Must. Love. Rats

Happy Australia Day!!

2012-01-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

I have been VERY lazy with my blog posts!!
I just realized its been a whole 26 days since writing anything...tsk tsk!
I have an excuse though (sort of!) I've been busy living life, working and trying to enjoy my rapidly dwindling Summer holidays. So here's a quick rundown of what happened during the month of January.

Jan 1 - nothing much, I already wrote about that anyway
Jan 2 - I Gardened...in heat...was NOT fun haha
Jan 3 - Worked and then went to the beach at Sunset
Jan 4 - Worked and then went to the beach at Sunset (hmmm I see a pattern here!!)
Jan 5 - Worked
Jan 6 - um walked Trav and watched Sex and theCity, my all time favourite show haha
Jan 7 - Worked
Jan 8 - Driving lesson with Dad, took Trav for a walk
Jan 9 - Work
Jan 10 - Went to Claremont shopping then work dinner at Primo Cuccino :)
Jan 11 - Work, Family friend Carly came over :)
Jan 12 - Work
Jan 13 - Went to Joondalup with Mam and Sis, shopping and breakfast :)
Jan 14 - Work, not feeling well, had to come home haha
Jan 15 - Driving lesson with Dad, family BBQ
Jan 16 - Work, Driving lesson with Dad
Jan 17 - Work, sold an $8500 ring...whoo!!
Jan 18 - Driving lesson with instructor, Driving lesson with Dad...driven out haha
Jan 19 - Work
Jan 20 - Joondalup with my sister :)
Jan 21 - Work, sold a $5000 ring...on a roll much??
Jan 22 - Driving lesson with Dad
Jan 23 - Work, sold a $2000 ring...whats going on, I never do this well usually haha
Jan 24 - Work, Stargazing in my pool at 10pm :)
Jan 25 - Work, white wine and 11pm swim <3
Jan 26 -Australia Day!!

Ok so now we're up to date :) Yes, work features a lot in that little holiday but hey, money is money!

So today was awesome. It was 41 degrees, pretty much spent all day in the pool
Here's some pictures!!

After a family barbeque, a cold beer and this AH-MAZING pavlova my Mum made, we had the most fantastic storm, it cooled the world down slightly and its still flashing beautifully outside now :)

My brother is slightly special sometimes hahahahaha

Hope everyone else's Australia day was as great as mine :) I have officially been Australian for 2 years now and I feel privileged to live here. It is a truly beautiful piece of the world :)

Will try and write more often!!
Love Georgia&Lola xxx

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

First Post of 2012!
Happy New Year
Hope you all have an awesome year and do everything you say you want to do

Love Georgia, Travis, Harley & Lola xxx

Yep its 2012!
Wow I may finish my first uni degree this year. I may also get my license this year (finally!) and Im spending my first year with Lola :)

Im kind of glad to say goodbye to 2011, I've had a bit of a tough time with it, particularly the last few months but Im hoping I can be a bit happier and more relaxed this year, thats my main goal anyway :)

Besides that I would like to ace uni, get my license, clean my room (done that yesterday haha) and be a nicer person coz I feel like a bad tempered bitch lately.

Hope you've all come up with resolutions too and hopefully you achieve them :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

2011-12-25T03:07:00.000-08:00

WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A FANTASTIC NEW YEAR!
HOPE YOUR DAY WAS BRILLIANT AND YOU SPENT IT WITH AMAZING PEOPLE YOU LOVE

LOTS OF LOVE GEORGIA, TRAVIS, HARLEY & LOLA XXXXX

Well after working 9 hour days for 6 days straight, Christmas day was just looking like a blissful day off, but of course it turned out to be much more than that. I truly treasure every moment I spend with my incredible family. We had a great day.

After getting up at 4am to feed Lola (being super naughty last night coz she was locked up away from the presents, I then went back to sleep only to be woken AGAIN at 6am by my brother...I mean honestly, a girl needs her sleep!! But no such luck unfortunately so I got up, doled all my hard earned cash out in the form of presents for the family and it was really awesome, exciting chaos as usual, coz Trav gets excited, the cats were rolling in the paper and my bro was hyper haha

Anyway I ended up getting a new handbag which is good coz my favourite Guess one I bought in January this year is looking kinda sad from overuse :P the handle seems to be fraying which is annoying coz I really love it. My new one is pink haha my Mother knows me too well!! I got my Mum a Citizen Eco drive watch which is absolutely stunning, my Dad is SO lucky to have me as his personal shopper/wrapper/buyer etc. Otherwise nothing would get done!!

Then we went in the pool, watched Dad's Adele concert DVD he got for Chrissie (which was amazing...that woman's voice is AH-Mazing if you haven't heard her, do so....right now!! Especially "someone like you" its beautiful :)

Then dinner was just....aw Mum you outdo yourself every year...the wine was also great...and the baileys coffee, oh man I musnt drink anymore I have to go to work tomorrow!! Boxing day sales ewww why dont people get a life?? after all the nightmares of Christmas shopping WHY do you need to go to the shops straight after and make us poor people in retail work on a day that should really be spent with family!! Oh well time and a half ;) haha

Anyway, Im sure this is boring you so without further ado I give you photos!! which are always more interesting I think. Anyway merry christmas, hope yours was as good as mine!!

