Punishment Week 2 - Day 5

Just a quick note to say i just stayed up all night to finish paper towns (which was AWESOME) and do other stuff, and I may not get time to write anything interesting later as i am expecting to crash the moment I get home. So if the expected does not occur, I will delete this and write something worth reading. 

Punishment Week 2 - Day 4

I think I had planned to write about something today, but I had a nanna-nap just before, and my brain is too tired to remember what that thing was. Today passed fairly quickly, and I didn't get very much done. I read Paper Towns for about an hour after I woke up. Then I proceeded to check everything on my computer, before getting bored and giving up. I should mention that this is the longest I have gone withut writing a diary entry since I sarted in January. I was getting quite sick of journaling and I kept putting it off, so I decided to give myself a break. I know the idea is to leave no gaps, but the entries were becoming less and less amusing and more and more drivel by the day. I needed a break so I could refresh and recharge. I'm going to start writing again tomorrow. 

My apologies for the uncharacteristically short entry, but it's time to go eat cake. 

Ta ta

O Hai!

**If you haven't yet, read the previous blogpost first, then come back to this one. KTHXBI**

It's me, back again as promised. Did you miss me?

So I spoke about the day that was in the last post, but in this one I want to discuss the mystery that is the future... and my plans for it.

So, lately I've been drifting a little bit in relation to my plans for the future. While I am still certain that quitting university was definitely the right move, I haven't been able to figure out what to do instead. I've come up with things to say when people ask my intentions, like "oh, I'm thinking about working in Jewellery" (which would be a nice occupation, but I don't see myself doing it seriously for the rest of my life) but as yet, nothing has really grabbed me. I have a lot of things I want to do and achieve, etc. but precious few of them will potentially put food on the table. I've made a list of these things. I sort of don't care that some will really not mean much in the long term. I don't think I should be restricting myself to life's boring prescription of what people expect one to do with one's life. So here it is. My List-Of-Things-I-Want-To-Do-With-My-Life*:

• Put blue streaks in my hair (not just blue tint - like full on electric blue)
• Find a place of employment that will hire me without telling me to get rid of my blue streaks
• Get out of debt
• Become famous on YouTube (my channel is here) *hinthint*
• Travel around the world to meet friends from YT
• Write a novel in November (for National Novel Writing Month a.k.a NaNoWriMo)
• Turn my novel into a Graphic Novel series
• Get both versions published
• Become accomplished at both Drawing and Watercolour
• Get my A.Mus on Violin
• Write and record songs with meaning
• Release my own solo album
• Collaborate musically with my family
• Have my own pet guinea pig or 2
• Own my own House and Car
• Deck out my whole house with furnishings from IKEA
• Put it all together myself
• Design my own pieces of jewellery
• Afford quality findings for my jewellery
• Design, make and sell 1" badges
• Get a wardrobe that actually suits me
• Read 50 books in a year... EVERY year
• Fill my passport with stamps 
• Get back into dancing and rollerblading
• Get my artwork published in Artist Palette Magazine
• See all my good video ideas become reality
• Get a macbook to make it happen
• Finish all my unfinished projects lying around
• A double bed all to myself (until I get married... THEN I'm ok with sharing)
• Marry the man God made for me
• Live in another country for a while
• Have perfect teeth again
• Write a diary entry. Every. Single. Day.
• Get my drivers license
• Learn HTML
• Build my own websites
• Declutter my room...and my life
• Touch people in ways I can't even imagine
• Find the path set out for me and follow it
• Truthfully say I know what it feels like to be in love

If you were keeping count, that's 40 things. I think that's enough to keep be busy for a while. Let me know in the comments if you have any goals for your life (you don't have to put them all if you don't want) 

*This list is not finite, nor is everything guaranteed to happen. I'm going to do my best, though. Also, I am confident that with my current skills and abilities I can make each of these things happen. I will likely gain more abilities and confidence in the future allowing me to reach higher goals. Hence this list is likely to change/grow/edit, etc. 

Ok, that's definitely enough from me for one night. I'm going to bed. 

I'll be back again tomorrow. You can count on it.

Punishment Week 2 - Day 3

I'm so tired but i have to write this. Being Thursday again, and fearing having nothing to write about again, I made a list of things to write about. I promise this week's list is a step up from last weeks list. 

Firstly, it is my sister's birthday tomorrow. She's 22. Everyone wish her a happy birthday. I have nothing to give her yet, since I'm waiting for payday to arrive, and i haven't had the time or energy to put into making something cool for her. It'll have to wait. I'm sure she won't die in the meantime.

So, here 'tis. Today in a nutshell.

I went up to work at around 12, even though I didn't start till 1, because the bus i take only comes by hourly, and the next one would be too late. So I spent this hour wandering around the shopping centre trying to find something to do. This was when I found myself wandering into Borders to check if Paper Towns had finally arrived. I checked on Saturday, and they mentioned that it was on the way, but the lady said "check back in a week". I waited 5 days... and it turns out my timing was spot on. I asked about it and the lady (different lady today) checked for me and found it!!! I was so freaking excited about it. I read the prologue before I went into work. When I got out to the tearoom, one of my co-workers said "oh, but you don't start till 4". I checked the roster, and surely enough, after months of working the 1-9 thursday shift, my hours had changed without notice. Bad, because it caught me by surprise and now also means I have less money next week on payday. Good, because it allowed me to reach chapter 8 in Paper Towns. Oh, also, I should mention that my copy is the one with the awesome Australian cover. It's not Happy Margo, nor is it Sad Margo... more like Emo Margo. In any case, I think it's completely awesome. 

