Presents, jobs, and Jantz

Mothers Day.
Send mum the Marie Antoinette DVD and a card. Possibly another movie.

Dads' birthday.
Buy him some of the balsa wood bird broaches from Harem Fashion on Brunswick Street.

Mums' birthday.
I'm sure I'll find some lovely things on Brunswick Street.

James' birthday.
I saw this cute magnifine necklace in an op shop on Brunswick Street so I might get that for my brother. Something random for someone random :D He's turning 26 this year. I can't believe it! It seems oldish but then again he has a wife and daughter and that makes his seem young, which he is. I'm only 24 so for me to be 26 seems much older, which it is. Hmm.

I need to start using my to-do list pad that I bought. I really need to write Andi a letter, get my Working With Children certificate sorted [all I need to do is go and get the photo taken but I keep forgetting or putting it off], and get some of these presents sorted, James' especially as his birthday is on the 22nd and I'll need to send it in advanced. I need to get his new house address so I can send it there. Maybe I'll ask mum and dad so it can be a surprise.

Last night I saw Sucker Punch at the movies and it was fantastic! I want to get more out of life because of it and do everything I want to do in life, all the classed [dance, self-defence/combat/weapon fighting, photography, archaeology!!], the travelling, family, kids, living in the UK and NZ. So much to do.

On another note, I wrote this in a Twitter post not too long ago --

Had another YHF dream last night. I don't hate him, it's just I'd rather not think of him. We were together for 4+ years so I suppose it's expected. I did love him after all. It's not easy to remove a part of yourself and I'm not sure why you would want to. It was important but it didn't work out. He's still a nice guy underneath it all. I think we can be friends again. In a way we still are. Maybe I should text him. Maybe not. It's weird. Now I'm a bit sad. Life so different. I thought I was set. I'm glad I get to do what I really want to in life despite it all and there's plenty of that. More time needs to pass and I need to sort out my life before we revisit our friendship. One day it would be nice to really be friends but I'm not sure it's possible. I'm not good at that sort of thing. I'll always feel uneasy around him. It's just a fact. I've never had a male friend as I was always too shy and it has left me undeveloped in that area. When I'm in a relationship it's completely different and I'm at ease. Maybe we can be like that one day. Fingers crossed.

It's nice being so far away from him and not being able to access his Facebook account through my sister's. I asked her to delete him from hers as I did that a while ago, but I liked being able to see what he was up to. I don't actually like what he's up to, the partying, the sexual content of his posts, the tranny party photos. It's stupid and he should just grow up. He's being such an idiot and I think everyone agrees with me. Whatever. That's why I love using Twitter now for my status updates at least. Barely anyone reads them so it's more like blogging and I can saw what I want when I want and no one will know. Some people read it but it's nice that it's less read and only people who want to read it will. I like that he's not in my life anymore. I like that I'm here in Melbourne. It's better this way.

I'm booked in for the Greenhouse backpackers for Sunday for at least a week. Tomorrow I must call Centrelink and let them know where I'll be moving to and what amount of 'rent' I'll be paying so I can get the rent assistance. I almost forgot so I'll have to set a reminder on my phone. I'm so exited to get my independence back. It's going to be lovely, but also not lovely in a different way. I am too comfortable here at Kirsten's and I've been here too long. Must go shopping on Saturday afternoon for their presents.

That reminds me! I have a job trial at The Mess Hall on Saturday at 10am! I'm psyched. I hope it goes great and I get a job out of it. It'd be a lifesaver. Then I can buy myself a new laptop!! Officeworks have some great priced ones. I just need to look up RAM and CPU stuff so I know what I'm looking for as sometimes they are too small or something. It's like MG and GB. I am useless with those terms. I have no idea how much they mean. Ahh. Although I'm getting better with those I must say.

After working at the Mission today doing more cataloging, us girls went for a drink at Bertha Browns next to the YHA. We shared a bottle of Jantz and I'm still a little tipsy! It's lovely. I like the bubbly happiness. For me it's the best drunk/tipsy there is. I'm such a fan. I hate sickly/spinning drinks like vodka. I like happiness thanks! Daquiri! Yum. So now I'm back at Kirsten's and I might watch another movie. I watched Igor last night. I bought it from JBHifi along with two others. I might watch another tonight. I'm not in a very study mode, although tomorrow I have to go out to Uni and study and return one of the books I borrowed! Must get the Children's check photo taken at a post office. Must also write Andi the letter! Must get James his present too. I hope I remember all of this. I'll refer to this post if I need to.