Love George xx

Me and my awesome lil sister May

My precious baby girl, best present I have EVER had, even if it wasnt for Christmas...but hay, a cat is for life, not just for Christmas ;)

Lola's new bowl...designed by Moi

My girl :)

Mayyy and I haha

Merry Christmas ;)
Travis my big dopey awesome boy

sporting his new Louis Vitton collar haha

awwwwwwwwwwww...isnt this the cutest pup you have ever seen...I think so anyway

Merry Christmas!!

My clever little Bro :)

2011-12-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

So last week my little bro graduated from Primary School after having a FANTASTIC year. Im very very proud of him!! Let me list his achievements ;)

Head boy of Primary School
Off the scale NAPLAN (national testing) results
A $1000 academic scholarship
PEAC (primary academic extension programs)

And the best one? DUX (i.e smartest kid in school!!) of Marmion Primary for 2011 :D
Aw Im so proud of you Maxie. Everyone had lots of family there, but its only us here in Australia but all we need is the five of us. Moments like these make us realize how important family is. We are so close and I hope it never changes as 'many things may change us, but we start and end with family.'

I also did well this week, as my uni results have just come out and I got distinctions in all my units...yippee and what a relief!!

Have been working constantly for the last few week and after finally getting my new uniform, a payrise and decent pay, things are looking up! Shame I only get one day off for Christmas (Christmas day!!) but Im sure it will be worth it.

Most of the present for my animals are sorted I designed Lola a bowl with this design on it and I love it!! Its perfect for my baby girl :)

and I've ordered Travis a collar and lead set from cocoandpud.com.au ("Chewie Vitton" hahahhahaha) He's gonna match my phone ;)

Just got a get something for Harley now (oh, and mum, dad, max and may) WHY am I so disorganized lol I just spend so much time in a shopping centre working, I just dont have the motivation to go Christmas shopping. Id better get a move on though!!

Hope you all are ready for Christmas!!

George xxx

December

2011-12-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

Seriously how is it December already and how is it already nearly Christmas??

I cannot believe how quickly time has gone, its been nearly a year since many things and I cannot believe how it is suddenly December again already. And its nearly Christmas!! How did that happen??

I have been very busy lately. Lots of changes at work as a new store opens and some of the loveliest people I have ever worked with have had to up and leave and work at the new store. Still our work Christmas party at Hans Cafe to celebrate this was awesome (Never realized 40yr old women were so dirty hahahaha) and have never laughed so much in my life. Will miss everyone who's gone to the new store :(

Sunday was my friend Kellie's 20th birthday and she had the awesome idea of going around the Swan Valley wineries (with her boyfriend as taxi man) so that we could get happily drunk and stagger our way through wine tasting. Was one of the best days I have had in ages and being the lightweight that I am, was practically falling over after two glasses (luckily Kellie had the same problem hahahahahahaha). We also went to the chocolate factory (yum), the coffee factory (the smell...oh.my.god) and the honey factory (interesting...they had cute beanies lol). Then we had lunch at a vegetarian cafe which was so incredibly pretty and they had a guy singing with his guitar <3 (cant beat live music!) and then we went to the beach (AFTER we'd sobered up haha).

I have also (finally finally finally!!) started professional driving lessons. Had my first one last week. Didnt go too bad except I kept stalling the car coz Im not used to driving such a nice one (my Dad's old Rio involves a dodgy clutch and slamming the accelerator on to get it to go lol) So fingers crossed I will one day in the next 200 yrs take my driving test lol (nah im kidding Im sure it will be sooner than that!!)

Anyway thats it, time to enjoy my day off
Love Georgia

p.s cute christmas photo :)

Me and Travis Dec 2010

The first day of Summer :)

2011-11-30T22:28:00.000-08:00

Yes, its the first of December which for most is the start of Christmas, but for us in Australia its also the first official day of Summer which I see to be equally important and exciting.

Why? Because, I dont have goosebumps (finallly....I feel the cold really badly!), the sun is out, its the holidays, the beach is ah-mazing and life is just generally more awesome.

Went to Mullaloo beach this morning, the water was the most incredible colour :)

Lola's dealing with heat not too badly (she hides in a shoebox under my bed...must be cooler under there!!) Her fur is quite long now so it must be hot for her, poor thing. She is super cute though, think I will have to take some Christmas photos of us soon :)

What else? ummm, Im an absolute crazy nutter, as I may be doing a diploma in modern languages next year as well as my architecture degree. Im looking to finish what I started with German, but unfortunately that means even more work. Seriously, dont know whats wrong with me, I must be nuts!!

I think that is it. I will be sharing cute Christmas pictures leading up till Christmas too so stay tuned :) Here's photo #1

My beautiful boy Nougat, Christmas 2008...will miss you forever baby xxx

Love George and Lola xx

50 Questions that will free your mind...whatever that means....

2011-11-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

Questions to Change Your Mind

These questions have no right or wrong answers.

Because sometimes asking the right questions is the answer. (Why, how philisophical haha)

1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

um, I don't know....people always say I look older than I am...so maybe if I didn't know people would assume 21-23?? And I have a really old outlook on life, so maybe people would even guess 40 hahaha

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Never trying....DEFINITELY. Never be scared of failing, because otherwise you won't try anything at all, and that really isn't living. Grab every opportunity you're thrown with both hands, you'll never look back and you can always say you tried if you fail...its better than saying 'I was scared' :)

3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?

You know what, I have absolutely no idea why we do this. We work our butts off to do well at work/school/uni/whatever and for what?? We get to 50, decide to retire and then we're old and we can't enjoy stuff as much. And then we die...why do we do this??? Maybe we should just do what we want, but we need money to do stuff we like so we need to work and we need to do things we don't like to survive. Crazy, huh? the world is weird...