But yeah. So disappointed by the unexpectedly shortened workday, but it got better with the world's most awesome book to read. Kind of balanced things out a little. 

I'd say goodbye, but i'm about to type another entry for today. Since this was just a punishment blog, it is now time for the OE3D blog. So you'll be able to read more of me in just a bit :) Yay.

Seeya soon!!

Punishment Week 2 - Day 2

Whilst trying to think of something compelling to write about, the thought of discussing the upcoming state election entered my mind. Thankfully, it exited shortly after. Politics does not belong on this blog. EVER. 

I do have one exciting piece of news to share. 

Lately, my playlist has consisted of three artists: Lily Allen, Sara Bareilles and Kate Miller-Heidke. One from London, England. One from Northern California. One from my hometown Brisbane. I absolutely adore all of their music and have pretty much been listening to their stuff non-stop. 

Then, after my sister got home from her singing lesson, she informed me that she saw a massive KM-H poster on her teacher's wall, and voiced her suspicions that Kate might possibly have learned off the same teacher (who I learned off too, by the way, for the first three years of high school). My other sister then chimed in with "Duh, she taught her for like, seven years".

At this point I flipped out. My old singing teacher taught one of my favourite artists of all time! It makes sense, now that that particular puzzle piece is in place, but I'm still really excited about it. 

If you follow me on twitter or dailybooth, you will probably know this already. 

This just in: My sister is moving back home. She'll be sleeping in my bedroom, so that may take away from privacy time... just a little. Part of me is looking forward to seeing how things will go, and part of me is wishing I didn't have to find out. Being an introverted homebody makes sharing personal space difficult, and since that description fits both of us, you can understand my mixed feelings towards the situation. 

That's all the news for now. I guarantee that I will be back tomorrow with more compelling tales from my corner of the world. 

Until we meet again...

Punishment Week 2 - Day 1

So here it is. As promised. My review of "Road to Paradise" by Paullina Simons. It was a long read. Very thick and detail-heavy. The story was intriguing. Probably because it layed out all the problems and dilemmas of the three main characters and detailed their expectations for the future, establishing a desired resolution that the reader then comes to expect. So it threw me off a bit when I reached the end because I wasn't sure if I was really ready for what eventuated. 

The prologue describes a scene which actually eventuates towards the end of the book. It doesn't reveal everything (obviously, if it did there would have been no point in reading on) just enough to keep you guessing like a madman. Paullina does this deliberately, I think, to help you draw the wrong conclusion and throw you off the scent. Which is why the end feels like a hairpin bend taken as fast as the yellow '66 shelby mustang at 137.6 m/h. I think though, that is the mark of a really good book. Immediately after finishing, I felt I had almost been cheated of the ending I was expecting, but after a few days to let it sink in, I really feel like it's up there with some of the best books I've ever read. Why? Because it has stayed with me. I had to keep thinking about it to process it, let the ending sink in. Let's face it; it's not Twilight, it's not the insanely page-turningly compulsive Da Vinci Code. It's not even the easy-to-read Harry Potter. But it is really good. Granted I had to sit myself down for a few good hours to make myself finish it, but it was worth every second. It really didn't have any happily-ever-after, but I like that it kept so much closer to reality. Every bit of it might actually have happened. It's believeable. A little out of the ordinary, but believeable. 

Being raised in a Christian home, I was familiar with the ongoing debate between Gina and Candy. I've had it myself many times with high school friends... only i'm sure Candy had a better understanding than i did... do... :)

There is only one slightly negative thing i have to say about it, and that is the style of writing that Paullina uses didn't seem to match the plot. The action parts didn't feel urgent or fast enough to really create the excitement or movement that they demand. Maybe it was just the speed at which i was reading... sometimes I read, and subconsciously skim and skip over bits that may or may not be pivotal to the storyline. So that little dilemma could be purely my fault, in which case, this book is actually the perfect book. 

Addressing the issues of growing up, finding the you that you didn't even know that you were or could be (or something... don't worry if that confused you... i'm a little confused myself) and learning to accept others the way they are and not judge by exteriors, this book is pretty much THE ultimate coming of age story. 

I rate it 4 1/2 stars. 

I may eventually read it again, just to see what else I can pick up on... but maybe not for a while, since i'm already behind on the 50 Books In A Year goal. Right now, though, time to get reading the next book. Probably Non-fiction this time. I'll let you all know.

Oh and if you're interested, Paullina Simons has a new blog, which can be found here. 

Until Tomorrow,

I bid you farewell!

Yes, yes, i know.

I have looked at the time... and i realise it is after midnight here. Meaning... time for another punishment week. And they all cheered... WOOOHOOOO... myesss. 

