Novel writing 101

Like the title? I incorporated 101 into the title, since this is post number 101... ok i'll shut up now...

So as I wait here at work for a friend to pick me up I'm going to spend my time (semi) productively; writing a Post, yo. As per my self-enforced rules, I am going to blog about an observation I have made. It may not make for a long post, but we'll see how it goes.

You can tell what kind of novellist a person would be by listening to them tell a story. Naturally this thought has been on my mind due to NaNoWriMo. But it's true. Check out these examples:

• The taller-every-time-they-tell-it-taler: these are the kind of writers who will write a lousy first draft, pretty close to the general flow of things, but really boring. Then with every redraft, the story becomes more and more dramatic, until finally you have a very tall tale indeed. I'd say, as a novellist, this kind of person would be the compulsive redrafter. Some may call them compulsive liars, but generally they see themselves as masterful storytellers, making any topic or event interesting or entertaining.

• The "they said 'hello'... Oh wait, it might have been 'hi...'" teller: these guys are notorious nitpickers. Generally their first draft will take forever to write because they will try to edit as they go, in an attempt to edit-as-they-go. I can safely say, while currently over 15 000 words behind in my NaNo Novel, that this is my type.

• The "OhMiGod I forgot about that part" teller. These guys often think of details after the fact that they have to go back to add in. This happens with a lot of writers, and presumably a lot of story tellers too. I've experienced my fair share of this over the last 17 days, and I'm only on chapter 4...

Anyway, gotta leave it at that. Might edit more in later. I'll add the photo in later too, seeing as this app won't let me post photos :(.
Till then...

Bible reading progress: still on Psalms and Acts. Man, those are long books!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

100TH BLOG POST, YO

I know, I know, I haven't been here in, like, FOREVER. I have my reasons, ok! But we'll get to those later.

It has probably taken me far longer than necessary to reach this goal, and I have to be honest, I spent a lot of time deliberating what I should make this post about. I feel like it should be a defining moment for me, here. A turning point, if you will. Maybe I should have a party? Or, you know, not.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. In general, about this here blog specifically, about other things specifically too. I think my blog needs an overhaul of sorts. I'm not necessarily talking a makeover, although, that might be nice too; I'm talking about the content I post here. It's never very consistent, and I get the constant urge to keep making new blogs in a effort to compartmentalise my assorted ramblings. I don't think this is the answer though... No, I'm going to set myself some guidelines to go by, firstly, to avoid that little trap that so many bloggers fall into, the i've-got-no-idea-what-i-want-to-blog-about trap; and secondly, so you guys can all have at the very least a vague idea of what to expect.

I'm not making promises here, but gosh darnit i'm giving it a darn good go. I'm going back to studying next year (all going well with my application) (more on that story later), and I have no idea how much time I'll have for this kind of thing, since I'm yet to even see a mock-up timetable. I will make an effort to fit it in though, and that will be made all the easier by me forming diligent blogging habits here and now. So, here's a vague mock-up of what I plan to do here:

• 1 weekly post on life in general, in recount format. This is assuming you guys are interested in hearing about my life, which, if you've already hit the follow button, I think we can safely assume.
• 1 observational/speculative post, musings on life, the universe and everything. Or, you know, other things...
• AT LEAST 1 weekly progress report on how my creative pursuits are fairing. Whether it be knitting, painting, violin-ing, anything-else-ing. This will (hopefully) keep me on track.

All of the above posts must contain the following:

• A photograph, relating to/taken on the day/week of the post
• A stat-tag tracking my bible reading progress
• At least 1 other stat-tag.

I feel this is all fair enough, since I have the gall to call myself the CreativeMachine. I figure maybe I should prove to you guys that I am actually somewhat worthy of the title. Ideally, posts will be daily, or at least once every two days, but there's no accounting for what life might throw at me, so I refuse to go about making any more PieCrustPromises*. That habit is one i intend to put behind me. :D

I hope all you guys are looking forward to the new "me"** as I am.

ALSO!! For the record, the "SEEKRIT PROJECT" I mentioned may or may not be happening in blog form. I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you about it. Right. So. I had this idea. Since I do a have a heck of a lot of cute little ideas for comic strips and such (what? you... didn't know? I guess I forgot to mention... oops) I thought maybe I should actually go about making them, and then converting them to a distributable format (zine, anyone?) and possibly sell them, or something. Then, I thought, that since I don't necessarily have the largest audience here, maybe I should just do it as a WebComic... or something. Don't get too excited yet, the idea is still just a seed, it has a loooong way to go before being read for such a thing. I know, i mentioned it ages ago, and as such, it should be more ready than it is, but it's not. See next paragraph. I will let you guys know when I have it set up, and I will provide a link. I do have a lot of work to do before then, so don't hold your breath. Please. Don't die on account of my laziness.

Now, I believe I promised you guys some gosh darn excuses.

1. Four words: National. Novel. Writing. Month. For the record, I'm way behind. Like, 12,000 words behind, or something. It's my first NaNoWriMo, and I haven't paced myself very well. Just as a forewarning, you can expect most of these posts, up until November 30, to be fairly short, as I save my word-generating self for the arduous task of writing a novel. Wish me... blessings! and Godspeed of the fingers! and such...
2. Like I said, I spent a lot of time deliberating how I should attack this post. I put it off, because I wanted it to be good, or, at the very least, meaningful. I think I might have maybe achieved that.
3. Procrastination, yo.

Anyway, as per my lovely new rules, here are some stat-tags for your enjoyment:

Bible reading: Currently working my way (very slowly) through both Psalms and Acts. Both fantastic. Reading the Message version, for some reason it seems to hit home a little harder (for me at least)

Absurd T-shirt caption of the day: Haikus are easy. But sometimes they don't make sense. Refrigerator. (lol, get it? it's a haiku :P)

I think that'll do, for nao. Hopefully I'll see you tommorow :D

*Easily made, easily broken - Mary Poppins.

**That is, the new version of me as implied by the ramblings posted here by me.

I really do love you...

It just occurred to me that I might be turning into one of those people who customizes their blog more often than they update it. This simply will not do. SO here you go; a decent-sized chunk of genuine content JUST for you <3

There are a few things I've been wanting to share with you guys, starting with just how much I love you all. I decided to get the sappy one out of the way first XD. It's true, though. You guys keep me coming back here to share stuff with you and include you in my life. Granted, not as often as you or I might wish, but still. I wouldn't be here typing this post to you all right now if this wasn't how I felt.

I cop a lot of flack for being the kind of person who'd rather spend time online relating to people on the other side of the world than spend it relating to people right here face to face. I defend myself for this though. While my social awkwardness has something to do with my preference to spend time alone on the net, largely, that's not what keeps me online for so long. Parties rarely keep me up past midnight - I bail early because they don't excite me. Online, however, over this past year (I think it's been about a year now) since I have started getting into Youtube and became a Nerdfighter (YAY my first nerdfighter anniversary :D) I've developed friendships with people who live in places I'd never even heard of, I collaborate with some of them now on our own youtube channel, I've read many books highly recommended by other nerdfighters and really enjoyed them, and I feel closer to some of these people than I do to some friends irl. I honestly can't think of a single bad thing that has happened to me caused by the internet over the past year*, whereas real life has dealt me a great many blows. I won't share details here, but pretty much every single one of them were caused by, or could have been prevented by my mother. Translation: I need to move out. /whining.

I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to you guys, since while life has been a roller coaster, this is one part of my life which hasn't changed, and it's been like a lifeline at times for me. Thankfully, this roller coaster we call life is currently on the up-and-up, which means I may be loosening my grip a little on the lifeline, now that things aren't so dire.

It feels so funny to write this though... I almost feel bad for relying on the internet so much to get me through. Not because you guys haven't been completely dependable for a quick pick-me-up when life switches the suck switch on. More that, it illustrates to me just how much I haven't been relying on God for these things. I mean, I guess I blame my mum for bad stuff that happens as a result of her actions, but if I had depended more on God through those times, maybe my actions wouldn't have fanned the flame to quite the extent that they did. There's no point in fretting over past mistakes though. The only thing I can do now is learn from these mistakes and grow. Don't get me wrong, I'm not about to desert y'all. You'll just be getting less of the i'm-so-down-and-need-to-cheer-up-so-cheer-me-up-internet me and more of the HEY-EVERYONE-HOWS-IT-GOING-I'M-SO-HAPPY-AND-FULL-OF-LIFE me. Which is a good thing. :D

Moving on.

