I didn't exactly know how to celebrate my 4 year blogiversary. I haven't felt like much of a blogger lately. I've only published 7 blogposts this year. That's a very embarrassing number knowing that there are times where I managed to post 25 blog posts in one month. I know we're supposed to be celebrating my little corner of the internet but life hasn't been very exciting lately. I guess this blogpost will be more of a life update than a celebration but I am in the process of trying to get my life together so do expect quite a few cheerful posts in the near future.

I started this blog over 4 years ago. I had no idea what I was doing but I quickly fell in love with blogging. It's been my way of documenting my life. Life has been one hell of a roller coaster ride with more downs than ups but I've always tried to keep my blog as happy and cheerful as I can. I guess one gets to a point where you just need to take a break from everything and that's exactly what I decided to do. I wasn't sure what I was doing with my blog anymore, school was getting hectic and life wasn't getting any better. I just got overwhelmed by everything and thought stepping away from my blog for a while was the best option. I don't think I ever fully recovered from my break because my blog posts became less frequent when I came back from my break.

2015 was such a bad year for me. I don't know how I managed to make it through it. 2016 was okay and 2017 was slightly better. Things weren't great but it could've been worse. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst at the end of November last year and it feels like everything keeps going downhill. There are so many things happening that are out of my control and the simplest way to put it is that everything just sucks right now and I'm not even being dramatic.

My goal for 2018 was to just have fun and make money. I haven't made money but I have been trying to have fun by actually participating in life. You may have noticed that I've been quite active on my YouTube channel which is one of the few things that's been going my way this year. The downside of doing all these things is that they only bring temporary joy. Which is why I'm changing my goal for 2018 to finding happiness.

At this point in my life I feel lost and confused. Almost as though I'm just drifting without a purpose and trust me it's a very sad way to live. I got to a point where I had to decide whether I want to give up or try harder. So, this is my second attempt at this life thing. I'm giving myself and my blog a second chance. I just want to be able to have my little corner of sunshine and happiness.

Right now, at this very moment, I'm still sad and life is a disaster but I'm working on changing my mindset. I'm sorry for this long and boring blog post. I just needed to get all of these things out of my system. From now I'll be sending positive vibes and hopefully the universe will do the same. I will also working on accomplishing my 2017 goals so that's exciting!

Thank you to every person who reads my blog. Here's to many more years in the blogoshpere!

Last week I got my first tattoo. If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram you probably already know this. If you don't, you should probably follow me, it's @TheTshegofatso on both. The decision to get a tattoo was spontaneous. I've always wanted a tattoo and I always thought my first tattoo would be of sentimental value but a few days before I got my tattoo I came across the exact same tattoo that I got on Tumblr and I thought it looked cute. I told my sister about it and she said we should get matching tattoos and of course I said yes. 

We got our tattoos at Tattoo Styles at Menlyn. I think it was slightly expensive as we paid R250 each. However, on the plus side they don't require you to make an appointment. The whole process was quick and simple. The tattoo took about two minutes. Everything they tell you about tattoos being painful is true. Those two minutes were the worst two minutes of my life. I felt like I went to hell and back. Pretty hurts and no pain, no gain. We all know the rules. 

I'm so happy I actually went through with it. My whole family was there by side so it was a cool experience. I might get a few more tattoos in the future but the pain has frightened me away for a while. I'm currently using the Tattoo Addicted Natural Beeswax after care to take care of my tattoo as it heals. 

Shout out to 2018 for making me tick off some items on my bucket list. I'm officially tatted up and living my best life.

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Ever since this year began I have been focusing on being happy. I think it's one of the only New Year's Resolutions I've actually stuck to. Now that I'm nineteen(woah), I just want to continuing to be genuinely happy. 

Eighteen was a really good year for me. I stopped focusing on all the terrible things that have happened and started participating in life. It's one of the best decisions I have ever made. I'm still in the process of learning and growing but I'm happy with where I'm headed. 

