Brains and books

If there is one thing that I have loved since I was a young girl, it would have to be books. I genuinely don't think I would be the person I am today if it weren't for all the amazing (and not so amazing) books I have read throughout my life. 

I am probably just another cliched teenage girl when it comes to reading. Books have changed and shaped my life and I get extremely attached to the characters, so when something happens I feel every emotion they do. I have cried and laughed and felt as though I were part of the stories I was reading. 

I think everyone has a life changing book. The book(s) that made me realise that I loved reading and I have never stopped since then were the Harry Potter books. Sure I had always read books since I obviously learnt how to read and I was always ahead in the 'readers' we were given when we started school. But when I was about 8 years old, my teacher I had at school loved Harry Potter so in the afternoons she would sit us down and read us a chapter (or two) from the books. I can vividly remember how much I enjoyed listening to her read the books I wanted to know what it would feel like to read them too. For my 9th birthday my mum bought me the Harry Potter books (well only the first 4 and my aunty gave me the 5th one) and I fell in love. I would stay up until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore (which I still do when I am reading an amazing book). I remember getting the 6th book for Christmas and waiting until 2007 to get the 7th book when it came out. I had it ordered for me and I carried it around school for the whole 2 days it took me to read it (I was in 6th grade at this point). Obsessed is definitely an understatement. 

Still to this day my love affair with books continues. I am always open to people's suggestions of books that I have to read and my favourite kind of shopping to do is book shopping (even more than I love buying clothes and make up AND I love buying clothes and make up). 

The only thing I don't enjoy about reading is the fact that these days, my reading books I enjoy for fun has more so turned into me reading case study upon case study and chapter upon chapter from my university textbooks (oh the joy).

For the most part I enjoy books about teenagers and books about love/romance or "finding yourself". Those types of books always capture my attention and probably because I can relate to a lot of the characters really well. I do also enjoy reading classics, but it usually takes me a bit longer to read those. 

I absolutely adore the Harry Potter series (if you couldn't already tell), Sarah Dessen is an amazing author. The Hunger Games series= amazing. I love Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and the YouTube video of the cassette tapes to go with it honestly sends shivers down my spine. John Green books are amazing and my personal favourite of his is Looking For Alaska. I have so many 'favourites' that I can't even name them all (let alone think of them right now).

I think after all my blabbing people will surely understand that I love books and I love reading. I wish I was a better writer (I really do) and maybe that's part of the reason why I even enjoy having a blog. It's my form of expression and I think all the reading I have done in my life has helped shape that.

I will happily take any suggestions of good books to read that anyone has.

Thanks for reading,
Kristelle xxx
Instagram: @krristelley

Parties and Partying

I'm 19 years old, almost 20 so it is safe to say that I am no stranger to going out and partying. I do enjoy it most of the time (I really have to be in the mood for it sometimes) and I have to be out with the right people to have the best experiences. I'm pretty happy to say that 98% of the time I am actually out with the right people (my amazing boyfriend and beautiful bestfriends)!

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I am currently in my busiest time of the year. From July until December I seem to be non-stop on the go. Everyone is having their birthdays (which is actually quite funny because both my bestfriend and my boyfriend don't have their birthdays until January and February). This means a lot of weekends are spent going out celebrating and a lot of money is spent doing so. But it also means there are a lot of times that I (and everyone I go out with) need to be careful of what is exactly going on around us.

I'm from Sydney, Australia and I know the 'nightlife' used to be pretty good. But now there are so many laws and lockouts that apply basically anywhere you go in the city regarding what times you can go into/out of clubs and times you can buy alcohol. I don't really think these laws have done anything except increase drug use. Everywhere you go (and yes I do mean literally everywhere) there are people on drugs. It's really obvious to tell the difference between people who have drunk too much and the people who have decided to do drugs for the night instead. Neither is safe (obviously), but I don't think the laws introduced were the way to go. All that's been done is drive many places out of business because 1am onwards was when they would make most of their money. 

No more club hopping and partying all night long, drinking until the sun comes up. 

I think it's sad (and I know it isn't just here, it can happen anywhere) that people spike drinks... Listening to stories friends of mine have told me about drink spiking makes me so angry. Stories my girlfriends tell me about creepy guys following them around and pursing them even after invitations to dance/ get a drink/ go to their hotel rooms or houses have been declined. It's scary. I'm lucky in the sense that I have amazing friends and a very protective boyfriend who I know will always look out for me and I look out for them. But the scary part is still anything can happen. You can't "let loose" for a night because there aren't good people out there.

The number of fights I've been around and that have impacted me is ridiculous. Being pushed down and bruised and cut up because of fights happening near me is ridiculous (and I know I am not the only one that this happens to).

I wish everyone who decided to go out partying and clubbing would take a bit more responsibility, control their behaviour and not be inappropriate/creepy because then I know everyone would have such a better time and the government wouldn't have to be so strict with laws and enforcements on everyone as a whole. 

I'm really looking forward to my birthday 'week' this October because I have about 4 days/nights of fun planned and I really hope none of it is ruined or spoilt from anything I've mentioned above. All anyone would like is to feel safe when they go out. 

And on a much lighter note, enjoy these happy snaps from the last two birthdays I attended over the last two weekends.