California, here we commeeeeee!

Hey guys, remember me! I know I haven't posted anything in what for me feels like a decade, but I've just been swamped with so much work since I've arrived back from the US. I have so much I need to write about and show you all, and it irks me because I feel like I need to do so in chronological order! NOOO! But, here it is, I have to do what feels right for me... The last post I made before I went on an unexpected hiatus was my trip in Hawaii! So, here it is, the rest of my trip!

Next stop: Los Angeles, California!

After what felt like forever on a plane my family and I were finally exposed to the change in weather. Hawaii was warm, summery and practically everything you'd expect it to be. I didn't have much expectations for LA, considering most of my friends have said it's quite similar to Sydney. It was chilly and it pretty much had an average of 18 degrees everyday, something which I'm only familiar with when I set the air conditioning.

My uncle and cousin picked up up from LAX and we spared no minute at all! After dropping off our belongings at their house for the mean time, we visited a local cafe of theirs which specialised in brunch. I DID NOT ANTICIPATE HOW LARGE THEIR SERVINGS WERE. Had I known that their waffles were the size of my face I wouldn't have ordered two! Anyway, after brunch we spared no time and ventured off for an hour's drive to Hollywood!

A double from In-n-Out! Ohhhh, mouth watering

Unfortunately, I did fall asleep at some point during the ride only to wake up just 10 minutes away from Hollywood; but omg the houses are amazing - gated, large with luxury cars? Can I please have your house, thank you!

So yeah, Hollywood needless to say is quite crazy - especially Hollywood Bvl which is just jam packed with street actors dressed up as celebrities along the Hollywood walk of fame. We arrived in LA a week before the Grammy's or, was it the Oscars? Either one and my sisters and I thought, perhaps if we stalked Rodeo Drive we could find someone?

lol me doing an absolutely horrid attempt at a Vanessa Hudgens impersonation

We then visited Disneyland in Anaheim, it turns out that we were only 15 minutes away from it. We stayed in Orange County which is surprisingly quite big and I won't lie, I was on the look out for a Seth Cohen! But anyway, Disneyland and California Adventure was amazing, it was as magical and as nostalgic as I would have thought and to put it simply I wished I could go back again!

tourist photo lol.

LA, was primarily just a giant family reunion so what we did the most I'd say was eat and shop. And I won't lie, I did get a little tired of shopping. But, I did manage to buy myself a Michael Kors handbag which I have been in love with throughout the whole trip! I also abused H&M whilst at Citadel which, I'll have you know is a giant shopping centre with THE fanciest toilets; it's one of those toilets where there's an attendant, and even a lounge area! It was ridiculous.

crappy photo but I am in love with my H&M leather leopard printed jacket & my Michael Kors handbag!

We went for a drive through Long Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach; my mother instantly fell in love with the place it just felt so fresh in comparison to the suburbs. Venice Beach on the other hand was quite scary considering my little sister and I were approached by a completely suspicious woman offering us 'Candy', it was hilarious.

Towards the end of our trip my older sister and I decided to leave Los Angeles for a day and fly up to San Francisco and check out the hype. It was much colder than LA, especially because it's so close to the water. We definitely were on the look out for the best clam chowder but I don't think I found it :( We did however stop by the Twitter headquarters thanks to one of our connections and have lunch with one of the directors there! It was SO exciting, the environment there is so chilled you can really feel all the ideas flowing within the mere cafeteria! I wanna work there!

On our second last day in California my family and I went on a three hour road trip to Victorville where my other cousins live. Now, LA is on the edge of the westcoast of Cali, Victorville is literally so far out the east coast of Cali, it's only four hours away from Vegas. IT WAS DESERT. So that was pretty cool, I did however, get sick with asthma. Damn asthma! But, we were looking forward to our next leg of the trip, our road trip to Vegas! WOOOO!

That should be enough, for now....

So, as you may know I leave for the USA tomorrow! I actually can't wait considering it's the first time my family and I are going there! (Unbelievable right?!) Well, I managed to get all of my packing done so then tomorrow I can really focus on running errands.

It's really hard picking out what to bring and what to leave at home - especially when you're going to experience two completely different weather forecasts! Hawaii at the moment is experiencing fairly similar weather forecasts than Australia so I'm pretty much set with the whole, summer vibe. BUT, when we arrive in New York towards the end of the trip it's pretty much predicted to be around one digit figures! Which is crazy seeing as I've never experienced anything lower than 16 degrees celsius.

I've packed

• a few dresses; they seem like a space saving choice; unfortunately my One Teaspoon dress photographed above takes a lot more space than anticipated WAH.
• five tops; sleeved and long sleeved, cropped and well, normal length - seeing as I didn't do a run through with my bottoms I am seriously hoping they're pretty versatile.
• two pairs of shorts that I've picked up from Sportsgirl and Forever New a while ago and seem to have become an instant favourite
• along with two skirts; a black Forever New piece and an ASOS bargain!
• a bejewelled lolly pink sweater I picked up from Forever New as per my staff discount
• some leggings considering I can't stand wearing jeans
• two heeled/wedged boots, sandals and sneakers
• and some seasonal essentials like my beanie and favourite pashmina/scarf and Seafolly bikini.

All in all, it's not much. My luggage is half its potential weight and I honestly can't wait to shop for more overseas. Eeeep!

The Worst Blogger in the History of the Universe

Hey guys, so you're probably wondering, Niki.. What's happening?
I apologise for not blogging as much as I initially intended when I began this blog; I'm starting to think maybe I chose the wrong time to start this considering I'm so busy with work and my trip overseas.
I truly intend on starting proper posts perhaps whilst I'm on my trip and so on which, I leave for on Friday! I'm so excited, my family and I haven't been on a vacation together in a while and we'll be going to the USA! Hawaii, Los Angeles, Vegas and New York. Could I be any more excited!?

I'm really trying to think about how I could start a youtube channel - how do people start one? Do they have to make an introduction video or do they just do whatever?
By the way, totally irrelevant to this paragraph but more so relevant to the first. What places do you recommend I check out whilst I'm in the States? Do you have any favourite locations? (I'll definitely be checking in at In-N-Out Burger that's for sure!)

Here's just a few photos I've found on my laptop that's kind of got me a tad bit more excited :) Hope you enjoy! And... bear with me!

How amazing was Beyonce at the Super Bowl Half Time Show - and don't tell me you didn't get excited when Destiny's Child came together and when she did her Crazy In Love strut!