Out Out Out!

It has been roughly 3 months since my return. I am very much over living in the middle of nowhere! Dont' get me wrong- I like Kyneton. The people are nice and the town is quite comforting. However, I feel like I have lost my independance as a result of not being able to get out and about as easy as I could before. Not having my licence and living 4km from the town centre, in a private road just off a major rural highway is starting to fustrate me more and more. So after a long walk consisting of grass rash, several sticks thrown at the kangaroos and a multitude of swear words at the buzzing flies, I have decided to re-asses my previous goals...


(From a post back in October)

"Goals;
1) Get a new job (if retail) that does'nt involve persuasion or sales targets  Achieved

2) Apply for uni Achieved

3) Get driver's licence, and with said job, save for a car Achieving

4) On the topic of money, start several savings groups; Fail

i) $5 a week for an annual designer wallet/bag/jewellery purchase Fail

ii) $10 a week to replace what I spent in Europe Fail

iii) $5 a week for an annual holiday/roadtrip Fail

5) Save enough money to move out again by January In progress.. "

So of all 5 goals, I have acheived 2, and am in the midst of achieving another 2. The whole idea of having 3 differant savings groups have gone out the window- after my brewing fustration of late, I have decided that all my energy and funds are to go towards driving lessons and the prospect of owning a vehicle. I'm going to push myself to have the 120 hours by late January.

Current hours: 64 hours, 55 minutes.
To go: 55 hours, 5 minutes

Morning Glory

''I think life is a lot like a song; the potentially dismal opening line, the groove of the verse, the excitement and buildup of the bridge (here it comes now...!). And the reality smack that it's all over with the chorus...

As I pushed the elevator button to down, I summoned my best to remain calm and cool. Inside I was rather frantic and nearing a slap of humiliation; as for a slight mimisecond I saw the future of my life flash through my mind. Images of my mother, father, grandparents. My cousins, my brothers. As sympathetic and forgiving as I am, my fear is to morph into a youthful version of them. Live, talk, think and have opinions just like them... be them...''

Time to live. A 'black sheep' breakaway is evident.

Pump it up!

On Monday one of my good friends took me along to her weekly 'Body pump' class.
I had been looking forward to it for most of my (working) weekend, and when we coasted into the Macleod YMCA carpark I was curious and excited for my new venture.
We pushed the doors open and the usual gymnasium banter was around- toned men and women strolling the halls, old ladies replacing calories they had just burned off with skim coffees at the cafe and staff scanning membership cards and setting classes up.
After feeling slightly uncoordinated and unsure of all the weird and wonderful equipment that was stored against walls adorned with huge wall posters of tanned bodies, my friend set up our pump spaces and demonstrated the block and weight set-up routine. After laying the towel atop of the platform and neatly scattering my bag, cardigan and water bottle in a nearby corner, in walked Marilyn, our instruscter.
As she introduced herself to the newbies (ie-me) and collected recipets, she explained she would talk to everyone throughout the class and demonstrate correct techniques. At this point I was feeling a little uneasy. Just like waiting in a Centrelink line, you fear having your name called outloud, all in the name of [humiliation] guidance.
The music started and I grabbed my 1.25kg weight bar and copied my friend's movements of lowering the bar in slow, vertical motions. Club-like music pumped from the walls and Marilyn began shouting encourging commands in time to the music, such as "I DO NOT give up, woahh woahh", and "Who's yo' enemyyy?!?" Inside I (admirably) giggled inside; this super fit, 50 something woman was the epitome of all my gym preconceptions.
Between huffing and puffing our way through each bar lift, previous thoughts of being an 'outsider' soon diminshed and I embraced the warm and noticable feeling of my muscle movements.
Hard work, yes. But Marilyn's commentary provided drive and determination to sweat- "C'MON MONDAY MORNING PUMPERS!! What would you be doing if you wernt here? Ironing? Cleaning the floors?....having a coffee?!? PFFTTT I DONT THINK SO!"

By the end of the 1 hour class, I felt tired, yet relaxed and rejuvenated all in one. After dismantling my weight bar and stepping platform, I felt pretty damn proud with myself- being my first time and compared to some of the other ladies, I wasn't completley buggered! I walked out feeling like a gym junkie; all 'pro-life' and wanting protein to be my best friend.
An interesting experience, it was refreshing to try a differant approach to my somewhat overrated exercise plan of daily runs around the lake and cycle sessions to work.
Personally, I prefer to exercise outdoors as opposed to inside with machines, but the body pump class was fun, and being in a group, I was less likely to quit early/slow down/give up in the mindset of not wanthing to seem 'weak'.
The class experience was a positive one, and on the quiet...could pass as easy in my books. As Marilyn shouted "If your brain isn't having a good time then your muscles are!"
Wait, did my brain just register that I was the only one not lifting multiple weight discs?
...perhaps I'll take back the 'easy' part until next class...

