Notes to Self and Other Random Musings...

Just documenting this snapshot in time...cos if Grannies don't write down EVERYTHING now they already forgot! Or rather...next week the picture may look very different already, hahaha ADD girl!

#I Love Wakame. Must Remember to eat it more often...considering it takes 12 hours pre-soaking...need to plan in advance!

# Resolve to:

-STOP GETTING CAUGHT OUT IN JAMMIES. LOL old people and friendly tradies have this annoying habit of calling by too early in the morning without prior warning...

-Need to get more limber again by getting back into yoga....I think the cold turned my body into a tree...trunk!

-Let go of remnant perfectionistic & overly anti-social loner tendencies...

#Chuffed about:

-Acquiring my very first ladder...LOL! The whole tradie vibe is totally rubbing off on me and I love how much and how quickly I'm learning by being a fly on the wall...picking up some "handy" tips and feeling slightly less book-nerdish and slightly more useful/self-sufficient=very satisfying!

-The Big Oversize Wooden Spoon and Fork my mum gave me from our childhood home...I place them towering over the dining area...to demarcate the most important area of the house lol...due to sheer size...they are definitely "statement" items...this girl loves to EAT! :D

#Current Food in production inventory:

-carrots, beetroot, cherry tomatoes, lemons, radishes, garlic, spring onion, coriander, dill, spinach, red and green lettuce, rocket, mint

ASPIRE TO ADD: passionfruit, beans, sweet potato leaves, zucchini, squash, basil, parsley, bak choy, silverbeet, celery, cucumber...did I miss anything?!! Growing one's on food is suddenly a very much needed lesson in PATIENCE...

#Annoying:

-People who always take and never give, psyllids, negative, dishonest & lack self-esteem people with victim mentalities, people whose beliefs sway according to popular opinion, polyester, bills, chemical aerosols.

#Loving: Children of God with the Spirit, Easy going good natured understanding humanitarian people, people over the age of 40, Earthing, Nature, my Sanctuary, Birds that sunbake & nest in my front yard, my space, my freedom, my leather soled and handmade shoes :)

#Challenging my tolerance: Stinky boys completely unaware of their whiff that insist on sitting next to you even though there are available nearby adjacent seats.

#Admiration&Respect: People that make an honest living...blue collar manual labourers and people that can survive practically in the world and don't need to resort to unethical practices to succeed in their jobs or make money...particularly those able to be completely self sufficient...hence my continual fascination with...farmers ;)

#Dreaming of: living on an acreage with pet chickens that lay fresh eggs...and doing the whole self-sustainable thing...

When you just "click"...

Lately, strangely, I came across a few people with whom I just "click"! Which is very strange for me at a purely personal level...on a professional level I can get along with most people easily but the reverse is true personally... In any case cos I have been so spoiled with people who click lately, I guess I became a bit lazy in making "effort"socially...

In any case my highly "antisocial" mood earlier was washed away after a fun night of me time followed by an inadvertent meeting up with my 11 friend(I am her ever amused/entertained receptacle of dirty little secrets ;) When I am in my antisocial mood...I am pretty well open to NOBODY except for that rare exception...my fellow 11s...of which there is only one currently local...

It is strange but they are reliably the only people who just don't ever shit me, while others just shit me no end without even having to lift a finger! It's nice to know at least my 11 feels the same special bond...it is always strange to hear how others think of you rather than how you think they think of you(which can be quite disparate at times!)...so anyway the four words my 11 used to describe me (which were a nice surprise) were

CALMING
NURTURING
NON-JUDGEMENTAL
OFFBEAT

lol, looking at that list...geez that sounds like a TCM health practitioner if ever I heard of one! But she was talking about me personally...Great, I guess I'm suited to my profession then!

In any case that was a bit of a strange list, which, apart from the last characteristic would not appear on the list if I had written it! The other surprising thing I found out was that there are actually real people who exist who don't find me "difficult" ^^- wow- even I find me difficult!!!

I'm starting to think though that my blogger persona is not a whole lot like me me...but my email me is more like me...it will be interesting at the end of the year when I meet one of my blogger pals for the first time...there is always that slight probability...what if we hate each other in real life?? LOL

finally, I have to visit the dentist tomorrow...(emits little whine) hopefully I will get time to pick up a lens protector so I can get happening with Horace...finally!

Guilty Pleasures...

1. Sleeping IN. Lying in Bed....(when I should be in class :-o! )
2. Eating whatever I want...that means Chocolate! (for now)
3. (Day) Dreaming so that things end up burning and stops get missed...oops
4. Precious time frivolously spent on the internet when I should & could be studying.
5. Playing music at full blast with little concern as to whether my neighbours actually appreciate the sound or not.
6. The little leap of joy I feel inside when my ball manages to hit the cage car driving around collecting all the balls at the driving range :o)

What are yours?

