seven year itch

You've heard of the seven year itch haven't you? The supposed inclination after 7 years of a marriage to split up, move on or cheat?
Well, I'm not married, but I have a feeling this 7 year itch applies to more than just marriages... I have been feeling like I need a change lately, as you all know from my recent posts. (Its practically all I talk about). Needing a change from this routine life I have found myself in. And I can't go past the coincidence that I have been living in Brisbane for 7 years... 7 years, and here I am with itchy feet!
I think thats living proof.
I'm actually really confused... I have no idea where to turn next.
You see, I was offered by GV to move to Noosa, and become part of a centralised Registration department for both Brisbane and Noosa. Which would mean, I would start working with the Registrar of Noosa, in Noosa and do all enrolments for Brisbane from there. It would mean I would move to Noosa... At first, I was jumping up and down, brilliant idea, exactly what I was thinking of doing, moving to the coast. But, unfortunately, I would be be paying a lot more in rent, and probably transport (definitely an issue there because I don't have a car, and would need to start learning), and as it stands, would be on the same salary. (Don't get me started on that, even though my manager has told me that if I moved off this Reception desk and became a Registrar I would get a pay rise... I think, because I would be moving to Noosa, they can get away with not giving me a pay rise)... (bollocks to that I say). But I still like the idea... I mean, it would be nice, for a change... The other issue would be Marcel. He has a lot of travelling over the coming months, and every time he comes back, he comes back to Brisbane. Would like to see him between his travelling, and also, his brother is coming to study in Brisbane from January. We would like to be here for him, and being in Noosa is not being here. So, I have said maybe, and am meant to be thinking about it.
Over the weekend though, I applied for two other positions at Griffith University. Fiona, who recently left GV to work for Griffith, sent these ads through to me to have a look, as a possible way out during the time I was having a lot of problems working here. At first, I thought I would apply, but then I thought again, and if I am planning to go travelling with Marcel soon, I probably shouldn't start a new job and then get a bad name for leaving after 4 or 5 months. So, then I decided not to apply... Then, I met up with Fiona on Friday afternoon, and she changed my mind again, saying that people never know what they will be doing, and I should give this a go if it will help with my boredom here... Anyway, she convinced me to apply, and so, applications have been sent, and answers received. (They will review the applications and contact me within the next 4 weeks). Now, this morning, I have thought again... and I think I shouldn't have applied. When I think about it, if I left GV now, and told them I was leaving to work for Griffith University, I have a feeling management here would be more than a little peeved off... Whereas, if I stuck it out here, and just focused on leaving next year, I could ask GV for a year off (possibly), so that I may leave to travel, and should things not go well, come back and have a safety net. But then, the thing is, do I really want to come back here...
Ahhh... too much thinking hurts my brain. Very confused... I want a change, but change will come next year, so maybe I should just stick it out until then...

Or, I could just concentrate on the upcoming holiday to New Zealand, and think about all this stuff after I come back... hehe

100th

Wow... i just logged in to write something on here.. and I see this is my 100th post! *party* haha, thats not all that many when I think I have had this for over a year now. Anyway... exciting.. 100 posts... heh

Familiar thoughts running through my head again... I think I thought the same thing last year... Looking for a seachange. I had this brilliant idea the other week, things not going well here in Brisbane, feeling bored of BrisVegas, bored of work, bored of things, maybe its time for a seachange... Hey, there is an English school in Byron Bay, maybe I could get a job there! Haha... that would be fun! Or, anywhere near the beach... I have never lived near the beach before, maybe I should try it out for a little while. Could be just what I need.
And I have been feeling rather beachy, you know, wanting to smell like coconut and wear summer dresses, wear my hat, get new birkenstocks,... get some colour in my pasty white skin ;) hehe.. the good way of course, the non-skin cancer way... (tanning moisturiser)... anyway, beachy is my current "style" or phase or some such... I can hear the waves a callin'!

