Geraldton Trip Day 1 and 2

Last weekend, some friends and I went on a road trip to Geraldton and places nearby. I was very excited to go to the beach (can you believe I haven't been swimming in two years? as a Maldivian, that feels criminal tbh) and to see the sights. We went to a few small trails and saw stunning views (i'm still getting used to hills and rivers) and lots of native wildlife (mostly plants and a few kangaroos!). 

Cervantes

It was a four hour drive from our Perth home to Geraldton, so we had a stopover in Cervantes for a light lunch and I love the strip of beach and how much of a beach town it was. Truly it was giivng Hometown Cha Cha Cha vibes with all the blues. 

The Leaning Tree

On the way from Cervantes to Geraldton lies the Leaning Trees of Greenough the main of which is a native eucalyptus (Wirnda Ngadara in Wajarri) that leans due to the strong south winds. It was truly beathtaking to see it, especially as we were nearing the sunset and the warm glow of the setting sun brought a feeling of true contentment watching the marvel of nature. and years of history unfold right in front of our eyes. There is a poem by Nola Gregory, a Gija/Bardi poet written in 2014 that accompanies the sign near the tree that really reosnated with me, written down here. 

I am Wirnda Ngadara

The leaning tree

I have grown this way

From too much breeze

My twisted trunk

Bowed down to search

And pay respect

To my Mother Earth

Stand here awhile

And look at me

I am Wirnda Ngadara

The leaning tree

Kalbarri National Park

We spent the next day driving another two hours to Kalbarri National Park which is absolutely massive. The Murchison River is stunning and despite the heat (and my shoes breaking down, thus having to duct tape my foot to the shoe), we managed to walk the small Ross Graham trail (named after the first headmaster of the Kalbarri primary school) and see the beautiful sights of the river which was a little dry this season but the teal color absolutely magnificent among the greens and red browns of the trees and rocky plateus surrounding it. The way the Nhanta people lived in the vast area is truly inspiring. 

Kalbarri Skywalk

We also went to the skywalk which gives the most spectacular views of the river and surrounds that seems to go on forever. As someone who's only seen the sea every horizon, it felt so surreal to see just rocks and trees for as far as the eyes can see, it makes you truly feel so insignificant. 

Nature's Window

Next, we took another trail to see Nature's Window, a rock formation where you can see the river gorge down below, which is stunning. The formation of the gorge and surrounds millions of years ago will make you feel a kind of existential calm and revel in just how marvelous Allah's creations are. The walk uphill is a little hard (espcailly for someone like me who truly despises any outdoor activity) but well worth the views (tho I will still complain the entire time haha) despite the blazing midday sun. 

Island Rock Lookout

On the way back, we stopped by the Island Rock lookout, another great marvel where the ocean meets the hilly shores of Nhanta land. I always love seeing the ocean and it's spectacularly juxtraposited to see the same ocean that lands on the beachy white sands of my home also reaches the hilly rocky lands of where I call home now. The tales these waves can tell. 

Castle Cove

We also stopped by the Castle Cove to see the natural bridge formation and see the ocean yet again. I love how the lookouts are made safe and easy for people to come by and easily acessible. The views are beautiful beyond words. We also saw a kangaroo in the surrounds and lots of birds around. 

Hutt Lagoon

Before coming home, our last stop of the day was the infamous Hutt Lagoon also known as the pink lake which gets it name from the high levels of salinity that turns the water into a shade of pink/lilac. We went by close to sunset and it was definitely more pink than blue/green but the camera (by then my camera had died so I was on my phone) doesn't do much justice to how pink it really is. 

By the end of the day, we managed to come home just after sunset and basically just crash! I had to do a quick run to kmart to get new shoes as my feet was duct taped to whatever was remaining of my old running shoes!

Monday Playlist - What I've been listening to this month

 As this month comes to an end, I wanted to share my playlist that's keeping me afloat all month. Some of them are brought over from last month while other I got obsessed with just this month. 

• Fictional by Kate Ross - I heard this first on booktok and immediately loved it. How do I not love a song about fictional characters, for so long I also thought I would only love a fictional characters, and I've been happy to be proven wrong. 
• You're Losing Me by Taylor Swift - I'm sorry but this maybe the saddest Tay song ever. Like I've heard so many of her heartbreak ballads, and this one just wheezed its way to the top of the list, especially the part where she says DO SOMETHING BABE it just kills me inside everytime. 
• Cold to My Core by Meg DeAngelis - I do love myself a little Meg, seeing her grow has been so lovely to see and because I'm currently going through the suffering of being cold all the time (thanks winter!) I mega relate to this song as well. 
• Left Right by Ali Sethi - Yes, I'm a fully convert into an Ali Sethi Girl. This song has such a great vibe, absolutley fantastic rhythm, and a kind of charm that only comes with Shae Gill. I have been playing it on repeat for far too much. 
• Sanak by Badshah - I only recently listened to the new Badshah album (and as a Badshah junkie that was late) and this song stood out a lot. Especially when THAT part comes. You know what I'm talking about. 
• Bye by Aditya Bhardwaj - This kind of slight desi pop indie songs ae really gaining a place in my hear. It's soo pretty to listen to, and you can't stop but bop your head to, despite it being kind of sad in a way. 
• Dahi Shakkar by Srushti Tawde - I've been obsessed with her since Hustle 2.0 and this is stunning. It's very different from what she did in the show, but it's great to see so much variety from her, she truly is versatile. 
• Deora from Coke Studio - Oh the hold this song has on me in insane. I've probably listening to it about 100 times now, no lie. It's got so much Josh, and makes me so happy. Also makes me want to learn Bengali, the language sounds gorgeous! 
• Hasti Rahe Tu by Paradox - Another fan favourite from Hustle 2.0, with a song that really makes me very excited. I love his deep voice, and this is fantastic writing as well. 