Optimisim!

"(And if we had to lose our house) well, we’d just put up the fairy lights somewhere else"

  -Nikki Gemmell, Harper’s Bazaar, December 2009



Disregard the captioned part of this wonderful, optimistic and uplifting quote, but focus on the worry-free idealisim of these words.

Quote of the day

"It’s natural for us as humans to feel the need for revenge if we have invested our emotional energy into something we feel is of great value. Anger will create a seed of potential[ly] corrupt thinking. However, if you believe in karma, you will allow yourself to sit back and invest your emotional energy in a state where tranquillity, sublime presence and clarity" - Anon

Calm, calm calm. I like this.

Wants #1

I should have lived in the moment and handed over the 60 pounds...

Isnt this just fabulous?!?

Christopher Kane for Topshop: Croc Tee

Always the model...seen here in Brighton (UK) Topshop changroom...

My place, not yours!

Today after work, the parentals dragged my brother and I to Castlemaine's 'The Restorer's Barn' a shabby chic-esque, corrugated iron walled world of vintage, collectable and sometimes overpriced junk store. Think a St.Vinnies crossed with Bunnings.

Items included old door handles, tea cup and saucer sets and lamps to oriental furniture, rusty tools and boroque metal sheets- for all things renovating, interior decorating or pure personal pleasure...dahhhling!

I didnt take any photos, because I wasnt feeling the bright crayon in the box, but the little 20 minute trawl did inspire me towards recent thoughts of decorating my future bedroom when I move back to Melbourne.

I have invisioned walls of crazy colour; black, pink, purple, blue, green and canary yellow, with a big, comfy IKEA style bed, an overflowing wadrobe jammed full of clothes (scattered on the floor), fairy lights, a white shag pile carpet and painted birdcages repainted in colours to complement my walls....

 Visual inspiration from google

Just recently.

"If i see a light flashing, could this mean that I’m coming home
if i see a man waving, does this mean that I’m not alone?"

These lyrcis, by Scottish DJ Calvin Harris provide the background for several recent memories..

Melbourne Airport, driving back to London from Brighton, dancing my way throughout Europe, and most noteabley, sitting in Euston Road Mcdonalds at 3am or so, wasting time to acheive a sleepless night before enduring the 22 hour flight home.

Minutes Meeting

So I joined a journalism group today.
The Macedon Ranges Shire Council runs (as apart of the youth scheme) a writer's/photographers group, where once a month a whole page of the Midland Express is dedicated news, stories and articles written by local budding journo's.

After emailing Marita, I tagged along for the monthly group meeting. Over the course of an hour, we chatted and discussed local events, issues and article ideas. Sitting in the portable school-like room, I felt like a welcomed outsider. The 4 other people who form 'Kyneton Minutes' explained to me the differance between this town; how it was very split charachter wise (Local bogans and former Melburnians of suburbia who now chase after the country 'dream' reside here) to that of Daylesford, Bendigo and even Melbourne's outskirts such as Sunbury and Taylor's Lakes.
As a self confessed city girl, my observations on this town are very much the same as a bird peering down and taking in the buildings, people, streets and culture.

Before the impromptu meeting ended, Marita set us a project; inspired from Melbourne's underground and writting scene (and possibly her uni days), we are to write quotes, stories or snippets of our daily lives that play the purpose of inspiring or making people have 'a bit of a giggle' in their day to day routine...to make their day or to give them something to think about.
We can wrtie as many little notes as we wish, and we can stash them anywhere, from the supermarket to the post office to the park to the train station..
The catch? We must trademark them (in the form of a smiely face and artist name- mine being 'L' and a cheesy, glasses clad cartoon) and the whole project is to be anonymous..

I must admit, I felt like a criminal, stashing the first two notes behind blocks of Dairy Milk and tinned fruit. It was like I was stealing, being all sneaky...but rather than taking, I was giving.
This little project should be interesting. I know I am devious enough to have a bit of fun with the concepts.

"The world is you oyster..it's up to you to choose how you eat it"

Were so human!

I took this in Edinburgh. I looked up to the top of the National Monument hill and I saw this man snapping a happy holiday snap.
It fascinated me that we were both there for the exact same thing.
I really like how the sky just captures the moment; this little human being, standing in front of what mankind can create. My previous thoughts that 'The world is big...'

I have quite a few 'favourite' photos, but this shot really is my ultimate.

What's News?

Having just returned from Europe, I have realised that Australian news is petty rubbish. It seems we create news for the sake of news. No wonder Australia is so behind in things such as public transport-were too intent on arguing and dissecting a topic until we fear the change.

