And it won't be too thought provoking either, as I know sometimes that's the last thing we need.
Maybe every now and then I'll do a longer one, but for now...
Expect more short ones like this.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
A much shorter post...
Gee, since that last story was so ridiculously long, I thought I would post a much shorter blog, as it's only fair...
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tales from Moonbooty
So interesting times in my life since we last spoke, Blogspotters! Here's a run down of my life since I last blogged about kicking my 5 year old brothers' ass in Uno:
- Discovered that I don't do things by half measures. Out for 2 months --> No walking. No driving. No gym. No netball. Eugh. Needless to say, I have done nothing in the two months since.
- Got an enormous moonboot for which I have been wearing since April.
- Started uni for the year
- Hated uni
- Decided to go part time
- Still didn't like 50% of the units I was doing (50% = 1)
- Developed same study habits as last semester... And by "study habits", I mean none
- Discovered Justin Bieber... And rediscovered my hatred for recording and management executives
- In the midst of having the most amazing year musically. Big Day Out (Eskimo Joe, Karnivool, Lily Allen, Powderfinger, Muse, need I go on?), Blues & Roots (Lisa Mitchell, Newton Faulkner, A&J Stone, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, John Butler Trio, Crowded House), Angus & Julia Stone (sound test show), and still to come:
~ Florence and the Machine
~ ANOTHER Angus & Julia Stone show
~ Powderfinger's Sunsets Tour (Last Show EVER!) (Supported by Jet)
~ Muse
- Decided to injure myself again. Fractured fibula, torn ligaments in the ankle. YAY!
- Discovered that I don't do things by half measures. Out for 2 months --> No walking. No driving. No gym. No netball. Eugh. Needless to say, I have done nothing in the two months since.
- Got an enormous moonboot for which I have been wearing since April.
- Had a birthday
- Realised it's exam time again, and in my great efforts to avoid study and procrastinate, remember that I have a Blogspot account and update the millions (i.e none) of readers of what's been happening
And that's pretty much about it! I will TRY to continue to update this, but as I now ALSO have a Tumblr account, odds are... I won't. Look after yourself folks. And don't injure yourself. Crutches are NOT fun.
L.L.L
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The times, they are a-changing!
So I was babysitting my 5 year old half brother last night, and something incredible happened... I realised that the torch had been passed, and the new generation was upon us. It all dawned on me after my little brother uttered four simple words. Four words which shocked and appalled me. Disappointed me, saddened me, made my heart feel heavy with grief.
These words?
"Who is Donkey Kong?"
I know, I know. I suppose I should supply the context to all of this;
So whilst looking after my *super intelligent* little brother, he decided we should play some Uno. Which, of course, I obliged. Because Uno is an AMAZING game, and clearly I could have a little fun with him, because there's no WAY he'd beat me, right? ... RIGHT?!
Apparently, not.
First game, I beat him with my first 7 cards. That can happen when you somehow end up with 5 skip cards, a wild and a +2. So next game I thought I should go a little easier on the little tyke. Apparently I didn't need to. He was just warming up.
Next game, I was taking it easy, playing some average cards, when WHAM! He hit me with a Wild +4. That's ok I can deal with that. WHAM! Another. WHAM! A skip card. WHAM a +2. WHAM another +2.
Moral of the story: Do NOT underestimate a 5 year old. Needless to say, he took GREAT joy in defeating his older brother. He even squealed in delight.
So third and final game before his bed time, I uttered the common phrase (spoken about in my first blog *coughcheapplugcough*); "Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong". To which he retorted with the aforementioned reply that shocked me oh so dearly.
So, rather than go on like a crazy lunatic about who Donkey Kong is, I decided to remind him who is boss and ruthlessly slaughtered him in a *surprisingly difficult* game of Uno (where he gave up and kept putting down the same Red +2 card no matter what I put down). From there, it was time for bed, so before I tucked him in, I told him to pick out a story for me to read before he hits the land of nod. It was here that my faith in the next generation was restored, when his chosen book was none other than Aladdin.
Thank heavens for small miracles :)
These words?
"Who is Donkey Kong?"
I know, I know. I suppose I should supply the context to all of this;
So whilst looking after my *super intelligent* little brother, he decided we should play some Uno. Which, of course, I obliged. Because Uno is an AMAZING game, and clearly I could have a little fun with him, because there's no WAY he'd beat me, right? ... RIGHT?!
Apparently, not.
First game, I beat him with my first 7 cards. That can happen when you somehow end up with 5 skip cards, a wild and a +2. So next game I thought I should go a little easier on the little tyke. Apparently I didn't need to. He was just warming up.
Next game, I was taking it easy, playing some average cards, when WHAM! He hit me with a Wild +4. That's ok I can deal with that. WHAM! Another. WHAM! A skip card. WHAM a +2. WHAM another +2.
Moral of the story: Do NOT underestimate a 5 year old. Needless to say, he took GREAT joy in defeating his older brother. He even squealed in delight.
So third and final game before his bed time, I uttered the common phrase (spoken about in my first blog *coughcheapplugcough*); "Oh, it's on like Donkey Kong". To which he retorted with the aforementioned reply that shocked me oh so dearly.
So, rather than go on like a crazy lunatic about who Donkey Kong is, I decided to remind him who is boss and ruthlessly slaughtered him in a *surprisingly difficult* game of Uno (where he gave up and kept putting down the same Red +2 card no matter what I put down). From there, it was time for bed, so before I tucked him in, I told him to pick out a story for me to read before he hits the land of nod. It was here that my faith in the next generation was restored, when his chosen book was none other than Aladdin.
Thank heavens for small miracles :)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Awkward moments??
