Very Versatile

Its been a while since this has happened - but would you believe i've been given a blog award? Apparently the lovely Ames over at Tutu Ames thinks i'm a " Versatile Blogger " and has bestowed a beautiful award and badge upon my little blog. Of course, when accepting prestigious blog awards such as this one, it is customary to complete the attached meme..... which happens to be along the " 7 Things You Dont Know About Me " line of things. Is it possible, after 500-odd blog posts, that there is still random crap i'm yet to share with you? Perhaps. Maybe. Probably not. With that in mind, here are the 7 little tidbits i've come up with, which may or may not already be old news....

1. Sometimes, on a Saturday afternoon, when there is nothing else to do.... i watch WWE wrestling with Mick. I dont avidly and excitedly watch it - like some little and not-so-little boys i know - but if its on i dont mind having a sneaky peek at some of the hard bodies and "athletic entertainment ". Dont be alarmed though because i know its not real.

2. I dont drink coffee, and i dont drink "normal " tea. I dont mind herbal teas from time to time and i love me a chai latte, but i cannot think of anything worse than downing a cup of coffee in the morning. In fact, the smell of strong coffee makes me gag. Yuck!

3. My top 3 favourite films from my childhood are - " The Princess Bride ", " The Never-Ending Story " and " Annie ". Apparently, even when i was a little kid, i didnt find over-the-top slap stick funny. Give me princesses, flying dragons, singing oprhans and true love any day!

4. My feet are a size bigger after being pregnant. Even so, i still only wear an Australian size 6-7. Apparently i have small feet ( pity my waist/hip/bum ratio is not in direct correlation to my feet... )

5. I work in the main street of my town and, believe you me, i get to see some interesting things out my office window - people with crazy hair, near misses when people dont check their mirrors whilst reversing, kids starting fights.... hell, just today i witnessed a bus pull in too close to the kerb and crash into the bus shelter!

6. I am organising my 10 year high school reunion for later this year. Well, me and one other of my former classmates. To be honest, i dont really want to, but 2 years ago there was a rumour going around that i would do the organising when the time came ( i still have no idea where this rumour started... ) but now that we're almost halfway through the year and no-one else has volunteered, i figure i better do it or it just wouldnt get done. My former best friend was keen to help two years ago - guess who is strangely absent from our small planning committee? My major worry now is that myself and the other girl will put in the effort to have a nice little get-togther and a) no-one will show up or b) no-one will enjoy it....

7. My best friend while i lived in America, F, has just had a baby. F is Brazilian and her fiance is Lithiuanian ( they were foreign students when they met... ) so they have named their baby girl Aleksa. Isnt that beautiful? Even though i havent seen them since late 2005 and in all likelihood will not see them for a long time to come, i still love F with all my heart. We just clicked - it seemed that though we were from different countries, different upbringings, different ages... at least we were different together in a place that was different for both of us. I wish we lived in the same country again so i could have a proper "best friend ", especially after last years debacle with my ex-BFF. Now all i gotta do is wait for the pics of how cute Aleksa looks in the clothes i sent her!

So there you go. The other part of the rules is i need to bestow this award on some of the blogs i've discovered and loved lately. So if you are one of the following people - you win!
1. Polly at A Working Mothers Chatter
2. Melissa at Suger Coat It
3. Kate at A Home For Ida

What? Oh Yea - Blah Blah Blah

Blah - this weekend was a total write off, blog-wise. I had this compulsion to sit down and write, but every time i opened the lap top there was....nothing. Nada. Zip. I couldnt think of a single interesting thing to write ( interesting being the operative word ). So, in the absence STILL of anything much interesting to blog about, here is a short list of things i considered, but than thought better of:

Image from here

* I could have gone a whole big spiel about how Joe from " The Biggest Loser " has an attitude problem. Which he does, big time. Someone needs to tell him that the world doesnt revolve around him, and be nicer to Nathaniel ( even though he's a cry-baby ).

* I could have written a sob story about how everytime i have something on for the weekend i get a cold. Which i do, but i already used that as a Facebook status. Let me tell you, attending a double christening after taking too many cold and flu tablets in an effort to perk yourself up is no fun at all. If everyone in the church has seen been inflicted with the lurgy, i wouldnt be suprised...

* I could have told you how beautiful Flynn has been lately, and how proud i am of him. Which i am, but i did that last week. In a new development since then - my son has FINALLY decided he's going to walk! - and he's really turned into Daddy's little shadow. I love watching the two of them together. Too cute!

* I could have done a review of " One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest ", and compared the book to the film. Which i rewatched, after finishing the book, only i didnt have the energy ( see the point about having a cold/flu ) to sit down and be really eloquent and descriptive. And stuff.

* I could have shared some of my extensive internet "research " into interesting ideas for wedding centrepieces and bombonieres. Which I have been doing, on and off, for weeks. I am using the help of an events planner but i wasnt entirely happy with the flowers she used in the sample centrepiece she made up. And, even though she assures me the colour would be different on the day, now i'm just not sold on the whole idea. And as for bombonieres - any ideas?

Thinking Happy, Week 4

Hello again, and welcome to week 4 of Holly's " Operation Think Happy "! Just a reminder that this involves listing 7 things that have made you happy this week. Focus on the positives people!

1. The moment, #1 - I was in the middle of getting dinner ready last night when Flynn decided he wanted to have a grizzle, so Mick scooped him up and took him outside. After a few minutes i go to the door and out in our driveway, there they are - Mick lokking down at this little wrapped up bundle in his arms, chatting to him about God knows what. I just stood at the door, unseen and smiling.

2. The moment, #2 - A few hours later, i've finished feeding Flynn and he's lying back, all milk drunk.... but not taking his eyes off his daddy. Its like, even at 8 weeks old, Daddy is his hero. Too, too sweet.

3. Planning an engagement party - finally! We've been engaged since October but havent even thought about an engagement party yet. Its not going to be anything fancy, just a big bbq at my parents house, with family and friends.

4. Chocolate truffle balls - I stole this very simple recipe from Welfare Wisdom and completely loved it! Basically get a packet of your favourite biscuits ( like Caramel Tim Tams for me, or it could be Oreos, Mint Slice etc ), blend them into crumbs, mix with cream cheese, chill, roll into balls and then cover with melted chocolate. Yummmmm.....

5. Cucumbers - or, more specifically, cucumbers from our vegetable garden. I dont know how my farmer fiance does it but they're big, green and fresh...oh, and free!

6. Mothers group - This was the fourth week of meeting up with my mothers group ( a group of first time mums - our babies range in age from 8 to 16 weeks ) but its the first i've actually ' clicked with ' some of the other mums. I'm a little shy and it takes me a while to warm up to strangers, so it was nice to be able to have a little chat and not feel too self-concious about it this week.

7. Hitting the 8 week mark - that is, my son is now 8 weeks old and i havent broken him yet! He's also gone up a size in the clothing for the first time, so that was a nice little milestone to hit...

2009: A Year in Review, Insomniatic Style

Alright, so now that i have caught up reading other peoples year in review posts, its my turn to post my best, worsts and favourites for the past year. I havent listed all the same categories as last year, and have thrown in a couple of new categories, so bearing in mind that when i say "best " i mean " My favourite " not the technical best; and when i say " worst " i mean " totally poo " . Also, all items are listed in no particular order.....

BEST FILMS:
1. " Inglourious Basterds " - whats not to love ? Its vintage wacky Tarantino, its good vs evil and Eli Roth ? Hella gorgeous.
2. " The Boy In Striped Pyjamas " - ok, yes, another Nazi themed film, but this one is rather more poignant than it is violent. I alternated between sadness and anger during this film, but the performance of both little boys was what made this film really special.
3. " Grand Torino " - Mr Gil and i saw this on our second date, so that alone makes it memorable, however it makes the list simply because its Clint Eastwood at his absolute best. Director, actor, composer - his touch is all over it.
4. " Wolverine " - anyone who is deriding me for this choice can go jump in a lake. I love me a superhero film and i love me some Hugh Jackman, so why wouldnt this film make my list ?
5. " The Proposal " - i dont normally rate 'chick flicks ' so high but this one was suprisingly enjoyable. Ryan Reynolds could just be my new favourite cute/funny/goofy dude....

AND THE WORST ?
" The Hangover " - i've chosen this as my worst film for the year not because it was bad necessarily .... but because it was disappointing. So many people told me it was the new " The 40 Year Old Virgin "; that it was hilariously funny; the funniest movie they'd seen in years. And then Mr Gil and i watched it last week ( so it only just makes 2009 ... ) and it was just - meh. To be quite honest, I didnt see what all the fuss was about.
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BEST SONGS:
1. " Breakeven " by The Script - a soulful, sad, sexy pop song by some cute Irish lads. It got played to death on radio over here, but rather than grate on my nerves, i just liked it more and more.
2. " The Fixer " by Pearl Jam - yea, yea, yea! This has been my sing-along-song for the past few months ( not that i know all the words.... ). Its the one that comes on the car radio, i turn up the volume and rock out at the traffic lights. Every list needs one of these songs, and Eddie Vedder and the boys get that honor this year.
3. " Last Day On Earth " by Kate Miller-Hiedke - this is an exquisite, melancholy love song. It initially came to my attention because it was attached to an episode of my favourite soap ( hello, " Neighbours"! ) but then it gained radio airplay and i totally fell in love with it.
4. " Like It Loud " by Cassie Davis - another Australian artist, this time with a perfectly crafted party song. Not that i've done much partying this year, but this was my favourite song to get my happy face going....
5. " Burn Your Name " by Powderfinger - this is officially my song of the summer, and reminds me of both my fiance and now my beautiful son. It doesnt hurt that its by one of my favourite bands either.

