Brit Lost in Melbourne: 20 things you'll learn from studying abroad down under

As some of you know I have moved away to Australia on study abroad for 6 months! Here are some of the things I've learnt on the way..



1.     Goon is your best friend

Even though it taste like chemicals it is the cheapest thing under $60 

2.     Swearing  is Australia’s first language

3. You will get laughed at for your strange accent

-          And most people won't be able to understand you

4 .P.Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney DOES NOT EXIST.

5. It becomes a part of your daily routine to check toilets/floors/EVERYTHING just in case you get attacked by giant insects.

6. Don’t mention Steve Irwin. Just don’t.

7. Koalas aren’t cute anymore. They smell, they poop and have chlamydia. Yum.

8. Your phone will be full of selfies such as these...

Guilty..

9. Australia is EXPENSIVE

 $15 for a burger??

10. It's pretty hard to concentrate when your views look a little something like this:

11. These cute little things are your worst enemy when trying to have a lie in

12. But just because you’re in Australia doesn't mean it’s all fun and sunshine..

13. Kangaroo is the tastiest thing you’ll ever eat

R.I.P :'(

14. Everything is abbreviated and can get a little confusing at times

15. Woolworths is not the same as the old UK one. No £2 pick n mix cups  :’(

16. You cant eat Ben and Jerrys unless you want to become a stripper on the side to afford living..

I’ll stick to Tim Tams

17. Vegemite will never ever be as good as Marmite

18. Everybody is obsessed with sports and if you have not followed Australian sports before you will get laughed at

19. Netflix has JUST come to this side of the world. FINALLY.



20. You will never want to leave

VAMFF - Premium Runway 4

- VAMFF (Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival) ran across the week from the 14th - 22nd March 2015.  I will be sharing my favorite shows, runways and collections with you all, starting with Runway 4.  -

Fashion Festival finally arrived in Melbourne! Sadly I was unable to attend the festival due to an overwhelming amount of coursework boooo :( but I still kept up to date with what was going on through Instagram,blogs and Twitter. As a Londoner, Fashion Week is yearly event so when I found out about the VAMFF I couldn't of been more thrilled!Runway 4 was the second VAMFF show of the Tuesday Evening. Premium Runway 4, presented by SHOP Til You Drop, featured key autumn winter looks from designers Akin by Ginger & Smart, Alice McCall, Keepsake, Shakuhachi and White Suede.The models wore a splash of colour to on runway with gorgeous red lips, whilst focusing on the fashion, stand out pieces for me included the Shakuhachi sleeveless waist coat and White Suede plunge dress.Some of my favourite pieces from the designers collections:

Keepsake

I loved all their collection however this white taut midi skirt with matching embellished bralet definitely stood out amongst the others. 

Alice McCall

Black, elegant and simple. 

Akin by Ginger & Smart

This piece uses multi textures to add structure and depth to the collection. The use of wool and leather portray a grunge look while the juxtaposing textures created a look that can be worn day or night.

Shakuhachi

My ultimate favourite piece from all the collections is this short sleeved waistcoat!

Check out the whole Runway 4 here:

https://youtu.be/tK5Zp12JorY

Georgia Mae x

Brit lost in Melbourne

Hello everybody! It’s been a while since I have posted on my blog and I have so many new ideas and stories to share with you all!

To see more pictures of my travels take a look on my personal instagram @georgiiasheehan

So, where have I been? A bit all over really, but to start things off I have moved from the UK to Melbourne to study for 6 months, (craaaaaazy stuff) which was a totally spontaneous decision of mine but the spontaneity paid off. I have been over in Australia for just over a month now and loving every minute. Apart from the weather – incase you didn’t already know, Australia’s winter is UK’s summer! Meaning I had 2 weeks of lush sun and tanning on the beach and now, well, its fecking chilly at night! But hey I can’t complain.

Melbourne is a fab city where everything and everyone is constantly glowing. I have absolutely fallen in love. So I have put together a short list of everything I love about Melbourne so far! Since I’ve been here only a month there is so much more to see, so shall be posting about the top things to do in Melbourne soon.

1.       It is the most liveable city in the world (According to studies).

2.       We have our own dance move.

‘The Melbourne Shuffle’ – seriously cool

3.       Alleyways are nice, friendly areas to hang out.

In England these are often places one goes to down cheap beer or wine but here in Melbourne the alleyways are full of amazing graffiti art and independent boutiques and coffee shops. Google Hoiser lane!

