At the close of 2013

Hey peeps, long time, no blog.

It's been hectic. Crazy. And all that.

After 3 days of couch surfing and not doing terribly much I have finally come to the conclusion that 2013 has been a big year. Massive, in fact. In all areas, in stretching me literally and figuratively!

For starters, I had one of my dearest wishes granted. I spent the year with a funny, honest, crazy-like-me, caring person who really gets me. We broke all the rules in the dating handbook and somehow it works. However, being in a relationship for a year now has taught me a really valuable lesson. While I often thought it would somehow mean the end of my problems as I knew them to be, I have learned that it does nothing of the sort. I am still me, with my same anxieties and hopes and fears, with or without a relationship. Being with someone doesn't automatically make everything unicorns and rainbows... it just means I have someone to share real-life stuff n fings with.

Go figure.

My job has been another huge area of growth. The saying 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going' was really hammered into me this year. I learned how to get real tough real quick while managing multiple projects and teams. Resilience is a muscle that only grows when flexed, and I flexed my resilience muscle a lot this year. I am facing another big year in 2014, so let the chips fall where they may, we are all in for an interesting time!

Health was another area of growth (or should I say shrink), when I finally learned what was holding me back weight-wise. I lost 20kg (put a few kilos back on in the last few weeks of celebrations) but hey, I know what works now so look out 2014, I intend to shrink some more!

I would like to say my outlook has improved, and that I am more positive and calm and zen-like about everything. But the truth is that the more success I attract to my life, the less likely I am to feel successful. Hmmmm, interesting to reflect on why this is. Is it because the weight of success comes with its own fear of hubris? That it couldn't possibly last? That if I took pride in what i have achieved it would attract the inevitable fall? Who knows, all I do know is that I need to continually remind myself that I have earned success, and it has been down to hard work and persistence. and that no-one can take that away from me. Hear that, Tash? Take note!

This blog post is a reflection to force myself to look at what I have achieved and where I have grown in 2013, and to stop and smell the roses. To get my positive mindset squarely focused on 2014, and start with a cheer!

Hip hip hooray! Thanks for the ride, 2013.... looking forward to making your acquaintance, 2014!

What a year brings

Dear world, universe, karma, fate, kismet,

If i ever doubted you, I apologise.

A year and 2 weeks ago I was on the cusp of 3 new adventures.

One expected. One half anticipated, but almost given up on. The final very much unexpected.

I had taken a new job where all my experience to date seemed to point to "all systems go!".

In the past 12 months I have learned so much, been challenged, tested, supported, stretched, excited, forged, fought and conquered. There were times when it all seemed almost too much. I am so grateful to the positive and inspirational people surrounding me who encouraged me to look further than the lesson, who urged me to keep the faith and carry on. I am now a thousand-fold richer in my professional life than ever before.

And still ready for the next adventure, the next "level up"!

I had also answered a personal email from someone who very quickly established their place in my life and heart. Someone who, the day after my 39th birthday reached out to me and rang the gong of my soul. On the very day I felt "okay" being me, myself and I, isn't it ironic that this sounding call was sent.

Since that day, my barriers and fortresses, so carefully constructed have been easily dismantled. With easy laughter, fun, self discovery and "extreme" honesty.

However, a third, entirely unexpected and glorious outcome came when a deeper love, trust and understanding emerged from the move back from familiar dependence to independence. The passing of the family torch moved from childhood to adulthood, and brought with it a compassion and empathy than was ever felt before.

Thank you, universe, karma, fate, kismet..... all the lessons hard fought, hard taught, hard-won... were all worth it in the end.

No doubt, they will continue to prove their weight in gold, despite my understanding of them at the time.

Nostalgia - JUST SAY NO

Is there anything more seductive, and more disappointing, than nostalgia?

It creeps up on you, giving you rose coloured memories, snippets of feelings stirred from deep within, a sense of longing for times long past, times that seem from one's perspective of great distance, to be somehow sunnier, more real, more alive, and more potent than the actual moment one is recalling.