To do;

Now that my body is back in sync with this side of the world, it's time that I start implementing changes and making decisions.

Goals;

1) Get a new job (if retail) that does'nt involve persuasion or sales targets
2) Apply for uni
3) Get driver's licence, and with said job, save for a car
4) On the topic of money, start several savings groups;
i) $5 a week for an annual designer wallet/bag/jewellery purchase
ii) $10 a week to replace what I spent in Europe
iii) $5 a week for an annual holiday/roadtrip
5) Save enough money to move out again by January

On track! On track! On track!

Home Sweet Home

At the beginning of this trip, a friend was telling me about his 6 month adventure in Sydney.
I questioned the 6 months- in terms of 'living' in a city this a short period of time.

''Yeah, but you have to go home...y'know?''

9 weeks ago I didnt understand this- travel is the type of adventure you want to last forever.

But I understand what he said now.

The world keeps spinning, even if I dont. To really appreciate this adventure, I have to return to the norm....

As ready as I (reluctantly hope) I am to get back to life as I know it, I am content with saving up and doing it all again next year....

Smoke and Candles.

I write this on the eve of my 19th birthday. It's 4:15pm and I'm nearing Barcelona.
It's the last leg of Ash+ my European trip...
It's raining outside and the sky is pasted in grey.
I'm flicking through music on my ipod that, at this time of day, makes me reflect on the last couple of months...
It's been absolutley hella crazy fun. I've had such a ball running around this incredible part of the world. I wish I could do this forever!
It's funny how that each year that passes, we are usualy in a completley differant state of mind. This time last year...this was all just a dream. Apart of the 'grand plan'.

Tomorrow, I am officially older and wiser. '19' is such an ugly sounding age. I'm already having hang ups of being 'old'! But I guess this is the real beginning of the 'prime' years of my life.
Still, being 18 is a great year. Trying, sometimes painful, and a whole heap of old fashioned teenage fun- It's the gateway to adulthood, where everything is new, fresh and exciting.

I think a good way of looking at one's birthday is to think of it as a clean slate. A new year, without beginning the seasons over.
I want all this and more!
Here's to the future...

The world is big.

Went out to dinner the other night with the busabout group. It was the first night in Nice, France, and I had mediocre expectations of what it will be (Merci, Pari)

The bookings are at an Irish Pub, but upon arrival we all discovered that they stuffed up and had no idea of our group booking.
So our guide Kelly managed to go to a romantic little french restraunt across the road and negotiated wth the owner.

The set menu (for same price as the pub would have charged) was by far the nicest meal we'd eaten so far...

But the converstaions we had that night really made me realise how big the world is and of how possible anything is...

Kelly was so enthusiastic for us- particualry at the fact we've started travelling young. As a person, I could tell she was hungry for life and was in awe of how lovely this litle stuff up had turned out.

On our table, there was a group pf friends in particular, who intrigued me- 2 girls and a guy- who told us after doing Europe they were all moving to London for a year.

Why?

'Just for a fresh change, to
meet new people. Were all sick of the same old....'

brilliant.

Perhaps?

I cant help but look to the future.
I'm in the middle of an amazing adventure- the best I have ever embarked upon! But with 2 weeks to go, I'm subconciously having odd dreams of home instead of the next city I'll be in tomorrow...

I think, I think, I think...

Hmmm.
When I return, I'll enforce some fresh changes into life.

The thought of Melbourne... dare I say? Bores me a little. I think very, very soon it will be time for a location change....

Cafes; Germany; Munich; Berlin; Inspiration

I want to own my own cafe one day- with a fish bowl inside a tv, loungey vintage couches and kitsch 70's decor. And a big leafy smoking terrace...

The best 'not latte' I have ever made (see entry 'recessionista')

This baby came from the need to drink the rest of the milk. Gold.

The realisation came in the form of a postcard...

This week i have done lots of thinking. (thankyou, long hours of bus travel)
So it has taken 3 years worth of fustration and egg shell walking to realise the following;
Just because they dont care, does not mean we should have to pick up the slack!

In conclusion; Am addicted to travel...

Time Travel

So much to say in such a small amount of time...
but I really am loving travel. I love it more than anything right now!

