Fail Whale

Boy did I ever laugh today when I spotted this front page story in the papers. “Whale lands on yacht“, complete with a picture of an epic fail whale.

Don’t get me wrong, it sucks for the whale (at least it swam off without much more than a bruise or two)… but ever since seeing something very similar on FailBlog.org a few years back, the idea of a whale breaching onto a boat has been on the amusing side. Maybe it’s the reminder that nature really doesn’t give a shit about us and our silly human activities like yachting, or maybe it’s wondering what must go through a whale’s mind when it realises that it has a) emerged right next to a friggin boat and b) it is about to crash onto it and there is fokkol it can do.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me but this was one of the most entertaining headlines since Paul the Psychic Calamari. The hot guys behind me in the queue at Woolies were also laffing at least. Sea animals, ftw!

To say that today has been a Mehday is an understatement – after a weekend spent in bed, mostly asleep, today was never going to be easy. But brainstorming sessions, manic work and too much to try and get through aside, I survived. Then this evening I went through to the epic bridal mecca that is Bridal Co at Canal Walk, where my fellow bridesmaids and I went to choose and try on our dresses. The bride also tried on her final choice, and seeing her out there in that dress, I wanted to burst into tears. She looks so perfect, like every bride dreams of being! Our dresses are pretty awesome too, low cut and flouncy in layered chiffon, knee-length with a subtle sexiness… in the most gorgeous shade or purpley plum – considering that all of us are blue eyed, it is a great colour thank god.

It was so intense though, the shop is like one massive one-stop place for brides. From endless racks of breathtaking dresses to bridesmaid dresses in all styles and colours, to shoes and accessories, hen party get up and even honeymoon gear. I was completely overwhelmed by the wedding dresses… each one was more elaborate and beautiful than the other, in white, ivory and cream… beaded, feathered, detailed, tulled… it was all just too much! I walked out of there feeling quite overcome, lord knows how the bride-to-be felt! How do you know that the dress is *the one* when there are SO MANY of them to choose from?! It was too much!

I am now utterly exhausted, my glands are sore, my head is sore, I can’t swallow properly and it is beyond freezing out there. Law & Order is coming up, I have my hot chocolate, and then I am going to relish a hot bubble bath and bed.

Still reeling from that bridal overload… is it just me, or are those places just way too hectic?!

It’s amazing how the interwebs have changed, and how the have shaped our lives in so many ways. Tonight Justin Hartman’s heartbreaking tweet as he said goodbye to his father who is being taken by cancer brought home the real value of social media – just like Chris’ post on iMod for Cath as she sees her mom also fight a losing battle.

Earlier this week we helped @Riven16 decide what to wear with her lovely new dress, and @al_ice for advice on her #buzzdate profile. We helped @blindcripple choose a new banner, and we just welcomed back the lovely @cow_grrrl after a break. This has all just been in the past few days.

Blogging has found me some of the best friends imaginable, it helped me get into the world of web copywriting, and it’s helped in many a job application. I’ve shared so much with my online friends, sometimes more than I was ever able to share with offline ones. Not once have I ever felt judged, never has there been any drama or issues… just an amazing bunch of people, all doing our own thing, and connecting on the interwebs in an awesome, ever-growing community.

That to me is the biggest value of social media – the capacity to develop and grow relationships, in business and fun, meeting friends and networking both online and offline. The support and kindness from people we ’see’ virtually every day, but who somehow enrich our lives just the same.

Who needs a support group when you have Twitter and the blogisphere on hand – from fashion issues to messages of sympathy and comfort during the hardest times, social media is proving to be one of the best support systems out there… true story!

winter in the city

Today was a bit of a write-off, not even sure what made it sucky – it just wasn’t the best of days. Lately I have been super groggy in the mornings, and it’s not unusual for me to get to work realising my top is inside out, or for me to walk into things while trying to do ten things at once. Today I managed to bash my elbow into the metal lock bit on my cupboard, so now have a puncture mark and nice bruise developing.

Then I only managed to have one cup of coffee, and had run out of tea by lunchtime (and then forgot to get from Spar when I went to get lunch). Work was on the boring side, I had aches and pains and by the end of the day I just felt too meh and tired to consider Muaythai. Which is crappy, and makes me feel super guilty for bunking class.

There were a few bright spots however…

* I wore my precious vintage Jackie O style jacket. It’s one of my favourite things ever, and is black, with three quarter sleeves, a satin colar and massive black buttons (with the moth holes covered by heart shaped pearly buttons).
* As always there were a lot of giggles at work. From midgets with high pitched voices to the endless hilarious diminishing ice tea stock, silly jokes and the usual driving each other mad, another fun day in the copy team.
* I indulged myself with an energy drink and cheese and pickle roll. Ok, two rolls. I am like a pregnant woman with my cravings for pickles, seriously love them and with mustard, cheese and tomato, it’s serious nom!
* My stress relief oil is somehow very comforting. It smells so nice, and even though I forgot to put on perfume, I still smelled good the whole day thanks to the oil.
* My cats are being so sweet lately. Jasper is still a little bugger, and he gives his Uncle Sonic a hard time, but they’re starting to sleep next to each other now, it’s so awesome to see them making friends!

