iCiNG Transformation Challenge

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Gala Darling is running her iCiNG transformation challenge again this year and I feel a really strong urge to participate. I feel like I'm not living my life as the fabulous person I have the potential to be and it is time that I do something about it. Therefore, my transformation challenge is:

Stop bitchin', start doing!

Pretty broad I know, but I'm breaking it down into the following categories:
♥ Body - I'm pretty unhappy about the extra jelly that I'm carrying right now. I'm about 15kgs away (or maybe more) from where I want to be yet what am I doing about it? Nothing. For the next four weeks I will consistently be choosing the healthy options but moreover, I will exercise in some manner for at least half an hour each day - be it dancing, walking or finally making it back to the gym. Stop bitchin' about how fat I am and start doing something about it.
♥ Love Life - I'm dating online, but continually disappointed at how flat it seems to fall in real life. I'm considering that maybe I spend too long on the 'online' part and then get pissed off when my return on time invested doesn't seem to happen. Therefore, any potentials I meet within the next month will be fast-tracked to face-to-face meet if they show any potential, thus reducing the devastation factor. I'm also, to be honest, sick of being single so if I happen to meet any hot guys in passing, I'M going to make the first move. Stop bitchin' about being alone and unloved and start doing something about it.
♥ Faith - This may not make sense to you if you are not spiritual at all but sometimes at the moment, God seems so far away. I keep expecting sudden inspiration and presence of faith but at the same time I refuse to believe in a pre-destination in which everything will turn out for the best despite my lack of understanding. I need to get down to business - in Christian speak this means lots of prayer and reading the bible - search for the answers if they aren't directly coming to you. Stop bitchin' about how I can't hear God and start doing something about it.

I may add to these categories over the month to come and I'll definitely keep you updated about how well I do. Leave me a comment if you are doing the iCiNG transformation challenge too!

Marmoset there'll be days like this!

LOL this shook me out of my mood this morning... fantastic!

Interview by Jenn(uinely)...

The interview meme by the lovely Jenn of Jenn(uinely) Rambling

The rules are as follows:

1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (And your e-mail address, please.)

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1. Tell me about your oldest friend. When did you meet? Are you still in contact?
My oldest friend is actually in my blog roll (good luck investigating that one, those who are playing along at home). I met her while she was in her womb and I was in mine. We fell out of touch while we were in our teens but have become better friends recently and I'm so pleased. She's blossomed into such a wonderful young woman who really enriches my life with her presence.
2. What is the best book you've read? In the last year? Ever?
Oh no, this is like asking me to pick my favourite child or something... I'll have to go with books that have sort of blown my mind with their wonderfulness when I read them. In 2008, that was Stoppard's "Arcadia". Ever... I honestly couldn't tell you. I own over 150 books and I swear I've read at least ten times that number. I simply devour books. The fact that both Piers Anthony and Terry Pratchett are still alive, kicking and writing kick-ass novels makes my heart sing though.
3. What's the best thing about being a NZ blogger? The worst?
The best thing is that it doesn't cost the earth to meet up with other kiwi bloggers - I got to meet up with the lovely Andrea just last week! The crappiest thing is that you make friends from all sorts of places around the world and as a poor student I have no money to visit. I am in Sydney this July though and I am planning to make it to Perth in Summer 2010 if the Perth girls can hold out that long!
4. If you had one million dollars, and had to spend it all (no savings allowed, no matter how silly that is!), what is the first thing you'd buy? And why?
A new car... I want a 2L Automatic, preferably a Suzuki Sx4... my current car gets me from A to B, but definitely not in style. Then I'd have to sit and think and plan for a fair while...
5. What is something that not a lot of people know about you but that you wish more people could know?
I wish that more of my "real world" friends knew that I was not as brave and strong and confident as I appear to be... it makes me feel like there are these burdens and expectations on me to keep on carrying on no matter what. But on the other hand, I'm a really good faker and not brave enough to open up to most of them and tell them that's how I feel. So they don't realise how sad and lonely I can get and it perpetuates the cycle. With my blog friends... I don't know... you guys tell me what you wish you knew about me!

If you would like to interview me, ask me a question or request an interview for yourself, leave a message in the comments!

Literary Inspiration - Mark Twain on Education

"When I am king, they shall not have bread and shelter only, but also teachings out of books; for a full belly is little worth where the mind is starved . . . "

-The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain

So often charity is targeted on the basic necessities - food, clothing and shelter. Don't get me wrong, those things are incredibly important. But that's not where it should stop... How do we expect the situations of impoverished children to improve when we don't provide the necessities of education that all those above the "bread line" take for granted. Providing those children with sub-par education facilities dooms them to perpetuating a cycle of ignorance, leaving them with no resources with which to improve their outlook for the future.