4.       The ozzies abbreviate EVERYTHING.

Thongs are flipflops..apparently.

5.       Free trams.

6.       They have ‘Schooners’.

Like a 3 quarter pint of beer for those who are feeling a light drink but a bit more than a half a pint.

7.       Restaurants that have a pay what you feel policy.

8.       Australian’s are so friendly, sometimes a bit too much!

9.       Free yoga and running at Fed Square.

10.   You can get the other side of the city for $1.88 (students only of course).

11.   Some clubs are open for 2 days.

You can go into a nightclub on Friday night and come out Sunday morning. They even have sleeping rooms!

I could go on forever with this list and I’m pretty sure I have a lot more to add that I haven’t discovered yet! Basically in a nutshell Melbourne is great and everybody should move here..

BYEEEE x

The Full Moon Party

A guide to the Full Moon/Half Moon Party

I’ve been back from Thailand for about a month now and I can safely say I am suffering major travel blues. One of my favourite memories from my trip was the famous Moon Party on Koh Phanagan, which is something from out of this world, honestly. I thought I’d share a quick guide for those who are planning on visiting Thailand anytime soon or those of you to reminisce the crazy experience!

Alcohol Buckets

Cheap, big and strong. These buckets are always a good idea, until you end up face planted on the roads of Koh Phangan. Buckets in Thailand are sold on every street you pass, so if you are desperate to try one, don’t worry you will be sure not to miss out! The buckets cost anything from around 100- 500 Baht which is £2-10. This may seem very cheap for us Brits but very expensive in Thailand so be sure to bargain or even move 1 metre down the beach to find another stall! They are also ridiculously strong which you may be thinking why is that a problem?, but it is when you start to forget how much you’ve actually drank! – so be wise and make sure you only buy the buckets that have not been pre mixed.

Burning skipping rope

Great for all you adrenalin junkies but if you want to leave the island with a ‘Koh Phangan tattoo’ I suggest to skip this detail out.

Bum bags

This was probably my most handy accessory I ever bought with me. I used it every day and it meant i wasn’t on edge about my valuables. I know for some of you this seems like the ultimate fashion crisis (I never thought I’d be seen dead in one) but purchasing a thin/slim bum bag means you can put it under your clothes without looking like you’ve had one too many Thai curries.

Have a meeting point

Chances are, you’ll be attending this festival with friends. Trying to keep an eye on them among 30,000 people can be a bit difficult. It would be far more fun to hangout and dance with them, rather than spending hours searching the beach for them. Before you go out, decide on a meeting point so, if you can’t find one another for say 10 minutes, head to that point and meet up. Then, reunited, you can continue partying together!

Accommodation

While you’re on Haad Rin Beach having a great time at the party, who’s watching your precious belongings in your bungalow? This party gives thieves a prime chance to break into your hut and take your expensive travel electronics, money, or even worse – your passport. Get a hotel/bungalow that looks well taken care of and has someone around 24/7. Better yet, go for a room that isn’t right in the middle of the action. With 30,000 people on the beach, the odds of someone walking up to your room unnoticed are pretty high! It’s a good idea to stay off the beach and into the centre of the island, but not too far; the taxi drivers take the piss slightly.

Transport

Going off my previous tip, try to get accommodation relatively close to Had Rin beach or Ban Tai beach for the Half Moon. The last thing you want to be doing is getting a boat onto the next island in your drunken state on an over packed long tail boat. They have capsized in the past which has killed many students, so don’t risk it!

Neon paint – always a good idea.

On that light note, be sure to pack the neon paint. You’ll see some insane pieces of body art so make sure you fit right in!

Here are some of my photos from the Half Moon Party! Excuse the crude body paint which was painted on by my intoxicated boyfriend. 

7 tips on how to survive that dreaded Long Haul Flight

For those of you to love to jet off away from the norm and occasionally love just a bit more than that European city break, you’d understand the pain that is long haul fights. Recently I travelled South East Asia to see my boyfriend, after 4 months of being apart! The trip was utterly amazing and I was so lucky to spend a whole month with him in the most amazing countries! But soon I had to face the horrific reality that was a long haul flight back to freezing London. FECK.