I do have a valid excuse for my excessively late entry. That is, I edited and uploaded my next video today. Not just any video though... my milo video. The original video file went for 19 minutes. The final cut is 4:37. Wanna watch? you can find it here. But yeah. I am utterly exhausted, because the program i use to edit it has to reload the visual data every time i make a cut, which slows down the process dramatically. There must be an easier way.

Anyway, that wasn't the subject of today. I was going to write a book review for 'Road to Paradise' which i don't know if i have the energy for now. If you were looking forward to it, i'm sorry and i PROMISE it for tomorrow's entry. I do have a full week of entries to fill, so i'm not about to suck myself dry of material in a single entry. Plus, that video already took a lot out of me. I hope you guys enjoy it by the way. I'm still an amateur btw at this whole vlogging thing. I have a grand total of 4 uploaded videos so far. I'm pretty sure i'll eventually start to improve with time. But yeah. At the moment, not really pro. You're all welcome to come watch me grow, though :). I'd like that.

Signing off.

Goodniiiiiiiight. a ding ding ding ding ding ding ding... 

Well...

I had nothing better to do so i opened blogger and clicked on New Post to keep myself occupied. Gee, that worked well.

*EDIT* - 20 minutes later...

But seriously... I've been editing a 20 minute instructional/rant video i filmed a couple of weeks ago, trying to cut out loads of crap and such. I haven't even finished the first minute worth of editing, but tomorrow, I plan to take up residence at the local library and just sit and edit. Then i will travel to the internet cafe and upload it. I have no idea how long it will take. It's just been really irritating me having a whole heap of clips and rants that i have filmed and done little else with. I will seriously spend the whole day at it if I have to. I just can't tolerate my own lazyness anymore. Also want to commence a comprehensive plan/play by play of my NaNoWriMo. Also, O.E.3.D* blogpost is tomorrow. So i'll be posting. I finished the next book on my list so it will probably be the topic of discussion. If you follow me on DailyBooth you will know which book that is already. If you have dailybooth (which you should, it's awesome AND addictive) you can follow me if you wish (go on. You totally should. You know you want to.......pwease?) 

Ok, time to stop methinks... at least, i hear that's the logical thing to do when you run out of things to talk about...

Meh, sick of this now anyway. See you all again tomorrow? (in a manner of speaking)

*Once every 3 days

So I guess it's time to blog again.

I really haven't put much effort into my blog at all since my punishment week finished up. I stopped for one day (monday) and on Tuesday I found that skipping a day had cost me the ability to just write about whatever pleases itself to enter my head. I'm still finding it hard to write now. Is this even interesting to any of you? Please tell me if it is. 

So, in an effort to battle this minor case of Bloggers Block (why yes, I did just make that up), I made a short list of things about which to blog while I was bored at work yesterday. So, today's blog comes in 5 Parts:

Part 1: Work was Boring. 

That's right. This was the first thing on my list, since it was the only thing I could think about. Thursday Nights, being the one night of the week that the shops stay open late here, usually seem quite busy. Admittedly, this is only because of concentrated levels of highschool-aged children who do little else but hang around and cause trouble for patrolling authorities. Last night saw a dramatic dip in these numbers, for no other reason than there was a massive freak storm that came out of nowhere, drenched the people who were caught out in it and kept the rest of the people who might have come out to shop at home. I know this is summer here and summer = storm season, but this one was literally unforeseen. Another point of interest about this particular storm, was it's unique quality to reveal flaws of the shopping centre food court near which I work. Translation:  the roof was leaking near McDonalds and the neighbouring italian self-serve. It was sort of like a wall of water between the two restaurants :-/ . Or so I was told. I didn't actually see it for myself, but the story was compelling enough to keep my mind off the lack of interest at work. For about 4 seconds, anyway. 

Part 2: German Sunscreen

Odd. I know. Also while at work, I was informed by a visiting tourist looking for sunscreen that in Germany, they have sunscreen at 60+. What? Since when do they actually need 60+ sunscreen in Germany, while in Australia we only have up to 30+? I actually don't get that. Seriously. Queensland is the state with the highest rate for skin cancer IN THE WORLD. Why would they invent 60+ sunscreen and keep it a secret from us? That is Humanity at its stupidest. If you invent a sunscreen with protection that high, why wouldn't you market it to the people who need it the most? Dumb, dumb, dumb. Ok, that's about all i have to say on that topic.

Part 3: I don't understand.

I hate not understanding people. Whether they insist on speaking in another language, the only english words in their vocabulary being "no" and "english"; or if they hide their fluent english behind a really strong accent, or even if they just try to talk with their mouth stuffed full of food, I hate not getting what they're getting at. I hate being forced to ask them to repeat themselves over and over again... and then when i reply to their question, they don't understand. Not knowing frustrates me to no end. [end rant]

Part 4: Jellybeans.

If you follow me on twitter (which you totally should by the way) then you'll know that I bought a packet of Jellybeans last night to enjoy on my busride home. I hate black jellybeans so I always try to find a packet with no blacks in it. This isn't always possible (as it wasn't last night) so usually I have to settle with the packet containing the least amount of blacks as possible. Last night the lowest was 1. 

...I have no idea why i thought that that would be remotely interesting, but it was on my list. There you go.

