Of course there is blogging etc, but they are the main 4.

Until recently, I didn’t realize how much my usage of those services irritated C. I didn’t see it, but he recounted experiences where we would be chatting, a twitter notification would go off, I would stop talking and check my phone. Or we would just start watching a movie, and I would grab my phone to check in Get Glue (then promptly talk about it on twitter). Or when we would go out to get something to eat and the first thing I would do is grab my phone so I could check in on Foursquare. Or celebrate a goal at the soccer only to get out my phone and immediately tweet my jubilation.

I didn’t see that my time with C wasn’t “quality time” because I was letting my phone, and socia media, get in the way.

Oops.

I know he doesn’t care if I use the services, it’s my timing that causes the issue. It’s the fact that I let it interrupt me, interrupt us. He has asked me to make a more conscious effort of not dropping everything and letting it rule our time together.

I wonder how many other people are in this situation and don’t realize it.

He didn’t voice it until the point where he thought I wouldn’t listen to him unless he tweeted me (he said “unless I twit you”, and I had to hold back from the giggles that threatened to erupt).

To all my friends that are reading this post and use social media, take a look at your own actions. Do you think it’s affecting people more than you realize? Do you make a conscious effort to curb your use of social media around others?

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Bloody hard.

Especially when you have spent 11 years with someone, since you were 15, forming incredibly deep rooted habits that you then apply to future relationships.

Especially when you approach them not ever having been in a serious relationship that lasted longer than 6 months. Or ever lived with your partner.

Especially when you both communicate so differently.

This is the biggest hurdle for C and I.

It has been a huge learning curve since we moved in together. Everything I know about dealing with another person came from a failed relationship. Like when to bring up something that annoys me, or how to interpret text messages. Its still hard for me to accept that C is a different person and should be treated accordingly.

Likewise, everything C knows about relationships…well, he doesn’t. He finds it difficult to understand that I think completely differently to him. He thinks something that is obvious to him should be obvious to me, and when it doesn’t he gets angry. Unfairly, I might add. Because I’m pretty sure you will agree that the number of people who think exactly alike would be a bloody small number.

Tonight I learned some things about myself, and heard some not-new things about myself:

It sucks that C and I have struggled with some pretty tough issues since we move in together. Yet on the other hand it’s awesome that we make the effort to discuss the problems we have rather than throwing in the towel. I know that these discussions we have all lead to us becoming better people.

I just look forward to the time when we know each other so well that we can avoid the small things that piss each other off. I look forward to more laughter and good times.

I wish I could say I look forward to it getting easier, but i know that’s not the case. It never gets easier.

As long as we are still talking. That’s how I know we can make it the distance.

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About midday on Thursday (Australia Day, and a public holiday for most), C came down with a terrible virus. He had the shakes, a high fever, and eventually got the runs. He was barely able to stay awake, and lost his entire appetite. Within 24hrs he had dropped 5kg. I immediately kicked into the “caring girlfriend” routine and fussed over him, waking him periodically to take his medication and to make him drink fluids to keep him hydrated. When I wasn’t there, one of our housemates, Joe, stepped in to keep an eye on him.

Needless to say, I cancelled my plans of going away with some friends camping to stay home and look after C instead. I also had to cancel C’s weekend on the Gold Coast for a birthday party, tell some friends not to come over on Friday night, and tell his boss he wouldn’t be in on Saturday morning.

Today was incredibly low key. I woke around 10.30am (after finally going to sleep at 2am, too caught up researching the upcoming Thailand trip) and lazed around the house in my pyjamas. Mum stopped past quickly at midday, then I showered and changed. A few hours were spent as a domestic goddess, washing clothes, weeding and general housework, then I retired to the couch. Where I now sit.

I was also meant to go to Laser Force this afternoon with some friends, but unfortunately the place was closed when they arrived so it got postponed until tomorrow night. I won’t be able to make it as I have netball, so bummer for me. I was also going to go to their house to watch the Australian Open Men’s Singles Final, but my lazy gene kicked in and I piked again.

I have managed to climb out of my indent in the couch to make some banana bread, my first time making it. Hopefully it turns out, I will be sure to post some photos! I also had grand plans of washing and straightening my hair tonight, but at this stage I think that’s out. Maybe tomorrow night after netball…

So I hope you all had a most exciting weekend! I’m happy to report C has improved to the point that he is sitting on the couch, and has stayed awake for most of today, but he is still barely eating anything and doesn’t stray far from the bathroom. Yet he is improving, and that’s fantastic to see.

Next weekend will be more high energy, I’m sure. Now just to start planning something!

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So we are set to prove he isn’t old yet. Not yet anyway.

To celebrate in style we decided we would go overseas. Of course, there will be the family affair, but after that it’s on a plane and bye bye Australia, hello Thailand!