This is why Room to Read is a favourite charity of mine. Their mission is best summed up by this excerpt from their website:

We partner with local communities throughout the developing world to provide
quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local
language children's literature, constructing schools, providing education to
girls and establishing computer labs. We seek to intervene early in the lives of
children in the belief that education empowers people to improve socioeconomic
conditions for their families, communities, countries and future generations.
Through the opportunities that only education can provide, we strive to break
the cycle of poverty, one child at a time.

Set up by a former Microsoft Exec, the charity's motto is that "World Change Starts With Educated Children" - I may feel even stronger about this as I'm going to be a high school teacher, but I think it is a motto we can all find some agreement in. Find more info on the charity here.

Ah sweet relief...

Who knew I'd find reassurance, hope and a boost of my faith in a song from Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The song below "When You Believe" is from one of my favourite animated movies, "The Prince of Egypt". Enjoy!

Many nights we pray
With no proof anyone could hear
And our hearts a hopeful song
We barely understand
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains long
Before we know we could

Oah yes
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
Its hard to kill
Who know what miracle
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe

In this time of fear
When prayer so often proves in vain
Hope seems like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
And now I am standing here
My heart's so full I cant explain
Seeking faith and speaking words
I never thought I'd say

There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
Its hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe

They don't always happen when you ask
And it's easy to give in to your fear
Ohhhhh
But when you're blinded by your pain
Can't see you way safe through the rain
Thought of a still resilient voice
Says love is very near

There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
Its hard to kill
Who know what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
You will when you believe
You will when you believe
You will when you believe
Just believe
You will when you
Believe

Sunday Afternoon Reads: "On the Jellicoe Road" by Melina Marchetta

Hi! *waves* I'm Bambola of Girl With the Big Brown Eyes. Scribbles has left you with me for today's Sunday Afternoon Read.

Our friend Amanda was nice enough to lend me a book called "On the Jellicoe Road" by Melina Marchetta. (You may recognise the author's name - she also wrote "Looking for Alibrandi", required reading for any Australian.)


"On the Jellicoe Road" is a captivating story of Taylor, a girl left abandoned by her mother on the Jellicoe Road 18 years prior. Saved and raised by Hannah, her only constant, she has always lived at the Jellicoe School. Haunted by dreams clear enough to feel real, but not enough to be memories, Taylor is full of questions.

When Hannah disappears the only clue she has is a story about the five kids who lived in the same area. Left to deal with her demons and dreams, Taylor also has to defend her house in the territory wars, between the Jellicoe, the Cadets and the Townies. Then there's the history she has with the Cadets leader, albeit not one she's willing to share with her friends and peers.

This was such a fantastic story. The perfect combination of mystery, mayhem, love and heartache. Written from Taylor's point of view and in such a way you can identify with her. While the situation she's in is not a common one, you feel like you know exactly how she feels. Emotive language and the power in the words create a realm far beyond your own imagination, but so easily accessible as you lose yourself in the text.

The story of the five at Jellicoe Road is slowly revealed through out the book. At first it is a separate story, with no link to Taylor. You don't even realise Taylor is reading it. As the story progresses, she begins to mention the five in conversation and you realise it's a story she's reading. Piece by piece you realise it isn't a story at all...

I slept less so I could read more. I strongly suggest adding this to your library to read again and again.

Bambola x

Depression - A Guest Post

Friday's random article is brought to you by the lovely Ems of Lick My Cupcakes - if you haven't checked out this incredible blog, you must do so immediately after this article :D

Depression.

Yup, depression. Not the most glee-inducing subject for one to pick while guest-blogging, I know- but believe it or not, (and this may come as a shock to you) I DON'T IN FACT, POOP SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS.
Hi, I'm Emma, and I'm a sad-a-holic.


Well, I'm not really. If you know me, you will know I'm usually a bouncy little unicorn with bows in her hair who explodes into glitter on a regular basis, but if you know me WELL, you will know I've been through a heck of a lot to get there too. Whether you have been diagnosed with depression, or are just plain glum, I think there are stages in everyone's life where they find themselves realising how completely unhappy they are.

Last year was well and truly one of the worst times of my adult life- I say adult, because I was a crazy-ass teen, but that's a whole 'nother story. Anyway, despite an amazing start, being a newlywed and having my incredible honeymoon in January, everything went downhill from there and it was an awful year. A year full of lost friendships, eating disorders, unnecessary stress, trust issues, cracked hearts (well, that should be singular, it was just my heart- and I say cracked cos it wasn't quite broken), tears, sleepless nights and general unhappiness. It was a
quarter-life crisis of the worst kind.