AND THE WORST ?
" Pokerface " by Lady Gaga tied with " Down " by Jay Shawn - it is no secret that i just cant stand Lady Gaga, so its no suprise i'm going to choose one of her songs to be my least favourite of the year. " Pokerface " happens to be the one that annoys me the most ( pa-pa-pa-pa-pokerface! Pa-pa-pa-please! ). Tied for this incredible honor is " Down " - pretty much because its just been totally overplayed and its a weak Backstreet Boys impression to begin with ( seriously, check out the clip. Someone totally wants to be in a boy band ).
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BEST BOOK:
" Eat.Pray.Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert - ok, so i'm a little late jumping on this particular bandwagon - you know, seeing as Oprah had been praising the book in 2008 - but this was just a really great book. It might seem kind of hippy-dippy or hokey-spiritual to some, but when i was 8 months pregnant it was an inspiration ( woman divorces; falls into depression; decides to take a year off and visit Italy, India and Indonesia; ultimately finds redemption and happiness ). It was - is - nice to think that if we want something bad enough and strive to reach for it, we can have happiness, for ourselves and others.

FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
" The Big Bang Theory " - this was on last years list, and its still my favourite. Seriously, Leonard and Penny are my new Ross and Rachel - and Sheldon is just in a league of his own.

BEST MOMENT FOR ME, PERSONALLY:
27.12.2009, the birth of my son - the proposal of marriage by Mr Gil was pretty damn sweet, and had my son arrived on his due date, the engagement would have made the top spot. However, seeing as Flynn decided to arrive 2 weeks early, making him a 2009 baby and not 2010 like he was supposed to be, meeting my little man and the making of our little family gets to be #1.

And that be it. Last year i included a list of best albums, but i had to leave them off this year because, sadly, i havent purchased too many actual albums this year. I have 3 or 4 that i've been meaning to buy but just havent got around to it, and now that i'm going to be home quite a bit with a sleeping baby i'll have ample opportunity to sit down and actually LISTEN to a whole cd at a time, so look out for a " best albums " list in my 2010 countdown....

A Year In Review - Insomniatic Style

So here it is, as previously mentioned - my year in review post. To clarify, these are my favourites of the year, not necessarily the technical " best ". I think ranking things as " best " is, well, best left to the experts. Favourites however, are completely subjective. Also, please note that this list is comprised only of things i have seen, heard, bought or experienced for myself. ( Side note - anything that may have been released in the US as of late 2007, but not released here til 2008, obviously counts as 2008 Footnote - the listed items are not in an particular or signficant order ). You may not agree- hell you may not even have heard of some stuff, let alone liked it. Its all about me, me, me - that being said, i formulated this list for all you people, so have at!

Films:
1. The Dark Knight - two words: Heath Ledger. Wait, two more: posthumous Oscar. I went into this hoping it wasnt all hype, and it wasnt. Heaths performance is so brilliantly dark that even minor plot holes or that horrid accent Christian Bale uses as Batman could sink this ship.
2. Juno - this just had the quirky, kind of dark, not-everybody-is-gonna-get-it kind of humour that i love. Ellen Paige just does the biting wit so well, and she has just the right amount of freckles to be believable as the odd girl ( rather than the gorgeously pretty popular girl ). I kind of loved the whole mature storyline as played out by kids thing aswell. Total winner.
3. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army - who doesnt love Hellboy? He's big, he'd red and he's grumpy but he's just trying to keep the world safe. Lets face it, he's really just a romantic at heart - the whole Hellboy/Liz thing, despite being a a mixed species romance, is totally gorgeous. Ooh, and also, lots of stuff blows up and there's tonnes of fighting and cool stuff like that.
4.There Will Be Blood - sure this movie is long, but Daniel Day-Lewis is so mesmirising that you never once look at the clock. Its no wonder he won the Oscar for this film - everything he does is just so unbelievably watchable. Paul Dano is kind of a revelation too.

And my least favourite?
Tropic Thunder - I know this one is going to be a controversial pick, but i couldnt even watch all the way to the end of this. I understand what they were aiming for, but it just fell flat for me. Plus, I think i'm kind of over Ben Stiller. He has no range: he's either the sweet, goofy romantic or aq gung-ho idiot. I'd love to see him do something closer to his work in " Reality Bites ". I just think he needs to moves past the crazy faces and dicks in zippers.
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TV Shows
1. How I Met Your Mother - i really got into this show this year. I totally want to date Ted and Barney ? Barney is the shit-funniest character on TV. Don't judge me, but i would totally have a one stand with Barney.
2. The Amazing Race - yep, I am still in love with this show. I know their are about a thousand other reality shows i could be watching, but The Amazing Race lets me indulge my travel fantasys ( oh, and the fantasy of winning a million dollars ).
3. Big Bang Theory - aww, Leonard is just so darn cute. I'm just hoping that at some point Penny is going to realise it, rip off his glasses and drag him to her bedroom. And Raj has all the potential in the world ( as realised when he volunteered for that drug trial ). But its Sheldon - man Sheldon cracks me up. He's just so weird....
4. So You Think You Can Dance Australia - loved this show! So vibrant, and sexy and stylish and fun. I sooooooo wanna go and take dance lessons, except i'm kind of likely to trip over my own feet and sprain an ankle or something. I'll just keep my dancing on the pub dancefloor and far, far away from a national, television stage.
5. Greys Anatomy - the season of Izzy and George ( which was kind of awkward ), Alex and Rebecca ( which was kind of sad ) and Callie turning lesbian ( or has she ? ). McDreamy was still hot, McSteamy was still waaaay hot although, unfortunately, Meredith was still mopey. Will that change in the new season ? Doubtful - but as long as the boys stay hot and the romance and gossip stays scandalous, i'll keep watching.

And my least favourite?
The Moment of Truth - O.M.G. This is just trainwreck TV. I cant understand why anyone would want to watch this program. Its basically just repulsive people admitting to scandalous and hurtful things in a bid to make money. I'm all for the trailer park trash of shows like " Jerry Springer " but this ? This is just nasty. Much like the " contestants " on the show....
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Songs:
1. " My People " by The Presets - the ultimate dancefloor anthem for this year. For all of you not in the know, The Presets are an Australian dance/electronic outfit and this is the song that had me dancing everytime i heard it. " I'm here with all of my people! "
2. " Use Somebody " by Kings of Leon - my favourite love song of the year. And by love i mean i could totally use somebody like Caleb Followhill... love me Caleb, I'll love you back!
3. " Thats Not My Name " by The Ting Tings - this song is just so catchy! And, despite the fact my local radio station played it about a million times a day, i'm not sick of yet. Its different and fresh and.... its just so damn catchy! Its my loungeroom/car sing-along-song. You know, the way you sing at the top of your lungs and pretend like your a total rock star ? Yep, you have one of those too.
4. " Kids " by MGMT - totally loving the trippy, psuedo-psychedelic pop by these guys. And " Kids " is getting a lot of airplay right now, and its my favourite song off " Oracular Spectacular ". It may just be my anthem for the summer and, therefore, makes this list.
5. " Leave Out All The Rest " by Linkin Park - ah, my emo song of the year. Everybody needs a soft/loud/soft.loud rock song that they can play when they are feeling either melancholy ( I wanna die right now... boo hoo hoo ) or angry ( You are all going to regret this when i'm gone, bitches ! ). Linkin Park usually fits the bill for that kind of song, and this song falls into that category. Ah, Linkin Park - with me since Year 12.

