Mish Mash Up Date!

Hiya

She's Baaaack! About time I gave a wee update, so here goes.

1) Credit card - it's not going to be paid off in time, but I'm keeping the goal on here so I can do it eventually. A new job with a big paycut saw this plan go pear-shaped, but I've got a plan.

4) Writing Course - went once. Just couldn't do it with the new job etc, but oh well.

5) 3 Articles Published - woohoo, I've had one published in DOLLY mag, one more submitted to be published in next month in same mag.. so I'm edging there : )

9) Relax - I had a massage last fortnight, and another one booked in for next fortnight. I have stopped working 7 days a week (yippee!) and although I'm now spending my weekends in bed (bloody D). But I'm getting through it.. one step at a time.

: )
Catch you soon x

Exercise

It feels so so good after you've done it.
So why is it so hard to do it???

Cause Goober made me do it!

ABOUT ME MEME

Relationship status: free as a bird
Height: 5’3 (yes, short)
Shoe: sometimes 7, sometimes 8, depending on the shoe
Parents still together: Not since I was 3
Siblings: Two. Older bro and older sis.
Pets: none. Would love a dog but studio living isn’t really the best place for a pup. Neither is my lifestyle (not home all that much)

FAVOURITES
Colour: Yellow
Number: 2, 4 or anything even. (what’s the go with 5?!)
Animal: Dog dog doggy dog, I love ‘em
Drinks: Water. Weird, I know. I crave it tho.
Soda: Coke – real stuff too, not pepsi.
Book: Ditto to goober. Just one? I don’t know. Impossible! But Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert rates pretty high.

DO YOU?
Colour your hair: Not for ages, used to do rinses alllll the time when younger tho. Now I’m too lazy and poor.
Have tattoos: Star on the inside of my right wrist, 3 small stars on small of back (my friend has a matching one)
Piercings: labrette, tongue, belly, ears pierced (2 in left ear) and used to have nose but not anymore.
Know how to drive: auto all the way!

HAVE YOU EVER?
Been in a physical fight: Just when I was little, with my sister (strangely, not my bro).
Kicked someone in the nuts: Um, yes. Sometimes just flicked them too, and figured out that hurts just as much. Heheh LOL. (sorry goobs)
Stolen anything: Um, not really. But I have knowingly walked away with more change than I should have received a number of times! (not telling you the last time)
Held a gun: Only a plastic one.
Drank: Confirmed binge drinker (double ditto to this)
Cried over a girl: Yes. It sux to lose good friends.
Been in love: Go figure. I thought so but surely it has to be reciprocated to be real? Again, go figure.
Lied to someone: Who hasn’t??
Cried over a boy: Way too many times. I think that has more to do with my own self-esteem rather than the boy per se…

CURRENTS
Current clothing: Am curled up on the couch after a long, rainy day at work so just managed to flick off the boots. So currently, black top, denim skirt and one pink sock and one blue sock.
Current mood: tired… but content. Looking forward to a day off tomorrow too : )
Current taste: red wine. Sweet red wine on a rainy night, yum.
Current smell: I’ve got the oil burner going with orange oil and a relaxation blend. Other than that, I’m smelling rain, it’s nice.
Current thing I ought to be doing: Um, writing a newsletter for my yoga class, or cleaning. Tomorrow will do!
Current CDs in stereo: Stars on the ipod on the bus home. Looking forward to the album of ppl doing their covers!
Last book you read: Jodi Picoult’s 'Plain Truth', and cried in it too. Went to the library last week for the first time in ages!
Last movie you saw:
(on TV) Bring It On! Be aggressive, B-E aggressive! Love it!
(on DVD) Um I think it was Shortbus on DVD. Weird. Weird. That’s all I can say. Good soundtrack tho.
(at the theatre) Running with Scissors – LOVED it. Go see it!
Last thing you ate: Oh dear. Chips and a veggie burger for dinner. That followed the 3pm sugar binge on kettle chips and maltesers (hey! I work in a cinema!)
Last person you talked to on the phone: I took a phone message for my Mgr at work… last text on mobi was to Pica…