Part 5: Pictures of stuff

I have been working on and finishing up some more projects which I will post pictures of soon. If you'd like to see what is up so far, you can see it here. Enjoy :)

Ok, that's everything I had on my list. I hope you found this insight into the shite that floats through my head whilst working amusing in some way. Until next time.

BYE

I was going to do a blog post...

But I'd rather wait until I actually have something worthwhile to post about. This covers my compulsory once-every-three-days blog post... But I promise to get some sleep and actually think about what I really want to use this space I have here for. 

I suppose I'll post again soon.

A Response

One of my followers (of which there are only 2 at this stage...) asked me 2 questions regarding my blogpost about my new Flickr photos. I only just noticed this comment TODAY (sorry for taking so long to answer, Theresa!) and so here are my responses to her questions. (Brace yourselves, these are a little long-winded)

1. Which one is your ultimate favorite? - Why? and was it one of the easier or harder ones to do? 

This was a really difficult question to answer, because choosing a favourite artwork is like choosing a favourite child... Because my works span across several different genres/mediums (or media? i don't know) and also since they were done over several years, it's hard to choose just one. If you were to ask "What's your favourite watercolour?" or "...jewellery item?" or "...drawing?" etc. that might be a little easier to answer. In general though, i tend to like the artworks that i do on the spur of the moment a little better than the planned ones. Like, the assessment pieces I did for uni won't be as high up as the works I did when I got a little bored at home. Like you saw with the drawing of the man's head, that was completely spur of the moment. I feel that work is a little more superior than the life drawings and the acrylic paintings, simply because I wasn't doing it for anyone else, I was doing it for me. (Not that i'm singling out this work in particular as my Favourite). I'd say i love them all, but I don't really. But i can't single any out either. It's a hard thing to do. Also, when I'm working on new stuff, I don't want to rest on my laurels... It kind of stunts the creative process. 

2. Which one was the hardest for you? Both conception and actual artistry?

In terms of actual artistry, the hardest work was probably the gold and black necklace, simply because of the sheer fiddliness of putting it together. While I had the pattern in my head, I was still figuring out the best method of construction in my head as I went, so if I did it again, knowing what I've learnt from making it the first time, it will turn out a lot better since I will have some idea of what to do. Conceptually, while not exactly the hardest but the longest, was Happy Place: Pixelated. Since the whole exercise was about process and development and seeing where these things can take you, this one ended up with an incredibly long process. There are more works from this concept strand which I have yet to upload, which were done more as studies of my area. The rest of my works, with their high levels of spontenaeity, lack solid concepts. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing... Sometimes forcing concept into art is detrimental to the outcome. Art should never be forced. 

Ok, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed, and please don't hesitate to post more comments/questions regarding this topic. Or any topic for that matter. I like questions! I promise more long winded responses to the best questions. :D And a cookie :P

Right. That's enough from me. Now to hear from you <3

Schmalentines Day

...The worst holiday of the year, more commonly referred to as Valentines Day. A day of celebration for couples, and a day to stay at home depressed and pretending you don't care for singles. 

Seriously, I hate Valentines Day. I suppose it would be more fun if I actually had a valentine to share it with (but then i'd be out eating a romantic candlelit dinner right now, instead of writing this) but I, in my nearly twenty years of existence on this planet we call home have NEVER had a valentine. I've had the odd boyfriend, but they were VERY few and far between, and not surprisingly never in conjunction with Valentines day. So no, I've never gotten a rose, or a card or a box of chocolates or a balloon or teddybear or anything really, to make today special. 

I was at work all day, so I thought this would be a decent distraction to take my mind off all this nonsense that goes on... but no. No solace for me. All day, chocolates and bunches of roses and teddies and balloons paraded past. It's not that I blame them. If I were in their position, I'd do the same. But everytime I saw another expression of love float past, it stung a little bit inside. Like the barbed wire I put up around my heart to keep people out just tightened a little bit more. 

I don't blame them, though, like i said. What I do blame is my unfortunate case of Abused Puppy Syndrome. I spend a great deal of time protecting myself, hiding from any sign of a risk that i might possibly be hurt, and then the moment someone does something nice, I gush like crazy and fall head over heels...possibly into love... i don't really know for sure. All I know is, the next thing, I'm constantly thinking about them, but i'm paralysed. I can't make the next step. I want it so bad, but I'm scared to death. Problem is, this is where I get stuck. Right here on the fence. Let me tell you, it is the most difficult place to be. Then, the side of my mind controlling logic kicks in again, and talks me out of moving forward altogether. It's better that way, it says. You'll be safe. So while a small part of me pulls forward, most of me is either frozen or pulling back, and hence, I never know what might have been. 

Then, my logical side spends days talking my heart into believing that I didn't want it anyway. It would have ruined what was already there. And eventually, my heart begins to believe it. My heart's voice is weak now. Like when you ignore a puppy's barking, eventually it will quiet down. But no matter how quiet and inconspicuous the heart tries to make itself, the pain and longing is still very real. And no matter how hard you try to forget it, something will always remind you of the pain you try so hard to numb. A romantic movie, a novel, a song on the radio, a couple walking past holding hands... and worst of all, Valentines Day. 