Richmond!!!

I feel like a bit of an idiot! I was just doing some searching on Gumtree for rooms and found I was looking in the wrong area for Richmond/Hawthorn! So I changed the settings and I have contacted two people about rooms. I really hope I hear back soon.

Tonight was lovely. After a day at the Mission helping Monica put things onto the new shelves we got for our new archive room we went out for drinks with Andrea, maybe the CEO of the Mission or something important like that, and Kate Spinks who I met up with the day after I first arrived here and set me up with Monica and the Mission. I felt like a grown up. I've never really gone out for those kind of drinks with a few girlfriends and now I have! Andi and I did a few times but it's not quite the same. Just different. We went to the bar around the corner from the World Trade Centre where we go to the coffee shop a lot and it's also where Kate works at the Police Museum. Very central to all of us. Then Monica dropped me home. Yay!

I dropped off my first assignment this afternoon. I took the train out to Burwood, which took about 33 minutes, 5 minutes to walk to the tram stop to get to Uni, then 10 minutes on the tram, so it doesn't actually save me much time in the end. It was a much nicer trip out though. I do like trains. If it stopped closer to the Uni it would be perfect but alas it doesn't quite work that well. If I get a room in Richmond I won't need to bother switching from train to tram. I'll already be saving time by living closer. I really hope I get one of the ones I contacted tonight. They seem really great. Although the second one asked for a professional [worker] and I'm not so I might not get a look in. Andrea said she's going to talk to some people at the Mission to see if I can have one of the rooms in the Mans they call it, which is where the live-in Chaplain used to live, but it has now been furnished and students are moving in. It's out of my price range but Andrea might get me a good deal at least for a bit while I'm looking for somewhere else. Then again that might be a waste of time and effort to lug all of my extra things around with me. I'll just have to get a place in Richmond, which is what I wanted all along!!

Tomorrow I might go to Lygon St and to Savers and do some grocery shopping. I also need to get some more homework done, preferably relating to the second and third assignments for the first unit so I can get those underway before starting anything related to the second unit. That's the only thing I hate about the way the course is structured. Never mind. It'll all work out just fine. It's a bit stressful but I'm not actually doing much work. Haha. Doing something might fix that.

Interesting developments

So, things are changing all the time. Yesterday Marie and I went and saw this awesome house but there were so many other people there and it made us depressed. Since then, I've been down and frustrated about the whole house issue. Nothing is coming of our work. To make things more interesting and complicated, Marie has been offered a room by a friend. She's going to look into it more but she might take that and I might find something else on my own. I'll at least look into it. I just like that we're friends, that I am comfortable around her and that I have someone to fall back on. Finding a new room might be tricky because I have high standards when it comes to room mates and the house so I'm getting a bit worried and anxious. So many feelings.

I need to look for jobs. I also need to look for rooms in already established houses but it's going to be hard. Things with Marie aren't exactly happening, just because we haven't found a third person who is 100% committed to us and that because there is just too much competition out there. It might be easier to find a room elsewhere but then again finding the right one will be hard. Kirsten found a few rooms for me on her Uni site so I'll have to ask her to check that out for me again. Ahh this is annoying. I would rather go into a new house with a friend but it might not work out that way. Hmm.

Yesterday I had the volunteering at the Mission. It was so good to be back. I did more scanning and we did a search for a pretty important artefact with no luck. Apparently it was borrowed then returned but it's not around. Hmm. It's a bit suss.

Monika is coming up from Hobart on Sunday to Tuesday! We're going to hang out on Monday night and have dinner and maybe see a movie or something. Very exciting! I can't wait to have a friend here, another one that is. I've seen Amy twice this week so that's been lovely. We went to Bimbo's and I went again this afternoon for lunch. I can't wait to get back 'home' and have something to eat. I'm starving!! Better have a quick look at houses then get out of here.

