A Day in Oxford.

Last week Jess and I jumped on a bus headed for the renowned university town of Oxford. As it turns out, we weren't prepared for how overwhelmingly beautiful this place was, nor were we prepared for how underwhelmingly average we felt in comparison to all the Oxford students who were finishing exams that were probably harder than anything I'll ever do in my life.

Oxford seems to be completely made up of old, intricately detailed, gorgeous buildings. Where as many other cities I've seen usually have some sort of a modern edge to them, Oxford, for the most part, has completely preserved the atsmosphere of its time. Our tour guide actually mentioned that the town is an incredibly popular set for period films, as its cobblestone streets and well-mainted buildings make it very easy to accurately depict this point in history. 

The university actually provided the inspiration for certain aspects of rye Harry Potter films. Walking around the streets and inside the buildings, any fan would be reminded of Hogwarts' winding corridors or classrooms. Although we just missed out on seeing the place where Harry Potter was supposedly filmed (we were 3 minutes late, to be exact. Still slightly bitter on that one) we stumbled upon another wizarding world treasure. The dining hall in one of the Oxford buildings was the model for the Great Hall in Harry Potter. Although they didn't actually film here, the hall was so similar to the one in the movies that Jess and I actually recognised it before being told that it was used by the set designers as inspiration. 

Something that we were told on our tour and which I found quite funny was that several times during the building of the campus, construction was forced to stop because they ran out of money. Walking in and around that campus now- one which belongs to the oldest surviving English speaking university in the world- it's surreal to think that such a significant and highly-regarded place was once hindered by something as common as money.

I can't even begin to imagine how much of a fairy tale life would seem to those who study at Oxford. I was just constantly in awe every time I turned a corner that day and found myself desperately wishing that I was smart enough to get into one of the best universities in the world. Unfortunately, out of roughly 20.000 students, only 300 of them are Australian and I'm guessing none of them chose to stop studying maths in year 10 like I did. But, hey, at least now I have a cool Oxford jumper to wear during the uni semester whilst I'm watching YouTube videos and not studying.

Camden Markets / shameless touristy things.

On Sunday morning I headed to the Camden Market with Claire, a fellow solo Australian traveller I met on my flight, for what would inevitably become a day of wandering around that side of London. 

As soon as I exited the tube at Camden Town I realised why tourists were so drawn to this place- it’s absolutely crazy and completely different to the prim and proper London most people imagine. It definitely gives off a bit more of a rough-around-the-edges vibe and from what I’ve been told is more of an alternative area of London. The atmosphere was just vibrant, especially in the food section which offered meals from practically every country or culture you could imagine. I paid a few pounds for some really delicious bliss balls (you would have loved them, Ally) and got a plate of Peruvian rice and potatoes. Choosing what sort of dish to eat at the Camden Markets is a burden I wouldn’t place on any man.

I mean, just look at those donuts. I saw those after I had eaten and promptly vowed to return at some point on my trip to try one (update: I returned again today and they weren't there. Somebody hold me)

After we were done looking through the jewelry/clothes/knick-knacky part of the market we decided to head towards Primrose Hill, where we had heard you could get a great view of the city. 

So then, obviously, we walked for 20 minutes in the wrong direction before enlisting the help of a friendly couple passing by who told us basically to go back to where we started. It was at this point though that Claire and I agreed that it’s not really a burden to be lost in a city as fascinating and beautiful as London is. 

I just loved this street because it seemed so typically English, like you would see in the movies.

When we finally made it to Primrose Hill though, we knew that the good 40 minutes of walking was entirely worth it. The view was spectacular, the park was beautiful to walk through and there was an ice cream van stationed right outside. Honestly, London, you do things right.

As we walked through the park we noticed that right next door was Regents Park, where Queen Mary’s Gardens were and decided to take a look. Basically the most beautiful landscaping I’ve ever seen in my life and grass so green that it would put my dad’s backyard to shame. And, might I add, not one piece of rubbish in sight. The optimist in me would like to think that people are respectful enough to throw away their rubbish after they eat, but most of me just thinks everyone is terrified of what the Royal Family would do if you soiled their garden. At one point I accidentally walked on a piece of grass I wasn't meant to be walking on and I thought police officers were going to jump out of the perfectly trimmed bushes and send me back to Australia.