What have you been listening to?

5 New Shows to Watch This January

This month, I only have one Kdrama recommendation for you, which is only there for one reason (you'll find out) but there are a few other exciting dramas to keep you entertained. 

Agency

The main reason this Kdrama caught my eye was because it's set in an Ad agency, very Mad Men vibes. I work in marketing so I'm already intrigued, and there are a few notable faces, Lee Bo Young (of Mine) takes the lead as the female head of the agency in a cut throat industry, along with Son Na Eun (Ghost Doctor). 

Premiere Date: 7 January

No. of Episodes: 16, twice a week

Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches

With Alexandra Daddario at the helm, I'm so excited for this. The thing with me is that I love anything witchy, but I'm also very averse to horror, but it looks like something I can handle. She plays a neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches, and must deal with things that has been haunting her family for years. 

Premiere Date: 8 January

No. of Episodes: 8, once a week

Koala Man

This animated show from the creators of Rick and Morty, is sure to bring a lot of laughs. I'm not a particular fan of this animation style but I do love the humor! Aussie humor is something I'm getting used to, and this show is going to defo help. It follows a family father who lives a not-so-secret identity as the titular hero who possesses a burning passion to snuff out petty crime. There's a lot at stake here, and Koala Man is here to save the day!

Premiere Date: 9 January

No. of Episodes: 8, all binge-ready

Accused

This is giving me Law & Order meets Lie to Me vibes and I enjoy episodic shows a lot. I know it's going to make me feel emotional. The show revolves around ordinary people getting caught up in extraordinary situations, where one wrong turn leads to another, until it's too late to turn back. The cast lineup is very promising including Abigail Breslin, Rachel Bilson, and Molly Parker to name a few. 

Premiere Date: 22 January

No. of Episodes: 15, 2 episodes a week

Shrinking

Harrison Ford stars as Dr. Phil Rhodes, a grieving therapist who starts to tell his clients exactly what he thinks. Ignoring his training and ethics, he finds himself making huge changes to people's lives - including his own. There's not a lot more information about this but with a cast including Ford, Jason Segel, and Christa Miller, I think we have a show that will make us root for the characters and find a little breakthrough of our own!

Premiere Date: 27 January

No. of Episodes: 10, once a week

What shows are you excited for this month?

2022 Highlights

I love doing the year end highlights, looking back and reflecting on a year lived. I've been doing it since 2017. (Missed 2018, ugh) but you can check out my older years here. 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021

2022 was a year of the big change, which led to so many new things that I'm grateful for, but it also feels like I've hit a little slump on living life somehow. 

The one constant I've managed to keep is doing the daily crossword. In fact, I managed to start a streak and keep it going for more than a month, which is a big deal. It still takes me a really long time to finish one, but I enjoy the process so much and it feels like a hobby that's just solely mine (mostly because none of my friends do the actual crossword) and makes it all the more of a solitary activity that I love. 

During the first three months (prior to my move to Aussie) and a few weeks after, I had some classes, definitely felt like my last classes. I miss teaching so much, I miss being inside the classroom, I miss the conversations, the quizzes, the games, the inside jokes, there's just something so fun about teaching. 

We did see a few movies in theatre here (including watching Avatar twice, once in a bed in a movie theatre, which is such a surreal experience), and we love going to see movies, it's one of our fav things to do. Movie theatre magnums and popcorn just hits different. 

I've always been big on kdramas, but 2022 was when I took that obsession a bit more by going into #kdramatwt and I made a few friends there which is fun. It's always crazy watching an ongoing drama, all the theories, all the fanfare. I just love that. I also managed to watch the same amount of non kdrama? Now that is kind of sus, I thought I was a kdrama girlie through and through but looks like I do tend to deviate away, ahaha. 

Leaving also meant a lot of celebrations (and missing even more!). We had multiple farewells despite the circumstances we had to leave in, and I cherish every single second of them. I miss celebrations the most because I'm a party girl at heart and my family and friends know me as the heart of every celebration. 

Last year I found myself (for the first time in years!) having a lot of free time because I wasn't doing 4 jobs at the same time. So, I got into plants, and managed to keep a lot of plants alive (12 died but that's a lesson learnt) despite me falling sick for months, and in between moving apartments. I'm taking that as a big win!

Coming here meant finding everything new. Between two moves, learning the neighborhoods and trying to cook more, we didn't go out to eat that much (finding halal food is still a hassle!) but I do enjoy cooking, and have a few signature dishes that I can do really well. Plus, I'm now an overnight oats kinda person. I do love finding little coffee shops and trying new desserts, definitely a plus to moving to a big city is there's an abundance of both. 

I really slacked off on content creation last year. In total, my content didn't even reach 10 posts over the four main platforms I use, which is newsletters, this blog, my youtube and podcast (which was at a staggering zero, whoop), but this year I plan to post more. I have missed writing and putting content out there a lot, it definitely gave me a purpose to keep documenting my life (because I love reading back on it). 

Mostly, last year was about rediscovering myself as me, because who am I without my family, my friends, my home? I'm finding that out. Moving was so hard but it has also brought so much new things into my life and for that I'm grateful. I'm grateful for a new home, just for the both of us. For sunlight in the mornings, for the vastness of this city and for the beauty it adds to my life everyday. 2022 was tough, but it brought me a lot of joy and love. 

I hope 2023 brings lots of light to your life. What was the thing that brought you the most joy last year?