The Catch Up

Ok so where to start?, where to start? hummmm ok so the last time I posted was in July that was just before I finished up work in Sydney. I finished up on the 17th July & then hence had no internet except going to internet cafe so I tended to just check emails & that when I was there so no blogging for a bit.

So the week after we finished work, we filled out all the forms & did medicals & x-rays & all that malarky & went & had them in to the NZ immigration office in Sydney & yipee we got them. SOoooooooo the next thing we had to start organising to move & look up shipping companies & hand in our notice for our apt & all that. More madness & here I was thinking Iwas getting a break from it hahaha. But it was good progressive madness so much better.

Back in April we had booked a ski trip with friends of ours to Queenstown, NZ for 14th Aug so when all the visa happened we decided rather than spending extra on flights we'd try to combine it all & be there by 14th & go to Auckland from Queenstown at the end of our skiing week. Yeah so literally the week after finishing work sorted visa, the week after started cleaning & packing, that took bout 2 weeks, as well as organising all the customs & shipping stuff so our stuff would arrive when we got there. Then spent few days meeting up with people to say goodbyes & that then the final week we decided to get our stuff shipped on the wed of that week so it won't be all panic the last few days. We were leaving the Friday so we booked to stay in a hotel the last two days in Sydney & our friends who we were going skiing with came up the Thurs so it was nice & relaxed then. But to get to there was fun. Not only did we have to pack but we had to pack for a holiday plus & few bits to do us when we first got to Auckland in case our stuff got delayed & also try not go over our baggage weight allowance. Fun Fun Fun. But we got there & apart from a small delay we got out of our apt & had final inspection & got our bond(deposit) back which was good. I was a bit worried as its harder to chase up when you're not in the country.

So we flew to Christchurch, NZ on 14th Aug (still can't believe it was less than a month since finishing up work & making the decision to move) & we stayed the night there with friends of the people we went with. Then we hired a car & drove to Queenstown & got settled into our 'home' for the next week anyway. http://www.camp.co.nz/, really nice place, we enjoyed it. We got one of the self contained units so we could cook ourselves & that.

We ended up going to get fitted for our boots & boards that night as well to save time the next day & we got our life passes & that. We all had decided to go snow boarding instead of skiing. I'd never done either so it didn't bother me, S had gone snow boarding before & defo wanted to do it again & the other couple we were with had skied loads so wanted to try something new.

So started a week of lots & lots of snow, I have to say I don't think I've ever seem so much but it was really beautiful up there. This was the view from the mountain, Coronet Peak was the one we went to, there were a few you could go to. Oh yeah and not to forget a week full of pain..... being a beginner the first few days I spent more time on my ass the upright yes feel free to laugh cos its very very true. I'd do the whole getting up really slowly & I'd just be vertical & boom down again ahhhhhhh even thinking about it now, it was so frustrating but apparently thats the hardest bit to master but man was I frustrated until I got it sorted that I could get up all by myself. & if the snow was hard it was SO NOT FUN. Every evening we'd all be sore from using muscles we rarely used but it was nice to fall into bed & sleep really deeply from the exertion. So the week went on, we got lessons as well so we were all improving the others having done snow sports before were miles ahead of me but I'd didn't mind as as soon as I was able to stay upright I was happy doing the easier runs. Although that being said I fell every time I got off the ski life at the top of the run, bar once I fell EVERY time. haha. This is a picture of the ski lift. Actually going up that thing was pretty scary, I forgotten that. Anyway the evenings were nice, we took turns with eating out & cooking & eating in, it was nice & laid back. We all got a massage closer to the end of the week cos man we needed it. We went for walks around the town, I have to say I really like Queenstown a lot.

Oh yeah I nearly forgot one of days we took off from snowboarding cos really I was just in too much pain from falling in the same place the whole time so we went up the gondola that they have there that was pretty cool straight up the side of the mountain & had a really nice lunch up at the restaurant at the top & then on the spur of the moment decided to go paragliding down. Was pretty to cool, basically flew out over the town. Fun.

This was the view looking out the gondola on the way up...









& this was the view behind us going up the mountain. Cool huh?



This was the view from above &


me coming into land.



A good time was had by all.


Ok I really need some lunch so I'll go do that then be back for part 2 of the catch up :oD

Its only me

Isn't that the best picture ever? I love daffodils & since its spring here coming into summer I thought I'd update a bit :o)

Yes folks she's back FINALLY. Its been too long but I have internet at home now so there will be no stopping me. Just doing my little edits & will do a proper post tomorrow.

Welcome back to blog land to me I've missed it.

Madness Update ;o)

So so where did June go? can anyone enlighten me please? heeeeellllllllloooooooooo its the middle of july. Ok so this seems to be a running theme in my blog............missing time.