And my least favourite?
" I Kissed A Girl " by Katy Perry - Puh-lease Katy Perry: you did not kiss a girl and even if you did it was only to impresf the horny drunk boys. I cannot stand songs like this. Firstly, Katy cant sing all that well but that doesnt matter so much in these days of slick production. The issue here is the song is a complete novelty, just sung to titillate and shock. So its gets a little controversy and then radio starts playing the crap out of it. Which only makes me hate it more. I just find it so sad that people are able to build a ( brief ) career out of such an annoying, and utterly crap, song.
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Albums:
1. " Pretty.Odd " by Panic At The Disco - sweet, sweet pop music, with an old-school Beatlesque twist. " Nine In The Afternoon " very narrowly missed out on a place in my favourite songs - its just pure, sweet, sunshiney pop at its best. And so is the rest of the album.
2. " Duets " by Reba McEntire - I know what your thinking: a country album. But Reba is like the queen of country and she's an all round brilliant artist, which is why she inspires artists like Carole King, Kelly Clarkson, Don Henley and Justin Timberlake to sing with her. The song she does with Justin - which he wrote for mind you - is just gorgeous, and the duet on " Because of You " with Kelly is near about as good as the original.
3. " Only By The Night " by Kings of Leon - hello, best rock album of the year. If you havent already bought it/heard it/ heard OF it, then what the hell is wrong with you ? Seriously, yoiu cannot escape the genius of " Sex On Fire " and the aforementioned " Use Somebody " so why try ? Just go and buy the album and love it. Now.
4. " Across the Universe " soundtrack by the cast of the film - if you dont know the film, its a musical using the songs of The Beatles so, thusly, this is a collection of Beatles songs sung by the cast ( who include Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess and a cameo by Bono ). My pick for the best is " Hey Jude " which, with its " Naaa, naaa, naaa, na na na na! " has been the song i turn to for a pick me up and Evan Rachel Wood singing " Blackbird ". Gorgeous song such by a gorgeous girl in a gorgeous, pure voice.
5. " The Odd Couple " by Gnarls Barkley - alternatley, the album i've found myself either playing with windows rolled down in my car, or choosing to dance around the house to while i do housework. " Run! " is a great song for vacuum dancing AND cruising the streets and " Blind Mary " is just too cute. Need to get your party ( or housework, whatever takes your fancy ... ) started ? Choose Gnarls Barkley.

And my least favourite ?
Note, that there is no entry for this one. I'm not in the habit of buying music i dont like and, although it is possible to misjudge the strength of an album ( by buying ti based on one song or the strength of previous albums by that artist ), that didnt happen this year. Hell, i wasnt even forced to listen to a crappy CD by a friend - you know, whilst chilling out, or on a roadtrip - so, consequently there is no one album i can choose as my least favourite this year. Yay for my ears!
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And that be all. The years pop culture as rated by me is now over. Leave a comment, tell me what you agrred/disagreed with, how mad you think i am for a particular choice, or even just leave your own choices for favourite. Peace out yo!

International Relations

I've been having relations, with Andy of WildARSChase. NO, not those kinds of relations - international relations. See young Andy decided the best way to make up for a recent cultural faux pas was to do a co-blog ( my first co-blog - excited much!?! ) , in regards to cultural cliches, if you will. So, the following are two sets of lists, one by WildARS, one by my good self. In an attempt to create a better understanding of Americans and Australians, we've compiled lists of common stereotypes that may or may not be true about both countries. We hope it's your favourite (or favorite!) list of all time.First up, the list compiled by WildARS.

( Note: Comments by Andy are in italics, comments by AmyXXOO are in bold. )


AUSTRALIANS:

1. All sound like Steve Irwin - Crikey, this one is a load of crap mate! Which is to say no, we don't all sound like Steve Irwin. God rest his soul, but the man was a walking cliche, at least when it comes to Australian language. To be honest, i think he just spoke like that to play up to you Americans - you eat that stuff up.
That we do. We love pigeonholing people. Just ask Native Americans. We think all of them live in tepees and drink, forgetting that whole part when our ancestors slaughtered their ancestors.... It is sad Irwin died, though. What a good dude.

.2. Are frequently eaten alive by Great White sharks - Leave the sharks alone! Seriously, I think the Great Whites get a bad rap - as far as experts tell it, the frequency of their attacks is, well, pretty infrequent. The best way to NOT get attacked - stay out of their ocean!
Tell that to Rob Schneider. See, I think sharks are the best, even if I am terrified of them. Shark Week on Discovery Channel is a good time, but it constantly shows people getting eaten off the Australian shores. You should write Discovery a stern letter.

3. Know what a dingo is. - Wait, this one is true. We all know what a dingo is, but having seen one in the flesh is a whole other matter. I mean, unless you live in either Northern Queensland or anywhere in the Northern Territory. I thought i saw a dingo once, but it was just a skinny German Shepherd...
Is the Northern section the place to stay away from? Sounds like Hicksville.
It's the place to stay away from if you want to avoid: crocodiles, sharks, dingoes and people missing numerous teeth.

4. Think rugby is better than football - Are we talking American football ( which we call Gridiron ) or soccer ?
Uh, the only good kind, American football. Americans pretend we like soccer, but we're not good at it. We just think we should be good at it. I will say that rugby is the manliest of sports.
Correction - rugby league is the manliest of sports. Rugby and rugby league are two different sports. Ah, so much for you Americans to learn....

5. Have an inordinate amount of actors working in Hollywood, who all immediately drop their accents - We don't have an inordinate amount, it's just that all the actors we send over there are good enough to be working. Yay for us! That whole dropping their accents thing is annoying though - be proud of where you're from, people. Like Hugh Jackman - sure, he'll change his accent for a movie but when he's offscreen, it's Australian twang all the way!
I always forget Nicole Kidman is Australian. You can have Russell Crowe back, however.

AMERICANS:

1. Are fat and lazy - This is proven by the fact that you have " drive thru " everything: drive thru voting, drive thru pharmacies, drive thru banks. Seriously, you are too lazy to line up for anything if it means you'll have to stand up!
Wait, you don't have drive thru banks? You're missing out. Our banks have drive-thru ATMs with Braille on it. You know, in case a blind person is driving and needs cash fast. We will, however, stand in line for hours to see a celebrity. Even a minor one, like John Goodman or Cuba Gooding Jr.

2. Think we are the best at everything - You own Michael Phelps so you can lay claim to being the best at anything he's in, I'll give you that. But you guys think you're entirely awesome at any sport you try your hand at. Plus, when you get beaten and it's been proven that you are, in fact, not the best - well, you are sore, sore losers.
We are terrible losers. When the USA men's basketball team didn't win the gold in the 2004 Olympics, everyone freaked out like, "How is that possible." Some of us in the South are still upset about losing our Civil War.

3. Like to force democracy on unsuspecting nations - You mean like Vietnam ? Or Iraq ? You mean like that ?
Pick a country. I am surprised we aren't forcing something on you of some nature. We do like to force democracy a lot, even when a country doesn't ask for it. As if democracy is the only way to exist. You know what they had in the Bible? Kings. You know what God actually wanted? Nobody in charge but God. But democracy, evidentally, has become the chosen form of government, "in God we trust"-- unless it's in a classroom, and then God's gotta take a backseat. We've got no problem killing people in other countries so they can get their share of democracy, but we definitely will not force kids to listen to silent prayer. Let's not get crazy here.
Woah, i think we hit a nerve there Andy. Democracy, God, the education system - that's a whole other blog post right there.
I feel better now. And slightly un-American. Crap.

4. Think we are trendsetters in music and fashion - The Beatles? British. The Rolling Stones? British. Vivienne Westwood, one of the greatest innovators in modern fashion? British. Versace, Armani, Dolce and Gabbana? Italian. Nope, no Americans on that list at all. I mean, I'm not saying you guys have NOTHING - just, the world does not revolve around you.
It's sad, isn't it? We're so far behind, and yet are so ethnocentric in thinking we are tops in that stuff, even when it was all done in Europe first. We do have the Jonas Brothers, though. And jean jackets.
The Jonas brothers? Uh huh....
We have Britney Spears, too.
I have three letters for you Andy - O.M.G.....

5. Believe we should own the only nuclear weapons - You do, don't you ? Its kind of like a dad chastising his son for having Playboys under his bed: he's going to say " son, those are bad! ", then he's going to confiscate them, but then he's still going to watch porn on his computer.
Excellent point. Instead, dads and sons should watch porn together on the computer. It keeps families together. Also, we should all get rid of nuclear weapons. I don't see the point in having them if no one is allowed to use them. Either let's get this nuclear holocaust ripping and roaring now, or let's get rid of the toys.

So, there you be ladies and gents, the first half of the greatest, most awesom-est, most incredibly ace list of all time. For the second half of the list, do yourself a favour and shoot on over to Andy's page - the second half of the list, the stereotypes i compiled, should be posted in the next day or two.

Seriously, get on over there! If you like funny, intelligent, vibrant writing, Andy is your man!

I heart the weekend

Its raining, and its beautiful. It doesnt rain much where i live, the majority of my state has been in drought for 7 or more years, and so rain is always appreciated. Even though its a long weekend, and i wished for sunshine, I wont complain about the rain. Its still a beautiful day - the sky is pregnant with rain clouds but every so often the sun will poke through, and the air has that beautiful, freshg, earthy smell to it. There is nothing like a spring rainstorm.
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Yes, its Labour Day long weekend here in New South Wales, Australia. I have very little planned, which did make me a little sad, but I am now choosing to say I am up for anything spontaneous. If i had plans, i wouldnt be able to fly by the seat of my pants, would i ? I have my regular session at the gym this afternoon, and we are having a family BBQ later this evening ( prawn skewers, steaks, chicken kebabs, salads, potato bake..... yum! ), but that is as far as my plans extend. So, for example, if some guy who has been wooing me via Match.com decided he wanted to have a coffee or something tomorrow or holiday Monday, i would have no need to turn him down - would i ?
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I am currently watching a countdown of the Top 100 Rock song clips of all time. These countdowns always amuse me because i wonder who actually gets to vote. Is it the experts - the Rolling Stone journalists, the critics and the music programmers ? Or is it the punters, the Avergae Joes who buy the records and watch the clips ? Because i am pretty sure the so called experts would vote in a lot of stuff that we mere mortals probably dont really like all that much. Plus, these kind of lists are always somewhat controversial. I mean, just what exactly makes " Stairway to Heaven " by Led Zeppelin better than " Bohemian Rhapsody " by Queen ? And why was " Hotel California " by The Eagles completely missing from the top 20 of a similar countdown i watched last month ? What a travesty.
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So, Happy long weekend to everyone who is having one and for those who arent - too bad, so sad. Just kidding - enjoy whatever time you may have off !

