The Amazing, New and Improved Louise

It's February and I've morphed into a new me since my last update. I think the main stimulus for the accidental transformation was boredom and frustration at being stuck in Sydney saving for my next trip, since everyone who knows me at all knows my inability to carry through with consciously made plans for self-improvement. I didn't realise I was trying to change until people started commenting on it.

Step 1. Painting.



This is the most relaxing, fun, rewarding way to spend down time. I started by watching a 30 minute program on TVS, Masterclass in Oils with Ken Harris. He's an artist who takes you step by step through painting a landscape. I think the best advice he gives is that anyone can paint.


The moment I picked up my paintbrush I was addicted. You don't have to be Michelangelo, it's enough just to love doing it. The beach scene above was my first attempt at something else, and then I put together the sheep scene below in my mind on my way home from work.


And below is a picture of my work table, in a shed in the backyard we named the Magic House when we were kids. Dad has his tools in here and starts all his boats and projects here. I retreat to this spider-infested place to paint as it's incredibly peaceful and most of the family won't come in voluntarily.

I also just bought a drawing set and a copy of The Idiot's Guide to Drawing People, since every painter should be able to draw, according to Ken.


Step 2. Walking.

I have no idea what started this, perhaps the combination of mild Sydney weather and finally getting so depressed about the state my body's in that I had to do something. But I've started power walking the 8 km to the train station in the morning before work. It takes me 1 hr 4 mins, but I'm hoping to cut it down even further. It feels fantastic starting the day out like this, which is something I never imagined I would say as I've always dismissed fitness before work, especially walking, as tedious.


Step 3. Camino de Santiago.

I just took a 5 day break from work and started researching where to go on my next trip. The Camino de Santiago, from what I've read, is an old pilgrimage route stretching across Spain, which has existed since the middle ages (the Camino that is, not Spain). It's 780 km long, which will take roughly 30 days walking 26 km/day. Most people walk more each day, but I'm guessing there'll be some days when I'm so blistered that I'll also be doing a lot less.

The hardest thing is that they say your pack shouldn't be more than 10% of your body weight. How can I possibly last 30 days with a 6.5kg bag? No makeup, no books, and only 2 t-shirts & 2 pairs of pants to change between. Imagine. Me. Everyone seems to think you don't need more than the 2 shirts, which will be mucky but interesting...

Lastly, a couple more pictures from life in Sydney:

End of 2007...Already?!

It's coming up to the end of the year and I'm fairly satisfied with how I've finished it and how I'll start the next.

I painted not only the hall but the lounge room as well! Big pause of 5 weeks from starting the hall to finishing it as I tried hard not to hate the new colours with the first coat but gave up in despair. Family was adamant in offering no help as they were obviously only too aware of paint monster I tend to become at this time. Eventually finished it and I was thankful to find the second coat made all the difference and it looked great. Little sister pitched in and we painted the entire lounge room in the two days before Christmas - as well as cooking, shopping, wrapping and cleaning.

I'm enjoying my job at the moment and am almost reconciled with how long it takes me to get to work in exchange for it's beautiful location on Kings Street Wharf and the great people I work with. The two girls in my team have both gotten engaged in the last three months, so there's much talk and magazine-perusal re weddings, dresses, cakes, songs to be played. All the good stuff.

I've also resumed a love affair with my local library. It's a muffled cocoon away from the world, filled with thousands of books and big sunny windows and arm chairs.
My sister Sophia got me hooked on the amazing world of fantasy and sci-fi with David Eddings 'Belgariad' and 'Mallorean' series (ten books in total that slipped by like two!) and I'm currently on Robert .A. Heinlein's 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - fascinatingly ahead of its time! And huge. I love being in the middle of a book where you can't help but excitedly look forward to going to bed early to continue the quest. All too much 'adult' literature these days is concerned with the protagonist's self-journey and neglects to include any adventure or humour. This one slips in a discussion of politics and libertarianism like honey in porridge. Hmm porridge is a hard word to spell...


Also, I've decided to stop being so lazy (it's disgusting to see how talented some people are compared to my skill-less, underdeveloped self) and I've made a push to start myself writing more with ... The Five-Minute Writer! A delightful book to keep under your pillow and write with just before bedtime. It has all sorts of helpful joggers for writing and I feel my unstimulated brain actually eager to create little-somethings now. And with all this talk of bed, I've just finished reading 'The Idiot's Guide to the Brain' and I've realised how important it is to get enough sleep. In 1850 we were averaging 7.5 - 8 hrs a night whereas now we barely average 6.5 - 7 and 80% of us are sleep-deprived. This is a terrible thing to do to your body in all sorts of ways so my number 1 New Year's Resolution is to give myself 8 hours of sleep a night, and become a more productive person.