DO YOU?
Do drugs: Daily meds, yes. And the big D has seen a pretty clean living lifestyle over the last coupla years.
Have a dream that keeps coming back: Not really. My dreams are pretty boring, standard and un-remarkable. But when I do remember them, they’re normally cause they’re horrible. Like losing a job or something. Blah.
Play an instrument: Got up to 5th grade AMEB in piano and theory. Could play my major chords on the guitar (do you know how many songs you can play when you learn those chords?!). But now, nada. All gone. Used to play by ear too!
Read the newspaper: Working in publicity, it’s kinda a tool of the trade. I read the Sydney Morning Herald daily (well, I go to the media section, and read most of it online) and even when I wasn’t in this job I purchased the SMH on Saturday (I love the Good Wkend mag) and both Sunday papers (again, love the mags).

So there you go… shiny in a nutshell!

My Travel Wish List

I've been lucky enough to have travelled a lot. Back in the old days (pre-mortgage) travel was a priority and I'd try and head overseas at least once a year. So it is with disappointment that I must reveal that I haven't left the country for almost 3 years. I miss the buzz of planning trips, working out the movies that would be shown on the flight,

I was reminded of some of my unrealised travel dreams when I stopped by The Urban Vegan's blog and found her post about a recent trip to Belize. Belize...how I want to visit you! I did an assignment on Belize's eco-tourism industry at university and decided that it was a place I had to visit. Now I've seen these pics I remember why. Sigh.

Here are my other travel dreams (the current list anyway). I hope I get to go to these places while I'm still young enough to enjoy them.

• New Mexico - another travel dream inspired by a university tourism assignment. It has my perfect mix of food, culture, architecture, art and landscape.
• Japan - I'm fascinated by Japan! I love the food and in my mind everything is so cute and compact. I would love to go there during the Spring Blossom festival and see geishas, punks and schoolgirls while singing at karaoke bars, travelling on bullet trains, visiting pagodas and eating lots of sushi.
• England - When I actually lived in England I didn't have the knowledge of the Tudor era that I have now, so I really have to go back and check out all of Henry viii's palaces as well as those of his wives. And since I'm over that way I'd have to make a pilgrimage to Hampshire - Jane Austen Country. Economies of scale and all.
• Byron Bay - I want this to be a place full of surfing, massages, lotus positions and spiritual epiphanies. I suspect that it is all that...tinged with binge-drinking high school kids.
• Bhutan - I guess from a professional perspective I'm intrigued by the way that Bhutan is managing it's tourism. Visitors pay at least US$200 a day just to be there - that includes almost everything though. Can't think of any other country that is taking this approach to control the types of people that visit and the influence that tourism has on locals. I'd love to know if it's working.
• Singapore, Hong Kong & Macau - to see friends there and to see how Chinese New Year is really done. I had planned to do this trip this year (the Flight Centre still has my $100 deposit) until I realised I couldn't really afford it.

Runners up - Sabah (Gorillas), anywhere in the US, Cuba, Greek Islands, Italy (only a dream).

As I write this list I realise how much I want to go to these places. Especially the ones I've been dreaming of for years. I need to make some of these dreams come true. No excuses!!

1/4 of the way through the year...

SCARY!! This year has gone way too fast although sometimes I feel like that's a good thing. It's not going to go down as one of the greats I suspect. It's my own fault though - I tend to put "life on hold" til I think I'm ready to participate. Hey it's only 1/4 of the way through the year so things can only get better!!

One thing I've realised is that work sucks up too much of my life, even when I'm not there. I become so drained that I can't find the energy to do much else. I need to sort out that whole work to live vs live to work thing.