In an effort to make this shorter and easier to read, I have decided to embark on a newer, shorter, form of the blog. Let me know what you think! ... I'm also tempted to start a vlog... Let me know what you think!!
So... Have you ever had that awkward moment, when you're on a bus or train, and as it approaches you try to look through the windows to find a spare seat... But as you get on and make your way towards it, someone comes from the other direction and takes it first? And so instead, you go to sit in the seat you’ve almost passed, but the person behind you is about to sit in it? So you have to decide whether to go ahead and sit in the one you were originally going for (and in the process look like you're having a mini fit, as you stopped momentarily, took a step back to sit in the previous chair, then move forward again to take the original seat... It made MUCH more sense in my head)
... I'm going to assume nobody else understood that.
In another, public-transport-related incident, while working out what to blog about, I was talking to a friend of mine (check him out... he blogs a lot more than me... and is usually funnier than me as well; beaniedude.blogspot.com), and he brought up a point that I can SO relate to... And he put it in a much better way than I put my story :P
Ever been faced with that dillemma, when you're on a train or bus and you sit next to someone because there are no other spare seats... At the next stop someone gets off - leaving a pair of seats free... And now you're faced with the choice: Do you move to the newly-created-spare seats, and henceforth away from the person you are sitting next to; or do you stay next to them and leave the spare seats? *ponders*
So... Have you ever had that awkward moment, when you're on a bus or train, and as it approaches you try to look through the windows to find a spare seat... But as you get on and make your way towards it, someone comes from the other direction and takes it first? And so instead, you go to sit in the seat you’ve almost passed, but the person behind you is about to sit in it? So you have to decide whether to go ahead and sit in the one you were originally going for (and in the process look like you're having a mini fit, as you stopped momentarily, took a step back to sit in the previous chair, then move forward again to take the original seat... It made MUCH more sense in my head)
... I'm going to assume nobody else understood that.
In another, public-transport-related incident, while working out what to blog about, I was talking to a friend of mine (check him out... he blogs a lot more than me... and is usually funnier than me as well; beaniedude.blogspot.com), and he brought up a point that I can SO relate to... And he put it in a much better way than I put my story :P
Ever been faced with that dillemma, when you're on a train or bus and you sit next to someone because there are no other spare seats... At the next stop someone gets off - leaving a pair of seats free... And now you're faced with the choice: Do you move to the newly-created-spare seats, and henceforth away from the person you are sitting next to; or do you stay next to them and leave the spare seats? *ponders*
Monday, February 15, 2010
The Craziest Weekend That Was...
Sooo I just got back from the greatest 28 hours I have had in a long long time :) My sister Zoe and I flew over to Sydney for our cousin Takeshi’s wedding to the beautiful Susie :)
So 3am on Saturday morning, I awoke from my slumber after only 3 hours of sleep, and made my way to the airport with the sis. After a relatively easy check in *I MADE IT THROUGH THE METAL DETECTORS WITHOUT GOING OFF!!! FIRST TIME EVERRRRRRR!!*, we boarded QF754 and made our way into our seats (54 J and K... that is, the second row from the back) and off we went. We were told to expect a bit of turbulence due to the bad weather in Sydney, butttt we really had nothing at all :)
The flight was actually really great. Breakfast was the typical aeroplane food; scrambled eggs, braised beans and a poor excuse for a slice of bacon and something that I think was supposed to resemble a hash brown... But that was ok. Topped it off with a little tub of yoghurt and some OJ, I wasn’t complaining :) Our movie was An Education, which is one I have wanted to see for a while now anyway. Brilliant movie, albeit censored for a “more suitable audience”. Following this, seeing as Zoe and I were on the same flight as our dad (who was sitting at the front of the plane), and we had 3 spare seats across the aisle from is, we thought we should go and bring dad up for a bit of Uno greatness. So, he came and sat across the aisle next to us, and the Harry Potter Uno begun. We had a really lovely flight attendant, who stood with us for the remaining hour of the flight, watching us play Uno and making funny remarks about the fact I was losing so terribly. She also gave me 5 packs of cookies. What a champion :D The crazy German woman behind us started complaining about the “noise” we were making (i.e. the flight attendant was talking a little loudly), so we started making more noise :P (note: she had been snoring the entire 3 hours before she woke up and decided to start bitching. You disturbed us with your hog-like noises emanating from your nose/mouth, so it’s only fair we were able to have a bit of “fun” and laugh every now and then :P) We touched down in to Sydney roughly 4ish hours after takeoff, which was about 1pm Sydney time on the Saturday afternoon. We caught a taxi to hotel (via the Harbour Bridge! Check out my photos on Facebook for a little taste :D), and after a looooong ride, we arrived at the Brookevale Travel Lodge a little after 2.30. We had time for a quick shower and change, met up with one of my uncles (from Darwin) and Grandma, and made our way to the wedding overlooking the beach by 4.
While waiting for the beautiful bride to arrive, we met up with more family, and made our way to the seats for family and close friends for a very special ceremony, which saw two of the most amazing people come together and pronounce their love for one another for life.