Or possibly I might perhaps maybe apply for a job at Griffith University... its basically my job, amplified... and renumeration is much better... Application must be in by Friday, and I'm toying with the idea of applying...
We'll see!

dream big

New housemate!

Here I am, at Dreamworld, in the Big Brother house from 2007... hehe... I even pretended to run in like a real housemate... Funny funny!

So, Marcel and i went to Dreamworld yesterday, it was fun. Although, I was a little distraught when I practically ran to the Tower of Terror only to find it was closed for annual maintenance! Damn.... thats my favourite ride ever! I couldn't believe it! Plus, they have taken down the Thunderbolt... but replaced it with the Cyclone, which is just as fun, but still... No Tower of Terror! What is a speed freak like me to do? Hmm... went on the Cyclone for a couple of times... but its just not the same without the Tower of Terror... next time, next time... Perhaps I should try out the Superman Escape at Warner Brothers Movieworld. They say that goes from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds... that, I'm sure, could satisfy my need for speed... hehehehehe!

happy happy

Happy birthday Kerstin & Eileen!!!!
*love*

inspire me

I've been wondering... about some things lately. Mainly about things that I could do, career wise... or something. Not necessarily a career, in such that it would mean being business focused, but more like a calling.
You know how there are people out there that quit their day jobs to pursue their passions? Start up their own fashion label, or start a cafe, or write a book... these kind of pursuits...

And I've been thinking and thinking.. if I had no restrictions, financial or experience wise, what would I do? Hmm... What would my calling be?

Would I start up my own cafe? Start a baking business, I've always loved baking, why not try and make something of it? Start a design company, I remember Erin, Jo and I had this brilliant idea to create t-shirts that were different, funny and so much better than the fashions that are out there at the moment! Run a B & B, wouldn't that be sweet... a little country B & B, a cottage somewhere.... Be a writer, always thought that would be fun, writing a witty little column in a magazine or a newspaper, or write a book. Run a scooter hire business in the south of France or in Italy or something.. (hehe).

But I'm wondering, what is it that I would be most suited for? All these things sound incredibly sweet, romantic, creative and fun... But are they me? So, I'm calling for ideas... Throw them at me... I need inspiration!

looking ahead

Meet my niece! Willow Rose... she is gorgeous isn't she? And she has lots of fairy guardians... ;) Plus a few very happy aunts and an uncle, and beaming grandparents too! I wish I could be there with you! I will one day, maybe not so far away!
Busy week, a lot of turmoil at work again. More change is on the cards, after Fi finished up on Friday. She has a new job, and will be on the lookout for the rest of us! Although, I don't really want to get another new job here in Brisbane... Looks like Pam and Robyn will be moving on soon too. Pam to Sydney, and Robyn... who knows yet. And then there are my plans. My plans... at the moment stand like this:
- Visit Marcel in Rockhampton for a few days in September
- Go to New Zealand in October for a week and a half
- Hand in my resignation, to finish up at the end of November
- Work somewhere, maybe go and plant with Marcel... or another job like that... leave Brisbane basically, and go somewhere to work work work and save save save.
- Be here when Marcel's brother arrives in January, help him settle in to life in Brisbane
- TRAVEL
I've already started, I've got 3 days holiday in September, and am just waiting to see where I can stay in Rockhampton. Then I'll book flights etc. But I'm spending most of my time looking up New Zealand now.. hah.. much more exciting than Rockhampton. I think I have things worked out. We'll head over to Auckland on the 10th of October, and rent a campervan to travel around the north island for 10 days. I have been trying to work out quotes and flights, where to travel to, what to do... But basically, I figure we'll just go with the flow. Then we'll fly back to Brisbane from Wellington on the 20th... 10 days. I can't wait!!! Found these cool campervans you can hire that have art painted all over them, pictures of The Wild Things from "Where the wild things are", Jimi Hendrix, Maori art... heaps of designs, and you get to choose which van you would prefer! Well, you tell them your top three designs, and if they are available, you get it! Pretty cool... But hard to decide which three!! Anyway, we're really excited about going to the Land of the Long White Cloud... So much to do!
And, when I come back, I will tell work about these round the world travel plans. I went through a bit of a "should I" / "shouldn't I" thing when it came to leaving work... But I have been given an answer. Instead of just handing in my resignation and leaving work for good, (I do have a lot of opportunities there), I will ask for a year off! I'm going to ask for a year off to go travelling, and then, should things not go to plan, I have a saftey net. I can come back. I could then see how things go, and while I'm travelling around, should things be going really well, and I don't end up wanting to come back, I can tell them, and it won't be too big of a deal. Work will already have someone there that knows my job and could possibly stay on. So, its win win!
So, lots of thoughts thrown around lately... Am really happy with the way things are playing out, and I have to keep my mind focused on the future, rather than the now. Its like looking to the horizon while drudging through the muck here...
Got to keep my eyes on the prize!