The A-B-C of A-M-Y

Aah, another gloriously stolen post idea! Once you start reading, its kind of self-explanatory, so, go ahead, read on....



A. Attached or single ? Eternally single, but if you read this blog you already knew that.



B.Best friend ? P - i've written about her before. She's been my best friend since our last few years of high school, and i only wish we got to hang out more. Its not that easy, what with her newly married status, and the fact that we live almost five hours drive apart, but somehow we make it work.



C.Cake or pie ? Hmm, i'm going to go with pie on this one. I love me some chocolate mudcake but, if it came down to it, i might pick some decadent caramel, or apple, or blueberry type pie ahead of cake.



D. Day of choice ? Friday. I know I'm still at work on a Friday but its the promise of the weekend that makes Friday so good. Once you get to Saturday night, there is only one more day and your back to the daily grind - on a Friday you have the whole weekend ahead of you!



E. Essential item ? Tough question. I'm going to go with a pair of well fitted jeans. You could get away without moisturiser or shampoo or toothpaste - eating the right foods will keep you gorgeous and glowing - but a good pair of jeans ? No woman can go without an item of clothing that lifts her butt, slims her thighs and creates nice long legs. Not even debatable.



F. Favourite colour ? This one has changed over the years. I'm quite partial to red right about now...



G. Gummy bears or worms ? Gummy bears all the way. There was a time in my youth where no trip to the movies was complete without a packet of gummi bears. Worms are good, but gummi bears hold a place in my heart.



H. Hometown ? Dubbo, NSW, Australia. Also referred to as Dubs or DubVegas. We have a zoo. That is all.



I. ( favourite ) Indulgence ? Some kind of beauty treatment. I'm very girlie, but i'm kind of " no frills " girlie - that is, i dont have the money to spend on expensive treatments. But after a massage at a mud bath in Vietnam, and having had a one hour relaxation massage this past weekend, i'm thinking i'm going to have indulge in a full body massage a little more often...



J. January or July ? January, no doubt at all. First of all, its my birthday in January happy burfday to me! ) plus its summer, which beats the cold winter of July hands down. January all the way baby!



K.Kids ? None of my own yet ( they're coming eventually, be sure of it ), but i love kids. I mean, i spent a year volunteering to look after other peoples children, and thats no easy task, so you really have to love kids to do it. I spent this past Saturday night not at a pub, but with a snuffly, sick, 5 month old baby asleep on my lap after having walked him, and danced him, and rocked him around the house. It might kind of lame or desperate to say, but i liked it.



L.Life isnt complete without ? Family, friends, good jeans, cute heels, mascara, and hoop earrings. ....



M. Marriage date ? Seriously, who knows ? Sometimes i despair that its never going to happen. I'm 24 now - it'd be nice if i were married before i wer 28. When i was 18 i wanted to be married before i was 24, but that hasnt happened so who knows?



N. Number of brothers and sisters ? Two younger brothers and one younger sister. Like Paula , i always say i have two brothers, even though one of them died at a young age. Christmas Eve 1989 my youngest brother died of meningitis - he'd be 21 on his next birthday if he'd lived. It always makes me think, if he had lived, would my sister exist ? Best not ponder these things too hard...



O. Oranges or apples ? Mangoes.



P. Phobias ? Well aside from having suffered from acute social anxiety in the past ( so i guess i was kind of afraid of people... ) i dont really have any huge phobias. I dont like spiders, or snakes, or mice inside my house, but thats about it.



Q. Quotes? " It wont rain all the time " - Eric Draven, " The Crow " . Thats about all i have - there are probably hundreds of lines of movie dialogue or song lyrics that i love, i just dont have the ability to recall them off the top of my head. Except that one.

R. Reasons to smile? My neice referring to me as " beautiful girl "; finding the perfect pair of cute heels in my size; buying an album and loving every song on it; sunshine on a rainy day; listening to my mum rave on about something she doesnt quite understand, and then hearing her say something silly; reading a good blog post. You know, simple things amuse simple minds :)

S. Season of choice ? Spring. Once upon a time i would have said summer, but as i've got older and Australia has gotten hotter and drier, i've realised spring is where its at. Its got beautiful sunny warmth, the promise of growth and change, plus it means the end of winter. Yep, spring is my favourite.

T. Tag five people ?I'm going to tage five of you, but dont feel obligated to do this meme: Sheena, Laurie, Andy, Steph and Gene. Your up people!

U. Unknown fact about me ? Umm.... i find it a lot easier to fall asleep if i'm holding something. Seeing as i dont have a many, this means i am either holding my pillow or i'm curled up so tight i'm practically hugging my myself. Not exactly a world shattering secret, but there you have it.

V. Vegetable ? Pumpkin. Now, i commented on Laurie's blog that one of the weirdest things about living in the USA was that they only have pumpkin in season, and the rest of the time, its canned. Canned pumpkin. That shit is weird. I love me some good baked or roasted pumpkin with a traditional roast dinner, or pumpkin soup or pumpkin mash. Hell, i even like pumpkin pie and thats a big thing for a non-American.

W. Worst habit ? :Lately, since i've been growing my hair out ( so, for about the last year... ) i've developed this habit of running my hands through my hair and pulling out all the loose strands. I'm shedding hair like a dog man! Seriously, my mum mentioned the other day that she is beginning to tire of finding my hair on the lounge, or in the bathroom sink or on the kitchen floor. Sick.

X. X-ray or ultrasound ? X-ray. Ultrasounds are more uncomfortable. Like, if your having an abdominal ultrasound, you have to drink a litre of water before your appointment and then you have try your hardest not to pee while the operator runs the little camera-thingy over your overfull bladder. Who wants that ?

Y. Your favourite food ? I have no answer for this question - i just like food. I, from this moment on, refuse to choose a favourite food. I inevitably end up choosing chicken, when we all know i like chocolate just as much. Its just not fair to the other foods, okay ?

Z. Zodiac sign ? I'm Aquarian by birth and Aquarian by nature. Seriously, you make out a list of typical Aquarian traits and i exhibit probably 95% of them. And you, my friends, are living in the Age of Aquarius, so enjoy!

Amy's Hall of Attractions

So, i havent posted in the last few days because, somewhere along the way, my computer picked up some kind virus and i couldnt get proper access to my internet. Which sucked. It was like killing my lifeline to the blog world and, frankly, that makes me cranky.

Anyhoo, so i thought, seeing as i'm up and running again now, I'd post about something nice and lighthearted. So what topic did i choose ?Men. Or, more specifically, men that i find attractive for some reason and my friends, well, dont. You know, if you were to say to me " You know who's hot? Robbie Willliams ", i'd be all like " Eww, no! Robbie Williams is a giant sleaze bag! What could you possibly be attracted to there ? " So here is my top 5 list of men i find attractive and my friends, for some reason, go WTF ?



Hugh Laurie/ Gregory House: Seriously, I cannot be the only woman in the universe who finds Hugh Laurie inexplicably sexy since taking on the role of Gregory House. I mean i really shouldnt - House is gruff, rude, inconsiderate, sarcastic and permanently dishevelled. But you know what ? Sometimes dishevelled and cranky is hot. I dont know why - maybe i just have a warped sense of humour, maybe its because I know House is inwardly smirking on the inside everytime he insults someone, maybe its because his eyes are incredibly blue ( have you noticed that ? Like super blue! ), but there is just something about Hugh/House that i find quite yummy.

Dennis Quaid: Come on, someone else has got to feel me on this one. My friends and my sister question Mr Quaids attractiveness because he is older than my father but so what ? I'll tell you what Dennis Quaid has over a lot of male celebrities closer to my age : he has charisma and he's manly. I like a manly man - I like a bit of rough. Dennis Quaid is rugged, he sports stubble that you know it didnt take him a week to grow - he's a real man. And aint that what i need ?

Dave Grohl: God Amy no! Look at him - he's scraggly! He has a beard! He has crooked teeth! You know what ? I dont care - the dude rocks! Talent is extremely sexy, plus i'm a fan of facial hair. Maybe not ZZTop type facial hair, no Fu Manchu style moustaches, but it goes back to the manly thing. Men have hair - if i wanted something hairless, i'd find me a pretty girl and turn lesbian. But back to Mr Grohl. Mr Grohl is hot. He plays guitar, he plays drums and he writes awesome rock songs which seems to dominate my current Ipod playlist. Which all adds up to him being rather talented, dont you think ? And, like i said, talent is sexy. You know what else is sexy ? Being a committed family man. And as far as i can gather from various interviews i've seen with him, Dave Grohl loves his family. One more reason for me to love him really.