4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

I hope not, I hope I've done all I've said I'm going to do, and have enjoyed it all too

5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?

I wish we could all stop living in a bubble. I wish we could all realize there are a lot of people suffering and not turn away from it. Even if we can't do anything to help, we should least acknowledge what others may be going through. Don't turn away from it.

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Working with animals would me incredibly rich. Looking after them every day would make me super rich, I'd be constantly smiling. And I don't think I'd make too bad a living doing what I do now either. I love architecture, it gives me an incredile buzz, so I hope there would be lots of options for me :)

7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you are doing?

I am definitely doing what I believe in and I wouldn't settle for anything less. Life is not worth living if you settle for second best

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I'd ditch the stress and I'd ditch working so hard. I'd still do some, because I like a challenge and my brain gets bored if I'm not learning. But I would definitely travel more, get out more and live a little more...I should probably be doing this anyway haha

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

You're always controlling your life, every decision you makes affects the course it takes, no one will ever care about your life as much as you do (just on a footnote, anyone that wants to read a good book with an awesome concept of what life is...."The time of my life" by Cecelia Ahern is really good, really fun and really interesting...worth a read!!)

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

I'm a perfectionist so I shall have to confess I like to do things right....but if they happen to be the right things too, thats a bonus!!

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

Stick up for close friend of course...doesn't matter how much you respect and admire people...the minute you agree with others just to look good and fit in, you're stooping to the lowest of levels. Don't be a fence sitter, you are entitled to your own opinions!

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don't ever lose sight of yourself and who you are. Even when you get lost for a little while when you reach that impressionable age, make sure you always hold on to enough of yourself to get back on track the minute you are away from negative influences.

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

Yes

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

Yes in many people, including myself and my own work :)

15. What’s something you know you do differently than most people?

Oh there are many, Im a weirdo haha

16. How come the things that make you happy don’t make everyone happy?

Because I am me, and a lot of things that make me happy would mystify other people. But then I can say the same for people I know. Doesn't matter how close you are with someone or how much you have in common, there will always be things that appeal to you alone.

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What’s holding you back?

Travel the world. Holding me back? Money. Duh. It'll happen, sooner rather than later I hope.

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

Yes

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

Back to Ponty, its where all the family are....Mind you, Italy might be nice too :)

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

I don't push elevator buttons, they scare me (elevators not buttons!!) I don't like them, dont go in them alone, and let the other person do the button pushing in case I like, break it or something!!

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

A worried genius...mind you it might be nice to be totallly relaxed all the time, I might have more fun and not over-analyze my decisions all the time

22. Why are you, you?

Well, no one else is such a neurotic perfectionist with a clutzy streak and a gullible sense of humour (had my family in hysterics last night, and unfdortunately it was AT me not WITH me...and I want even trying..)

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

I like to think so, but who knows? Ask my large vast group of friends....that was a joke haha

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

Losing touch with a good friend(s) who lives right near you. Its really painful because then you wonder what the hell you did wrong...

25. What are you most grateful for?

My family. I don't know where or who I would be without them and my animal family members are just as important. They complete me.

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

I would hate to lose all my old memories. As hard as it would be to never make new ones, losing your mind, memories and what you've done with your life would be heartbreaking...they make you the person that you are

27. Is is possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

Yes, of course, when you trust and know someone, you can tell when they're being honest

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

No, and I hope it never does

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

No, it doesn't. And it never will again.

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

Halloweens at my Grans. She'd always make a cake, all 7 of us cousins would go there (and parents!) We play bobbing apples and ducking apples, make toffee apples with them after and then go trick or treating. We'd all get so excited and we were all together and perfectly happy, thats what made it so special :)

31. At what time in your recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

The moment I finished uni and was free to do what I wanted for 4 months...whooohooo :)

32. If not now, then when?

Excellent question...I should remember this, and live by it a bit more

33. If you haven’t achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

Absolutely nothing...go for it!! :D

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

Yes :)

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

I dont know and that is why I cannot actively support religion. I respect other people's right to their own opinion but I personally find it a little hypocritical

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

No, there are sides to everything and its hard to judge without knowing or analyzing the situation and people involved

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

Probably haha, but I wouldnt stop studying

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

More work I enjoy doing...during office hours though ;P

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

Sometimes...its not necessarily a bad thing though

40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

Umm, not sure actually...I believe in all my ideas, but a lot of other people believe in them too, so I havent actually 'marched into the dark'

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

Everyone who's played a significant role in my life :)

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

Nah, I am attractive hahahahaha and fame is overrated

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

Being alive is surviving....truly living is being happy whilst doing so

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

When you're out of options and no-one is listening to you

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always so afraid to make a mistake?

Because we are scared of what other people think, and we are scared of looking back and regretting things, when we shouldn't really because we really DO learn from mistakes

46. What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?

Oh, I don't know..

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

Just after I read this question hahaha

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

Lola, many actions reflect my love for Lola-Bear :)

49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

I hope so, every day is important and should be significant in some small way, even if it is defined by more important events surrounding it

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

I think its a bit of both sometimes, but I am still happy with that, sometimes you need a handing making the big ones :)

Wow, what a deep quiz!! It was good to do though, made me think of a lot of things differently. Worth taking if you want to seriously look at what you beleive in and what you want out of life :)

"Don't Ever Let it End"

2011-11-20T03:34:00.001-08:00

I LOVE Nickelback. I have heard it been referred to as 'devil's music' and I admit a lot of their songs are very ahem sexual, but a lot of them are really profound too and have amazing lyrics.