After Claire and I did a bit of shopping on Oxford Street, we said goodbye and I went home to make myself somewhat presentable before meeting Katie, who flew in that afternoon. After getting some dinner we went on the London Eye, which was spectacular. I had heard mixed reviews about how worth while it actually was but I really enjoyed looking out over London’s incredibly diverse city of buildings that varied greatly in terms of age, architecture and historical importance. We were lucky enough to be on the last ride of the night, which meant that the sun was setting just as we were at the top and made for an absolutely beautiful view. On our way to catch the tube home we got a few snaps next to Big Ben and then called it a night.

In conclusion, London is beautiful and if you can manage to get on the final spin of the Eye (at 9pm) when/if you're here, I'd recommend it.

Hello Brighton.

The morning after I arrived in London I jumped on a train to the seaside town of Brighton with a few new friends. As we're all from Australia (albeit opposite ends, which sometimes makes it seem like we're from different countries anyway) the hour long train ride flew by as we joked and shared stories that probably annoyed and lowered our fellow passengers opinions of Australian tourists. 

The weather was perfect and we strolled down to the beachfront to find that the locals had let loose- a scorching hot temperature of 24 degrees seemed to be more than enough reason for them to get in their swimsuit and jump in the water. Those Brits, so thankful for the mid-twenties weather we take for granted back home.

Walking along the boardwalk was insane. The only thing that outnumbered the shops, stalls and food vendors was the amount of people trying to weave their way through the crowds. And it's easy to see why so many tourists flock to Brighton- it's gorgeous and has an incredibly fun and creative atmosphere. There were a lot of people selling really lovely handmade items (like the post cards below, which were £4 each and made me laugh all the way to a generic corner store to buy a 30p post card to send home instead. Sorry mum and dad- I love you but not £4 for a rectangle piece of cardboard worth)

Eventually we made our way onto the famous Brighton Pier, where we promptly bought an overpriced ice cream and strolled around singing to the One Direction songs that were being played (I knew there was a reason why I loved this place so much) Although we didn't go on any rides or play any games, it was nice to just stroll up and down the Pier in the sun, people-watch and take it all in. It could be said that this part of Brighton- arguably the most famous part- is a tad tacky with all its stores selling cheap and yet overpriced items to wide-eyed tourists, but I think that just added to my love for the place. It has a carnival vibe to it in that it was quite loud and obnoxious and yet incredibly fun at the same time.

Then Jess saved me from drowning.

After we were done on the beachfront we walked back into town in search for The Lanes- interweaving little passageways filled mainly with jewellery stores, cute little cafes and small stores selling creative little knick knacks. Being the brilliant tourist I am, I didnt take any good photos of these lanes.

We then slowly moved our way through the rest of the town, and I say 'slowly' because there is just so much to see in the streets of this city. Practically every time we'd turn a corner there would be another street full of eclectic shops and random little markets that cluttered the street. You had your regular clothing vendors, your Bob Marley themed shop, your man doing nothing but holding a Herron he had apparently found the day before and decided to bring to work with him, your tarot card readers, your three story adult store which would probably even make Samantha from Sex and the City blush. This is perhaps the best way to convey what Brighton is like- it's an eclectic mix of everything you could think of, all working together to make an incredibly interesting and fun experience. 

We spent a full day in this town and left feeling as though we had barely scratched the surface of what it had to offer. If you're ever in London and have the time, I would definitely recommend making your way down to Brighton for a day of wandering through the streets and debating whether or not you should pay £2.50 for an ice-cream with a flake in it (granted, they are about 10 times better than McDonald's 50 cent cones).

Fear and Opportunity.

Over the past couple of years it's become apparent to me that if you open yourself up to embrace new things, you will create opportunities for yourself that once seemed implausible. My 24 hour solo journey from Melbourne to London completely reaffirmed this and reminded me of how important it is to take these opportunities and roll wIth them.

When I was initially faced with the option of either spending a week alone in a foreign city or changing my flights to be with my friends, a lot of me wished that I had a legitimate reason to go with the latter. But I didn't have a legitimate reason other than fear, and while fear is a legitimate emotion, it's not something that should hinder you from embracing opportunities.

