19 things from 2019
With the start of a new year comes a reflection on the year that was. As I start 2020, I want to take a moment to appreciate what 2019 had in store for me whether big or small, life-changing or something that just was. I’ve shared 19 things from 2019 with you below!
#1
I met my best friend and fell in love.
I met Chris! In late January 2019, Chris and I met at a bar called HQ here in Auckland. We literally bumped into each other on a night out and had we not met this way, I don’t think we ever would’ve met otherwise - we had no mutual friends and didn’t run in the same circles. Chris and I exchanged numbers, got to know each other and then became best friends. We had such a connection early on that our lives together this year have moved super quick. Within two months of meeting we were official, two months after that we had moved in together and the next 6 months that bring us to today we’ve spent traveling aboard, learning more about each other and even have began our own business venture. We’ve set goals for our future so I know he’ll be part of many milestones to come.
#2
I became the Number One Shoes Ambassador!
Another highlight of my year was becoming the Number One Shoes ambassador in 2019. Number One Shoes is a brand I have known and loved since I was young. It’s the affordable, on trend footwear brand that’s all across New Zealand. After wearing their shoes continually and naturally integrating them into my Instagram posts, I was approached by the marketing manager for the brand who loved what I did and wanted to work with an authentic and relatable personality in their mainstream marketing. I loved that their marketing objectives matched my personal values so was all for this partnership. I had the opportunity to work on three seperate campaigns - Wild For The Winter, Free To Be Me and their Summer Campaign. All of these included posters and banners throughout their 51 stores nationwide and also included TV commercials, pamphlets, a look book, magazine features, EDM along with images/videos across their social media! It was such a surreal opportunity that I’m so incredibly grateful for.
#3
I celebrated my 100K INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS Milestone with a massive party!
On Waitangi Day in New Zealand (6th February 2019) I hit a milestone of 100,000 followers which was huge for me. I’d gone from having 4K followers only one year before and my audience grew quickly after openly sharing my weight loss journey. I wanted to celebrate the milestone and shared my plans with all my friends!
My friend Iyia had just began the lease on her new home so we co-hosted a party celebrating both. We went with a white themed party and organised sponsors to come on board to celebrate with us. I organised a party bus for 50 of my closest friends to get us to the house which was a fun lead up to our epic party with more than 150 people!
OMG-NESS did her thing styling the event to the next level with balloons, letter lights and signage. Samba Passion dancers came to entertain along with great music from our DJ’s - @joshuafranks, @elknows and @crewsayada. Our guests were treated to beverages with wine from Giesen Wines, RTD Espresso Martini’s from Bondi NZ, RTD Vodka'‘s from Clean Collective NZ and gin from Blush Gin. We also had a grazing platter from @grazebychase, donut tower by @celebrationbox_nz and cupcakes by @petalsgifts.
#4
I attended personal development seminars all year and they were life changing!
I never quite understood the power that investing in yourself has until I started doing it. After making a life changing choice to improve my health, I started looking at other areas of my life that I could improve. A big thing for me was relationships - both personal and work, crisis management, conflict resolution and dealing with my emotions. I had to swallow my pride and recognise that I didn’t know everything. Attending these seminars in 2019 taught me so much and gave me some really great skill sets to use in my future. Because these conferences involved travel - I found myself attending the seminars and taking time in the evening or at lunch time to really reflect and have time for myself, making action points and goals to focus on until the next seminar. I noticed a massive different in my life and found myself happier, more motivated and more successful as a result.
#5
I dyed my hair blonde, again.
If you haven’t been around for long, you likely won’t know that I was blonde for 5 years! From when I was 18-23 I lightened my hair every 6 weeks. I went back to my natural colour pre-gastric sleeve as I wanted my hair to be in the best condition possible and grow healthy and strong again after hearing it was going to fall out post op. I love my dark hair so much but felt like I wanted a change so I went back to blonde!
My hair stylist/colourist @hairwithashlee is amazing and I trust her 100%. I still want my hair to stay healthy and for the colour to look natural so it’s been a progression. I’m keeping a balayage colour, staying darker at the roots with lighter pieces throughout and towards the end. I had only planned on having it lighter over Summer/Spring but I am all about this vibe right now so we’ll see how long it stays!
#6
I went on my first brand hosted trip!
This year in August 2019, I went on my first brand hosted trip with Superdry! One of my best friends, Loic and I were flown down to Queenstown with a few other influencers to help promote the opening of the new Superdry store. We had all inclusive week of action packed activities in one of the best cities in New Zealand. Everything from jet-boating to winery visits to touring Arrowtown! We selected pieces from Superdry’s new collection catering them to our own personal style. I loved wearing the oversized men’s winter jackets with my thigh high boots, I rocked their leather jacket with jeans + corset and went casual with a double denim ensemble too! It was such an experience that I’m so incredibly grateful for.
#7
I became verified on Instagram
Being “verified” on Instagram is probably just one of those boujee things that you kinda wish you had and then when you get it, it’s super exciting. It’s not overly easy to get that blue tick so I appreciate being able to even be considered for it! To me, it’s like a certificate of recognition in my industry that I work in so I was really excited for it!
#8
I travelled to two new countries!
Travelling has only just recently become something I’ve been interested. Prior to 2019, I’d only been to Australia and once when I was younger to Thailand on a school trip. There were two main issues to why I hadn’t done this - #1, I couldn’t actually comfortably fit in aeroplane seat at my heaviest weight and #2, I have the worst anxiety so even just the thought of travelling would often make me nervous and unsettled. My anxiety is better and I can comfortably sit in a aeroplane seat now so travelling in 2019 has been a whole new experience for me! This year I traveled a lot including two new countries - Bali, Indonesia & Fiji!