Currently, I am working on my portfolio to get into the Diploma of Graphic Design course I've been wanting to get into for next year. It's due next Friday, so I'm flat out getting everything done, but I reckon I can pull it all together. It's all pretty much planned out now, and all I have to do is now do it, pretty much. Just so you guys know what I'm up to and where I'm at.

There is something else I wanted to mention while I am here. If you've been following this blog for a while, you'll be aware that a few months ago (oh gosh it's been that long already?!) I mentioned that I was working on a SEKRIT PROJECT. Well, the time is coming closer for me to announce it to you all :D so keep watching this space for more details.

To take us out, I've decided to kill the possibility of an awkward, drawn-out sign off by posting some little post-by-post... thingies... I actually have no idea what they're called, but they look like this:

Posts left until 100: 1 (nearly there!)

Bible verse of the moment: Isaiah 54:4 - inspirational

Days until portfolio is due: 10 (eeek!)

*well, other than videos not uploading or getting yelled at for using up our monthly download quota by halfway through the month - it turns out that while that might have been partly my fault, it happened the next month after like, 3 days. It's impossible to watch that much YT in that short amount of time, and no one else was downloading anything big... so we concluded that someone close by was leeching our wireless. We fixed the problem, though, and had no more trouble since. Did you enjoy that pointless tangent-like anecdote? Did you? :P

Microblogging from the tearoom

It's lunchtime folks! That means time for another microblog!
So, what shall I talk about? Of all the topics that affect people on a daily basis, which shall I select to disect and inspect? :P*

Well, first, I'm going to give you one big fat excuse for my lack of presence here in this lovely little online community. It's this thing called life. From being too sick to sit infront of a computer, to being occupied for every waking hour of my day, life has this way of overiding my necessity to jump online and share stuff with you guys. It's not that I don't still love you all, it's that I'd have nothing to tell you if I didn't go out once in a while and actually live :).
Having said that, you should know my next video for SM is filmed, I just need to edit and upload. I will endeavour to do this as soon as I can, life permitting.

Ok my lunchtime has just about come to an end, so I'll be seeing you all soon! Love you all, and I haven't forgotten you, it'll get there eventually...

Kbai!

Posts until I reach 100: 2 (sweeeeet ^_^)

*wow, I'm a poet and I didn't even realise the fact :P

-- Posted from my iPhone

I guess I owe you guys some 'me' time

One of the joys of having an iPhone is that I can freely blog from my bed at any obscene hour, even while I should be sleeping. So, since I haven't posted properly in forever, here I am.
A lot of you will be aware that I have been sick of late. It has been rather unfun, and plenty frustrating. One thing I now know about myself is that I am terrible at being sick. I hate calling in sick, I hate lying in bed all day, although I don't mind letting people make me tea and breakfast in bed - that, I could get used to :). I hate taking medicine, being told to take it easy, and to get well soon. I hate it even more when all these things don't work, and I end up taking weeks to get better. I'm mostly better now. It turns out sleeping all day is one of he best things you can do while sick. I know, I already said I hate lying in bed all day, but I don't mind sleeping all day. 2 different things. Lying in bed consists of attempting to sleep for hours and failing miserably, resulting in a failure to escape consiousness and in turn, escape the reality of being sick. Sleeping all day, on the other hand, is bliss, because it serves not only as the best cure, but the best escape :)
Moving on... I'm going to take a minute or two to talk about all he awesome tv watching I've been doing whilst incapacitated. Tuesday night was the long-awaited return of NCIS. If you know me well, you'll know this is my current favourite show. Season 7 episode 1 blew my mind. All I'm gonna say. I love that show, and that episode was just... Wow... What can I say? Wednesday night was the premiere of a new spinoff series, NCIS LA. I like the characters, but it has a way to go before it can sit up there next to NCIS on my list of favourite shows. I haven't written it off, it's just too early for me to love these characters and in turn enthuse these plotlines (w00t 2am grammar) as much as I do the original series. I will say this for it though: the characters are built strong and even the toughtest among them seem lovable enough. The one thing that did confuse me was the lack of presence from Macy, who was team leader when the characters made an appearance in the original series before the spinoff. I know there has been a big gap in between, a location change of HQ and such, but I just can't see why she wasn't there.
ANYway, Tonight was Thursday, which meant Glee. We in Australia just got episode 3, so that puts us approximately...is it 2 weeks behind you guys in the states? It was the josh groban episode... Anyway, awesome as always. That was the only show I intended to watch tonight, but the tv stayed on for some reason, and we ended up watching burn notice as well. It has been forever since I watched that show, but it never fails to disappoint. (1 p? 2? ah who knows? For that matter, who cares?)

Ok I might stop there. A huge long post on little other than my tv habits... I need a life. Or do I? With so much awesome tv to watch, who needs a life?
Ignore that. It's the cough medicine speaking, I swear. I'll hopefully be back to normal soon.

Posts left until I reach 100: 3

<3

-- Posted from my iPhone

Ebay Australia

Just wanted to point out the awesomeness of the greeting on the Australian version of popular internet auction website eBay:

I noticed on other versions, it merely says "Welcome" or "Hello" or "Hi".

[insert part where I rant about how wonderful and homely it feels when websites make you feel at home by using your local colloquialisms here]

That's all for now I guess. Bigger post later :)

Posts Left until I reach 100: 4

Tuesday the fifteenth. A day to remember...

For these reasons*:

• I went out with my sister for the first time in ages. We went to the Queensland Art Gallery to see and exhibition on American Impressionism and Realism, which looked at the impressionist movement as a whole, and showed how American and Australian artists contributed and influenced the next generation of artists.
• I read on twitter while waiting to meet up with my sister before going that Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. Such a shame. Then, later, I hear that TV-chef-whom-i-previously-had-never-heard-of had also lost his battle with cancer. Really not a good day for celebrities with cancer.
• I finally discovered the problem relating to why I couldn't upload my SnailMates video. It is, if i am not mistaken, in the process of uploading as I type, and will probably be up by the time you read this, so if you're keen to watch me read Sean's letter, click this link.

I'm pretty sure the rest of the day's events were fairly run-of-the-mill. Dan Brown's new book The Lost Symbol came out today. I preordered my copy from booktopia.com for cheap, so i'll be expecting its arrival quite soon. I actually liked Brown's first 4 books, and enjoyed the level of intrigue and suspence he so eloquently employs in order to compell you to keep reading. What i didn't like were his controversial claims about christianity. I know, I know, you've all heard this debate a million times, so I won't go into it, but at least now you know where i stand.

But yeah. Rest of the day, as i said, run-of-the-mill. Got home, showered, tossed a salad, ate in front of the TV, came into my room to check twitter and try for the nth time to upload the video, which is now, JUST THIS SECOND, successfully uploaded. You have no idea just how relieved i am**.

Ok. I'm about ready to post this now, since it is an obscenely late hour for someone like me who has to work in the morning, and also since i've run out of things to say.

Posts left until I reach 100: 5 (omgomgomg)

*YAY dot-point blogs!

** Well, maybe you do... i really shouldn't assume that you don't... how rude of me... so, if you've ever had that thing where you try something a million times and it doesn't work, and then you discover that the problem was a tiny one that was easy to overlook, and then fix it and FINALLY after all that get it to upload, well then i guess you know how I feel :D

That last one didn't count

Ok, since the last post was a questionaire, I feel like i cheated you guys out of an ACTUAL post about my life. Truthfully, that makes me feel kinda bad. So, if only to eliminate the guilt hanging over my head, here is another, PROPER* blog post.

So today has been fairly good, as far as days off work go. I woke up, decided to check my twitter on my phone, realised my computer was left on overnight when skype went off, spent a good hour and a half chatting to the other two thirds of my collab channel SnailMates before indulging in beef flavoured 2 minute noodles, kept switching back and forth between chatting on skype, checking twitter, watching videos in my sub box and reading blogs until i decided it was about time to film myself opening Sean's letter, went about doing that, watched tv for a while with my sister, tore myself from the screen as my stomach demanded sustainence via a low and dissatisfied grumble, made and ate food as we watched neighbours, the 7PM project and 2 episodes of the simpsons, and then came in here to edit, but decided to procrastinate through the medium of blog post. Longest sentence ever? You decide.

