Just when you think everything is perfect...

BAM!*
You get screwed over. Just like that.
Ouch, this one hurts.
Hurts all over like a thousand daggers stabbing you.
Hurts all over like those stings you get in the middle of winter when you're freezing & get into a steaming hot shower.
Hurts like a paper cut.
If you don't want to read my whinges, take my advice & stop reading *now.
Seriously, stop now.
Don't be hassling me about whinging on my blog~ you have definitely been warned.
In the words of Bruce Wayne in 'Batman Begins,' ~ 'Please leave.'
***
For the last 5 months, i've been working 3 days a week.
I wont lie, it's been absolute bliss!
My days off involve: volunteer work, taking myself on dates, being a lady of leisure & just having that work/life balance.
3 days of work / 4 days off.
*Finally!
Working 4 days a week for the last 7 years was awesome but then going down to 3 days a week... it was the cherry on top.
Doing volunteer work on Tuesday & Wednesday mornings has been lovely.
A great start to any day off.
You feel good & like you've accomplished something, even if you don't find all that many people at home or who are willing to listen to you.
Yesterday morning (Wednesday) i did some volunteer work with a friend & we had a fantastic morning & some awesome chats were had with lovely people.
It really sets you up for the rest of the day.
We finished around lunchtime & we were ravenous, so we took ourselves out for lunch on Acland St where we devoured our food with minimal words being spoken.
Food. Coffee. Get it in us!
Later in the afternoon i was telling my friend how enjoyable it was only working 3 days a week & how it really helps you keep your sanity!
Little did i know, that 24hours later... this was going to change.
Arriving at work this morning, i notice one of our fulltimers is missing.
I figure she's just running late.
No.
I am advised that 'she no longer works for our company.'
That selfish woman! Doesn't she realise how this will impact my work?
My world is coming crashing down around me.
Not only this but a thousand other things right now too..
I open up my work email & there it is.
An email from my boss titled 'WORK DAYS.'
*shudder.*
He wants me to work 4 days a week again. Yuck!
Doesn't he understand i have places to go, people to see & things to do on my midweek break?
The nerve of him.
I haven't replied to his email.. yet. It will need to be acknowledged soon though.
Maybe i should quit & leave my boss high & dry?
Thats the advice i've been given from my nearest & dearest..
Or how about this:
Who wants to give me a 3 day a week job, blogging for them?
(Im also good at going to cafe's & getting you coffee, multiple times a day... )
Im not joking.
You say the word & im yours.
xox

ps- Welcome to 2013 xox

My Motorcycle Diaries:

Day 1:
Dear Diary,

My riding virginity got smashed yesterday.
And i loved every minute of it!
It was the BEST!
Why has it taken me this long to get on a motorbike?!
Argh!
It was seriously the most fun i have had in a very long time.
***
After an adventurous late night involving getting pushed up against a wall, going through road blocks, up & down dirt roads, getting slightly bogged, being lifted up onto a roadblock, hanging off a safety barrier, cliff edge, a shooting star across the bay, a 4am phone call, an impromptu overnight stay on the Mornington Peninsula & about 4 hours sleep, i put some leather on & got whisked away into the most glorious sunshine filled day.
(Or maybe that should be zoomed off into... ?!)
And yes, this was my first ever time on the back of a motorbike.
I was a bit scared before i got on but as soon as the engine started up, all of that fear just vanished & we were off!
I had complete trust in my companion.
It was the most perfect day for a ride.
Weaving in & out of traffic, cruising along the beach road & ending up at Portsea backbeach was spectacular.
*Aqua blue water, waves & sunshine.*
After a quick stop to check out the surf, we were off again.
Cruising along back roads on the Penny' we got up to a maximum speed of...

...I'll never tell!
This time we ended up in Flinders having a beer in the sunshine, just kicking back enjoying life & making the most of our day.
(Was this really the 'last ride?')
I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for the entire day. It was so much fun!
If i said i didn't feel like the coolest cat around while rocking the leather & getting my biker-chick on.. it would be the biggest lie in the history of untruth.
Now i completely understand it when people want to get on their motorbikes & just ride.
It's exhilarating. You feel so unbelievably free.
It's the most amazing rush!
Rounding out the day was a stop at Safety Beach for another quickie beer & then meeting friends at a little bar in Rye.
So tops off an excellent, unforgettable day~
Thankyou.
xox
ps- I was wearing cowboy boots.
Cowboys wear boots on horses & i was riding a steel horse, so i figured it made sense.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRvCvsRp5ho

Enjoy!

