SINGAPORE to HELSINKI

If I thought that 8 hour flight was bad then I don't even know how to describe this one. 12 hours!! Ohh what a killer and in a much smaller and less modern plane. I flew with Finnair this time and to be honest, I'm looking at changing airlines on my flight home, don't get me wrong I had no problem with the service. And I really don't want to make this a post of me complaining or being a flight snob buut this was my experience.

Now especially compared to my earlier flight with Qantas it just cannot come compare. We only got two meals served to us during the whole 12 hours - to be fair they were good meals with snacks as well. And the thing that really killed me was the leg room between the chairs, I'm 6foot1 so I know which ever flight I go on there will be the problem of leg room but this is a whole new level. When ever the man in front of me reclined his chair I literally could not fit my legs into the space, I had to have them diagonal or scrunched up to my chest.

The in-flight entertainment isn't very entertaining either, the screens a very small and fuzzy but then again I'm also comparing this to A+ Qantas serves. Finnair is an environmentally aware airline, so I also do understand why they don't have the top of the range technology. I'm on my third flight now and that a 3 1/2 hour flight from Helsinki to Heathrow, London and the seating is actually a lot nice and cleaner on this plane. The Helsinki airport is amazingly clean and fresh as well, almost always quite and very peaceful. I almost wish that I had more time there to lounge around on the recliners - those 10 minutes of reclining was AMAZING!!

Anyway, I'm on my way to London now and I'm so excited hooly shiit. I keep getting spasms of excitement that make me want to squeal but noo Ayla tonne that down a few notches please, I'm sure everyone on the flight already thinks your a bit weird. But yeah, I'll update everything later when I meet Jessie and will also check in and see how my jet lag is going. I tried to sleep on my last flight and I did - just not for long amounts of time.

BRISBANE - SINGAPORE

The day before I left, I woke up with small spasms of anxiety shooting through my body. But I wasn't all too anxious about travelling - it was more because I was afraid that I would have an anxiety attack while on the plane. I was literally anxious about getting anxious. But I overcame that pretty easily, I think the fact that I had to work helped to keep my mind busy as well.

The night before I left went pretty well. I thought I'd be super stressed, realise that I hadn't packed something very important but I actually surprised myself with how organised I was. I tried to stay up a bit later than usual so that I would be tired enough to sleep on my flight, but in the end sleeping in my amazingly comfortable bed won over. And I don't think I'll regret that since I'll be living in a tour bus and hostels for the next 6 weeks, treasuring my last night in my own bed was a good idea.

I've decided to take a selfie every day during this trip with featured landmarks in the background and then at the end of the trip turn it into a video. I haven't started off very well - I forgot to get one with the departure sign in the back ground - ahh!! So I had to take one on the plane at it was pretty awkward but hey! I'm not gonna see these people again. But anyway, look forward to that video if it ends up working out that is!

My flight was at 12.15pm and the airport is 2 hours away from where I live, so with keeping in my mind that I also had to be at the airport 3 hours for check-in etc. my Mum, Nan, Brother and I left at 7am and had an easy drive through to Brisbane airport. Got there, checked in, the guy who served me helped me out and offered to change my seats for me since I was assigned to he middle seats for every flight. It was hard saying goodbye to my family, my Mum especially. She was crying a bit but I also know that she was holding it in as well as she could.

Now I am sitting on the plane, 3 hours into my flight after watching 3 episodes of Girls and now onto watching The Devil Wears Prada. I've looked through all the TV shows and movies on the flight and let me tell you, this is a lot!!! I can't even decide what to watch - this is a nightmare in a dream for an incredibly indecisive person like me. But hey, better too much than too little. The TV shows that are on here only store the most recent season though, this is annoying because I've just gotten into the series Suits however season 3 is the only one available. So be prepared!

The food on the flight is surprisingly really nice! I had the lamb moussaka with broccoli and beans - definitely recommended, they also gave us a dessert which was chocolate mousse with salted caramel fudge. I'm not one for desserts and chocolate but ohh yummy! They feed you so well and so much on these flights, I swear I won't have to eat for a few days after this.

I'm pretty disappointed in Singapore airport actually. I was excepting all the hype (cinemas, butterfly gardens, koi pond) - which they do have, but not in my terminal. Which sucks because I'm here for 5 hours with nothing to do but shop and I'm not a shopping nor do I want anything.