captain planet

Marcel has gone to fulfill his duties to the planet.
Gone to plant trees again in Proserpine.
He flew out yesterday, and will be planting in Proserpine and then later move on, maybe south to Rockhampton. Not sure, it will depend on the contracts. Another two months of planting...
Another two months apart. *sigh* I would really like to go up and visit him again, but we'll see how things go. At the moment I am really trying to save... What for? Well... that is news in itself. ;)

I am thinking, planning, hoping, preparing, saving, striving to go traveling with Marcel... around the world!! Big trip planning. We have talked about it a lot, and we are hoping to start a trip around the world next year. Working and traveling together around this planet he is currently saving... (hehe) SO... that is pretty exciting isn't it? Have been getting down here at work recently. Currently feeling a little overworked, underpaid and unappreciated. So, this is becoming a light at the end of the tunnel. Especially now with Marcel gone again...
But, anyway.. exciting plans hey? And, Marcel has also asked me to go with him to New Zealand for a few days... Which would be so cool! In October I think... It is his flight back to Brazil, but he will just go to New Zealand and come back. So, he has asked me to come over as well... Would love to... and I hope I can.

Would definitely be a lot better to go traveling with someone, and Marcel especially! While Marcel is away, we have decided, that I shall start the route planning... to keep my spirits up while he is gone. Its fun. STA Travel have this great site where you can plan your own route around the world. :) Where to go next?!
*grin*

tea time

I received a sweet little surprise yesterday! A package all the way from Carol in Kansas... (smalltownramblings) :) Absolutely gorgeous!

It was FULL of sweet little gifts... and smells absolutely scrummy! That would be the Chai tea soap! There are so many different teas to try... Can't wait! I was so enchanted when I opened the little package and saw the homebaked cookies! Wow.. so sweet! And Smarties.. hehe, this made me chuckle. Lots and lots of smarties! But a different kind... Smarties in Australia are little round chocolate candy, like M & M's... Heh, but these are just as yummy! :) I even got tea for my body, Green Tea Body Butter, which is just divine! And the card made me smile too... IT POPS UP!! So cute!! Skittles, and Laffy Taffy lollies... Tea tea and more tea. And, I was most impressed with the wrapping and the little tea bag cards! Everything came individually wrapped with a sweet little card that looks like a tea bag, complete with string! So sweet.. I can't begin to describe how special I felt opening it all up... Thank you so much! You really made my day!

crikey!

Sound familiar? Yes, I went to Australia Zoo on Sunday! The home of the late Steve Irwin... Australia Zoo is HUGE! And home to heaps of animals, crocodiles (of course), koalas, kangaroos, wombats, echidnas, snakes, lizards, heaps of birds, otters, dingoes foxes, camels, cheetahs, elephants, tigers, tasmanian devils, turtles, tortoises and lots lots more. It was amazing just how big this place is. I opened up the map when we walked in, and wondered how the heck we were going to get around the whole place before it closed! It required serious planning... And we managed to see it all. I was mainly interested in the exotic animals, like the elephants and the tigers, much more interesting than the Australian ones. Haha, that sounds bad, but its just normal to see kangaroos and everything, and its really NOT normal to see a tiger here.

