The week so far

I’ve been a bit out of touch with my blogging the last few weeks. Even behind on my reading a bit :( Mainly because I’ve been spending a lot of time doing some freelance work. So you know in between work and well, more work after work I haven’t had much time to write for myself. But it’s cool, I love my freelance work :)

Anyway, so this week hasn’t been the best. Mainly because of ex-Cyclone Oswald deciding to pay Queensland a visit. We had incessant rain on Australia Day but it was still no warning for what was to come. Then on Sunday the weather started getting a little crazier and by night time it was full blown out of its mind. The wind was nothing like I’ve ever seen, felt or heard before. Things were rattling and falling off shelves. The skylight in my bathroom fell through and smashed on the ground and everything put together, I was so on edge.

Storms normally don’t scare me but this one was different. I didn’t sleep well at all that night. At about 7am on Monday, J got out of bed worrying that the wooden fence in our backyard may have gotten blown away but although battered, it was still hanging on. But then we looked over to the other side which is part brick, part fence and the entire brick wall had fallen over!

The sight on Monday morning :(

 It was the biggest shock and the weather on Monday was so bad it didn’t do anything to ease our worries. The only consolation was that it was public holiday and we didn’t have to leave the house in that weather. On top of the things-falling-apart drama, we also lost power late Sunday night. This meant our phones were also barely charged. Not that it mattered because we barely had any signal anyway. It was quite surreal feeling being so cut off with no news, no phones, no social media.

We spent about half an hour in the pouring rain on Monday night putting up a piece of tarp to cover up the space left by the now missing wall. Luckily (and thanks to the hard working peeps at Energex) we got electricity back at about 8:30pm and were able to have a hot shower. But sleep was still elusive.

My suburb and the next suburb up from me got very badly battered over this last weekend. My local beach is looking very beatdown and forlorn. Gold Coast beaches in general look sad and dirty, very dirty. As do the roads, because of all the debris lying around.

Wait, it doesn’t there though. On Tuesday evening, we could feel something was wrong with J’s car. Another problem we didn’t need. Got that fixed on Wednesday and it was closely followed by more bad news. A tile has blown off the roof and there is now a leak as a result.

You have got to be kidding me.

It’s Thursday and while the weather is still PMSing between hot and humid and raining cats and dogs, nothing else has gone wrong. Yet.  As for us, we are ok. Physically of course we were unharmed but mentally we are both just so exhausted.

There are people in so many other parts of Queensland such as Bundaberg and even Brisbane who were affected much worse than J and me and my heart really goes out to them. I feel so sad thinking about all the people whose homes have been destroyed and for some of them they have barely recovered from the 2011 floods and it’s hitting them again.

From heatwaves to cyclones. I’m not sure what Mother Nature has in store for Australia next?

Get your tits out girls

Read this article then weep. And weep some more. For feminism. For women.

My favourite bit?

"And when it comes to the workplace, despite the fight for equal pay and equal rights, some women (many women) know that a good push-up bra is a better investment than any PhD."

Thanks Sammy B. So you're saying I should have spent a few hundred dollars on lingerie instead of spending so many years, thousands of dollars and so much time on my education? Wow, I sure have my sense of achievement all mixed up.

The general response to the article has no doubt been outrage.  Yet, on Twitter I have seen so many women say things to the effect of: "What's the big deal" or "It's ridiculous...but it's true. Ladies should use what their mama gave them". To those women, I say THANK YOU for taking women (everywhere) further back into the dark ages and for furthering the cause for sexism. Now please, shut up.

I'm not naive. Getting your tits out to get up the proverbial ladder is the oldest trick in the book. And it happens everywhere, I know that. Sexist pigs who don't think women have brains obviously only pay attention when you rock a bit of cleavage. Unfortunately, there are women who simply pander to this archaic sexist way of thinking and use their umm..."assets" to..how do they say it.. "to their advantage" (vomit).

In other words, they're saying to men "Ok, I get you like to objectify women. So let's just not worry about the fact that I have a Master's degree and am probably smarter than you because you know, I have boobs. So here's my cleavage. Oh and I'll throw in my sexy bum and my long, toned legs too. Now how about that promotion? I've earned it on my own merit right?"