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

So. My Brain got Fried. It started out well enough. I sat at my study desk for almost 2 consecutive hours actually studying(not what I need to study just what I like- for me, that's doing well already!). However, unfortunately, after so many days of slacking off I just didn't have any more stamina past those 2 hours...so I have spent the last THREE hours or so in my usual favourite pursuit...roaming the internet. *sigh* I am SO disappointed in my lack of Conscientiousness and Discipline and know that the more I leave this Mountain to The Last Minute, the more trouble I am asking for...

In any case, I did find something interesting when clearing the past few weeks accumulated mess that adorned my study table...

It was a sheet of paper I had written several years back probably circa mid twenties...with that typical question you get asked in job interviews...Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time?

Only this version wasn't for impressing in job interview purposes...this was me creative brainstorming-dreaming free reign...LOL...and this was what my list said:

*Shacked up in the Blue Mountains with an artist or writer
*Practising as a TCM healer in the Mineral Springs Region.
*Running a gallery/cafe of local art in the Mineral Springs region.
*L.O.L(Lady of Leisure) married to wealthy financier in NYC...yuck-this idea no longer appeals!
*In the city still with a huge government grant for serious medical research...no longer appeals either!
*On Kangaroo Island running a luxury B&B cottage
*Farming exotic mushrooms and other organic whatnot in some regional town
*Started some strange but unique and profitable cottage industry business
*Married to soulmate with 2 kids and a pet practising TCM part-time in some nice small town.

Geez...talk about idealistic!!!

Oh well only time will reveal what reality holds...I've definitely got the ball rolling in a good way for the main gist of where I want my life to head anyway :)

My Favourite Foreign Peoples...

I realised my overenthusiasm for foreign peoples and cultures has gotten a little shallow- sure I am a sucker for foreign accents etc but that is no valid basis to like people more!!

LOL It kind of struck me when a friend tried a "Come out- you can meet a Canadian!!" ploy on me...then I realised...sheesh am I that shallow?! (Yes, obviously!)

So anyway although I looooove all Foreigners here is my shortlist of my favourite culture people in the world based on the small selection I have met in my lifetime to date (and do take into account that these are all generalisations):

1. Japanese (I think this love was innate in me from birth-an understanding perhaps? who knows...maybe I was Japanese in a past life??!) I just have always gotten along with Japanese people...so many things but somehow I just can't put my finger on "why?" exactly...if I had to choose attributes the first endearing characteristics that come to mind is the fact they are quirky, zany and cute :) And pretty inventive...with all their ingenious creations!

2. Germans The attributes I love about these people are so easy to pinpoint - hands down I would have to say I love their blunt honesty, their genuine sincerity, their DEPTH and their intellectualism. I guess I also kind of like their intensity and seriousness to an extent too :) I also love their commitment to high standards evident from their high quality manufacturing and engineering.

3. Mexicans LOL I guess what I love about Mexicans is that they are the complete antithesis of the Germans...I guess the fact I love both cultures resonates with my own polar complexity! I love how Mexicans are so unrestrained and live their life with abandon-they are passionate, WARM, spirited, cultured and just like their heroine (and my heroine) Frida Kahlo, have that defiant, subversive, rebellious nature. They are also incredibly open-minded and the men I have met seem very articulate and in touch with their feelings(which seems to be rare amongst most cultures! LOL)

4. The Irish - Okay this I have to admit is pretty superficial...I totally LOOOOVE the Southern accent, and I am a big fan of the ones that remind me of real life leprachauns: so cute!! I also love how they are so easy going and so much fun...always good to share a laugh and great entertainment especially because music is such an important part of their culture. I also love the dark hair and blue/green eyes...and how they appreciate the simple things in life and have a great hard-working work ethic.

The Roots of Evil (a.k.a Stress) and Gratitude.

I was reading a publication from my old town- it had an article about what the 5 causes of stress were according to a Sage Patagali - these were:

1. Ego
2. Material/physical attachment
3. Spiritual Ignorance
4. Desire
5. Hatred

I don't know but I like when stress becomes so...concise! It just seems so tiny and manageable when you look at it at a definitive list of merely 5 things.

In any case, I'm not stressed in the least - I'm just a big fan of lists^^

So I felt like making a Gratitude List for today:
1. The ambient weather is very pleasant and enjoyable...cool but not cold, airy but not too breezy, air pollution levels low...I actually could sleep/rest yesterday...this is weather where I actually feel grateful because I can finally have a productive day- I can actually function^^!

