Meme.. Nine layers.... avoiding reality....

LAYER 1:

• Name: Jenni
  
• Birth date: 27th August 19ahem
  
• Birthplace: Newcastle Australia
  
• Current Location: Still there
  
• Eye Color: A boring and unexceptional shade of hazel
  
• Hair Color: Dark brown with lighter foils
  
• Height: 163cm or so
  
• Righty or Lefty: Right
  
• Zodiac Sign: Sun - Virgo.... (there is sooo much more to astrology then this)
  

LAYER 2:

• Your heritage: Australian /German (Bavarian to be exact)
  
• The shoes you wore today: Platform thongs
  
• Your weakness: Pods. Chicken chips (crisps). Roasted pumpkin risotto
  
• Your fears: Not being loved
  
• Your perfect pizza:Pepperoni with garlic
  
• Goal you’d like to achieve: Complete Level 3 YAAD - High Priestess
  

LAYER 3:

• Your most overused phrase on IM: rofl
  
• Your first waking thoughts:Another day.... hooray
  
• Your best physical feature: My brain
  
• Your most missed memory: My dad
  

LAYER 4:

• Pepsi or Coke: Neither
• McDonald’s or Burger King: Neither
• Single or group dates: I havent dated for at least 26 years, but if I did I would probably rather go in a group... at least for a while
  
• Adidas or Nike: Whatever, I'm not into brands
• Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Neither. Chai or coffee.
  
• Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
  
• Cappuccino or coffee: Latte??? Why isnt it an option???
  

LAYER 5:

• Smoke:I smoked for 28 years leading up to last september (the 8th to be exact) when I stubbed out for the last time in my life. Best decision I ever made. Yay me.
  
• Cuss: (soooo stealing this one Nat) Like a wharfie, who dropped a crate on his toe.
  
• Sing: Badly... but a lot
  
• Take a shower everyday: Of course!!
  
• Do you think you’ve been in love: I have three children. Of course. Romantically?? of course.
  
• Want to go to college: We dont have 'college' in Australia in the style of this question. But would I like to further my education... Bring it on baby!!!
  
• Liked high school:The learning - oh yes. The social bit - almost destroyed me.
  
• Want to get married:Not ever again in this lifetime.
  
• Believe in yourself: Sometimes. Sometimes I dont know what to believe.
  
• Get motion sickness: No
  
• Think you’re attractive: Not on the outside
  
• Think you’re a health freak:I have lots of food 'issues' but am not a health freak.
  
• Get along with your parent(s): Yes. My mum and I meet in the middle somewhere....
  
• Like thunderstorms: Oh yes.. mother nature at her majestic best!!!
  
• Play an instrument: Does the comb count???
  

LAYER 6: In the past month…

• Drank alcohol:yup
• Smoked: No way
  
• Done a drug: nope
  
• Made Out: not that I recall....
  
• Gone on a date:Out for lunch with hubby.. yes
  
• Gone to the mall?: yes.. the second largest Westfield in Australia apparently
  
• Eaten an entire box of Oreos?: Arent they chocolate biscuits??? No .....
  
• Eaten sushi: no way.. YUK
  
• Been on stage: not in the last month
  
• Been dumped: Hmmm, not quite... rejected by a teenager yes!!
  
• Gone skating: nope
  
• Made homemade cookies: Martha Stewart I am not...
  
• Gone skinny dipping: Not in the last month....
  
• Dyed your hair: Had a few foils........?
  
• Stolen Anything: Of course not
  

LAYER 7: Ever…

• Played a game that required removal of clothing: ahem, yes
  
• Been trashed or extremely intoxicated:oh yes
  
• Been caught “doing something”: Not that I wasnt able to cover up
  
• Been called a tease:Yup
• Gotten beaten up: no, not what I would call 'beaten up'...
  
• Shoplifted:A bottle of nail polish from Big W when I was about 13
  
• Changed who you were, in order to fit in: Occasionally... doesnt feel good
  

LAYER 8:

• Age you hope to be married: Oh, sooo last decade....
  
• Numbers and Names of Children: 3 of them - Airlie 16, Kira 14 and Egan 8
  
• Describe your Dream Wedding: Hugely expensive, on a beach somewhere exotic
  
• How do you want to die: quickly
  
• Where you want to go to college: I dont want to 'go' to college, I want to study locally
  
• What do you want to be when you grow up: Do I have to grow up?????????
  