A wee bit lazy, but too tired..LONDON

Hi everyone!
hope everyone is all good in your hoods!!
well, guess i better start to fill you all in on my adventures so far..
so i survived the plane flight here...it wasn't deathly, but it wasn't the most comfortable experience ever..
the 9 hours to hong kong were a bit tedious, but the 12 hour flight from honkers to London was easier, as i managed to sleep a bit. I watched lots of tv, listened to music and watched gran torino over...
once at heathrow i went through passport control (got questioned mega haha!) and then got my bags. then took the tube train to kings cross/st.pancras and then met Ash. As i was waiting for her to come meet me, once out of the station i saw big red buses and black cabbies..shit i really am in london!! was hungry (it was around 10amish, hadn't eaten since 4am on plane) so then went to maccas..an interesting experience. i ate a bagel and muffin and juice, and in total it cost £4.49...yes they have one cent penny's! the money is kinda weird, because the 2 pounds coins are bigger than the 1's etc.
we then got a train to st.austell, Cornwall which took 4 hours! we then got the bus to the b+b, which was really lovely..the vies are absolutely spectacular! i could see from my window the English channel sea and paddocks and paddocks of lush green grass!!
i was so tired though, that i fell asleep at 7pm...next day (Saturday) over a full English breakfast of sausages, hash browns, eggs, bacon, mushrooms and beans (afterwards ash and i both whaled out for an hour to digest the grease) the owner recommended that we got to a quaint little town called Charleston. we intended to walk to st austell station and then get a bus, but we got lost and kinda ended walking there....an hour and 45 mins later we got there! we had some tea and looked at the tall ships in the harbor then had Cornish clotted ice cream (strawberry..yum..£1.30). we then went to the eden project, which is these two big golf ball looking domes in a big hole, really, filled with plants and eco shit. we didnt really have time to look though, because we saw ladyhawke and the kooks!! ladyhawke was so pretty and quite good but omgosh..the kooks were soooo good! really energetic and fun and possibly the best band i have ever seen that actually sounds EXACTLY as they do on the album...
woke up this morning and had breakfast (tomato on toast, muesli and toast..we are trying to stock up big on brekky, as its free most places, and eat minimal/cheap during day) we chekc out and waited...adn waited...and waited for the bus back to st austell. it finally came an we og the train back to London. we then checked into the hostel and decided to go walking around London. we went and saw Thames river and walked up past big ben and west minister abbey, which was really big and spectacular, but very very touristy...even for a Sunday night! ive seen alot of really good style, the kids are cool and differant. i want to take photos but its very blink then you miss it. so now im typing this and its coming up to 1030pm here (730am Monday for you all) and i am sooo tired. i fell really wary, and my muscles in my legs, arms and back are throbbing (the backpack carrying and walking) i plan on sending some stuff home tomorrow, because my bag is just ridiculously too heavy...
tomorrow should be good- alot to see and do! including London eye, madam toussans, cadbury world, tower of London, Buckingham palace, tate modern and museums and seeing people! the next 2 days, i mean 2 months will be very very chockablock!
anyways, enough from me, how are you all? how is work/school/family/friends etc?
will email again when i can...
sorry, btw for the lack of imagination in this email..im too tired to think and there is so much to say!! hehehe!
missing you all lots and lots!!
love, lana xx

Quotes

Whilst tearing down my collage-clad wall, I found this quote on the inside of a bottle top from a beer bottle..

"You teach a child to read and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test" - George W Bush

Broader Horizons...

I'm so very over all of the drama and the bullshit that seems to have plauged us all this year...
I'm sick of certain relationships being a one way street of effort, and making sacrifices for people when I recieve nothing in reutrn. (Dejavu for here? See April entries) I'm working more than ever now, but this is purely to reach a big burdening goal that I have planned for quite some time now. Within a matter of days the working will cease and the goal will be live. I think I have carried myself through this rather well. My overall 'life' skills have improved vastly- I now have a real, bittersweet taste of the world, and from that I have learnt how to deal with alot of stuffs..
I have learnt so much in such a short space of time, from so many very differant people.
I'm so grateful to have a great handful of friends and acquaintices who accept and understand...everything there is to me. This time next week I will be preparing to leave this section of life and fly across the world to experience even more of what life has to offer.
Earlier week I bumped into a school chum and the train ride chat we shared made me really appreciative of the little things that make life worthwhile...
Taking a year off has so far been the best, and the right choice for myself. When I return in September I hope to have changed for the better- I want to become less selfish and more accepting, more relaxed and less materialistic, and of course more open minded and strong, strong to the very core.

Most of all I look forward to coming home to those who are my true chums. I can't wait to pick up from where we will leave off....

Europe [and beyond..]

Everything is finally coming together!!!

I just looked through some really cool pictures of Berlin, Stockholm, Paris and London and it's got me so excited. Not just for the trip, but for the rest of the year.

I need to remember;

1) When packing- take what I actually wear, not crap just because it's comftable/parentals told me to take it

2) When I come home, drive baby, drive! I refuse to leave Kyneton without my licence in my hot little hand. This is a good goal, because I know I won't want to be there for very long. This is a 'hustle-me' goal.