Thankfully, by my twentieth Valentines Day, I'm well enough practiced at hiding the wounds that try to reopen whenever this happens. A brave face hides my heavy heart and a lighthearted laugh cloaks my wounds, slowly growing larger, deeper, more permanent. No one is ever the wiser. They weren't this year either. Like usual, I pretended that a partner was the exact opposite of what I wanted right now. A happy, young, single girl with her whole life ahead of her. Who needs boys? That was my mantra. My defence. 

Not that there was a lack of offers. It's just, they always tended to be the same kind as me - abused little puppies looking for someone to love them... my equals, I suppose. Not that that's what I want to think. Something inside me tells me I'm waiting for a little more than what they might behold for me. But, with APS, an unfortunate side effect is the complete inability to inform the hopeless puppies that I have no interest in pursuing...well, anything with them. For example, there was a hopeless case of a man who came in to bother me at work today. He struck up a conversation with me, and asked if I had a valentine today. Carelessly, I informed him of my lack of significant other to share the celebration with. I predicted his response before it even left his mouth. A pretty girl like yourself alone on Valentines Day? That's a crying shame. My witty response, planned well before he'd finished with his little gem; Not every pretty girl needs a pretty boy on Valentines day. I was proud of myself at the time, but now I just want to slap myself for being so lame. Good on you Lucy. You're just so darn clever. 

So... what's a girl to do?

Bonus. Just for you guys.

Well, it's friday night. And i am bored. 8:30 and nothing to do. Other than fetch food to satisfy my greedy stomach. Seriously, i just ate. And i'm hungry again. 

Also, i've switched over from Internet Explorer to Google Chrome. I actually downloaded the beta for it when it was released, but i tried it and didn't like it then, because it wouldn't let me use my touchpad to scroll up, and that irritated me. So I stayed with IE for a while, and only yesterday i started using Chrome again, and now it scrolls. So that's all better. I still don't understand why it wasn't working before and why it is now... all i know is that it is. Odd, huh? Oh well. So yay, new browser. I can see more of the page which is good. I couldn't before with IE... the toolbars seemed to take up half the page. Which is rather annoying. 

Since this is not my actual blogging day, and i have nothing in particular to discuss, i'll keep this short. I'm just doing it to keep myself busy... because i have nothing else to do and this is the best i can do to stave off boredom. 

I'm going to try and get to bed earlier than usual. By about 6 hours. That's if i don't sit up reading. Time to stop i think. 

More tomorrow.

Punishment Week - Day 7

Yay... last day of punishment week. I won't lie - this has been quite an effort to blog daily AND keep up with my once every three days blogging too... However i have learnt my lesson now - always wake up earlier on thursdays, and get the blogging out of the way before work - then you won't fall into the trap of forgetting after getting home. [you? ok, so i'm talking to myself in the second person... kind of odd i know]

Aahh. just made a fun discovery. The needle from last nights experience is STILL SORE. Funny (not funny haha, funny weird) since i never feel it the day after. Usually once the numbness goes, it's gone, and that's that. But no. This one has chosen to linger and haunt, just for the sake of reminding me of the intense irritation I feel towards my dentist. Grrrr.

Haven't really given today's entry much thought... And since i have to rush off to work very soon, i'm going to have to cut it nice and short. 

However, since i'm not working tomorrow, even though my update is not scheduled, i may still update... If i get bored and find something to write about. 

Till Tomorrow, or the next day,

Bye Guys

Back from the other side

Soooo. I'm back from the dentist. The left side of my face is sufficiently numb, giving me an attractive lop-sided smile. LOL if only it actually was. :P

I'm actually really hungry but can't eat for the next 3 hours till my cheek is no longer paralysed.
Also, if you've ever been to the dentist (for the purpose of this entry i will assume you have) you're probably familiar with the numb sensation I am currently experiencing. If so, you're probably also familiar with the urge to rub/poke/pinch/generally otherwise hurt the numbed area. It's a bit of a novelty being able to hurt yourself without hurting yourself. I was rubbing my cheek in the surgery after he was done tweaking, and he said "No, don't rub it, just wait till it wears off." ... WTF? Why? i'm actually not going to do my cheek any damage (i didn't really do those things listed above to myself... but i was tempted to) so what's the big deal? It's not like it will make it wear off any quicker. It just isn't the most pleasant sensation in the world (novelty or otherwise).
Also, while other dentists say "Softdrink is ok only once in a while, as long as you drink water or chew gum afterwards", his mantra is "NO SOFTDRINK EVER!!!!! >:@" Same goes for lollies and fruit juice apparantly.

This is another little thing that really frustrates me. Most of the stuff your body needs every day is too acidic for your teeth. And most of the stuff that isn't harmful to your teeth is no good for your body. The two are in constant conflict with eachother. I think I'll just become a pill popper (by which i mean supplement corrosive foods for vitamin tablets). That way, my body benefits and my teeth don't DIE.