Parklife~ Afterlife

Melbourne in the warmer months can only mean one thing..
A barrage of excellent music festivals to fuel our cravings for fresh beats!
Why are they so damn expensive though, argh!
To go to all of them or a select few?
Why does it feel like this is one of the hardest decisions of our lives?
If you've been in Melbourne recently, you may have heard of a little festival called 'Parklife.'
I only decided on the day that i was actually going to hit it up.
3.30pm i bought my ticket at the door.
So started one of the longest festival days of my life!
Grooving to Chiddy Bang, refuelling at the burger tent, getting our grind on for some RnB, moshing to Nero & walking out on The Presets, we survived *just.


Photo donated by Jordan. The best guy ever!


A crew of friends battled through the crowds, the rain, the bodies, the dirt & grime, the hail. We made it! And when it was all over.. coffee was definitely in order.
Cruising into the city & stuck in traffic i spotted a girlfriend who i grew up with.
Shouting at her & inviting her into my car, we stole her away into the night.
Ofcourse, as always, we went to the European Cafe.
For some reason, tonight, my soy latte was accompanied by the smallest, most insignificant spoon i had ever had the disgust of using.
Over coffee, my kidnapped friend informed us all that the Napoleon Exhibition was open for 24hours tonight as it was the final weekend for it.
3 Double shot soy lattes later.. and we found ourselves lining up for tickets at the gallery. It was after midnight & tickets were $10. YAYSIES!
I'm glad we hit up the exhibit.. but to be honest, none of us actually took in a lot of it.
Delirium had set in. Hardcore.
Time for some tea. A nice cuppa to soothe ourselves at the cafe outside the exhibit.
How we managed to not get beaten up by all the weirdo's we were surrounded by & that we were laughing uncontrollably at, I'll never know!
There was the table of goth' looking vampires with wildly massive clunky, black shoes
Or what about the lady that Versace was mesmerised by~ she was completely off in her own world, sipping her tea like a proper lady.. she was like a magnet.
About 2.30am.. i think?! We decided we needed food. Badly. Otherwise the 4 of us were about to pass out.
2.30am, in Melbourne, for food.. options are VERY limited.
McDonald's it was.
It was hideous, as always. But tonight seemed especially hideous!
There was that lady that looked like a man, those prepubescent kids dressed up to the 9's in their skankiest clothes & then we have, what we now refer to as, 'Breast Flakes Lady.'
She. Was. Off.
Minding our business & instantly regretting getting McDonald's, we sat there & took in our surroundings.
Then we spotted her. Sitting with her boyfriend (?)
Typical yukky person. Dirty trackies on. Dirty hoodie on. Dirty hair & face.
And sores.
SORES.
On her neck & chest. Red & raw.
Which she then started to rub ferociously. It was terrible! Rubbing & scratching at herself.
Although we almost felt sorry for her, we couldn't control ourselves anymore, we were laughing too much!
Then! She got up & walked towards us.. that nervous heart-skips-a-beat 'am i going to get rabies from her if she comes near me?' moment..
Scratching & rubbing her neck/chest, she walked passed us.. not before giving us a 2nd glance.
That was our cue to leave and pronto!
We were gone. Melbourne's finest weirdo's were too much to handle at such an hour. It was now around 3.30am.
And then we remembered it was daylight savings.. so make that, another 4.30am finish.
~le fin.
xox

small *BRIGHT* stories!

Well Hello there! Blog readers, are you ready for some short, sharp stories about my weekend adventures?
No?
Well i suggest stop reading this instant.

So it begins:
-Destination: Bright.
-Days: 4
-Attendees: i lost track
-To do: camp, explore, enjoy, relax, survive.
-Amenities: None.

