our foursome but the perfect place to end a rather cheeky adventure that will undoubtedly be one of many.

Terraces line the sloped streets, rainbow flags hang high and cable cars reign supreme. It’s another little world so different to the others inside this big country.

Highlights include lunch in the hippy suburb Haight as the San Fran 49ers took down the New Orleans Saints, and an afternoon at Fisherman’s Wharf; complete with crepes, a carousel and some sea lions.

Needless to say, I’m stoked this city is a just casual train ride from the place I’ll call home for the next 6 months. 

Now, it's off to San Jose.

Come at me, college. 

Welcome to Miami

From thermals, boots and beanies to coconut oil, togs and not much else... suffice to say South Beach really brings the heat.

It was a refreshing change of pace to trade frantic sightseeing in New York for the relaxed lifestyle in Miami. Hard to believe these two worlds are only a few hours apart.

Admittedly, i did feel a little left out for not being fluent in Spanish. "Hola's" and "gracias'' are so common that being eloquent in the language seems like a requirement for residency... one of many exotic features of a city which evidently knows no winter.

An absolute must-do is a trip to the Bahamas. The water is gorgeous, the people are lovely and its only two-hours-by-boat away. If you aren't sold already, the first two photos below should change your mind.

If not, you must be loco.

See? I'm picking it up already.

Adios, muchachos.

A city in black and white

So, in the 5 days we spent in New York, i managed to take 1500 photos... not even kidding.

What can i say? The city really lends itself to frenzied photography. I've handpicked a few which i think best show all the characters and activities on the streets.

Enjoy x

Farewell, New York. We'll see you soon! 

Puppy in power

New Yorkers love their dogs. Whether its a miniature poodle with a diamonte encrusted leash shopping in Prada, or a great dane strolling through the streets of Soho, these people take them everywhere. We love it. 

There is one breed in particular which makes a regular appearance in NYC, and coincidentally the breed i have wanted for quite some time now: the french bulldog. 

If New York is anything to go by; these ugly-in-a-cute-way pups are definitely "in".

Spotted this little guy near the meatpacking district tonight... you can see why his kind are so popular.