So ok we're now in the middle of July & nearly the middle of winter but the days are starting to get bit longer so its nice to have a bit more sunshine.

So anyway bit of an update. No i haven't dropped off the face of the planet you'll be happy to hear :o) hhhuuuummmmmm ok news. I went to the Pink concert in Sydney in June, it was excellent, I nearly wanted to go see her again but all the tickets sold out. If you're a fan I'd definitely recommend her concert, brilliant. Towards the end of June we started having to think about what we were going to do regarding visa & job & such. So S found out that tandem master is on the skills shortage list in New Zealand so he put a few feelers out there to see if there were any positions going. He got back a good few responses but one particularly was willing to put pen to paper. We need that to sort out visa etc. I wouldn't go & work anywhere without a valid visa. So anyway we took a trip over to Auckland at the beginning of July & it seems nice & DZ is nice. It did rain a lot but suppose what can i expect? is so much farther south than Sydney is. I was finding it hard to get a job here because the new restrictions on 457 visa makes it very unattractive for employers to hire oversea workers, they want to give ozzies the jobs first. Which to be honest is fair enough, but not so good for me. So we're going to apply of the NZ visa & see what happens. If it all works out we'll be over there in Aug. There is a house on the DZ that we can stay in when we first arrive so that'll be nice not to have to sort that part out at least.

If that doesn't come through we might stay in Australia on a tourist visa & do a bit of travelling around. It was our initial plan to drive up the east coast so we may still do that. Then possibly travel home through Asia, I'd love that. I'd like to have stayed here for a bit longer but at the same time I was kindda getting itchy feet to go travel again. We've had a few friends visit us when they stopped off in Sydney on their travels & I was so jealous.

So thats all for now folks I've been so mad busy in work trying to find someone to replace me for the last few weeks. Oh yeah did I mention that the Jul 1 contract deadline got extended until 31 Jul? Well it did but we literally only found out the week before & we'd already started looking into New Zealand stuff so we said feck it may as well finish up. So I'm finishing up work on Fri 17th Jul Yipeee. I'm so happy, I've been so stressed & so down & really not liking my life its so nice to be doing something about it. So freeing. And while I know this week is going to be MAD it's all good cos there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have found some of my enthusiasm again which was sadly lacking before and I think that part of what was getting me down i couldn't be enthusiastic about anything & that's so not like me. That's partly why I haven't blogged didn't have the energy but hopefully all that will be changing soon. :o)

Hope you all good & having a day that's happy.

I saw this & I though it was particularly apt for this week :o)

"I don't mind coming to work, But that eight hour wait to go home is a bitch."

Crazy World

Don't even know why I've titled this post crazy world but it came to me so i put it there. Maybe its my subconscious trying to tell me something. Its been a bit of a crazy time alright. I'm feeling a bit whirlwinded. Is that even a word ??huuuuummmm, me thinks not.

I feel like I'm been torn in like ten different directions, with no end in sight. Well of course there is an end in sight, it'll mostly end when my contract with work is up but then again that presents its whole other set of issues doesn't it? I'm finding it really hard to drag myself out of my negative..........what??? vibe would you say???........frame of mind? maybe.

Anyway I'm stuck in my head a lot recently & its very crowded in there. I'm not really sure what to do I feel stuck full stop. Frustrated. There's a good word for it.

It feels very selfish of me to be so self absorbed but its pretty hard not to be right now & then of course I beat myself up about that, which doesn't altogether help.

I'm tired of worrying. I'm tired out by worrying and the worst part is I'm so lucky in so many regards but I can't help worrying. I worry about everything & its so tiring. I wish I could find the gene that would turn that off :o) A little worry is ok but alot? not so much.

But there is nothing to be done I'm at the mercy of time/fate/whatever it is? at the moment. I'm trying to be positive but I'm finding it so so so hard.

If anyone is of the praying kind, say a little one for me will ya please? Thanks so much. Hopefully it'll all be sorted soon.

Hope everyone else is doing good though.

PS sorry bout the rant, well more like a whinge but if I can't do it on my own blog where else :o) poor S's ear is probably worn out by now :oD

Monday again

And another Monday rolls around & for that matter another month has passed now that I'm looking at my last blog post date. Oh well.

You know I was just thinking who ever invented the 5 day work week?? they should have been shot haha. Now a four day work week would be nice of course I'd have to earn the same for it to be a perfect world but that ain't gonna happen :o)

Wishful thinking on a Monday, sure what can you do?

Well no news really, still don't know whats happening with my job/visa which is a bit frustrating. I'd just like to know either way so I can DO something. This whole waiting business is not my strong point.

We have a few options at least. We could go to New Zealand for awhile if the visa here doesn't work out. or we're thinking about Canada too, I'd really like to go & work there for awhile, don't' know how visas & that work for there yet but I' might check it out. I know that change is good & we need it to survive really but I'd like to know the facts so I can make some decisions.