Your merit drank itself to a depressing death the moment you started thinking about "using your assets to your advantage". I know it's a man's world and a woman's gotta do what a woman's gotta do. But you know what a woman's gotta do? Stand up and say it's not okay. Say, "Hey douchebag I ain't got no cleavage for you. But hey guess what, I do have the qualifications and the experience. NOW how about that promotion?"

If you think you're doing the SMART thing for your career by giving in to sexist pigs, you've probably looked up the wrong dictionary for the meaning of smart. If you are moving up that workplace ladder thanks to your boob-baring skills, you're a sexism enabler. It fails to be an achievement then. It fails because if it were you vs a man, it wasn't a fair fight. It was your ta-tas vs his brains.  I'd say it'd be a fair fight when it was brains vs brains and you get picked over the man, because of your smarts. Because you're equal. Then we have a real case of achievement in our (what often seems like) never-ending fight for equality in the workplace, at home, in the world.

So my titty-flaunting sisters, the next time you high five yourself for your win over a man and doing your bit for women's equality, please, STOP. We'll take it from here.

Thoughts on:The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest

I finally finished reading Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy last week. High five.

This also means, I finished reading the first book for BOTH my reading challenges. Double high five.

No plot spoilers coming up, promise.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is only 658 pages. It's been way too hot at night this last week and I compensated for my lack of sleep by reading at break-neck speed. It's a great final installment of the trilogy and although the first (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) is still the best, I definitely recommend reading the entire Millennium trilogy. The second book (The Girl Who Played With Fire) goes slightly downhill but the pace picks back up again in Book No. 3.

Stieg Larsson is a really great writer and addresses so many social and humanitarian issues in these books and I love that. The books are not just fiction thrillers but tell a tale of so much more about Swedish society and the realities of the world.

There are pros and cons to each of these books and if anything I'd say Larsson's attention to detail in his attempt to paint a picture can get a bit tedious at times. But, it's forgivable considering the rush these books provide - you just have to know what happens next. It's sad Larsson never lived to see how well his books are doing and the reading pleasure they provide.

Oh and this wasn't intended to be a review - just my thoughts on the book. May be now I can watch the movies.

Moving on, my current reading list:

• Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh
• Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson

I usually read 2 books at once and I am anticipating the Steve Jobs biography to be a long read (it's only about 600 pages and no thriller like the Millennium trilogy so I will take my time with it, I'm sure).

Favourite recipe: Thai noodle salad

Do you have recipes you go back to over and over because you are guaranteed a happy feed? This recipe for a Thai (inspired) noodle salad is on high rotation at my place. It's particularly good in summer when my appetite plummets (too hot to eat) and it's got all the salady-y goodness without the depressing need to eat leaves dressed with vinegar.

Ingredients:

• Green beans (150, trimmed & halved)
• Cherry tomatoes (250g, halved)
• Lebanese cucumber (1, cut into 2cm pieces)
• Red onion (1/2, thinly sliced)
• Mixed lettuce leaves (2 cups/ 60g)
• Mint leaves (1/3 cup, coarsely chopped)
• Vermicelli noodles (120g)
• Coriander leaves (1/3 cup, coarsely chopped)
• Unsalted, roasted peanuts (2 tbsp, chopped)

For the dressing:

• Soy sauce (1 cup)
• Fish sauce (1 tbsp)
• Sweet chilli sauce (2 tbsp)
• Lime juice (2 tbsp)
• Sesame oil (3 tsp)

This recipe is from a Weight Watches Programme Cookbook. (Sorry I can't find a link to the book online. No, I'm not part of the programme but the book has amazing quick and healthy recipes and it was $10 so I had to buy it). The original recipe is with 400g lamb leg steaks (cooked to your liking). I often substitute this with chicken breast (cooked in the oven, with a sprinkling of paprika). Very often I omit the meat altogether. The salad and noodles taste great on their own.

My notes:

• I don't add the lettuce - I find it doesn't really go with the recipe
• I often substitute peanuts with roasted cashews and/or sunflower seeds. Tastes just as good. 
• I leave out the sweet chilli sauce (I don't like it) and add some chopped fresh chilli instead. 
• The coriander should be optional (I don't always use it - herbs are expensive!). The mint is needed for the flavour though

What to do:

• Cook lamb, chicken or other choice of meat to your liking. Slice it up into bite sized pieces.
  Boil or steam beans until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold water.
• Cook noodles as per packet instructions. Drain well. Using scissors, cut noodles into 6cm lengths (easier to eat and you don't get stuck with a never-ending noodle slurp)
• Place meat, beans, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, lettuce and mint in a large bowl. 
• Whisk together soy, fish and sweet chilli sauces with lime juice and oil. Add 3/4 of the dressing to the meat and veggies mix. Toss.
• Add remaining dressing to noodles and toss well to combine.
• Divide noodles among bowls, add meat and veggie mix and top with nuts and coriander.
• Eat and go yum!
  