I went to Bali with my boyfriend Chris on our first trip abroad together. He’s consumed by wanderlust and that’s one of the things I love about him. We had the most incredible time in Bali, so much so we’re already booking our trip back! We immersed ourselves in their culture and unique landscapes as well as visiting the tourist spots too.
I also travelled to the Pacific Islands visiting Fiji with my family and surprisingly enough, it was our first family holiday together - ever! I didn’t realise growing up that family holidays were so common because when I was growing up, my parents didn’t have the luxury of being able to afford holidays away, let alone aboard so this was really special for us. We relaxed, enjoying the sunshine and the sea. So so nice!
#9
I maintained a healthy weight all year
Maintaining a healthy weight from 1 year post op and living a balanced lifestyle is so important to me. I’ve yo-yoed with my weight since I was young and every attempt to loose weight resulted in success for a short period only to gain it all back so keeping between a 60-65 kilos this year has been something to celebrate.
#10
I worked with some incredible brands!
This year, I had the opportunity to work with some incredible brands that I absolutely love. As I mentioned earlier, Number One Shoes was a brand I never thought I’d be working with but also brands such as SKYCITY, Superdry, Ardell, Luxe Fitness, ghd, QT For You, Fitbit, Boohoo and more!
#11
My weight loss story went viral - globally
The story of my weight loss and gastric sleeve surgery reached millions this year when I hit my one year anniversary and my story went global being featured in Dailymail, People Magazine, The Sun, LADbible, Bored Panda and more! I was on multiple radio stations and publications globally which was insane and such a surreal experience.
#12
I went to my first rugby game watching the All Blacks
My boyfriend Chris, being the typical kiwi bloke, loves sports with rugby being a favourite and so encouraged me to head along to the All Blacks playing live at Eden Park in Auckland. I don’t mind watching a rugby game from the comfort of home but I can’t say I’ve ever been to an actual live game. It was the middle of winter so we rugged up and heading to watch with a group of friends. It was bucketing down with rain and we were in the unsheltered section so got drenched! My parents ended had travelled up to watch the gave with there friends too so we spent time with them too! I actually had a lot of fun despite getting absolutely soaked in the rain.
#13
i turned 25!
This was actually on my New Years Resolutions for the year and I can’t describe to you how important this was for me 2019. Having lost a significant amount of weight in the previous year and accumulating an audience of more than 100K globally made me feel a lot of pressure to be “Instagram happy.” I personally have a preference on sharing positive vibes through the things I post and being optimistic in everything I do. I believe vibes are contagious so I want my online space to be something people come to and feel good! But that’s very much a highlight reel and not an accurate representation of 100% of my life. I wanted to make sure that the same energy I was manifesting into my online presence I was also putting into my own personal life, my home environment and the my interactions I was having with other people too. This made a MASSIVE difference in my world because I was genuinely happy so many times throughout the year. I once saw a quote that said, “You glow differently when you’re happy” and I think that pretty much summarises it.
#14
I dressed up SIMILAR TO my friend Arii Jade for her birthday
My gorgeous friend @arii_jade is a DJ and she has the coolest style! Purple is her signature colour as are sparkles. I absolutely adore her - so for her birthday, I dressed in a monochrome version of her rocking a blonde wig, thigh high boots, a cap, a bustier and an a-line skirt! We had a karaoke night in a private room at Holey Moley - a mini putt course bar. So much fun!
#15
i became really interested in star signs
I’ve always though star signs were a bit woo-woo but after attending personal development seminars and learning more about personalities, star signs really started to intrigue me. My boyfriend Chris and I are very different - he’s a Gemini and I’m a Cancer. Getting to know his star sign I feel like I understand him so much better. I believe star signs make up a huge part of how we were made and therefore is super unique and has been an important teaching of mine this year.
#16
I became a more conscious consumer!
I use to buy a lot of clothes - it’s something I’ve always enjoyed however this year, I really cut back on what I was purchasing - only really investing in staple items and mix and matching those and then when it came to events (which I attend frequently) I used the likes of Designer Wardrobe to hire pieces for these. That way, there’s less fast fashion happening, a garment is being re-used, you’re likely saving money rather than hoarding while also supporting a local business.
I also became more mindful of my plastic usage so began using beeswax reusable wraps, reusable shopping bags + fruit/vegetable bags, purchasing bio-degradable products where possible while also transforming my pantry by having reusable containers for most pantry staples.
#17
I featured more than 25 times in the SOCIAL PAGES OF THE newspaper!
This year I attended almost every event or catch up I was invited to - both personal and work wise. I made a real effort to socialise more as I felt my social anxiety had improved drastically and wanted to make the most of the opportunities. I attended on average 8-10 events per week in 2019 (yep! I figured it out) given my job involves a lot of product launches, PR showcases and events. Norrie Montgomery is the photographer snapping away the shots that are featured in the NZ Sunday Hearld’s SPY section. In the spread above, I’m featured 8 times - can you spot me?
#18
I hosted a “gal-entines” with my friends for Valentines Day!
In February 2019, I was single - so I hosted a Valentines Day picnic for a few of my girlfriends! I have friends from lots of different areas in life so not only was it a day to celebrate my friendship with them but also introduce them to new friends too. We had a picnic dinner, grazing platter and followed that with an outdoor movie. It was such a fun night and we all dressed in white for the occasion.
#19
I improved my fitness, strength and muscle!
The first year post op was about burning my excess fat to get to a healthy weight which I achieved by the start of 2019 but my fitness goals extended far beyond intial weight loss. One of my goals for 2019 was to get abs - something that in my entire life I never thought would be achievable however with the help of my personal trainer Hayley at The Exercise Room we got there by May 2019. Check out my Tik Tok (@arianaomipi) video above to see the transformation!