Luckily, I got through it. A bit of permanent damage and some more issues to cram in my spare bedroom cupboard, but I got through it. I can't tell you exactly how, because I really don't know. I just decided I was done with this, I missed the old me, and I made the most of the new year. I was determined to start fresh, start happy, and start full of hope and excitement for the future.

So I did. I went out on New Years Eve, armed with glittery eye makeup and a positive attitude. I counted down til 12 o'clock, threw a handful of glitter in the air (and smeared it on the faces of many boys), and I started my new year happy. I just used 2009 as an excuse, but you can change anytime you want. Be it in a few months, next week, this afternoon. Whenever you are ready, just give in and let yourself be happy, don't worry about all the crap, you have your whole life to stress.

Yes, it's easy to say, not so easy to do. Just like anything, it will never work unless you are properly motivated, and believe that you can do something about it. So what's changed for me exactly? Well, my old friends still aren't my friends, I still work in the same crappy job, I still stress too much, have insomnia, overthink things, struggle with body image issues and eating disorders- so what has changed? My mindset, that's what. I have realised it's life, these things happen. Not everything can be great but remember to embrace the things that are. Think of all the positives and don't let the negatives get the better of you. Make sure you have positive people in your life, great friends make all the difference. And if all else fails, try a few of these tips!

A few Ways to help conquer the blues.

Take some time out.
I have made it a ritual to spend Friday night alone, pampering myself, and de-stressing from the week that has ended. I take a bubble bath, do a facial mask and hair treatment, dance around like an idiot while I tidy up, then stay up til 4am catching up on blogs and watching my favourite tv shows while eating chocolate and bawling like an idiot. It definitely helps, and puts me in a great mood to start the weekend.

Talk to someone.
Anyone. They may not have all the answers but it will help just to get it off your chest. It may seem like a ridiculous idea, and it will be excruciating to try and spit out, but once you do, you will feel so much lighter. The most surprising people are the ones who will listen, don't underestimate people. If you have no-one to listen, try a counsellor or therapist, a friend or family member, try www.beyondblue.org.au -or even me. I'm always willing to listen, even if I can't offer much help. You can contact me at mypinkheels@hotmail.com

Sing it out.
I'm so not kidding. Music is amazing therapy. Music determines my mood, each and every day. Whatever kind of tunes I listen to on the train before work helps rile me up when I know it's going to be a difficult one, cheer me up when I'm sad, calm me down when I'm overthinking, vent
my anger when I'm furious. Find some music that means something to you, and make it your anthem.

Write.
If you don't want to talk, write it. Start a blog, even if it's private, buy a journal, or, rather than spilling your story exactly, throw all your emotion into creative writing or poetry. You don't have to show anyone if you don't want to. You can even burn it when you're done. Just get the thoughts out of your head, and throw them out into the world!

<3 & Cupcakes, Em.

Photo Credit

Literary Inspiration - Last times....

. . . it was the last weakness he meant to indulge in; and a man never lies with more delicious languor under the influence of a passion than when he has persuaded himself that he shall subdue it to-morrow.
- Adam Bede by George Eliot

Ever tried to give something up, even temporarily? Decided to go a month without alcohol and that last beer/wine/mixer tastes fantastic. That last burger or chocolate bar before you go on a diet that tastes like it was blessed by heaven. We all have passions that we know aren't particularly good or healthy or even the best use of our time and it never feels so good as when we know we can't do it anymore, or at least for a while.

It's become part of my routine to lurk on the comp (when not out running round like a mad chook, which seems to be my other default function) until 10pm at night so I can chat with my Perth girls and our insomniac American buddy - you know who you are - on Twitter. Powered on by comments from CC earlier this week, I'm going to try and stay unplugged for most of my holiday, limiting myself to just checking in once a day max, to read and approve comments. I 'll leave you in the capable hands of two gorgeous guest bloggers whom I know you're going to love.

Cold turkey here I come :D

How do I deal??

If there's one thing I've learnt, guiding my friends through many trials and tribulations (and experiencing some of these myself), it is that everyone has completely different ways of dealing with these stressful and emotional times. What helps one person feel better will make another person feel worse and when people don't deal with it the way you do, it can leave you confused.

Those who follow me on Twitter may have noticed that some of my tweets have sounded pretty sad recently and the truth is I've been down in the dumps. There isn't one major thing that's set me off, it's been a whole lot of crappy little annoying things that have amounted to a rather heavy load on the camel's back.