Wish I could shake these Monday blues… there’s no chocolate or wine in the house though, and not quite sure I feel like any anyway. Think a hot bath with my stress relief oil, and then some Gossip Girl will do the trick.

At least the weather wasn’t too bad, considering it’s winter!

happy thoughts...

So far being 30 has been awesome, maybe last week was just a good week in general, but things have just been so great… especially after all the drama, heartache, stress and worries of the past few months. Turning a corner, finding your way back on the path, realising that all along you’ve been able to deal with anything life throws at you – good feeling that.

A huge part of my current state of contentment and happiness is finally hitting that big three oh milestone, also realising how many fantastic friends I have, and how lucky I am to have them. A new tattoo (which was a birthday present from my dear friend Chris), new exciting challenges at work, and then finally, my return to Muaythai. So much to be grateful for, and so much to be excited about!

To keep it going, I’ve decided to not let anything stop me from smiling this week. Work, stress, sadistic trainers, naughty cats… whatever is waiting around that corner, there is no reason why I can’t get through it without letting my zen slide.

I’ll first try it or a week, then maybe will extend for the whole month of May(hem). Let’s see how long I can annoy the crap out of people by being cheerful and upbeat, regardless of the rain, cold and issues!

I challenge anyone and everyone to try the same – even just for a day. If anything, at least you will have an awesome day and you will realise that nothing can really bring us down if we don’t let it.

After all, zen is purely a state of mind is it not… learning to dance in the rain and all that. Mind over matter!

On that note, I need more chocolate and some kitten cuddles, hehe.

With roughly four hours sleep the previous night after epic deadline crunching, I had originally planned to do as little as possible on Friday night. My flexible rubber arm was soon twisted though, and after some downtime and a power nap (and an uber cheesy B-grade on etv) my lovely friend DT and I headed out to Long Street around 11pm or so for some much-needed Patron and fun. First stop was Neighbourhood, which was packed beyond belief (even for a Friday). Loads of gorgeous foreign boys, some of them even took a picture of us before dashing off again – it was a bit weird, but that’s tourists for you.

We had planned to go on to Assembly, but after getting word from Blade that he was at Cape to Cuba, we opted to go there instead. Good choice – the vibe was pretty cool, I had a chat with a recently published author, we danced a bit and had another Patron or two. DT and I then decided to try Fiction, which was pumping some not too shabby dub step, then we headed to Zula (packed, blasting good tunage though) before calling it a night and catching a cab home.

Saturday morning was epic and busy, with not much of a hangover but plenty of yawns from delayed tiredness catching up with me. My mom came over to help me with the double vet mission – Sonic needed to go for his check up, and Jasper went for his first vaccination shots. Sonic is an old hand at vet missions, and is pretty chilled. Jasper however was not at all impressed. He hadn’t been in a cat basket since he first came to me at 7 weeks old, and while the cat baskets I have are roomy and well-sized, that didn’t stop him from shouting non-stop and trying to bust his way out of the basket in the vet waiting room.

waiting at the vet

The vet is actually quite cute, and it was nice to show him that I had at least one normal cat – he was totally charmed by Jasper (as is everyone who meets him) and was also happy at Sonic’s progress. Sonic didn’t have to have any shots, Jasper had to have his vaccination AND a worm pill shoved down his throat, which he was not at all happy about. After getting both cats home to town again, my mom and I headed out for some early Mother’s Day fun…

My mom was keen for the aquarium, where we hadn’t been in years. I used to work and volunteer there many moons ago, so it’s always been a special place. The place has changed quite a lot, and while it was still sad to know I wouldn’t be seeing the seals anymore (having gone on to a new home a few years ago), it was still great to see all my old favourites (Yoshi the turtle, the raggies, puffer fish, penguins…). You can check out all my pics in my Aquarium set on flickr, but my favourite is this one of the Kelp Forest…

kelp forest - my favourite photo

The rest of my Saturday was chilled to the extreme, and it was so unbelievably good to just zone out on the couch with my snuggie, cats, chocolate and socks – especially after such a hectic and tiring week. I slept in a bit today, and read in bed under my divine feather duvet till after 11am. Pure bliss!

I have a fair bit of work today, and I’m also contemplating a run later. Tomorrow the madness starts again, with a busy week of work, Muaythai, more work and maybe even some MAYhem on the cards. I feel so relaxed and content, and totally ready to take on whatever the universe throws my way.

Nothing like a good weekend to restore the zen!

now this is my idea of a good present

No one has ever gotten me a tattoo before, and as they are somewhat in the guilty pleasure category, it’s not always easy to sneak one in when I should be watching my budget. Not being huge on tattoos himself, but knowing how much I love them, I thought it was really such an amazing gesture to do something like this for me.