Anyway!! About to board my flight to Helsinki then London babyy

THE BEST FEELINGS IN THE WORLD

• Fresh, crisp sheets
• Crawling into bed after a long day
• Laughing so hard that you can't stop
• Having a day to do absolutely nothing
• Holding a sleeping baby
• Someone reading a book that you had recommended to them
• Becoming completely enthralled in a book
• Making someone else laugh
• Patting a dog
• Receiving a hug after craving one all day
• Cruising in the car with the windows down in Summer
• Doing a poo
• The unconditional love of a Mother
• Doing something you didn't think you could yourself
• Hearing a song that holds a nice memory
• The smell of fresh rain

THEY'RE JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU

I saw a text conversation posted on Facebook between friends listing lessons to be learned when dating a boy, and so I thought I might use that as an example and make a hard hitting truth check-list for all your girls out there. There's no holding back but that's what we need; the truth with no sugar coating!

1. Don't send nudes because they will shared with friends
2. If they won't hold your hand in public you ain't shit to them
3. Learn the different between protective and possessive
4. Look at them through the company they keeps - they will say a lot about who your partner is as well!
5. Don't use sex as a weapon, it should be fun for the both of you
6. Don't take 30 minutes to reply back because they took 20. Texting shouldn't be a game, when you're playing a game there always has to be a loser
7. If they make you feel bad more than they makes you feel good, leave them
8. Ever heard "I don't want to hurt you" or "I'm going to hurt you"? What they really mean is "I'm too much of a selfish, inconsiderate, immature asshole to stop you from being my convenience and I will take advantage of your feelings towards me. But now because I have said this I can remind you when you complain that I hurt you, that I did warn you."
9. If you can't trust them with their ex, bye bye mother fucker
10. If they can't trust you with your ex, say goodbye to your ex. They're the future for a reason, and if you're making your partner feel uncomfortable; you need to step back and look at what you're doing before you call them out on being possessive
11. If you can't be proud to have a kid like them, don't stay with them
12. If they truly want to hang out with you, they will go out of their way to do so. If they're all talk and no walk be honest with yourself and stop investing in them
13. If you tell them how you feel and they laugh at you, leave their ass. Don't keep people in your life who make you feel inferior and invalidated
14. If you're making more than two excuses for them an interaction, you're in a relationship with yourself
15. If you're having to lie about them to your friends, why are you with them?
16. If you don't feel comfortable asking them what their intentions are with you, then you probably already know but just don't want to hear the answer
17. Worry about their Snapchat best friends or who they're liking on instagram? Ask them about it. But if they don't care enough about you to make you feel comfortable about others on social media - leave
18. If you don't trust, leave. If you don't respect leave. If they don't trust, leave. If they don't respect, leave.
19. Opposites attract but then they also attack. If you don't have common interests it will eventually catch up on you
20. They cannot be your poison and your medicine
21. There's a difference between saying "I love you" and talking about a future together
22. Actions speak louder than words - they might be saying all the right things, but are they being acted upon?

HOW TO SURVIVE A FIVE HOUR STOP OVER IN SINGAPORE

• Rooftop swimming pool and then relax with a cocktail
• Foot massage at a free foot and calf machine
• Foot therapy session by small Garra Rufa fish for 30 minutes, eating away foot callouses
• You can book a bed for a private snooze in the Rainforest Lounge
• Visit the Butterfly garden, a two storey enclosed garden with a 6 metre waterfall and more than 1,000 butterflies
• Koi pond (9am or 4pm feeding time)
• Cactus, Sunflower and Orchid gardens
• Free movie at one of the three (?) cinemas
• The worlds tallest airport slide at four storeys high, riders arching up to speeds of 6m per second
• Free access to the multimedia gaming centre, includes all up-to-date technology
• Sign up for a free two hour guided tour of Singapore
• Shop - Harrods, Hermes, Prada, MAC, Victoria's Secret, Tiffany and Co. and Gucci
• Splurge the kids at Planet Toy, the Singapore Zoo Store or the M&M store
• 24/7 gym

But you know what, I didn't get to do any of these!!!!

LONG HAUL FLIGHT SKIN CARE

I've heard that travelling on long haul flights, such as the one I'm going on in April to London, can really take a toll on your skin. SO I have looked up articles written about how to care for your skin while travel, here's what I've got

HYDRATION!!!!
Hydration is key to keeping your skin happy while travelling. Prep your skin a few weeks prior to your trip by using a hydrating serum each morning, followed by a spritz of hydrating toner and then seal it with a moisture rich moisturiser. This will prepare your skin for the long flights ahead and give it the extra moisture it will need. I have also been given a Clarins Beauty Flash Balm mask to us a week before my flight as well as during and after, I was told that flight attendants use this product a lot during long-haulflights as well.