There were so many things I was afraid of; missing one of my connecting flights, having my luggage misplaced, losing my passport, not being able to figure out how to get from the airport to my apartment. But then I was reminded of how kind and comforting perfect strangers can be. Before I had even gone through security at Melbourne, I met a well-traveled lady who was on the same flights as I and who was happy to answer all of my annoyingly detailed and often entirely unnecessary questions. When I got to my seat for the first two flights, I found that I was next to the kindest woman who was happy to chat away with me for the following 13 hours and who collected my between meal-snacks for me when I was sleeping and the air hostess tried to skip over me (in all my uncultured and untraveled-ness I didn't realise that they wouldn't wake you up for food. I just thought everyone would want to be woken up for food). On the last leg of the flight and upon hearing that I was by myself for a week, the London-native woman next to me gave me her phone number in case I needed anything. And finally, an hour before we landed in London and just as it began to dawn on me how completely alone I was in the city below me, a girl from two rows in front told me she had overheard that I was traveling alone like she was and we promptly agreed to navigate the Heathrow airport tube together and meet up the following week.

Reading all of these things probably doesn't convey how relieving and important it was to me at the time. More than that, a lot of people reading this are probably thinking "uh, why is traveling alone such a big deal? This girl is a freak", but it was a big deal to me and it's something I never would have thought I'd have the courage to do. But alas, I am in London and I just had the greatest first day abroad in the seaside town of Brighton with some wonderful new friends (post on that to come later).

To conclude this very long and probably very boring post, I will say this; I think there is good and bad fear. The bad one is obviously when we are in legitimate danger and our body/brain is like "dude, I don't think this is a good idea." The good one however, is the fear of the unknown and the different, and that's the one you need to look out for because so often it can disguise itself as bad fear and stop you from living and growing. Do the things that scare you, you'll be better for it in the long run.

(P.S I promise that all my travel posts won't be this philosophical, it's just that I think I've beaten jet lag and now I feel like I can solve every and any problem in the universe.)

                          

Little Mix - Salute [Album Review]

Little Mix is the girl band we've been looking for and Salute is the album we've been waiting to hear.

Ever since Destiny's Child called it quits over six years ago, there has been a girl-band shaped hole in the music industry and in the hearts of ladies who grew up dreaming of singing on stage with their best friends. On their second album, 'Salute', Little Mix well and truly fill that void by delivering twelve tracks of girl power pop music mixed with an urban edge.

Jesy, Leigh-Anne, Perrie and Jade are Little Mix. Formed on the UK X Factor in 2011, they became the first ever girl group to win the competition, subsequently igniting the idea that perhaps the days of the all-girl band weren't dead after all. While on the show, the group made clear what they wanted to encapsulate with their music and image; fun, positivity and female empowerment, and that's exactly what is conveyed throughout 'Salute'.

Opening the album is the title track, which can only be described as a girl-power anthem. In the first line of the song, the girls' voices command, "ladies all across the world/listen up, we're looking for recruits," immediately giving listeners the feel for the rest of the album with a strong message and even stronger vocals.

While 'Move', the first single off the album, is an infectious dance track different to other pop songs currently being played on the radio, 'Nothing Feels Like You' is the song that truly conveys the unique type of urban spin Little Mix aims to put on pop music. With tribal sounding drum beats and a catchy final chorus breakdown, the track is pure fun and completely indicative of who Little Mix are as a group. Other up-tempo numbers such as 'Competition' and 'A Different Beat' have the same unique flare that has become expected of the band, while 'Mr Loverboy' and 'Something About The Boy', despite being catchy tunes, are the weakest of a very strong package of songs.

Breaking up the number of dance anthems on the album are several power-ballads that truly show off the vocal ability of each member of the band. 'Good Enough' is a raw piano number about insecurity and self-doubt with poignant lyrics
and  an empowering chorus of strong vocals. 'Towers'  and 'These Four Walls', while dealing with the  more conventional issue of break ups and losing  someone you care about, are deeply emotional,  with the latter conveying much more delicate  vocals than the powerful ones that are apparent  throughout the rest of the album.