Nostalgia is a bitch. When you are in its grip, it ruins any hope of deep connection with the NOW, that elusive moment where one truly lives. It taps you on the shoulder saying "but if only you were here when you were THERE.... with the people you WERE with.... in the moment you USED to have, fleeting  moment, which you probably didn't truly appreciate even while you were in it...."

Nostalgia can go wash its head in a bucket.

I am planning a trip to Jenolen Caves with my boyfriend.

If you were me, you would understand how fraught that single phrase is.

You would surely appreciate the mix of memories that rise up, unbidden, from childhood, from early adulthood, from mid 20s, from early 30s..... each phase of these memories slapping me in the face, with a fish, Monty Python-style, in the attempt to make me feel like this trip will be somehow lesser, somehow a shadow of the trips of times gone by.

NO NOSTALGIA!

THOU SHALT NOT OWN ME!

BEGONE!

I want to truly enjoy each wonderful, precious NEW moment that I create with my wonderful man.

And so I shall.

:D

Mid-Year Resolution

It's coming up to mid-year.

I need to make a mid-year resolution.

Re-learn how to chillax.

That is all.

Burning the candle trying to hold onto my youth

It's 11.45pm on a Monday night.

I have just finished an episode of Girls, too easily identifying with the main character who lives in a state of perpetual analytical discovery of her world, social circle and self, and I walk to my open window, dancing in the dark to the final song that ends the episode....

... and I realise something...

Looking at the building opposite my apartment whose windows reflect the windows of my building.

No-one else is up. Or... if they are, the curtains are drawn and they are not doing anything so crass as dancing in the open window to the loud music that is more relateable to Gen Y than my own.

What am I doing? Am I relaxing from a 12-hour-plus day at work, trying to capture some of the youth that I still feel within my soul....

Or am I kidding myself, thinking I can relate to this all-night-party-mode world, with limited responsiilities and the promise of an exciting, New-York party-fuelled lifestyle that I never really aspired to but all of a sudden can relate to?

The thought has crossed my mind tonight while watching Hannah (star of Girls) entertain situations "for the story" that my own life has been eerily similar (especially in my 20s). But to aspire to more of the same?

I think I can officially welcome myself to my mid-life crisis!

Welcome, kids, to my crisis! You're invited :)

A year of sobriety - could you do it?

I read with great interest this article by Jill Stark, health writer apparently, who also liked a tipple far too much from the sounds of things. She went a year without alcohol, and labelled it a "declaration of war"

Well, she didn't actually, but she said it was almost like declaring war.

Why is this?

Why are teetotallers expected to toe the line with the drinking fraternity and not the other way around?

My dad is a teetotaller, only because he doesn't like the taste of the stuff. His doctor once prescribed him a "small glass of red wine" to deal with a heart condition, and thought that news would be greeted with shouts of joy. Instead, dad said "is there something else I can take?"

He now has 2 small pieces of good quality dark chocolate a night, and is happy as Larry.

My uncle, also a teetotaller, made this wry observation when asked once too often "why not join us in a wine?", "Why not join me in an orange juice?"

Why not, indeed.

I think a lot about my relationship with alcohol. I think it's a lot better than it used to be. I don't use it as a crutch or as social lubricant. But I often wonder why I drink at all? It's part taste, but also part cultural.

When I am out with friends, it seems downright unsociable not to partake in a glass of wine. At a cocktail bar for a friend's birthday? I would feel uncomfortable ordering a Shirley Temple or any other variety of non-alcoholic beverage.

When alone at home, I will often have a glass (or two) with dinner just to make it feel more like an occasion than just fuelling my body.

I wonder if I would be able to do a year without alcohol.

Could you?

Natasha's Adventures in Cab-land... A taste of things to come.

I have had a long-standing love-hate relationships with Sydney cab drivers. They love talking to me. I hate getting caught up in these strange conversations with them. When I tell people about the conversations I find myself unwittingly getting into, it sounds like I have made them up, or at least exaggerated.

