Sydney Royal Easter Show

As some of you may know of Sydney's tradition of holding a massive carnival, every year around Easter, lasting about three weeks, to celebrate. If you weren't aware, well, now you know. It's actually quite a huge event and we Sydney-siders take pride in holding one of Australia's biggest events (for more information on the Sydney Royal Easter Show, click on this link). 

For the first time in about, four or five years, I attended the Easter show with my younger sister and her friend and her friends' friend's. 

If you're planning on attending one day, here's a few tips:

• Take plenty of water (trust me, you'll need it)
• Stock up on some well-needed cash (trust me, you'll need it)
• Wear sunscreen (trust me, you'll need it), you know the rules; slip, slop, slap
• Wear comfortable clothes and shoes (trust me on this one)
• Actually enjoy going on rides that flip you upside, spin you around, fling you into the stratosphere, hurl you towards the ground, make you feel like you're about to regurgitate on yourself and on your sister (need I say more?)

And the most important tip I can ever give:

• Make sure you attend with people you know and like 

Otherwise you're going to be either:

• Socially awkward and not talk to the people you're with
• Realise you don't like them and you don't want to spend the whole day with annoying shit heads

There are only a few faults about the Easter show:

• Everything is way over-priced, the food, the coupons for rides, the traditional carnival games, show bags, everything
• There are way too many goddamned people in one place! Oh lord, it's legitimately packed to the brim with people who walk so...goddamned...slowly (although that is an issue that event organisers have no control over)!

Even though the prices are through the roof and to attend the carnival will literally send you broke for about two-three months (unless you work, then you don't really have anything to complain about, unless you're a jobless student like me then you have a lot to complain about), the amount of fun you have with your family and friends or whoever you go with, really makes up for it. 

Another thing that makes up for spending your money on carnival games you absolutely suck at, is beautiful foreign boys with accents. I did spend $15 on a game I wasn't very good at and won this beautiful little Smurf man, although my four-year old and one-year old nieces have taken it upon themselves to steal him away from me and claim him their own.

I mean come on! If you had a beautiful, exotic looking man, talking to you in a swoon-worthy European accent, would you walk away or stay and play the game and continuously ask him questions, just so he could talk more in that gorgeous accent of his? I think a majority of the female species would go with the latter. Thank you!

A word to the people in charge of hiring at the Easter show, well done, I applaud you. You did very damn well in hiring attractive guys who lure socially awkward girls into playing your deceiving, conniving, money-stealing carnival games. Unless you're actually good at carnival games and win awesome prizes all the time, then it doesn't really matter how attractive they are. 

All in all it's a great day out for the family, friends, couples, etc, etc. There's only a few days left to experience all the fun for this year, so hurry up and get your butts over to 1 Showground road, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW. Head over this way to purchase tickets (you get a somewhat discount when you buy tickets online) or you can buy tickets at the show ground, and have fun!

xx

Book review: Looking For Alaska - John Green

This post is brought to you by my very own, very brand new (and very expensive) 13'' MacBook Pro, hooray!

"Looking for Alaska" is a story that propels the reader into a whole new mindset, it shows a different perception on life and death and connects with the reader on a deep, emotional level.

The story follows the junior year of a boy named Miles Halter who decides to leave his home and school in Florida, to attend a prep school in Alabama, in order to find his "Great Perhaps" before he dies. 

Like any other typical teenage life story, Miles makes new friends, gets introduced to the "bad things" in life, such as smoking and drinking. He also finds love in an emotionally unstable, yet "most beautiful girl he's ever seen", Alaska Young. As tragedy strikes, he and his roommate and new best friend, Chip "The Colonel" Martin, take it upon themselves to unravel the mystery that is Alaska Young. 

The book ends with Miles' religion paper, which in my opinion, is the pinnacle point of the entire novel. 

"Looking for Alaska" is beautifully written and truly moving, John Green is undoubtedly a very talented writer with a knack for excellent one liners. 

I also recommend you do not read this while on a packed train on the way home from college, because if you're like me and you get way too emotionally attached to fictional characters, you will sob and no one on a full train wants to see a teenage girl clutching a novel to her chest, crying her eyes out. Not only because of the devastation, but because the true message of the story resonates through your heart and mind.

 Yes, yes it is one of those stories that causes you heart ache, but hey! At least it will enlighten you on how a personal bad experience can result in a person's new outlook on life, death, life after death and most importantly the labyrinth that is pain and suffering and how to escape it.

First blog post!

Hello guys, welcome to my blog. My first blog post has been a long coming but it's finally here! Hooray. So I thought my first post should be a bit about me, just so you guys can get to know me a little better and also a little insight as to what my blog will consist of. 

First and foremost, my name is Heba, if you're having trouble with the pronunciation, it rhymes with "Bieber". Repeat it a few times and you'll get the hang of it. I'm 18, I live in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, planet Earth. I am currently studying journalism in college and loving every minute of it. 

My passion is writing and photography, and I am hoping that this blog will help kick start my journalistic career. I've loved to read and write from a very young age, so be prepared for a lot of book reviews. Which takes me onto what my blog content will consist of. Mostly music, film, book, food/restaurant and tv show reviews. There will also be lots of stuff on all my favourite (and not so favourite) celebrities. Also any articles that I write, and i'll even give advice, I like to think I'm pretty good with that stuff (or so I've been told). 

I constantly get asked what my 'dream job' is, but in all honesty, I don't think I can give a straight answer. All I know, is that my lifelong dream is to be successful in what I do, travel the world, write, take amazing photographs and most importantly, be happy! 

I look to forward to writing more, and I hope you guys like my stuff. 

Love from, Me! 

xx