They released their new album 'Here&Now' this week and I love it!! Had it on repeat all day. Here are a few lyrics samples just to banish the myth that they're a rockin' sex-mad band haha

My favourite song on the album, its so cute and reminds me of stuff :)
Ill put the whole song coz I love it

Don't ever let it end

Well I got two tickets to the game
It'd be great if I could take you to it this Sunday
And I'll walk you home when the whole things done
And if you're there I don't even care which team won
We can stop at the coffee shop
And make fun of the cops in the parking lot
We can laugh as we both pretend that we're not in love and that we're just
Good friends

Well I'm tired of pretending, but I'm terrified of it ending
I know if not for you there's nothing I could do to ever let it end
And I know you feel the same way, cause you told me drunk on your birthday
And as you pulled to me whispered in my ear "don't ever let it end"

Don't let it end
Don't let it end
Don't ever let it end

Saturday I'm going to take her out because her favorite band is gonna play
Downtown
Gonna sing the song we've all heard of
Bout those two good friends that shoulda fell in love
Later on we'll cut through the park and she can hold my hand cause she
Hates the dark
We can laugh as we both pretend that we're not in love and that we're just
Good friends

Well I'm tired of pretending, but I'm terrified of it ending
I know if not for you there's nothing I could do to ever let it end
And I know you feel the same way, cause you told me drunk on your birthday
And as you pulled to me whispered in my ear "don't ever let it end"

Don't let it end
Don't let it end (Please promise me that this won't end)
Don't ever let it end

The greatest time we've ever had
It's crazy now just looking back
You never know where life's gonna go
Cause we're the only ones who'll ever know
About Sunday night just her and I
Sitting side by side in the full moonlight
I pull her close just to hold her tight
And the both of us could tell it just felt right
She looked at me in the sweetest way
Like she could tell what the hell I was about to say
Musta took a while just to find the words
Cause she cut me off and finally said it first

Well I'm tired of pretending, but I'm terrified of it ending
I know if not for you there's nothing I could do to ever let it end
And you know I feel the same way, cause I told you drunk on your birthday
And as you pulled to me whispered in my ear "don't ever let it end"

Don't let it end
Don't let it end
(Please promise me that this won't end)
Don't ever let it end

Trying not to Love you

Cause trying not to love you, only goes so far
Trying not to need you, is tearing me apart
Can't see the silver lining, from down here on the floor
And I just keep on trying, but I don't know what for'Cause trying not to love you
Only makes me love you more
Only makes me love you more

And this kind of pain, only time takes away
That's why it's harder to let you go
And nothing I can do, without thinking of you
That's why it's harder to let you go

When We Stand Together

One more depending on a Prayer
And we all look away
One more depending on a prayer
And we all look away
People pretending everywhere It's just another day
There's bullets flying through the air
And they still carry on
We watch it happen over there
And then just turn it off

They tell us everything's alright
and we all go along
how can we fall asleep at night
when something's clearly wrong
when we could feed a starving world
with what we throw away..

See? told you there's some awesome substance there, definitely worth a listen if you haven't heard them, I have loved them for years :)

From the Outside

2011-11-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

Isnt it strange how people perceive us as individuals?

How people see a person who is completely happy with themselves and is balanced and together and has their life planned out and perfect?

And yet inside you're a healing emotional wreck, who will never fully forget certain parts of your life.

Today, we had family friends come over, and we talked about lots of things, they got defensive about their daughter and blamed it on her overwhelming desire to be popular. She 'wasted' her intelligence due to this. They told me, it was 'easy' for me because I didn't 'worry' about things like that.

Little did they know what absolute hell school was for me. True, I never wanted to be popular, but I sure as hell wished I was invisible pretty much my whole school life. From moving to Australia and starting primary school here at 11, it was rough. I was a happy kid in Wales; I had friends, I was doing well, I had a loving family, I was confident, I had it all. I moved here and from the first day of having my stuff thrown on the floor by the bitch from hell, it was a nightmare. I came home from school and cried countless times in both primary AND high school.

I constantly tried to fit in with people and it just didnt work. I probably had about 4 people I could actually say were proper friends in high school.

To say I was glad to finish school is nothing short of an understatement.

And yet I appear to some to be this great person on the outside. Its only ever been a facade. I am so incredibly insecure, shy and lack self confidence like you wouldnt believe. I will never completely stop being that little girl who wanted to be invisible.

Uni is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I love the challenge, I love that I love what Im doing, I love that Im finally happy.

'Why dont you have a boyfriend?' is another one of my favourite questions because it really really annoys me. Why do people think its so weird to not have one?? I dont have time for one, all I've ever had from men is trouble, I am an absolute magnet for disaster, so it is safer and less complicated to NOT have one. They do not define you as a person.

Dont ever stop being who you are, and dont ever change for ANYONE. It comes back to get you in the long run.

Don't you dare, for one more second, surround yourself with people who are not aware of the greatness that you are. ~Jo Blackwell-Preston

Its very true you know :) Surround yourself with awesome people who deserve to be there.

Love yourself....or no one else ever will :)

Facelift!!

2011-11-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

yupp it happens every holidays, but here we go!!

I give you....a new blog layout, not that exciting I know, but I like it...much less messy and easier to read :)

I also added cats because they feature so much on the blog to my header.