Jack Nicholson: Okay, so Jack Nicholson is old enough to be my grandafther so i can understand when my friends go " Jack Nicholson, seriously?!? ". Well yes, seriously. Look at him - look at that devilish glint in his eyes. If i was going to go for an extreme May-December relationship ( which, in reality, i wouldnt...), I'd go for Jack. He's the kind of go you know would make for great company- sure,he'd smoke which i dont really like, but he'd tell dirty jokes, and buy everyone a round of drinks and tell you how ravishing you look. Jack would be the Good Time Guy. Plus, yoiu know, back in his prime, he must have been good in bed. You can see it in his grin.

Vincent Perez: The only reason Vincent Perez lands on this WTF! list is because, well, none of my friends have ever heard of him. If you havent either, seriously, you're missing out. Vincent Perez, as you can see from the photo above, is divine. He's Swiss born, speaks French, Spanish and English and, well, he's beautiful. He works mainly in foreign films so if you've never seen him, i forgive. But now that you have, go watch " Cyrano De Bergerac " ( on my official Top 10 Films of all time list ... ) or " Queen Margot " and fall in love for yourself.

An Early Weekend By The Numbers

46 - number of candles on my mum's birthday cake on Friday night. Well, not really - thats too much weight for one cake to take! - but thats how old she was turning. Perhaps i should have made it " 46 - number of years old my mama is " ? Happy burfday anyways Mum!

6 - size of the cute new braided leather thongs i bought ( thats flip-flops for you Americans ). Yes, i have small feet.

1 - number of promises i broke. You remember that promise i made in my depressive rant ? No eating bad stuff/no spending money/no forgoing the gym ? Broken.

110 - approximate numbers of dollars spent on myself whilst breaking that promise. I figured seeing as i got my tax cheque back and my bond from the rental house i've moved out of i could afford to undulge a little.

4 - number of dvds bought in that little indulgence. I got " The Day After Tomorrow ", " Dreamgirls ", " Lords of Dogtown " and " Dogma". Seriously, i know Kevin Smith has made a few mis-steps the past few years ( hello " Jersey Girl " .... ) but " Dogma " is some seriously funny shit.

7 - approximate number of hours spent watching video music channels on tv over the course of the weekend. Since my parents have gotten " pay TV " installed, i think we've all become slightly addicted to the music channels. Including the country music channel - yes, you read that right, i like country music. Garth ? Reba ? Tim McGraw? Awesome. Variety is the spice of life people.

3 - number of video clips my mum cried over. Seriously, i get teary in romantic movies or real-life dramas ( say, like " The Notebook " or " Hotel Rwanda " ), and I'll admit to crying almost everytime i see the film clip for " Hurt " by Johnny Cash but my mum ? She tears up over those toilet paper adds that feature little boys and puppy dogs.

0 - number of dates i was asked on. Isnt that suprising....

First impressions

So, as kind of, sort of, alluded to into the last post I've come up with a list of " firsts " to complete the " lasts " from the last entry. It was inevitable really, wasnt it? I've found the answers to the firsts to be a little more telling, more embarrassing than the lasts - so many firsts happen when you're a kid, and who has impeccable taste and judgement when they're in the 1st grade? Certainly not me, although i probably thought so at the time. And so:



First movie I ever loved enough to watch over and over:

" Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, Tomorrow! You're only a day awaaaaaaaaaaay! ". Yep, for me, it was " Annie ". God, how i loved that movie. In fact, i still have an old VHS with the film taped off the tv and its still watchable. Anyhoo, there was just something about a all-singing, all-dancing, all-grinning, all-wisecracking red-headed orphan that I just fell in love with. Hell, i wanted to chuck in my parents and move to the girls home with Miss Hannigan, just so i could hang out with Annie and sing while i scrubbed floors. I think at one point in my young life, i probably knew every word to every song in that movie. " Its a hard knock life for us, its a hard knock life - for us..... "



First pet I owned:
His name was Gus, and he was a beagle. I named him after a snail from an Australian childrens TV show ( you remember, Gus, from Mr Squiggle, for all the Aussie readers... ) and he was cute and iloved him. At least thats how i remember it, seeing as i was around 3 or 4 a the time. I also remember going out shopping with my mum one day and when we got back, Gus was gone. I, naturally, was devastated. My memory, however doesnt exactly ring true ? 15 years later my dad finally revelas to me that with another baby on the way my parents decided not to keep Gus and they sold him. Whoever they sold him to came to get him while i was out so that way it wouldnt like they were the bad guys. Bad guys! My parents are the WORST guys! Who gives away a little girls dog and then lies about it - for 15 years ? Those jerks.

First day of school:
I'm not sure on the date, but i started kindergarten in January of 1989 at North Dubbo Primary School. I could possibly have been wearing pigtails ( aww.... Little Amy is so cute! ) We had a Year 6 student as our " buddy " and my buddie's name was Melanie. Thats about all i remember clearly - just being at an assembly with the bigger kids first thing in the morning. Apparently, according to an old teacher of mine, i was a precocious young child. Me? Precocious? Who woulda thunk that ?

First album i bought:
Alright, everybody get ready to cringe - the first album i ever bought with my own money was " Walthamstow " by East 17. Yep, East 17. For anybody who doesnt know or doesnt remember, East 17 were a British boy band who made techno/house-y kind of pop. If you listen to it now, its incredibly lame but, in my defence, i was 8 years old when i bought it and East 17 were the cutest thing around at that time. They were house hats! And massive baggy pants! And they had a cool dog! Seriously, they had to have rocked - right ?

First kiss:
Ooh la la - kissy, kissy, kissy! I had my first kiss when i was in Year 4 and it was a boy named Kenny. Kenny was cool, we held hands at lunch time and walked home from schoo together and it was decided that we should probably kiss. I believe this decision was made more by general playground consensus than by us. As far as kisses go, it was quick smooch, a close-mouthed peck as you would expect for a pair of 9 year olds. Ah, young love. So romantic, kissing behind the school toilets with about 10 other kids watching...

First crush:
Not counting Kissing Kenny up there, my schoolgirl crush was on a boy named Brad when i was in Year 6. Brad was like totally the hottest boy in school, and for a while there he liked me too. However, after asking me to the Year 6 Farewell ( kind of like a prom in the sixth grade ), which i said " yes! " to, a week or two later he decided that i was flirting with other people ( when i was 11 ?Come on! ) and went with my friend Lisa. No biggie - I went with Kissing Kenny.
As far as my first adult crush goes, it was while i was in living New Jersey. Roberto was a Chilean guy who worked at the local deli ( Towne Deli in Summit, NJ - go there for the chicken salad on a Portuguese roll ). He was a bigger guy, slightly chubby i guess, with a long dark ponytail. He was really charming and always chatted with me when i came into get a sandwich. I think he just came off as an all round sweet natured guy, which is why i liked him. He mock-invited me to a picnic once, for the benefit of amusing my three year old charge - funny thing was, i totally wanted to go....

First job:
I was what is colloquially known as a " checkout chick ". When i turned 14 i went and got an after school job at the local Woolworths working as a cashier. It was incredibly boring and i didnt really make friends with anyone i worked with, but it gave me a little extra pocket money to buy cds and clothes and McDonalds with. As first jobs go, it wasnt so bad really.

First car:
This wont mean anything to any of you who live outside of Australia but my first car was a Mazda 121. Alot of people called them " the jelly bean car " because of its general design - just like me, nice and curvy! - but i still think it was cool. Of course, it was red ( because as we all know, red goes faster ) and aside from one of the back door locks getting stuck all the time, the Mazda totally rocked! I sold it before i went to the USA for a year and, oddly enough, i still see it driving around town. Some blonde girl who lives a few streets over from my brother owns it. Kind of makes me sad really. But hey, i have a little red Holden Barina now, so i'm not doing too badly...


So there we go - the " firsts " and " lasts " of one Miss Amy Wells. Its actually been kind of fun reminiscing on all this stuff - taking a walk down memory lane and all that. Hope you peoples enjoyed it as much as i have. If you didnt, well, sorry much to you. Not much i can do about it now, is there ?

At last....