None of these stories are exaggerated.

They are verbatim.

Thus begins the episodes to be known as "Natasha's Adventures in Cab-land"

Someday I may make something of them, perhaps illustrate some of the more interesting ones.

Who knows. At the moment, it's a bit of fun.

March - my month of money minimalism

Have you ever heard of those "No Spend Challenges"? Well, I am about to do one for a month.

While I whittle away my waistline I have something else that needs fattening up. Between moving out, setting up house and forgoing the income I used to get from renting out my apartment, I have noticed my savings are in dire need of a boost.

So I decided that March is a good time of year to put the kybosh on unneccessary spending.

Here are the rules.

1. Shop for groceries once a week - ONLINE.

As I have a fairly strict eating regime these days and I am not doing any massive entertaining, I have a fairly predictable grocery shopping list. Trouble is, when I shop in person there are always a few "discretionary" items that make their way into my basket ("HEY! Who put that cheese in there?"). I tried out the online shopping experience last week, and it worked perfectly. I shopped directly from my list, I ended up getting a lot more than I actually paid for (I put this down to them wanting to overdeliver rather than face complaints) and I wasn't tempted.

2. Bills get debited directly from my account

This is not a new thing. I am obsessed with tracking where my money goes, and it just makes things a lot easier when you can reconcile your accounts electronically.

3. No cash in my wallet

Say what again? That's right. I am going to get through the month with zero cash. I have my weekly travel card. I have a full tank of petrol if I need to use the car. I make my lunches and snacks. We have a coffee machine at work. What more do I really need?

I worked out that most of my cash purchases happen BECAUSE I have cash at hand. If I am forced to make a conscious decision to purchase something, it has to be necessary.

4. Only drive if I have to

This will be tough psychologically, but it shouldn't be. I only bought my current car because I was living in the suburbs and commuting cross-country. I never used to own a car when I lived in the city. Owning a car makes you very lazy in finding ways to get around. So I am committed to public transport for the month. Only drive when I have to go more than 20km (which includes family visits).

5. Entertainment has to be free

This will tie into some of my other challenges on my bucket list, of things to do in Sydney. I have signed up to "things to do for free in Sydney" websites and lists, and it will be fun to amuse myself this way.

6. Freeze the cards

I am going to literally freeze my debit and credit card in my freezer. They won't be in my wallet at all. If there is a genuine spending emergency (which there rarely is) I will have to wait until they defrost. In which time I bet the emergency will pass.

February - photo a day

February got off to a slow start, I didn't actually take a photo a day for the first week. In fact, I was told that February 7th was the day that New Years Resolutions are in most danger of being abandoned, and it was February 7th when I realised I had abandoned my photo a day challenge.

However, these days I believe in the power of getting up, dusting myself off and continuing without beating myself up whenever I do things "less than perfectly".

So February may have faltered at the start, but finished strong!

Kinda like my philosophy of living these days.

So here are February's offerings, in no particular order!

The current installation in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art. I wish I had stood in the centre of the path so that this was more a front-on shot. However, I am still learning about composition of photographs, so I am sure you will all forgive me! I have since seen some amazing photos using the mirror effect of this sculpture. It gives you that "insignificant ant on the face of our planet" feeling.

This was a pre-dawn shot I captured on Bondi Beach, where my bestie and I did some soft sand walking during our weekly "get up and just effin do it" exercise sessions. While this doesn't have quite the same appeal as one of my sunrise shots, I love that it captures the eerie pre-dawn feel and the yellow of the morning sky is quite ehereal.

I have walked up and down Albion St countless times and never once noticed this heart. It was an apt start to the "month of love", and the first photo I took. The location is a side street next to the NSW Sexual Health Clinic on Albion St, Surry Hills. It appears to be made out of plastic bags, woven into the chain link fence.