Resolution 2 is to start exercising. #3 is to be less critical and #4 is to go have an adventure this year. The rest will be along soon as well as my '100 things to be happy about' list. I'm making my own but in the meantime, check out the website, it's something cute:

http://www.thingstobehappyabout.com

Finally, two pictures of us all - Christmas and my birthday at Luna Park - we were on a merry-go-round where the swan pulled a carriage, but there were also some beautiful horses with real tails running alongside a very tempting giant rooster.


Much love and a Happy New Year to everyone!

xoxo Louise

Remaking my room

I know I know, it’s been almost a YEAR since I last wrote here. How can it go so fast from November 2006 to October 2007? So much has happened, it feels like two separate lifetimes.

And why, you ask, is she bothering to write in a blog so ignored by her family and loved ones that no one ever checks it or writes comments? Call it reminiscence, call it nostalgia, a certain je ne sais quoi. All I know is I have no way to vent currently, I never seem to put pen to paper anymore and typing is so much easier. Perhaps if I know certain beloved roommates, callously spread out across a cold cruel world, will be reading this, it will inspire me to keep up an online journal. Oops wait a minute. Can hear a cat fight outside I have to break up…

Haha, back. It wasn't my cat after all. When I realised I wouldn't be responsible for patching up either of the combatants, I apologised and quietly crept away, leaving them to resume battle.

Since I left Taipei when it was so hot our eyeballs were sweating, I forgot how cold it was in Sydney. Here are a couple pics of what I had to wear when I got back, how messy my room was and Dad's birthday.




The family were doing well, but the room!! I tell you, that place was such a disaster zone, it ended up saving me from the reverse-culture shock depression that hits all travellers when they return home. It became my mission. There were holes in the WALLS. I had to putty them up, sand everything down and paint walls, architraves and ceiling. Unfortunately I did it in exactly the wrong order. Never paint the ceiling last is all I can say...

My little sister helped me put up all my pictures and choose Chocolate and Antique Ivory for my walls.

Though I had to make the bookshelf myself

My bed is directly under these hangings but it wouldn't all fit in the frame. And let's be honest, everyone's already seen my bed :)
Many curse words were heard that week. I was drinking a glass of red by 10am each morning to fortify myself for the struggle. But in the end, it looked pretty damn good and my family was still alive. and more importantly, still talking to me.

Thailand

I never posted the pictures from our Thailand holiday. What can I say? It was an oasis. But mainly I'm putting these pictures up to make a definite gap since the last time I wrote and now. I've been feeling a certain sense of wretched guilt whenever I'm reading someone's blog and click on the link to mine, hoping that somehow, miraculously, there will be a new entry written to cover the time-gap since those november photos. But there never is.As you can see, we went horse riding and swimming and sleeping on the beach through the day. And shopping and eating out and drinking through the night. And fit in the occasional massage or manicure.

Kerry's Wedding

So we went to Kerry's wedding on Sunday. The hall was huge but Phoebe got the inside goss and we crept into a secret room off the side and found the bride... She was so beautiful it made me want to be married too.
It was a traditional Chinese Banquet! The actual ceremony is done at home then everyone is invited to the reception. There were performers dancing down the aisle... And two actors came down in the tradition bridal carriage - it must be nice having to play a bride every week.
Then our first course came down the aisle. It was lots of sashimi and lobster and shrimp salad.
Here's Phoebe, Batch and I. We're wearing a lot of pink because wearing pink or red to a wedding brings the couple good luck. And looks pretty.
Here was my favorite dish. It's sticky rice and beans and little pink and white balls. Everyone is meant to eat at least one white and one pink ball to wish the bride and groom have children - is that right? I can't check, lunch just finished and everyone in the office is asleep...
Julia went out to take photos and brought back a little boy and his mother. He was at ease sitting with us and after I gave him a toy, gave us all a kiss each - like a chubby cabbage patch kid.
At the end of the wedding Kerry came out in her last dress, and stood with her new husband by the exit, giving guests chocolate treats and photos of them. She looks so happy!! Is this what happens when you get married??
Here is the group after we'd eaten...
And here's us with the bride and groom...

M Moser pics

At the M Moser Anniversary




Moet and canapes make us happy

Snugglepots and Cuddlepies

This is more like it. the true mayhem of the day... but its gorgeous when they all scream Miss Louise!


These are my kindy kids at the Halloween show. Well, one class of them. I teach 5 classes, so there's another 120 babies of mine running around somewhere else.