It was nice to put photos of my ratties in the header...my four little babies <3 It was so weird because as I was looking through old photos of them and missing them, a song came on my Ipod on shuffle that I didnt even know was on there (and there's 630 songs on there!!) It was "I'll never forget you" by Mariah Carey. Here's a sample of the song:

"Cause time wasn't on your side
It isn't right
I can't say I love you
It's too late to tell you
But I really need you to know

Oh baby no
I'll never forget you
I'll never let you out of my heart
You will always be here with me
I'll hold on to the memories baby

Now baby can you hear me
Wherever you may be
Tonight
Are you near me
I need you to be
By my side"

How incredibly apt, thank you boys and girls for reminding me that you will always be around.

I love you four so much and will never EVER forget you

You are forever my babies

Infinite x's and o's

2 years done and dusted!!

2011-11-05T04:40:00.000-07:00

and man they went fast!!

I cannot BELIEVE I will (hopefully!!) be completing my first degree at the end of next year!! And I will officially have a bachelor of environmental design. Then it will be two years of masters to follow...fun fun :P

So folio is finito, it was stressfull of course but not as bad as previous ones. My model ended up looking ok and I learnt the joys of VRay for Sketchup Pro and Im in love!! It made my 3D models look awesome!!

So thought I'd share a bit of my work with you all, so you can see I havent just been hiding for a few weeks!!

A quick rundown of the project:
Its in Fremantle, Western Australia on a public carpark, we had to do a mixed use development with at least 6 public and 6 residential functions. Here's my response to the brief, and what I've been working on all semester

My site in Fremantle - Streetscapes and Collaged Perspective

My overall scheme - rendered by Vray, modelled in Sketchup Pro 8.0

"Pannister" Cafe - my main Urban Engagement Point - as above

Plans (Basement, First Floor and Upper Apartments) - 1:200

Longitudinal Section 1:200

My physical Model - many hours, tears and bad moods!! - White coreboard, laser-etched base and architecture modelling mesh 1:200

Physical model take 2 - as above

And this was taken on my 19th Birthday on Oct 24th :) Went to little Ceasars for pizza with my amazing family

And how would I have got through all this without my babies? Here Lola and Harley checkin' out my birthday present ;) Yes we all know its a Tiffany&Co bag, lucky me!! I finally have the seto f 3 bracelets (got the peace one for my 19th)

Harley attending Model-Making class, he just sat and watched attentively unlike his naughty NAUGHTY baby sister who knocked half of my apartments on the floor and had me in floods of tears haha, Love you Lola :P

My precious, naughty baby girl <3 Don't know what I'd do without her, she loves architecture, especially trace paper and likes to 'help' haha


She's grown and changed so much, I have never been loved by anyone as much as Lola loves me...its a privilege :)

And thats my lengthy update....also a big thanks to my buddy Jordan for sending me a birthday card all the way from the US...I have no idea how you knew but thanks a lot, it made my day and its so gorgeous how you hand-made it all!! Thank youu :) xoxo

Speak soon!!

Summer

2011-10-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

So today might actually be the first official day of Summer...because it was like, 35 degrees and just perfectly incredibly awesome weather. And where was I?

You guessed it, at my desk, facing a blank white wall, in my room, playing with cardboard and staring at a computer screen. Sometimes I think I'm wasting a lot of life doing silly things like this, but I get the biggest buzz when I finish them. I am a perfectionist and an achiever and I get bored very easily if Im not doing a challenge. And if you're up for a challenge, who's to say that's not living? Courage and tenacity are important qualities. They will get us far in life.

In saying that I still wish I could drop it all and get outside more sometimes. But it will all come in good time (just under three weeks actually!!) So its all gonna be fine. That's if I finish this nightmare of a project. Its doing my head in trying to work out the logistics!!

Today I saw what might possibly one of the most stunning houses I have EVER seen. I watched a program on it, wealthy businessman, no budget, Hamilton Island...hmm, just destined to be a stunner. The use of such a brute material as concrete in such a detailed and delicate way is beautiful and the engagement with the natural and the water is truly breathataking. Here's a pic, a little piece of my architecture world for you all!!

Solis House, Hamilton Island by Renato D'Ettorre Architects
photos from sancastlestv.com

Three weeks till freedom..

2011-10-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

..and I am seriously ready for it now!!

um, haven't updated in a while I guess. Lola is doing fantastically well after her op, she refused to wear her lamphade, but didnt touch her stitches coz she was too busy being distracted by her amazing kitten life :)
Took her back after 10 days and the vet told me she was absolutely fine. I am so so relieved that op is out of the way, I was so worried for my baby girl.

Folio is almost here for me again. I am finishing up my other units as of tomorrow, and I then have to design a multifunctional complex in Fremantle which has at least 6 public functions and 6 residential apartments. Its the biggest project I've ever done so wish me luck!! I have a great idea, just gotta pull it off!!

My birthday is pretty soon, and I am saying goodbye to my (I'm ashamed to say boring) days of being 18. I kinda spoilt my Mum's present, as she was planning on getting me te final tiffany bracelet in my set of 3, I currently have two of them (one I got for getting high exam scores and getting into uni and the other for my 18th). Im so excited to be getting it finally, but I was already looking on Tiffany's website and asking Mum if she'd go halves with me on something. Turns out she was one step ahead haha thanks Mum, I cant wait :)

That's all I guess, I didn't even get crushed in Studio for having hardly any work since Monday!!

