I am Crap at Blogging

It is sad but true – I have become total balls at blogging lately. BUT it is not my fault! Since we moved last month we have been waiting (very impatiently) for our internet to be connected. It has seriously been over three weeks and it’s still NOT BLOODY CONNECTED! It’s a damn joke and I have been ranting and raving at them about it to no avail. So I don’t know when we’ll have the internet connected, if ever D: On the plus side our new unit is AMAZING and makes me happy every time I come home from work.

Speaking of work, I started a new job this week! It’s not necessarily a glamorous job but I am impressed by how good they are to their employees and have been having a blast  in training. With the exception of maybe one person, everyone in my group is awesome and I am going to really enjoy working with them all. I am stoked, let me tell you!

Aside from those two massive things, I have been enduring my HUGE month of festivals. Good Vibrations in Sydney was epic, Soundwave was fantastic and tomorrow is Future Music Festival! It’s been fun but I will be glad when it’s all over. I need sleep and a lot of it.

Until I can get back into writing more, I will leave you with a photo of myself from Soundwave where I got to meet Anvil! This is me and Lips! As you can probably tell I was EXTREMELY EXCITED!

Road Trips are Fun!

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting for a few days but I have an excellent reason! You see I went on my first proper road trip! I went to Sydney by car with my friend Sarah and my sister Erin for the Good Vibrations festival. Because Good Vibes up here in Queensland was on the same day as Soundwave (an alternative, rock music festival) which I already had tickets for, we decided there was no sense in missing the amazing lineup at Good Vibes so made the trek down to Sydney via Newcastle.

It was a fun trip and a great festival and well worth doing again. By driving down we stayed at Sarah’s friends place in Newcastle (two hours out of Sydney) for free and only had to pay for petrol. Going by plane would have cost us twice as much, plus we would have had to pay for accommodation. We got to see some famous Aussie landmarks such as the Big Prawn in Ballina and the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour which I never would have seen otherwise. Unfortunately we missed out on going to the Big Banana as we got there too late on Sunday afternoon, but we stopped and took photos anyway – it’s too Aussie/tacky to just drive by!

The festival itself was great – everyone was so chilled out and lovely. Also very badly dressed we noticed (and had a lot of fun taking sneaky photos of the really terrible outfits). It rained most of the day but it was still a tonne of fun, even if I ended up being bitterly disappointed by Armand Van Helden’s set (he’s my favourite producer but man did his electro-house riddled set suck major balls). I lost the other right as Basement Jaxx came on stage which resulted in panicking and temper tantrums but that was the only bad thing that happened thankully.

And that was the first festival for my extremely busy February. Only two left! Thank god I have this week off to recover a little bit.

Rule your High School Reunion

I just had my 10 year High School reunion this past Saturday night and I’m happy to say it went pretty well. I’d been looking forward to it for ages, since I am invariably a much more exciting and glamorous person since I graduated in 2000. But then as the date drew closer I got more and more nervous for no real reason that I could pin point. Maybe it was the fact I lost the job that made me sound super cool and so didn’t have that to boost my ego. Maybe the fact the one friend I kept in contact with since high school couldn’t make it which meant I was going to have to fly solo. Maybe it was just the fact I was going to have to spend a few hours with people I barely know and try and prove that I’m not that daggy tomboy they all remember (that is, if they even remembered me at all).

To prepare myself for the night I got myself a stunning new dress (an amazing pink party dress by Wayne Cooper) with nails to match, some sexy black patent leather heels, a spray tan, followed my eating plan strictly to ensure the maximum amount of weight dropped and also got my hair professionally styled to ensure it looked its best. Looking back at it all, it may have been a bit much, but I needed all the self confidence I could get – I’m such a shy girl and I just needed to look perfect so that I’d have that little extra boost to get me through the night. I was also COVERED in bruises from moving house all day Friday (13 fucking hours worth, what a drag) and most of Saturday so I needed to deflect the attention from the swollen black and blue marks all over my pathetic, weak body.

Despite initial nerves and a little bit of awkward “standing by myself wondering who I should go say hi to now”, I loosened up and had a good time (though I’m sure all of those vodka lime soda’s helped a helluva lot). I spent the first hour or so thinking I wasn’t looking that special because no one said anything, but then as everyone else loosened up, I got lots of amazing compliments which made me feel like a million dollars. Seriously, this was a huge concern of mine, so I was glad I did end up looking great and impresing people with how much I’ve changed. Plus it proved everyone was a nervous and restrained as I was, we all just needed a few drinks to get going.