At this stage the plan is to be there for two weeks. The list of things we are thinking of doing are:

The scariest part of all is the size of the group that’s going. We have opened up the invitation to friends and family, and at this stage we expect the group to be somewhere in the vicinity of 10-20 people. That’s a lot of people, and a lot of cooks in the kitchen if you know what I mean. There are people that have been to Thailand before, and are quite opinionated on what we should or shouldn’t do. I am definitely interested in hearing their feedback, but I would still like the opportunity to discover and plan things for myself as well. The planning of this trip is going to be a nightmare if it comes down to people refusing to compromise.

When I expressed to a friend my fear of trying to find something to suit everyone he referred to Apple and the Steve Jobs methodology:

A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.

This is one of the times where I’m going to have to get some thick skin. At the end of the day I have to make sure the holiday is everything C had hoped for. He is the important one here. As long as everyone knows that everything is entirely optional, there won’t be an issue. I will simply say “here is our itinerary and what we are planning to book. Let me know if you want to be included or not.” That way people can design the holiday they want while we have the holiday we want. Of course, there will be the designated party days and subsequent hangover/rest days.

So while the planning part of it may be a potential nightmare, I’m still so incredibly excited.

Let it begin.

If you have any tips on Thailand, or organising a group of people on holidays, I would love to hear from you!

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Oxley in 2011 after the devastating floods in January

Around this time last year my home state of Queensland got hit hard by mother nature. There were cyclones and widespread flooding, taking lives and causing immense damage. After the floods, thousands upon thousands of volunteers hit the streets to help with the cleanup. I was one of them, going to a friend’s place where water had reached over 1m high on the second story of his house. We spent two days salvaging what we could from his house, and cleaning anything that could be saved.

There are people still suffering from those floods today whether it’s rebuilding their houses or still mourning for those who never came back.

And now it’s raining again.

I know that I won’t be the only one who will be a little anxious by the fact that the land is already saturated from rain and there has been more forecast for at least another 5 days. I think they have predicted about 150mm; hopefully we are well equipped to handle it. Worst case scenario, I know the Australia spirit will be there yet again ready to lend a hand as soon as it comes time. We’re like little worker ants in that way, we just don’t ever give up.

But please, mother nature, give us a break this year?

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Credit: scui3asteveo

After a 6 month hiatus, I’m finally going back to uni.

Last year I had what I would think was a minor breakdown. I was crying a lot, I was unhappy and I was stressed. REALLY stressed. In the end I decided the best option for me was to pull out of uni for the term and give myself a break. As soon as I pressed the button to withdraw from the class, a huge weight lifted off me. It was a tough decision, yet I don’t regret it.

I finally feel like I’m back on top of everything again, and ready to conquer the world. 2012 is going to be my year, and I’m going to rock it.

I know I’m putting a bit of pressure on myself again – uni and a 52 in 52 list that includes a photo every day. But I think I have the support network around me to pick me up when I’m down. I feel strong and motivated again. I don’t feel like I’m going into this because I have to. I’m going into this because I want to.

Feb 28th is the start of classes again, and frankly, I can’t wait.

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But it’s just the small things where I realize I have particular favorites:

It’s the loo cubicle that gets me. I don’t know what drew me to it. From what I can tell, it flushes the same way as others. It’s the same design as the others. Yet it’s the first one I head to, and if it’s occupied I do feel a little out of sorts.

Not enough to throw someone out of my cubicle of course

I could get poo on my hands.

Not my poo either.

Yuk.

Do you have anything in particular that you have a “favorite” of? That you immediately gravitate towards?

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I must learn not to get distracted when making some toast for breakfast. I burned 4 pieces of toast before I finally got one that was edible.

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Sitting on our back deck today, we had an amazing view of a golden moon.

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My niece lost another tooth today, and couldn’t wait for the tooth fairy to visit that night.

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So how did I spend my Sunday?

Right now I’m relaxing on the deck with a glass of wine while inside C makes some pork chops for dinner.

After a few months of stress, days like this just remind me how lucky I am.

I’m living the dream.

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Tonight I attended a 70′s party with Huggy Bear (starsky & hutch reference). It was great fun, and I actually really liked the dress I was wearing. It was SO comfortable! I’ve changed, I used to be cool.

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Where I now live with C and some friends, we have an amazingly large back deck that hangs over a canal. It is by far my most favourite thing of this house, and every day there is something new and exciting to witness there. On this particular night, the lights from the nearby stadium combined with the cloud cover made for a mysterious and gloomy looking night.

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Since receiving a kindle for Christmas I’ve rediscovered my passion for reading. I’m currently enjoying a Stephen King novel, which I’ll be sure to blog all about when I’m finished.

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These dogs are seriously all tongue.

