Happy Birthday Amnesty International

I've been a bit lazy recently and forgotten about the things I'm really passionate about. And when I say recently I mean pretty much on and off for the last 10 years.

I remember as a 15-17 year old how passionate I was about Green Peace, Amnesty International, and then in 2009 The One Campaign... but I never really did anything about it.

In uni I went to a few get togethers for Green Peace and I'm signed up to all their email bits but I have never got off my backside to really care or make a difference.

Until last week really. I was told I am going to be teaching human rights to kids in Cambodia and my passion has been reignited! I've non stop looked at documentaries, read the websites, even started writing a letter to Libya!! But the point of this blog today was to say this...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL!! and well done so far :-)

Damn Studio Catalogue

I did something a bit weird and gross today - I stole the housemates Studio catalogue out of the bin. I couldn't believe she just threw it away!! But she hates Christmas which I simply can't understand.

However, as soon as I stole it I realised I won't be here for Christmas. I had plans for this Christmas such as being in my own house, decorating the shit out of it and having my family over for an epic Christmas eve buffet, a MASSIVE Christmas dinner with at least seventy thousand After Eights, turkey butties for supper, and another Boxing day buffet with left over dinner, sausage rolls and salmon baps.

I wanted not just my huge tree that I already own, but I wanted little mini trees in every room and a to buy a special Christmas dinner set. Thinking about all these things made me quite upset.

So I've just read the Studio catalogue (can you say read when all you did was look at the pictures??) and saw the Christmas stuff I'd love to buy like a father christmas and snowman door mat, and a father christmas toilet seat cover.

I'm also going to miss giving my family presents. I actually live for buying presents!!! And the weather is important too. People complain about the snow and the cold but for me.. the colder it gets the closer it is to Christmas so I really quite enjoy it.

Christmas in Oz will be very weird. Have to admit.. I'm not looking forward to it.. :-/

Packing Failure

Oh I am tired. Must go to sleep after this.

So yeah packing fail.. I bought a 60 litre rucksack with a 15 litre detachable day sack and I can't fit a fucking thing in. I've attached my sleeping bag to the bottom of the rucksack, my mosquito net fits in just, but as soon as my walking shoes are in and my wash kit - there is NO room for anything else.

So I buy some vacuum sacks and do they work?? NO! I just don't understand how 60 litres of backpack is not enough. Craig ages ago said he could get me a massive one that was like 100 litres for free but I said no because silly me thought 60 litres would be enough.

Here is my packing list:

• 2 pairs linen trousers
• 2 pairs shorts
• 10 pairs knickers
• 7 pairs of ankle socks
• 3 bras
• 4 boob tubes
• one very light cotton shirts
• 2 pairs PJ shorts
• 2 PJ tops
• 2 jumpers
• 1 hoody
• 1 pair trackies
• 2 skirts
• 2 bikinis
• 2 flight carigans
• 3 vest tops
• laptop
• walking shoes
• walking sandles
• wash kit
• phone charge
• travel adapter
• camera
• hat
• ipod
• sleeping bag
• sleeping pillow
• torch
• money wallet
• diary
• address book
• copies of ID and actual ID
• book
• mosquito net

I need a friggin trunk and a man servant to help me carry all this shit. And according to the realgap packing list, I have missed about a thousand items!!! Sigh.

Just for Neil...

NEIL LEWIS!!!! Happy now :-P

In other news I am writing this from work because I have completed a thousand audits already. But better go..

Notice has been handed in! yaaay!

Teddy Bear Death

I am an evil person. I have suffocated my teddy bears to death.

During the packing process I stumbled across my biggest dilemma.. what do I do with all my teddy bears I have brought with me?! Each has a meaning and each was given to me by a special person for a special occasion. For example I have Greg! He is 26 this year and my first bear. He has a bow tie and his brown skinfur-fluff has been dyed by the sun. And then there is Billy! Bought by the ex for my 21st and the hippest with his Sketchers and sunglasses. And Cappy - a bear bought by everyone on my team at Capstone.

Their fate was dependant on my neurosis. When I was a kid I would sleep on the very edge of my bed so that each of my teddies could have their feet under the covers.. I didn't want them to get cold. They were also all married to a fellow teddy bear and the smaller ones were the biggers ones babies. My teddy bears were and still are very important. I felt guilty putting them in a bagin the wardrobe.

So.. the dilemma. Could I really vacuum pack them when it clearly means I will deprive them of oxygen?? Could I live with the horror of knowing I had crushed their stuffed with fluff skulls?!?! The only other option though was having them loose in a ciggy smoke filled house... that would not do.