So, my favourite exhibits were the tigers, and the elephants. And actually, the tasmanian devils and the wombats were pretty cute too. Hah, yeah, the tasmanian devils were cute. Mainly because there was one guy who was running around doing crazy laps of his enclosure.. haha. Provided much amusement for us all. And the wombats, we nicknamed athletic koalas... They are similar to koalas, because they sleep a lot, but they actually do get up and walk around... rather than the hundreds of koalas we saw sleeping.

Anyway, on to the elephants... They were so majestic. So gentle, which is surprising given their size. The keepers did say though, that they get really cheeky and try and break the electric fences and knock down other fences at night time. ;) Made me laugh... you can even feed them! Guess what they eat... sweet potato! haha.. so cute... Very slimey though, your hands are covered in slobber afterwards! Hehe... was hilarious, all these people walking around trying not to touch themselves because their hands are all wet with elephant spit! Hahaha!

The tigers were my absolute favourite. Did you know they are the biggest cats in the world? I always thought lions were, but it turns out that the tiger is the king of the cats. And, yes, they are HUGE! When we first went to the Tiger Temple, as it was called, they were all sleeping behind the bamboo. Bit disappointing. But we went back in the afternoon after the elephant feeding, and they were awake and jumping around and eating bones... The tiger enclosure is all glassed off, so you can stand right next to one, if it chooses to come up to the glass. Actually, I noticed quite a few scratch marks on the other side of those windows... *gulp* They were amazing, just amazing. Really really really big. And when they ran... far out, they were fast! Glad I wasn't what they were chasing! They had really beautiful eyes too... Yeah, you actually get to see them that close... it was amazing!

The Wildlife Warriors 101 show was really cool too... They actually have all these amazing birds flying around the stadium. Subsequently amazed that the birds didn't fly away... Brightly coloured macaws, and black cockatoos, doves, lorikeets, and other birds too. The black cockatoos were limelight stealers, they wanted the whole show to themselves. They were the last birds to come out, and they flew around the stadium landing on various little landing spots, and then at the end, when they were supposed to fly back to their keepers, they completely ignored them and kept flying around the stadium. So while the crocodile was doing his demonstration, there were two black cockatoos flying around trying to get everyone to look at them instead... hahah. Very funny!

Terri, Bindi and Robert are planning so much... The bus driver of the courtesy bus was saying that in five years they plan to be 500 hectares! (I think thats a lot...but I actually have no idea...) They will also have a Safari, where you can drive through, which makes me think that they will get lions eventually as well... (wow!) And, they will also have a train station, when the new Queensland Rail Sunshine Coast line is built. They are certainly putting a lot of effort into it! Very impressed also with the amount of conservation they promote. Everything... even in the fact that they have signs up advising against the consumption of native animals such as kangaroos and emus. Much to the dismay of Marcel... who practically spent the whole day walking around saying how he could really go with a kangaroo steak right now... hahaha... ;)

Anyway, I was very impressed with the whole place... Only problem was, the park closes at 4:30pm, and the train connection to Brisbane doesn't leave until 5:30pm, so you have to wait for an hour at Beerwah for the train. But again, Australia Zoo deliver, the bus driver points out the local RSL, local pub and local pizza place when you pull into the station. So, off we went to have a nice cold beer in Beerwah! ;)