I'm so over teeth. My teeth anyway. Other people all seem to have pretty nice teeth. I suppose their genes didn't leave them predisposed to dental complications like mine did. They also probably had money to pay for dental treatment. I remember feeling terrible after a check-up once because I felt guilty that my dentist visit had cost Mum money. I shouldn't feel guilty about needing basic dental care, but that's how i felt. So, all through highschool, through my softdrink phase (which I refuse to call an addiction, because I wasn't addicted, I was just a sheep... Everyone else was doing it too... and now softdrink is worse than illicit drugs) I didn't go to the dentist. Partially a good thing, since the dentist we were with at the time wasn't really worth what we were paying him. Anyway... A mix of these things and lack of a decent education in dental hygiene have left me with a mouthful of dodgy teeth...

I can see me now at age 80 with a full set of dentures. If my teeth are already bailing on me, there won't be any left by then.

I really feel much better after ranting a little about this... Hope it wasn't too boring to read. I won't hate you for getting bored and not finishing reading it... i probably wouldn't finish reading it either. (Congrats if you did read this far - you're a real trooper)


Let me know in the comments - Your worst dental experience. I'd love to hear about it - let's share our pain. After all, sharing is caring.

Kk. I'm off like a bucket of prawns in the sun.

Buy guys

Punishment Week - Day 6

I remember saying last night what i would be blogging about today.......

OH YEEAH... The Manga series i bought yesterday... "Priceless"

There are three books in this mini saga, aimed at 13+ year olds. I've read the first one and half the second one. The plotline, as with most manga, is a little weak, partially because it's aimed at a younger audience, partially because I kind of rushed through it, and probably missed a lot since important details are often hidden in the pictures. The artwork is fascinating though, at least for me. The characters vary in style of drawing... one frame they are drawn with delicate attention to detail, and the next they are draw with complete simplicity. (I can't remember the name they use for that really child-like manga style). It was really great though. I'm going to have to read it through again though, since i did kind of rush though it.
On the plus side, i can count these as books on my reading list. Because I like to cheat... a little bit. Ah well, if Beedle The Bard counted, so do these.

Also, shoutout to Dave, aka http://osubrit.blogspot.com. Dave is a rather amiable pohm (even though he probably enjoys being called a pohm as much as i enjoy being called a colonial :P sorry dave, i couldn't resist) whom i know from youtube collaboration Nerdfightastic, and also on twitter. Thanks for the kudos, Dave. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing how it goes.

I kind of feel like i should start making more videos now... i have a grand total of 2 videos, yet 9 people have subbed to me. This kind of excites me, but now i feel compelled to make more videos to keep the vast masses *cough* entertained and informed. i don't mind this at all, and i probably will post more. I just have to get around to editing a few of them - add music and such. I'm going to challenge myself to do a whole heap of video responses and tag games and stuff. I'm going to set the goal of 100 videos by Gold Coast Gathering in June. I think that is doable. I might get a little annoying though. If I achieve this goal, I will buy myself a Macbook. So at least there i've got motivation. Yay! :)

Will post again later today - Dentist this afternoon D: ~dreads~

~tries to think of typically aussie signoff, and epic fails~

Bye guys

I JUST MADE IT... or PUNISHMENT WEEK - DAY 5

So i opened this page to post at exactly 11:59 pm, so i'm going to say that this one isn't late... so no further punishment... but i really should work on being a little more punctual with my entries. I'm about to fall asleep so i'll make this a quick one.

So i didn't get to see Revolutionary Road today like planned... started at eleven, but i woke up at 11:40, plus mum was out so that didn't happen. Might next week though. I hope it's good.

Ugh my nose is dripping like a tap. I really need to get to bed and just recover. Oh great... now i'm sneezing too. It's REALLY time for bed.

Tomorrow is scheduled blogging day, plus punishment blog... So i will fill in on the happenings of today then... I might also review the manga series i just bought called "Priceless". Have read the first book... but you'll just have to wait till tomorrow for the review.

Goodnight beloved blogreaders. I'll write again if this cold doesn't kill me first.

Punishment Week - Day 4

I had a pretty awesome day today. Busy, but awesome. I had an early (well, relatively early) start, with my annual orthodontic checkup. My teeth weren't in the best shape, so i wasn't sure about how it was going to go. You can imagine my surprise when i was barely there for ten minutes. The doctor was even glad to see me. The early start was an advantage for my day though. Without it, i likely would have slept till 12 and done nothing with the rest of my day. Because i was already up and about, i managed to squeeze a lot more into my day. I went on to an art store in West End and stocked up on watercolour and acrylic supplies, then I figured since I was in the area, I should visit the big Queensland art galleries. So I did. It was the best time I have had at an art gallery in a loooooong time. I think it might have been because I didn't feel like I was under pressure to write up a report for uni. I was relaxed and I actually enjoyed myself. So, i checked out the current exhibition at GoMA [Optimism], and explored QAG as well, although as they are currently preparing for the new exhibition in march or may (can't remember) most of the gallery was inaccessible, so there wasn't much to see.
I did get a few moments today where I saw works by artists I have studied, and I felt genuinely starstruck. I was practically fangirling when I saw works by Patricia Piccinini and Albert Namatjira. It's one thing to see pictures of their works in books or online - it's another thing altogether to see it in real life.
All in all a good day. Then i went home to cook in the sticky humidity and 30 plus degree heat. Still sweltering here... but i have to say i still think I got it very lucky. Just want to say that Victorian Buushfires Toll is now up to 130... they are saying the final count will possibly double. It's terrifying.
All i can say is after watching bulletin after bulletin, i just feel incredibly lucky and grateful to not have lost anything.

