Ten Things

One of my favourite blog writers Pip just wrote ten things about her wonderful self on her blog and hence force issued a request to the world to follow suit.  So before I dash out the door to class, behold!  My random ten things about Amnesty.

-  I love Sharpie markers and my journal is a conglomerate of musings, lists and future dreams.  I don’t separate my daily appointments, schedules, to do lists or wandering thoughts into separate books.  It all goes into one book, as I only have one life!

-  I  have globophobia – a fear of balloons.  I generally don’t broadcast this fact as people like to ‘test’ my fear and for some reason find it hysterically amusing.

-  About twice a year I get my sister to come and do a ‘purge and cleanse’ of my wardrobe.  She’s brutal and has great fashion taste.  She takes no prisoners when it comes to getting rid of stuff.  She’s a like a fashion doctor that rips off band-aids you’ve had for too long.

-  Every weekend growing up my family would sit down in the afternoon for ‘afternoon tea’.  Dad put the kettle on, brewed a pot of tea and we would grab a biscuit from the bikkie tin and settle down in the lounge room.  It was so cool when we got two biscuits, or if we had Tim Tams.  Sigh.  Tim Tams.  You make my world go round.  I still do ‘afternoon tea’ to this day.

-  Whenever I see musical theatre and hear the overture, I feel like a bottle of champagne is opening up, where glee shoots from my toes up to my face and explodes in a smile.

-  I’m very competitive.  I’ll smile sweetly to your face but I’ll already have a plan to take you out forming in my brain.  Oh my.  That sounded…..awful.  Ahem.  Sorry.  *smiles sweetly*

-  In a theatre production last year I managed to kick my shoe 30 feet in the air during a dance routine.  It exploded into orbit and came back down on an elevated platform above the stage, clocking a guitarist in the head.

-  I love wearing crazy eyeshadow.  I’ll draw swirls with eyeliner, mismatch my eyes and wear electric blue and neon pink together.  Why not?  Seriously…why not?  In other news, my favourite artist Doe Deere is officially launching her Candy Future lipsticks, which include black, blue and orange…wheee!!!!!!!  Can’t wait to go to the Los Angeles launch!

-  I’m a very proud Australian.  I am so grateful to come from the lucky country!

-  I’m constantly incorporating new technology into my life.  I’m fascinated by the rapidly evolving way it comes into our lives and how much it connects us all, as much as some people love to hate it.  The difference between living overseas in 2003 and living overseas in 2010 is huge.  Currently lusting after the following items – a printer that prints edible cupcake decals, a digital SLR camera and the upcoming iPhone OS 4 (purely because mine is at death’s door after 2 years of dedicated use).  Oh and a KitchenAid mixer.  I REALLY want a KitchenAid mixer.  Think of all the yummy things I could make for you all!

Pondering my budget now….

Amnesty

The Fay-Day

In so many ways every week, I’m constantly reminded that I am my parent’s daughter through and through.  From my hilarious Dad I’ve been infused with a thirst for knowledge, a love of cooking and the joy of making those around me laugh.  Mum gifted me with music skills, a love of making lists and above all else, the appreciation of having a Fay-Day.

My mum, Fay, gives herself absolute permission each week to take a timeout from the world with no agenda, other than to relax and enjoy life with no obstacles or hesitation.  Usually, this can be nothing more simpler than treating herself to lunch at her favourite cafe while enjoying a book, people watching or sometimes, a crazy combination of both!

No matter where I am in the world, I always promise myself a Fay-Day once a week.  A Fay-Day for me isn’t an entire day, but rather a time period, where one day a week I give myself permission to do whatever makes me happy and to enjoy the company of Amnesty, and Amnesty alone.  It can range from reading a book on a blanket in the shade after hiding the ironing pile with a big note on it saying “Do Not Touch until Post Fay-Day” to having a manicure and heading down to my local bookshop to grab an extra hot skinny latte while gingerly turning the pages of the latest addition of National Geographic as my aqua blue and pink nails dry.   

I also tend to schedule (yes, it’s a weekly ‘appointment’) my Fay-Day on a weekday.  I’m blessed enough that I don’t have regular 9-5 hours and can manipulate my so-called ‘work week’ around my moods, life and responsibilities.  Weekdays, when the world hides in their cubicles, means that the streets are chilled, the stores less busy and the mega armchairs at my bookshop are always free.  A lot of my mates are only free from Friday night to Sunday night so Fay-Days during the week leave me plenty of time to hang with my mates too, and once again avoid my ironing pile!

The hardest thing for people trying to establish their own Fay-Day is the guilt of side-stepping the demands of their world to be entirely selfish for a few hours.  To be blunt, stop thinking you’re so damn indispensable.  The world is so far surviving without Mother Teresa, so what makes you so important?  Take a break, have a Kit-Kat, yadda yadda yadda.  Recharge your own batteries before you give someone else a jump start.

Have a Happy Fay-Day.

Pondering where I hid my ironing…..

Amnesty

Spontaneity – it’s not a one way road….

A quick blog post today. I haven’t drafted this one out so it may be messy and slightly verging on incoherent babble, which actually doesn’t deviate too far from the non-cyber me anyway.

Yesterday, my mate Chloe put out an urgent plea before her impending hair salon visit that afternoon, exhorting her friends to decide….to fringe, or not to fringe. Would it look right, would she like it, would her friends like it, what if it goes wrong, will she be banished from society, can a new fringe save the world from invading fringe-fearing Muzzaglogs from the planet Enileuqcaj?!?

Time out.

Folks, since when did spontaneity and split decisions equal impending doom? People can get so caught up in the what-ifs and negatives, it smothers the delight and possibilities of the unknown. Life itself is an unknown journey, yet despite mishaps and speedbumps, I’ve discovered that I’m not that likely to get hit by a bus or be abducted by pirates each day that I get out of bed and face the unknown. Slow down. Stop trying to look for the exit ramp before you even jump on Highway Unknown. At the very least, there will be scenery you’ve never seen before to look at along the way.

Sure, of course, there are always roadblocks, obstacles, barricades etc etc. That’s what the off ramps are for. A spontaneous decision to go from A to B doesn’t mean that you can’t decide to go A to K via D instead. Don’t confuse spontaneity with commitment. Freedom to change your mind is allowed, it’s encouraged, it’s fun! That’s what a journey is. Just don’t use it as an excuse to pull over because you’re scared.

When you reach the end point of whatever highway, dirt road, or bottom of the lake you end up on, sure the glass may be half full, it may even be smashed into a bazillion pieces on the floor, but you’d enter a lottery if you had a 50% chance of winning, so why not Highway Unknown, hmmm?

It could just turn out to be the best damn fringe you’ve ever seen. Like Chloe.

Amnesty