Elizabeth and drinks on the Rooftop

I had a great night last night. I met up with Elizabeth and she is a beautiful, crazy ball of energy. She's so confident and I love that. We had drinks at the Rooftop bar on Swanston St. and it was amazing up there. We chatted to a family of Americans last night [Fred the dad, and two of his kids Alexis and Michael]. They bought us lots of drinks. Sangria! I'd never had it before and had avoided it because of the red wine factor but it was actually nice! Cold red wine is the best way to have it in my opinion. So we stayed there for ages, talked about Australian vs New Zealand vs USA vs UK stereotypes and ways of saying things. Then one of the girls Elizabeth is staying with came by and then we went to a party in Prahran then to their place not far from there. Elizabeth and I went to a few places along the way before bed. This morning we went and had breakfast a few blocks away then she went to check out some houses. She's really desperate for a place as she's a flight attendant and isn't here much so it's stressing her out after having been looking for the last month. I understand but I'm not that that stage yet. I would love a place because I'm starting to feel I shouldn't be at Kirsten's for too much longer. Arr it's so hard. So I was feeling sick all Thursday and Friday but now I'm feeling better, just a little hung over. I missed the Mission volunteering on Thursday but on Friday me and Monica and Beth went to the Victorian Collections training session for the cataloging system they use and it was lots of fun. Now I'm heading into town to meet Jess and tonight we're going to watch a Roller Derby game! Super exciting. It'll be my first real one. Eep! I might get some McDonalds on the way. Naughty but it's one of those days. Soon I have to get running shoes and start training! Got to get fit and lose my excess weight and fat. Arr it's annoying me. Right, better go actually.

Kirsten's birthday

Today is Kirsten's birthday! We had cake for breakfast. I had cereal either side of that so I don't feel so bad. The cake was alright. I don't have anywhere in particular to be today so I'm struggling a bit with what to do. I need to go to Centrelink and I need to call the Deakin bookshop because I'm missing one set of readers, which I didn't realise. I had listed all my units as online so they sent me the books, but I changed them to on campus study. I changed one back when I saw that there were the readers but not the other as the bookshop didn't mention anything about readers. I looked online last night and they don't have the ones I need in stock so I'll call them soon and ask if there are any anywhere. There is an online copy but I prefer having the physical book. So there's that! I will also vacuum this place for Kirsten before the birthday party tonight [combined] and I need to get in contact with George's cousin about having a meet up just for fun. There are some other little things I can't think of.

Yesterday I had my first day of volunteering at the Mission to Seafarers. It's so cruisy there. Monica taught me how to catalogue photographs so I did that for most of the day. The photographs were of the stained-glass windows in the Saint Peter the Mariner's Chapel and I found it hard to describe the and use religious or olden-day terms. I'm not so good at that. She got me to bring my laptop to do some scanning on but I didn't bring the CD drive thinking I wouldn't need it so I didn't actually use it. It was a bit of a waste to lug it around there and back. We finished at around 3pm and I went and met Nicole, Sarah's now ex flatmate from Tassie. We had a drink [hot chocolate for me, iced mocha for her] and a chat. Then I did some shopping and came back here. I did some more study, found lots of useful things on the Deakin website about unit resources and unit guides. Now I just have to find out about that last reader. It's for Monday so that's a bit annoying. Arrg.

Tomorrow I have that trial at Kamel. I'm not looking forward to it only because I'm used to not working anymore and I love it! I want to keep not working and just get Centrelink. I wonder if with all the study I'm sure I'll be doing if I'll have time for a job. I'll have one, hopefully two days of volunteering work, and that leaves three days. I might have to work on a few of them but I'll need one day free for sanity and for studying but I'm sure I'll always have to study. I take a long time to read one chapter so having lots of breaks in between works the best for me. Drat it.

I had a lovely chat to mum, Sarah, James, dad and George last night in that order. It was strange being on the other side as we usually call people who are far away and now that's me. It's strange not being there for the dinner I miss that. I didn't even know about it and that makes me a little sad. Now I get what Sarah meant about being out of the loop. It was so easy living there knowing everything that was going on. Thinking about it makes me a little sad now! And feeling crap about this trial is getting me down more. It would be nice to disapparate there Harry Potter style for lunch or something lovely. If only. I was thinking of going back for Easter but I had a look at flights for the 21st to the 25th or something and it'll be $300! That's not cool. I'll check for cheaper ones. I might have a week off Uni at some stage but I'm not quite sure yet. I might go then. Who knows.