2. There are no insects biting me and itch of the previous ones I can't feel.

3. FREEDOM. Or that I feel incredibly Free at least.

4. And of course how could I forget Angelic and Divine company :)

Anyhow I think the chaos which manifested in my house is finally gradually being resolved slowly but surely...I now have a reasonably clear living room, bathroom, desk and kitchen...just another 2/3s of the house left to organise...anyhow with the weather as agreeable as it is I'm feeling positive this week...and also feeling optimistic about getting some effective study done...

Why can't it be like this everyday?!

FILMS TO SEE

okay, so in this stinking heat and humidity, I am feeling too lethargic to attempt filling the blank canvas that adorns my shelf.

Hence I will reinvigorate another long lost hobby that needs Time: film viewing!

In no particular order I have compiled a list of films I will try to see (if I can get a hold of them)- my local video store is so SHITE that I feel like I will probably need to raid tertiary libraries and specialty stores. There are foreign films in this list but I've given their English titles since the list is too long to accommodate and remember all their foreign titles!

Feel free to comment if you have seen any of these and feel strongly either way about them...whatever you do just don't kill the plot for me! Also, if you have any others you believe are must see viewing to add to my list, suggest away...but there's a 50% chance if it's classic I've seen it back in my film student days ;)

1. Old Boy (Korean cult equivalent of Pulp Fiction) -yargh, incredibly graphic violence confronting gangsta film, incredibly unique as a film with some inventive cinematography but hardly enjoyable entertainment for the sensitive or weak-stomached. Winner of the grand jury prize in 2004-not my cup of tea! 3.5/5
2. Magnolia (these americans sure produce a lot of weird movies! it was interesting if not overly loooong, and if you really can't stand tom cruise, well this is surely one to be avoided...some great acting though 3.5/5)
3. Oyster Farmer (Aussie) -this I found a waste of time watching unless you seriously have loads of free time and nothing better to do...2.5/5
4. Annie Hall (Woody!) Loved his monologues...Diane Keaton was great as Annie...love the requisite "dysfunctionality" of his characters. 4 stars
5. The Seventh Seal (Classic by Swede, Ingmar Bergman)
6. Wild Strawberries (Classic by Swede, Ingmar Bergman) fascinating psychological exploration with great dialogue...4.5 stars
7. Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch) - found this film cleverly made constructed and liked the ethiopian lounge music, bill murray was great. an unusual combination of comedy and suspense. enjoyed the slight quirk factor. keen to see more jarmusch! 4/5
8. The Black Balloon
9. Stranger Than Fiction
10. The Man who shot Liberty Valance
11. Eternity (Doco about guy who chalked CBD pavements with this word)
12. In Bruges
13. Kiki's Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki) -entertaining enough, I just wanted to see it considering I visited the place where he was inspired and wrote the script. if you like witches or where Girl saves boy! LOL 3/5
14. Ratatouille
15. Wall E (hmmm this went way over my head- I think it was too taxing for a complete left brain - fell asleep so won't give this one a rating)
16. The Dark Knight
17. Pan's Labyrinth
18. The Darjeeling Limited
19. Me, You and Everyone We Know
20. Doubt
21. How to lose friends and alienate people
22. Leon
23. A clockwork orange
24. The Prestige
25. No Country for old men
26. Casino Royale
27. Ed Wood
28. Twelve Monkeys
29. Children of Men
30. Charlie Wilson's War
31. Zodiac (David Fincher) - well the story itself was pretty interesting, however it was a pretty well made film too...Fight Club was still more memorable personally though... 4 stars
32. Barton Fink (Coen Brothers) - this was a pretty cool film but I couldn't stand the ending...the acting was pretty good...storyline intriguingly different and unique. 4 stars
33. Night on Earth (Jim Jarmusch) - found this one very enjoyable even if it sort of anticlimaxed in standard towards the end. Had some great laughs. 4/5 stars
34. Kenny (Aussie Comedy) -if only there were more GOOD-NATURED, kind, warm, Giving characters like Kenny in the world, it would be a much nicer place to be a part of...4/5 stars
35. Let the right one in
36. The Cat Returns -there are better anime out there - but if you like cats...3/5 stars
38. Where the Truth Lies
39. I've loved you so long
40. American Teen
41. The curious case of Benjamin Button
42. Man on wire
43. Goodbye Lenin! (German) elaborate ruses don't get any better than this! 4.5 stars
44. The Shining (Kubrick) Jack Nicholson is great as psychopath. Luckily it wasn't "too" scary. 4 stars.
45. Chocolat it had me at the title! Enjoyable easy watch with the gorgeous Juliette Binoche 4 stars.
46. Les Quatres Cents Coups (Truffaut) great childhood story, stunning visuals, definitely deserves its place on the mantel of "greats" 4.5 stars
47. Innocence (Paul Cox) difficult subject matter, difficult to watch...admirable effort 3 stars.