Love,

My beautiful baby girl :)

2011-09-26T23:22:00.001-07:00

So Lola is home!!
I picked her up yesterday at 2:15pm and her eyes were absoloutely massive from the drugs :P
The sad thing is was that she would not rest at all yesterday, it was like she was scared to go to sleep poor angel. She ran around like a nutter from 2:30 till 11pm, I couldn't believe it, was so stressed she was gonna hurt herself!! However she fell asleep on my head, woke me up at 5:30am this morning as usual and is much better today and making up on lost sleep :)

Me and Lola on Sunday, Pre-Op :)

She is SUPPOSED to be wearing this collar but I have tried everything...collar, bandage, harness etc. but she keeps getting it off, she's like houdini of the cat world lol

Lola today taken, like just now...just chillin' on my desk having a well earned snooze and joining in with my architecture fun (which I haven't done much of yet lol)

Words cant describe how incredibly relieved I am that you are ok Lola. I was worried sick yesterday, when I got the phone call to say you were ok, I was so so happy :) You are a tough little girl and I will hopefully never have to put you through something like that again!!

Just on a side note we went to Moore River on Sunday (my first time going somewhere besides joondalup, whitfords, work and uni in a while!!) Dad and May took some nice photos so thought I'd post 'em up. So here is my lovely family :)

yes my brother is special hahahaha

talk soon!!

Loving an animal is tough

2011-09-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

...mainly because you love them so much, you don't want anything bad to happen to them.

I dropped Lola off at the Vets this morning and cried before I left the house, managed to hold it together at the vets and burst into tears when I got out of there. It is so very hard leaving my baby girl with strangers and hoping they will take good care of her.

I dropped her off at 8am this morning and should hopefully be able to pick her up between 3 and 5 today. I feel so sick and stressed out and Im praying nothing bad will happen to her and that it all goes ok for her.

I should probably be doing my uni work but Im finding it very hard to concentrate on anything right now because its weird that my baby's not here and Im thinking of her constantly.

She's a tough little cookie though and she's already had a crappy start to life so Im hoping she'll be absolutely fine, I will be spoiling (and feeding!!) her when she gets home. She had to miss two meals last night and she cried non stop from 5am onwards and I felt so guilty because she didn't understand why I wasn't feeding her :(

I love you so much Lola-Bear, I am with you in spirit every single step of the way today sweetie, your pain is mine believe me. <3

Will update later and let you all know how she gets on

Booked In

2011-09-20T03:59:00.000-07:00

Lola is booked in for her sterilisation and microchip next Monday and I would be lying if I didn't say that I'm terrified. She's my baby and Im putting her life in someone else's hands and Im worried sick already.

Its funny how something so small can change your life so quickly. She is so full of life and I love her like nothing else on this earth. She eats me out of house and home, sheds her long fur all over the place whilst happily flinging kitty litter around the room as she goes, drives me crazy, makes me laugh and most importantly shows me the most incredible unconditional love. I cant even describe the way she looks at me. I love waking up in the middle of the night and shes curled up on my pillow next to me (sometimes with her paw stuck in my eye haha). She's also a massive brat and mews at high pitched volumes in the morning at 5:30 (NOT fun).

Im supposed to fast her from 8pm on Sunday night, its gonna be a nightmare, she usually has dinner at 11pm and then again at 6am, she's going to be seriously whingeing (and very jealous of Harley lol).

Anyway wish her luck, sure Ill be bawling on Monday after leaving her with the vets, but at least Im on study break so I can be with her while she recovers.

For Lola

2011-09-13T03:23:00.000-07:00

To my baby girl who has changed my life forever.
I found this gorgeous poem that I think reflects our relationship

"When you look into my eyes I know what you will see.
There is only love and trust where fear once used to be.

For I was an abandoned animal a cold and hungry stray.
But you reached out your gentle hands
And took me home to stay.

I've eagerly accepted the compassion you have shown.
I soon forgot the times
When I was frightened and alone.

You opened up your heart to me
And taught me how to trust.
You've given me a loving home where kindness is a must.

So when you gaze into my face I hope you'll realize.
That "love without condition" is reflected in my eyes. "

by
Elyse Goldstein, New York, N.Y.

I love you so much Lola-Bear, more than words can ever say xo

One Down and One to Go

2011-09-09T05:23:00.001-07:00

Phew, tht was one of the tougher weeks thats for sure!!

This semester we are doing a construction assignment and I struggled like you wouldn't believe. Didnt seem to matter how much I stared at it or researched it, it all seemed like gibberish to me. Still it's in, it's done...pass or fail... to be honest I am past caring, it was that hard.

As you can see me and Lola have had a tough week but she has been with me all the way.. :)

So settled into being an architect students baby...minding the equipment!!

but we made sure to take breaks in the sun to get our vitamin D and clear our minds <3

And we took big brother Harley :)

Then got back to drawing steel beams, Lola was my faithful shadow the whole time :)

Then we went to visit Travis again in the garden, its funny how much Lola loves her big big BIG brother (like he's literally like 4 times the size of her!!)

So there's our pictures, as you can see Lola has grown, lost all her lovely pale gray fur and is now sporting black and ginger (bit like me really!! haha)

So so glad my assignments in, went to the city and then the Esplanade foreshore afterwards and read my book in the sun, it was so lovely just to sit there doing nothing :) Which kinda got spoilt by the fact I have a huge assignment of equal weighting for a different unit due Monday :( But did 3 hours of that this evening (we were the only three losers in uni on a Friday afternoon...but we had pizza shapes and vanilla coke so it was all good!!

Wish me luck!!
Love George and Lola xx

Aargh!