Firstly, my apologies to everyone for my depressive rant in the last post. For anyone who doesnt know - and who hasnt figured it out yet - I actually do have depression ( its not just a little joke when i mention it... ) for which i take medication. However, sometimes the black dog rears its ugly head and i have a really bad depressive episode. This past weekend could be counted as said episode, and i barely feel in control during these moments, so ordinairly i would think twice about posting such a rant. So apologies for dumping it all on here, but many thanks to those of you who left kind and supportive comments. I could totally feel your bloggy-love...And now onto something way less intense. You know i love a good list, and you also know i love a good meme - so i'm creating both in one! Someone asked me yesterday what the last movie i saw was, which got me thinking about " lasts ". Last movie, last book, last purchase - all that good stuff. So i thought maybe i should make a record of some cool " lasts " thus sharing some more of myself with the rest of you. Brilliant idea you say? Yes, i know, its what i do. So:

Last three albums I bought:
" Pretty Odd " - Panic at the Disco
" The Odd Couple " - Gnarls Barkley
" Oracular Spectacular " - MGMT

Last three films I've watched:
" Hellboy 2: The Golden Army "- directed by Guillermo Del Toro
" Transformers " - directed by Michael Bay
" Baby Mama " - directed by Michael McCullers

Last three books I've read:
" On Chesil Beach" - Ian McEwan
" Long Way Down " - Nick Hornby
" Soul" - Tobsha Learner

Last day of high school :
I dont remember the exact date but it was some time during September of 2001. What i do remember is that i could not wait to get the hell out of there. We had a graduation ceremony - no hats, no robes, just full school uniform and the presentation of graduation certificates, and speeches by our school captains, school principal and year advisor. Kind of a snoozefest really. Even though i knew there was going to be a morning tea held afterward for the graduating students and their parents ( if they indeed attended ), as soon as that assembly was over I left. I could not stand to be in that institution one second longer than i technically had to be. Not that i hated school - I loved getting to hang out with my friends, and i didnt even mind the classes so much - i just didnt like the whole concept, the institution of " school " as it were, not by the end of it.

Last good home-cooked meal:
It was poached salmon with a yoghurt dill sauce on a bed of potatoes and cherry tomatoes, cooked by my father last Tuesday night. One word - delicious! And i know you're thinking that sounds pretty damned fancy for a home cooked meal but, frankly, my dad is quite the culinary whiz. He's not a trained chef or anything but he's just one of these people who can take a recipe, pull together the ingredients, and the meal will turn out exactly the way it looks in the cookbook. Almost always tastes pretty good too. I'll say this, my dad is a much better cook than my mum - i love her, bless her cotton socks, but she aint much of a cook unless its something fairly simple.

Last birthday you helped celebrate:
My dad's 47th, on April 25th. Seeing as my dad isnt real big on my making a fuss over himself, his birthdays are usually simple affairs. Put it this way - he says if any of us try and organise a suprise party for his 50th in a few years time he'll walk in, let us all yell " Suprise!!! " and then promptly take himself off to bed. And yes, he would totally do that, I have no doubt. Thats just the way he is ( and part of the reason i love him ). Anyhoo, so we just had the immediate family around for dinner, which my dad cooked ( yes, so very sad i know.... ) . I cant remember what he made for dinner but I was responsible for dessert -apricot cheesecake with macadamia crust. Don't salivate too hard . It might sound fancy but its pretty simple if you're the dessert Queen that i am. Any celebration or special occasion we have, i get called upon to make the sweets because, hey, its just what i do. Fathers Day this year ? My own cherry ripe concotion - chocolate mousse with blackcherries and coconut.

Last good vacation I went on:
Southeast Asia , last November. I spent three weeks tripping through Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand - completely awesome! If you search your way back through some of my old posts you can probably read a little of my adventures, but suffice to say I had some great fun touring around with 13 other people, all like minded, almost all fantastic ( i say almost all because we were saddled with two late 50-ish Brits who did nothing but complain). I got to experience some awesome culture , see some gorgeous sights, and eat some fantastic food! Seriously, you want some good, healthy, flavoursome food, hit up South East Asia. There is no better place to get Thai mussaman curry than in Thailand. Oh, and lookee here - thats me at Angkor Wat in Cambodia!!



Last " big " purchase:
So, for me, anything over about $200 is a big purchase. So, that being said, my last purchase over above this is my cute little HP Mini notebook. I've had it for a couple of months now and its serving me very well. Its nice and light and little ( just like i'd like to be... ), although the battery power doesnt last quite as long as i'd like. But no matter, its much better than my frightfully old school desktop that i was using ( and by old school, i mean its probably about 5 years old... ).

Last gift I bought:
My sisters birthday present. I was going to tell you what it is, but it has just occurred to me that she could possibly read this entry and find out. I'm about 99% sure she doesnt read my blog - firstly because she's always giving me crap about being on the computer so much, and secondly because she doesnt read, well, anything really - but even still, i hate for her to stumble upon it in the address bar drop down box and ruin the suprise. I will say that because its her 18th birthday its a special present. 18 is the legal drinking age here in Australia, so you're 18th is like a " coming of age " birthday. We're all going out for dinner and then my best friend and I are taking her to a few of the local pubs for the first time. I cannot wait to get her screaming drunk and hang over the next morning.... its going to be so sweet!

Last time I was lost for words:
I only have three words to answer this one - The Mary Incident.

And thats all, ladies and gents. I'm not going to tag anybody to do this meme ( although if I did, I'd tag Andy, Steph, Paula and Sheena :) ), so if you want to steal my idea and make your own" lasts " post then please feel free. I hope this has been much more enjoyable than my last entry - perhaps look forward to a " firsts " post in the future!

My Weekend by the Numbers

So I totally stole this idea from Miss Em, right down to the idea of having a picture of numbers ( but not the same picture - that would be a little too Single White Female.... ). Feel free to steal it from me if you like ( but not my picture, I have dibs on that one ). Here goes:

30 - dollars spent on my almost-three year old neice when I took her shopping with me.

5 - dollars wasted when she only ate the icing off her donut and decided that her milkshake was too cold.

4 - goals scored when my brothers soccer team won their semi-final. That would be 4 - nil - bring on the final next week!

30 - millimetres of rain that fell on DubVegas over the weekend.

12 - how many of the soccer boys i predict will be getting pnuemonia after training and playing in all that rain.

55 - minutes spent practising yoga on Saturday afternoon.

1 - apology from my yoga teacher for subjecting me to one too many " roll ups/ roll downs " during my classes this week. No worries, my stomach is looking all the better for it!

800 - approximate amount of calories I consumed when eatingmy Dads homemade lasagne. But its Dads lasagne and its so delicious and cheesy and.....

0 - number of naps I took. Yes, i missed out on my weekend naps. What a travesty....

1 - book that i finally got around to finishing: " On Chesil Beach ", by Ian McEwan.


A little disappointing after " Atonement " but certainly not the worst thing I've ever read. It actually took me a little while to get into it, so i think that may have been half the trouble. Plus, and this might just be me, but one of characters is just really unlikeable, no matter how much the author tries to explain her perspective. Its hard to like something when you dont particularly like one of the protagonists....

Songs for all occasions: Part # 2

So, now to part 2 of my " Songs For All Occasions " series: wedding songs. I know that pondering funeral songs may be morbid, and that some of you may see thinking about songs that you would play at your ( as of yet non-existent ) wedding as slightly desperate..... but dont try and tell me you've never once thought of it, even in jest. You know you have!
And now, here for your viewing and listening pleasure, are five songs that i would consider having played at my nuptials:

1. " Seeing Angels " - John Butler Trio
2. " Just Because " - Nikka Costa
3. " Desire " - Ryan Adams
4. " With Or Without You " - U2
5. " Just Say Yes " - Ben Lee

Admittedly, there are more songs that, when i hear them, i think " Aww, wouldnt that make a beautiful wedding song ? " But these are the five that i would go for right now. Numbers 1 and 2 are in that order for a reason - heart melting lyrics. Observe:

From " Seeing Angels " by the John Butler Trio we have :

Take me for what you see

For I'm transparent in the light of you.

And look inside,

See that fire burning bright

The same one you rekindled inside me

My mouth was dry

Only you quenched my thirst

Or From " Just Because " by Nikka Costa :

I take you in and

I hold my breath

Try to save the time that's passing by

And if you came to say goodbye

A thousand summers would never dry

Every tear that touched my face

And they don't laugh the way you do

And they don't smile the way you do

And their eyes don't shine the way yours do

I love

I love

I love you just because

See now - hasn't your heart just melted into a giant puddle on the floor?

Tag, I'm it!

So, i was tagged in a meme by Paula and, seeing as i have a very little else i'd like to blog about, i decided to take part. Read on:

Eight Things I Am Passionate About

1. Movies - yep i'm a huge film buff. I will also admit to being a film snob at times but that generally means i dont watse time watching Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence movies. The good films though are a form of escapism to me. I like to watch, ponder on and then disect films. I try to keep a current list of top 10 favourites and could list for you my favourite director, actor and actress. I wont though.
2. Fitness - these has become a passion just of late. I used to be " heavier " during high school, and even though i was relatively good at sport i wasnt all that much into it. Fell in love with going to the gym during my spare time in the USA and have just in the last three or four months gotten back into it. I try to go at least four times a week, five if i have the chance. I'm almost back to gym junkie status!
3. Blood donation - okay, i know this one sounds a little odd, but bare with me. I've blogged about it a few times before but i think donating blood is the easiest way to contribute to your community. I donate every 12 weeks on the dot and have also started donating plasma, and get a real high from knowing i'm helping to keep people alive. Unless you have some kind of illness or condition that prevents you from donating, you have no excuse not to...
4. Dressing for your body shape - just call me Trinny. Or Susannah if you prefer. I love clothes - its such a girly obsession - but rather than being all fashionista, i much more passionate about wearing what suits you best. I dont care whats in the pages of Vogue or Vanity Fair, i just want every woman on earth to dress to flatter herself, regardless of weather she is wearing last seasons jeans.
5.Relationships - be it friends, family, or lovers, i find it very hard to trust people. Thats why when i DO find people that i can trust, that i'm comfortable with, that i really like, i invest almost all of myself into that relationship. I'm extremely loyal, but if that loyalty or trust is questioned or broken, its very hard for me to trust again. This could be a bad thing, but mostly it works in my favour. It means the people in my life are the ones i love the most, and anybody else is dragging me down. Nobody needs a toxic friend!
6. Yoga - this kind of falls into the " fitness " category, but yoga is on a whole other level for me. I cant imagine my life without it in some capacity, and i am currently saving money so that i can train as a yoga instructor.
7.Travel - if only i had the money to do it more! My short term life goal is to visit at least one country on every continent before i turn 30. I'm half way there, but there is so much more i want to see, and experience, and learn. Anyone want to let me crash on their couch?
8. Music - this is probably on everyone's list, but like a good movie music is an escape for me. I'm still undecided as to whether i'm more of a melody or a lyrics person, but a brilliant combination of both will get me everytime.