So i was just mentally running through all the possible ideas for a blog post, and realised i don't really have all that much to share. I made a video today, which i have yet to edit and upload to the collab channel. I also, in the past week, finished both The Hunger Games and its sequel Catching Fire. I really badly want to review them as well, but that will have to wait a few days. I don't like reviewing immediately after i finish reading something, because i tend not to look at it objectively enough. For example, I loved the twilight series just after i'd finished reading it. Now, i can't stand the sight of it**. It's always a bad idea to review something just after you're done experiencing it, be it a concert, a play, a movie, a book, or any other creative experience.

As far as my life goes, not much of it is really worth chronicalling here, seeing as it bores even me to think about it. I actually had a friend ask me the other day what i do with my free time, and i shamefully didn't know what to tell him. Like, "oh yeah, i spend hours of my free time reading books, and watching videos on youtube made by people on the other side of the world, and, um, on twitter." It seems like, between travelling to and from work, eating, sleeping and thinking about what to do with the years of my life i still have left ahead of me, there's really not that much else there. Now don't get me wrong. I love all my friends I have online. I guess in a way, i tell you guys more than i'd tell people i know in person.

BUT enough about what i will NOT be writing about here. HERE is supposeed to be the place where I tell you guys MAGICAL and WONDERFUL things from the land down under... with the occasional insect-related anecdote thrown in. Also, i'm meant to inform you guys of NEWS and other things of informative nature that you might display a mild interest in.

Instead, here is where i'm going to end my poor, sorry excuse for a blog post, and hope that maybe, tomorrow's will be better. For, hopefully, i will be back again tomorrow. I actually have a reason to come back here tomorrow and TELL you guys about THINGS that happen in my LIFE. You know, that LIFE thing that i HAVE.

That's about as far as this blog post will allow itself to be drawn out, anyway, so I bid thee farewell.

Until tomorrow.

*DISCLAIMER: blog post may or may not be as proper as originally intended

**which, by the way, i happen to see almost daily, since the pharmacy i work in is across from a bookstore.

Nerdfightastic Questionaire

Ok, so i know this quiz is a few weeks old, but i thought i'd give you guys my answers anyway.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 11:15am to the sounds of Skype going off.

2. How do you like your steak?: juicy medium rare.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter 6, originally on my own, but then i ran into another friend from High School who was also seeing it by herself, so we saw it together :P
4. What is your favorite TV show? ugh. So many to choose from. At the moment, NCIS still tops my list... but i REALLY wish they'd fasttrack season 7 already.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?I've been contemplating this for a while, but I would have to say that splitting my time between Brisbane and say London or New York in such a way that I will never have to live through another winter again would be awesome :D
6. What did you have for breakfast? 2 minute noodles. Beef flavoured. yeugh.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian or mexican and some indian
8. What foods do you dislike? Olives, anchovies, and beef flavoured 2 minute noodles. :P
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Fasta Pasta
10. Favorite dressing? French.
11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Landcruiser Prado (my mum's. I promise I am NOT a soccermum.) BUT when I get a car, i want a Suzuki Swift :)
12. What are your favourite clothes? i'd say my togs, but i lack the body confidence, so i'll stick with spring dresses :D
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? America and England
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Most of the time i have half full tendancies, but if a lot of things are getting me down, i find it hard to ignore.
15. Where would you want to retire? somewhere along the Queensland coastline.
16. Favorite time of day? early afternoon
17. Where were you born? Brisbane, Australia
18. What is your favourite sport to watch? National Rugby League (NRL)
22. Bird watcher? On occasion.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night owl by nature, unless work requires me to be up at an early hour, in which case i have to force my night owl to become an early bird.
24. Do you have any pets? The family owns a dog and a cat. Currently I don't have any pets of my own, but I've had my fair share of guinea pigs
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I just applied for the diploma of Graphic Design that i want to start next year. Yay?
26. What did you want to be when you were little? when i was three i wanted to be a ballerina
27. What is your best childhood memory? My first trip to the Ekka (aka the Royal Brisbane Show) (ekka = exhibition)
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Cats are easier to share a bed with, and they make great hot water bottles
29. Are you married? No.
30. Always wear your seat belt? Of course. Me, break the law? Never...
31. Been in a car accident? nope
32. Any pet peeves? Too many to name. Mostly related to customers. You get that in retail, i guess.
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Hawaiian or Vegetarian.
34. Favorite Flower? Anything that is not stuck on the back of cars (ie. frangipanis) :P Frangipani stickers on cars? Australia says NO
35. Favorite ice cream? Love Potion 31 from Baskin & Robins
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Hanaichi (japanese) or Salsa's (mexican)
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? I failed the learners test twice by one point each time.
38. From whom did you get your last email? Probably YouTube :P.
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Well, for one, i don't have a credit card (probably a good thing) and secondly, i wouldn't even if i did. I has a monie smartz.
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Not really. I'm a monotonous kinda girl.
41. Like your job? It's nice enough.
42. Broccoli? No thanks. I thought we were trying to SAVE the trees.
43. What was your favorite vacation? Stradbroke Island. Best. Ever.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Saddest thing ever? I don't remember the last time i went out for dinner.
45. What are you listening to right now? The freeway and my dad and sister talking in the kitchen.

General Catch Up and Other Business

So. I'm sure you've all experienced the sensation of falling out of the swing of things at some point. And I'm sure you are all well aware of just how much harder it is to get back into the swing of things than it was to gain the momentum the first time round. Yeah. So, that's my excuse. It's hard to get back into the swing of things.

Ok. I hear you. "Shush, Lucy. Less Excusey, More Bloggy." I very much agree. Let's get to it then, shall we?

Right. So. I'll start with work, since I actually have things to say about it for once. We have a lovely new girl at work. She's very friendly, quite bright, and a real pleasure to work with. But, do you know what the best part is? (no, of course you don't. That's why I'm about to tell you) The BEST part is that her sister works for the local radio station, and as a result, she frequently meets celebrities and goes backstage at concerts. I bring this up, because today she informs me that one of my more liked (i won't say favourite... I reserve that status for a select few) bands, The Cat Empire, was playing a free gig in town last night. And she asked me if I knew of them. And I said yes. I love them. And she said "Oh really? I could have gotten you backstage after to meet them if I'd known!"

:O

Yeah. I know, right? My jaw dropped and my brain exploded simultaneously. So the lesson I have learned from all of this is from now on, I should tell this workmate EVERY SINGLE BAND/MUSICIAN/SINGER that I am in love with, and hope that ONE day, I may score a free gig :P. I mean, DUDE!

Ok, mmmmoving on!

Do you guys like the new colour scheme? I had a play around with it and I like this one MUCH better. The one I had before was getting boring (as much as I am a girlygirl, sometimes even I need a change). Also, I had to make it match the new banner I made. I promise, ONE day, I will be a skilled designer. As yet, I can even make a banner that fits my page. Ah, who cares? It was fun. Let me know what YOU guys think, anyway, seeing as you guys are the ones who will be looking at it. [leaveitinthecommentsplzkthxbi]

ANYway. Um. I had something else I was going to blog about..........

I might just post this, and post again later when I remember what it was I wanted to post. When I do FINALLY get back into the swing of things, hopefully, my posts will be a lot less messy. But, I don't know, maybe you guys LIKE messy. Who knows.

Aaaaand I am again on the verge of prattling on and on about nothing in the futile attempt to keep writing.

Time for another insect anecdote !!

~Reader's Note: this post was written a few days ago, but failed to upload. For contextual purposes, the night I am talking about is Sunday 30th of August~

So, last night, my dad got back to Brisbane after 2 weeks working in Papua New Guinea. It was then decided that we would go to our cousin's place for a cup of tea.
After my cousin finished preparing tea for everyone, my mother was on the verge of taking a sip when a fly, out of nowhere, divebombed into her tea.
Apparently, this fly had been buzzing round the room all day, getting slower and lazier as the day went on. As the discussion wore on, it was decided that this fly was a bogan fly. You know, the kind that sit on the couch wearing singlet, stubbies and pluggers, drinking beer all day in front of the footy.

Said Bogan fly has no name.

We wondered what compelled this fly to divebomb in such a fashion. Had he lost the will to live? Did the honey in mum's tea attract him so strongly his weary mind could not resist?

Anyway, boganfly, along with the rest of the tea, was washed down the drain. And there he stays to this very day.