This is the obligatory sunrise shot I took on Bondi Beach, the same morning of the earlier pre-dawn photo. There were actually 100s of people on the beach that morning, doing some kind of exercise or other, but I love that this shot has a single walker, looking out at the ocean. It was one of those moments that you blink and miss if you are not ready for it. Shortly afterwards the sun broke over the mountains and the sky lost that wonderful glow that is reflected on the sand.

This is my favourite cheese shop in the world. It has 2 double counter of cheeses, and a staff full of cheese experts (or if not expert yet, enthusiastic!) I have spent over half an hour with a cheese server there and sampled various cheeses until I devise the exact combination of flavours that I am going for. My all time favourite would be Pecorino Tartufo, a white truffle infused hard cheese with a bite to it. Mmmmm delish!

I struggled framing this shot. The iconic fountain at Darling Harbour has probably been captured in a much better frame than this, but at the time we were there I was trying to capture its water ripples and snail-like construction without the kids playing in the centre and the dozens of people milling about its edges, This was the best I could come up with.

Possibly the most self-indulgent shot of February's set of photos, but I love that it is a couple shot without being a traditional couple shot. We were mucking around at Tropfest Film Festival when I tried taking a photo of Ian and noticed my reflection in his glasses, which gave me the original idea. However, it worked better with him reflected in my glasses.

Ahhhh love's reflection ;)

I know this shot shows I am not travelling 1st class... and is one of the sins of "Ten overused Instragram concepts" (along with food porn), but I love this shot. It's so peaceful and pretty. The blue of the sky is endless. And the shot is  damn well composed as well, thank you very much!

Another overused concept, but WHO CARES! PRETTY!!! OH SO PRETTY!!! This was taken on the Coogee to Maroubra section of the Sydney Eastern Beaches Coastal Walk.

Heritage listed stairs in Frog Hollow Park, Surry Hills. This is the park next door to my apartment block, and I hardly ever use the park (or the stairs).  I am going to start doing more of a walking tour of Surry Hills and taking a tour of its Points of Interest that I can find.

These stairs, still at Frog Hollow Park, are not heritage listed, but I just like photos of stair cases. I might make this a theme.

The lone busker at Central Station that I blogged about in "The Unexpected Gift". His music is truly uplifting. He can be found most mornings outside the arches entrance to the station at the intersection of Foveaux and Chalmers Sts just before Eddy Avenue. 

St Marys Cathedral at night is just breathtaking.

Another self indulgent shot taken with my "Retro Camera" application on my phone. It was taken in the dark with the flash on. I like the effect it gives my face, quite illuminating!

The unexpected gift

We all go about our daily business, heads down, steamrolling ahead.

Walking along a busy crowded city street at work rush hour of a morning, being jostled by bodies in a hurry to get to where they are going, eyes unseeing anything than their destination.

Sometimes we are buried so deep that we don't see the elderly lady struggling to cross at a crowded intersection. Or the young teen clumsily wheeling over-sized luggage up and down the steep set of stairs at Central Station.

But just one moment of beauty can cut through the apathy and set a spark in someone's eyes.

A busker, lone and sweet, sat at Central's opening arches played a simple strumming melody that stopped the woman in her tracks. She looked ahead at first, wondering why she had stopped, then down at her phone, ever present in her hand. Checking what had changed.

Her head turned, transfixed by the sound. Magic worked through her as she walked towards the musician, and stood for a few moments. Only a few moments, then turned on her heels back towards the arches, feeling sad she didn't have even a token coin in her purse to express her gratitude.

Fleeting moments, an unexpected gift. Joy. Insight. A window of opportunity to give thanks for things of beauty. A check that these moments of living in the present will never be given to us again.

She stopped again to examine something at her feet. Paused, then stooped to pick it up.

In her hand, the flash of mauve of an Australian five dollar bill.

She turned back towards the musician without hesitation and placed it in his guitar case. He looked up at her, their eyes met, and she breathed a word of gratitude: beautiful.

An unexpected gift for an unexpected gift.

Music feeds the soul