This recipe serves 4. 

Some pictures from my latest attempt -

The veggies, chopped up and waiting to be dressed.

The dressing

The finished product

Yummy, fresh veggie goodness

When did I become an adult?

I had the sudden realisation today that I'm a bit of an adult. Shocking, I know.

I realised this because there is such little spontaneity in my weekdays. It's all very structured, routine and....planned (ugh).

Proof of my adultness:

1. My week days look like this -- Breakfast - Work - Gym - Dinner.
2. I save.
3. Grocery shopping
4. I switch lights off because bills.
5. 9:30pm = bed time.
6. I know what headache means.
7. I complain about the noisy neighbours.
8. I has responsibilities (refer to point 4).
9. My high school friends are: married and/or have babies and think I'm the strange one.
10. I plan.

I thought I had more time but adulthood is catching up on me, quick.

Please send help. I'm not ready yet.

Source: hellogiggles.com via Radhika on Pinterest

Yoga in my living room

I've been trying to do more yoga at home lately. To relax and most importantly, to stretch and to prevent my lower back from seizing up as it does sometimes.

I do a Dynamic Flow Yoga class at the gym on Monday evenings. It's intense and a really great workout. To further supplement it, I've taken to YouTube and following workouts on the doyogawithme channel.  I'd love to join a proper yoga studio but it's just not practical at the moment so YouTube does just fine.

YouTube is great for yoga practice. There are so many videos for different levels. I invested in an HDMI cable ($4.95, thanks eBay!) and just hook it up to the TV so I don't have to squint at the screen.  I highly recommend it.

I did the sequence below on Sunday afternoon in my living room as I felt very tight and needed a gentle, guided stretch before the intense Flow Yoga class on Monday.  I found Melissa's video very soothing. She gradually takes you through the poses, all the while reminding you to be conscious of your breathing. Her voice is gentle, soft and doesn't rush you or push you to do anything you aren't comfortable with.

I will definitely be doing this stretch again as it's gentle and ideal for days when all you want is to stretch those aching muscles and prepare for hard work the next day.

7 life lessons from my mumma

I'm having a "I miss my mumma" kinda day. This in turn has made it a reflective kind of day. So many things about the way I live now is because of life lessons taught (read: ingrained into my system) by my mum. They sure didn't seem like pearls of wisdom back in the day but in retrospect, mum's always right isn't she?

Source: jackandfriends.com via Radhika on Pinterest

1. Read

Reading has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As kids, my mum went out of her way to take us to the library every few weeks and took an active interest in the books we read. She was always reading a new book and we had a bookshelf packed to the rafters. Reading opens your mind and introduces you to worlds you've never seen before, she always said to us. She couldn't be more right.

2. Eat your breakfast

In my school days, I liked to get every last minute of sleep possible and if that meant skipping breakfast, I'd give it a shot. But mum wasn't having any of it! You don't go to school without your breakfast and a glass of milk. Today, I know how important a meal breakfast is and my tummy is growling as soon as I'm out of bed.

3. Don't slouch
I was very self conscious as a kid because I was a beanstalk while my friends were still catching up. I slouched, trying (in vain) to look shorter and fit in with my classmates and cousins who were yet to catch up. Mum took every opportunity to tell me I was being silly and being tall wasn't a bad thing. She was  always annoying us to sit straight at the dinner table and being all superior-like with her ramrod straight posture.

Fast forward to the present day and I wish I'd listened to her more. I am Slouchy McGee at my desk very often and this gives me terrible back pains. I'm trying to consciously work on my posture more but should've just listened when I was 10!

4. Bananas are your friends
I've always been a fruit and veggie eater but I absolutely loathed bananas. If forced, I'd eat them only if they were at their perfect stage of ripeness, not too hard, not too soft. Squishy bananas made me want to throw up in my mouth. But mum never failed to tell us how good bananas were for you and I never failed to roll my eyes at her.