From here onwards, the celebrations really started to kick off. Dad bought a couple of bottles of champagne for our close family (mainly those from Perth/Darwin who flew over), and we all had a few glasses to celebrate, before making our way to the reception next door. Zoe and I were sat at a table with one of our cousins and some of Susie and Tak’s friends. We met some amazing people, and after a great dinner (entree: asparagus and prawns, mains: salmon on an incredible mash potato and greens, dessert: the BEST macadamia tart and a chocolate mousse/soufflé/cake that was SOOO good! ... for the record, me and some of the girls shared our desserts so we all tried a bit of both :D) it was time for the cutting of the cake and then some carving of the dance floor. The ONLY bad thing about the entire night was that it was SOOO SOOOOOOOOOO hot and humid! Plus as the reception began to get underway, it started to rain. Luckily it was after everyone was inside. But that meant that we couldn’t really go outside to cool off, which was evident for me... Let’s just say, grey shirts and me don’t go oh so well. You could say I sweat a little just THINKING about dancing, so carving it up for several hours straight did me no favours :P There are a few pictures circulating out there, but I won’t be the one to draw attention to them ;)
I suppose this is the time to tell you all that it was free drinks the entire night. So I went through QUITE a few champagne and guava concoctions... and I also got myself a beer. Which, I’m not gonna lie... Was absolutely amazing. If you know me, you know I can’t STAND beer. But this one hit the spot. A little bit of liquid courage, and that dance floor was mine :P “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” never sounded so good... Unfortunately, it was the last song of the night... For part one, anyway ;)
After helping my aunty and uncle load up their car of the newlywed’s presents and contents of the wishing well, we made the decision we shouldn’t let the night end here. So we ordered a maxi taxi to take us back to the hotel to get changed quickly, before heading out to Manly to see the nightlife. Now this SOUNDED like a great plan, however, it was a bit of a mixed crowd heading out on the town. It included: Myself. My cousin (who is almost 30, but that doesn’t matter, she’s awesome, couldn’t tell her age if you didn’t know :) she carved up the d-floor with me the whole night), a new friend who we made at the wedding, and then... my dad :| yes, my 50 year old dad came out into Manly with us... Holy moly... there are times when I wish we didn’t look alike, and this was definitely one of them :P Nahhh, in all seriousness, he was great. He made sure I always had a drink in my hand, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing haha. We tried one bar, and it was closed (this is only at 12.30, remember!!), so went to another which was pretty good. The dj was pretty good, but the dance floor was a bit average. As the GREAT song once said; “Too many dicks on the dancefloor”, so me, dad and my cousin headed over to another pub/club. Unfortunately we lost our new friend, but we found her at the end of the night at the taxi rank :) This other club was great. Awesome dj, great people, free drinks (thanks to dad, of course). It was rather hilarious though, watching my dad dance up and close with a few of the local gays was easily one of the highlights :D
Unfortunately though, we realised that we had to be up early for my uncles birthday, and so decided at 2.30 that it was time for us to call it a night. So after waiting for a taxi for 15 minutes, we STARTED to head back to the hotel. That is until dad and the cousin got the munchies, so they got the taxi driver to drop us off at the local Maccas, and decided to WALK home in the POURING rain afterwards!! So they got their crispy chicken and bacon deluxe burgers, and we started to walk back to the hotel. My goodness, I felt like a primary school teacher taking the wild kids on a field trip. Trying NOT to get them run over was a task in itself, and then directing them to the hotel, gahh!! But eventually we got back there, and after taking them both to their respective rooms, I managed to get to my room about 3.30, where I flopped onto the bed ready to pass out. Before I could, however, I realised I needed to set my alarm. This is where my heart REALLY began to sink, because my phone does the wondrous thing of telling me how long I have until my alarm will go off. Telling me I had 4 hours and 15 minutes until I had to be up was not what I wanted to see :’( But it was well worth it.
And so before I knew it, it was time to get up and face the day. Surprisingly, I felt absolutely fine, and with a spring in my step, I awoke, showered, dressed, packed, and got ready to face the day! Heading downstairs to the lobby, the Mitchell clan walked down to the Brookevale Japanese Restaurant, where we indulged in the usual Mitchell tradition that is Yum Cha, to celebrate my uncle’s birthday. It was great to celebrate together with the whole family, since there were people from Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Following Yum Cha, we loaded our luggage into my uncle’s hire car, so he could carry it around with him until we met up in Hyde Park before going to the airport, so we could go exploring around the city. So we got in a taxi (with the funniest cabby EVER! He is actually a stand up comedian and a musician, and although he decided to tell us his life story, he was still a very nice man), and we jumped on a ferry and travelled from Manly to Circular Quay. This is where my tourist instinct kicked in, and I happy-snapped everything that looked even remotely interesting :P But soon enough, we made our way passed the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which were incredible sights from far away, but as soon as we got off the ferry, we went right up to the Opera House, and took snaps from all sorts of angles. Unfortunately due to time restraints, we couldn’t make it over to The Rocks and the Bridge, but never fear Sydney, I will be back :)
So after more wandering around the city, we made our way to Hyde Park, where we got our luggage from my uncle, and then spent the next 40 minutes trying to hail a cab. Holy moly, it was the most IMPOSSIBLE thing EVER! Eventually though, we got possibly the dodgiest cab in the entire city, but it got us to the airport JUST in time for my dad to make his flight. However, just prior to him boarding, he took us into the Qantas Business Lounge. Well, where do I start?! The PERFECT way to finish the trip! Dad got us in because he’s a Platinum Qantas Frequent Flyer, but then he had to bail to catch his flight (which was an hour before ours), so Zoe and I got to chill with our free food and drinks for an hour. It was so so incredible :D Satay chicken pies, party pies, meatballs, pizza scrolls... ohhh my, so much amazing goodness!
But the time came for us to head on over to Gate 4 to catch the plane... But oh, what’s that?! Krispy Kreme is right next to Gate 4?! Well, you know what rhymes with “gate”? “Fate”. And fate it was, as we could hear Krispy Kreme call out to us. So we picked up 2 dozen donuts (note: 6 were for Zoe’s boyfriend, 6 were for the girls at work. Then we got stuck into the other 12 as soon as we got home... needless to say, there aren’t many left) and boarded the plane.