Anyways on to more randoms things. I got my hair cut yesterday, it has been doing my head in for awhile so decided to go a little shorter than just getting a trim. So its cut to about my jawline with a few layers, I'm liking it so far but I'll reserve judgement until I wash & dry it myself. It was great at home cos my cousin was a hairdresser & she used to cut my hair & I always loved it but I'm finding it hard to find a good hairdresser here. I suppose just trial & error.

Now that I'm thinking about the whole possibility of travelling, I'm getting excited. I love travelling & seeing new places & I'm good with doing it on a budget. So I suppose that's a good thing that at least whichever way the fates or whatever decide to play my cards I should be ok with it. So, trying to be positive.

S's friends are visiting Australia for a few weeks, they'll be in Sydney next Thurs. He's really excited about it, its a childhood friend of his & his wife. I don't' know them that well but should be good. We can take them out & show them the city. Sydney really is a nice city.

Anyway better go & do some work.

Hope you have a great week & think of something that makes you smile today. :o)

I'm smiling.

A little touch up

Now that its Autumn & I've had the same blog colour for a year thought I'd do a little touch up. What da yay think?

Thoughts

Thoughts are funny things really, well that's if they can be called things at all but not getting into that whole thing. :o)

So I'm feeling bit more human I went to meditation on wed & to the gym Tue & yesterday & I was so amazed at how much I'd gotten out of shape even in 2 months since I've been. But anyway I'm feeling better which is good. I feel like I'm getting proper sleep or should i say more restful sleep which always helps. I hate having to drag myself out of bed Its so much nicer to wake up with some semblance of energy & be able to move.

Anyway back to the thoughts, I was in the gym yesterday & I was running on the treadmill & I was doing ok, tired but going ok & then out of nowhere my brain starts with the ' i can't do anymore' thoughts & nearly immediately I started to fatigue, isn't that mad? I'd felt fine like 2 seconds previous it really brought home to me how much our thoughts effect us. I've been watching the Australian biggest loser & the trainer go on about getting thru the mental barrier & I hadn't ever really thought about it til then. It just goes to show you.

So that got me thinking of how I've been feeling so stressed & under pressure in work etc & maybe if I start thinking about it in a more positive way (not sure yet how) but it might seem a little less overwhelming. So thats my project for the next while we'll see how we go.

I'm in work on lunch listening to Pink(the first of my de-stressing initiatives ie taking a lunch break), I really love her music i really can identify with a lot of it. I'm so glad she's getting back with her hubbie. We have tickets to see her in Sydney in Jun I'm so excited she's supposed to be brilliant in concert. You see....trying to think of good stuff :o).

Anyway I'm glad its Friday I've loads of study to catch up with this weekend cos it has been suffering with being so busy in work but I've exams in like 6 weeks so need to get my ass in gear. oh the joy but it'll all be worth it in the end,(think I'll need to use that as a mantra) :oD

Hope you all have a brilliant weekend & remember keep smiling.

So up in the air

I'm feeling a bit crushed by all the work pressure I've been under for the past month. Just really flattened really. Just when I think its coming to an end or well at least a bit of a let up, something else comes up to take up more time. I've never been so busy or stressed in a job in my life before & I have to say I'm really hating it. Not the job so much as the stress I've been under. I don't do stress well.

I feel like my life has gone totally out of balance with not enough down time to balance out the madness that is my work life recently. I'm getting bit sick of it.

On top of that it looks like our parent company is going to be outsourcing the reporting side of our org so that will leave me out of a job on 1st July. So its even harder to motivate myself to do stuff when I know I'm going to be let go anyway. That's not even the thing that's worrying me, what worrying me is my visa is a work sponsored visa so if I'm no longer employed by this company I no longer will have a valid visa to stay in Australia. The dept of immigration only give you 28 days to find another sponsor. Which even finding a job in that time is hard. At least I've found out well in advance, I know loads of people who've found out their jobs are going at the end of the day so in that respect I count myself lucky.

But its all very depressing really & a bit of a pain. I don't know what to do I'd be happy to go home but S likes it here & wants to stay but not sure if I can go through the hassle of applying for another visa, it really is a long a tedious paper pushing exercise & patience & nerves get stretched to the limits. I really don't know what to do.

Also one of my best friends is getting married in Sept & I'd love so much to get home for it but if I apply for a visa & its still being processed I'll have to apply for a bridging visa & one of the stipulations is I can't leave the country so that makes it really crappy.

oh what to do what to do? I really feel like my mind is spinning out of control. Its more that everything is so up in the air & I'm not really sure where the chips will land so I feel like I can't plan anything. I feel so powerless & I hate that. I need to shake it off. I'm going to the gym after work & it'll be the first time in ages but I think it'll really help I need to work off some steam.