I packed them slowly and lovingly into the giant vacuum bag. Emily my housemate watched from the doorway.. grinning rather too menicingly for my liking.. I zipped the bag, patted it a few times and let out a sigh. I picked up the nozzle and switched the hoover on. It was quick. It was mortifying. It was done.

Cappy was the flattest I had ever seen him. Billy's boots were poking out against the tight plastic sack of no air. Greg looked lost :(

I have put them in a stasis like deathly silence. I'm sorry bears. Mumma loves you :-(

Fat bugger

Hey you. How was your week?

Mine was bog standard and as per the usual.. had an argument with a team leader, despaired at the lack of sense people appear to have, started another new diet in an attempt to become a size 8 in 4 weeks, had the "what will I do when I come back debate", and had a Chutneys. Again, the Chutney man knew who I was and genuinely sounded upset when I told him I am leaving in 4 weeks time. Which is only fair really.. he will lose significant trade.

I'm desperate to be rich in a pleasant way. I don't want to be stinking rich because people would expect things of me so I guess what I mean is I want to live very comfortably. I have found a house in Staveley that is quite frankly beyond beautiful. And as much as I can't stand the Derbyshire accent (sorry to those I love with the accent..) I adore the lifestyle that Derbyshire can offer. Great countryside, you still have the neighbourly connections I haven't seen down here, and the connections to the big cities are only 30 minutes away in each direction from Chesterfield!

I've been thinking what I would do with that big house. It has a massive garden so I thought I could make money from it!! Offer garden parties to people! People can give me a budget, a theme and a date/time and I will do the rest. It satisfys my obsessive need to plan and make things a theme, and it gives me something to do with an income! I can't think of anything better.

I've also thought about foster care. I've always thought about it and if I had that house I would feel more comfortable about it too. Good links to my mum, room for the kids, things to do with them in the area.

I appear to have issues with being content with what lies in store. Yes I can't wait to go travel but I can't concentrate on that anymore because I know it's happening!! It appears now it is a minor annoyance lol.. a blip in getting back home to my mum and a house I want to buy. I can't even afford the house but I'm desperate to get back and buy it!! It of course won't even be there when I get back but that doesn't stop me mentally decorating it already.

I've been packing today for the second time in six months. Thank the lord for vacuum sack thingies!!!! I condensed my winter 13.5 tog double duck feather duvet called Stan down from fucking massive to smaller than my guitar!! Epically impressed. I have used all the boxes I stole from work for vases, picture frames and DVDs so I reckon I need another 8 for the wardrobe and kitchen maximum.

This week went quite quickly actually... I'm looking forward to pay day! My last full pay from Capstone and my word do I have some plans for it lol. I have a holiday to Tunisia to put aside for, my actual travels - must order some travel money, my last lot of rent and so far 3 work outings. MANY PENNIES!!! And of course, must apply for my loan. Seriously if I don't get it I really think I am screwed. We will see.

Wow long blog. Sorry!! I will update with something funny like the old times soon I promise lol. Have a good weekend yo. x

Turning Grey Overnight

Literally. I'm not sure if I have had white hair for awhile and just not seen it, or whether it is genuinely spreading across my head like wild fire but every morning when I spike the back up and straighten the front of my hair, I see new white hairs. And the title of this blog is misleading - it isn't grey at all it is pure white hair. My hairdressers says it is lucky I have fair hair because it masks some it but where I have old hair dye from months back which has maintained due to the length on the top and front, you can see it for miles becayse the white is so bright on the brown. Distressing.

In other news - quite worried!! Most likely nothing but recently I have been getting some headaches and feeling CONSTANTLY tired. Not to mention the constant mood swings.. and today I just went to floss, touched the back side on the right and without exagerating at all, my mouth literally burst into a blood bath. It was really gross and quite scary!!! It was literally pouring out my mouth and I spent a good two or three minutes just washing my mouth with cold water to make it stop. Further distress.

And in other news - travel prep is going well. I have hired a van for the 4th June at a cost of only £40 (kerching!), and bought 32 FOOT!! of bubble wrap for £3.35 (kerrchiiing!!) and have organised with Mother Care to pick up some boxes for free next weekend (keeerrrchhiiiinngggg!!). I have also bought 12 large vacuum storage thingies for £11. BRUTALLY cheap. I feel I have robbed some people.. Oh well!

Now to the weather - pleasant! Charlie Scriven took me on a car ride to see bambis (not dialler Rich bambis although we did talk about how much we miss him), but proper deer and there were fucking THOUSANDS of them. EVERYWHERE. They were so delicate and lovely! Photos https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150580604805184.665915.862080183&l=7e366b6440

I had a lovely time gossiping and bitching :D I am so two faced hahaha! CHARLIE!