How do I deal? It seems to have to changed and whether that's through maturity or circumstances, I'm unsure. I used to be a drama queen and I'm not anymore. I'd storm off to my room, shouting obscenities and making a big hullabaloo. After my depression at the end of 2007 though, I've noticed that the way I deal with things has changed. When I'm annoyed or irritated, I keep my mouth shut and instead of curling up in my room I run... not run away as such but I head out. Far far away...

Talking to my pastor's wife on Sunday afternoon, I brought up the fact that I seem to be escaping home whenever I can (tonight is a prime example, I'm staying at CCs), going out to parties or meeting friends in bar. PW helped me see the reason why I don't stay at home - with mum being sick and Dad and sis also being stressed, there is no way that it feels like a relaxing place to be. So I go out, I have a couple of drinks and dance until I forget and that's not a horrific way to deal with it... hey, my church even approves LOL

So how do you guys deal? Tell me in the comments.

Sunday Afternoon Reads and Giveaway: "The Price of Salt" by Patricia Highsmith

Read on to the end to be in to win a copy of this novel!

Patricia Highsmith was the mother of suspense novelists in the middle of the twentieth century. Most recognised in the current decade as the author of the novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley", one of her finest works (and scandalous at the time) was the love story "The Price of Salt", a tale of a blossoming romance - between two women.
The story follows Therese Belivet, a young woman in an average relationship with a man of very small ambitions. Lack of family of her own and a dissatisfying position in a department store leave her feeling that her life is lacking... that is until the chance meeting with the elegant Carol Aird. Carol is in her mid-thirties, has wealth that the working-class Therese can only imagine and is in the midst of divorcing her husband Harge. The women are attracted to each other and the first part of the novel studies this slow building to the start of their relationship - the way in which they exchange their displays of affection in a society that doesn't comprehend the possibility of women loving each other in a sexual manner. Their individual situations come to a head and they decide to road trip cross-country where it is apparent but not explicit that their relationship deepens to a physical level. Can this relationship last in 1950s middle America? You'll need to read the novel to find out, but the novel is wrapped up in suprisingly satisfactory yet un-soppy fashion... just the right amount of sentimentality that you would expect, 'knowing' the two female protagonists the way that you feel they do.
Ms. Highsmith writes this novel in a way that gels well with modern society's acceptance that there are those with sexualities outside of heterosexuality. While this book was proclaimed a "lesbian" novel at the time, I feel that she actually wrote the characters as more bisexual - this strengthens her theme of love being where you find it rather than where it is expected. The writing is intelligent and articulate but at the same time manages to give both Carol and Therese very distinct voices within the text. She makes strong use of background figures of foreboding and risk that propel the story along very successfully. Possibly most powerful of all, she makes me as a reader understand a love story that is completely outside of my own experience.

4.5 out of 5 stars.

To win a copy of this novel, leave me a comment letting me know where you feel you fall on the sexuality spectrum (nosey I know, but this novel is worth it). Draw will be drawn on the 1st of Feb by random number generator if there is more than one comment.

Change of Schedules

Photo Credit

The golden days of summer are slowly disappearing... and with it my extra available time. As those of you who follow me on Twitter will know, I am currently tutoring on an arts holiday programme. The kids are insanely fun but have bundles of energy that can leave me feeling a little ragged. Flowing on into Feb, I'll be stepping into the breach as we continue our search for a superstar admin to replace our wonderful office administrator and then roll on March and the start of my year-long training to be a teacher!
It's certainly shaping up to be a full on year and as much as I love writing my articles and reading all your comments (and seriously, comment more! I still get so excited when it pops up that I have comments to review) I realised that I needed to create a plan; ensuring you get top quality articles despite the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week. Posting will now be as follows:
*Monday: Random Article
*Wednesday: Literary Inspirations
*Friday: Random Article
*Sunday: Sunday Afternoon Reads
and if you are extra special sparkly good, there may be some "Saturday Afternoon of Love" thrown in there for good measure. I have a feeling that this is a good way to ensure that you still get your regular dose of Scribbles but I continue to keep a quality standard of post that I am happy with. Thanks so much for your continued support guys... it's SOOOOOO appreciated.

Tag-ginity!

I was tagged for my first meme ever by the wonderful Ems of "Lick my Cupcakes" - the fourth picture meme stealing my tag-ginity forever :D

The rules of the meme are very simple:
Go to the fourth folder in your ‘Pictures’ & to post the fourth photo from that album. Tell us the story!

LOL I think I have some es-play-nin to do. My youngest sister is intellectually handicapped and when she was smaller we couldn't have a Christmas tree as she would keep pulling it over. Having two only-marginally-older children, not having a Christmas tree at all was not an option for my parents. Being creative, they came up with this solution - a crepe paper cut out Christmas tree stuck to the wall with drawing pins. Youngest sis couldn't pull it down and we still had a pretty tree around which to put the presents. We've been having a big cull of stuff over the summer (encouraging the whanau to live the simple life) and my dad pulled out out of a closet - I just had to photograph it for posterity!