Anyway hope you all are doing well, I'm trying to catch up on all my blog reading, I'm so behind.

Keep smiling :o)

A blog Year

Wow I realised I passed my year blogging anniversary & forgot about it totally. A year of my life has passed. What have i done with my life? Most people do this kind of thinking at New years me i find myself doing it at blogs new year ;o) well i never said i was normal.

Well I still have the same job but a lot more responsibility, in the current climate I'm thankful I still have a job. I've visited Melbourne, Brisbane & Canberra this past year, just short breaks but good. Oh and Adelaide nearly forgot that was last weekend. Had great time. I'll post about it soon. I've aged a year :o) I haven't killed my husband yet, always a good sign :oD I've done a photography class, I've taken exams. UUUU I went home of course how could I forget, friends & family have had babies this past year. I've made some new friends here. I've read a lot, learned a bit. Laughed a lot, cried a lot. Life huh its funny. I've seen a good bit of New South Wales. I've learnt why its called New South Wales or well the several possible reasons. I've gotten more organised at home & work. I've improved my diet(although its slipped a bit this past month), I've exercised more. I've learned to love myself a bit more but its a work in progress.

Its nice to look back on a year & even though you know it was hard at the time the memories that come to mind first are the good memories. I like that. I read somewhere recently that thinking about the bad things that happened before means you are reliving them. Made me think about that it did. So I'm trying to be more positive. I have found that i can be quite negative, unintentionally but I am.

Anyway a few random thoughts for today.

Passing the Purple Hat to You........

This is another email forward I got, it made me think but mostly made me grateful so I'd thought I'd share it & feel free to pass it on to another phenomenal woman(or man).







Passing the Purple Hat to You........IN honor of women's history month and in memory of Erma Bombeck who lost her fight with cancer. Pass this on to five women that you want watched over. If you don't know five women to pass this on to, one will do just fine.

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck?(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).?

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.'

There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute.look at it and really see it...... live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us!

If you don't mind, send this on to all the women you are grateful to have as friends. Maybe we should all grab that purple hat earlier. Please send this to five phenomenal women today in celebration of Beautiful Women's Month. If you do, something good will happen--you will boost another woman's self esteem.

Have a great day :o) & give someone you love a BIG hug.

YIPPEEE

Yipppeeeeeeeee its FRIDAY, 'nuff said :oD

In my younger days

I got this from my sister as a forward, thought it was good so I'm going post it here. Enjoy

When I was in my younger days,
I weighed a few pounds less,
I didn't need to hold my tummy in
to wear a belted dress.
But now that I am older,
I've set my body free;
There's comfort of elastic
Where once my waist would be.
Inventor of those high-heeled shoes
My feet have not forgiven;
I have to wear a nine now,
But used to wear a seven.

And how about those blasted tights --
They're sized by weight, you see,
So how come when I put them on
The crotch is at my knee?
I need to wear these glasses
As the print has been getting smaller;
And it wasn't very long ago
I know that I was taller.
Though my hair has turned to grey
and my skin no longer fits,
On the inside, I'm the same old me,
the outside's changed a bit.


But, on a positive note... I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they handle these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they’re gone from your life.

I've learned that making a ’living’ is not the same thing as making a 'life.'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life just being a doormat. You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that people will forget what you said,people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.


So on that note hope you have a brilliant day.

Case of the Blahs

Don't know whats wrong with me today, having a case of the 'blaaaaahhhs'. I was going grand up until lunchtime then sort of slumped. Can't seem to find any energy to do anymore work. I'm supposed to be going to meditation tonight & I don't think I'll manage that. I just want to go home to bed. I hate when I get like this, it frustrates me cos I want to be doing things but nothing happens. It kindda makes me disappointed in myself that i let precious time slip by by feeling crappy. I've been told before to give myself a break that everyone gets like this but i find that hard to do. Sad but true.

I had Monday off, so I've only done two days work so far but I feel like I normally do on a friday, totally zonked. Its crap knowing i still have two more days to go until a lie in. oh well.

Makes me think of motivation, how do you motivate yourself? I'm learning about myself all the time but this is something i struggle with. How do i motivate myself when i really don't want to do something even when i know it''ll do my good. Its kinda like having a parent/child conversation in my head. You know the one - parent 'you should do such and such it'll be good for you', child' i don't want to', parent ' why?' child ' i don't know i just don't'. But all going on inside. It's the easiest way to try describe how I'm feeling right now. strange but again true. :o/

Blaah blaah blaah. Seems like such a waste of a day. All I want to do is crawl into bed & sleep. Maybe i need some vitamins or something. Hope you're having a better day & hopefully i'll have a better one tomorrow.