'Boy', however, is the standout track, with incredible acapella vocals, harmonies and a message that many girls can undoubtedly relate to. Akin to that of 'Girl' by Destiny's Child, 'Boy' is a track that contemplates the toxicity of being in a bad relationship from the perspective of ones girlfriends. Incredibly catchy while also deeply moving, this song is definitely one to belt out with your friends in the car.

With Little Mix, we finally see the return of a successful girl group who bring something new and fresh to a table of relatively average pop radio songs. Two years ago while competing on The X Factor, mentor judge Tulisa described Little Mix as the girl group for girls all across the world. With relatable songs, an empowering attitude and undeniable talent, 'Salute' is the album that was missing all those years when we didn't have a girl band to dream about being a member of.

Gap Years.

Published in UTimes Magazine.

Whether you’re about to graduate high school or mid-way through a university degree, ‘gap year’ is probably a term that you’ve heard quite frequently. Synonymous with fun, adventure and freedom, deciding to take a break from studying so you can travel and gain new experiences is exciting. However, with an abundance of programs and travel tours now catering for the gap year market, it’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed by choice and unsure of what’s right for you. But never fear, because with so many options, there is bound to be something that suits what you want to get out of your gap year.

Travel without the stress.

Trying to organise a trip around a country you’re entirely unfamiliar with can be quite a daunting task. Fortunately,there are a range of companies, such as Contiki and Go Ahead Tours, which aim to make travelling less stressful by offering tours where accommodation, transport, sightseeing and most meals are taken care of.

Tahneisha, who did a Contiki tour around Europe in2012, says that going through a company “is just so convenient, because everything is already planned. It made it easier to just sit back, relax and enjoy the holiday.”

Tour companies are often a suitable option for students on a gap year as they offer a wide range of trips from just a few days to months, as well as options to suit a specific budget. However, these tours don’t always allow forflexibility in terms of itinerary, so that scene from your favourite movie that you plan to reinact in Italy may need to fall by the wayside.

For those of you considering travelling alone, a tour may be the way to go as you’ll get to meet a lot of interesting and diverse people who are sure to make your trip even more exciting.

“One of the biggest advantages of something like Contiki is having a big group of friends to enjoy the tour with. I now have amazing friends from all around the world,” Tahneisha says. 

So if you’re a social butterfly who loves meeting new people or if you’re merely interested in travelling without the stress of bus timetables and foreign maps, a tour maybe a good option for your gap year adventure.

Live and work like a local.

If you’re interested in understanding what it’s like to really live in a different culture, a working holiday may be for you. Rather than travelling for a few short weeks on a limited budget, many companies are now offering programs that give you the chance to really settle into a town or city and call it home for a while.

After Bronwyn, a Deakin University student, graduated high school, she chose to spend six months working in a pub in England. “I didn't want to pay thousands on airfares to see a country for just a few weeks and come home,” she says, “I wanted to experience another culture.”

However, amidst all the excitement, you would be excused for forgetting that a working holiday is just that- work. Bronwyn admits that her English pub job was quite different to any type of job she had experienced in Australia.

“I worked full time, which ranged from 35-45 hours a week. Twelve hour shifts were common, as was working until 5am.”

But it’s definitely not all work and no play. While Bronwyn admits that the prospect of working long hoursmight not sound like much fun, it certainly doesn’t tarnish the experience.

“A working holiday gives you a great opportunity to meet people from all around the world, see and learn a lot and really enjoy yourself while still making some money.”

The regular pay that a working holiday provides allows you to relax more comfortably into your gap year, allowing you to really experience a different way of life.

An Australian Girl in Los Angeles.

This was the first feature article I wrote for university last year. We had to do a feature on someone with an unusual story or experience.

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At first glance, Aisha Dee is everything you would expect an average eighteen year old to be. Relaxing in her bedroom on a Sunday afternoon, she discusses the latest in celebrity news and jokes about what she should change her Twitter bio-line to. But at an age when most kids are only just figuring out what to do with their lives, Aisha has had Hollywood in her sights for years.

“When I was eleven, someone told me that I couldn’t be an actress and that I had to choose a ‘proper career,’” she says with a slight grin, “I was like ‘screw you!’”