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Poor Max – the girls took his ball and ran away! I love the expression on his face in this picture, it excuses the fact it’s slightly out of focus.

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A little bit less exciting for a photo here, it’s simply a picture of the pillows on the bed I share with C. I hate to think it’s only the 2nd day of the year and already I’m taking mundane photos. I’ll have to do better than that.

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For New Years, some friends and my housemates celebrated by having some drinks on our back deck. I was thrilled to welcome in the new year with friends and some good tunes. I’m hoping that 2012 will be a year of stability and personal development as I take the important steps to securing my future. 2011 had enough life changes for me, this year I would like it to be a little less exciting thanks.

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We still have yet to organize all the stuff and put it all away, but at least the furniture is here now.

As you can tell its been a MASSIVE change for me in the last few days. Moving, arguments, and taking that next step with C. Way to finish 2011 with a bang!!

Time for me to shower and sleep so that I can get the rest of the stuff sorted out tomorrow! I will be sure to post some pics of my favorite parts of the new house once everything’s in order!!

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Photo credit: rolleh

“C’mon people, the clock is ticking and you’re not on the court yet!” said a timid voice from behind me. Turning, I realised it was the ref.

‘Oh geez’, I sighed. If she was scared telling us to get on the court, how was she going to go telling us when we had done something wrong?

I shouldn’t have worried. She never told us when we did something wrong, somehow those moments slid past unpenalised. Oh no, instead she called a penalty when we were clearly in the right. If you were holding the ball and someone knocked it out of your hands, she’d call contact. On you. Aka you lose the ball.

Um, righto.

As a result, a couple of players started to get frustrated (C included, as he couldn’t do anything right in her eyes, I suggested that maybe his height of 6ft 8 meant that in her opinion he needed to be at least 6ft 8 away from everyone else at all times). I simply laughed it off and kept playing, after all it was just a friendly competition, no need to get narky.

For a bit of background in my netballing history, I’m a defense player so I know when it’s necessary to use my body and be firm or not. I play firm but not rough, and certainly not dirty.  When it comes to super league my effort increases by 1000%, yet I still don’t resort to using knees, elbows and shoulders. It’s only when another player starts playing dirty against me that I will hold my position even firmer and use my body to push them around a little bit, but that’s incredibly rare. In this case the shooter and I had a great time chatting and laughing, but both playing seriously when we needed to. We also played respectively, appreciating there would be contact (inevitable in the game of netball) yet not getting phased by it at all and certainly not holding a grudge against each other.

And then my team swapped me into the shooting position.

I don’t play this position often, so I only know a couple of things:

1. Find the free space for your team to pass to you easily
2. Hold your position firmly in the circle so that the defence can’t get around you
3. Get yourself between your other shooter (goal attack) and defense so that you can hold the defense back, and let the goal attack take the shot without as much pressure

I suspect it was the last two items combined that got me into hot water. As a defense player my instinct is to get under the ring ready for rebounds, and my opposition wanted to get into that same position. I didn’t let them. This meant they weren’t able to easily defend the other shooter when he had the ball, and as a result, the defense did not like this.

My goal attack, Bretto, and I were doing well. We had made a comeback and got our team in front. I was holding the defense off him, getting a few shots in myself, and generally playing a good game. I was not playing dirty. Then suddenly…

WHAM! Shoved from behind!

“STOP FUCKING PUSHING ME!” she screamed.

I was stunned for a second, and then started laughing. Hard.

“Are you fucking serious?!” I replied. “Cause if you are, that’s really funny. Are you seriously trying to start a fight on the fucking netball court?”

Then shamefully, I uttered the stupid bogan tough line:

“If you want to start something, I will slam you.”

Urgh, not proud of that. But from that point on she tried her best to push me over, use elbows on me etc, and every single time I laughed. I couldn’t help it, her determination was impressive! Her anger even more so.

At one point I caught the ball, then tried to turn around to shoot. I merely pivoted on my foot to face the ring and in doing so stood up straight, where I found she was only 10cm from my face. Another rare moment for the night, the ref made the right call and penalised her for obstruction.  “She stepped in!!” the girl screamed at the ref. “Actually, I just rotated my foot” I replied in a smart ass tone.

Pretty clearly, I was a bitch for the rest of the game. A whole 3mins.

At the end of the game she tried to shake my hand, but I refused and said to her “no thanks, not if you’re going to start shit on the court”. I don’t think I’ve ever refused to shake someone’s hand outright like that before, and I was a little bit shocked at myself. But honestly, it’s just a game, there’s no need to play dirty and push people around unnecessarily. I’m not going to just forget about that when the whistle blows. My integrity stays with me during, and after, a game. I won’t excuse people pushing me, elbowing me and being dirty, and I certainly won’t shake their hand to reward them for it.

I wonder what will happen next time we play that team.

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