3) To look forward to what I plan to do for the rest of the year- go back to tap, get an agent, seek out a job that is satisfyling fun, and save the coins to buy a car. relax and live life.

Things I hate, part 2

"I don't want any tickets!!!"

Things I hate.

Things I hate:

- Whiny, little old ladies with high pitched voices

- Said ladies who expect sympathy from one hospital visit (note to near-deathies; everyone has to have blood tests!!!)

- Smelly Dyson buses

- Smelly Dyson buses that run super late

- Smelly Dyson buses that run super late, and end up being the 'other' route

- Parents who let their kids record the family answering machine message... (as cute as they are, could someone pass me a bucket?)

- Selfish friends

- People who drink my soy milk (sharing is caring, but not when sharing means three quarters of the bottle...)

- The after guilt I feel for publicly venting....

Ching Chong!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Juliet Capulet (Shakespeare's 'Romeo & Juliet')

....as if you wouldnt know that!

Does anybody else wonder why Chinese people use their middle names as first names in a western country, and why when spelling their full name in China, their last name always comes first?

Reccesionista

Can't afford the morning latte on your commute to work each morning?
No, me neither.
So latley I have been tricking myself to utilise the complimentry tea/coffee/milk supply at work. To give the illusion of a real cafe latte, I shake the milk bottle vigourously (making sure that no one else is in the kitchen, mind you.-People get very iffy about shaken quality of their milks) and pour the fluffy froth on top. Voila! Instant shit beverage that can pass as drinkable. Heh heh heh!

SEIZE THE DAY!

Right, this is IT.

From now on I'm taking control and grabbing each opportunity that comes my way...
I'm sick of missed opportunites or being unsure.

'Make fear your friend'; through and through.

YES! for Tuesday

I always think that if I wake up and a really good song is playing on the radio, then that day will be a good one...

Today was one of those days..

1) Alarm went off at usual time (6:45am), but I once again decided in indulge in my love of bed and sleeepp....until around 7:25.
2) First song onthe radio? 'Heavy Cross' By the Gossip YES
3) 'Fuck it', I dont care if I'm late...Did my morning stretch routine anyway, despite having around half an hour to get ready
4) Selected my outfit for the day, which included my favourite jeans, and my new boots. Even took the effort to do my makeup properly, and to boot my hair was rather tousselled nicely. YES!
5) Had time to eat breakfast, for the first time in about a week.
6) Made the 'only-if-im-super-late' 8:09 train by 1 minute. YES
7) Got to work, and found out we were assigned the most AWESOME campaign ever. So no hawking by supervisors, judging on sales stats or card %'s.... Even got the luxury of sitting wherever I wanted (and it isnt even friday!!) YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
8) Found 10 cents on my chosen desk.. YES
9) other staff member's last day, so got to eat yummy chocolates YES

This has been an unussually excellent tuesday, so I just had to record it....
it's nice when you have a truly good day- it makes the bad ones a little more bearable.

The Sartorialist

This is the most wonderful blog I have read of late..

The photography is wonderful- excellent quality and so simple, yet it catches the subject/s in a perfect pose of naturalisim.

I would love to do this as a job. What a fabulous way of dabbling in self discovery. Your mental horizons would be continulally expanding and just imagine how much of the 'real' world you would see...!!!!

I really would love a new camera to take away with me, and the quality of these photos makes me mega jelous and wanting!

I sit here and compose this as I journey back home from home....

Theme tune- Mark Ronson feat Lily Allen 'Oh My God'.
In 4 months time this will become a contradiction, but...
Its nice to be home from time to time. I love the city, but its nice to escape the hustle and dirttiness and the australian suburban dream to go back home, where on arrival I have a feeling of simplicity. Its the train ride most I like, I think. I like how going home is a scenic journey. As the little train that could climbs up the tracks, if you look out the window there is an almost breathtaking view of macedon and not a soul outside the moving train- only paddocks and the occasional roaming animal. Bahhh....
However, going back home, back to the city is nice for a while, until the scenic comfort morphs into established suburban developments- a technological realisation that is a full ladder of reception that makes me look up from my ipod/book/magazine to this horrible could-be ghost town. That is, until the train is a few stops from terminus, and I become thankful for having the best of both worlds. Only just, though.
So I am really looking forward to the period where I am at home-home before europe, and when I return as well. I look forward to spending a few well deserved 'nothing' days where I can sit in a pile of beads and fabric remnants and do all the things I said I would long ago... When im in a fustrated rut (which I will predict could be immediate), I will look back on this note...

Dinky dike!

"Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for A Belgian beer, then on the way home, grabbing an Indian curry or A Turkish kebab, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV"

Furthermore;

"Ooh, tell me do you still believe?
Ooh, everything that you read?