After waiting on the tarmac for a good 20 minutes, we finally had lift off! A bit of “clear air turbulence” and the worst movie of all time (Amelia... Richard Gere, Hillary Swank and Ewan McGregor... about as exciting as watching grass grow), and some “braised chicken and rice” dinner saw us through the flight (as well as my amazing iPod; Brick and Solitaire, you are amazing), until touch down at 7.42pm WST.
It was truly one of the best weekends of my life, with meeting SO many incredible people, dancing for 9 hours straight, carving up the streets of Manly, celebrating my uncles birthday with the entire family, and of course witnessing the beginning of my cousin and his wife’s marriage :) So thank you Sydney for showing me a great time, albeit for merely a day. I will most certainly be making my way back there as soon as I can, so get yourself ready :)
So 3am on Saturday morning, I awoke from my slumber after only 3 hours of sleep, and made my way to the airport with the sis. After a relatively easy check in *I MADE IT THROUGH THE METAL DETECTORS WITHOUT GOING OFF!!! FIRST TIME EVERRRRRRR!!*, we boarded QF754 and made our way into our seats (54 J and K... that is, the second row from the back) and off we went. We were told to expect a bit of turbulence due to the bad weather in Sydney, butttt we really had nothing at all :)
The flight was actually really great. Breakfast was the typical aeroplane food; scrambled eggs, braised beans and a poor excuse for a slice of bacon and something that I think was supposed to resemble a hash brown... But that was ok. Topped it off with a little tub of yoghurt and some OJ, I wasn’t complaining :) Our movie was An Education, which is one I have wanted to see for a while now anyway. Brilliant movie, albeit censored for a “more suitable audience”. Following this, seeing as Zoe and I were on the same flight as our dad (who was sitting at the front of the plane), and we had 3 spare seats across the aisle from is, we thought we should go and bring dad up for a bit of Uno greatness. So, he came and sat across the aisle next to us, and the Harry Potter Uno begun. We had a really lovely flight attendant, who stood with us for the remaining hour of the flight, watching us play Uno and making funny remarks about the fact I was losing so terribly. She also gave me 5 packs of cookies. What a champion :D The crazy German woman behind us started complaining about the “noise” we were making (i.e. the flight attendant was talking a little loudly), so we started making more noise :P (note: she had been snoring the entire 3 hours before she woke up and decided to start bitching. You disturbed us with your hog-like noises emanating from your nose/mouth, so it’s only fair we were able to have a bit of “fun” and laugh every now and then :P) We touched down in to Sydney roughly 4ish hours after takeoff, which was about 1pm Sydney time on the Saturday afternoon. We caught a taxi to hotel (via the Harbour Bridge! Check out my photos on Facebook for a little taste :D), and after a looooong ride, we arrived at the Brookevale Travel Lodge a little after 2.30. We had time for a quick shower and change, met up with one of my uncles (from Darwin) and Grandma, and made our way to the wedding overlooking the beach by 4.
While waiting for the beautiful bride to arrive, we met up with more family, and made our way to the seats for family and close friends for a very special ceremony, which saw two of the most amazing people come together and pronounce their love for one another for life.
From here onwards, the celebrations really started to kick off. Dad bought a couple of bottles of champagne for our close family (mainly those from Perth/Darwin who flew over), and we all had a few glasses to celebrate, before making our way to the reception next door. Zoe and I were sat at a table with one of our cousins and some of Susie and Tak’s friends. We met some amazing people, and after a great dinner (entree: asparagus and prawns, mains: salmon on an incredible mash potato and greens, dessert: the BEST macadamia tart and a chocolate mousse/soufflé/cake that was SOOO good! ... for the record, me and some of the girls shared our desserts so we all tried a bit of both :D) it was time for the cutting of the cake and then some carving of the dance floor. The ONLY bad thing about the entire night was that it was SOOO SOOOOOOOOOO hot and humid! Plus as the reception began to get underway, it started to rain. Luckily it was after everyone was inside. But that meant that we couldn’t really go outside to cool off, which was evident for me... Let’s just say, grey shirts and me don’t go oh so well. You could say I sweat a little just THINKING about dancing, so carving it up for several hours straight did me no favours :P There are a few pictures circulating out there, but I won’t be the one to draw attention to them ;)
I suppose this is the time to tell you all that it was free drinks the entire night. So I went through QUITE a few champagne and guava concoctions... and I also got myself a beer. Which, I’m not gonna lie... Was absolutely amazing. If you know me, you know I can’t STAND beer. But this one hit the spot. A little bit of liquid courage, and that dance floor was mine :P “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” never sounded so good... Unfortunately, it was the last song of the night... For part one, anyway ;)
After helping my aunty and uncle load up their car of the newlywed’s presents and contents of the wishing well, we made the decision we shouldn’t let the night end here. So we ordered a maxi taxi to take us back to the hotel to get changed quickly, before heading out to Manly to see the nightlife. Now this SOUNDED like a great plan, however, it was a bit of a mixed crowd heading out on the town. It included: Myself. My cousin (who is almost 30, but that doesn’t matter, she’s awesome, couldn’t tell her age if you didn’t know :) she carved up the d-floor with me the whole night), a new friend who we made at the wedding, and then... my dad :| yes, my 50 year old dad came out into Manly with us... Holy moly... there are times when I wish we didn’t look alike, and this was definitely one of them :P Nahhh, in all seriousness, he was great. He made sure I always had a drink in my hand, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing haha. We tried one bar, and it was closed (this is only at 12.30, remember!!), so went to another which was pretty good. The dj was pretty good, but the dance floor was a bit average. As the GREAT song once said; “Too many dicks on the dancefloor”, so me, dad and my cousin headed over to another pub/club. Unfortunately we lost our new friend, but we found her at the end of the night at the taxi rank :) This other club was great. Awesome dj, great people, free drinks (thanks to dad, of course). It was rather hilarious though, watching my dad dance up and close with a few of the local gays was easily one of the highlights :D
Unfortunately though, we realised that we had to be up early for my uncles birthday, and so decided at 2.30 that it was time for us to call it a night. So after waiting for a taxi for 15 minutes, we STARTED to head back to the hotel. That is until dad and the cousin got the munchies, so they got the taxi driver to drop us off at the local Maccas, and decided to WALK home in the POURING rain afterwards!! So they got their crispy chicken and bacon deluxe burgers, and we started to walk back to the hotel. My goodness, I felt like a primary school teacher taking the wild kids on a field trip. Trying NOT to get them run over was a task in itself, and then directing them to the hotel, gahh!! But eventually we got back there, and after taking them both to their respective rooms, I managed to get to my room about 3.30, where I flopped onto the bed ready to pass out. Before I could, however, I realised I needed to set my alarm. This is where my heart REALLY began to sink, because my phone does the wondrous thing of telling me how long I have until my alarm will go off. Telling me I had 4 hours and 15 minutes until I had to be up was not what I wanted to see :’( But it was well worth it.