For anyone who will be having a reunion sometime soon, I have a few tidbits of advice to make it work for you:

1. Look as fabulous as you possibly can. Don’t be half arsed about anything whatsoever. Most of these people don’t know you beyond how you looked at the age of 17 so make sure to WOW them by looking like the best possible you.
2. Get over the fact you were unpopular, nerdy, got bullied, had no friends, don’t speak to your high school friends any more, hated that “cool” girl who was mean to you that one time etc. It’s been 10 years for godsake, we’ve all changed and if they’re at the reunion then chances are they’ve grown up and have moved on also.
3. Know what you wnat to say. Don’t lie, but feel free to only tell people what you want them to know. If your job sucks, don’t bitch about it because that’s boring. Just tell them what you do for a living and then move on to what you are passionate about or your plans to get a certain job in a better field. You have every right to be as vague as possible. Outright lying though will probably cause more problems for you, especially if you get caught out!
4. If you find out you were a total shit at school (as I did) then apologise to the person and then make light of it and show that you’ve grown up and are a much cooler person now. In my case I was part of an obnoxious group of weirdo’s so we were able to laugh about it heartilly, you might have to work a bit harder if you were mean old bully but it’ll be worth it.
5. If you’re flying solo, do not fret because a lot of other people will be too. This actually gives you a great chance to talk to those people who you never/rarely spoke to at school and maybe find some new friends. I pesonally don’t think taking your partner is a wise move, you’ll spend most of the time worrying about them being bored and won’t enjoy yourself as much.
6. If you’re not sure about going for whatever reason – stop being a pussy and just go. What’s the worst that could happen, really? I was shocked that a lot of my friends hadn’t turned up, knowing most of them didn’t have any excuse not to be there. It makes you look like a jerk, so just go and have fun already!

Body Image Rage

I started writing a blog about the whole body image debate going on right now, how magazines and the fashion industry are apparently trying to encourage positive body shapes and perceptions. It was all very fancy and informative but it was boring me so I am going to have a big old rant instead!

I posted a link on my Twitter this week that talked about how a study concluded that Australian women have the highest rising obesity level in the world (based on the BMI scale). I found it interesting because we’re always accusing Americans of being so much fatter than us, and yet there’s apparent proof that we’re much worse. One friend who is a fat advocate got upset and defriended/unfollowed me from everything online and generally made me feel rotten about my interest in this article. It’s not as if I said (as the majority of the comments on that article said, much to my disgust) that fat people are disgusting and need to stop whinging, eat less and exercise more. I just took an interest in the damn article because it’s a controversial and constantly discussed issues these days, particularly in my life.

Regardless of the topic, people all have varied opinions on certain things and not everyone is going to agree. Not only would that go against human nature, it would also be extremely boring. In regards to body image, weight issues, fat vs skinny etc, everyone has their own opinion. In this case this person believes in positive body image, fat acceptance and is generally a very vocal person when it comes to wanting others to embrace their sizes, particularly the “larger” percentage of the population. I’ve always admired her for this, despite the fact I have not always agreed with all of her opinions on the matter. But alas, she didn’t like what I had to say (not that I said much, really) and quickly did away with me when she thought I was directly going against her belief system.

I have a turbulent and somewhat distorted perception of what body image/acceptance means. I am one of those unfortunate people who will probably never be happy with my size, even if I did get to my goal weight. It took me a number of diets and lot of going up and down in weight before I finally got to the stage I am at now where I first and foremost want to be fit and healthy which in turn will help me lose weight and get me to the size I want to be. I’ve never been the sort of person to preach about what’s right and wrong when it comes to weight, because I do not have an educated, non-biased opinion and I don’t feel as though my personal insecurities would make me a good role model on this particular topic (on arse-kicking and general awesomeness however, I am the ideal poster-girl).

I’m not writing this to make this girl feel bad or to be all up in your faces about THIS IS WHAT I THINK ABOUT BODY IMAGE SO ACCEPT IT OR FUCK OFF but just to say – we all have different opinions on this subject and no matter how we feel about the opinions of others, they have a right to think that way and all we can do is stick up for our own beliefs and accept the fact there’s always going to be conflict of interests. Especially with an issue as delicate as this.

And for the record I am actually a bit of a “fat advocate” myself, even though I really dislike that term (though I don’t know why). I’ve always been the type of person to stick up for the overweight and obese at any given opportunity. I’ve written countless “letters to the editor” after being outraged by peoples opinions on overweight people. I have always campaigned against people using someone’s weight as an insult during a fight (if that’s all you got then you got nothin’) as well as how being fat is still fair game in TV and movies in this overly PC world of ours when it should be just as controversial as any race, gender or sexuality jokes as far as I am concerned! Just because I wish to be slim myself does not mean I do not care and understand the plight of those who are overweight and proud to be so!

Sweet Tits Luv

Now I sure this may rouse up some debate with the menz, but I often wonder if guys, especially the really gross ones, actually think giving sleazy eyes and making loud (usually inappropriate) comments at pretty girls is endearing?

Let me paint you a picture so that you understand where I am coming from. At lunch yesterday afternoon I was riding an escalator behind a pretty blonde girl. Down the bottom was a morbidly obese man who wore an old, faded sleeveless t-shirt that had sweat stains around his armpits and had man boobs like none I’ve ever seen before. He was a cretin, just a gross individual who clearly did not care about his appearance one little bit. This slug was staring at the hapless girl as she descended the escalator with no subtlety whatsoever. It was disconcerting enough for me and I wasn’t even the one being stared at. If that wasn’t bad enough, he then he turns and says to his rat-like mate, loud enough for all to hear “Aww nah she’s way too young” and continued undressing her with his beady, sweaty little eyes.