With the wisdom that only age can bring, I know now bananas are an excellent source of nutrients and are my favourite pre and post-workout snack and is the best way to stave off Hangry. Funnily enough, bananas always make me think of mumma.

5. Make up doesn't make you beautiful
This wasn't an active lesson as such. My mum never really wore much makeup. Her daily routine involved her compact powder, a touch of lipstick and the traditional Indian red bindi. And she looked beautiful. So I learnt that sure makeup helps, but it isn't essential to making you beautiful.

6. Drink water
Going to bed? Bring a bottle of water. Shopping trip? Bottle of water. Sit down to dinner? Bottle of water - check. My mum is obsessed with drinking water and I never understood it. A bottle of water is like an extension of her arm - always there when she needs it. Surprise, surprise - I do the same now. Never leave the house without water.

7. Mum knows it all
Finally, the most important life lesson of all - always listen to your mother. But whhhyyyy?

"Because I said so!"

Weekend treats

Normal people make rum balls at Christmas time, I made protein balls...as a present for J. And he loved them. So yesterday I made some more.

When I say protein balls, most people make a face that says "I can't believe you eat that tasteless shiz". But I actually really like them. They taste good (well, some of them do) and they're so filled with protein-y goodness...mmmm. The problem is they can become an expensive habit at $4 to $5 a packet so I figured the internet would have a solution to this. And the internet did not disappoint.

I found Teresa Cutter's website and this recipe for protein balls. They are absolutely yummy and so addictive! 

These are my protein balls from yesterday:

My tips for the recipe:

1. I used almond meal instead of whole almonds. (laziness)
2. I added pepitas and sunflower seeds to the mix.
3. Last time, I rolled the balls in sesame seeds, cocoa and quinoa flakes as I didn't have dessicated coconut. 'twas yum!
4. If the coating doesn't stick to the balls, wet your hands a little bit when forming the balls. This will help the coating stick better.
5. Instead of spreading the dessicated coconut out on a plate, I put it in a bag and threw the balls in one at a time and tossed them around. I find this coats the balls much better.

My green smoothie

I am also VERY into smoothies right now. I have a little Sunbeam stick blender that cost me all of $40 to buy and I reckon it's one of my best investments in kitchen equipment. It was really hot on Sunday so I didn't feel like a thick, heavy smoothie. So I tried my hand at a "green" smoothie for the first time. It was delish!

Ingredients:

1. Flesh from 1 grapefruit
2. Flesh from 1 lime
3. Handful of mint leaves
4. 1 banana
5. Handful of spinach leaves
6. Honey (if you'd like a touch more sweetness)
7. 1 scoop protein powder (optional)

Simply blend all ingredients together.

Green smoothies seemed a repulsive idea to me before but I actually really like them now and definitely recommend them. It's a whole new way of eating spinach, that's for sure.

My high

I've become one of those people who like exercise. I say become because I wasn't always a gym junkie. In fact, I never really played much sport in school (coordination doesn't feature in the top 10 list of my skills) and fitness for the sake of fitness isn't a huge part of the Indian culture I grew up in for 22 years. I never understood how people exercised voluntarily or craved a trip to the gym.

A few years ago, I was a bit of a mess. I was getting rapidly sucked into a vortex of black clouds and dementors and I didn't really get the help I needed. I'm stupidly stubborn like that sometimes. I don't like asking for help when I most need it so instead I chose to self-medicate. With exercise.

I'd had a gym membership for a while but I went sporadically and didn't really know what I was doing even when I was there. But during this point in my life, I was just looking for things to keep me busy and since I wasn't prepared to handle the guilt of cancelling my gym membership, I figured I may as well use it. (Yes, THAT was my motivation). So I started with a Body Pump class (I didn't know much about weight training so I thought I'd give it a go).

I could barely move the next day but I went back again (after about 3 days!). And again. And again. Somewhere along the way the endorphins replaced the dementors and its a high I did not want to get off from.

I can't pinpoint an exact moment of time when my attitude towards exercise changed but today I'm one of those people who is cranky when I can't exercise.

Exercise helped me love myself, love my body. Not be so conscious of my bum and love the definition in my thighs. Exercise makes me  feel sexy.

Exercise gives me a happy.

That's why I exercise.

Off the Shelf: 2013

So I've chosen my books for Off the Shelf. There are different levels for the challenge, starting at 5 books from your shelf and going up to 200! I'm going to keep it simple and go with Tempted: 5 books to read.