It feels so natural and relaxed being in Melbourne and yet so much, or not so much, is still happening back home. It's strange to be missing out on that. It makes me sad that I'm missing out on seeing Etta grow up more and more. I'll be back to visit eventually and not let her go. Hehe.

I really want to get started on my running training. Once I'm settled in a house I'll have to start my 6-12 week program. Kirsten mentioned the half-marathon. She's going to enter and Sandi, one of her housemates, is also going to enter and yet she hasn't trained much. It's not until October so hopefully Sandi and I will be ready by then. Plenty of time. I really hope I get the Hawthorn house. Please! I doubt it but please!

What else is news? Not much. I can't wait to start Uni on Monday but first I have to get over the hurdle of this darn trial at Kamel. I might really like it and might even get a bit of cash for it which would be awesome. I'll just have to endure it. It won't last forever. It's a shame it's so far away though. I could do Friday and Saturday day shifts there for a while. I want to keep Sundays free. I hate working on Sundays.

I went into the Telstra shop yesterday and upgraded my internet from 500mb to 1g. I can't wait for it to kick in. I didn't even have to pay! I'm so excited about that. All I need now is a new computer with internet that works. Something lighter and smaller maybe. I'm not sure if I should get one of the mini laptops or just a normal sized one. Depends if it's really light or not. I like the idea of taking a small one traveling for the internet and storing photos. One day I might have both.

I will call the Uni bookshop and see what they say about the books.

Mary St and Uni

Yesterday was pretty much exhausting. I had a really good sleep last night though, expect or the fact that my body was a bit sick. It was nice to sleep in although still being up reasonably early, with no pressure to get up at insane times or do be somewhere at a particular time. Today I have plenty to do in the city and Hawthorn/Camberwell but it's nice it's not rushed.

I went and saw the Mary St unit in Hawthorn and I loved it. It has a nicely sized bedroom, enough for a double bed and more space, there is a nice kitchen area at the back of the room you walk into as well as a combined lounge/dining area once you walk in. There is a door on the left but that's to another unit so I think it was glued shut. On the other side there is a storage space, not huge, but it might lead out the back. I was there just as she had locked the door and asked if I was too late but she let me in for a quick look. The only thing I didn't have a look at was the bathroom, which is actually down the hall but for exclusive use of this unit. I was so rushed that I forgot. I had left Uni at 5 and though half an hour would be enough time, and it would have been if I had caught the tram up the long street I had to walk/run up to get to Mary St. I was so puffed and sweaty by the time I got there. The street Mary St runs off, Glenferrie Road maybe, is so great. There is a train station and so many shops and cafes and restaurants and it's just a lovely area. Seeing the other streets from the tram didn't inspire me but the one I saw yesterday did. I want that unit! Super bad. The street it's on is so lovely. Great houses and lots of trees. It's probably the worst house on the street but that's okay with me! There were a few other applicants there when I arrived, although I wasn't there at the start so there could have been more. I don't think my chances are very high but I have to try. Please pick me!

Today I need to go to Harvey Norman and get a $99 1 Terabite external hard drive. I also need to go to a Telstra shop and upgrade my phones internet. I keep going over it because I don't really have regular access to the internet like home. I will also go to Camberwell and visit this other house and a lady called Anne who lives there. I would 100 times rather the Mary St house as it's closer and perfect for me but I may as well see Anne's place just in case. I really want this house. Nicole, Sarah's almost ex-flatmate will be here in the city today too so we'll have some lunch. For now I guess I'll keep surfing the internet then shower and get ready for my outing.

I had a look at all my Uni books yesterday and the pile is huge! There will be so much reading to do. Oh, I got a job trial at Jess's work but it's in the opposite direction. It's for this Saturday at 1130am. I was just thinking how with all my Uni work I might only be able to do 2 days work and 2 days volunteering [I need another museum volunteer position] leaving one day to study non-stop. I can't afford to be travelling all the way across the city just for work when I hopefully live at Mary St and can walk to work. It's more convenient and would be a better use of my time.

Right, better get moving!

Also, I am loving my Deakin zip-up hoody. It's great! In Tasmania, there was only 1 Uni so no need to wear Uni clothing. Here because there are maybe 7 Uni's it's nice to state which one I'm from. Hehe.