Now it is the weekend and my plans consist of cleaning my flat, watching more E.R and thinking. May write some letters too... and drink the port I won at work :D major lmobo that the brand name is cockburns lol - so childish but cock burns hahaha I have the mental image of a chinese wrist burn but on a solid nob hahahaha. Ahhh.. fun times.

Away to bed children! Hard days lying down on the morra :-P

Greece, Grease and Geese.

I saw Geese the other day! or at least I think they were geese. They were by the Rye and practically holding hand-wings.. it was very sweet!

As to grease - I am craving it like there is no tomorrow. And I do believe if there was no tomorrow I probably would shovel as much grease into my face as humanly possibly. Unhamanly actually given it's the end of the world tomorrow. But in particular because I have been watching SO much E.R lately, I want GIANT slices of cheese and tomato with extra slime. No not slime that's made me feel queasy.. but I want another word for grease.. that means finding a thesaurs - you know what I just want grease! Grease grease grease. Instead I am on the Slim-fast diet.

The diet includes waking up, going for a job on the Rye, doing 50-70 sit ups and 30 press ups each morning before making a flavoured milkshake with Lactose free milk. It averages 300 calories for breakfast. At 11am I eat a banana and an apple. At 2pm I have another milkshake followed by a pot of sliced peppers dipped in humus. At 6.30pm after running around doing the house chores I have a meal which currently is tomato soup with a tuna salad sandwich. This is supposed to be 500 calories max but I'm not sure how many I have for the meal. At least the bread is less than 50 calories a slice!!

However, as it is Sunday I may have accidentally treated myself to 4 slices of the 50 calorie bread and spread dairy free butter all over it topped with "good for you" strawberry jam. Washed down with tea with sweetner. Oopsy. Might skip the milkshake due at 2pm....

In terms of weight.. it's only been a week but I haven't lost anything as such, however, I am definitely seeing a difference in my stomach!! It's quite flat :D 56 more days of it and then it's all inclusive time where I can pile back on the weight but still look good in the first day photos :D

Now. Greece!!

I had a BRILLIANT time with my mum. I love her to pieces she is such a good mum - she made me laugh, put up with my tiredness and non drinking, told me secrets! It was like the good old times without the "I've seen you every day for the last 18 years I may kill you" tension.

The hotel was gorgeous and just what we needed (review can be found at: http://www.travbuddy.com/Mitsis-Roda-Beach-Resort-and-Spa-v489903). It was fantastic to people watch as well. Two of my favourite bits were this couple, very young I would say no older than 18, were sunbathing by the pool. The lad was obviously too hot so he dived in the pool which I can confirm was below freezing. He then shouted to his girlfriend to come in. Really slowly and cautiously she lowered herself in but couldn't get below waist height - it really was that cold. So with a massive grin on his face, the boyfriend starts swimming up to her and says "I'll just drag you in!". And then in the WELSHIST accent I have ever heard she said such a funny and unexpected thing - "YOU COME ANYWHERE NEAR ME, I'LL SCISSOR KICK YOU!!" - honestly, major LOL! Not just kick, SCISSOR kick!

And the other one was these mums were down by the beach, relaxing on the sun loungers whilst the dads were running after their babies, when one turned to the other and said really casually: "has your baby eaten sand today?", to which the other mum with no pause or giggle so therefore perceived as completely normal: "yeeeaah she ate some this morning". Still no giggle but turning her face back towards the sun the initial mum says: "ooh your baby started early". LOL!!! awww to be a mum :-)

Complelely none related to the G theme of todays post now - I spent £350 on tickets this weekend and have sort of semi accidentally but I guess on purpose at the start.. have organised a weeks holiday in Singapore!! I was looking at the cost of flights and what not to Kuala Lumpur but thought at the same time "ooh I wonder how much a ticket to Singapore would be?". I looked it up at the same time as looking up the KL tickets, found similar prices across the board but decided I would just hang out in KL for awhile so pressed submit. It was after the transaction had processed that it dawned on me I had pressed submit on the Singapore screen.. not the KL. But oh well! Another place to see :D

Budget is going ok. I reckon I survive on the savings I have and the tax back I should receive from April-June. I will have the credit card free for the emergency flight back to England if I need it and I hope to find work really quickly in Melbourne. I saw a call centre agent was needed and they were paying £16.00 per hour so for 6 months, that would do me quite nicely! So much to see and do in these places.

There is also so much to see and do in the UK. It never occured to me that I live in a country of such amazingness. There is SO much to see and do and what have I done with the time here?? Sat on my arse dreaming about being somewhere else. When I come home though I'm telling you things are changing. No more sitting around at the weekend and spending money on shit I don't need - the time will be spent saving for holidays, my dream house, and seeing things! And importantly, seeing friends.

Right the F1 is starting shortly so I best get gone and put the washing out ready. I am likely to update again in the week so catch you then :D