Chris my friend, you have really made my week/month/year and can’t thank you enough!

While 99% of the time I’m quite content to live out my selfish single fantasies, with a hot tourist to divert me once in a while, I am not entirely immune to wistful thoughts. I have no idea what I really think of love anymore, and to be honest, right now I don’t know if I want to know. My life is only just starting to go the way I want it to go, and so much is ahead of me… being derailed right now would just be a disaster.

So for now, I will have my moments of wistfulness… I will allow myself to feel a little sad when I listen to Gavin Rossdale and I will even allow a flicker of longing for something meaningful. But then I’ll take a deep breath, and think of how much I have going on right now, and how many gorgeous Brazilian boys will be flocking to the city next month, and I’ll remember why I am trying resolutely to stay thirty, thirty and thriving.

Over to Gavin now…

Gavin Rossdale – Love Remains the Same

a thousand times i’ve seen you standing
gravity like a lunar landing
make me want to run till i find you
shut the world away from here, drift to you, you’re all i hear
everything we know fades to black

half the time the world is ending, truth is i am done pretending

i never thought that i had any more to give
pushing me so far here i am without you
drink to all that we have lost, mistakes that we have made
everything will change, love remains the same
find a place where we escape
take you with me for a space
a city bus that sounds just like a fridge
walk the streets through seven bars
i had to find just out where you are
the faces seen to blur they’re all the same

half the time the world is ending, truth is i am done pretending

i never thought that i had any more to give
you’re pushing me so far here i am without you
drink to all that we have lost, mistakes that we have made
everything will change, love remains the same

so much more to say, so much to be done
don’t you trick me out, we shall overcome
cause our love stays ablaze

we should have had the sun
could have been inside
instead we’re over here

half the time the world is ending, truth is i am done pretending
too much time to love defending, you and i are done pretending

i never thought that i had any more to give
you’re pushing me so far here i am without you
drink to all that we have lost, mistakes that we have made
everything will change, everything will change

Because I’m feeling too brain dead and lazy to write much, will post some of my favourite photos from the birthday weekend instead…

birthday flowers from work

waterfront shopping and quick savanna with my aunt

jasper having fun amidst the mountain of wrapping paper

gorgeous cake from my mom

more presents @ asoka

much patron madness at the bar

because being made to look like a twat is what it's all about

Thanks to all my love friends (online and offline) who made this such an epic birthday… you all rock!

P.S. Highlight of the birthday awesomeness? Chris is getting me a teeny tiny tattoo. Best. Present. EVER.

*meh*

I started off this year with just one goal in mind – I was going to do my utmost to cut down on stress, and live a happy and balanced life. Almost five months in, and I’m starting to notice an ever so teeny slip back into my bad habits. I can’t remember when I last went for a run, and while this cold kinda hit me with a vengeance, I can’t entirely blame it on that. Same story with gym, and I won’t even try and find an excuse as to why I haven’t attempted any new chapters on the horror. These days I consider it an achievement if I manage to finish reading a book, so the thought of writing one is kinda abstract at this stage.

With all that said, I can at least say that there have been some healthy changes. I am finally starting to say no to more work, and am not taking on new clients at this stage as I just cannot make time anymore. Instead, I am focusing on the one or two awesome clients that I’ve built up relationships with, ensuring better work and less issues. I’m also putting in a lot of energy to my day job, and have managed to achieve some great challenges and grow in the process.

All counts for something, right?

I have also managed to finally be able to sleep properly, and don’t even use the lavender oil anymore. I try and get offline and into bed before midnight where possible, and I always ensure that I have an hour or so to chill before I start work in the evenings.

On one hand I have never felt this content and confident in who I am, and I am finally starting to understand things that I could never have really gotten in my earlier twenties. It feels like it’s all coming together, and slowly all those silly issues and concerns are melting away… leaving me with a clear idea of the path I need to take, and putting me in the right frame of mind to start kicking some serious butt.

But on the other hand…

I feel tired a lot, and I miss having the passion and energy I used to have. I miss running all the time, and I miss roundhouse kicking, and having an obsessive interest. I also find myself becoming less patient and intolerant of bull shit, and a lot of the wistfulness and whatnot also seems to have vanished. When everyone around me seems to be dreaming of white picket fences and lurve, I am vaguely wondering if I’ll see Junior the Brazilian again, and pondering world domination, ballet shoes, Victorian cottages in the city and whether I should cut my hair again or just change colour. I need to be selfish right now, and I don’t have the energy to give anything of myself away – I am only just reaching the point where I am finally starting to get past things and function at an optimal level, and I am dead set on living my thirty, flirty and thriving dream. At least for now anyway.

Tomorrow it begins… the final week of my twenties. So long, and thanks for all the baggage – but it’s time to shed my skin, throw off that baggage and step into a whole new error of Roxiliciousness!

*grins*