Jumping

We went jumping at the weekend, was good fun, its been awhile so it was nice to be back in the air again. I only did one jump in the end as Sat weather wasn't great & we had friends visiting us from Ireland. They're on a world trip & are in Australia for 2 weeks so they came down to Picton too. S was able to borrow gear for F to jump so I lent my gear to A to get a few jumps in. That's why I only did one, I let her use my rig & she got 2 jumps in so I was happy with that. She hadn't jumped in 2 years so she was happy out :o)

I took yesterday off work. We've been away the last three weekend so I just felt I needed to just be at home by myself for a day. It was really rejuvenating. I needed it. Sometimes I just need some time to myself to let my soul rest & be peaceful. Later on I put the TV on & the Oscars were on, I watched a bit of them, they were quite good. I like Hugh Jackman though so that helped :o). I actually saw him & his wife & kids in Sydney, they went into a restaurant near my apt. He is as cute in the flesh.

I started studying for my next round of exams. I was hoping that this would be the last set but I just found out that 2 of the exams I want to do are on at the same time so I can't. How crap so I'll just have to do that on the following round. I'm nearly there though, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. S has been really good about me having to study, ie tv off but we'll if that lasts the 3 months until the exams :oD its hard on him too.

I've noticed the days getting shorter already its feels like no time since winter & we're heading for autumn again. I'm going to try get out more while the evenings are still bright.

I hope you're having a good day.

Bushfires update

The death toll has reached 181 so far & they're expecting it to go as high as 300. Its beyond comprehension. Its the worst natural disaster of this kind in Australia.

One of the things that really has amazed me, is the amount of support that the area's effected have been getting from the whole country, it really has surprised me. There have been national & local fundraising going on for the people & areas effected, set up since even before the first death was reported. I think they've raised AU$38 million so far. There really is amazing sense of community in Australia, I knew was there but hadn't really seen it put into action as evidently as now. It warms the heart that people are still able to pull together in a tragedy. The Red Cross is accepting donations both here in Australia and from their locations around the world. You can read about their current efforts here.

Life really is so short, enjoy it today.

Bushfires

There have been bush fires raging in South Australian & Victoria these past few weeks really but the past few days they've gotten worse. 108 have been killed as of this mornings news. Its so sad. I've been hearing on the news that some of the fires have been started deliberately. It makes me so angry to think someone did this on purpose. Whats were they thinking? What is the world coming to?

Keep these people, who've lost loved ones, homes, livestock, everything in your thoughts and prayers. Also the firefighters who are out there constantly & some of whom are finding friends bodies in the wreakage.

I can't even begin to imagine what its like, so terrifying. I used to have nightmares about fire when I was little so that would be a particular phobia for me. Here in Sydney its been ok, but temperatures soared to 44oC yesterday. I felt like I was slowly cooking, even staying in the shade & with suncream on. it was too much. I've heard from people at home that its snowing. Ireland rarely gets snow at all. What is going on with the climate? Hope everyone is doing ok.

Writer in the making :o)

I got a good nights sleep last night so not feeling to ragged today which is good. I'm going to try get another early night tonight & hopefully that'll sort me out.

I actually turned off the TV last night at 8.30pm cos there was nothing on & normally I'd sit there & just watch whatever crap was on but last night I decided no I'd turn it off & do something. I'm glad I did. I think it helped me sleep better too. But anyway I went through loads of old photos that I've been meaning to go through for ages, to sort, throw out or scrap book. So that's done. I played a little more with the stitch software I was talking about yesterday. Its so cool. S had been wrecked cos he was working all weekend & with 2 late nights he was shattered so he went to bed at 9.30....shock horror he NEVER goes to bed early even when he knows he should but he did, fair play & he said he's feeling better today too. Although he did fall asleep at his desk yesterday so that might have prompted it :oD

So got all that sorted & by then my eyes were dropping so went to bed at 11pm, early for me these past few weeks.

I was surfing through some other blogs today and I saw a blog that had an entry about a writing competition. You know I've wanted to write for ages but never really knew what or how. They say that everyone has a least one book inside them & its something I've wanted to give a go. And it struck me as I was reading this competition thing, my first thought/reaction was 'I'd never be able to do that' & the second was 'I'd never get anywhere so whats the point'. I was surprised at myself when I realised that's what I was thinking, that's not really like me at all. It surprised me that negative thoughts were the first thing to come to mind. So now that I'm aware I do that subconsciously I'm going to try to change that. I think I've come to realise that life isn't the things you succeed at, its the things you try that make the memories of your life. After all what are we here for. I went to see 'Yesman' last week (hilarious) but it kindda got me thinking too. I can be a bit like that sometimes. So with this very late new year resolution I'm going to be more aware of negative thinking & I'm going to try more stuff, just give it a go & see what happens. Could make for an interesting life :o) So I'm going to give this competition a go & see what happens.