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I know, a bit of a modest attempt but I don't want to commit to 15 books and there is no level for 10 books. So I picked 6 books I most want to read. Hopefully, it will spur me to read some other ones off the shelf as well. They are: 

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Stieg Larsson
   This is the third book in the Millennium trilogy. I have really enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. I don't read many thriller style novels and these books have really got me hooked. The plots are complex and really gripping. I've been meaning to finish off the trilogy for a while now, just haven't gotten around to it!
   
2. Steve Jobs: A Biography - Walter Isaacson
   I really like reading biographies and have had this book for a while now. This is a MASSIVE book and 2013 is the year I conquer it!
   
3. The Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh
   Amitav Ghosh is one of my favourite authors. I first read Hungry Tide by him, many years ago and absolutely loved it. Many, many people have since told me how good Sea of Poppies is. I bought a copy of the book on my trip to India in 2010 and I am ashamed to say I am yet to read it!
   
4. Hell's Angels - Hunter S. Thompson
   I bought this book soon after reading Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in 2007 and never actually got around to reading it. Gotta be done!
   
5. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
   A frequent pop culture reference and a classic I am embarrassed to say I haven't read. Yet.
   
6. The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga
   Been meaning to read this one since it won the Booker prize. But again, books sit on your shelf and you forget.

Ok, time to start reading then!

Reading Challenges: 2013

For the last few months, I have used tiredness as an excuse many a time and didn't bother reading. And as mentioned in this post, got more sucked into watching mindless, crappy telly and read less and less. To combat my embarrassing lack of reading, I am signing up for a couple of reading challenges this year.

I signed up for the Good Reads reading challenge a couple of days ago and set myself a modest goal of reading 30 books in 2013. Then I read Psych Babbler's post on the reading challenges she is doing and found the Off the Shelf Reading challenge. In short, this challenge commits you to reading those books you enthusiastically bought but have since been gathering the proverbial dust. Perfect.

The best part is both challenges work together as the ultimate goal is simply to read more. Besides, less TV also works very well with more reading.

I am yet to pick my books for Off the Shelf, so I will do another post later this week outlining the deets of what books I must convert from unread to read on my shelf.

Wish me luck! :)

Finding my zen

For a few weeks now, J and I have been talking about giving up TV for a little while. Even just a month.

By giving up, I mean not watching the news, the tv shows etc - anything that is on tv. We would probably still continue using the tv to watch movies and documentaries - anything we choose to put on. It all sounds doable except the news. About 80% of our TV watching is news and current affairs related. We're both such information junkies. Like I said to J, "...but I have to know what's going on in the world"

But do I really HAVE to watch the news every morning and evening?

Besides, I still have the internet. And Twitter. So it's not like I'm going to be a hermit. We just won't be watching crap like you tend to sometimes, when you can't be bothered getting off the couch and finding something else to do.

From an article called The Zen TV Experiment --

TV and the Illusion of Knowing

Marshall McLuhan says TV opens out onto an electronic global village. It would seem, rather, that it gives us only the illusion of being. It reinforces security by presenting danger, ignorance by presenting news, lethargy by presenting excitement, isolation by promising participation. The media confines reality to itself. And it limits knowledge by giving the illusion of knowledge. In the same way that the most effective way to deflect, diffuse and terminate a social movement is to announce that it has been achieved (the feminist movement must contend with this on an almost daily basis), the most effective way to deflect inquiry is to present it as fulfilled. TV acts in this guise as a thinking presentation device which offers non-experience as experience and not-knowingness as knowing.

It's not really that hard, I don't think. I think it will go a long way towards finding my zen. I just have to give up the need to know what the River Boys will get up to next.  ;-)

Adieu 2012

Like any year, 2012 was filled with its ups and downs and flatlines. But a recent conversation with J made me realise the year was also full of moments where I found myself doing things I never thought I would.

Relationships change you, in good and bad ways. What I like about J and me is we're always pushing each other to do something different, to try a new experience, no matter how small. Don't get me wrong, we're not trying to change each other, we're just pushing each other's boundaries. And whether you come out of the experience hating it, loving it or just relieved that you're alive - you will have changed, just that little bit because you opened up yourself to something new and different.

So in my obligatory reflective post of 2012 in review, I thought I'd give myself a pat on the back for the things I never thought I would do...but I did.

I never thought I would...

