Maxabella Interviews Me!

Ok, not quite - no, Ms Maxabella from MaxabellaLoves actually interviewed herself today, but she encouraged us to play along and interview ourselves too. And me being the meme whore that i am decided to give it a shot!

My earliest memory is... catching the XPT from Dubbo to Sydney with my dad. Actually, i'm not sure if its a memory of the event or i'm remembering the stories my Dad tells about the trip. I was 3 yrs old and apparently the water fountain on the train kept me amused for hours...

Image from here

My school report usually said... " Amy is a very diligent student, and a pleasure to teach ". Ha! ( Nevermind that sometimes it was followed by " She can, however, be a little too opinionated at times... ")

My first relationship... was in primary school with a boy named Kenny. We kissed behind the girls toilets, sat next to each other in the playground, and held hands when we walked home from school. I think it lasted about two weeks. Brief, yet very intense...

I don't like talking about... whats bothering me, deep down. Oh yea, sure, i'm fine to blab about it to the world on my blog, but when it comes to revealing deep dark secrets to my loved ones, i go mute.

My most treasured possession is... my engagement ring. I had to have it re-sized a few weeks ago ( yay for losing weight! ) and i felt a little naked without it. Ask me again in 4 months and my answer will probably be my wedding ring..

My father always told me... " stop picking on your brother/sister! " Yep - i was a bit of a shit-stirrer as a kid, and my brother and sister were easy to rile up ( can you tell i'm the oldest ? ) Other than that, i think my father impressed on me that every choice we make has a consequence, and we need to own that choice, whether we're happy with the result or not.

There's me, being gorgeous... no, wait. Thats Anne Hathaway...

In the movie of my life, I'd be played by... somebody goooooooorgeous dahling. Like me, you know? I'm going to go with Anne Hathaway, even though she is taller, thinner and more beautiful than i'll ever be.

I wish I had... enough money, or enough equity, to build a home for my family. A place we can make our own and raise children. With an amazing kitchen and a big backyard. And a dog. Named Buster.

I wish I hadn't... wasted so many years as a teenager/young adult living entirely within my own mind and worrying about would happen if i stepped outside my little box. What a great way to miss out on so, so much stuff...

My most humiliating moment was... falling off a dance platform ( or " the top box " at the 'Mersh as its known - Polly may know what i'm on about ) at a local club, and landing on my arse amongst the other dancers. My crazy, drunk-dancing friend " accidentally " danced a little too far to her right and booty-bumped me right off the edge. Shame, Amy, shame.

My guiltiest pleasure is... bad reality television. Though i dont stray as far as " Jersey Shore " ( and hey, thats only because i dont have pay tv... ) i will admit to being a fan of such fare as " Big Brother ", " Pimp My Ride " and " MTV's Next! "...

My last meal would be... eaten.very.slowly. Relished even. I'm thinking something wholesome and comforting if i'm about to go to my grave - roast chicken, potatos and the most awesome baked pumpkin ever. Steamed green beans. And garlic bread. And then a decadent chocolate cheesecake for dessert. Mmm....cheesecake ( cue Homer Simpson style drooling... )

Miss Goody-Two-Shoes

I have a question - why is that when a young woman chooses not to do certain things, when she doesnt disgrace herself socially, and has a little class.... why does she get called a Goody-Two-Shoes?


First of all - where the hell did that turn of phrase even come from ( whats "two shoes " got do with anything? ). But secondly - why does a young girl/woman who lives a clean life get lumped with such a stupid and childish insult? And thirdly, now that i think about it, why is being a " good girl " such a bad thing?

Classy - very classy (image from here)

I just dont get it. I'm only 27 yrs old but maybe i'm turning into an old biddy before my time. I had my fun in my late teens and early 20's - the late nights, dodgy Sunday morning hangovers, the short(er) skirts that tempted inppropriate boys - but i was never like some of the girls i see going around now. Too many of them sadly. The dressing like a street corner hooker is bad enough, but what i really dont understand is the attitude toward alcohol for so many young women. I see Facebook statuses of friends, or friends of friends, spouting things like " TFIF! Time to get pissed! " or " Cant wait to get wasted! ".... why?Whats so good about it? Whats so awesome about drinking to the point where you pass out and cant remember a damn thing the next day?