Yeah, i think that is about all i had to say...
And i realise that by the time i hit "publish" it will be after midnight... but that's ok, because most of this was written before midnight, so no further punishment says me.

i think it's past my bedtime.

Goodnight

Oh HAAAY

I just realised that since the punishment blogs were EXTRA, today is still my scheduled blogging day, and so i must post again. This time i will talk about the Victorian Bushfires.

I am actually scared to turn the TV on now, because every time I do, the death toll has risen by another 5 or 10. The news paper printed this morning said death toll was at 14... now it's over 80... but i don't know the exact number, and i'm not sure i want to find out either.

I haven't been personally hit by the tragedy, but for some reason it's really upsetting me. I don't know what it is. I hate to say this because it makes me sound coldhearted, but I don't usually get upset by the tragedies on the news. Earthquakes, Tsunamis, i didn't really get upset...which i originally put down to not having any emotional connection to people affected... But this... even though the death toll is astronomically lower....(disclaimer: I realise that when it comes to death, quantity is nothing... death is still bad, no matter what the body count) for some reason i keep feeling like crying. Even though, like i said, i don't have any connection to people who lost lives, loved ones or belongings... Is it because this time the tragedy hit our country? Or maybe because only a month ago, I was down in Melbourne myself... before the scorching heatwave, and the deadly inferno that still rages down there now... Perhaps it was because once we came so close to having our house eaten by fire too... Wow... feeling this way now almost makes me feel guilty for not having felt this way before for other tragedies... aagh catch 22.

The worst part of it all: some of the fires have been confirmed to be deliberately lit.

The other major catastrophic event happening in Australia now is the flooding up in northern Queensland, caused by Cyclone Ellie (i think that's what they named this one). So while Victoria is burning up, North Qld from Weipa to Townsville is being swept away. The really unnerving thing is that I live in Brisbane... sandwiched between 2 disasters. And yet our weather is fabulous. Clear blue skys we had today... no excessive winds, just perfect weather. I know we've been so blessed... but i have to wonder, is this the calm before the storm? Is Brisbane next? I know we did have a few horrific storms a few months ago, flooding and such... but is there something worse on the way? I have already heard that there might be some fires in NSW too...

Dear God... when will this end?

Punishment Week - Day 3

So, i've been working on a portfolio of all the crazy stuff i create in my free time. As yesterday's post indicated, i did quit art school. (Am still glad of this decision - didn't see it taking my life anywhere.) I still enjoy making arty things though... and i do this regularly.

What I have been meaning to do for a while is set up an online portfolio. Just of stuff i've done... and i've started... i opened a Flickr account and i've posted a few works on my photostream. Feel free to have a look and comment and such*.

I still have a whole heap more to upload, and i will upload as much as i can (that is as much as my monthly limit will allow).

Hope you like it!! :)

*I appreciate constructive criticism, as well as praise. If you just wanna be a hater, please take your word vomit elsewhere

Here is a taster for you:

Punishment Week - Day 2

So I was going to review Twilight the movie today, but decided against it, since about everyone who is going to see it, has seen it, and it's nearly out of cinemas anyway, so i figure that it might be just a little pointless.

Instead, I will talk about art. I was studying art at uni last year (did i mention that i dropped out? well, there you go) and one of the principles they teach is that you have to know what people before you have done, so 1) you don't inadvertantly create something you thought was original, when in fact it has already been done and 2) you can use their work as inspiration for your own. This has been taught to the extent that now, it is widely accepted that everything has already been done. There is no originality left in the world, because people in decades and centuries before us have already done it all. The only thing that Art is good for, then, is making statements, political; environmental; social or otherwise. That, or stick to making commissions for your whole life, hanging pseudo-expressive paintings on walls of houses everywhere.

I personally have a problem with this. That is, not everyone who makes art wants to make political statements with their art. And not everyone is happy with jusst making what others employ them to make. Also, I am thoroughly aware that everything has been done thankyou, but how are we supposed to see EVERY piece of art ever made before we make a start on our own? How are we ever going to be 100% sure that it's ok for us to make what we're making, without being accused of copying someone greater than us? Freedom of expression just isn't what is used to be.

My message is, screw it, just do it. If you get a creative surge, and you JUST HAVE to make something, don't listen to the high-brows of the art world. If there was one thing I learned as a member of the art community, they really do spend a lot of their time talking out of their arses. Don't listen to them. Being an artist means being your own boss. You do what you do best. Who cares who did it before you? Seriously, it's highly likely that the preceding artist doesn't really care.

Yep. That's about all I got to say.

Punishment Week - Day 1

SO this is the first entry for my PUNISHMENT WEEK. I was brainstorming as to what I should blog about... since i didn't want to bore you guys by ranting about not ever having anything to write about. And since i just finished one more book off my list, (i'm aiming for 50 this year...) i thought i might review it....

So here it is...

Book Review: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire.