Anyway there's a few nuggets for today, oh & if anyone else is interested in entering the writing comp here's the website.

Enjoy your day.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"
- Theordore Roosevelt

A few musings

Don't really know whats wrong with me today I'm so tired. It was quite warm last night so maybe I didn't sleep all that well? Its so hard to concentrate when I'm so tired & this being the month end time I really need to be on the ball. D'oh. All I can think of is crawling into my lovely bed & sleeping. I don't normally drink coffee I'm more a tea girl but i think it might be called for today to get me moving.

I had been hoping to get to my 100th post within a year of starting to blog but even if I write every day for the next month which I don't think I will I don't think I'd get it. Oh well. I'll try anyway see how I go. It may loosen the creative parts in me that haven't been oiled in awhile.

Went for a walk after work it was so nice to be out in fresh air, I'm going to try do that every evening if its fine. Its good to clear the cobwebs :oD.

I just started a James Patterson book, its called 'Sundays at Tiffany's'. I'm a fan of his Alex Cross series but this one is a romance so I'm not sure what to expect but thought I'd give it a read. I'll let you know.

I've been reading alot lately I go through phases of reading loads then nothing for ages. I've always loved reading. It a kind of an escape for me. My favourite author is Nora Roberts, I've read tons of her books. Another favourite is Kathy Reichs. I find it amazing that a book can transport you to other worlds, invoke emotions, I've cried at so many books, if you haven't read P.S I love I'd totally recommend it. I quite like a good few Irish authors too, Marian Keyes is hilarious. I read a lot of fiction but travel book interest me alot too, photography, biographies huumm what else do I like to read? Bits of everything really. My sister bought me a book for my birthday, its poems, short stories & essays so not sure what that'll be like. I've always wanted to be interested in poetry but haven't quite gotten there yet.

I've found myself searching for something recently. I don't' know what that's the frustrating part. I'd love to have a calling in life, you know like doctors & writers & that. These people know exactly what they want & are passionate about it. I'm good at alot of things but I'm not really passionate about anything. I'm a good started but not really that great at consistency. I wish I was. any ideas on how to do that I'd love to hear them.

Well guess that's a few thought of mine today, hope you all have a great day.

"Live well, be humble & strive for happiness"

February

February, I mean wow. Still feeling like a broken record but heh i hadn't caught up with 2008 yet & the first month of 09 is gone...I mean HELLO.

ok so another Monday! I can handle it, I can, really I can ok I have to keep telling myself that. :o/

I'm not sure if its the working thing I'm not that into, this job in particular or the fact its flat out busy ALL THE TIME now, but anyway it has me thinking of looking for another job. BUT, (there's always a but isn't there?), in order for me to do that I'd have to apply for a different visa to stay in Australia, cos the visa I currently have my company sponsored me so I have to stay working here basically. It also begs to ask in the current economic climate what if I'm let go or the company closes? I'll be in the same position. So I'm going to apply for this different visa which lets me work for whoever I want or should I say whoever will employ me :oD. But its such a pain there are loads, I mean LOADS of forms to fill out every single bit of your life is scrutinised & you need certified documents for EVERYTHING. I mean i understand for national security & all that but when you're a pretty normal average everyday person with no funny business in the past, like me, its kind of a pain. But what can you do?

So along with being busy in work I'm trying to get all my school & college certs organised from home so I can do a skills assessment. Fun. & get this, it takes 8 weeks for them to do the skills assessment & then I've to fill out all the forms for the visa itself & could be waiting 6 months!! The joy. But I'll just plod on cos I do want to stay here for a bit longer anyway, the economy at home is pretty bad at the moment, everyone is telling us we should stay here for another while. I'm just not a fan of form filling. Is anyone?

I did a whole heap of sorting at the weekend of all the clutter I mentioned before, so that felt good to get that out of the way. I was also playing with my new photo printer & some stitching software I'd gotten recently but hadn't had a chance to try out. It basically lets you stitch together shots of the same scene & puts it into a panoramic view, its pretty cool. I'd taken a sunset picture of Sydney harbour bridge & another further along of the opera house & I'd been trying for ages to get them photoshopped together but could never get it just right that you couldn't see the lines cos the sky was so many different shades of oranges, pink & blues. So I decided to try this software out. & it was SO COOL. you just pick the photos you want to paste together & it blends it for you, its so cool I was so pleased all day with my cool photo. I must put a copy up to show you.

What else did I do? oh yeah I treated myself(well with a voucher I'd gotten from S for my birthday) to a manicure & pedicure, it felt so nice to be pampered I don't normally bother, just do it myself but it felt so nice.