2011-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I really want to say a very bad word a LOT lately, but I won't because it's not nice and no one probably cares anyway.

Uni is freaking me out big time, I have like two major assignments due thursday (40%) and friday (40%)

It doesnt help I have no idea in hell what I'm doing on the one assignment. Times like this I wish I was an engineer or a tradie...or at least knew one who understands construction drawings, coz they sure as hell got me confused!!

Wish me luck, Im going to be a complete zombie by next week.

Um yay its the weekend?? I dont think so...

A well needed update

2011-08-25T04:47:00.000-07:00

oh my goshhhhhhhhh!!

WHY is life so freakin' hard??

Uni, is quite honestly this semester, a nightmare. It's very tough, very stressfull and very frustrating. Australian architecture? not exciting enough for people to have written about it = no books for essays, tech? dont even go there, it's beyond me, studio? hmm, we're getting there...

Sigh

on the plus side my social life is on the up, my animals are amazing and work is good, so my life finally has a bit more balance to it...yet, I wonder if thats a good thing or a bad thing. Went out to dinner for my friend's 20th at Tony Romas in Perth last friday night, that was awesome fun...especially as all 12 of us forgot to book a table!! :) I had an awards night at work last week, finally got to wear my beautiful little black dress...we didnt win anything, but my bosses did good...go girls!! :) Food was beautiful and the theme was French - black, white and hot pink!!

ummm, Lola is amazing, she is growing and her fur is changing colour (sob, she was so pretty) but she is the most loving little creature. She loves to see me when I get home, follows me everywhere and is cheeky, cute and kinda amazing :) I love you baby girl, you are keeping me mentally stable.

Taylor Swift is comintg to Perth in March!!!!!!!!!! You have no idea how excited me and my sis are. Tickets come out tomorrow and we are so going!! It will be so incredibly epic, I am super excited (I know its lame to like her, but I dont really care...she's awesome and I love her lol and my friend is older than me and loves her too so Im not the only one!!)

Went to Zumba on Tuesday for the first time in ages, was so awesome and forgot how much I loved it, the party session is so much better than the one I used to go to.

On a more sombre note, I know a few people who have lost loved ones recently and it's heartbreaking trying to imagine what it must feel like. A family friend actually lost both her parents within 6 days of each other and my sister's best friend lost her dad and she is just 16 yrs old. I can't imagine my life without my parents, I know it will happen one day, but it got me thinking how incredibly fragile life is. "So live each moment like your last, leave old pictures in the past...and call old friends you never see, reminisce on memories and forget your enemeies...coz if today was your last day and tomorrow was too late, could you say goodbye to yesterday?" - Nickelback.

Love yourself, love your life, love your family, love your friends...just love breathing and being alive, its a seriously precious gift.

Hope you're all doing ok, miss you all
and miss writing on here,
its like my therapy, it helps clear my mind!!
Love you all,
George xoxoxoxo

Dear Dougal,

2011-08-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's 10:48pm....this is about the time, this time last year, that my whole world fell apart.

It's the 6th of August 2011. It has been a whole year since my heart broke into a million pieces, since I cried till I had no more tears left, since it hurt so much I found it hard to breathe.

I remember every detail about that night Dougal, the way you breathed, the way you cuddled up to me, the way we spent your last moments, how you felt....everything.

How can time possibly go so fast, yet also seem like a lifetime ago??

I loved everything about you Dougal, and I'm happy to say that I smile when I think about you now, because that is the effect you had on me your entire life. You loved me when sometimes I felt like no one else did, you never judged me at a time when I felt the whole world was judging me, and you were there when I finally figured it all out. I love you for that little man, and I will always be grateful.

I miss my rats, all of you, like you wouldn't believe...I think about you all the time, wishing I could have done more, wishing you were still here and wishing I could see you again.

My rat days are far from over...I plan to share my life with them again some day :)

For now though, the fact I have been given Lola, something I beleive could only be a gift from my babies, just blows me away every time I see her. Every time Lola does something oddly 'rat-like' I smile and think maybe she is the essence of all of you. Tilly's courage and beauty, Otis' lovingness and gentleness, Nougat's cheekiness and affections and most of all, Dougal's unconditional love, ways and mannerisms. She is all of you and none of you. She is everything that is beautiful in the world. She makes me laugh, smile and shout and I would not have her any other way. She is my precious little baby, who loves me, stays with me and lets me be a mum again.

Thank you for Lola,
Thank you for choosing to share your lives with me,
I miss you every moment of every day and you can never be replaced

You can however be celebrated :)

I love you all so much,
Forever and always,

New Design

2011-08-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!!!

Just started back at uni (so excited about this semester's project!!) so probably wont be on here as much, but I'll probably drift in and out as often as I can.

So here is a design I worked on in my break, I like it, I think it's cute-as but I may be a tad biased...alternative feedback (excluding moi) would be very helpful and probably more beneficial!! Hope you love it, its available as a Tshirt, hoodie, mousemat, mug and tote bag :) All available at my Zazzle site

Love George and Lola xxxx

It's a momentous day for me

2011-07-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess it's not really that momentous an occassion, but for me, who dreams of going to New York and working/shopping/visiting there, it's pretty awesome!!

As many of you know, I design a lot of rat-themed products on my redbubble site and my zazzle site. On my zazzle site, I have designed a pair of shoes. They're Keds, they're gorgeous and I want some for myself!! :)

Well I sold a pair this morning. I didn't make much from them but that's really not the point...