*Bliss.*

*Everyone was arriving at random intervals during the day, so we decided to stay in town pottering around & exploring our new home. After starting off with a delicious breakfast of pesto toast, poached eggs, shredded beetroot & feta at a quaint little cafe called 'Coral Lee' (best.name.ever.) we began exploring. There was a huge market full of unpretentious country people, it was lovely. They sold everything from fleecey clothes, jams, chutneys, sheep skins, crepes to homemade soaps. There's something nice about wandering through a country market in the sunshine... except for the part where your annoying friend is trying to beat you up, push you into other people & try to make you fall over. Thankyou Captain Annoying!*

*Our campsite: was on a massive block of land. On one side was a pine forest. On the other side, was an old abandoned building. Oh yes, we definitely explored that! According to 'legend,' it was used for some crazy cult years ago. It was really quite strange. You walk into a big hall with bright blue carpet, a stage at the front & wood panel walls. There are two hallways running along the side each with multiple rooms coming off them. These smaller rooms have carpeted walls. I'm telling you, it was WEIRD. The rooms were maybe 3m x 3m, perhaps? The place had been trashed with the obligatory spray paint everywhere, broken windows & smashed walls. Strange. Very strange. I was hoping to find hidden treasure but all we found were some dead birds.*

*We set up our camp & started a bonfire. Super chilled, snacks, chats, toasting marshmallows, song writing, guitar playing & a full moon. Ahh, then there's that awkward moment when you are relaxing on a tarp, next to the bonfire, under the stars, sipping some American Honey whiskey, you roll over onto your stomach & the friend sitting next to you informs you that 'You have white, sticky marshmallow all over your bum.' Awesome. How did i try to fix it? By rubbing dirt into it. Fail!*

*Under the moonlight, we played 'Hide & Scare' in the forest. Everyone goes into the forest & then you have to hunt each other down & try to scare one another. The only problem with this is, it's dead quiet & you can hear someone creeping up on you from miles away. Except for that one time when i was walking along thinking i was being sneaky & my darling friend gave me the fright of my life. I screamed down the forest. 'ARGHHHH!' She got me good.*

*There is also a hedge maze near Bright. Usually, i am rubbish in a maze. Not this time! I think a highlight was finding the 2nd tower & waiting.. waiting..waiting for everyone else to find it 'Hey guys, what took you so long?!' We had a mini tower dance party & then moved on.*

*Possibly the biggest surprise of my weekend away was discovering that my friend has a fear of feathers. Oh the joy i got from this & will continue to get from this!*

*On the last afternoon we decided a trip up to Mt Hotham was in store. And boy was it amazing! Climbing the mountain along winding roads, it was getting colder & colder with each bend in the road. The views were spectacular! Mountains as far as the eye can see, hidden under a sea of clouds. Then, snow. It was actually snowing! The further up the mountain we got, the more snow there was. Looking out across the mountains, it looked like white frosting had been sprinkled everywhere, it was magical. We finally reached the top & it was absolutely freezing! But despite the icy'ness, it was so beautiful having snowflakes fall softly on our faces. Amazing. Beautiful. Mesmerising. Peaceful. We grabbed some snacks & hit up the pub. Overlooking the mountains, snow softly floating down from the sky, a guy playing guitar & singing us songs, it was the epitome of bliss.* 

*The mountains took away my breath :)*

xox

*SNEAKY* Airport SURPRISES!

Feb 14 2012
Marks the 2nd day this year that i have surprised friends at the airport on their Melbourne arrival!
Why do i do it? Because its FUN!
Its the unexpected. The thrill. The excitement of it all!
The first time, i was carrying an arm load of brightly coloured balloons.
The second time, i was wearing a big red bow tied around my body like i was a present.
I love surprises!
More importantly, i love it when i am the one giving the surprise.
In the lead up to the surprise day, you get to be all sneaky & be like a secret agent trying to find out much needed information so that it will all run smoothly on the day.
I started working this out about 2 weeks in advance.
Observe:
You need to put your friends off the trail completely before they are even on your trail.
'So, when do you get home? Cool story. Let's go get a beer.'
~seems random, but you found out the date they come home.
'So, what time do you get home? Cool story. Let's go get a beer.'
~seems random, but you found out the time they get home.
Next, you need to work out what airline they're flying with, if it's a domestic flight or international flight & where they are flying from. 
'So, is Jetstar taking you home via Perth again? yuk!'
~seems random to ask that specifically, but you still find out the needed information in your friends reply.
It seems everything is in place & ready to play out.
Excellent.
Oh! How could i forget to tell you this.. while all of this has been going on, you inform your friends on the day they are due to arrive that you 'don't want them back.'
Ofcourse you are only joking, but it does add a little more depth to the surprise i think...
The day has finally arrived.
At the airport with a carload of friends, sipping some beers, snacking, chatting & laughing away at how terrible we look wrapped in a big red bow.. you decide to go for a wander, thus separating yourself from your 3 friends.
'I'll meet you guys at the gate in 10 minutes!'

