So these last few months have been different.

In june, I started working at a small bar in the CBD. It was an interesting and fun job, I met a lot of cool people. It was also a shady business that was about to go under. The bar belonged to a hotel chain, who decided to sell it as it was no longer profitable. So we had new owners buy out the business. We all knew they had plans to renovate and re-name the business. Three weeks after they took over, they gave us 5 days warning that they were going to shut the bar for a few weeks to renovate, and that they would try and give us shifts in other bars they owned that were also in the CBD. They stopped responding to anyones emails shortly after.

On our last day at the bar, I was sent home early because they didn't want to pay for someone extra to be there after lunch rush, even though it was a FRIDAY and friday night is our busiest time of the week. So I went home and hopped online where I saw a flash sale for extremely cheap return tickets to Thailand, a country I have been wanting to visit for years. I said fuck it, and I bought them. I have been wanting to volunteer at an Elephant sanctuary for a while now, so I will be doing that for a week when I go.

I then went back to our bar later at around 7pm, as our team was going to have farewell drinks. There, I met a friend of one of our regulars, who told me that she loved the bar. I told her I love it too, but I was sorry, because we were closing down in two days and today was our farewell. She asked me what I was going to do for a job, and offered me a position at her work in a popular retail health and beauty store.

I went and gave in my resume, had an interview and got the job! The pay is awesome and everyone is lovely.

Since getting my first paycheck, I have been getting a couple items that I'm going to need on my Thailand trip. I'm going to be packing light and staying in hostels, so I bought a traveling backpack, that is well secured and has chest and hip straps to ease the load on my back (it's the Osprey Porter 46, for anyone interested in travel backpacks). Packing cubes to keep my items of clothing organised. I bought a Buff, as at the Elephant sanctuary we will be doing work in the sun and a lot of walking through the rainforest, so it will keep me cool, keep the sweat out of my eyes as well as offering sun protection.

I also recently just enrolled in a Captive Animals course, which will enable me to work on a sanctuary or as a zookeeper, animal carer, wildlife person etc. I will be doing it through an online college, so I can also travel as well if I like without restrictions. I'm excited to finally know what I want to do with my life, and have a bit of direction.

I still talk to my ex, we have a complicated relationship. He has a lot of work to do on himself.

Hope you are all well. Just thought I would share some things as I haven't done that in a while, and I feel like a few familiar faces have dropped off the site. I do think about you guys and hope that all of your life circumstances are positive or at least on the way to it.

xox