As I had to endure 24+ on long haul flights that pretty much makes me an almost an expert on surviving the dreaded things, so heres 7  ways to survive your dreaded long haul flight!

Get comfortable. 
Wear a super comfortable outfit for the plane. My favorite outfit for long-haul flights is a pair of stretchy leggings, a cotton tee, and dolly shoes and of course a fluffy jacket or scarf to use as a cover up or pillow! If you are thinking outfit disaster like I am, you can always freshen up and make yourself look more presentable when getting off the plane. Unless you want to meet the man of your dreams flying over Asia but let’s face it, comfort wins. Everytime.  

Pack an inflatable pillow. 
The pillows provided by the airplane are really only useful as lumbar support. If you intend on sleeping on the plane, pack an inflatable neck pillow. If you are lucky enough to get an adjustable  headrest then you are already one step ahead of the game.

Move around. 
Sitting for long periods of time can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis and in non-scientific terms; a really numb bum.  Larger planes usually have space in the back to stretch (literally).  On my last flight from Singapore to Dubai, I stood in the back with the flight attendants twice for 30 minutes. I've learned that flight attendants usually have great travel stories to tell and free goodies so hit them up for a chat if you're bored.

Bring a sweater or an extra blanket. 

It may be 30 degrees down below but once youre in that airplane the aircon is turned on and without a jacket you are stuffed. Some aircrafts supply blankets, however these are usually very thin that they quite frankly do not keep you warm at all.
Travel with a warm sweater or a small travel blanket so that you'll be comfortable during the flight. Luckily I had my sarong to cocoon myself in with an Emirates blanket but don’t always count on that!

Choose an exit row. 
Exit rows have a ton of extra space and are often available for an extra fee. The worst thing is getting trapped in-between two sleeping people and having to wake them up several times cause you’ve drank too much wine.

Use an eye mask and ear plugs.
Depending on the time of day your flight takes off and the direction you're flying, it might be bright outside, making it difficult to fall asleep. It's also challenging to sleep when there's constant conversation, babies crying and noise from the meal service. Some airlines provide seat stickers so you can let the flight attendants know you don’t want to be disturbed but this doesn’t l=block out the noise. ­ Many international carriers give out a free amenity kit that includes these items. If your airline doesn't offer an eye mask and ear plugs, it's definitely worth investing in a set.

Try get upgraded.

When flying from London to Dubai I was a nervous wreck, while trying to keep myself together I got approached by Emirates staff who asked if I was flying alone and/or this was my first time travelling alone. All I had to do was say yes and I was automatically upgraded to business class! Unfortunately it is not that easy every time but the free champagne, business class seat and luxury lounge is worth the effort!

Soon to be blogged; My tips and favourite places to see in Asia. Good luck with your next long haul flight! x

Visual Merchandising workshop

For winning our Visual Merchandising brief we were awarded with a guest lecturer: Adrian Ashmore. We got to spend a session getting to know the basics of TexStore, which designers/PR/Showroom creatives use to create a mock up of a store. I found this workshop extremely interesting, apart from the fact it is exactly like playing Sims TexStore is a great program to use for the planning and designing of our 3rd year exhibition!

Take a look at what I created!

Unique DIY business cards

For my current project; self promotion I am producing several creative concepts to promote myself as a fashion creative. After making my business cards I decided to add a bit of creativity to it. I previously saw an image on Pinterest.com in which a graphic designer had created a folded CV. I thought I would mix the two together to potentially hand out to cilents.

I started off making a front cover to present myself with the text 'I'm Georgia Sheehan - Fashion Creative' to engage customers. However you only see this when then you unfold the envelope. On the back is my visual CV so potential employers/cilents can read about my work and experience.  

I went with a super minimal black and white business card, which contains my signature motif of the circle. 

As for the poster, in an ideal world I would have made this huge (like 18×24 or larger), but I couldn’t figure out how to fold the paper properly at that size AND it would have been extremely expensive. So, I opted for a normal size sheet of paper, professional printed on matte paper.

Then I folded every single sheet, so that my business card could rest inside and create a black triangle that slightly resembles the shape of a house. It took a while to create a design that would line up perfectly, but eventually I figured it out. Here is the photos of the steps of the business card holer. Enjoy! x