Eight Things I Want To Do Before I Die

1. Learn how to make authentic bolognaise sauce - in Italy
2. Have children - dont care how many, but three would be nice
3. Grow my half way down my back, like i had when i was a child
4. Learn another language and at least be semi-fluent
5. Bought a house, but made it a home
6. Raised a dog from puppy to old age
7. Seen every Cirque Du Soleil production
8.Owned at least one piece of expensive designer clothing - there's the vanity coming out

Eight Things I Say Often

1. Bro - imagine it in a Kiwi accent ( i'm not Kiwi, its just how i say it ) as in " see ya later, bro "
2. Good Lord Claude! - picked this one up off my boss. Used most often when i'm exasperated with customers, management or computers.
3. Cack you later - shorten Aussie slang for " catch you later ".
4. What a mole! - thats my favourite light-hearted insult at the moment. Also quite often shortened to just " mole ", as in : " Did you hear what that guy just said? Mole! "
5. Jerk! - see entry above for mole, because its pretty much the same thing.
6. Freakin' boo-Jesus - variably either a term of frusturation or suprise. You jump out of a closet, you get a " Freakin' boo-Jesus, you scared the shit out of me! ". My computer freezes up, you get " Freakin' boo-Jesus, stupid computer! "
7. What a crock - of shit, that is.
8. Fella - used in many contexts, but its my favourite word instead of boy/man.

Eight Books I've Read Recently

1. Long Way Down - Nick Hornby
2. Soul- Tobsha Learner
3. The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
4. The Motorcyle Diaries - Che Guevara
5. Atonement - Ian McEwan
6. White Oleander - Janet Fitch
7. The Life of Pi - Yann Martel
8. I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb

Eight Movies I've Seen Eight Times

1. The Princess Bride
2. The Crow
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Rent
5. Empire Records
6. V for Vendetta
7. The Breakfast Club
8. The Lion King

Eight People Who Should Do This Meme

( crud, can i even think of eight ? )

1. Sheena
2. SonnyVsDan
3. Lord Snuffy
4. Miss Em
5. Coffecup
6. Ruby

..... thats all i got. Feel free to not to do it, but just imagine me giving you a disappointed, puppy-dog eyed, face....

Everybody's working for the weekend

Damn straight they are. Seriously, i pretty much start counting down to the next weekend of as Monday, 9am. Not that i ever do much incredibly exciting on my regular weekends, but even the promise of a Saturday morning sleep in and Sunday afternoon nap is enough to keep me going throughout the week. And guess what? Its Friday night, the official beginning of the weekend! Want to see what i'll be getting up to this weekend? Here's a list of five things i will definately be doing:

1. Shopping for underwear - yes, thats right, i will be buying new bras and knickers tomorrow morning. Don't get too excited, i'm not exactly talking Victorias Secret lingerie ( lets face it, i have no-one to wear it for anyway ... ) but more cute, comfy, girlie underwear, the kind we girls secretly slink around in on our days off when there are no boys around. Every morning during winter, after having a shower and smoothing on the mandatory moisturiser, i love to slip into my underwear, pull on a pair of knee high ugg boots, and turn the radio up so i can dance around in the bathroom while i brush my teeth. Dont look at me like that - its a girl thing.

2. Visting my neice - and, by proxy, also either my brother, my sister-in-law, or both. I cannot get enough of my neice, she's one of the shining lights in my life right now. She's two and half and, i dont mean to be the proud Aunty and boast here, but she's verbally advanced for her age. Its really great to have a conversation with her, because everything is so random and innocent and it doesnt matter if it doesnt make sense. For example:
Neice : " Amy, whats your number ? "
Me: " I'm 24. How old are you ? "
Neice : " I'm 3. "
Me: " No you're not, you're only two and half "
Neice: " Two and a half ? "
Me : " Yep, two and half "
Neice : " Georgie-a-girl is 3, i bought her a ballerina "
Me: " Did she have a birthday party ? "
Neice: " Yep and we had lollies and cake. I like cake. Do you like cake ? "
.....see, from their it went on to delve into chocolate is nicer than strawberry, rain comes from the clouds and Georgie-a-girl is not the same as Georgie-a-boy. Why ? Because one is her friend from her babysitters house and the other one is in her day care class ( see, not because one's a boy and one's a girl.... thats not important ).

3. Spending two hours at the gym - yes, two hours at the gym on a Saturday afternoon. Dont call me crazy - i know you're thinking it - its just something i do. I like it. I do an hour of cardio and then an hour of yoga. I'm working my way into liking the cardio ( i've just recently decided i actually like the rowing machine ) and it benefits my yoga ( which we already know that i love ) because i'm already warmed up. Being really warmed up helps you to be extra stretchable. If i can get me some extra stretch in there, if i can improve my postures even a centimetre, i'm a happy girl. And yes, i'm kind of in love with yoga. Truth is, i keep harping on about it because i'm trying to convert you all....

4. Travelling to Wellington to watch my brother play soccer - its not exactly an exciting roadtrip or anything. For starters, Wellington is a small town only half an hour away, and secondly, i'm going with my parents in their car. But its getting out isnt it? And it isnt sitting around DubVegas is it? Sure, it might be cold enough that i could potentially freeze my arse off, but for the sake of " doing " and " participating " it will be well worth it. Plus, i'll be there supporting my brother and he's mature enough now that he shows his appreciation for things like that. That always makes me feel good...

5. Going grocery shopping - ooh, excitement plus! Amy does groceries! Seriously, i know its a completely mundane activity, but its something i will definately be doing , so it deserves to make the list. I mean, if i didnt do it, my sister and I would run out of food and that cant be good. You know what else isnt good? Trolley rage. I'm a big sufferer of road rage and thankfully i dont suffer fully from trolley rage yet. Maybe if i shopped on a Saturday lunchtime - when every single other person in the goddamned town seems to be there - it would be a different story. But, being the smart cookie that i am, i shop on a Sunday lunchtime when its calmer and quieter and i dont have to wait so long for a checkout. Clever me.

Amy is....

1. Uploading songs to her ITunes. She's making a mixed cd for her sister to use for her beauty therapy room.

2. Tired. Very tired. And wearing stripey pyjamas.

3. Kind of bored - why do you think she's making a list ?

4. In love with yoga again. Yay!

5. Wishing she hadnt have eaten those last few pieces of chocolate. Seriously, she feels nauseous.

6. Feeling good about giving blood tonight. And for signing up to donate plasma aswell.

7.Working on her own in the dispensary all week. Not so bad, her colleague does deserve some time off, after all.

8. Listening to Evan Rachel Wood sing The Beatles " Blackbird ". Its sweet.

9.Almost ready for bed - did she mention she was tired?

10.Going to remember to call the lady about her fathers birthday present. Its his birthday this Friday, so she should probably get a move on.

11.Is over the list. But she wanted to finish it on an odd number, just to be different. Peace out yo....

I have far too much time on my hands...