One thing I want to continue working on is my confidence. It's something that I've always struggled with but I'm making progress. You gotta fake it until you make it. 

This is my last year as a teenager. I'm not going to lie it's scary. I'm not ready for the real world. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life. I'm taking it one step at a time. The plan is to be a little selfish and do more of what fills me with joy. Here's to nineteen and becoming a carefree black girl.

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When 2018 began I wasn't entirely sure what my plan for the year was. I tried applying for learnerships and a few other things but nothing worked out. So, I decided to head the university route.

It's been a month since I started university and it's nothing like high school. I still feel quite overwhelmed and I'm trying to adjust. It's a lot to process. It feels like a series of tests and assignments and then more tests and assignments. I also have the worst timetable, I finish school at 17:30 everyday. It hurts me so much whenever I think about. 

Somewhere in the whole process of starting university I realised that I'm an adult now and this is my life. I can't keep putting things off for a later stage because this is real life and time doesn't wait for anyone. So, I've just been trying to live my best and it's the best decision I ever made. 

University is a lot of work and that's a fact but it's all worth it in the end, right? I guess it's all about balance. Work hard, play harder. That's the plan. I'm a strong, independent woman so, I'll survive. 

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In 2014 I started this blog. I had no idea what I was doing. I just wanted a little corner on the internet where I could share my thoughts. I have managed to learn a lot since then and I'm still learning something new everyday. 

A few important things I've learnt is that blogging requires time and effort. You need ensure that you are creating quality content which your readers will find valuable. Social media plays an important role in blogging because people can't read your blog of they don't know about it. Social media gives you a platform to connect with people and promote yourself. Lastly, blogging requires passion. Don't just start a blog because everyone is doing it. Blogging is not easy and if it's not something you enjoy you will have a hard keeping up. 

Those are just a couple of lessons I've learnt along the way. However, there's always room to learn more.  The infographic below contains some tips on starting a travel blog by some of South Africa's top travel bloggers. However, I believe this advice can be helpful to any type of blogger at any stage of their blogging journey. It provides helpful information and simply summarises everything to know about blogging. 

I am starting my final high school exams exactly a week from now. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. I am excited to finally finish with high school and no matter how much I hate to admit it there will be some parts that I will miss. This blog post is dedicated to my outfit and my thoughts about finals. 

I'm feeling quite nervous about finals. I know how important these exams are and everyone around me keeps reminding me. However, I'm also feeling quite motivated to study and to try my best. I attended the Junior Tukkie Preparation Conference last week and it's exactly what I needed. I honestly just want to write and get this over and done with. I don't want my life to only be about academics. I'm still trying to find a way to balance everything and it's proving to be quite a struggle but I'm trying. 

Now let's move on to the more exciting stuff, my outfit. I'm at a point where my sense of fashion is changing but I have no idea where I'm headed. I am just trying out a whole bunch of things and falling for all the trends. At the moment folding up my jeans to expose my socks is my favourite. I still need to invest in cool socks though but I'll get there. 

I'm just in a very weird point in my life but I'll survive. All the best to the other matriculants. We got this!

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Whenever I need a kick of inspiration I always go on YouTube to watch a motivational video. It always does the trick and leaves me feeling like a can take over the world. However, I believe my source of inspiration comes from myself.

There are a number of things I would like to accomplish and that’s what keeps me inspired. I always ensure to write down my goals because it makes them feel more real. I know exactly what I’m working towards and that makes it easier to stay inspired.

There are some days when I don’t feel like doing anything at all and that’s okay. Sometimes you just need to take a break. I’m still learning how to balance everything because there are days that I have to push myself to do work even when that’s the last thing I would like to do. 

I always talk about how fear is a prison but I guess my fear of dying with my dreams unfulfilled has really helped me. I’m doing this for myself and I believe that’s the most important thing. I’m not trying to impress anyone or trying to fulfil anyone else’s goals. That’s what really keeps me inspired, getting up every day and working towards something that important to me.