I tag A Cat Of Impossible Colour, Kiss Me Kate, Tres Lola and Jenn(uinely) Rambling if you haven't done it already! All you others out there, I like doing memes *hint hint*

Literary Inspirations - Diversity

The complex affair we call the world requires a great variety of people to keep it going. - Charles D. Warner in "The Golden House"

This literary quote got me to thinking... so often at school we're told to chase the prize, seek the highest, be all that you can be... what's wrong with just being what you feel you should be. People look at me like I'm mental when they find that I gave out my job in marketing and PR to follow my passion in a similar way to how they treat stay-at-home mums with disdain. The world needs teachers and policeman and rubbish collectors and retail workers... if people enjoy what they do, don't get so down on them! We should all be so happy to live a life we love :D

Peace out angels!

Sunday Afternoon Reads: "Almost a Crime" by Penny Vincenzi

I have a guilty secret... I am addicted to Penny Vincenzi. One of only two fav authors that I have met in real life (hrmm see if you can guess the other), my addiction started completely by chance as I picked up a nice chunky book - "An Absolute Scandal" - to take away with me on holiday. Her style of writing and the way she draws her story to conclusion appealed to me immensely and it was to be the start of a collection of Vincenzi novels I would purchase over the next few years.

I chose to review one of her lesser known novels for you, Almost A Crime. This novel appealed to me for many reasons but one of the chief points of value for readers of the late 2000's. Although published in 1999 and based in the early nineties, this novel follows themes that are equally as relevant in this decade. Ms. Vincenzi winds together the issues of power marriages and the plight of the working mother, loyalty and exploitation, the definitions of charity and environmentalism all up into one tidy little package of intrigue and mystery. "Almost A Crime" has more of a thriller bent than some of her other novels and is quite a step apart from the Lytton Family saga series of ""No Angel", "Something Dangerous" and "Into Temptation", but is not a lesser novel because of it.

Something that does grate, which I am aware is a personal preference, is that I find it hard to read "period" literature set in decades through which I have lived myself. Outdated pop culture references disturb me and I think that it reduces my enjoyment of the novel - especially with the references in here to Princess Diana being a hot item for charities. Due to this, I can't say that my enjoyment of the novel was as complete as novels Penny Vincenzi has historically placed in the early 20th century. Therefore...

A rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

P.S. Thank you for all your lovely comments regarding my sunburn affliction - particularly as it was self-inflicted! You like me! You weally weally like me!

PSA: Sunday Afternoon Reads will be published Monday...

... due to Scribble's idiocy in not sunscreening herself appropriately given that her island nation sits right under the hole in the ozone layer. Nasty sunburn down my back, on my shoulders, arms andcleavage is making me very uncomfortable and it is difficult to concentrate and polish off the review to an acceptable standard, so I will complete and polish off the review for a blog post tomorrow night.
In the meanwhile, send me all your comfy, cooling soothing vibes people!

Saturday Morning/Afternoon of Love - Bumper Edition

Wow, this is a bumper list... 2009 seems to be a brilliant year and it's hard to narrow it down.

• Liv @ Girl with the Big Brown Eyes fixing my Google Analytics so I can see how many of you sweethearts are checking out my page... it's nice to know that you guys care enough to read. Love you guys!
• Having a BBQ with the girls I used to hang out with in high school - we don't hang out so much these days but it's great to reminisce about great times we had together... no one else truly understands the wild night we had on a farm drinking Mirinda Raspberry and Grants Whiskey, our fourteen-year-old selves sleeping on a trampoline and having rotten hangovers the following day while at the mall. Mirinda Raspberry and Whiskey... seriously brilliant :)
• Posting my first vLog and getting such an awesome response from you cuties - it's so cute that everyone thinks I have an accent... I don't see it at all and I love all your accents :D
• Being told that I was a nerd, but that it was okay because I was a hot nerd... and I quote "Seriously, tie that hair up, sling on some glasses and you can get whatever the hell you want!"
• Being back at work... I wasn't handling the concept of the staycation very well but was earning half of what I usually would (I didn't want to use all my annual leave)... low cashflow made the idea of going on holiday somewhere fairly prohibitive. I like my co-workers and the gardens at work are looking FANTASTIC so it's good to be back, earning some coinage!
• Nice guys
• Getting sunburnt just the right amount - I know this is dreadfully uncool, but while working outside yesterday afternoon, I got sunburnt, but not painfully so. Seeing sunburn is pretty much inevitable for me, I decide to be happy about this.
• Having so much fun chatting with friends that we stay out until 1am when we're meant to be having an early one... even if I felt rancid as heck the following day.
• Completing my first goal for the year. Just pulled the next card out of the deck... should be an interesting one :D It is weather reliant, so let's hope the weather stays this fantastic and I can do it without having to redraw :D
• NZ Scenery - I leave you with this...