I'll let you in on a secret - i dont smoke ( i've never even had so much as a drag on a cigarette ), i've never done any kind of illegal drug ( unless you count being able to smell pot being smoked in the beer garden at the pub ) and i dont drink. I'm not a hard line tee-totaller ( again with the phrases that dont mean anything... ) but when i say i dont drink i mean i'll have one or two cocktails 3 or 4 times a year. For example: so far this year i've had one drink when we went out for dinner at the end of April, one drink with a nice dinner i made for Mick and i and i intend on having some champa's at my wedding in November. Possibly a drink or two at my hens party and one on my sisters 21st in October.... thats it. And when i say " a drink or two " thats what i mean - one, maybe two if i'm in the mood. And when i mention the fact that i dont really drink i almost always get a sideways glance with this " Why not, you weirdo ? " look. Why is so strange that someone my age actively chooses to NOT drink/do drugs/smoke? Why is abstaining from substances that really dont benefit my body so odd?

Oh yea, because thats hell sexy ( image from here )

And just for the record, i dont think drinking is "wrong " ( smoking is on my list of " Stupid ", but drugs are definately wrong ) - its just that after those first few years of adulthood i've decided i really dont need alcohol. My body feels better without it, and a drink or two on the odd occasion is enough to " happy " me up.... i dont need to black out and spew every weekend to have fun. Nor do i drink a glass of red every night to "unwind " ( although, with a bisterous 18 mth old keeping me on my toes, i can understand how some of you do! ).

I apologise if this rant post is a bit preachy-preachy.... i just needed to vent my frusturation at the way womenhood seems to be headed. Which is down the toilet with last nights Vodka Cruisers and pizza spew...

Polly Dolly - Go Get Puffed!

Two Polly Dolly's in a row - i'm in heaven! Its only because the lovely Dani from Danimezza posted last weeks Polly just a tenny, tiny bit late but i digress.... this week Dani ( plus a few others out there ) is a little bit obsessed ( and amused by ) the....

 Now, where i live, the puffer vest is a fairly common thing - but less about being a snooty posh tennis/netball/soccer mum, and more about being warm in the outdoors. Which is wear my Polly is going this week - she's going out for a day of motor bike riding, picnics and messing about with her friends. She still wants to look cute though so she's gone with a sweet red ruffled vest over a nice warm knit. Of course gumboots are necessary to keep her feet dry, and these Burberry gumboots would be perfect. A handbag would just get in the way, so sensible Polly only takes her phone, her car keys and some lip balm which she'll stash in her vest pocket while she's zipping around on  her 4 wheeler! Some cool tunes to listen to while she's burning along and Polly is all set for a day of fun.

What do you think - are the puffer vest set snobby or just trying to keep warm?

Polly Dolly - Celebrity Stylings

Thank the Lord - Polly Dolly is here! You have no idea the withdrawals i was suffering.... Anyhoodle, Polly Dolly is brought to you, as always, by the spunkalicious Dani from Danimezza. This week Dani wants us to imagine that our Polly is not really Polly, but rather that she's our favourite....

Its tough to pick a favourite, but one celebrity i do love is Anne Hathaway. Not only is she gorgeous in that wide mouth/wide eye kind of way ( which i just dont get with someone like, say, Julia Roberts ) but in all the interviews i've seen with her she just comes across as so witty and funny and like she'd make a great girl to go out for cocktails with. Plus, i like what she wears 95% of the time, so i thought Anne would be great fun to dress. I love what she wears for less formal events so i've gone with something she might wear to a press call for a new movie. I found this great block colour shift dress which i've paired with a plain navy blazer. Orange accessories highlight the dress and bring out Annes fun side. She'd also need a tinted moisturiser with SPF factor to protect her georgeous dewy skin. Neutral eye make up and lashes of mascara to highlight those huge yes finish off the look.

Who would you dress?

Going Under

So it turns out last Sunday was no mere emotional hiccup.

Sadly, i've spent the majority of the past weekend in a funk, at one minute on the verge of tears and at the next finding myself easily irritated by the smallest of things. I pity poor Mick - i would have been no fun to be around.

And, yet, i find i still cant talk about " it ", whatever it is. The " it " that is the anxious, bitter feeling of emptiness, of not feeling " good enough ", of being worried about the little things that are out of my control. The " it " that is determined to bring me undone, the subtle creep of depression.Lets face it - i know these feelings for what they are, and what they are are the precursors to a depressive episode. You dont come out the other side of depression without knowing what it feels like to slip under its murky darkness...