With this feisty personality and her distinctive African-American looks, a career in acting seems to be tailor-made for the teenager. From the age of fourteen onwards, Aisha traded in school bells and textbooks for roles on various different Australian TV shows, admitting that she “hated going back to the kid world” after experiencing the mature environment of a television set.

Then in 2009, just a few days short of her sixteenth birthday, she decided to enter the lottery for the notoriously elusive American green card, which, if won, would allow her to live and work in the US. An advertisement on the side of the page read ‘transmission of citizenship through biological parent’, and suddenly it clicked.

“I hadn’t thought about actually contacting my biological father, who I had never met before [and who was a US citizen]. So we got onto him and I got my citizenship and passport for the U.S,” Aisha says. “I felt quite stupid that it had never occurred to me before then.”

Despite being only sixteen years old and having just a few acting credits under her belt, she admits that the incredible opportunity she had been given was just too good to think twice.

“I felt like if there’s that many people out there who have waited ten or more years to get a green card, and I get one straight away, I may as well go over and take advantage of the situation.”

Poised and confident, Aisha travelled to Los Angeles and began auditioning for various TV shows and movies. She landed roles on shows such as Steven Spielberg’s ‘Terra Nova’, and starred in the FOX comedy ‘I Hate My Teenage Daughter’, which she claims is the “funnest thing I’ve ever done… because we filmed with a live audience and you knew if a joke was working instantly.”

However, with our culture of misbehaving starlets and celebrity scandals, you would be forgiven for thinking that tackling the entertainment capital of the world might be somewhat stressful to a mere sixteen year old, but Aisha takes it all in her stride;

“I think the main issues people deal with come from inside of them, and the pressures they put on themselves.  I don’t think it’s something that the industry does so much as it’s something that people do inside themselves,” she says.

“The main way to avoid that is to just be confident in you.”

This levelheaded attitude may seem strange given the extent to which the industry is blamed for promoting negative values, but Aisha’s best friend Kayla says that her approach to it all comes as no surprise to those who know her.

“Aisha is confident but is always working hard to improve herself… She's able to take criticism and use it to better herself where others might shy away.”

On the other end of the spectrum, I pose the question of whether the industry is indeed as glamorous as it’s made out to be, and how much hard work is actually involved. Aisha points to her dressing gown and laughs, “Clearly I’m the most glamorous person ever!”

Taking on a more serious note, she continues; “there is hard work involved, but I wouldn’t say that the hard work is actually doing the work. As an actor, I think that when you’re actually working is when you’re auditioning. But when you get a job and you film something, that’s the reward you get.”

“Filming is not hard work; it’s the best job ever.”

While Aisha’s obvious passion and love for the entertainment industry is something that cannot be denied, she admits that while the lack of African-American women, such as herself, in leading roles is “getting much better”, it still “leaves a bad taste in my mouth”.

“I’m being overly critical, but sometimes they do make a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be… You don’t need to explain yourself or give the audience a reason for why you did that- just make the leading character an African-American woman and don’t say anything about it,” she explains.

“It makes me want to be the exception.”

She describes her routine in L.A as “really volatile… Some weeks I’ll have seven auditions; sometimes I’ll have none… But it’s not the audition that takes up the time, it’s before.”

“I’m kind of a perfectionist,” she adds with a shrug.

Helping with these auditions is her mum Donna, a trained opera singer. Although Donna admits that she “can’t even help Aisha read her lines correctly”, she “comes from a performance angle… so I know when she needs her space, but I also know when she’s not doing something that she needs to do.”

Even though she openly professes her love for L.A- “everyday is absolutely gorgeous and there’s always so many things going on”- Aisha is not ashamed to admit that living away from home is challenging.

“I’m really close with my family, so it is really difficult. But with FaceTime and Skype and everything it makes it a lot easier.”

It seems that embracing the life she has away from her family and friends is the only option at the moment, as her efforts to make it big in L.A show no sign of easing up. As she looks around her bedroom and sighs at the thought of packing for her trip back there next week, I ask her where she sees herself in the next few years.

“I have absolutely no idea, but that’s really exciting to me,” she pauses for a second before continuing, “I see myself in a very different place, like a universe away from where I am right now.”

With her unwavering determination and passion for acting, it only takes a few minutes with this young hopeful to know that the universe she dreams of is undoubtedly just around the corner.