52 Goals - Goal 1

Ooooh no friends to the right of me...

No fullas to the left...

Dun-dun-dun... the first card I pulled out of my deck of goals was the three of diamonds - go to the movies alone. So I did! I decided to pick a movie to see that I wasn't likely to be attending with any of my friends, so "Australia" it was. While it definitely had less than thrilling moments, it was interesting to learn more about the history of our cousins from across-the-ditch.

Have just realised... non kiwi/aussie bloggers, New Zealanders tend to call Australians as a whole cousins (and vice versa) and the sea that separates us is fondly referred to as the ditch... as in "He got a better job offer across the ditch" or "He realised that the grass was greener on the other side of the ditch".

I realised how little I know about the aboriginal culture - at the start of the movie a warning is relayed to Aborigine and Torres Strait Islanders that the film may contain images of deceased persons and I really had no idea why they had. When an aborigine dies, their name is never spoken again and this is reflected in the movie. What Erin and Miss Karen enlightened me too is that sometimes this goes further and their possessions and any images of them are also destroyed. I can now see how seeing one of the aboriginal cast members in the movie once they are deceased could be very traumatic for their relatives.

One goal out of fifty-two down and I'm already learning. Gotta be good for you :D

Literary Inspiration: Henry James on Perceptions

"Don't mind anything any one tells you about any one else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself." - Henry James in his novel "Portrait of a Lady"

How many times have you heard about a particular person, a relative or friend of a friend, only to be surprised when you finally meet them? It can be friends talking up someone that they think you'd be interested in dating (and when you meet them... ah, not so much) or a friend dismissing a younger sibling as nowhere near as awesome as they actually are.
Even worse, we can hear labels and immediately create impressions of people in our heads without even meeting them - gay, geek, emo, christian, jock, skank, band geek - and start to believe them. We don't bother looking deeper and discovering the amazing and fantastic people that exist outside of the boxes that people insist on placing them in. We are the ones that lose out if we don't take off these glasses that others put upon our eyes.

Scribblettes, your mission (if you choose to accept it) is to open your eyes to someone already in your life who you've never really given a chance to be more than a label. Post in the comments what people label you without looking any further!

Gasp! VLogging! (Motion Sickness Alert)

So... I was walking by myself this afternoon, in a quiet native forest and what did I decide to do? Crack out the camera and start talking to you guys - that's what! Warning for those with weak constitutions: I appear to have a very bouncy walk


So there you have it... You wanna see more? You think I need a tripod? Let me hear it in the comments :D

What's in my bag?

Like any future teacher, I have started carrying round a massive handbag large enough to carry small dogs in (and I've actually carried a small dog in there as well as the rest of the contents). The bag itself is a champagne-coloured Volcom tote that I bought myself for Christmas and the contents are as follows...
1 x sequinned beanie - had to keep the hair from frizzing when heading out on Saturday night... darn rain :D
1 x novelty napkins - "Some call it cocktail hour..." - found these in a dollar shop the other day and I just know I'll have some occasion to use them soon.
1 x cellphone - gotta stay connected
1 x ziploc bag of glittery confetti :D
1 x wallet - with very little cash LOL I'm a poor student!
1 x Kikki.K day planner - I am hardly ever without it!
1 x sunglasses - found by my sister on a beach, they're my chuck in my bag just in case ones.
1 x carry-on acceptable manicure kit - includes the world's cutest mini eyelash curler
1 x sparkly purple make-up bag - a Christmas pressie from Miss Corrine... that's full of little bits and pieces that could almost make another blog post... but I won't ;)
And my camera is almost always in there too... only it couldn't be in the shot and taking it at the same time LOL

So are you surprised? Is this what you thought? Is there anything you think I should pop in there that I haven't got? Apart from the small dog, I'm working on it :D What's in your handbag?