Till we learn to get together,
And see who we really are,
Aint nothing gonna change,
Aint nothing gonna change

"Some people do it all for the money,
Some do it all for the love, yeah,
Some do it all for the glory,
'Cause there's nothing else they're thinking of.."

stuffs.

I really like how stuffs can make you feel things.
Particulary music and art and film.
I really like how even something so not intentionally think-worthy, like a really corny, cliched american movie, can teach you lesson, or a theory, or a phrase.
I especailly like it when you can relate the new found learning to circumstances or situations that are happening around you.

'If you can't even respect yourself, then how can you expect others to respect you as well?'

know your stuffs.

you goin' my way...?

kids, part 2

'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer'
-Sun-Tzu, Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)

?

kids

The other night at the video store, one of our good customers's daughter was getting really excited about her 'my little pony' dvd. She was telling us that she categorises her pony figurines. As well as her wadrobe into colours and clothing types (skirts, tops etc). Which I thought was lovely and mature for an 11 year old. Then she said, oh so sweetly, 'I also categorise my enemies, too!'. I thought this was rather rich, considering the irony of this innocent little girl.

As I sit here and type this, I hear the rustling of wind, and the loud, squeaks of the kids next door playing their recorders. (ah, the days of recorders! Again, the only reason i joined the recorder club in primary school was to go to the opera house... Now that I think of it, I feel so guilty for making my parents sit through those shithouse concerts)
And just then, as the dude from the apartment upstairs walked down the stairs and past the window, I related to what he was snickering at- the kids are now yelling 'hiyaaaa mateee! wasssupppp buddy?!?' at him.

I once yelled random things to strangers, too.

Oh wait. I still do.

the time is now...!

The last week or so has been awesome!
It all started with work... (a nice starter in the scheme of all things financial). Worked at the grand prix. I admit, I was rather dreading working there. I'm no car racing fan! But the time went rather quickly. A good day of cruising around and getting old men drunk. Turned out to be even better when I walked the track back to gate 1 to the sweet sweet sounds of The Who and $120 worth of tips in my pocket :)
The week got even better as I worked lots more at magsies, which made me even happier!
Also have been going to the comedy festival almost every night, which so far, has been fabulous! Easter is such a lovely time. Apart from hot cross buns, chocolate (which, I think tastes so much better at this time of year...Especially when eaten for breakfast) there is the comedy festival. Ah! I remember when I was little, the best thing was the Sydney Easter show. (Which, sadly, the one time I attempted to go, my auntie drove around the city for hours trying to get a car park, however due to the prior lateness of my cousin and uncle, left the adults resorting to taking us to see 'mighty ducks' at the movies...) It was always in the last 2 weeks of school, that the highly coveted showbag guide would be published, and multiple lunchtimes would be spent gushing over which showbag to get. Yet it is now that I always find myself doing the same thing with the comedy festival guide each year...
I am so grateful for it all!!!
And the big cherry on top of a wonderful week was V festival....which was...wow...so good.
Ash & I saw Tame Impala (quite good live, although Chloe told me that they are complete hippies and sound horrible when they speak...), Duffy ( Dear God, can I please be her in a future life?), M83 (were good too- after 'Kim & Jessie' half the crowd left...which, I did feel kind of bad for doing, but I was under strict instructions to get a photo of vanilla ice)...saw Vanilly ice through the window of the virgin stage (The organisers clearly underestimated his popularity). Also saw Madness (which kind of gave me the feeling/atmosphere of what Europe will be like-lots of English, Irish, Scottish and European backpackers in the crowd. The smell of alcohol, the too-cool-for-school jazzesque dance moves by both the crowd and the band, and the cold chill of the breeze got me wanting it all even more), Kaiser chiefs (so cute! and the scaffold climbing was gold!) and finally, the killers (Legends. 'When you were young', 'bones' and 'dustland fairytale' were “wow, amazing!” moments!!! )

It all ended with late night munches of subway and cookies on Swanston Street Lawns. (I love the city lights at night!)

i want a really cool KO jacket, too.

'Your a zero

What's your name?

No one's gonna ask you

better find out where they want you to go...'

'time is flying, never to reurn'....

This morning Kira left to go back home. I can't believe how fast 5 weeks have gone by!

So as i sat in the kitchen with her, waiting for Carmal to drive her to the city, I was quite literally blown away by the event. It made me realise that time is tick tick ticking...It's the end of March, then it will be April.... APRIL!!!! :O!

I could feel her nervousness about it all. When a 'goodbye' happens, I always think of how people live their lives. Once that person/thing is gone, you keep living your life, doing the activities and tasks as usual. And ,eventaully, so too does that person/thing when there back at their orignal base... It's the idea of a new world, a differant environment. The idea (and this is so qantas cliched) that the world is 'one'.