• What country would you most like to visit: Easy... Europe
  

LAYER 9:

• Number of drugs taken illegally: one or two... ahem
  
• Number of people I could trust with my life: I am a very lucky girl.. I could count at least 6 or 7
  
• Number of CDs that I own: Lots.. most of my music is digital though
  
• Number of piercings: Ears three times
  
• Number of tattoos: Just one (cant wait for the next)
  
• Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper?: Two or three
  
• Number of scars on my body: nothing substantial
  
• Number of things in my past that I regret: A couple of things I would not do again if I had my time over.... :)
  

Your turn... thanks Nat

Im Baaaaack!!!

Phew... what a couple of days it has been.....

Friday lunchtime we left for Sydney. the whole family. All jammed into the car - now the kids are getting bigger, three in the backseat is not as comfortable as it used to be. Lucky it was only a two hour drive to get to the Hotel.

We stayed right in the CBD, just metres from Central Station. OMG - I never fail to get overwhelmed at how busy and fast and crowded it is down there. Cars screaming along at breakneck speed just centimetres away from pedestrians. Thousands and thousands of people jammed onto footpaths - all scurrying (striding) to where ever. Moving as fast as possible - sweeping everyone along with them. Ugh. I hate that bit. Too many people jammed into anywhere. Especially so many people that are ANGRY. One young 'lady' screamed abuse at my daughter because she 'looked' at her. Scary stuff. I cannot even begin to imagine what it is like in the REALLY big cities like New York etc. *shudder*

Anyway. The hotel was a haven of calm and we went out and about heaps - Darling Harbour, Aquarium, Chinatown, Paddys Markets, Westfield Bondi Junction, Taronga Zoo, George St Cinema.... we fit in HEAPS in the two and a half days that we were there. We arrived home at about 6.30 last night .. totally exhausted. SORE FEET!!!

I have taken HEAPS of photos but havent downloaded them to the computer yet. Will get onto that over the next couple of days.



Today I had to go to a training day for work, something that I have taught myself (computer stuff) and thought I better go and get the basics training. I ended up showing the trainers stuff. Wow. Oh well. It will be on my resume that I have done the course anyway ...


Going to pick kidlets up from school now...

then will come back and do a round of the blogs. So much to catch up on, could take me a while!!

Take care
Jen
xoxo

500th post... YAY ME.

500th post, 50 things.... 

I landed on this page through Stumble Upon. I found it to be a quite interesting list of things to avoid if one wants to be happy.

I have made it my mission to become happy. I think it is definately a decision we make and happiness is hopefully within the reach of most of us.

I am one of the lucky ones. I have three beautiful, healthy and (mostly) happy children. Lots of good and caring friends. My mum is alive cares about me a lot. My house is beautiful, comfortable and snake free. I have food in the cupboard / fridge, money in the bank and a warm bed / soft pillow. So...

I will take onboard these things, a roadmap of what NOT TO DO!!

50 Ways To Make Yourself Miserable

1. Compare yourself frequently with others.
2. Belittle yourself.
3. Don’t believe in dreams, you think dreams only happen when you are sleeping.
4. Say yes to everybody and everything.
5. Work in a job you hate.
   
6. Complain about everything.
7. Complain about everything to your friends.
8. Suspicious of everything.
9. Counting your troubles.
10. Harbor negative thoughts.
11. Trying to please everyone and let everyone walk all over you.
12. Constantly think about the past.
13. Constantly think about the future.
14. Focusing on what you lack.
15. Focusing on what you don’t want.
16. Need others to validate you constantly.
17. Think of everything that can possibly go wrong in your life.
    
18. Being jealous easily.
19. Always envy others and never grateful of what you have instead.
20. Imitating others due to lack of self confidence.
21. Lacking self esteem and cause others to dislike you.
22. Think the world revolves around you.
23. Constantly judging others.
24. Absorbing all the bad news daily in the papers.
25. Junk food is your best companion.
26. Exercise is your worst enemy.
27. Think that things can only go your way.
28. Do not accept others opinion.
29. Lack of sleep.
    
30. Lack of goals.
31. Worry consistently about the sky is falling.
32. Plan but never take action.
33. Fail to plan.
34. Feel that people around you are all jerks.
35. Thinking there is no purpose in living.
36. Being the “If Man”. If my father is the prime minister, then I will be successful. If ____ then I will be _____. (fill in the blanks)
37. Lottery is the only way to success.
38. Try to control everything that you can’t control.
39. Expect to be appreciated.
40. Expect others to be grateful to you.
41. You will not forget about criticism.
42. Hate people around you to be successful.
43. Shirk responsibilities.
44. Receive and never give.
45. Do things that are easy.
46. Overwork.
47. Never forgive.
48. Never give your best effort in things you do.
49. Perfectionism.
50. Choosing to be miserable.