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I’m currently in the process of learning web design and development. I’m happy to say that I’ve learnt quite a lot without spending any money at all. There are hundreds of free resources that are available. I have used a couple and a few have stood out.

SoloLearn Apps:

This is where my coding journey began. These apps are wonderful for learning the basics of coding. There are different apps for the various programming languages. I used the HTML, CSS and JavaScript apps. These are focused on teaching the theory which is done by a series of lessons and quizzes. 

Codecademy:

Codecademy offers a wide selection of courses to choose from which range from around 4-8 hours. They help you understand the logic of coding and are more interactive as compared to learning through a book. 

W3schools.com:

W3Schools is useful for reference purposes rather than learning programming. This is where I turn to when I get stuck and I used it a lot in the early stages of my learning process. It’s provides simple solutions that are easy to understand.

YouTube:

There are hundreds of YouTube channels that provide valuable information. It may take some time to find something that works for you but it’s all worth it in the end. I use YouTube to find sample projects and learn more about the world of web and mobile app development in general.

Practice:

I spent a lot of time trying to learn everything without doing any practice at all. I’ve learnt that practical knowledge is key. It teaches you how to solve problems and it gives you real life experience. 

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I started 2017 with a long list of goals and I decided to read the book #GirlBoss to inspire myself to work towards them. I started reading the book in February however, my phone was stolen and everything was just a mess at that time. This lead to me feeling uninspired and I stopped reading the book. A lot of things have changed and recently, I decided to start reading the book again.

In the book, Sophia Amoruso, speaks about her journey as an entrepreneur and how her company, Nasty Gal, got to where it is today. The book also features a few other female entrepreneurs which I really found interesting because it shows what being a #GirlBoss means to different people.

The book contains valuable information about starting and running a business, dealing with finances, the importance of staying true to yourself and a whole lot more. Sophia shows that there is no correct way to start a business. It’s all about working hard to get what you want.

A very important lesson that I learnt is that you just have to start and you will learn along the way. This is something I have been struggling with but after reading this book I’ve realised that sometimes you have got to put your fears aside and go for it. A quote from the book sums it up beautifully, “Abandon anything about your life and habits that might be holding you back. Learn to create opportunities. Know that there is no finish line; fortune favours actions.  Race balls out toward the extraordinary life that you’ve always dreamed of, or still haven’t had time to dream up. And prepare to have a lot of fun along the way.”

I’m ready to join the #GirlBosses and take over the world!

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My sister and I wanted to do something exciting to celebrate the beginning of spring. After a few minutes of brainstorming we decided that a trip to the zoo was the best way to do it. We hadn't been there in ages and it was a wonderful way to spend time outdoors.

We arrived in the late afternoon and it was quite warm. We walked around with the aim of finding the aquarium because that is my absolute favourite place. It has so many beautiful colours and it makes me feel as though I am in a whole different world.

The reptiles were also very interesting. Snakes are actually very fascinating and their very good at camouflage. Which is quite scary yet exciting at the same time. The penguin were also so cool. Maybe it's because of the movie Madagascar or maybe it's the fact that they can swallow an entire fish at one go. All the other animals were also interesting but they didn't really stand out.

I have mixed feelings about the zoo. I love seeing all the animals but some of them seem really sad and lonely. I really wish I could be the hero of the story and set them free. Unfortunately, that won't be happening soon. However, it was fun seeing all the animals and being outside made me even more excited for spring!

Zoo Vlog:

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Ever since learning HTML, CSS and JavaScript I've never actually completed a project. Yesterday, I was feeling quite motivated. I sat in front of my laptop and I made a website. I'm so proud of myself. It took me approximately two hours to make. 

It is just a simple website and I only used HTML and CSS. So, it doesn't actually do anything but it was some good practice. I'm definitely going to be making more projects because you learn by doing.

I just jotted down an idea on paper and then I recreated it with HTML and CSS. I played around with the colours until I found the colours that worked best together. My next goal is to create responsive websites and some cool web apps. Practice makes perfect and ,of course, I'll be sharing all my projects and progress on here!

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