As I heard the car zoom down the drive, I went back to my room, opened the curtains and took in what will be today. I dont know if this seemed to a coincicdence, or possibly the world sending a 'message' (quite freaky if so) but i think this could be symbolic of this morning's event and the idea of time moving ...note the grey skyline, with the rainbow streaming down, and the 3 hot air balloons flying across the sky...

technology

what to get??????


I'm in need of a new phone!!!


My decision lays between the nokia E63 (cheaper phone plan on 3, except 3 has shit country coverage, meaning when im home i will have quite possibly less reception and civilisation than currently...) or nokia E71 (more expensive, but i can get on optus, as opposed to telgaystra. plus it has navigation) There both similar, but i think my decision will come down to what i 'want' as opposed to what i 'need' and can 'afford'.





just watch my inner gen Y selfishness emerge, y'all!

sorry sorry sorry

I'm sorry. I really dont like the last post. but it had to be said. I had to get some of it out.

ok. over it all now! exciting things! yah! yah! yah! yah!

:) :) :) :) :)

everything.

is happening.
The last month or so has been hella crazy! So much has been going on in every aspect of my life. So much kookiness has been coincidently present. It seems that if I see/hear/watch/think of something/someone then it kinda appears/happens.
And becasue of all of this, I havent been feeling like i do. I'm here, but I'm not.


It fustrates me, because I wish i could just blurt everything out, and then feel better about it all, and hope it will all magically go back to normal, but i know i can't/shan't/won't.
But then, what the fuck is normal these days? Since school finished, i thought is has been good. I thought I had everything all planned out for this year. 2009 is chill year. find myself year. make stuff happen year. achieve goals year. get the ball rolling year. try to be an honest, good person year. GOOD KARMA YEAR!
But no. Now that i look back on the last few months. All i have done is work, talk, spend money, make sacrifices for stuff i thought would be happening all while living in my little green bubble. Quite possibly today is reality check day for Lana.

(I feel horrible for this complaing/whinging/ranting outburst. I hate it when I read other blogs and the editor does nothing but seem negative. Sorry, self. For me, this is supposed to be an alternative to a diary, more so in the form of random ramblings and interesting facts of virtue and positivness.)

How to waste time at work.

Hahahaha!.... I vaguley heard something like this mentioned on a morning chat show... I have no shame in admitting that I often try to waste time during a slow shift at work, ussually in the form of window cleaning or stock rearranging, but in this afternoon's current state of boredom, I googled this theory and my findings were incredible!

How to waste time at work.

1. Drink lots of water and go to the bathroom. Spend as much time as possible (without being obvious) grooming, texting, and general stufifng about.

2. Have lengthy conversations with colleagues. Enthusiastic 'mmhmm'-ing and nodding from time to time should ensure you remain active in the discussion, but also enables one to catch up on some sweet, sweet daydreaming or weekend event planning!

3. Go to lots of meetings. They are the biggest time waster of all, and usually include complimentary crap brand biscuits and copious amounts of tea and coffee (I'm thinking this will only work for the corporates among us)

4. I'd approach this one with caution, but if you happen to have a computer at hand, either amuse yourself on facebook, news sites or enter as many radio station competitions as possible.

5. My favourite--->

Nap #643 -- Fill a coffee mug. Find a low traffic area in the office and spill the contents of the mug on the floor. Lay down on the floor face first with your coffee mug laying on the spill. The purpose is to make it look like you fell, passed out or tripped on something. After you place yourself in position, go to sleep. If someone finds you, they’ll rush to your aide. Have an excuse ready. They’ll think you are hurt or sick, but don’t let them send you home. You don’t want to eat up sick leave, that’s your personal time. Never repeat this exercise in the same location and don’t do it too often. This nap will be less effective if you snore. If you snore while you sleep it’s tougher to pass off sleep as unconsciousness. (Naps can buy you any where from 10 minutes to several hours depending on where you take the nap)

Gosh, I hope I never have to work an office job, or any other job for that matter, that results me in doing something as drastic! funny! hehe!

http://http//www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=wasting+time+at+work&meta=

winter

Yesterday was so cold! Well, all weekend was cold actually.
But it was as I was walking out the door, I realised winter is coming! At 8pm the sky had scattered clouds and was a dark grey/navy colour and the air hit me like ice shavings in a icey cone...and the air's scent. It was that cold, wooden scent that when you smell it, it makes you think of soups and jumpers and socks and fires and rugs.
So kids, summer is officially over and the cold weather is coming! Which is good, because it means I can start wearing stockings and boots and scarves again, and life is all toasty and cheery. But then it's also kinda saddening, because it means the warmness and freedom and specialness of summer is over.

more monkey mahem

Further to my last entry, I chuckled at this little story on my way home this afternoon....