Dearest readers, I wish to honour this fly. If you can think up a suitable name for this sad critter, please leave it in the comments. I seem to have made a habit of naming all the critters I come across, so this time, I'm letting you guys in on the fun :P I'd make it a competition but I got no prize :(. Well, none other than your suggestion will be chosen as the new name for NoNameFly.

Happy Suggesting :)


-- Post From My iPhone

OK, so i'm in a bit of a weird mood, and Blogger was simply BEGGING me to open it up and update... which i said i'd do more often anyway... So, i'mma blog y'all! (hey, i did say i was in a weird mood.) :P

I... just don't feel like doing anything anymore. I feel like I'm chasing my tail, if you know what i mean. I'm throwing so much effort into trying to get my life off the ground, and it gets me nowhere. And that makes me miserable. I just feel like, what's the point? It's not that mind doing the work (I don't, in fact, I quite enjoy it) but there has to be a point. There has to be a goal, a reason for me to bust my gut. And it kind of kills it for me when the few people who are supposed to be supportive of me are giving their own agendas higher priority than mine so much so, that it hinders my progress to the point where I just want to give up entirely.
I'm talking, of course, of my job, and my so-far-feeble attempt to save for a car. It seems like, no matter how hard I try, someone else will always find a better/more urgent use for it.
I seriously think that I will just buy a MacBook pro with the current savings and be done with it.
Sorry that so far this whole post has been non-stop whining. You probably wanted to read something a bit more interesting than this. I really wanted to write something more interesting too, but this was just eating away at me and I needed to vent. Also, I figure getting this off my chest will allow the funner, more interesting stuff to write about flow more easily. ~reads over last sentence~ yeah, not too sure if that made any sence... I hope you kinda get what I mean.
Anyway, it sucks to walk in circles, and I'm tired, and now I'm blabbering and my writing is starting to go in circles too, so I'll stop now.

Hope you're all doing well

Lucy

Oh yeah... I ~nearly~ forgot

So I was at work today.


That's it. I was at work today.

Oh

OH you wanted an ANECDOTE you say? Fine. Here's your anecdote.

So I was at work today* and I was busy reorganising and tidying the lipsticks, when I found a Ladybug. Yeah, i know, rite? What's a ladybug doing in a chemist? I wish I knew. I tried asking him, but he wouldn't speak. I think the poor fella was in shock. So, anyway, the humanitarian inside me decided to jump out and take care of the poor thing. I tried moving him, but I guess the shock had left him paralysed, so I picked up the lipstick he was perched on and showed him to a couple of my co-workers**. Their reaction was quite unprecedented. Me being the kind of child who grew up happily playing in the garden searching for ladybugs in the orange tree, I was not expecting the level of squeamishness coming from my coworkers. One sadist among the bunch even suggested we spray it with perfume :O ~gasp~
Fear not though, good friends, for I defended the helpless creature with my very life (or something to that effect - I saved him in any case). I took him outside to the garden next to the carpark. Oh, and I named him Bob.

The End

*this actually happened yesterday, but I didn't blog then either... Oh whatever. Just play along.
**and I just have to say, he was definitely show-worthy. He was a handsome orange specimin who had about ten or twelve spots on his back, and as far as Ladybugs go for size, he was pretty huge.

-- Post From My iPhone

Noticible Improvement

So, as promised in yesterday's post, I am, indeed, back. Even if only for a sentence or two (but hopefully for more :D)

I am feeling a whole lot better than I did yesterday. Partially because the yucky feeling I had hanging over me is gone for now, and partly also because I had the day off work, for the first time in what feels like forever. I actually went in, because I thought I did have to work, but upon my arrival, and to my slight shock and indeed, my relief, I was not rostered. This was slightly odd, because they usually tell us when they want to change our regular shifts around, but on this occasion, they failed to do so, hence the confusion. I wasn't the only one who was baffled by this revelation - my manager (who does not control the roster) was also unaware that I was off for the day.

So anyway, confusion aside, I had the day to myself. I went back to bed and read Heroes magazine (the periodical based around the tv series - shut up. Dr Who has one too :P) and my sister went for a swim. Oh yes. You read correctly. A swim. In the middle (middle? end. August is the END) of winter. Because today's temperature was supposed to reach at least 30ºC, or 86ºF for those of you who swear by the imperial system (though I can't think why you would. Metric system = WIN). I decided to avoid this venture, because despite the temperature of the air, the water was still very cold. Then, well, I just relaxed. I'd forgotten what it was like to have 2 consecutive days off work. I feel a lot better.

To make things even better, I'm going to see my sisters perform in their musical tonight. Mum has already gone along to the other 2 shows, but the Saturday night show is historically the best night to be there (I should know, I was involved in the annual musical every year at highschool. Always as a dancer) because, well it just is. It is the culmination of all the hard work, and the whole team has just hit this groove, where everything runs like a well-oiled machine and they're all buzzing on that performance-night high. I miss that part of the year. I remember wanting to cry after I came off on the last night in year 12. Knowing that I'd never be a part of the fun there again was a bit sad. Having said that though, I enjoyed every minute I was there and in the action and don't regret it in the slightest.

OOOok. Enough reminiscing.

I've done my time for today, so I'll leave it there. I really can't wait until blogging feels more natural again. This feels like work. ~so out of practice~

That's all, folks!

So I'm gonna skip the whole rigmarole of filling you guys in on where I've been and what I've been doing lately, since my life, it seems, has become so boring and repetitive that I find it difficult to find the energy and inspiration to sit down and share these things with you on a day-to-day basis. Mostly because it bores me to tears enough just living through parts, so I do my best to try not to RElive them. But also because most of my life lately, is just not share-worthy.

I am determined, however, to change this. I will at least try to clock in here at least daily, even if only for a few sentences, just to tell you guys what's up. Shareworthy or not. I miss blogging a lot. Like, a LOT.

I guess this is what it feels like to have writer's block. I just can't think of anything else to say.

All I can think about is how much I really really REALLY want a car and my licence and a MacBookPro, among other things, and how no matter how hard I try, how hard I work towards these things, circumstances always seem to conspire against my wishes. I really hate being so vague about this, but it's a sensitive issue, so that makes it kinda hard to disclose anymore details about it. But at the same time, I haven't had the chance to share this with anyone yet, and it feels like it's eating me from the inside out, so I can't keep it all to myself either. I'm like a pot about to boil over.

It just feels like I can't get anything right. I can't figure out what to study, I don't hang out with friends enough, I don't do enough chores, I don't have my licence yet, I don't have a boyfriend while one of my older sisters just got engaged and the other is getting close. All I do is work a nice safe job in a nice quiet pharmacy, and try to convince myself that I have it good and that it is enough. But I'm not listening to me. I don't want to hear what I'm trying to tell myself. I want to believe that things are all good. But they're not. Pharmacy work is fun, but it's not what I'm built for. I avoid doing a lot of things (hanging out with friends, engaging in meaningful relationships with real-life, tangible people, giving my time and effort and self to people or worthy causes) because in the past I have been hurt or disapointed or taken advantage of, and avoiding things is my coping mechanism. But at the same time, it's locking me up. I'm sacrificing my freedom to avoid the possibility of pain. I'm not striving for my independence as much as I could, or should, because I think, in some sick twisted way, I subconsciously don't think that I deserve it, so I'm sabotaging my own life and happiness through the medium of laziness and procrastination. You can't see this because all you can see are my words on your screen. But believe me. You don't want to see me in this state. It's messy.

Ok, wow. I haven't written such and emotionally-charged blog post since Valentines Day. And I was actually trying to be detatched about it.

Sorry guys. I'll be back to my normal self soon. I hope.

Shortest post ever... Possibly...

Time to service el bloggo. I have five minutes....
Ok so the new channel is up and running :D. I'll link everything when I get home.
I'm kinda sleepy today. I slept in this morning, giving myself 10 minutes to make the bus (which I succeeded at *yay*) because after waking, I decided to catch up on tweets. Yeah. Can you say "Twitter obsession"?
Anyway, I'd love to stay and write more but I must get back to work. But never fear! I shall return!


-- Post From My iPhone

Twitter

I have just finished a thorough purge of my followers on Twitter.

Ok, that sentence standing alone makes me look kinda mean. I mean, shouldn't everyone be allowed to read my tweets?

I thought so for a long time, but since Twitter imposed its own spambot purge, I've been thinking about how much value I place on how many followers I have.

Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few people with whom I interact with on a relatively personal level. I can quilte honestly say that, while limited to URL-style interaction, I still feel a certain amount of love for these people. I know it's not the same as having a friend you can physically meet up with and spend time with in person, but I don't feel like that is any excuse to not like these people the way I do. In fact, I'd tell you guys some stuff I wouldn't dare to tell anyone else I know IRL (which, by the way, is a HUGE deal). I just want to make it clear that it is not these kind of people I have a problem with on twitter (quite the opposite, in fact. These people are the REASON I use Twitter).

No. The problem I have lies with people who follow me not to hear what I have to say or find out what I'm doing, or even to stalk me (which would be more flattering than their actual reasons, I would say), but with the vain hope that if they click the follow button below my picture, that I might follow suit and return the favour. (Ok, let's be clear. Even after Twitter's spambot purge, there are still many bots out there just in it to spruke their wares or direct you to sites of questionable morality (read: porn). These are reasonably easy to identify and block, but let's face it, just as annoying as the aforementioned [1 f? 2? idk] "follow-me-plzkthx" followers).

Nothing annoys me more than clicking on one of my followers and seeing that I am one of not 20 or 30 or even 100 people being cyberstalked by them, but one of 2 or 3 thousand. That doesn't really stand to make me feel like my tweets are being heard. Not because I'm vain and attention seeking and want people to listen to me whether they like it or not, but because THEY followed ME. For goodness sake, guys, this is TWITTER. Not FaceBook. Following someone is SUPPOSED to mean you VALUE their point of view, or find them funny, or entertaining, or inspiring, or friendly. Essentially, you have found a connection with this person and following their twitter feed is a way of maintaining this connection, even if they don't follow you back. Another thing is that I found it really easy to make friends with a fair few of my followers. The thing playing on my mind: Why do friendships fall into place so easily with some followers, and yet with others, nothing happens? Obviously they are using Twitter for different reasons.

Ok, so I realise how messed up and all over the place my thoughts are on this, but bare with me. I'm not saying EVERYONE has to use Twitter for the SAME reasons. But I have my reasons for using Twitter. My account is like my little cyber-bubble, where I can interact with whomsoever I wish, for my intended purposes. If it's my personal bubble, then I can choose who to block. I have no intention of being mean here; I'm only being practical. I blocked a lot of followers who, I assumed, would not miss the presence of my tweets. I mean, for someone following 3000 people, you hardly get 3 seconds on screen before other tweets have pushed yours down. 2999 is hardly much of a difference. If I do get a message from any of them asking why I blocked them, and would I please unblock them so they could follow me again, because they thought I was funny and missed my tweets, then I'd unblock them. No problem. (The same does not apply to the spambots or the pornbots. They stay blocked forever.)

Oh yeah. Another thing that irks me about some of these people following hundreds or thousands of other twitterers, is when their own tweet count is only, like, 2. That's kind of abusing the system.

Anyway. Long story short, I blocked pretty much anyone following me who I couldn't see myself potentially developing a friendship with. This is the reason I joined twitter. Not to broadcast my views, or video/blog postings (although that comes in handy) but to meet and get to know the interesting, quirky, wonderful people out there in cyberspace hidden among the spambots. At least now, I can say I have a following of wonderful, interesting and quirky people, instead of a larger following of bots. Quality over quantity.

I'm getting to that stage where I feel like my point has been made, but i keep thinking of new ways to put it across, but really I am just repeating myself. So, I'll wrap it up there, and I wanna hear your thoughts on this. Leave comments, or write your own post about it, and link it in the comments. Let's have a good old discussion about Twitter Etiquette.

Before I go, good luck Beth with orientation at the new school, good luck Fran with the new craft store, and there's a few of you out there moving house, etc, so good luck with that too, I hope you all get settled in smoothly and quickly.

That's it for now.

***EDIT***

Ha, just spellchecked, and one of the suggestions for 'spambot' was 'spearmint'. ~giggle~ Sorry spellcheck, but spambots hardly leave my mouth feeling fresh. :P

Also, am currently in the middle of redoing the bedroom. Will be acquiring a new bookshelf soon (I know I tweeted that a couple of weeks ago, but it has still yet to eventuate.) Also, further down the track I'll be upgrading my bed, but not before I get me a car, and probably a MacBookPro too, since these 2 things are of slightly more importance than a bed.

Anyway, I've got to leave it there, IRL friends await, so have a good night/morning/day/afternoon/wheneveryoureadthis and I'll see you soon :P

Microbloggin'

On lunch again. Haven't really done that much to speak of, but I have another 4 1/2 minutes of lunch to go, so I figure I'll use the time productively instead of refreshing Twitter constantly to get my lunchtime fix.
I have so far recieved not 1 but 2 expressions of interest for the penpal collab channel. This is really exciting, guys! Never been in a collab before so this'll be fun! For those of you wondering, the other two people are Sean and Beth. Just then realized that all our names are 4 letters long :P and just because I'm a nerd and find these things interesting, I thought I'd mention it. No relevance. Just coz.

Anyway, my time's nearly up. Better go. Will write more sooooooon :D

PS. If you are still interested in being in our collab, let me know really soon please. Details in yesterday's post!


-- Post From My iPhone

On lunch and bored

So I had a little brainwave last night. Those of you stalking me via my Twitter feed will have some idea of what this is... Maybe...
If not I'm about to outline it here, so don't panic :)

Ok, so it was Beth (aka bethsavoy aka easavoy) who gave me half of this idea. She probably didn't know this but she did. Yesterday she mentioned something about posting letters to people. Like, snail mail penpal stuff. This got me thinking. The other half of the idea came from the fact that I've been thinking about doing a collab channel for some time now, and this seems like a really cool and original way to do it.

The idea is: a penpal collab channel. Basically, you get 2 or more people writing letters to eachother, but you must open and read every letter on camera, and record your reactions. Then, for every letter recieved another must be sent in response. The basic aim would be to get to know eachother and let others join in on the fun. Also, if you already participate in a collab, you may be in this one too if you so wish. It won't operate like a traditional collab, with allocated days. Instead, videos will be uploaded when letters are recieved, as there is no accounting for the international mail service.

I'm really kind of excited about this idea, and I don't know how many people we'll need to get this off the ground... But please let me know in the comments if you want to do this, even if only for a little while. Also my contact email is in the sidebar, if you want to send contact details (don't put those in the comments! :S) or DM me on Twitter :)

That's all I have time for, back to work now :)
TTFN


-- Post From My iPhone

From the bus

Even though I'll probably be off the bus by the time I publish this, I'm on the bus NOW so the title is legit.
Dunno what the point of me posting now was entirely. Something along the lines of "I need to post more and I have the app on my phone now so might as well because hey even if I don't have a topic from the outset, at least I'll be redeveloping the habit of regular posting and there's nothing bad about that" ... Or something.

~insert momentary pause while I alight the bus and cross street safely and responsibly~

Ok. I think I'm good now. Walking while i type is harder than I anticipated. As a result, I am walking much slower than normal. Ah, the things you learn as a mobile blogger. Aagh. Nearly fell for not watching where I was going. I'd stop but I'm having too much fun.

It just occured to me that I still have many many questions from all of you still to answer. I'd get onto that now, but I don't have them with me. :S sorry.

It's cold here, which I imagine is rather predictable for this time of year. Although it's not as cold as it has been in the past. I'm walking home from the bus in the night air with no scarf and I'm fine. 2 jackets, admitedly but no scarf. I bet this is making all you northern-hemisphereans just a touch jealous, no? At least those of you supporting Team Winter. :P
~another momentary pause to cross another street and remain relatively alive~

Home now. Felt it was safest - and indeed, quickest - for me to continue walking without typing. Also got sick of running into trees and the like for the lack of attention I was giving to where I was walking. I hope you enjoyed sharing this everyday adventure with me. I know I enjoyed sharing it with you. Tune in next time as I share the uneventful goings-on in my life next time I'm bored and feel like sharing them.

That's it for now. Answers to YOUR questions coming soon.

Oh also, those of you who follow me on Twitter will probably be sick of me asking this question, but what would you guys do with TOO MUCH NAIL POLISH? I wouldn't be asking this so persistently without a legitimate reason. So, answers in komments plzkthxbi.

Jus' Checkin' In...

I'll keep this short coz it's after 1am and I have work in the morning. Even though technically it is morning now... But you know what I mean.

