The ball

We just had our ball and it was pretty, it's theme was 'the secret garden'. Although it was missing a boy in a wheelchair like the book. There were fairy lights, strings of ivy and candles strung up around the beautiful old hotel room it was hosted in that had chandeliers and wooden floors to dance on. Myself and Kate took our time getting ready as it could be our last ball ever, and it turned out Chloe is a bit of a professional hair stylist in her spare time and curled my hair very skillfully.. though i then pinned it all over to one side of my head because 'why not'. Apparently it resembled Florence Welch from Florence and the machine's style when i added dark lips, a resemblance i'm quite happy with though i am not a red head <3 I do enjoy her music

We had quite some fun dancing all night and then out into town with the girls afterward, everywhere was fullest I'd ever seen it in town. We went to fever to dance on the lit up floor, someone grabbed me on the way out of there and attempted to perform a strange handshake with me involving spinning me around, knuckles and a slide-away handshake. Then we went to urban followed by metro where we danced to old music before the hungry ones took us through McDonald on the way home

 

Our RAs :)

Live band, they were pretty good

'bubbles' upon arrival

King and queen

Italy

I want to go to Italy
Everything i hear about it just increases that feeling
Language block, yes. But everyone there is so lovely and there will probably be a few scattered people who know English. The people are so friendly and loud, embracing others on the street and not at all the way we know it where eye-contact is awkward and everyone is so very judgmental.
New Zealand is apparently friendly seeming too? Italians leave us behind in the dust, their way of life is everything i would like mine to be. I love their food as well.

But the best part is this, http://searchingfortomorrow.com/posts/sleeping-in-italy
One of my favourite photographers, and a generally lovely person went there on a trip and took photos ... I want to jump on a plane there right now. I'm going to mention it around my family as often as possible even though my sister has already, for no good reason at all, decided she doesn't want to go there.

She sums it up for me better than i ever could:
"And no matter how many countless times I have visited Italy, their way of life always astounds me. It leaves me yearning for more, and that's what makes trips so special. When you leave feeling sad because you'll miss everything about it, and you know it's only a matter of time before you're back to explore again. The wetted appetite for more adventures, and that heroic stir in the stomach for journeying to a new place and loving it so deeply is what keeps some motivated. I feel it's possessed me too." - Kitty Gallannough

I miss Caitlin

I want to travel like Anna just did

and see Viv over summer <3

and so many many more people...

Holiday - Queenstown

SEASONS
Found the tumblr i created a little while ago http://itstruckachord.tumblr.com/ entitled Summer's coming..
clearly i was missing the heat. I certainly am now, i like summer and autumn best of the seasons.
In spring it rains all the time so we are huddled indoor by the fireplace, listening to it pat against the roof. Or pulling our faces deep inside a raincoat, believing it is still Winter and missing the small blooms on cherry blossom trees, for me cherry blossoms are the only tree around me that tells me what the season is.
In Autumn it turns all the colours of gold, crimson, and crispy brown, not many other trees in New Zealand do that... they're all evergreens.
BAD NEWS
It is winter now, my fingers are stiff and my knuckles are icy if i press them to my face, which makes typing uncomfortable. I've been told arthritis runs in the family, genetically i can see it's true:
ALL my grandparents have the condition and my dad is beginning to feel it. This is not what i want to hear as an 18 year old when everything i love to do uses my hands..
Already i have had a day where i used my hands for writing too much and by the end could not even hold my pen, i just thought i needed to change my study technique.

It is holidays for two weeks now, less than any other university.
I'm at the end of my second week.
We went to Queenstown for the first week and it was beautiful but i think we all need time apart after so many months of seeing each other almost every single day.. it's only natural. I haven't seen either Max or Kate much this week, though i would love to meet his puppy. I've just been relaxing.. and it is very nice.

Here are a few pictures from the week from Kate's camera and mine:

xx