It was really hot at the weekend but not as bad as its been down in Victoria & South Australia, major heatwave at the moment, think it reached nearly the 50's at one point & thats oC. wow. It got to 41oC in Sydney a coupe of weeks ago & that was too much for me I'm not used to that kind of heat at all.

Well being month end and all I'd better get back to work. I'll try be more social tomorrow, today's a bit of a write off cos I'm tired, I stayed up to watch the Australian Open final between Federer & Nadal, it was so good. Nadal got it in the end but it was amazing.

Anyway have a good one. :oD

Boo its monday

Well its actually Tuesday yes I do know this :o) but it was bank holiday weekend here yesterday for Australia Day so only back to work today & its like a doubly bad Mondayitis.

Had really good weekend, didn't do all that much Sat chilled out needed it after the busy week last week. Oh & I did watch the tennis the Australia Open is on at the moment & its strangely additive. I've always enjoyed tennis but haven't played in ages. Sunday, myself & S went to Rays Outdoors cos they're having a sale on & we wanted to get a new tent, the one we have is crap & we've used it more than i thought we would so it justifies us getting a more decent one this time. Loved that shop could have spent a fortune there if I'd had my way :o) but I was good. All the tents were half price which was so handy so we got a fairly decent sized one this time, can't wait to try it out. I think we're heading to picton not next weekend but weekend after so get to use it then. Ah its the little things.

Yesterday we got up reasonable early & did a bit of a blitz on the apt, it needed it. Then headed down to the royal national park about an hour south of Sydney. We hiked for about two and a half hours, it was tough going in parts but the views were spectacular, I really enjoyed it more than I'd expected to. We're thinking about getting proper hiking boots etc & doing it more often. Huuuummmmmm might need another trip to Ray's outdoors hehehe.

Anyway that's all really, I'm thinking I need to do a bit of decluttering soon. I don't know how i do it but 'stuff' just seems to be attracted to me, it just appears & piles up. Does that happen to anyone else?

We're supposed to be going to the cinema this evening to see 'yesman' but not sure yet, think I might prefer to just go home. We'll see.

Hope you all have great day. Enjoy it.

Wehoo Friday

I'm tired today. I thought I had a really good sleep but I woke up exhausted, really exhausted. Maybe a few nights of good sleep will help. My eyes were so tired & red it looked like I'd gone to bed crying which i hadn't but its bit embarrassing coming into work looking like i had, even makeup wasn't a great help cos it was my eyes looking bloodshot. I might try eye drops, my sister gets dry eyes & she had saline ones before & said they brighten up her eyes. She has lovely green eyes, but wears glasses so they're kindda hidden. It'd be nice to see her with contacts so we could see her vivid eyes but don't think she likes them much.

Anyway what was i saying oh yeah tired.... you see i know I'm tired when i lose my train of thought :o) its Friday yipee I've no plans for the weekend, yipee well slightly untrue i have one plan that its going to be a veggie weekend. I've a few crafty things I'd like to do but that'll be if the desire hits me & it'll be for enjoyment. I might even go home bit early since my boss has already left & with so few of us here now no one really minds. But I've so much to do if i leave early I'll probably have to work late on Monday but you know it might just be worth it :o)

I bought a tarot card set yesterday its really pretty set. I've always been interested in it so thought i might learn how to read them etc. Who knows?

Emm not much really else I'm too tired to think & be coherent in any sort of thought process so think I'll sign off & hope you have a great weekend.

Things to be thankful for

Ok so I didn't win the lotto and I'm in work today but I'm much more grateful today for all I have. Part of me yesterday was so wishing I'd win money give up my job & travel the world which would be nice but since it didn't happen I tried to concentrate more on what I have. I'm so lucky in a lot of ways & I should be more grateful for that. So many others are having a hard time right now with the world economy being the way it is.

So I'm grateful that I have a good job, I'm grateful I'm healthy, happy(most of the time anyway ;o)), that the sun is shining, I have a roof over my head, food on my plate, a husband that I love & who loves me, for my friends & family. I'm grateful for all the happy times & happy memories, grateful too for the sad ones cos it's made me who I am today & so many other things that I can't even begin to name. Another new years resolution I'm going to try to think less of what I don't have & be more thankful for what I have. Try not to take things for granted.

So a couple of thoughts to mull on today, think about everything you should be thankful for & remember blessings come in all disguises.

Hope you have a good day & have a least one good belly laugh. :oD

WOW 2009

Ok I've said it before & i"ll say it again(probably another 10 million times but hey!!) where the hell is the time going???????? Anyone, anyone??

I just checked & my last blog was 28th Nov, it SOOOO does not feel that long ago.