Purpose of this post: to inform you all that Sekrit Project is taking longer than expected. I know how eagerly some of you are awaiting this, but I still need some more time. *profuse apologies*

I still love you all and will be back to blogging in no time, but inthe meantime I'll need y'all to sit tight just a bit longer. I'll have a date soon :D


Love to keep chatting, but you know how it is in the early hours. Let's do this again sometime.

<3 Lucy :P

SHHHHH!!! It's a SEKRIT!!

So. Promised Blogpost right here. Will be short, as promised.

Ok, before I get into it, How is everybody? I feel like I've been on a very very long vacation from this blog. I promise very shortly that I will be catching up on everybody's blogs and such.

One of the things keeping me from this beloved piece of interweb has been work. The 1 1/2 shifts a week I was on earlier this year has grown and mutated into 4-5 days. Generally 4, but sometimes I do an extra day when people are sick, or we're just short in general. Also, small sidenote, but it pretty much rocks to be on casual award rates with full time hours. Just sayin'.

The other thing keeping me from you all (here at least... i'm on Twitter quite a lot) is a Project, which is entirely SEKRIT. All I can divulge at this point is that it is coming along nicely.


Oh gawd... I really wanna say more, but I just can't. :/ I will be revealing more in the coming weeks though, so keep your eyes peeled both here and (if i can be bothered) on my YouTube channel.
I guess that was all I had to say... Sorry if you were hoping for a little more. You'll just have to wait.
:P


<3

Ha HAA I made it

Only just in time too...

I'll make this quick, for i work in the morning.

I've had this window open for hours now, intending to write another wonderful blog post for you all, but like everything else, i've procrastinated to the best of my ability. It's one of the symptoms of LazyBug.

Nothing of any real significance to talk about. Just blogging so 1) I don't break the habit...again, and 2) to assure you guys that i haven't fallen off the face of the earth, and am, in fact, still alive... though goodness knows what you guys must have thought before...

/train of thought.

Definitely time for bed. I will be posting tomorrow, and I already have a topic. I can't tell you what it is until tomorrow though, so you'll just have to wait.

Good night all :)

So... It's time...

For me to post again. Seriously i think the only way i'm gonna kill this laziness bug is just by doing it. I keep thinking about blogging, and wondering what I should blog about, and then promising to write about it when i get home, but then, you know, life happens. Or I just forget. Both are true.

So, instead of a boring recount of days past that you've all missed out on thanks to this lazybug* I'm going to think up a whole heap of small, unrelated things to talk about.

1. Pokemon.

As you all know, I've been rewatching the pokemon mo

vies. I am up to movie 8 (I actually skipped seven on account of the fact that it is literally nowhere to be found... at least not on eBay...) titled "Lucario, and the Mystery of Mew". This is not going to be a movie review... merely a few observations I have made about these movies in general:

a) Jessie and James, the main villains in the TV series, always seem to take on the roll of Comic Relief in the films. It's like, they're bad most of the time, but for the movies there is always someone badder who just HAPPENS to coincide with the annual movie.

b) The Laws of Physics don't seem to apply in Pokemon Land/World/Thing. Ok, this we already knew, i know, but it just seems so much more prevalent in the movies.

New Laws of Physics include:

- Tears fix everything

- The ecosystem in which the pokemon live will always attempt to spontaneously (I want to say combust, but i know that isn't the right word...) die...? for want of a better word... And Ash and his friends will always manage to save it somehow. Actually, it seems pretty tribally ritualistic, in that at least 3 times now Pokemon have had to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. This brings me to my 3rd point

c) The plotlines always suck. But the cuteness levels ALWAYS make up for it. For example, in this movie, you know that the 2 armies are moving in to attack each other. You know the Palace is caught between them, and you know that, apparently, destruction is imminent. What you don't know is: WHO are these armies? WHY are they fighting? WHY the heck isn't the princess TRYING to stop it, instead of insisting on matyring herself? Come to think of it, why wasn't something done earlier? Did the princess just forget about the political unrest concerning her Kingdom (or to be politically correct, her PRINCESSdom) and sleep in? Did she book a facial and pedicure when she was supposed to meet with rulers of the surrounding kingdoms (sorry,

RULERdoms, we don't want to discriminate here) to discuss a peace treaty? I know, I probably

just spoiled it for you all, but take it from me, PLOTwise, it was weak anyway. You're missing nothing. On the other hand, how can you NOT think this CUTE?

OK That's about enough of THAT.

NEXT!!

I'm thinking of starting videos again. I have a few ideas, but again, this LazyBug, it seems to have affected more than one of my creative areas. As i've been working more of late, this has left less and less time for me to actually DO creative things, but as work can be boring at times, I find myself THINKING about creative things a lot. I have tonnes of things I want to do. I want to paint enough for a solo exhibition, I want to draw my own Graphic Novel, I want to write and record some songs (although to be honest, not really much creative flow currently in that area... Still in drought, I believe), and I want to film and edit some videos. As well as Blog Like A Lunatic. So, lots of creative things to do, and not much time to do them in. HOWEVER, now, as i am back to my 4-days-a-week of work, my spare time will begin to rise once again. Don't get me wrong, my bank balance really loved the extra day of work, but my immune system and body clock, as well as the part of me that feels compelled to be creative, all seemed to hate it pretty intensly. They're not so mad now though. The promise of more sleep and more time has quelled the anger... at least for now.

AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand THAT'S ALL FOLKS

I am really sorry, I kinda wanted this to be MUCH longer, but that is all I really have time for, and my fingers are kinda weary from typing, and also it's late and I have things to do tomorrow.

Hey, did i mention I'm saving for a car? I didn't? well, I'M SAVING FOR A CAR, everybody!! YEEah!! I'm not doing especially well so far, but i'm working on the whole concept of maximum output and minimum expenditure, like NOT buying my lunch every day from the food court, and instead, bringing a packet of soup powder and a slice of bread from home... Not there yet, but I'll get there. Nearly @ $2000 so far. Need more than that (obviously) for a GOOD car... but apparently if you're a new driver, and you're driving a NEW car, you have to pay that much annually - wait for it - JUST for insurance. So although I wanted a bright shiny NEW car, apparently** now I must settle for a tin box on wheels. For a few years, until I have an improved rating. Trouble is, by that point I may not be able to afford a nice car, with bills and rent and food and petrol and everything else one must consider when living on ones own (not that I do yet, I merely assume that I will be in a few years time).

Also, I've remembered 2 more things worthy of a QUICK mention:

1) Today, that is, Monday the 22nd of June, is World Wide Knit In Public Day. Did you know that? I failed to knit in public today, though, due to working in daylight hours. I pledge to do it next year though :)

2) My hair is orange. Actually, it's really only red-brown, but because it had a lightner in the stuff, my hair is much lighter comparitively, and so it APPEARS to be orange. I'm still not used to it either. I keep getting really mixed feedback too, everyone at work loves it, while my sisters now fondly call me a carrot top. I still not sure what to think about it. I like it sometimes, but then I just feel like grabbing a few bottles of Chocolate brown and dying it back to my old colour.

I'll post a photo soon, and you guys can tell me what you think :)

Ok. Now, I'm REALLY going.

And I WILL blog again tomorrow. Tomorrow, the day of no work and free time and all things fluffy and cute... like Mime#Jr. :P

Yeah. I know. GOING.

~gone~

*I have determined this is the correct scientific name for the condition. If you don't believe me, just ask any one of my bosses - They're all qualified Pharmacists. They'll verify it for you before you even utter the first syllable. Yes. Yes they will.

**Yes I realise I overuse that word. I personally am comfortable with this fact. Are you? Ask yourself.

I, uh, well, my... dog ate it?

Ok, but seriously. No excuses. Not from me. The lack of posting here has been a result not of circumstances beyond my control, but of sheer laziness. I have been putting this off for DAYS*. Heck, I still owe you guys of my birthday play-by-play. I will do that now. :)

Firstly, i woke up, and spent my morning on twitter. That part you guys already know. I also recieved a birthday phone call from my dad and hung out my waiting pile of washing. Then, a little later in the day Mum took me out for lunch, where we bought obscene amounts of delicious food that we couldn't finish and subsequently took home in little doggy-bags. Then we browsed the shops for a little while, Mum bought me some nice jewellery as a present, and then we rushed home and I got ready for work in a huge screaming hurry**. 