Oh, in other news, my secret fairy society package was delivered... and its even been posted onto the main SOSF site. I'm a little embarrassed... heh... *blush* But very glad it got there safe and sound! Am checking the mailbox in anticipation for mine... :)

sushi, sashimi, tempura

Just a random photo that Marcel took the other day... Me eating sushi in the Myer Centre Foodcourt. Hehe. Actually, it shows the ring that I got for my birthday... ;) This ring had me completely mystified for a week! I looked at it the first time, and saw all these amazing colours, and when I wore it, I noticed different colours. But, I wasn't paying that much attention, so I figured it must have been the different lights... sunlight, work lighting, daytime, nighttime etc. But I kept noticing all these different colours and patterns, ones that I hadn't seen before. Finally, i did an experiment. I made a note of one particular pattern and checked it during the day. AHA! It changes colour!!! Major discovery... The coolest thing is when I use those hand dryers in the bathrooms.. they make the ring change all these pretty colours. I can spend a while just watching it change colour. Very mystical... ;)

got milk?

Ah, the trials and tribulations of office life.
That would be the staff kitchen, or more specifically the staff fridge. Yes, the place to store your sustenance for the day ahead, although, be warned, you place something in there, and it becomes the property of the entire staff room.
Here at work, we have an issue with milk. Yes, milk. The school provides staff with long life milk, you know the stuff you buy in cartons? Yeah, that milk. Now, some people prefer to drink fresh milk. I can understand that, fresh milk is ahm.. fresher! Anyway, so, these people buy little cartons of fresh milk on their way to work and put them in the fridge here for their cereal, porridge, coffee etc. Only thing is, you put milk in this fridge, and inevitably other people will drink it. Now this has caused major arguments between staff, which has ended in malicious fights and overall evilness. For example, this morning, a staff member went to the kitchen this morning, to pour some delicious fresh milk over her cereal, and she discovered that her milk, which she had bought yesterday and left in the fridge unopened, had been opened, drunk and there was barely a drop left. She became incredibly irate and got more than a little angry at the other staff members. I walked through the staff room as she was giving the other staff a piece of her mind... Yikes, I'm glad I don't drink any of the milk (supplied or individually bought) or use that fridge. Came back to my desk, and thought, perhaps its because they don't realise that people buy that milk out of their own pocket, perhaps they don't realise which milk the school provides the staff, and thought, I should construct a sign to clearly state exactly which milk is for their use... Hehe. It follows:

The milk that the school provides staff is the long life full cream milk. If there is fresh milk, skim milk, specially imported yak milk, soy milk or anything else other than long life full cream milk in this fridge, someone has specifically bought it for their own personal use with their own money. If there is no long life full cream milk in this fridge, it may be found in the storeroom, in the grey cabinet. If there is no long life full cream milk in the grey cabinet, we have run out and it will be purchased shortly.

In the meantime, please do not drink the other milk in this fridge unless you wish to start WWIII. Thank you!

My creative outlet.. can you tell? It makes me laugh. I mean, its just milk.. but it really does create wars here. And I do understand it. The point is, you shouldn't touch anything in that fridge unless you put it in there yourself, or you know that the company provides it... And its the little things... :) Chuckle chuckle. The yak's milk reference comes from another incident. Individually bought milk was drunk, and so a sign was created for that particular carton. It went along the lines of: This milk was specially imported from Tibet. It is yak's milk that has travelled over the mountains, over oceans, deserts to get to Brisbane. If you drink it, you will die.

Hahaha. This is my amusement for the day... hahaha

uneaten tofu

So, after 11 cartons of beer, 3 casks of wine, 20 kilos of meat, 10 kilos of chicken, and one packet of tofu, the BBQ was finished... Okay, so the tofu wasn't all eaten, but the rest of it was! ;)
Had about 50 people that paid and arrived, and must have been quite a few more that arrived throughout the day. Marcel is quite the BBQ organiser! He even found out that most of the language schools in Brisbane knew of it!! Word gets around, especially when your dealing with students!
They had music, and dancing.. ah yes. There is always dancing, which inevitably means that I end up trying to dance like the rest of them, and failing miserably. Haha, ok, maybe not miserably. Give me an easy step, and I got it, throw in a spin or a turn, and I loose it... haha. Anyway, its fun. Maybe one day I will be able to dance like the rest of them.
We ended up sneaking away at 8pm... Leaving the rest of them to party on. I didn't take any photos, sorry. But some of the other students took some, so maybe I will get some later.
Anyway, it was a good day. They enjoyed it a lot!