Alright, I know Miss Gates did not officially tag anyone for this post but, simply because i have nothing overly exciting going on in my life right now, i present to you a list of 50 random things ( vaguely ) about me:

1. I'm an eldest child. According to birth order theory i should be: responsible, hard-working and possibly headstrong. Yep, yep and , um, yep.
2.I used to hate my name. There was always more than one Amy, everywhere i went. I wanted something less common like, for example, Esperanza.
3. I dont like spiders. Spiders are gross.
4. So are snakes for that matter. Snakes are gross too.
5. What else am i afraid of? I'm terrifed of dying alone.Sometimes i think it's a possibility.
6.I drive a red Holden Barina. It would be cute but for the scrape markes up the side...
7. My fish are named after The Beatles.
8. Unlike real life, both John Lennon AND Paul McCartney are deceased.
9. The first pet i can remember having was a beagle named Gus. I'd named him after a snail on a childrens televison show.
10. My current mobile ringtone is " Famous Last Words " by My Chemical Romance.
11. When i was a young girl, i alternately wanted to be either an author or a paediatrician.
12. Now ? I would love to be a personal stylist, or a personal shopper. I take clothes and dressing far more seriously than most people i know.
13. That being said, i would make an excellent taxi driver. I know most of the streets in my town, i dont mind staying out late and i dont listen to talkback radio...
14. My favourite actor of all time is Johnny Depp. I wrote him a fan letter when i was 6 years old. I am now 24. He hasnt written back yet.
15. Dearest Johnny is followed closely by Marlon Brando. Forget the overweight, badly accented mafia don from " The Godfather ", there has never been anyone sexier than Marlon in " A Streetcar Named Desire ". EVER.
16.I like children. Not all of them ( some of them are brats ) but children in general make me smile.
17. I am totally enamoured of my 2 year old neice. She's adorable.
18. I play social lawn bowls on a Wednesday afternoon. No shoes, you can take your alcohol on the green, you can laugh at your team mates and, best of all, nobody really cares if you suck.
19. However, i wish i was back playing netball. Unfortunately, i am too fat and unfit right now to be doing that.
20.Bizarrely though, i have been repeatedly asked to play womens rugby union. No thank you, i like my face unsquashed.
21. I have four tattoos and one belly peircing. Leaving the peircing out of it, the tatts all mean something personal to me.
22. I have met zero celebrities, unless you count football players.
23. Nelly Furtado did wave to me once though.
24.Even though my younger sister is tall and thin, i still call her Fat Guts.
25. Thats okay though - my dad likes to call me Duck Arse. Or Stumpy, which my 2 year old neice has picked up on. Thanks Dad.
26. My youngest brother is buried in a cemetery 200m from where i live. Sometimes i get the urge to just go and sit next to his grave, but i dont want to be the weird girl hanging out in the graveyard.
27. The last movie i saw in the cinema was " Sweeney Todd ".
28. Based ont that film, and all his other works, i believe Tim Burton is a true creative genius.
29. I dont particularly like snow.
30. Sometimes, i miss New York City.
31. Sometimes, i miss my American boys. Henry, the youngest will be 7 this year and was 3 when i met him. Awww.....
32. If you checked out a picture of my dad in the 70's as a shaggy headed teenager and compared it to a photo of me, we could pass as twins. Okay, we could pass for brother and sister at least.
33. I am of the opinion that " So You Think You Can Dance ? " is entirely awesome.
34. I collect statues of Buddha. I even have a " Mumma Buddha ". I'm not a Buddhist, they just calm me.
35. I have a plant named Bertram. Yes, he has a name.
36. My favourite movie when i was a child was " Annie ".
37. I'm a published poet - if you count being published in books produced by Readers Digest anyway. I dont have my own tome or anything...
38. My best friend is a police officer. As is her soon to be husband, and also my uncle. I'm surrounded by law enforcement.
39. I still have a Barbie coffee cup that i got in a showbag when i was 4 years old. I still dont drink coffee though.
40. I have extremely good friends online, a choice few that i would count amongst my best friends. I miss people i've never met. Hello soldier...
41. I used to hate my nose. I thought it was gigantically huge. I think my face grew into it.
42.I love green cordial. It was one of my favourites drinks when i was little and even still nothing beats chilled green cordial on a hot summers day.
43. I wish i knew another language. Spanish would be my language of choice. Spanish is muy sexy.
44.I also wish i knew guitar but i think my hands are too small.
45. My favourite icecream flavour is now macadamia from a icecream parlour called Missy Moo's.
46. I am two weeks away from being head bridesmaid at my best friends wedding. Its a big responsibility. Frankly, i'm kind of nervous.
47. At this precise point in time my wisdom teeth are killing me. I wish the bastards would hurry up and grow in so i could have them taken out.
48. I have lost approximately 18 kilograms since i left high school.
49.I am going to see " Billy Elliot : The Musical " in three weeks time. Woo hoo - musicals rock!
50. I have finished this list. Freaking hallelujah!

Tag, you're it!

And so, i've been tagged. Thanks Ruby! As i understand it, i am supposed to tell you all seven random and/or unknown things about myself, and then tag seven other bloggers. However, seeing as i dont know seven other bloggers who havent already been tagged, i'll just complete the first half of the challenge. Here goes:

1. My favourite pair of shoes that i own are red, mock-croc skin stilettos. I bough them at Marshall's in Watchung, New Jersey. Whenever i wear them, i instantly feel sexier.

2. I was the dux of my primary school. For any of you who do not use the term " dux " it means roughly the same as valedictorian - basically, i had the highest test scores overall of my gradutaing primary school class. Yep, i was once a smart little cookie. My name is engraved on a plaque which still hangs in the administration office of my primary school.

3. My favourite film of all time is " The Crow ", starring Brandon Lee. I have a talking doll ( or action figure, if you prefer ) of the main character, Eric Draven, and its only once ever been taken out of the box. IT doesnt talk anymore, but it shares pride of place ontop of my bookcase next to my stuffed Jack Skellington from " The Nightmare Before Christmas ".

4. My short term life goal is to have visited at least one country on every continent before i turn 30. Not including Antarctica - i dont like the cold and i can see penguins on " Happy Feet ". I'm already half way to achieving my goal - i live in Australia, haved lived and worked in the USA, and have visited countires in both South America and Asia. Look out Africa and Europe - i'm headed your way in the next 6 years!

5. I only have six points of a possible 12 points left on my drivers licence. This shits me. I dont think i'm that bad of a driver, but you know, you get caught doing the wrong things ( not blatantly mind you ) and you get punished for it. Run a red light ( i was actually trying to beat the yellow - apparently i didnt quite make it ) and it will cost you $305 and 3 points; get caught doing 70km/h in a 50km/h zone ( quite by accident - i was 100m from where the speed zone changed to 80km/h and i guess i just geared up too early ) and it will cost you $79 and 3 points. Two more indescretions and i am a cooked goose - without a licence.

6. I cannot stand the smell of butter, or milk if i were forced to drink it. If you held a spoonful of butter, or a glass full of milk under my nose and made me inhale, i would gag and quite possiblt throw up. I dont eat either of those things unless they're mixed into something else.

7.I am listed in my sixth grade yearbook as wanting to be a paediatrican. What a noble idea. I guess it was nice in theory as an 11yr old but now? I still love kids, wouldnt mind helping people, but being sick is gross and i couldnt handle the blood and guts and icky stuff. As a kindergartener i wanted to be an author - i held onto that for a while. My school even had my write a story when i was 8yrs old which they bound and put in the school library. Now ? I have no idea what i want to be, even though i've just earned an optical dispensing qualification. I think i might like to try massage therapy, or be a personal shopper, or a buyer for a fashion chain, but who knows....my headspace could use some working on.

And there you are.... there are no tags for other people, no links to other blogs. Like i said, i'm not able to fulfill that part of the challenge so enjoy what you got people!

A Monday kind of Thursday

I had one of those days today. Nothing much at all went wrong, just it was an odd kind of day. I had very little to actually do at work ( apparently my colleague and i are just too damn efficient ), yet the day seemed to fly by; my mind wandered off on really random tangents but i alway smanaged to think my way back around to what i was supposed to be doing; it was grey, overcast and relatively cold for this time of year, but i didnt seem to mind, as long as it managed to rain. So, in honour of my odd day, here are just a handful of random, stupid things that you probably dont care to read:

1. Tonight is the first night that i have not successfully completed the task on my " To Do " list. This, however, is excusable. Tonights task was to clean the spiderwebs off the outside of my house - i'm hardly going to do that in the rain now, am i ?

2. Looooooving the Australian Open at the moment. Am taping away while i listen to Baghdatis vs Safin, knowing that i'll have to get to bed soon and wont get to see the end of the match. Did however watch all of Roddicks match last night and will watch any Nadal match i am home for. Mmmm, Rafael Nadal....

3. My head is buzzing with plans for my best friends hen's night. I have a resturant to book, theme to decide upon and then invites to get out. Plus there are games to think of that are appropriate in a retsurant setting, decorations, party favours, and a list of challenges to complete at the local pubs. So much pressure on my poor bridesmaids head!

4. Very excited about getting a gym membership for my birthday. I'm havign visions of dropping weight, adding toned muscle, and becoming a professional tennis player. Mmmm, Rafael Nadal....

5. I broke the aerial on my car yesterday. I parked in the under cover parking at the shopping centre where i work and, unbeknownst to me, my aerial got caught in a grate covering a light on the ceiling. When i started backing out i hear this weird grating noise and then snap! Broke about 4cm off the top! What a fucker... but at least i still get radio reception.

6. I've come to realise that i really hate those erectile disfunction adds they play all bloody day long on the radio. You know, the ones about getting your sausage to sizzle this summer, being longer and stronger with some women moaning liking she's having the greatest orgasm of her life ? I know i dont have a penis, but you cant help but hear the ads and start thinking about sex. And the last place you want to be thinking about sex is at work, with only two other women and two incredibly dorky, unattractive men for company, knowing you are not getting any, from anyone, anywhere, any time soon. Mmmm, Rafael Nadal....

7. Ben Lee's album , " Ripe ", completely rocks. Check out his duet with Mandy Moore plus the song " Just Say Yes ". Perfect intelligent, melodic, singer-songwriter pop.

And thats it. Like i said, it was an odd kind of day. Embrace it with me....