Work itself wasn't bad at all. Working on your birthday has the potential to completely ruin the day (I know this only too well from experience) but it seemed to do only the opposite for me :). Everyone wished me a happy birthday, and they even got me a cake :D. It really was just 5 hours of funtimes during which I had to help a few customers. I had multiple visits from friends and family who came to wish me happy birthday. It barely felt like work. I really think this is how work should feel EVERY day, but then we'd have no way of making birthdays special now, would we? ... OK, moving on...

After work finished, my brother*** and our shared friends came to pick me up, and we went home for a late birthday dinner. We (my brother and I) recieved presents, we ate home-made pie (which was heaps better than the meat pies we're all used to - you know, the frozen things containing God-knows-what that you heat up for an instant meal. Basically, one big pile of bleugh) for dinner and stuffed our faces with cake... 

I am positive there was some wine consumption in there somewhere, but I really don't remember where... :S

All in all, fantastic day. Best birthday I've had in years. Here's hoping for an even better one next year :D:D:D:D

*EDIT: More like WEEKS... :/

**I wasn't actually huge and screaming in this hurry, those particular descriptive words are merely to enhance your visualisation of JUST how much of a hurry I was in. 

***I should mention that it was my Brother's birthday this day as well... him being my twin and all. Incidentally, we were born on my cousin's first birthday, so the three of us all celebrate on the same day :).

Birthdays and such

SO how are we all? I haven't blogged in approximately 2 weeks, and I figure that today is as good as any to restart. 

Firstly, I will explain my unexpected absense later.

Secondly, if you follow me on twitter, you will know that i just spent like the WHOLE morning racking up tweets to get to 1117 tweets in time for 11:17 am (the exact minute at which I

 turned 20), which I managed to do. Just. I have proof too. Check this out:

I included the whole screen shot so you can see that I have 1117 posts at 11:17 exactly. Also you can see 

some of the effort i went to to rack up that number of tweets. For about 20 minutes straight i did nothing but tweet. I retweeted crap names for pubs, I tweeted some Lily Allen lyrics, and I tweeted one word at a time for a bit too... Worked a treat. Anyway, there you have it. 

Also, I got a screenshot of my tweet count at 1111. 

Here it is: 

I thought the bit where it shows that I have 69 followers might make the children in us all lapse into fits of hysteria in a glorious display of immaturity... by which i mean it would have made my younger sister laugh. 

Longer blog post promised. I will deliver on this one too... I promise!!*

Hope you are all well! 

Lucy :P

*Yes I am well aware that my promises at this stage will highly unlikely be taken seriously by any of you, considering my track record... no matter how many times I say "I really mean it this time". But this is something that I ACTUALLY want to share, and so will deliver on not just for you guys but for my own posterity as well. :)

Day 24

I wanted to write something fantastic that would keep up your daily Lucy-quota, but truth be told, I'm way too tired. My brain feels frazzled, and my head just wants its pillow back. It was pissed enough this morning when I had to seperate the two of them, even after a generous sleep in. 

But yeah. Full on day.

Tomorrow is not going to be so full on, and I shall answer MORE questions, and deliver MORE classic Lucy, so you all have something to look forward to. 

I want to type more but my brain is objecting. 

Sorry guys.

More tomorrow

Day 23

Is just a touch late...

I said yesterday that this entry would be answering more questions. 

Today's first question comes from Beth:

What's a common misconception people have about Australia that drives you crazy?

Thank you, Beth. I'm glad you asked.

This could be another long one, folks*

There are many misconceptions that drive me crazy. Some are founded on truths or half-truths, others merely on rumours or assumptions which slowly turn into fact as they are slowly accepted into a society's way of thinking. Here is my shortlist:

-That everyone here knows/talks/acts/lives like the Irwins/Mick Dundee

Wrong. We don't all know all the celebrities who stereotype our nation's character, although, in Steve Irwin's case, that was just plainly me not being interested in visiting Australia Zoo. I only live just over an hour and a half away. It wouldn't have been an expensive, time-comsuming exercise. It's just, when the big guy was still with us, it was kinda tacky. Plus I was about 16 at the time, so going to the zoo was a bit naff. But in general, they're famous. They don't know everyone in the counrty, as that's pretty much impossible. So if you asked me if I knew them, I'd most likely have to say NO***. As far as embodying the stereotypes, the Irwins act like the Irwins. Paul Hogan acts like Mick Dundee. The rest of us act like normal people. If you want a pop culture reference to see how us Aussies live, try the classic movie: The Castle, or better yet, check out Natalie aka CommunityChannel on YouTube. Also, most of us do not speak in either the enthusiastic accent or the the broad, lazy drawl that goes hand in hand with the croc hunter/outback stereotype. We instead choose to speak like NORMAL people, because that's what we ARE.

-That our diet consists entirely of a cold beer and a shrimp on the barbie'

Wrong again. Most of us know how to eat a perfectly balanced diet that includes neither of these in compulsory daily consumption. Also, I'd like to point out here that no one in their right mind eats shrimp cooked on a barbeque. We eat charred sausages and steak, because those meats are cheap, and somehow are still edible even WITH a carbon coating. Seafood, however, is much more expensive. You don't contaminate expensive delicacies like shrimp by charring them on the hotplate of a gas-powered barbeque. It's like buying something specifically to ruin it. It's pointless, and wasteful, and believe it or not, us Aussies actually have a little bit more common sense than that. 

-That all Aussies live in the Outback, and are either Bushies, Drovers or Battlers.

Come on. That one's more than a century out of date. There's plenty of evidence to contradict this too, for example, the fact that about 99.9% of us live on the coast line; NOT in the outback. Also, I have internet access, as do many other Australians. If I lived in the outback, and was a Battler, that kind of implies not having the means to access the internet. None of you would know me, and I wouldn't know you. I may not even know my next door neighbours, because their property and my own would seperate the houses by at least 3km**. I'd look after the house and raise the kids single handedly, because Daddy is out droving cattle or shearing sheep.

Puh-lease. 

-That all Aussies must be great swimmers...

Because that's all we ever win at the Olympics, isn't it? Well, that and Diving***. Water-related sports in general. And, I will have to say, yes, that is all we seem to excell at consistently on the world stage. We scored a few extras nine years ago in Sydney, but home ground advantage played a HUGE roll in that one, as it does in every international sporting competition. We have swimmers in the finals of nearly every race in the swimming, but as far as Gymnastics, Athletics, Bicycling, team sports and ANYTHING to do with the Winter Olympics goes, we're practically non-existent. So we like the water. Maybe so for the few who reach international level, but NOT ALL OF US ARE AMAZINGLY FISHLIKE IN THE POOL. I like swimming, and can perform a basic stroke, but after a single lap, I feel almost as if drowning might have been an easier way to go. So yes, Australia (or more specifically, Queensland) breeds swimmers, but I was definitely not blessed in that area. Are all americans capable of swimming as fast as Michael Phelps? No. Same goes for us.

I think that's about all the misconceptions I can think of for now. The big ones, anyway. Not that you all think these things. I trust that you are all intelligent enough to know that none of these are true without me needing to clarify, but sometimes, I feel it needs to be said. This urge often arises at moments like when I hear an american actor attempting to speak in an Australian accent ~cringe~, or when I hear the phrase "throw another shrimp on the barbie". Damn 80's tourism campaign. I much prefer "So where the bloody hell are ya?". Much less detrimental to our reputation (ironically). 

It's way past my bedtime, so I'm going to leave it there. Hope you all have a wonderful day. I'm on a long weekend now, since my saturday shift was cancelled on account of ANZAC Day. Apparently everything is closed, and my eyes will be, too. First saturday morning sleep in in, like forever, HERE I COME!! Also expected: long long blog entries, and more ANSWERS!! YAY!

Ok, that's my cue to leave. Will read blogs SOOON (I feel kinda bad that i haven't read most of your BEDA stuff yet, but FEAR NOT. The long weekend is about to begin!)

GOOD NIGHT AND DON'T FORGET TO BE ZZZZzzzzzzz......

*but, no promises. This post is already late :S

**that's about 2.2 miles, for those of you still using the Imperial system... geez, get with the times. Metric is what it's all about these days. 