I have some other news. The Australian GV schools have compiled a DVD about studying at the various schools, Brisbane, Noosa and Sydney. And, they have uploaded it to youtube! So, you can check it out.. see the school, my friends, and workmates, and yes, there is a couple of brief shots of me in there.. ;) There are quite a few sections, Brisbane, Work & Play, Accommodation and Study Options... Check it out:
GV Brisbane on Youtube

birthday roundup

Happy Birthday to me!

I spent the day getting a LOT of birthday wishes and congratulations and "How old are you?" followed by "Your so young!" Hahah...

Fi bought me this bright and sparkly balloon and tied it to my chair at work, so that everyone knew. Including the rest of the people in the building when one of the 5 lifts infront of my desk opened... Yes, it was delightful. Strangely enough, people still asked who's birthday it was... Hmm, that would be me!

We also had cake, of course. It was a banana cake... but not your standard tasting banana cake with nuts and spices and things. No it was a banana lolly cake! Bright yellow, with bright yellow icing and tasted like banana lollies... I was wondering how they made it, I think they must have melted them down and mixed them into the batter or something. Seriously, it tasted just like banana lollies... intriguing!

Got a sweet little card from K! Thanks! It made me smile a lot... I did get another sweet little card from Marcel, but I believe it may have been waylaid last night somewhere. Possibly at the DownUnder Bar.. ;) hahah!

Oh, my gifts.. so, I got a tim tam from one of the Korean girls at school, and a coffee caramel from a Colombian boy, an orange gerbera from Robyn, but that was kindly donated to the Victory... along with my balloon. ;) I also got some strawberry body lotion which smells like Strawberry Shortcake Dolls. AND I bought myself a new watch!! I love it... Digital, and leather! A first for me.. but its really nice... The only thing is, I will have to remember to take it off when I have a shower etc... But anyway, its perrrrrrrty!

Went out for dinner, excuse the strange expression on my face here.. I really hate photos like this... anyway, had dinner with Marcel at a little cafe... and then we went to the chocolate shop and bought a couple of sweets! Yummy... Then we continued on, first to the Victory, then to the DownUnder Bar, as all of the planters that Marcel worked with up north are back in Brisbane for the night and day. Tomorrow most of them will fly over to Perth... so we had a bit of a celebration. Hehe...

Today is the day... BBQ!!
Have to go and get ready... E has very kindly donated her services as carrier.. haha. Will be helping us shop and take all the beer and food to Southbank. We have recruited a Colombian friend to go to Southbank and find a table to guard! We've got a list of 45 people, possibly more.. and we are expecting a lot more to come... so should be fun! I'll take my phone (which is so much better than carrying a camera around) so that I can take some pictures and post them tomorrow.
In the meantime, thank you for all your well wishes etc. I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*HUG*

wombo lombo

Just back from another NIA class... And guess what the music was this time?
Angelique Kidjo!

Now thats fun to dance to... ;)
Feeling really comfortable going to those classes now. Its fun... Haha, we were all laughing today because we were doing a chicken NIA dance. Now that is the best way to forget all the worries from your day! Hahaha!

Seriously, whatever problems you may have, if you start dancing around to Angelique Kidjo like a chicken, everything thats bothering you remarkably disappears!

