Task #13 - Spend New Years Eve in Sydney

It sounds weird, doesn't it? I am Australian so why have I never seen the Sydney NYE Fireworks in person? Who knows, but this year I put my foot down and thought that 2013 should start properly - which in my mind is; a glass of champagne, camera in hand, looking over the entire Sydney Harbour and City counting down to midnight.

Sydney definitely knows how to begin a New Year! There were the preliminary fireworks for the kids at 9pm and then the important ones at midnight! It was a terrific place to be and the fireworks were great. Some of them were being let off from the tops of buildings, the harbour bridge, and barges along the river.

The theme this year was "embrace" and the key colours of the fireworks were yellow, red, and crimson. It was fun and most definitely a good way to start 2013 off! Let's hope the rest of the year is just as awesome! Happy New Year to everyone!

Task #12 - Be Published

I, honestly thought this one would NEVER happen! Or at least not now! I study interior design and my only real chance of ever being published was if I wrote a book for fun, on the side, or if I eventual ended up writing for an interior design magazine.

Yesterday, my first article was published in an English Property/Design magazine that is distributed throughout all of Spain & the Islands. Such a surreal feeling! For this article I was asked to write about a local interior design company called UDesign- who create some very innovative furnitures and interior spaces for their clients.

Now this one has been published and I'm working on the next one is an 8 page spread where I get to do the layout as well. It's very exciting!

To see the magazine online follow this link, the article is on page 50: 
http://issuu.com/sunsearchmedia/docs/perfect_homes_2_edition_lowresfor_web

Task #11 - Visit Ireland

I've always been fascinated with the thought of Ireland. A different country to visit, with a lot of culture and history, and even more beer! In my mind it is the land of green pastures, leprechauns, Guinness, & pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I traveled to Dublin this weekend to see if any of that was true. It was amazing! The Irish celebrate Christmas in the most amazing way and Dublin is such a vibrant, historical city. There was Christmas lights on every corner and so many people dress up in some very ridiculous costumes to celebrate this festive time of year! I saw this one girl who had spiked her hair up into a cone, spray painted it green and then covered it in tinsel & lights - it was awesome!

Basically my time in Dublin was spent walking, being in awe of the amount of shops they have there, looking at the Christmas lights, and also drinking Guinness! It is a beautiful city, although a tad chilly, but it is filled with surprises on every turn.

I wish I could've spent more time there exploring the countryside. I caught a glimpse of it when flying in and out of Dublin and it is very green so it lived up to my expectations! :)

Next time I go back, I'll be on the hunt for a leprechaun and that pot of gold!