But anyhoooooooo as they say in the films.........I"M baaaacccccckkkkkk :oD

ok bit of a catch up. December sort of went by in a bit of a blur which I'm saying way to often for my liking. But as the other girl in work was let go at beginning of Nov, Dec was the first month of doing all 3 jobs myself!! Crazy had a bit of a meltdown at one stage but that was to be expected I suppose, a body can only take so much. I then did the two exams I'd been cramming for. I was supposed to have been off the Fri before on study leave but ended up having to go into work to finish all the reports etc which was a bit of a bummer. So the exams were on the mon & tue(8th&9th), i think they wenk ok but I wish I'd had about a week off before to study more & just be bit more focused. I wasn't in exam mode. I didn't get one finished completely as I just ran out of time so if anything that may trip me up but the results aren't until Feb so I'll just forget them until then.

The rest of Dec was bit better was so relieved to have exams over & just had to worry about work. We had a really nice Christmas party in work & that helped to relax everyone a bit. We finished up work on 24th with a half day which was nice. S finished on 17th I was so jealous :o)

Then we headed down to Canberra where we were spending Christmas with out friends down there. Traffic was pretty crap but got there about 9pm so it was grand to chill out & catch up. I actually had a really nice Christmas this year. We got up earlyish, opened one present each then we went for a walk up the mountain that's near their apt. It was a lovely day & already really hot. K brought her bagpipes with her to practice up the mountain as you can imagine they're pretty loud so she doesn't often get to practice at home. She's really good she'd just bought a new set & was getting the feel of them. They're really nice ones. She's played for years but hasn't in awhile so wanted to get back up to speed. She's joined the local pipe band. Anyway so we came back & got all our stuff together & headed out to the lake. We had a BBQ beside the lake there for our Christmas dinner, it was yummy. I had even brought down with me a few of the tomatoes i grew, they were SO tasty I can't believe the difference in flavour between mine & store bought ones.!!

We headed back to their place & opened all the prezzies so that was good fun. My main prezzie was a photo printer so played with that for awhile. Everyone was busy with different family calls home etc. then we settled down with the game cranium, it was absolutely hilarious i haven't laughed so much in AGES. Its sort of a mix between pictionary, scrabble & trivial pursuit.....so much fun & of course add drink & it gets even funnier :o) Really nice relaxing Christmas.

St Stephens day we chilled out & went for walk the other side of Canberre & went to the cinema to see the new Keanu Reeves film..was ok.

Saturday we headed to the DZ in picton for the weekend. It was so hot there, I decided not to jump. But i wanted to practice my sports photography so my friends there who were swooping, i took action shots of them, was really good fun & good practice. Lots of food & drink later & pretty much the same sunday.

Monday back home to a bit of quiet for one day that is, it was nice to just chill together.

Tue our friends from Canberra came up to Sydney, we did shopping, walks around Sydney, ate lots again, went to the zoo & then New Year eve we went to the park near us to watch the firework off Sydney Harbour Bridge they were pretty amazing. They left on New years day as K had to work. I ended up having to work on the Fri too :o( even though i wasn't supposed to be back until 5th. oh well. I got a call leter on on Fri from friends from home they were in Sydney & wanted to meet up, so met up with them at the rocks, near circular key & S came after & caught up & had food & drinks. We caught up with them on Sunday too they came to our apt for a bbq, was really nice catching up with them. I hadn't seen either of them for about 3 years. So that was really cool. S & I went exploring around botany bay, south of Sydney on the weekend too, was so nice.

Then back to work 5th, that was SO hard, believe me I was praying to win the lotto although I'd have to do the lotto first in order to win but you understand the sentiment :oD

It was such a busy weekend last week as even if I'm off the work still needs to be caught up with so pure madness again. It was my birthday last wed so S treated me to a weekend away, we both managed to get half days on Fri & we headed down to Jervis Bay about 3 hours south of Sydney. It was so nice there, real seaside, summer holiday feel to it. I really liked it. It supposed to have some of the whitest beaches in the world. They were fab. Again ate & drank too much, we went walking in the National park there, Booderee National Park & we went snorkeling off the rocks at Murrays beach. Got bit sunburnt too, d'oh even with suncream on. Although it was cooler than Sydney it was still about 24oC. But it was breezy so you don't feel yourself burning, normally I do. I collected a whole load of really cool shells too when we went exploring. All in all I had a really good weekend.

So back to work today, boo & I actually did go out & do the lotto this afternoon hahhaa. Who knows i may be able to have a weekend like that everyday :oD one can only hope.

Anyway hope haven't bored to all to tears but I had a lot to catch up on & I'm hoping, well its one of my new year resolutions to get better at keeping up my blogging. Its so nice to have a record of things I've done or places I've been etc.

Anyway very belated HAPPY NEW YEAR & hope you all had loads of fun.

Be seeing you soon.