Apparently, in a Thai province, a trained monkey got sick of climbing up 50m+ trees to get coconuts, so he killed his owner by throwing a coconut that killed his owner instantly...!
See, this got me thinking, about the whole evolution thing and the man/monkey theory. It is common year 10 science knowledge that monkeys ae the closest animal to identify with humans, and that man once evolved from a monkey over many many centuries. I had always just accepted this fact without any thought. Yes, the occasional david attenborough documentary got me appreciating their cleverness, but the last day or so has really made me appreciate and admire the smartness of a monkey. Their observations of human behaviour is expected, i suppose, but for the monkey to actaully want to throw a coconut at it's owner in spite of him, I find this interesting. It makes me question and ponder the thought that animals have actaul feelings (as opposed to we, as humans, interpreting our pets/surrounding animals's mannerisims as feelings of happiness, anger etc)

What really impressed me the most about this story about the monkey, is that the owners bought the monkey for approx $275, as it seemed 'lovable'.
loveable? quite possibly more like coniving, cheeky and spontaneous. or even two faced and fake...

just like humans....
hmmmmm.

news!

OOh i really like news. Especially funny or obscure news.
Like this story->

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/769213/chimp-planned-collected-rocks-to-attack-zoo-visitors


How clever is this little chimp? He has been caught collecting rocks to pelt at visitors tro his enclosure at his zoo in Sweeden. THIS IS HILAIRIOUS!
Can you just imagne, walking past
'Ohhhh mummy! look at the monkey'
(Chimp crawls up to cage, face to face with child)
POW!
(chimp runs)


I know that sounds horrible, especially becasue the poor monekey is in a zoo etc and not in the wild and all that other animal rights stuff, but the idea is just so clever and amusing!

doggy do

All weekend I have been alternating between working and dogsitting.
It has been quite good. However, in my typical luck of fate, there was drama...

#1. friday night. after running errands all day, I raced back to my house to get ready for antheas, and then scooted over to the dogs, so i could walk them and then go to the station for anthea's birthday outing. However, I locked the door on my way out with the dogs, and I thought best to double check that the door was locked and i oculd open it....and i did. and i coulnt!!! After wandering aroudn the house for a few minutes, I asked the neighbour to see if he could open the door. he couldnt. and the dog owner didnt answer the phone. So, i jumped the fence, stocking and all, and prayed to god that the other key would open the back door. (dogs were tied to a tree at this point in time) and it did!! THANK FUCK!

#2 Amanda came over saturday night for a chill/movie/sleepover night. all good. went to bed at 3:30amish and had to get up at 8:30 to walk dogs and go to work. all good. come 11am, Amanda calls me at work to tell me that the electric blanket was left on. fuck fuck fuck. after half and hour of stressinga and disc putting away, she came and got keys, went to house, turned off blanket. so, all good.

All in all, it has been a fun weekend. going out friday, hanging on saturday, working and dog walking with lauren sunday made it all happy and all good! :) On my way to work tonight, I'll pop back in, and walk the dogs for one last time before their owner comes home. (FYI they are 2 little, fluffy, yappy male dogs, who sport matching doggy jumpers and donn green and blue ribbons in their air...makes me wonder...you know.. are they gay?) heheheehe!

shoes

Continuing the theme from my last entry, I am very excited with my latest bargain purchase...!!!!
I got these the other day, from novo, for $15! I like them, becasue there all starry and zouschy, and the black and silver combination will go with most stuff in my wadrobe! The best thing about them, is that I kind of stumbled on them whilst having cofeee with Azri. This type of bargain hnting is what I love! Finding stuff when you dont expect it, at a price that makes you fall in love with the object/thing/it even more! yah!

today's crush

ooooh!
so I was flipping through a magazine and came across these super cute shoes by Melissa!
And of course i got excited as the magazine depicted them as being $109, but there really $190 :(

Europe or Shoes....
hmm. I say winter clearnace sales! yah!

I STARTED IT ALL!

hmmm. blogging. such a new age concept.
such a tech-embracing, young, modern way of communication and free speech.

well. if there wasn't enough young, naive wisdom plotters in cyberspace, there is one more.
yup- I'm the new kid on the block....!!!
but dont worry, i'm not going to get all arrogant on this...
I'm only going to post things, stories and words; of interest.
:)

let's keep it light and friendly for now....

http://www.dealsdirect.com.au/p/spy-pen-digital-video-recorder-pen-1gb-silver/?utm_source=dealsnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=newsletter&utm_campaign=DealsNewsletter20090302+

you like?
xo