***Speaking of diving and knowing famous people, there is one that I CAN say I know. Matt Mitchum, the 10m Platform champion in Beijing went to my highschool, and was in my sister's grade. He was amazingy smart, but a complete rebel. So naturally, he and my sister and their friends hung out a lot. He came round to our place so much at one point that it became acceptable for him to enter through the back door, and he started addressing my mother as 'mum'. He also once gave my sister a lovebite. Not an actual genuine one, but an I'm-being-silly-at-school-and-feel-like-getting-you-into-trouble kind of one. They also cut each other's hair, and hung out in the city. You know that 'break from training' he said he went on? He clubbed. A lot. True story. I'd get you guys an autograph from him too, except that I haven't seen him since way before Beijing. But you can check, if you don't believe me. He's my friend on Facebook. :P

Day 22 - (Some of) Your questions answered

I have only an hour and fifteen minutes (approximately) to type and publish this entry... But first, to choose a QUESTION to answer in Blog form...

Thank you all for leaving your questions for me, I promise I will answer them all by the end of this month. Now THAT is a promise I can keep. :)

I'm going to try and do these answers as systematically and fairly as I can... That is, since some of you asked multiple questions, I'm going to answer one or two of these questions before moving along to the next person. I think that will be the most efficient way of keeping everyone happy. I will say now, keep the questions coming... I'm likely to continue this whole Blogging Every Day thing well into May.*

So, today's question comes from Sean/@livin4hymn:

PC or Mac?

I decided to answer this one first, because it seemed like the most straight-forward, and, well, it was the first one he asked, so I guess that's fair enough.

My response to this is: I use PC, but I much prefer Mac. I'm pretty much stuck with PC, but if I had the choice/the money, I'd definitely opt for the Mac. In fact, even though I'm yet to purchase a Mac** I'm a bit of a MacFangirl. I never owned an MP3player, only an iPod Mini (that's right... I had a Mini, NOT a nano. It lasted me a good 3 years too), and my current phone is the almighty iPhone. Also, I'm considering going back to uni next year to study Graphic Design, and as far as I am aware, the graphic design industry standard is Mac, so getting used to using one as early as possible will be preferable. 

Wow... I guess, in my eternal optimism, I was hoping to stretch that answer out a little further. This doesn't feel long enough yet... ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION!!

This one was from Frances, in reference to the mention of my ex best friend's mum having the same birthday as me. 

'Why "ex best friend's mum"? Did you fall out, or did they move away, perhaps?'

To answer this question effectively, I'm going to tell you a little*** story, so gather round children and listen up close:

My friend and I were friends for about 4 years in High school****. I met her in Grade 8 in our string ensemble, and we were really close by the start of Grade 9. From that point, we considered each other to be best friends. She was fun to hang around, full of random quirkyness that always made me lol quite literally. After a little while, she started to get depressed. I won't disclose what this was about, but she started being really emotional about a lot of things. It's still anyone's guess as to whether this was actual depression, or a desperate attempt at attention seeking. Anyway, I felt as her best friend, it was (at least partially) my responsibility to cheer her up. Also, throughout grade 10, she found other people to be friends with. They never really overtook me in the 'best friend' position, but sometimes she liked to talk to them and do stuff with them more than with me. In hindsite, I can see that my desperation to have a best friend (i'd never really had one before) may have resulted in some serious clingyness on my part, which would have made me seem really annoying. Anyway, I retained my seat, and kind of felt like I had to prove I deserved it, or something... actually, I'm not sure if that was behind it, but for SOME reason, I morphed into her puppet. I did everything she told me to do, because I needed her friendship. I became her underdog. This was fine for me while I was a whimpy little sheep (which many nerds tend to be as teens... this is often well before they learn to embrace their inner nerd) but as I started to mature, and develop my own, independant opinion, I found that she became more and more irritated with me. She had shown some signs of irritation whilst I was still in the sheep phase, which I figured was a given, but when I started to emerge from under her wing, she didn't drop the asides... in fact, they increased. I finally got to the point where I got sick of doing everything to please her, and started to do things that made me happier. This just seemed to make her angry. So she hated my clinginess, but she also hated my independance. This created a lot of tension between us. At one point, on a camp towards the end of Grade 11, my brother***** (whom she had been dating) dumped her, because she was being too clingy and depressed, and he was at his wits end. So, I spent the better half of that camp comforting her and offering an ear and a shoulder. Despite my dedication to our friendship at that point, the tension continued to build between us. There was lack of respect, jealousy, turbulent emotions, you name it. Everything known to mess up friendships was sitting in a massive blender, whirring around, inflicting its damage. The next camp (music camp, early Grade 12), everything spilled over, and (ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom) we had a falling out. This was really tough on me, because as Queen Bee, she managed to pursuade most of our group of friends to side against me******. Then, in my emotional turmoil of having been abandoned and told 'I hope you die' by the one person who I had considered to be my very best friend*******, I turned to my trusty MSN Space (hey, at the time, THAT was where it was at. EVERYONE had a space) and let loose. I ended up losing a few more friends that way, but again, in hindsite, wisdom and maturity has shown me that these people weren't really my friends anyway. This controversy between us brought all the truth bubbling to the surface, not just in us, but in the people spectating, and those caught in the middle. The rest of the year was like treading on eggshells. At the Formal******** which I attended with my boyfriend at the time, while every other girl was complimenting me on my dress, the only thing she had to say to me was that my sister had missed a few strands of hair when she ran the die through the night before. Throughout the rest of the year, we just drifted further and further apart. We congratulated eachother on speech night for our respective awards, and I attended (with a group of friends) her graduation party. Since then I've really only seen her a few times. Once, in the year after High School, we met up in the city, and I told her I was sorry for my contribution to our falling out. I never got her reply, but I don't think I need it any more. The next time was at My 18th party, which I invited her to out of politeness. She ended up trying to pair me up with one of my best friends from church. Needless to say, he was not impressed. Neither was I. The next time I saw her was at her 18th, about a month later. A very different environment this time, this was the group of friends who I had left behind after the Falling Out. They were all intent of drinking themselves blind, and I was not. I was not alone in this boat, and so a few of us left the party for about half an hour and got Hungry Jacks; not so much because we were hungry, but because it was infinitely less boring. Anyway, since then, I've seen her maybe once or twice in passing. She's still exactly the same. I haven't noticed any significant changes since High School. I look at myself now, and see huge changes. I've never had a best friend since, but I kind of don't feel the need for one. I still have friends. Different ones to High School, but friends all the same. I have a strong opinion about a great many things. I have learned to embrace who I am, and to resist the pressure to change me to suit other people. And I've learned that being unpopular is actually more fun. So, was it a positive experience? Not really, no. I wouldn't say that. But was it worth it? Yeah, I'd say so. I'd like to say that if I had to do it again, I'd do it the same, but I don't think I would. If I had the priviledge of keeping the wisdom gained through this experience when I warped back in time to repeat the shaping years of my life, I would do the whole thing SO MUCH BETTER. I would have fun, not sweat the small stuff, foster friendships with better people and embrace my nerdiness. 

OOOOk, I SWEAR that is all I have to say. MAN it feels good to get it out. 

I hope that wasn't too many asterisk points for you. I'll try not to do a repeat performance. 

And it is now 12:30am, and I was supposed to post this a little sooner, but I really don't care. I mean, wasn't it worth the wait?

Don't forget to keep the questions coming, and DON'T FORGET TO BE AWESOME!!!!

<3

*1) because getting back into the swing of things makes me want to stay in the swing of things and 2) because I still feel guilty for missing so many days of what could be the largest collaborative blogging project the internet has ever seen... and to think this is going to grow more and more each year. I have no basis for this claim, other than I have no evidence against it. After all, it could still be true... I just don't know for sure. 

** It's one of my goals this year to save up and buy a Macbook... I'm putting all of my KRudd money towards it. I have a friend who owns the new MacBook, the one that's all environmentally friendly... that's the one I want. 

***What I mean by little, of course, is an epic tale to rival the Lord Of The Rings trilogy...INCLUDING the Hobbit.

**** High school in Australia, or at least Queensland, goes from Grade 8 to Grade 12, so this friendship lasted a good 80% portion of this period in my life. Primary runs from Prep (which used to be preschool) to Grade 7, and we don't have a Middle School.

*****yes, my twin brother. The very same.

****** Even after publicly stating that she didn't want to split the group. I know now that this was her-speak for 'I don't want anyone to side with YOU' 

*******Just to rub some salt into that wound, the night before she made THAT statement, she wanted to know who I had a crush on. I was hesitant to tell her, and she pursuaded me with the classic "You can tell me anything... we're best friends". I promise you, every word of it is true.

********That's our version of the Prom... Our school only gives one a year, and only for Seniors. Usually (but not always) they are a closed event, so only enrolled students may attend.