Excellent. Now I know.

xoxo

Wednesday....

It is hot again today.I have relented and put on the air conditioning. I am sooo over it!
I just wish it would cool down already...


Pods... aaahhh pods.
Breeze asked what pods were and I am unsure if they are an Australian thing only but here is a picture.
ohhhh they are to die for. They are a crunchy biscuit 'cup' with creamy flavoured chocolate filling. WARNING!!! DO NOT OPEN A BOX IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO MAKE YOURSELF SICK EATING THEM!!! I am not a 'sweets' person, usually preferring to snack on savouries. Pods, however, transcend all boundaries.


Life this week.

Mostly good. All I could ask for really. Aside from monsterous headache. Migraine reallly. That was yesterday though, and today have only twinges remaining. Sick of it though and took painkillers anyway. Sook - I know.


I am in awe of blogger.

I have been fairly isolated for a long time now. Of my own making mostly - have always preferred keep my own company - not agrophobic (spell) by any stretch, but still, 'hermitlike' I guess.

This has meant that I spend a lot of time in my own head. I also have a bad habit of (dont laugh) talking to myself. To the point that if I do go out, grocery shopping for instance, I chat to myself under my breath. I wonder if anyone else does this. I also think that this tendency has led me to verbalise so much of what is going on in my head - sometimes when I am in company, I say things that I meant to keep to myself. Hmmmm, now I have actually written this down it really looks quite crazy....

Anyhow, back to the point as to why I am in awe of blogger.

It has given me a glimpse into the lives of others.

It is a community of people, all doing their thing, however they do it. All reading and looking at pictures of everyone doing their own thing.

No expectations. No one to tell me what to write.

If you dont like it you will pass me by. If you do, and feel so inclined, you can leave a comment. If you want to that is, no obligations here.

I am able to look around and read about what others are experiencing. I can look around and see that others are sometimes having a hard time, sometimes having a hoot!!

The things I see are astounding. Sometimes I look at a photograph or a piece of artwork and just sit in gobsmacked awe. I feel so incredibly inspired and wish I was more organised with my time so I could just create til my hearts content.... In the meantime, I am looking and looking and storing it all away for when I have more time.

I am feeling less like I am alone with all of you and your writing and reading. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your life with me and for taking the time to share mine also.


Oh well, better go.

Tea to cook

Still have to run the offspring to and from sport and work etc.

Thanks again ♥

Monday

☺ It is definately Monday... .

☺I have a teensy headache starting in my right temple. I think it relates to tiredness and a bit of stress.

☺I was quite far behind organisationally (its a word!!!) in my YAAD filing and sorting.

☺I am not now.... although seeds may have been sacrificed in its place - Lisa :D

☺ I am very excited because I have just organised and paid for a couple of days in our beautiful state capital city of Sydney...

☺Will take lots of photos and come back and post them for you to see.

☺ We will be going to the Zoo - we havent been there for about 7 years now - so long overdue for a trip.

☺ A girly day of shopping to be had too, while the boys do boy stuff together.

☺ Working tomorrow. Plurghhhh x 1243534526 (hate that school... think of the money!!!)

☺I love my bloggie friends.

☺ I love my real life friends too.

☺ I love my real life friends that are bloggie friends all in one.

☺ Sisters. I have been pondering sisterhood. Most specifically Sisters by choice as opposed to sisters by birth. I have no sisters by birth so am not qualified to comment. Sisters by choice however, I have quite  a few. I would not be able to live without them. Men dont seem to need that connection with other men that women need with other women.

☺ Pasta for dinner tonight was YUMMO.

☺ Also have been pondering personal space and that inner ring and who we let in to it. Specifically, what happens when you let someone in and they let you down. What then. That is worse then if you had only let them into an outer ring. Yes it is.

☺ I am addicted to Pods (does anyone want to take responsibility for that??) and have found that if you dont want to eat the whole bloody bag then you shouldnt open it at all. Or dont have it in the house. They are EVIL!!!

☺ Newly 14 year old girls who are clever and sporty and pretty and can do anything they try are obnoxious little shits who need to get knocked down a peg or two off the pedestal they put themselves on. (was that the sound of a metaphor being mixed I hear?)

☺ I love to read blogs and find so much inspiration here..... I just wish I had time to put it all into practise. 

☺ I am going to bed now.

☺ Goodnight!!! mwa