On the flight I recommend wearing no make-up, wearing make-up will only stress your skin out more than it already will be from being up in high altitude with little fresh air. Just before your flight apply an anti-ozonate hydrating spritz toner and then spread an even layer of a lipid based multi-vitamin complex over your skin - defending your skin from any environmental stress. Lastly, apply a silicone based moisturising gel over your face to form a protective barrier for your skin. Bringing a moisturising lip balm on flight will definitely not go astray either!

After your flight is over apply some type of hydrating mask to restore the skin and then apply your hydrating spritz toner once again, sealing it with your super-charged moisturiser.

For the hydrating serum and toner I'm using the brand Sukin; they're natural and alcohol-free which is what you should be looking for when in search of beauty products, and isn't too expensive either.

When packing your carry-on skin products also keep in mind the restrictions that will be set for you.

• All liquids, aerosol and gel are to be in containers of 100mls - if the container is any bigger, even if the substance in it is only 100mls or less you will be asked to throw it out before boarding.
• All containers must be carried in a transparent plastic bag (e.g. sandwich bag or travel board set)
• That said bag must add up to 80cm all together, no bigger (e.g. 20cm x 20cm)

NEW YEAR!?

So I could have probably posted this a bit earlier since now everyones getting over the 'new year, new me' stage buut I just didn't. Anyway - I've never really had New Years Resolutions, never really had the same thoughts as others my age about a new year meaning everything will change and that they'll become a better person. I mean, to me if there was something I wanted to do I wouldn't wait for the new year to come around to do it; I'd just try take action when I wanted. Just because the clock has turned over to midnight and December has ended does not automatically turn you into a different person. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a new year symbolising starting out fresh. I love it, but you also don't have to wait around for a new year to come by to take action in your life; if there's something you want to change, go out and change it. Whether it be it be you want to start eating healthier, exercising more, get a new job, end a relationship with a negative person in your life, travel - just go out and do it!

However, in saying that I do think setting little goals and ambitions for the year are nice so you can look back on at anytime and either tick one off, or strive to focus on one of them. Here are a few on my list;

This year, 2015, I am solely trying to focus on myself. I want to do things purely because I want to do them and stop feeling bad for doing so, if I don't feel comfortable going to a party but my friend's begging me to come because they want to go but won't go alone? Don't go, and don't feel bad about saying no either. I need to learn that it is okay to put myself first and that I don't need to apologise for that, ever.

That then leads me into my second goal - fade out the negative, poisonous people from my life and only surround myself with friends and family who support me, and genuinely want to be around me rather than whenever it's convenient for them. This has already started happening, so that's step in the right positive direction. I'm not saying that I had horrible, life ruining friends who never gave a shit about me, there were a few people I surrounded myself with who didn't show the same level of respect for our friendship as I did to them. And while that boat was going down stream, I began hanging around some old friends whom I realised had a lot more positive impact on me and made me feel valued as a friend and in whole; a person allowing me to grow.

In my last year of high school I studied and received my Certificate III in Tourism and had it set that I then wanted to go to uni and study a Bachelor in Tourism and Events. However, I lost motivation to do so and cancelled my enrolment in the course and it's only now - 2 years later - after tossing up between about five different career opportunities, have I began to feel inspired to work in that industry again. I want to work on that this year, start studying tourism again or even better; study my Diploma in Tourism while working at a travel agency!

Before I start that I've booked myself a trip, a Contiki Tour around Europe; 16 countries, 45 days and a major tick off of my bucket list! I see this trip as not only a majorly needed get away and refresh of the head, but also as a way to gain knowledge and experience in travelling before I come back home and try to look in Tourism. I'll be documenting everything on this site - just in case you haven't realised alright, so keep in touch!

This year I also want to try and put down my phone and close my laptop more, and be in touch with the people around me. If I'm spending time with someone, put my phone in my bag and cherish that time a little more, if I need to be contacted they can ring me but I don't need to be on my phone scrolling through Instagram and Facebook every second of every day. Especially when I've got someone in front of me who I can happily converse with, I'm very guilty of being on my phone when around other people and I really don't know what I was thinking and I'm so mad at myself now for blocking people out because I've been on my phone talking to someone else or watching funny snapchats. What an idiot.

Lastly, I need to learn to love myself - to appreciate who I am and stop trying to change and blame myself for things that happen that are out of my reach. I am a good person, I don't need to change to find love and acceptance; I deserve to be loved and I am loved. And I don't need some horny asshole boy whispering sweet nothings in my ear to validate that.

Soo.. maybe this was more that a list of goals I have for 2015, I threw a bit of everything in here didn't I? Oh well, regardless - these are my hopes and ambitions for this year with an added rant about each one. I'll look back on this through out the year and see how I'm going, maybe even do an update post at the middle and end of the year? We'll see how I go with this!

Thank you.