rasp

*cough cough*
I am sick. Actually, I don't feel so bad. My head gets a little heavy at night, and when I wake up, and I do have a bit of a sniffly nose. But I think the medicine works for those things...
What it doesn't work for, is my voice (or lack of). I've lost my voice. Started getting a little croaky yesterday at work, and by the end of the day, after talking to all the students and answering phones, it was well and truly on its way out. Woke up this morning without it. I am trying to find it again.. haha.
Actually, it was kind of cool when it first started. I had a husky voice... oooOo haha, normally I have a little light voice, so that was fun. Now its pretty much almost gone. Its just this wheeze/rasp thing. Which makes me laugh everytime I talk, which actually isn't all that great, because I can't laugh either.
Anyway, still smiling, so its not all bad.
I've been drinking lots of tea with honey and lemon, yes Mum I remember! And I've been gargling salty water too. Hopefully that will help. The worst thing is, I've realised I have a dry cough that gives you those horrible coughing fits. Oh joy.. I can't wait to go to work tomorrow! Most likely, I'll have one on the train, or somewhere really quiet with people around. I just had one before... I don't think I've had one of those fits for a few years. Absolutely nightmare worthy... The kind of coughing fits you get when you are sitting an exam or a test, or as I did when I was at university, in the library. Where you cough and cough and cough and cough and cough and it sounds like your going to die because you can't breathe, and your face becomes as red as a tomato, and your eyes start watering.. and in the worst case scenario your nose starts leaking too... And you start freaking out because you can't stop coughing, which makes you cough more, and the little itch just doesn't go away.
*shudder*
Well, I better get back to finding my voice... I wonder where its run off to?

victory

VICTORY!
I got through a whole Spin Class without taking a break! Woop woop! Okay, that is something to celebrate... It was hard, but I got through it. No stops when we did the uphill climbs at all! Am so impressed with myself.. or mainly my legs. Haha, they actually got through it!
Trust me, its a victory for me... ;)

And, I joined a fun little blog today, a secret fairy society. Where you send off little packages of goodies to different people around the world.. Well, I emailed and hopefully I'll be able to join. Anyway, the package exchange theme is: Tea Party! Yeah, its sweet... :) I'm looking forward to it already. Trying to think of little things I could send is fun... and to think that I will get something too! How sweet!
Packages are the best aren't they? Its really magic... And maybe thats just because I have memories of getting packages from Oma. The smarties in the tubes, and the little handkerchiefs etc. I remember.. vaguely, mainly I remember the feeling rather than what was inside.. other than the smarties!! Haha...
Definitely going to send out more packages and letters... :)

baby it's cold outside

BrrrrRR
Its winter! Just realised its winter... waking up in the morning in the dark, coming to work in the cold, and going home when its dark and cold. Winter is here! Which means I've cracked out my favourite jacket in the whole world... wearing it everyday! :) And my boots... I LOVE my boots! Heheh. They are my new stable shoes. I don't know how I'll go when it gets a bit warmer and I won't be able to wear them anymore... :( But for the moment, and probably for the next few months, they will be worn with pride!
We seem to have a lot of Robin Hoods studying at the moment. Hehe... lots of the students are walking around with their hoodies up. Its really quite cute. Lots of the South Americans aren't used to the cold, and seem to freeze. Not that it is really cold here, I mean, Brisbane winter isn't anything compared to Canada I'm sure... But they pull out all the warm clothes they can find: beanies, scarves, gloves, big warm jackets, hoodies.. the works!
I really like the cold snap. Apart from the time when you get out of the shower and have to stand naked in the cold while you hurriedly dry yourself and jump into some clothes. Thats the worst! But, I love the fact that everything becomes clear, the sky is REALLY blue, and the stars shine so bright at night time. And I love the way sound travels a lot further when its cold, or it seems to... everythings seems crisp. Crispy fresh!