• ...skydive! This is probably one of my biggest highs of 2012. On the 30th of December, somewhere over the Byron Bay hinterland, I jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet! After 60 seconds of free falling, I cruised along on the parachute for about 5 minutes before hitting the ground and going "OH MY GOD. I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST DID THAT!!" I am not very good with heights. I get wobble legs looking down from not-so-high bridges. I don't particularly like balconies in high rise buildings. And I'm not the biggest fan of roller coasters. So skydiving was a pretty amazing achievement and I really enjoyed it, to be honest. I'm super proud of myself!

• ...crave a steak! This is a source of amusement for most of my Australian friends I know but hey, when you grow up in a country where the cow can be holier than people, you don't exactly develop a palate for steak. But you can't have an Aussie boyfriend and get away with that really. In the past year, I have not only grown to like a (properly cooked) medium rare steak, I actually even crave it sometimes. Sorry cows.
• ...scuba dive! This is a partial achievement because I still have to finish part of the course but hey, I'm claiming it. I am not 100% comfortable under water so scbua diving was never on my list of things to do. But J got given a voucher for his 30th birthday and well, I sort of said a "yes, I'll do it too" without really thinking what I was getting into. Next thing I knew, I was spending 4 hours in a pool, learning how to scuba dive. Yay me!
• ...learn a language! Another partial achievement but sometimes just starting and committing to something is a big achievement. In July 2012, J and I started taking Spanish lessons and 6 months later, I am at least confident about having a basic conversation with people, asking for (and giving) directions, asking for help, ordering food and even making reservations. I've always wanted to learn a language but never thought I would seriously do it so I'm pretty stoked we're doing this so seriously.

• ...drink beer! Again, silly but a huge deal for me. I never drank beer until probably 3 months ago. I  didn't like the taste. But on our trip to Melbourne, some friends took us on a really cool pub crawl through Fitzroy and convinced me to order some pale ale at the Little Creatures brewery. "You can't order a wine at a brewery!" I have since been hooked to White Rabbit. I'll admit I will probably still hate a lot of beers (I'm looking at you VB and XXXX Gold) but I do like many more beers now. Especially the shmancy boutique beers ;-)
• ...do a Body Attack class! I'll be the first to admit cardio fitness isn't one of my strong points. I have to work a lot harder at it than most people and see results a lot slower. So the thought of doing a 1 hour high-impact, sporty cardio class that involves lots of jumping, running, aerobics and more, really intimidated me. But I went along for the ride one Saturday morning (I think I was too sleepy to realise what I getting myself into) and despite the struggle, the shortness of breath and slightly achy limbs - I loved it! I started doing it twice a week and it's a Saturday morning staple now. Gym classes are more amazing than people give them credit for (more of this in an upcoming post).
• ...be happy! Ok, not never but I did feel unhappy for a very long time and wasn't sure I'd ever be able to be happy for more than 5 or 10 minutes at a time. But I am. Something has changed this year and I am more positive, happier than I have ever been. I feel like I've found a lot of peace and am so much more aware of what makes ME happy. Still searching for my zen, but I'm happy knowing I'm getting there.

I hope 2013 is a year filled with many more "I never thought I would" moments too :)

Happy New Year :)

There's something about the 1st of January that brings about a universal positivity isn't there? No matter how much people say you shouldn't wait till the new year to start new things and have new goals, we always want to make a fresh beginning on the 1st of January. It made me want to blog a bit today :)

Nothing particularly exciting to talk about, really. I'm spending New Year's day with the boy (#bliss), couch surfing and watching The Walking Dead. I am really torn about this show. Everyone I know has told me it's amazing and addictive but I really, REALLY dislike zombies and OMG, the gore factor is.... well, they kill a zombie, cut up it's stomach and go through its guts to make sure it didn't eat one of their missing friends...you get the drift?

On the other hand, the drama and the suspense is ridiculously amazing. It's an AMC show. The same people who made one of my all time favourite shows - Breaking Bad. So I'm giving Walking Dead a shot. Besides J loves it so I don't really have a choice. ;-)

The plans for the rest of the day involve a beach swim and then some KFC. Haha. Neither J nor I have had KFC for a LONG time. About 12 months for him and probably 2-3 years for me (I really don't like KFC). But the KFC double burger is back and J has to have it and well, I said I'll give him company and have a zinger  Happy New Year to us ;-)

Tomorrow it's back to the gym, back to work and back to real life.