What would he have said if she wasn’t in fact abut 18 years old? If he’s going to be that vile and make loud comments about being too young for him, how would he have acted if she’s been his target age? I shudder to think! And why he HELL does he think it’s OK to say that sort of thing? Apart from the fact he was a total beast of  man, how does he expect to attract someone by shouting exactly what he feels at his object of desire? Even if he’d been a good-looking, well-dressed young man I’m sure he would have gotten the same sort of reaction (though the girl might have felt a little bit flattered as opposed to totally repulsed, I guess).

Now this guy clearly doesn’t represent all men, but a lot of guys out there seem to think yelling dumb stuff at pretty girls as they pass (ie. the old walking-past-the-construction-site stereotype) is a clever thing to do and will actually end well for them. I get it every time I walk past the deadshits who sit around the bus stop where I live, they holler “Hey gorgeous lady, I like yer tatts” as though that’s going to impress me and I’ll give them my phone number or a sneaky BJ. I refuse to believe this has ever actually worked for them, that there is a woman desperate enough out there to find that appealing and reciprocate. We can’t stop them from having a look, but don’t we have some sort of right to walk down the street without having stupidity thrust upon us just because we’re easy on the eye?

If you’re one of those guys who thinks it’s attractive to yell “compliments” at a pretty lady as she walks past, think again. There are very few women who like this sort of thing (you can tell who they are) so you have two options. the preferred one is to shut up and just appreciate what you see quietly. The second one, if you simply cannot keep your big yap closed, is to approach the girl and say something to her one-on-one, though you better make it good and not along the lines of “You have sweet tits” because you may very well get a slap or an angry “fuck off” in reply. If you do it right, you may be one of those lucky few who actually gets the girls phone number!

Personally, I spend a lot of time getting ready every day to look nice. Not necessarily for guys, it’s mostly for myself as I feel good when I look good. I don’t mind the occasional look from random blokes, because it makes me feel like my hard work was worth it, but I feel objectified when I get things yelled at me and so retaliate by yelling back how I feel (usually “Get a life, ugly”). I am inclined to think most women feel the same way, but obviously I could be wrong, so I’d love some feedback!

Guys: have you ever whistled at or yelled a comment out at a girl and had her reciprocate? What did you say and how did she respond?
Girls: do you like having guys wolf whistle and yell compliments at you? If so, why?

What was January 2010

I thought I’d do something a little bit different and write about what’s kinda  happening in my life right now, particularly since January is now over and I made such a huge fuss about having New Years resolutions this year and stuff.

• I started a new eating plan with my friend Sarah, as arranged by our personal trainer (who I don’t actually go to any more but that’s irrelevant). It’s meant to be a temporary kick-start sort of thing to get your metabolism racing and cleanse you out but I actually really enjoy it and will stick to it for a while, I think. It’s all about low fat, low carb and high protein. No red meats so only fish and chicken and tonnes of vegies. It’s also been forcing me to have proper breakfasts (ie. three egg whites with spinach leaves) which has done me wonders. I always knew breakfast was good for you but I always just has a yoghurt when I got to work, which was never enough for me clearly, because now I feel awesome and have so much energy every morning! So combined with lots of regular exercise I am losing weight quickly and healthily!
• It’s taken us most of January but we’re 99% we have somewhere to move. We’ve had some major issues with our landlord giving us bad references which has caused us nothing but grief, but we managed to smooth it over and we’ve been told we pretty much have the unit we really wanted. It’s not only bigger, brighter and nicer to look at, it’s CHEAPER and just across the road from where we live now! Can you say FUCK YEAH??? So excited. Just hope there’s nothing that can go wrong because like I said, we’re only 99% sure we have it…
• January was always going to be a fairly quiet month (well as quiet as they ever really get for me, anyway) because February is going to be HUGE. This week I am getting myself prepared for my 10 Year high school reunion on Saturday night. I’d been looking forward to it til about last week and I feel more dread as the days count down. I do have an amazing dress and will doll up so hopefully people will not bother to ask about my career or any of that boring, serious adult stuff and instead focus on how HAWT I got. After the reunion I am spending every weekend at a music festival. Feb 13th is Good Vibrations in Sydney, Feb 20th is Soundwave and the 27th is Future Music (both in Brisbane). Told ya I was going to every festival I could afford and has artists I wanna see! I am going to be friggen exhausted in March!
• So my spending habits have not improved for 2010 thus far. I did pretty well there for a while but I am a shopaholic and I’ll never change. I think I’ve bought about five new dresses so far and two pairs of shoes. I did clear out a LOT of stuff to give to my friends and the op-shop’s though so it’s not like I am really adding anything to my collection ;)

So far January has been a bit average, but that’s only because of how massive February is going to be. God knows I can only handle so much excitement! Fingers crossed everything works out well for me in all of the above, eh?