But i wont let myself this time. I know what triggered the feelings, and i know that situation is so much beyond my realm of control that its not even worth dwelling on. Yet i do - and all that worry, and jealousy, and sadness spreads into other thoughts until it blankets everything i think and feel. And so, because i know that, because i FEEL that ( while i'm still able to feel anything other emptiness ), i'm going to swim against that tide for all i'm worth.

And if that means i have to talk about " it " to Mick than thats what i'll do. If it means i have to cry and sob and shake and smear myself with snot in front of him, if means baring the weakest parts of me, if it means letting the usual happy/funny/strong facade slip a little - if thats what it takes to escape the darkness this time, than thats what i'll do. It may be all i can do...

Seriously - Let Me Welcome You To Reality

I'm going to apologise ahead of time - this one is a rant post. I dont rant too much around here, and though this actually needs to be said to a few people in my real life, i have promised another person IRL that i'll keep my lip zipped ( for now )... thus, i have to get this out here. See - i've had about enough of some pretentious arseholes in my social circle and i think they need to get some perspective.

Consider this my ranty face! ( from here )

There is one person who claims he has " no " money - yet he runs his own business and lives in a 5 bedroom house in a nice area of town. I dont know how he runs his business, or if it is doing well ( and, quite frankly, its none of my business ) but i'm a bit tired of claiming he's near broke and then having other people worse off then him cover costs for things that should be shared burdens. Here's the tip - if your as bad off as you say your are sell your big fancy house, buy something more modest, and pump the profit back into your business or use it to live off for a while. If you cant even contemplate doing that, well, you aren't as short of cash as you think you are...

Then there is the person who, because of ill advised and/or stupid investment choices years ago, is a bit hard up at the moment. This happens to lots of people, so i'm not judging him for the loss of investment monies. He and his family can't afford the rent in the Sydney market anymore so have moved in with his MIL to save some money. However - in the last 6 months he has taken his family on two overseas trips, goes on weekends away once a month, and has bought one new car only to find out a few weeks later that his wife is pregnant, so they bought another brand new car. I cant stand people who claim " poor " status and then continue to spend up big on luxuries. Be realistic and get your priorities straight - and if holidays and $40 000 cars ARE you priorities, dont expect any sympathy from me when your debts catch up with you.

And lastly, the one who is relatively financial stable but is obsessed with things to the point of ignoring people: dont invite me and my child and my family places and then spend 95% of the time texting on your IPhone and even looking at me. Its rude, and its annoying. It makes me want to punch you in the nose.

So there you go - that stuff gives me the shits. Mick and I are not well off, but neither are we flat broke. We get by most weeks, getting the mortgage paid and groceries bought and the other little bills out of the way and ending up with $20 or $30 left in the bank. The few times a year the rates/electricity/rego and car insurance come due we struggle... yet we complain far less than all 3 of the people mentioned above. I'm not looking for someone to say " Oh poor you ", i'm just trying to explain how living within your means is how you live with a little breathing space. If you cant afford the repayments on your 5 bedroom house, downsize; if your so broke you cant afford rent, dont buy brand new and expensive cars; and dont become so consumed by money and things that you lose touch with people ( and thus the human contact you claim to crave ).And, most importantly,dont cry poor to me when you know for a fact that i have much less than you - it reeks of pretention and, quite frankly, disrespect

Who Loves? I Loves.... MaxabellaLoves!

And its not just me who loves the wonderful Bron from over at MaxabellaLoves... no, apparently at least 1000 other people do too. And to celebrate the fact that she now has 1000 people following and loving her, Bron is having a fabulous giveaway on her blog. And when i say " fabulous " i mean fab-u -lous! Imagine this : because she cant exactly throw a party on her blog, Bron wants to at least let us dress for a party...so she's giving one lucky reader the chance to win a gorgeous party outfit!

And not just any old party outfit either - we're talking a dress from the exquisite Leona Edmiston label, customised shoe hotness from Shoes of Prey and cute earrings from Elk Accessories. Did i not say it was a fabulous prize? So i could be winning, and wearing...

This:

Or this:

Or even a hot pair of these:

You know, i do have a school reunion to attend in October - i'm gonna cross my fingers that i win this awesome prize from MaxabellaLoves so i can knock everyone's socks off with my awesome party outfit!