Sunday Afternoon Reads: "The Queen's Fool" by Philippa Gregory

When flicking through my bookshelf (one set of bookshelves at the moment, multiple layers deep) in order to find a suitable book that incorporated the Jewish faith, I was surprised at how many options I had. Going through them however left me less than satisfied... "The Diary of Anne Frank" seemed too obvious, Tim Kirk's "Nazi Germany" while fascinating was slightly more graphic and in depth than I wanted to go. "The Queen's Fool" it was! If you've only read "The Other Boleyn Girl", this choice may come as a surprise to you. Billed as the sequel to Philippa Gregory's most infamous novel, it continues the story of the rivalry between two half-sisters (Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I) as seen through the eyes of Hannah the Spaniard, Hannah the Holy Fool, Hannah the Jew.
Sitting as we do in in the year 2009, Jewish persecution brings to mind the atrocities of the holocaust in Nazi Germany or (depending on your politico-spiritual proclivities) the continuation of war going on in the Middle Eastern - Israeli arena. We forget the persecution of Jews throughout time and events like the Spanish Inquisition, people burned at the stake purely for believing that Jesus Christ is not the Messiah. The memories of the inquisition ring strong in young Hannah's mind as she travels with her father to the comparitive safety of England and the smuts of the fires that burn the infidels never feel far from her face.
While this story focuses around the instability of the court, it is reflected in Hannah's inability to feel settled in her life - she feels compelled into her marriage with Daniel as he is one of the chosen people and is always under pressure to keep her faith a secret, loathing it like she would an illness.

"'You and I can be married and have children who will be English children. They will know nothing but this life, we need not even tell them of your mother, of her faith. Nor of our own'
'Oh, you'll tell them' I predicted. 'You say you won't now, but once we have a child you won't be able to resist it. And you'll find ways to light the candle on Friday night and not to work on the Sabbath. You'll be a doctor then, you will circumcise the boys in secret and teach them the prayers. You'll have me teach the girls to make unleavened bread and to keep the milk from the meat and to drain the blood from the beef. The moment we have children of our own you wil want to teach them. And so it goes on, like some sickness that we pass on, one to another'"

This small excerpt between Hannah and Daniel shows the pain that she feels living in a society where having the right religion is often a life or death choice. Most of us take for granted that we can follow any or no religious belief system and that it is our right to enjoy this without fear of torture. This novel opens our eyes to the widespread intolerance of those of Jewish faith long before Adolf Hitler came on the scene.
Philippa Gregory, as usual, constructs a beautiful story based in historical reality. Her stylistic use of using what would be considered a minor character as a narrative lead gives us that fly-on-the-wall aspect that draws us into the story and lets us empathise with the characters. In saying this, I felt that at some times the story felt too contrived in order to increase the drama - an example of this is the behaviour of Lady Dudley. I prefer my novels to read a little more smoothly, but all in all a top effort.

4 out of 5 stars.

Saturday Afternoon of Love - First of '09!

Wow, first Saturday of '09! Fantastic. Today I'm loving:

The beautiful country I live in - often it takes comments through others' eyes... we don't really appreciate the good fortune that is living in NZ. Lady Smaggle's blogpost on her New Zealand Loves got me thinking about how lucky I am

Love - hanging out with my cousin Cowgirl and her boyfriend Flyboy. Two years down the track they are still head over heels for each other and I think that's fantastic. I don't want a relationship unless I can have one like that... why settle for anything less? Ems and Reece are also my relationship idols :D

Building stronger friendships with new friends - as well as some of my net friends, I've drawn closer to some of the newer friends in my "real" life as some of the older friends grow more distant. I'm a firm believer in the ebb and flow of friendships... while there are some people you stay close to forever (kindred spirits!), others take the fore in your life when you have a need for what they can provide (and vice versa) and move into more of a general circle of friends when you no longer have that mutual need.

New dresses! - I picked up two sweet party dresses earlier this week for just NZ$75 - they are both gorgeous and I am so happy that I splurged on myself :D

52 Resolutions Card Deck - I have spent the entire afternoon coming up with 52 smaller "resolutions" (thanks Andrea!) or experiences and writing them on playing cards. By the time the year is seen out, I will have achieved all of them and hopefully told you some entertaining stories about the process along the way. One each week people!

Girls Night Tonight! - Gothica is back from Aussie for a limited time only so we're taking the opportunity to have some crazy girlie time together, getting all the old gang in one place. No doubt some scandalous behaviour will ensue.

Right, must dash and blow-dry/straighten my hair... gotta look gorgeous for my girls. Hope your first few days of 09 have been rocking - tell me what you love so far!

