Anchovies, anchovies!

Frustratingly addictive helicopter game

Ladybug game

A number of people had suggested that I don't know what to do with myself now that I'm free again, and I can honestly say that I didn't feel that at all. I had work to do at uni, things to tie up; I had appointment after appointment. But, after a bit less than a week away, yep. It's hit me. I feel stir crazy, even though I've been out and about today. I feel strange and I realise it's because I haven't seen my desk in ages and I haven't seen my group in ages. Sure, I was out with the others at a barbecue, but besides Jacquie, none of them are in my group. I didn't realise how long travel takes; public transport takes up a significant part of my day. Without riding on transport, I've suddenly got something like an extra 2 hours a day. Not necessarily the ride on the train, tram or bus, but the time it takes to get to the train/tram/bus stop. The waiting for said services. An extra 2 hours. I haven't been swimming ages and it's bothering me. (The pool is closed from Dec 22 to Jan 2.) Perhaps tomorrow I'll go to the North Melbourne pool.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and I have no plans. It's oddly liberating. I might head over to Jane's and have a few drinks.

The weather is just this side of uncomfortable. Sticky.

Ugh, I have nothing I want to read or watch and I'm not really sleepy. I had also been looking forward to watching Howl's Moving Castle for ages and I finally got it today and was all excited to see it, but I found it strangely disappointing. The delight from the book was just missing from the movie. Sure, the movie was more powerful, but I was looking forward to the delight. Thumbs down from me.

I've decided it's time to get on top of savings. I took about $500 out of savings recently, and am a bit dismayed that I might not be able to replace it. (Very hard when I'm not reaaaaally employed at the moment.) I wanted to replace it and put some extra in as well, but looking at a list of things I need to be buying in the next two months:

• $160 Nth Melbourne Membership
• New mobile phone (which I suppose I could pass on until my current phone *really* dies)
• Spate of expensive present-obligated birthdays
• Jeans (which I suppose could wait til winter)
• Contact lenses

I can't really justify moving money from my everyday account into savings. So I've decided to start a crap jar. Like a swear jar, but instead of putting money in it when I swear, I'll put the money I would spend on crap, in it.

An idle coffee I don't really need, for example. More often than not, having coffee out is just a social thing. I have a coffee because I'm with someone who dies without coffee and we'll sit and have coffee together. I enjoy coffee, but I never notice any effect on me, save an enjoyment of the taste and something warm. $3 here and there will soon add up. Just gotta make sure to carry water around with me, without fail. Nothing annoys me more than having to buy water with a meal.

Also, it's increasingly clear to me that when eating out, food portions can be ridiculously big. I can't leave food on my plate and justify it to the starving children haunting my imagination or to my hovering voice of my mother, so it's time to only be ordering entree sizes, and putting the difference in the crap jar.

I'd have to say, eating out is the cause of most of my money woes, and so much of it is social. It's not even about eating out, it's about catching up with the people I'm having dinner or lunch with. Time to find inexpensive catch-ups, but hmm, I can't really think of that much. If I had my own place, I'd cook at home with friends more often.

It's been freezing today- Mt Dandenong and a number of other places woke up to snow blanketed Christmas morning.

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Let me remind you that I am in Australia and it is SUMMER here.

I've spent most of the day relaxing and nibbling. Merry Christmas!

I met Mel this morning to give her her Christmas presents then went shopping. As I passed Hairhouse Warehouse, there was a girl seated and a sales assistant using a Cortec Hair Straightener/Curler on her hair. She sectioned off one straight piece, wrapped the iron around, pulled down and the section sprang back up, perfectly curled. I froze in absolute awe.

I am now the owner of a $200 hair curler. She didn't have to do any selling at all, just watching the other girl was enough. She also did it to my hair- my hair has never been this curly. Seriously, I have hot ringlets. As I sat while she did my hair, another Asian girl walked past and froze, eyes disbelieving.

I love my poker straight, no-fuss, air-dry hair. But sometimes, curls are just so sexy.

I spent far too much money today: Hair curler plus heat protector spray, four t-shirts, two dresses and a pair of bathers.

This year for some reason, I've seen many christmas tree pictures online and it's struck me how beautifully co-ordinated they are. Matching decorations, subtle fairy lights, ever so elegant. The only Christmas tree I ever grew up with, (Marie's Christmas tree) was a mish mash of random decorations, overbearingly wrapped, thick tinsel, absolutely no co-ordination whatsoever. But I think if I were to ever have a family tree, I'd make it a mish mash as well. The nice ones always remind me of department store trees and the mish mash ones remind me of home.

I was so anticipating crappy photos from my graduation, that I didn't even bother to look at them until now, and turns out they came out okay! So I'm in the process of uploading them to webspace right this minute. Exciting.

I believe that while I was in Brisbane, a woman in Adelaide lost her newborn when she answered her mobile and the pram rolled into a river. For 20 minutes she was hysterical thinking someone had taken her baby until they found it in the river. Clearly suspicious sounding, but they tested with the pram and dummies and each time the pram, rolled silently into the river with barely the smallest of splashes. It's so senseless a tragedy that it makes me sick to the stomach.

COVET. I know, I know, I already have a pink and white lace parasol. (Mel gave it to me for my birthday) But oh my god.

Clearly the best wedding bands ever

 

Screw compulsory registration

Though I can't vouch this has ever worked for me. It's nice to have a go before having to sign up for yet another account somewhere.

Vertices Game

Cool game, no pause button though.

Colour Perception

If this was LJ, I'f feel guilty about all these separate posts. Go marvel at colour perception.