You check with airport staff about flights.
You go to the gate.
There is no one as far as the eye can see.
It's now 10 minutes after they supposedly landed.
You are alone, at the opposite end of the airport, wearing a big red bow & ignoring the strange looks you are getting as you walk through security.
cue *PANIC SWEAT*
Then.
THEN.
There's that heavy feeling in your gut.. no, not from what you just ate... 
Where the hell are they? Have i missed it completely?
No. Surely not.
Hell no. It was planned to a TEE.
It was PERFECT!
You decide to head back to where you left your other 3 friends.
On your way, you make a quick phone call & are told 'Yeah, we're here with them now. Where are YOU?!'
..and then there's that awkward moment when you realise you are at the wrong gate, you got told the wrong airline, which in turn makes you nearly burst into tears & you show up 5 minute's after everyone else has done your big SURPRISE!
FAIL.
No, you weren't there for the initial surprise.
But your friends were stoked to see you.
So i guess at the end of the day.. mission accomplished?!
xox

Taste of Summer*

*To my friends in the Northern Hemisphere who are about to head into a long, cold, dark winter... i suggest you stop reading right about now.
*Ahhh, summer. What bliss. Just around the corner... tomorrow, to be precise. 
I cannot wait! Finally after a gruelling year.
Holidays! Friends! Fun! Love!
Sun! Surf! Sand! Short Shorts! Red Bikinis!
What is it about summer that makes everyone so happy?
*Is it sipping cocktails with the girls, giggling & watching the world go by?
*Ice cold beers with the boys?
*Those balmy nights spent wandering the city streets with your nearest & dearest?
*Staying up to watch the sunrise over the horizon?
*Days spent snoozing on the beach?
*Or maybe its just the lack of clothes & amount of hot bodies to check out that give us all a secret smile?
Your guess is as good as mine :)
But there is no denying it, there is something about summer that puts us in a good mood.
Bring on the Vitamin D.
Even if you've had a terrible day, someone has treated you like rubbish or you are just feeling a bit downers on life.. 
For some reason, summer just makes it easier to deal with things like that.
A couple of days ago i headed into the the Big Smoke, aka the city, to meet up with a small bunch of friends for some lazy strawberry/apple ciders & vodka/raspberry's on the balcony of Madame Brussels.
http://www.madamebrussels.com/
It was brilliant.
Cool drinks, warm balmy day & good chats. The best!
Having daylight savings on our side, we wandered through the city, grabbed some takeaway pizza's & headed for the Botanical Gardens.
It was perfection.

To chance encounters.
This will be an unforgettable summer.
xox
ps- having said all of that... yesterday i was traipsing around the city in short shorts & today i am back to wearing jeans & boots. I was even greeted with thunder & rain when i woke up today *sigh. Thankyou Melbourne for being predictably unpredictable.

~loyalty~

Ahhh, that old friend.

It's the sort of quality that we don't really think about a lot in our general day to day life, yet it plays such an important role in all of our lives.

And all of us are tested by it at some stage or another.

It might be in something small or it might be in something major that our loyalty gets tested.

It's what you let happen next, that matters the most.

Yeah mate, you are actually in charge of what you allow to happen when faced in a situation that tests your loyalty.

But, what is loyalty?

~the state or quality of being loyal- faithfulness to commitments, obligations & people~

I guess that's a fairly big deal ehh!

Loyalty & trust go hand in hand. It's simple.

You lose loyalty to someone.. usually, it means you also lose trust in them too.

How do we let this happen though?

Maybe it just happens over time if we get burned, hurt or lied to over & over again by those who we thought were our nearest & dearest.

*ouch.

What do you do when someone hurts you in the most heart wrenching sort of way & then you are faced with a crossroad situation where you can either remain loyal to the person who has hurt you & stand up for them or you can totally ruin them..

They will never know whether you chose to diss them or if you do stand up for them.. even after being absolutely ruined by them.

What do you do?

You stay loyal to them.

Stand up for your friend knowing they will never realise what you have done for them.

Because at the end of the day, even if you have been hurt by them.. under all of that pain, you are still friends.

Never abandon those you love, even when it hurts & cuts you to the depths of your soul.

xox