Moved to Melbourne update

Success! I have finally gotten onto the internet here in the YHA Melbourne Central back packer's and there is no one else around to spy on what I'm writing. That's the worse. I'm in a small lounge room with two computers and a couch facing the TV and it's not private at all. I wanted to write in here but I hate the fact that people can be watching me doing this, which I am slightly embarrassed about when other people are watching, so I am really glad I'm alone!

So, it's Saturday and I arrived in Melbourne on Thursday. Holly and I were on the same flight, me in the middle and she was up the back, but we caught the Sky Bus together, had chats, then went to the back packers and dropped my bags off. They weren't ready with my room quite yet so I went back that afternoon and checked in properly. The place is great! It's the best one I've been in. The rooms are nice and have personal bed side lamps attached to the walls. The bathrooms are amazing, although there are only 3 showers on the floor, one of which isn't working as it has no tap handle. There is a toiled right next to my room though so it's very convenient. I met a lovely Canadian lass who is leaving today. She's heading back to New Zealand to study until June/July then back to Canada. We were going to hang out today but she had to check out and I suppose she had to give her key back so she might not be able to get back up to our floor. Might not see her. The other two in the room, one of which left last night I think, are weird and annoying. The traffic is pretty loud, which is a bit hard to deal with, so I didn't get much sleep on Thursday night. I caught up last night though. Very pleased about that.

So, Holly and I hung out for a few hours, did some window shopping, had a tea [Holly] and a milkshake [me] then went to where her job interview was. It was next to the ANZ Bank Museum so we had a quick look in there before she went in. After that Amy called me and we met up 15 minutes later at Riverland, a cute place next to / under the bridge next to Federation Square alongside the Yarra River and I met her boyfriend Cal. We had a pint of Bulmers each and had some lovely chats. I'm going to a hula hoop class with Amy sometime! I can't wait for that. Then they both went to work and I went to the back packers to check in. After that I went to my room, then got some dinner at Thai Culinary. I had a lovely Pad See Ew noodle dish, similar to what I have at Cool Thai, but not the same unfortunately. I doubt I'll find something as good as I have at Cool Thai. Sad. I got invited to the Thursday night free pub crawl by one of the roommates and I went for a little bit but I'm not a drinking fan so I left and watched some of a DVD. I met the Canadian roommate and we had some nice chats.

Friday was a sleep in day. I got some breakfast in the city, then went to Big W and got some shampoo as I had forgotten that I deliberately didn't bring my bottle as it was almost empty and that means when I go back to Hobart to visit I won't need to take any with me. After that I came back here and had a nap, then got up for my appointment to see Kate, a friend of George and Katie's who works at the Police Museum. We had a coffee/hot chocolate and a crumble lemon yoyo and talked about Uni and volunteering and houses. She's so nice and said if I ever need help seeing places that she can drive me and not to worry about asking her. There's nothing to go and see though so that's a shame. Then her colleague Monica came down and we had a nice chat. She's also doing the Diploma of Museum Studies via Deakin but is finishing it off this year and she does one day of volunteering at the Police Museum and one day, Thursdays, at Mission to Seafarers. She took me on a tour of the Mission and I'll be doing some volunteering there with her next Thursday! It's such an amazing place. It has a beautiful chapel and is still used for seamen/seafarers to relax and have a drink, play some pool, and use the internet. There are also functions done there [they were setting up for a wedding whilst I was visiting] and is an amazing apartment for a Chaplain to stay in as well as one for the caretaker[s]. I met Cally[?] and I'll be doing some hospitality functions work with her, paid work. I'm not sure how much work and how often but it's a start. She asked off hand if I had my RSA and I said yes and she asked if I'd be interested in work and I said yes and that was that! They said I was sent from Heaven or something like that. The previous volunteer had to leave or something so the timing is perfect. It's such a cute place and I'll get to do similar work to what I did at the Maritime in Hobart. Some of the main museums here get you started out the front, then you work your way out towards the back and the kind of work I'm interested in. Apparently the Mission will be useful for class assignments, Monica told me. I can't wait! That night I went back to Thai Culinary then watched another movie and chatted with the Canadian girl. Not sure we actually introduced ourselves. Haha.

