Half A Year In Review| PHOTO HEAVY

EXPLORATION

Don't be afraid of the unknown; there is a lot of good things
to find

Exploring creative minds. Exploring alleyways and new routes. Exploring new places. Exploring yourself, your capabilities and emotions.

Since August, I've explored new alleyways, new contemporary artists, new things about myself I never knew I had in me. I've also tried a whole lot of new food due to the convenient access I had studying in the city.

I don't think I would have ever explored this much without the help of my friends. They were with me even if it seemed mundane. I am an explorer who can't be satisfied with staying at home for two days straight. I need to get out there and find new inspiration, even if it means walking the same path because you would never know what new wonder you could come across or what new doorway or crack you would stumble by without having walked through it.

Exploration is not about finding yourself and knowing for sure what you are, but about getting lost and finding out what may or may not work for. Or sometimes you don't find out something new about yourself, but you just enjoy getting lost.

SECRET GARDENS

MIRROR REFLECTIONS ABOVE|Being immersed in the fresh details of South Yarra

DOORWAYS|The different doorways we found exploring near Lygon St...Of course, I would naturally pose in front of them.

TRYING ACAI BOWLS

NIGHT EXPLORATION

                           

JOB

EMPTY HELL/ 42 DEGREES| Customer counts:0

After spending legitimately a whole year trying to land myself a job, I finally got one in December.
                                                 
I got it through sheer desperation and luck. I asked my friend who's aunty owned a cafe if they needed an extra hand and BAM I am now working at a cafe. Honestly, I wish I had more shifts though but my current shifts a very convenient for when uni starts up again. I make a lot of mistakes and I'm sure the manager is pissed at me ahahah. I'm really sorry, eeeeep. Hopefully I get to make coffee soon enough!

A BURNING FLAME

In addition to getting a job, I somehow landed myself with a boy. No, it's not the same boy I've talked about in previous entries-- he's long dead and gone.

This boy is better in ways that doesn't need to be explained. He's pretty cool. He can play guitar, and that's my baseline-- just kidding. He's gotten me to be vulnerable and more open. He's pretty cool when he's romantic. I do wish he was more romantic and other stuff. Ahahaha.

 I don't really know what to say about this anymore, but here are some photos?

I must admit there has been a lot of difficulties two months in, mainly to do with me AHAHAH. I really didn't expect it to be difficult and so overwhelming. I like that we are both trying to overcome those difficulties though.

And since I haven't shared much poetry (actually, I've only shared one), here's what I wrote for him:

I don't ever realize what I want- no, need- until it gets taken away from me, Like how I need your warm body against mine, Learnt desperately late night on a Saturday, And for our fingers to intertwine. Or like how you send shivers down my spine, With the gift of intense looking, I know I said "I have too much", but really I need more of what finally became mine. I don't know what I'm trying to say here, but I don't have to lose you, To realize I need a wonderful guy like you infiltrating my atmosphere.

COLOUR RUN FUN

I didn't expect to do The Colour Run this year. I did it last year and enjoyed and it was only with my best friend, but it wasn't something you'd do frequently, you know, since it is expensive if you think about it at base level: Paying to get smashed by colour and to have a hard time cleaning yourself whilst waiting an hour before you could start the race.


 I had so much fun and I think I got a whole lot messier this year than I did last year, whilst Helen, who went last year, was a whole lot cleaner this year, which seems a bit insane.



This year I had I guess a "Colour Run" squad going, and can I just say it was honestly squad goals :)


Tracey, the gorgeous child pictured right, was such a sweet girl. She told me I was very kind in shading her from the sun. Anytime, darling :)

                             

                           

I don't really have much to say about the Colour Run

except

COLOUR,

 glitter,

COLOUR,

lack of running

and fun.

THE SEASIDE: SUMMER EDITION

Do you want to go to the seaside?

                            

           

ALONE TIME AND TALKING TO STRANGERS

On a Wednesday, I went to the city by myself. I was actually planning an escape to the city, but thankfully I was going to do a short course on this same day, so I took advantage. After completing the course, I bee-lined my way to the Museum. I was planning to eat my lunch at Carlton Gardens, but by the time, I got there, I at 2/3 on the tram. So I spent a bit of time sitting and relaxing and deciding to fill in months worth of poetry in my journal. I didn't realised I intrigued someone until he approached me.