And so before I knew it, it was time to get up and face the day. Surprisingly, I felt absolutely fine, and with a spring in my step, I awoke, showered, dressed, packed, and got ready to face the day! Heading downstairs to the lobby, the Mitchell clan walked down to the Brookevale Japanese Restaurant, where we indulged in the usual Mitchell tradition that is Yum Cha, to celebrate my uncle’s birthday. It was great to celebrate together with the whole family, since there were people from Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Following Yum Cha, we loaded our luggage into my uncle’s hire car, so he could carry it around with him until we met up in Hyde Park before going to the airport, so we could go exploring around the city. So we got in a taxi (with the funniest cabby EVER! He is actually a stand up comedian and a musician, and although he decided to tell us his life story, he was still a very nice man), and we jumped on a ferry and travelled from Manly to Circular Quay. This is where my tourist instinct kicked in, and I happy-snapped everything that looked even remotely interesting :P But soon enough, we made our way passed the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which were incredible sights from far away, but as soon as we got off the ferry, we went right up to the Opera House, and took snaps from all sorts of angles. Unfortunately due to time restraints, we couldn’t make it over to The Rocks and the Bridge, but never fear Sydney, I will be back :)
So after more wandering around the city, we made our way to Hyde Park, where we got our luggage from my uncle, and then spent the next 40 minutes trying to hail a cab. Holy moly, it was the most IMPOSSIBLE thing EVER! Eventually though, we got possibly the dodgiest cab in the entire city, but it got us to the airport JUST in time for my dad to make his flight. However, just prior to him boarding, he took us into the Qantas Business Lounge. Well, where do I start?! The PERFECT way to finish the trip! Dad got us in because he’s a Platinum Qantas Frequent Flyer, but then he had to bail to catch his flight (which was an hour before ours), so Zoe and I got to chill with our free food and drinks for an hour. It was so so incredible :D Satay chicken pies, party pies, meatballs, pizza scrolls... ohhh my, so much amazing goodness!
But the time came for us to head on over to Gate 4 to catch the plane... But oh, what’s that?! Krispy Kreme is right next to Gate 4?! Well, you know what rhymes with “gate”? “Fate”. And fate it was, as we could hear Krispy Kreme call out to us. So we picked up 2 dozen donuts (note: 6 were for Zoe’s boyfriend, 6 were for the girls at work. Then we got stuck into the other 12 as soon as we got home... needless to say, there aren’t many left) and boarded the plane.
After waiting on the tarmac for a good 20 minutes, we finally had lift off! A bit of “clear air turbulence” and the worst movie of all time (Amelia... Richard Gere, Hillary Swank and Ewan McGregor... about as exciting as watching grass grow), and some “braised chicken and rice” dinner saw us through the flight (as well as my amazing iPod; Brick and Solitaire, you are amazing), until touch down at 7.42pm WST.
It was truly one of the best weekends of my life, with meeting SO many incredible people, dancing for 9 hours straight, carving up the streets of Manly, celebrating my uncles birthday with the entire family, and of course witnessing the beginning of my cousin and his wife’s marriage :) So thank you Sydney for showing me a great time, albeit for merely a day. I will most certainly be making my way back there as soon as I can, so get yourself ready :)
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Tall Poppy Syndrome?
Well hey there!! I thought I would come and update my highly anticipated blog, because you’ve all been waiting oh so long! ... *this is the time where I would put the hash-tag #blatantlies in my tweet ;)* But I did figure that, at this time of the year, it’s good to get out all your feelings. So here goes. Also, I have my iTunes on shuffle (how unusual... not), so I will update you as different songs come on. Just for shits and giggles. (I get the feeling this blog won’t be quite so formal as the others. I.e. I can’t be bothered with formalities, henceforth I’m going casual Friday ........ or Sunday)
[Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson] Firstly, let’s talk about relationships. I know I’ve delved into it before, but really, I want to touch on it again. Sorry. Please, please, please, please, times a billion, cherish the relationships you have. However, please don’t also be blinded by them. If you are in a relationship that is clearly not doing you any good, do something about it. I’m not just saying as in a partner-type relationship, but friends and family too. Everybody has different layers, but a lot of the time, we let other people hold us back from showing our whole selves. And what’s the point in having all these layers, or traits, or whatever, if we don’t allow them to break through? [Somewhat ironic, “I Want To Break Free – Queen”] As an Aussie, we have the tendency to cut down other people. “Tall poppy syndrome”, I believe is the common colloquialism (how I know how to spell that I’ll never know). But there’s a difference between cutting down a bloke who’s bragging about his latest victory on the field (or pool table... personal joke), and then holding somebody back from being their true self. It’s not always so obvious when this happens though. Sometimes, people quite obviously cut us down, bring us “back down to earth”, or even sometimes they hurt us which forces us into our “shells”. But other times, a constant negative or “downer” can really affect us in unimaginable ways.