NYE Recap

And so a new year dawns (poladroid style! Yeah-yuh!)...
With Mum being in hospital and her having a birthday on NYE, I felt that skiving off down country was probably a shitty move this year. Given the way that this year has panned out, I figured that staying in AKL was the goer, and set about deciding which invite I was going to take up. CC's plans to see it in the central city fitted in best with the rest of the plans I had for the day, so the city it was!
New Years Eve morning, it was up bright and early to make sure that the house I was house sitting for was spic and span before moving back home. A quick pop up to the mall where I got a dress for new years (and a dress for the races, although we never got there) and ran a couple of errands and then it was back home to get ready. A trip up to Auckland and a wander through Auckland Domain before grabbing Burgerfuel as Mum's chosen birthday meal. I made my parents laugh when I referred to the large burger that I was eating as a "grown-up" burger - I usually only get the small size; if you've had Burgerfuel, you'll understand why. Dropped Mum back at the hospital and chilled out on her bed for a while, just shooting the breeze.
Time rolled around and I went outside the hospital to catch the bus into the central city. The bus driver decided to stop for his dinner break outside Victoria Park Markets, and we had to swap buses. I got down to the Viaduct in one piece and met up with CC and the gang at Provedor. Once a couple more people had arrived, we shot round to Float (where we couldn't get in because one of the guys was wearing sneakers) and then hit Lenin where we got the stunning white wine sangria cocktails you can see in picture 2. They had promo girls wearing ice blue corsets and white fur miniskirts and white fur legwarmers... much argument about whether this was cute or just damn fugly.
Next stop - Degree... unfortunately still serving food and packed as a sardine can. We got vodka and orange and sat outside trying to work out a plan of attack. One group was really keen to head to Globe, the other not so much. Split time!! CC and I ended up in a bar called Trench Bar, part of the Kermadec complex and home of the creepy fish on the wall in Picture 3. It played house (large bent on the electronica) which isn't something I listen to a lot of, but it was still fun. You know how a lot of bars play sports on big screens in the background? This one played Fashion TV... fantastic! Dancing in my high heels got tiring after a while so I changed back into the jandals I'd been wearing earlier in the day (yes, I had a massive handbag I had been toting around all day) and meandered round in those... at least they were silver and matched the dress :D.
The bar got steaming hot and after midnight, CC and I decided to get some fresh air. We went down the stairs from the bar and the streets were packed. We had some guy tell us the best place to get Chinese food in CC's town, in an attempt to get one or both of our phone numbers. We walked across a road before realising that the little man was still red, not green. We bought sausages at a charity BBQ and sat on the steps of the StarMart to enjoy them... and make many filthy jokes about sausages. It was while we were sitting here that we caught this performance (?) and I was lucky enough to catch it on tape.

The two guys at the end of the video then insisted we took their pictures... after people-watching a while longer, we headed back to Trench for a bit more of a dance before heading off. We tried a couple of other bars on our walk to Kitty's apartment but exorbitant cover charges put us off ($50, Spy Bar? Really?) and so we meandered on. Some random drunk asshole (who wasn't speaking English) kept trying to grope CC and I, until Kitty threatened that she was going to call the police on his ass. Thanks Mamma Kitty! A quick pit stop at Mickey D's for burgers to soak up the excess, a little bit of an uncomfortable giggle at a flasher on Queen St and then it was back to Kitty's apartment for a quick couple of hours sleep.
For sleeping on a tiny couch, I woke up the next morning feeling fantastic! Well as fantastic as you generally feel when you have sleep debt that can be measured by days rather than hours. The mission was then on to get back to Sky City where CC had parked her car the night before. Hobbling across town (not an easy mission if you've ever been in Auckland's CBD) looking like a pair of wild-haired hobos only for us to arrive at the carpark and CC to realise that this isn't where she parked her car. Two casino employees and about another 800m later, we find ourselves (and CCs car) in the Staff Carpark and finally head for home. One emergency stop on the side of the motorway for CC to hurl and for me to hop in the drivers seat and then we were both home, absolutely knackered but having had a wicked night.
Wasn't too keen on the races without my partner-in-crime, so I spent the day caffeinating myself and riding a sugar high before going to a birthday party last night. Pleased I wasn't the only one zombie-fied (although I still managed to not get home until eleven). Slept the sleep of the dead last night for almost 12 hours and now I'm amped to do it all over again! Roll on Girls' Night tomorrow.
Remember, Scribblettes - it's not what you are doing, but who you are with. Make 2009 a year of positive people and it's guaranteed to be great!

And exhale...

Photo Credit

Well, 2009 is well and truly started and we are almost 16 hours into the new year here in kiwi-land! The downside to "living in the future" is that while you guys are probably out partying into the wee hours still, I'm chilling in my room feeling horrendously tired from the night's previous festivities. Far too much fun had last night! I'm off to have a shower (yes, I've been blobbing out like a filthy little hobo) and make myself look in some semblance of health and wellbeing for a birthday party tonight - stay tuned for massive NYE recap tomorrow!