Today I got up fairly early feeling pretty refreshed, although last night the girl who moved out was so annoying. She may have moved into another room but she was doing this at 11pm back and fourth out the door which has a loud slam and she kept her bed side lamp on and it was shining in my face and lighting up the whole room. How rude. She came back an hour or so later and turned it off. She did it again in the morning. Poo poo. Glad she's gone. So this morning I had a nice shower with my new shampoo, which didn't smell as it usually does [contemplated taking it back]. I read some catalogues that the Canadian girl left for us to check out letting visitors know what's on and where it's happening. Then I went to get The Age newspaper to look for jobs and houses but nothing took my fancy. First I need a place, then I will look for a job near by. I don't want to do hospitality but I'd rather go in and see the place before applying, and know how to get there and whatnot. So that's step two. Now I'm here and not sure what to do. I think I'm seeing Jess this afternoon but I'd like to go to some gardens and other museums at some stage. Tomorrow I'll go to the Campberwell markets with Amy and Cal then on Monday it's out to Deakin! I can't wait to get there and check it all out. I might only be going on Monday and Tuesday depending on the activities on the other days. I need to get my ID card and go on a tour, or take myself on a tour. There are some library tours available so that'll be fun. I can't wait!

I actually love being here. I love that there is so much to do, that I'm in a fantastic city, that I have many friends here that want to hang out with me, that there are trams, the weather, and so many other little things. I am surprised at how much I like it. It's nice that I do. Now I just have to find a house! Eek.

Hangs with Holly and Monika and packing and moving!

I met up with Holly today and we had a cup of tea at Fullers book shop in the Afterword Cafe. It was really nice catching up. Adult. As it turns out she'll be flying to Melbourne on the same day and same flight I am for a job interview! So we'll meet there and catch the Sky Bus in and get some food. We talked about my plans for the first few days there and she helped me set a goal to get a house/place first then let everything else happen, like sorting out some volunteer positions and a job. I hope I can find somewhere great within the first week so I don't have to stay at the Backpacker's too long. Please!

After meeting Holly I went next door to visit my old friend Monika. We sat outside and had a cup of tea overlooking Mt Wellington. It's such a great view and you can see so much more from there than our place, which is 100m away maybe, because our block has so many trees. It's still a lovely place though and I do dearly love it. It's just nice seeing a different view. I am so excited about moving to Melbourne and getting on with my life. It all changes permanently on Thursday! Yay! I can't wait to get a place and be settled. That in between period scares me a bit but hopefully it won't last too long. I can't wait to start class! Eep.

Tonight we're down at the Longs for dinner. Daddy's just having a shower and we'll head off. Tomorrow at 11 Sarah and I are going to visit Nan and Pa, then we'll grab some lunch then come home and I'll do more packing. Maybe she can help me with that. Then it's dinner with James, George and Etta. I can't wait to see Etta's first tooth. What a milestone! Eeeep again. I can't wait to get my stuff sorted. I always leave this stuff until the last minute, like assignments, but I just have to get it done. I'm more productive then I believe. I just don't know what to do with all the other stuff I won't take with me. Clean/tidy it up? I don't know. I'll be back every so often and can sort stuff out then. I'll probably take more things with me. Who knows until I get there and settled. I've packed boxes of things I'll definitely want like towels/tea-towels, Uni books, kitchen stuff, clothes and DVDs/books, so they can be sent over once I'm settled but everything else? No idea. I'll just do what I can.

Right! Off to dinner now. Yum, I'm rather hungry.

Stream of consciousness?