"Hi, I couldn't help but noticed how peaceful you looked. I thought you were meditating, but no it seems you are journaling."

"Oh hello!"

"I'm Pierro. What's your name?"

"Jasmine."

"Sorry, I'll leave you be, You must think I'm a crazy person--"

"Ahaha no, no, I do not."

"Really? Do you mind if I sit then?"

"No, not at all. Please."

"What are you writing, I hope it's happy, is it?"

It was strange that a stranger would approach me like that but I enjoyed the conversation. I found out he took a year leave from working in my current uni and was volunteering instead. He was on his lunch break when he found me. I wasn't writing something happy, I was also about to write something more sad, but he came along and started a conversation that distracted me and got me to realise to not be so hard on myself. He gave me a lot of good advice. And before leaving he gave me a pat on my head and said he hoped to see me there again. I really wanted to vent to him about something, but I didn't think he'd wanted to hear it. Ahh, the power of being a stranger is that you are able to hear everything because of this intense in-explainable trust we have for stranger's listening ears.

After such a fulfilling talk with Pierro, I had this new urge to stop being so afraid and talk to strangers.

I went to the museum shortly after and spent the majority of my time drawing, which was another nice way to relax.

SADNESS

Being sad was the low-light of this year, as it should be anytime of the year. However, I was just really sad for a period of time. I never realised who my true friends were until I was in a deep pit of sadness. I got incredibly red cheeks from this period, and sleepless nights. I was surprised that the people I expected the least of, checked up on me a few days later just to make sure I was okay. Thanks, guys < 3

HAPPINESS

I don't know, but I just wanted to include the times where I was happy, hehe.

HAPPY EATING LUNCH

HAPPY STUDYING BIOLOGY

HAPPY FEELING MY ONE TRUE LOVE

It's a nice feeling smiling and being happy. Really *^*
 
GALLERIES + A LOT OF BACK VIEWS

2015 was definitely the year where I got to explore a lot of galleries and view artworks that I've seen only in textbooks in real life. I become overly excited. I like to try and connect with the artist and come up with my own analysis of their work by combining my experiences and initial feelings together. I thank my friends and myself for constantly visiting the gallery. I will seriously miss going to uni in the city because I will no longer be able to frequently visit art galleries as much as I want to :'(

A wild Jasmine has appeared!

ED SHEERAN

          

                    

I was lucky enough to see Ed Sheeran when he came to Melbourne. Ugh. Not only does he write and sing beautiful and personal songs, he is a wonderful performer and knows how to rock the stage and pump up a crowd. I heard that when he was here earlier in the year, he was sad and didn't smile as much as he did this time around. (Awww :( )

We got standing tickets and so we went in super early. Fortunately, we got to stand quite close to the front. Unfortunately, the tallest people in the crowd stood in front of us, obstructing most of our view.

I don't blame them for being tall, but one of them was already tall yet she was wearing platforms :'/ And there was this one concert go-er who deserved to be there since she knew all the words to Ed's songs, but she was incredibly rude about the tall girl using obscenities to talk about her behind her back to her boyfriend because she was annoyed her view was being blocked. I thought she should've kept her dissatisfaction to herself, to be honest.

I have absolutely no idea who the two girls at the back were, but yo!

Before going to the concert, I thought about how odd it was that Rudimental was the hour opening act. They are an amazing group but their music style didn't seem to fit with Passenger, Foy Vance or Ed Sheeran. Boy oh boy, did they prove me wrong when they got me pumped up and energized for Ed's act, despite the music difference. (P.s. I love you, Will Herd. He really got into the groove and I was all heart eyes, hehe.)

FEEL THE LOVE| Can you feel it too?

PASSENGER| His song for 2016 is so beautiful

                                       

VOLUNTEERING

Towards the end of the year, I got more into volunteering. Well, I volunteered more than I ever did in a year. Last year, I volunteered twice, and well this year it was three times. AHAHAH usually, it's once a year. I had fun. Two out of the three experiences involved me collecting money for Red Cross and for the Salvos, and the third was feeding the homeless. I hope to do more next year. Volunteering is truly a fulfilling experience. At the end of feeding the homeless, this little boy came up to me and just gave me a hug and wished me a "Merry Christmas". It seriously warmed up my heart.

                     

And that's my half-year in review. (Sorry if it is convoluted and messy and had no flow. Life was not meant to flow.)

I hoped you enjoyed, and I'll see you next year :)

✿