It frustrates me so much [A Fight About Money – Powderfinger] that people I know and love have so much to give in life, and yet are being held back by other people; they aren’t happy in themselves when really, they deserve all the happiness in the world. It is one thing for us as outsiders to identify these things, but it’s a completely different - and big-time challenging thing - for these people to realise it themselves. This puts us as friends, family members, partners or whatever, in a very difficult situation; to what extent should we get involved in such situations? Is it even our place to say something? I mean, surely if we know somebody could be happier, shouldn’t we do something about it? Personally, I think these people need to realise it for themselves. I don’t mean that in a bad way, not at all. I think we should constantly support them in any way possible. But I think if they figure it out themselves, they won’t begrudge us for trying to interfere or anything along those lines. ... I’m hoping you’re catching my drift and I’m not digging myself a hole here. [Love to Love You – The Corrs].
What do you do to fix these things though? [Took some time to ponder here... Keep Me Hangin’ On – Glee Cast] Please don’t think I’m some upstart punk who thinks he has all the answers, I’m just a kid with too much time on my hands and who thinks about way too much stuff, and has dealt with a crap load of problems in my short life. As I’ve kinda eluded too, the biggest part of all this is to identify that these people are bringing you down. From there, it gets kinda tough. (ps: I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, so please don’t take it that way :/ And I fully encourage your input/comments!! :) ) Once you realise what these people are doing [Mr Brightside – The Killers... man, this was my favourite song for a good 2 years or so. And my MSN name for just as long... a little somethin’ somethin’ for you folks out there :)], you need to assess the situation. You’ve got to realise what’s going on in your life. Talk to your friends and/or family, ask for their opinion. Often, if they are close enough to you, they’ll have quite a strong opinion on a certain person/situation, which might surprise you. But please listen to them. From there, you can decide what action to take. There are so many different measures in which we can take, from simply talking things through, to cutting people out of your lives. Far out, it sounds so drastic, but unfortunately, sometimes, that’s just the best thing to do. Trust me, I know. But let’s hope we don’t have to be so extreme. [You Don’t Scare Me – Josh Pyke]
Hmmm... On more thought, perhaps I won’t go into too much detail here. But to somewhat surmise what I’ve been talking about... They say this is the time of year where we should tell each other how much we appreciate each other. And we really should. But while you’re at it, look at your relationships, and how each one makes you feel. I know there are some people in my life who just make me feel so damned special that I can’t help but smile when I think of them. And everyone should have people in their lives that make them feel that way. I know we can’t have all perfect relationships, but we can try to have ones which are as positive as possible, and that means surrounding yourself with such people. [Little Black Sandals – Sia] Now that I have said all that, please make sure, you embrace ALL your positive relationships. Reinforce the positiveness you have by reminding people how much you care about them. Spend as much time with people as you can, surround yourself with your friends. Don’t wait until a gathering, or when it’s convenient, to talk to your loved ones.
In fact, I’m putting out a challenge right now. I want all of you to pick up your phone and send a text, phone call, or e-mail, write a letter, whatever, [Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes) – Michael Buble feat Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings] tell somebody right now how much they mean to you. It can be your partner, your best friend, your neighbour, your mum or dad, brother or sister, your cousin, or someone who you don’t speak to as often as you would like (that last one is my favourite. I love hearing from people out of the blue who I don’t talk to often). But with this one random greeting/thought, I guarantee you, you will make someone smile. And what does a smile cost? Not a thing. (Unless you’re sending a text, then it could cost you roughly 50c... or calling, then it could get a bit more expensive if you’re calling mobile to mobile... but I digress). [Stranger in Moscow – Michael Jackson ... Took some time to read over everything. Smile – Michael Jackson. Yes, it’s still on shuffle. I just have 81 MJ songs, which is quite a few considering I haven’t got a whole heap of music on my laptop yet]
I was planning on talking about a whole bunch of other crap tonight, but I think this is quite enough for now... Not that anybody really reads this anyway, but that’ll do for now, I think :) By the way, in case you didn’t pick it up, I am encouraging you to challenge yourselves, both on the inside and in your relationships, and seek to become the happiest you can be. Yeah, that’s right, I’m still encouraging you to challenge everything. You’ll learn to live with it ;) I guess I’ll sign off for now. Christmas time is over, and we’re all getting ready to ring in the New Year. I hope you all have an amazing time, but stay safe and sensible all the while. That’s not to say we can’t all go a little wild ;) Just be careful, and remember to look out for each other, and hopefully none of us will have sore heads the next morning :P [I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers – Fall Out Boy] So until next time, look after yourself.
L.L.L.
[Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson] Firstly, let’s talk about relationships. I know I’ve delved into it before, but really, I want to touch on it again. Sorry. Please, please, please, please, times a billion, cherish the relationships you have. However, please don’t also be blinded by them. If you are in a relationship that is clearly not doing you any good, do something about it. I’m not just saying as in a partner-type relationship, but friends and family too. Everybody has different layers, but a lot of the time, we let other people hold us back from showing our whole selves. And what’s the point in having all these layers, or traits, or whatever, if we don’t allow them to break through? [Somewhat ironic, “I Want To Break Free – Queen”] As an Aussie, we have the tendency to cut down other people. “Tall poppy syndrome”, I believe is the common colloquialism (how I know how to spell that I’ll never know). But there’s a difference between cutting down a bloke who’s bragging about his latest victory on the field (or pool table... personal joke), and then holding somebody back from being their true self. It’s not always so obvious when this happens though. Sometimes, people quite obviously cut us down, bring us “back down to earth”, or even sometimes they hurt us which forces us into our “shells”. But other times, a constant negative or “downer” can really affect us in unimaginable ways.
It frustrates me so much [A Fight About Money – Powderfinger] that people I know and love have so much to give in life, and yet are being held back by other people; they aren’t happy in themselves when really, they deserve all the happiness in the world. It is one thing for us as outsiders to identify these things, but it’s a completely different - and big-time challenging thing - for these people to realise it themselves. This puts us as friends, family members, partners or whatever, in a very difficult situation; to what extent should we get involved in such situations? Is it even our place to say something? I mean, surely if we know somebody could be happier, shouldn’t we do something about it? Personally, I think these people need to realise it for themselves. I don’t mean that in a bad way, not at all. I think we should constantly support them in any way possible. But I think if they figure it out themselves, they won’t begrudge us for trying to interfere or anything along those lines. ... I’m hoping you’re catching my drift and I’m not digging myself a hole here. [Love to Love You – The Corrs].
What do you do to fix these things though? [Took some time to ponder here... Keep Me Hangin’ On – Glee Cast] Please don’t think I’m some upstart punk who thinks he has all the answers, I’m just a kid with too much time on my hands and who thinks about way too much stuff, and has dealt with a crap load of problems in my short life. As I’ve kinda eluded too, the biggest part of all this is to identify that these people are bringing you down. From there, it gets kinda tough. (ps: I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, so please don’t take it that way :/ And I fully encourage your input/comments!! :) ) Once you realise what these people are doing [Mr Brightside – The Killers... man, this was my favourite song for a good 2 years or so. And my MSN name for just as long... a little somethin’ somethin’ for you folks out there :)], you need to assess the situation. You’ve got to realise what’s going on in your life. Talk to your friends and/or family, ask for their opinion. Often, if they are close enough to you, they’ll have quite a strong opinion on a certain person/situation, which might surprise you. But please listen to them. From there, you can decide what action to take. There are so many different measures in which we can take, from simply talking things through, to cutting people out of your lives. Far out, it sounds so drastic, but unfortunately, sometimes, that’s just the best thing to do. Trust me, I know. But let’s hope we don’t have to be so extreme. [You Don’t Scare Me – Josh Pyke]
Hmmm... On more thought, perhaps I won’t go into too much detail here. But to somewhat surmise what I’ve been talking about... They say this is the time of year where we should tell each other how much we appreciate each other. And we really should. But while you’re at it, look at your relationships, and how each one makes you feel. I know there are some people in my life who just make me feel so damned special that I can’t help but smile when I think of them. And everyone should have people in their lives that make them feel that way. I know we can’t have all perfect relationships, but we can try to have ones which are as positive as possible, and that means surrounding yourself with such people. [Little Black Sandals – Sia] Now that I have said all that, please make sure, you embrace ALL your positive relationships. Reinforce the positiveness you have by reminding people how much you care about them. Spend as much time with people as you can, surround yourself with your friends. Don’t wait until a gathering, or when it’s convenient, to talk to your loved ones.
In fact, I’m putting out a challenge right now. I want all of you to pick up your phone and send a text, phone call, or e-mail, write a letter, whatever, [Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes) – Michael Buble feat Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings] tell somebody right now how much they mean to you. It can be your partner, your best friend, your neighbour, your mum or dad, brother or sister, your cousin, or someone who you don’t speak to as often as you would like (that last one is my favourite. I love hearing from people out of the blue who I don’t talk to often). But with this one random greeting/thought, I guarantee you, you will make someone smile. And what does a smile cost? Not a thing. (Unless you’re sending a text, then it could cost you roughly 50c... or calling, then it could get a bit more expensive if you’re calling mobile to mobile... but I digress). [Stranger in Moscow – Michael Jackson ... Took some time to read over everything. Smile – Michael Jackson. Yes, it’s still on shuffle. I just have 81 MJ songs, which is quite a few considering I haven’t got a whole heap of music on my laptop yet]
I was planning on talking about a whole bunch of other crap tonight, but I think this is quite enough for now... Not that anybody really reads this anyway, but that’ll do for now, I think :) By the way, in case you didn’t pick it up, I am encouraging you to challenge yourselves, both on the inside and in your relationships, and seek to become the happiest you can be. Yeah, that’s right, I’m still encouraging you to challenge everything. You’ll learn to live with it ;) I guess I’ll sign off for now. Christmas time is over, and we’re all getting ready to ring in the New Year. I hope you all have an amazing time, but stay safe and sensible all the while. That’s not to say we can’t all go a little wild ;) Just be careful, and remember to look out for each other, and hopefully none of us will have sore heads the next morning :P [I’ve Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers – Fall Out Boy] So until next time, look after yourself.