Anyway enough musing. Let's see how my goals are going:
1. Diet - I'm really trying to work towards this one. It's always going to be a work in progress but I'm making the effort.
2. Travel - I hope I get to go somewhere (anywhere!) near the end of the year. I'm going to start using my savings account to get ready for this.
3. Fitness - I'm seeing a trainer who I really like but ultimately I am just a very lazy person. I admit it! I can find far too many reasons not to exercise (too tired, don't feel good and don't feel like it are the main ones) rather than just getting on and doing it. I keep reading about people who say that even after years of exercise, they still don't like it - they just do it. And I need to too.
4. Weight - So far this year I've gained weight. And that's on top of the weight I gained last year. I'm a weight gaining maniac!! But at last the scales are going down. My first goal is to lose this year's weight and we'll take it from there. Optimistic.
5. Creativity - Reviving my interest in photography. Thinking of joining Batucada - but nervous about the committment that requires. Want to paint again but don't for no particular reason.
6. Money - I haven't really reduced my spending during the work day to date, but I'm hoping this changes with my changing diet. I think my money management is getting a little better so feeling okay about this one.
7. Punctuality - I am getting to work a lot earlier than I did last year. Now if only I could get up early enough to actually walk there or do some exercise beforehand...
8. Giving up on this one.
9. New experiences - I'm playing indoor netball and I've camped. This is proving my theory that if you try new things you may just end up liking them.
10. Giving up on this one too.

So I need to come up with two new goals. One needs to be around relaxation and work/life balance (maybe incorporating meditation into my day and having regular massages) and I'm not sure about the last one...

Back in the Game

I haven't picked up my camera since the end of the photo project. I felt completely drained and the thought of the camera dominating my life again like it did in February left me cold. But I'm starting to want to take photos again (note to self - you must do things for fun rather than for achievement!) so I think I might start working on a new project - watch this space for what I come up with... Hmm maybe I should take suggestions from you - give me a theme, any theme, as literal or as abstract as you like, and I'll try and work my magic.

Oh and a friend wants to use/buy some photos from me to use on a viral marketing blog. Not sure how they'll be used but hey, it's nice to "have my work acknowledged" and I think they want me to do more variations of some of the stuff I've done so that's pretty cool.

Other things/people that have inspired me creatively recently are:

• The Gotan Project who I was lucky enough to see live last month at WOMAD. Tango meets beats and breaks meets moving pictures.
• Hone Tuware - a New Zealand poet whose work you study at uni - New Zealand lit 101 - but once you get past that (took me a while!!) you realise that he puts words together in a really powerful way. Oh Africa makes me think this - if there weren't elements of African society that weren't so totally corrupt and barbaric, would it be able to handle its natural obstacles a whole lot better and not be as "developing" as it is? ie have people f*** ed it up?

Oh Africa!

On bloody acts
That make less human
Mankind’s brighter sun,
Let revulsion rise
Eclipse the moon’s
Black evil, so that
Innocence and the child
Shall reign
So that we may dream
Good dreams again

• I've been listening to some old-school music lately - Cyndi Lauper (did you know She Bop is about masturbation??? Check out the lyrics - makes complete sense. Am I the only one who didn't know this???) , Talking Heads and the Pretenders (LOVE Chrissie!!), James Brown and the Cure. James and Robert are old favourites but the Pretenders has blown me away -must uncover more of their stuff. I want to listen to Talk Talk and The The again too - because of their names.

Step by Step inspiration

How does a mouse eat an elephant? Bite by Bite.

There is some cute little quote very similar to the above, and while it conjures up all these crazy images, it is very eloquent in its delivery. You don't start out exercising by doing 3 circuits and a marathon in a day. You don't start lifting weights by going gung-ho with 100kgs off the bat. No, you break it down. Step by Step.

So here is some simple inspiration to give us gals the motivation to see results and to help break things down... step by step.

3 goals in 3 days:

FOR PICASSO
- one x 20 min walk over the next three days, listening to fun music. You don't have to let exercise be a habit, you just do it because you have to. Like you have calcium strong stuff to make yr bones strong..... 20 mins specifically, not just incidental.

- OK! Write down 5 of your values. Then, write down 5 ways you can achieve one tiny step towards these values. You don't have to activate these steps, but just see some small ways of how you can implement them into your life.

- last, taken from 43things. Stick a post it note up on yr bathroom mirror TONIGHT, reminding yrself to say something nice to yrself each of these 3 days in the mirror. Every day, say somthing nice to yourself in the mirror.

FOR SHINY
- You need to write down your plan for Monday's eating - food every 2-3 hours with protein at every meal.

- Meditate for 5-10 mins each of the 3 days

- Write down 3-5 things you would like to do in your ideal day. Choose a whole day when you will have your ideal day and do it!!!