I hate it when I don't write for a day or so and forget what I've written about. It's not like talking to a partner, Yorick for instance, who I would almost always remember sharing things with. It's different somehow. So Sunday was the staff party! We never got around to doing the staff meeting part of the gathering, which was meant to happen before we started partying, but I don't think anyone minded. I had nice chats to Grace 2 and new Sarah and Josh. I had a few drinks too, at least 5, maybe 6, and I was glad I partied because I am always too responsible. I got home at around 330am and I'm very proud of myself for that. Getting up in the morning for class was a struggle and for the whole day I was really tired but it was worth it. I hung out with Andi after the lecture [also being before the tute] and after the tute. We had chats and went to Mures for a late lunch. We are planning to have a park picnic date possibly on Boxing Day so I can see Ivy. I miss that little girl. I handed in my first assignment. I had to keep printing parts out because I noticed small errors but I hope it's okay. The lecture was pretty dry but it's all still fun and where I want to be. I had my regular Tuesday volunteering at the Maritime today. I listed some donated maps and finished off checking some artefact boxes along side the computer listings. I also helped a little with the new exhibition going up to do with the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. Tomorrow I am doing the last of my Christmas shopping. I have work on Thursday and Friday so I won't be making much money from now on in but I also won't need to spend as much so I'll limit my personal purchases to a minimum and just write a list of the things I want to get myself and be content with what I have. That will be hard but it'll have to be done if I want to get sorted for next year in Sydney. I can do it. I've just watched new episodes of One Tree Hill season 8 and The Vampire Diaries season 2 that I got off my sister's portable hard drive so I'm quite tired. I haven't had enough sleep over the last week but I'm getting back to it. It's way better than being bored. I should try and make a start on my essay once Christmas has passed. In sad news, Jan and Fra have been delayed in the UK due to all the snow. Barely any flights are getting out so I think they have rescheduled until the 12th of January till around the 5th of February so I'll get to see them for a bit. It would have been wonderful to have them for Christmas. They were meant to arrive on Thursday and be here for Christmas but alas, no luck. At least they're coming. I was worried when they weren't coming it meant that they weren't coming at all, but it's just that the dates are changed. Sarah said she could tell dad was sad. He hides things so well, I couldn't tell. I love that we're slowly getting closer, talking more. We're both quiet but it's not an awkward thing. I hope I get to see Etta often. I want to get back from Sydney every 2 months or so. I'll have a "flights fund" and if I can put $25 away each week I'll be able to manage it. That's not too hard. I don't want to miss Etta growing up and I definitely don't want her to forget me. I see her about every 2 weeks now, roughly. I'm very tired now so I'm going to play my last Facebook game [Country Story] then get a drink of cordial, go to bed and watch some Gilmore Girls, eat my last doughnut then brush my teeth and sleep. I am so bad with brushing my teeth.

Quick update

I'm off to Melbourne so I'm doing a quick update. I finished early at work tonight and I'm really glad because I've had late nights for the past few nights and early starts. Monday I had Fronting MONA then work and today I went to the Maritime then worked for 3 hours. I like being busy but I'd also like to feel refreshed from getting enough sleep. I can sleep on the plane tomorrow also. Unfortunately I don't have music to take with me but I have a museum related book -- An Introduction to Museum Archaeology. That will keep me occupied.

I might be getting more volunteer work through the Maritime. Liz, a lady who I officially met today, asked me if I wanted to do more volunteering and mentioned two projects I forgot the names of immediately as I had no idea what they were. She emailed me what she emailed to the organisers, I think, so they might get back to me tomorrow. I might not be busy at work over the next 2-3 weeks so this will fit in nicely. It'll also fill out my resume relating to museum studies more and I'll get more experience. One of the projects is at the Oatlands Gaol concerning conservation and archaeology. I'm fascinated already!

Mondays lecture was great. I loved learning about more of the museums around Australia and know what my essay will focus on. The word count, formerly 3250, has been dropped down to 2250. I am completely jazzed about that. I suck writing over 2500 words. It drags on and I get bad marks. This suits me very well.

I can't think of what else to update about. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the lack of sleep and the early morning and this busy week but it's better than being bored. Got to get up at 7am tomorrow, have a shower and something to eat, then go out to the airport with dad. I'll be there for 830ish and my flight is at 10am but it's better to be early. I was hoping to be there for 9am but this is fine. I'll read my book and pass the time. It's a shame I have no music to take along with me.

I think that's it for now. I'll update again soon.

5 things to do by the time I turn 25 -- A post inspired by Katie Kukulka

5 things to do before I turn 25.