returned

Returned... all back from my week in Prossy (as the locals call it). That is Proserpine. Uhm, yeah.. not the best place to spend a week. BUT, seeing Marcel made it a lot better.
The caravan park was not in the town, so I was pretty much stranded. Stayed in a "try-hard caravan" cabin. Made out of weatherboard, with laminate wood walls interspersed with avocado green walls. The week went incredibly fast, which surprised us both. Rained for the first few days, which actually ended up stopping the teams from going out and planting, too wet! So, I got to spend two whole days with Marcel. We spent the days lying around listening to the rain falling and catching up, cooking and just being together. And I even got to spend the day with him today, before I had to leave to come back here anyway. It stormed and rained a lot while I was away.. and then it got REALLY cold. Absolutely freezing, and the "try-hard caravan" was not the warmest place in the world. I think it was colder than here, but then again, my house is a lot warmer!
Good to have another day off tomorrow.. looking forward to catching up with things, spending some time in Brisbane... Before being thrown back into work. Going to be another hectic week. Apparently they didn't cope so well while I was gone... oh joy. Looking forward to that.. NOT. But, at least, when I'm busy, the days go faster, which means these weeks apart will fly past. Marcel will hopefully be coming back in 3 or 4 weeks. Maybe more, depending on how much they work.
Counting down already!
*photos will be uploaded to flickr soon*

time out

Time out!
I'm heading up north again, this time to Proserpine. I fly out tomorrow, for a week. I'll be back on Sunday afternoon.
Staying at the same place as Marcel, he's working again, staying at a caravan park. It'll be great to see him. Maybe I'll even get a chance to go to Airlie Beach, catch some sun and soak up the Whitsunday lifestyle... (I'll try and avoid the British backpackers though!)
Been another hectic week. Had a day up in Noosa again to help the Noosa staff with the new system. *groan* Had to bite my tongue, basically they just need to shut up and learn to do things using a different system, realise that they can't do things the way they used to anymore... Stop complaining about it, and actually think and take things on board.
Anyway, so that meant a day out of Brisbane, when I already had a busy enough week trying to get things ready for the week after while I'm away.
Managed to go to another Yoga class today. This one was harder! Different instructor, and he was pretty full on. Getting us to really stretch our limbs and actually pushing us into the positions. Well, by the end of the class, when we finally got a chance to relax, my body felt rather stretched... think I'll have to keep going to actually get the flexibility that it requires. Think I find it harder because my legs lock, bowlegged bend thing going on...
Right, so, have to go pack!
Back in a week!!

spin spin spin

Oh boy...
I took a spin class this afternoon. The best way I can describe this class: sweat dripping off you, sore legs and red faced while riding a bike.
Ha!
Really, its amazing... You get on and at first its all going well, can handle it, right, here I am, taking a spin class... ok, now they say to crank up the pressure, so its like your going up a hill... ok, can handle that. Full now, really going up a hill. And then they make you stand up..
Now, I don't know why, but I have never really got the whole standing up while riding a bike. Never mastered properly... So, it was quite a feat. And I am quite impressed that I managed to do it without falling off my bike, or stopping. Okay, so that isn't to say that I didn't have a break every now and then... Its unbelievable how hard you have to work in this class. I knew it would be hard, don't get me wrong, but still, to have sweat dripping off you, is just quite astonishing. Ok, so its not very pretty, but at least everyone else in the class is doing the exact same thing, dripping. Even the instructor, and he's the INSTRUCTOR! Hah!
Very happy to see everyone else red faced and dripping, its like a kinship!
The best thing about the class, is the music. They choose music that has a good beat, and you kind of just tune out and concentrate on that beat and pedal to it. Sounds strange, to be riding a bike to music, but it works really well. My favourite one was when they played Black Eyed Peas: Pump It. You had to do this really fast sprint during the chorus. I got my legs going so fast that I thought they were going to fly off!!
Managed to get through the class, legs were feeling a little weak after it though. Shaky. Walking down stairs was a little difficult.. you know that scene in Bridget Jones, when she gets off the bike and her legs give out. Haha, that was what I was thinking when I was walking down stairs.. oh christ, my legs are going to give out!! But they got me home alright.. done some more stretches just now. I hope I'm not so sore tomorrow that I can't walk.
I had planned to go to another class tomorrow during lunch... But I think you have to pace yourself with these spin classes. Maybe Thursday night instead... although thats when a dance class was on that I wanted to try out... (see what I mean about trying to decide which class to do, VERY DIFFICULT)
Ride baby ride!