This was a little hard to get into, mainly because of the writing style... Not bad, just different to what i was used to. Getting past trivial matters though, it was a beautiful reprisal of the well known Cinderella story. Set in the seventeenth century and told mainly through the eyes of younger sister Iris, the story follows the trials and misfortunes that the evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters face after the loss of the father, englishman Jack Fisher. The family travels to Holland to make a fresh start. They soon find a home with a local painting master and his apprentice. One of his clients, a Tulip trader, invites the family in to help with housekeeping, and they meet his wife Henrika and beautiful daughter Clara, a little younger than Iris. After the tragic death of Henrika and a dive in the value and demand of tulips, the families find themselves selling valuables for food, and the two families merge with the marriage of Cornelius Van de Meer and Margarethe Fisher.

I won't detail the whole story, but it reveals some of the well known plot points in the beloved fairytale as fictitious fabrications and wipes clean the slate of the two ugly sisters, who while visually unblessed were still intelligent and kind. In the popular version of the tail, the sisters are criminalised along with their mother. This retelling shows Margarethe the Evil Stepmother to be the only evil-doer of the three. Once I had adjusted to the writing style, the prose proved to provide a beautiful, stylish retelling, from the author of "Wicked"the novel, now a popular Broadway Musical.

I give it 4 stars

LATE LATE LATE ...but shhhhh.

I'm only an hour or so late, so it's not too bad...
I meant to post this yesterday, but i got sidetracked. I'm currently job searching, and am trying to compile some kind of port folio that i can show employers, so i opened a flickr account, and posted a few photos.
I'll try to add a link soon. If i think of it.

Ok, so i'm thinking because this is the first time since setting my goal of once-every-three-day blog entries that i missed a day, i'm going to have to punish myself. BLOG ENTRY EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK!!! :O

Bet you weren't expecting that. Ah well, something to keep you all entertained. Somewhat.

Ummm. I know i had some idea of what i wanted to talk about here over the past few days, but as usual it was gone before i could catch it. Not this week. I'm going to post ideas for posts as soon as i get them. I have an application on my iPhone that lets me post from there, so i have no excuse.

Yay for the fun filled week ahead... and for bedtime

Goodnight all!

Back on Schedule.

Here I am again. Ready for another blog entry. Right on cue. Ok, so nothing really that interesting has occured since yesterday's spontaneous update... but i did say i'd keep up with my prescheduled entries... even when i have nothing to say...

Oh dear, i'll never get any followers at this rate.

I wanted to go to the park today, but it's raining so it looks like i'll be injoying my afternoon staying in and reading. I have a book to finish, so, yay.

Oh yeah, i've been working on a painting that i forgot i was doing. I'm not using paints though, I'm using NAIL POLISH :O. I have a whole heap of colours that are creeping slowly towards the crusty unusable state, so i wanted to use them before they got there, thus saving waste... and the environment... a bit...
Yeah, i'll probably post a picture of it when it's done... which might not be for a while yet. Hold ya horses, it'll get there.

That's about it from me... Promise to post another pointless one of these on Thursday. Probably after work since 1. i won't have time before, and 2. at least then i MIGHT have something to write about... might being the operative word.

KBAI!! XD

Hmmmm... About that...

Ok, so i told myself i'd do a blog entry once every 3 days, in an effort to keep updates regular, so i don't just forget about it altogether. I thought once every three days would pose a challenge, since usually when i try the whole journal-writing/blogging thing, i only write/blog once every month... which slowly turns into once a year... which turns into never. So in attempt not to let this project backslide, i said once every three days...

What i'm actually finding is that now that i'm reading other peoples blogs too, i'm pretty much constantly on here. And... i'm actually finding it hard to limit myself to once every three days. I kind of became addicted to this whole thing as something to replace my YouTube addiction... at the height of which, i was watching videos pretty much aaaaallll day. (I did curb the addiction a little when we ran out of download before we were even 3 weeks into the month...apparantly a result of the constant video streaming... ~guilty~ But ever since that, if we run out of download data like, even 3 days before the new month starts, it's always my fault for watching YouTube.
Ah, the perils of belonging to a large family. I guess they have to blame someone.

AAAAANYway, i think my point was that now i have blogging, it doens't require a whole lot of downloads, so i can blog and read blogs as much as i damn well like. AAAAnd i won't get into trouble for using ALL the downloads. I just need to master the art now of watching subscription videos ONLY when no one else is around to distract me, or tell me that i'm always wasting downloads.

Does anyone else suffer from the same sort of predicament? I mean, Family that insists on blaming you for loss of internet speed, when really, contribution to the problem is pretty much even... Coz while i admit i have earned myself a reputation, it's still not entirely my fault. It was once, but it's not all the time. I guess now i'm the scape goat. If something (internet-wise) goes wrong, and they need someone to blame, it's LUCY TO THE RESCUE!! She'll take the blame, even when it's not HER FAULT!

Ok, i think it's all pretty much off my chest now. Pah, who needs a shrink when you have a blog?

Mmmmm. I smell spring rolls....

KBAI

PS... i will still keep up with the posts every 3 days, i will just not restrict myself to those three days. Since i seem to think of stuff to post, and forget it by posting day. Heck, carpe dium. Time to seize the day.