1. Get on my career path.

I am so glad I have finally figured out what I want to do, and that is to be a museum curator. It makes sense as throughout high school I really loved watching shows on mummies and tombs and ancient civilisations. In SOSE I loved the history but I never really though about doing anything related to that at Uni. Sometimes I wish I had figured it out earlier [to tell the truth I didn't figure it out, I went to a career counselor at Uni and he suggested it when I mentioned I was interested in anthropology and archaeology], done a more relevant degree, but I am where I am and it's too late to start heading in this direction. It's going to be a fascinating journey. I have already started volunteering at the Maritime Museum, have been accepted to Deakin, am waiting to hear back from Sydney, and once I know where I'm heading I'll volunteer more and stick my head into the text books. The Spring/Summer school unit I'm doing at the Art School is super relevant and will give me even more experience. Once I have a diploma in museum studies I'll be able to apply for jobs, work in the field, then do my masters part time. I want to travel the world and work in museums, do some archaeology volunteering perhaps, and work in a field I love. I hate waiting to find out whether or not I'll be accepted to Sydney as I can't make plans as to where I'll move to but knowing what I want to do is great and I'm already on the path. I just want to start the diploma and truly be on the path.

2. Get into shape.

After years of wishing I was thin and confident enough to wear jeans with no skirt over the top or bathers with no board shorts, now is the time to kick myself into shape. I am going to religiously follow Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut next year when I'm in my own home and can have no distractions like other foods and can use the whole kitchen worry-free unlike at my parents' house. I want to be able to focus solely on this quest and make it last longer than the 30 days so I can keep my newly rocking body. When I'm in my new home, I want to rent a treadmill and use it everyday. I want to take with my my exercise DVDs and not just look at them while feeling guilty. I want to feel confident in my own skin and realise I have the best body I'll ever have. I want to be in the best shape of my life and stay that way.

3. Get organised.

This is something I have always craved but never quite mastered. It can come and go in waves when inspiration hits but I want it to stick. At work I'm organised but at home I'm lazy, I'm messy, I feel guilty and do nothing about it. I want to keep my clothes and whole house tidy and organised. I want to keep to a cooking and grocery shopping menu/list. I want to have an exercise regime and, one again, stick to it. I want to be super organisational girl, like a superhero. I want to stop the laziness, have my to-do lists going, and get things done. I want to be busy with Uni and volunteering and work that I will have to keep on top of things. I don't want to slip with this. It's important to me and I will succeed!

4. Have my own home [rented but mine].

I can't wait till I move out of my parents' [still shocked I'm here at age 24 but it happens] and have my own home, to set it up just how I like over time and get into the best habits of my young life. I want to come home and be so proud of myself, how adult I will have become, so independent, and of that fact that I'll be living my own life. I can't wait to get handed a set of keys and realise that I did this. It will be a great day.

5. Find my one true love.

Around the age of 25, I hope I will have found my one true love but it's things like this that you can't plan. I just hope it doesn't take years to find him because I don't want to be too young before we start having a family. I want to be in love. I want to share my life with someone and have them share theirs with me. I want to be on the same level with him and be in a partnership, not a one-sided battle for involvement. I want to feel secure and blessed that I have found the perfect match for me. I want to plan holidays and the future with him and feel fulfilled. I can't wait for love.

So they are the major things I want to achieve before or around the age of 25. Thank you Katie for for inspiring this post and getting me thinking about what I want to achieve. I need to kick myself into gear!

The year for fitness

I've been eating too much lately. My tummy has been getting bigger and it seriously looks like I'm pregnant and when you're not that's not a good sign. A new birth year means I should eat less and exercise more. Once I move over to the shed [little house] I'll be able to set up my Leg Magic and once I get this new Gaiam in the mail I'll be able to work out over there. I also have Shpresa and I always liked how that made me feel. Now I just need to get some heavier weights. I got some really small ones to start with from Big W and I'm sure they'll have more there. This birth year and 2011 is the year I'm going to kick myself into getting fit.

I want to lose 7-10 kilos. I'm 65 at the moment, unfortunately, and according to the "Calculate your ideal weight" application on Facebook I should be 57.6. With height 164cm your ideal weight is 57.6 based on the below formula -- (164cm - 100) - (10% x (164cm - 100)) = 57.6. I want to get fit, lose the tummy weight and extra fat around my ribs, and feel good about my body. I know I should give up on being really thin, but under 60 kilos would be fantastic. I also want to be fit mentally and physically before I meet someone new. I want to be in Sydney loving my life and my body and then I will truly be open to the right relationship. I'm not content in my body for it just yet. And that is a part of next years journey. For independence and to feel good in my own skin. I want a weekly meal and cleaning plan, to exercise regularly, and to improve myself. I'm also excited about volunteering a lot over there in museums while doing the course. I think it will be fantastic. I can't wait for my new life to begin.