L.L.L.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
I'm going to try to keep this one a little shorter... I realise it's enough to get you to come to this page, so might as well try to make it a little easier to read :)
So we've all heard of the old cliche story "The Road Not Taken", or been in a "crossroads" like situation... And I've been thinking a lot lately (because it's such a rare ocurrence), and I've kind of come to the point where I'm questioning my own decisions... not just here and there, but kind of in life in general. (PS: Notice this whole "challenge everything" is still prevailing? ... Seems like one of those things that just won't leave me alone.)
And then I find myself questioning these decisions, wondering if I am really making these decisions, or if they've been made for me?? Basically the premise for what I'm on about I guess, is fate. I've already talked about the love stuff, so I'm not going to focus on that side of fate... But more so the direction that our lives take.
I've mentioned before that I am only a young guy, and I know I think way too much for my age, but I can't help it. I guess I've just had to grow up and mature a lot quicker than many people, and with that my mind just goes crazy with a whole bunch of stuff that people probably just go with... But I can't do that. These last few weeks I've found that I've been questioning where I'm going in life? What is my direction? Where will I be in 5 years time? Will I have found a career that I'll enjoy? Will I have found "the one"? I'll be honest, I'm really nervous about where I'm going. Because I came to the conclusion quite recently that I have no plan, no idea, no clue, about where I want to go in my future. I'm studying a Commerce degree, but in no way, shape, or form, do I want to be involved in the business world. I am also majoring in journalism... but I refuse to be stuck behind a desk and be a "pencil pusher". So why am I doing it?
The same answer I keep coming up with is because it's just what I'm supposed to do... I've been set a course and this is the way it goes. I'm not preaching, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying "God has a plan for each and every one of his children"... No, I'm certainly not saying that at all. I'm just saying, or questioning, I guess, is everything planned for us already? Do we have our whole lives set out?
One small decision can change the course of history. We all know that... I asked around when thinking about this blog, about the courses our lives take, and how fate can impact upon them. I got varying answers.. A few people said that our lives are set out by fate. One said that life is what we make it, and the choices affect the path we take. Obviously everybody is going to have varying opinions on this, but it really does make me wonder... Do I already have my life planned out? Has "Mrs Right" already been picked out for me? Has my destiny already been chosen, and my date of death been set? Clearly some of these things we don't wnat to think about... And to be honest, I'm trying not to. I guess sometimes we all just need a bit of guidance. A little push in the right direction. A gentle nudge to help us along our way. Who is to say who should be giving this nudge, and how do these people giving them know which way to push us though? ... So I ask too many questions, and what is a blog if all it is, is asking questions?
I think, in my opinion, every word, every action, every thought, every move, affects who we are, what we do, who we will become, and where we will go. So yes, I believe we shape our own paths, and we create our own "destiny", if you will. I think we've all got some "drafts", some "sketches" of our lives drawn up in pencil. But ultimately, we're the ones with the eraser and the permanent marker. We're the ones that are going to mark out the path we are going to take. If only we knew the next move...
L.L.L.
So we've all heard of the old cliche story "The Road Not Taken", or been in a "crossroads" like situation... And I've been thinking a lot lately (because it's such a rare ocurrence), and I've kind of come to the point where I'm questioning my own decisions... not just here and there, but kind of in life in general. (PS: Notice this whole "challenge everything" is still prevailing? ... Seems like one of those things that just won't leave me alone.)
And then I find myself questioning these decisions, wondering if I am really making these decisions, or if they've been made for me?? Basically the premise for what I'm on about I guess, is fate. I've already talked about the love stuff, so I'm not going to focus on that side of fate... But more so the direction that our lives take.
I've mentioned before that I am only a young guy, and I know I think way too much for my age, but I can't help it. I guess I've just had to grow up and mature a lot quicker than many people, and with that my mind just goes crazy with a whole bunch of stuff that people probably just go with... But I can't do that. These last few weeks I've found that I've been questioning where I'm going in life? What is my direction? Where will I be in 5 years time? Will I have found a career that I'll enjoy? Will I have found "the one"? I'll be honest, I'm really nervous about where I'm going. Because I came to the conclusion quite recently that I have no plan, no idea, no clue, about where I want to go in my future. I'm studying a Commerce degree, but in no way, shape, or form, do I want to be involved in the business world. I am also majoring in journalism... but I refuse to be stuck behind a desk and be a "pencil pusher". So why am I doing it?
The same answer I keep coming up with is because it's just what I'm supposed to do... I've been set a course and this is the way it goes. I'm not preaching, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying "God has a plan for each and every one of his children"... No, I'm certainly not saying that at all. I'm just saying, or questioning, I guess, is everything planned for us already? Do we have our whole lives set out?
One small decision can change the course of history. We all know that... I asked around when thinking about this blog, about the courses our lives take, and how fate can impact upon them. I got varying answers.. A few people said that our lives are set out by fate. One said that life is what we make it, and the choices affect the path we take. Obviously everybody is going to have varying opinions on this, but it really does make me wonder... Do I already have my life planned out? Has "Mrs Right" already been picked out for me? Has my destiny already been chosen, and my date of death been set? Clearly some of these things we don't wnat to think about... And to be honest, I'm trying not to. I guess sometimes we all just need a bit of guidance. A little push in the right direction. A gentle nudge to help us along our way. Who is to say who should be giving this nudge, and how do these people giving them know which way to push us though? ... So I ask too many questions, and what is a blog if all it is, is asking questions?
I think, in my opinion, every word, every action, every thought, every move, affects who we are, what we do, who we will become, and where we will go. So yes, I believe we shape our own paths, and we create our own "destiny", if you will. I think we've all got some "drafts", some "sketches" of our lives drawn up in pencil. But ultimately, we're the ones with the eraser and the permanent marker. We're the ones that are going to mark out the path we are going to take. If only we knew the next move...
L.L.L.
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