BECAUSE SOMEONE IN NEW YORK IS GOING TO BE WEARING MY SHOES!!!

So, I HAVE made it to New York...maybe not in person, but my designs have got there. I'm so proud of myself and am super excited, because who knows? Maybe this will be my big design break!!

Interested in checking out these cute-as shoes?
Visit my Zazzle site: http://www.zazzle.com/mustloverats

"A New Kitten will turn your house upside down and at the same time make everything seem right" :)

2011-07-29T23:59:00.000-07:00

Sure does!!

Lola-bear has seriously turned my life upside down with her early morning starts, chaotic antics and inquistive nature but I wouldn't have her any other way. I love her to bits, she is an absolute joy :)

I also am blown away by her intelligence and her attentiveness. For something so young she listens to me when I talk to her, comes when I call her, and is Little Miss Cheeky!! Of course she's naughty as well but that kittens for you!!

She's had both vaccines now and her new harness arrived the other day, so now I walk her around the garden as well which she LOVES. She's not like Harley, who sits on the ground and won't move because he's scared. She actually walks on her lead!! She loves running around the garden playing with palm leaves and watching birds and chasing flies :)

So here's some pics of course!!

The Family :)

"The enthusiasm of a Kitten is contagious" <3

Lola modelling her new lead

Looking good baby girl!!

Harley Sitting on the step, where he stayed for the rest of his duration outside!! hehe

"When you're alone with your kitten...you dont have to act your age" - so true!! I act like a 5 yr old!! :)

Chillin' on my sister's bed, she's grown a lot as you can see, and her grey is disappearing and turning black and ginger :P haha

I love you Lola :) xxxxx

Phew!!

2011-07-23T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hey!

sorry I haven't written for a while but I have had one HELL of a hectic week!!

I'm rather proud of myself I must admit, because I have been working at my current job for just 9 months, and I'm only 18, and it was me who got to play manager for a week while my actual manager went to the city store.

Stressfull is an understatement, and the responsibility of a jewellery store is just plain scary but I did it and managed to make budget for the WEEK (whoohoo) and sold a 1 carat solitaire ring on my first day on the job for $2999!!! Not bad going hay!!

I did a 6 day week from 8:30am - 5:30pm which is a change for me too, coz I've only done one week of full time work this time last year, but it was worth it because I learnt HEAPS, and as thanks for the favour my manager has guaranteed me a full day of work Saturday every week whilst Im at uni so that was worth all the stress!!!

So today is my day off, I go back to uni soon, and I guess it will be good, though I have enjoyed getting a bit more money together, it's not fun being broke I tell you!!

Anyway that's pretty much all I can talk about coz that's pretty much all I did all week.

In animal news, Trav has had a lovely new bed, I shall post a pic soon, Lola is getting bigger and cuter, and Harley is adorable as always.

Last night I watched 'Topgun', a really great classic movie for those of you who haven't seen it!! I even watched it on video, which is something I haven't done for a couple of years hahahaha (Tom Cruise is rather hot in it...shame he's so short though!! and kinda old now haha)

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!

Lola's Latest photo shoot

2011-07-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

oh and just as an end note to the post below, here are Lola's latest photos!

I named my darling little bush baby after my favourtie perfume (though I probably should have called her Bushy/Tree-hugger or Eucalyptus!!). Anyway, me being, uh, me, I named her after 'Lola' by Marc Jacobs.

For my 18th birthday my brother (with some/*cough* a lot) of help from my parents got me a Marc jacobs gift set and it came in this awesome little box. So while she's still small enough to fit in it, we chucked in some biscuits, a bit of patience and a lot of hand clapping and Dad (gormaymax photography) got this!!

Needless to say I am THRILLED with how they turned out, definitely one for the wall. Lookin' good baby girl, you're getting more like your Mama every single day <3

Lola goes outside

2011-07-17T02:22:00.000-07:00

So yesterday Lola ventured outside for the first time!

It was a beautiful sunny day and as I thought, Lola absolutely loved it, she's much braver than Harley who heard a bang while he was out there and had a 'little accident' on my sister's hoodie...oops!!

So here is Lola exploring the world

She was joined by her big brother Travis who wanted some camera time too

Whilst her other brother, fatty Harls watched safely from the door

But it's ok because the pair were happy to look at the garden from safely inside the house after their ordeal :)

I ordered Lola her own kitten harness online yesterday too, it's purple because they didn't have any pink and it had a free pet tag with it!! This is what they look like:

Also ordered Trav one as I had a bit of money left over in my Paypal account:

got him the black one :)

working a 6 day week this week so you probably won't see me much
until then!!

Lola&Uni

2011-07-16T02:31:00.000-07:00

suppose the two are not mutually exclusive, but they are the topics of my post today so despite being independent subjects, I've combined them in the title!

---LOLA---

Lola bear is now 13 weeks old, 1.4Kg and absolutely gorgeous!! She's also a right little monkey who thinks waking me up at 5:45am is funny, but still!!
Today she had her second vaccination, and fingers cross she's not ill after it like the last one. Only yearly vaccines from here on in, so that's good!! However next step is sterilisation and microchipping at 24 weeks and I'm worried about it already. I just love her so much, I don't want to put her through it :P She'll have to wear a little bucket on her head too poor little angel.

She is apparently in good health, has 'unique' fur, and 'beautiful eyes' according to the vet, which I took to all be compliments and am relieved that my little tree hugger has settled into indoor cat life so well.

I will be buying her a harness and lead soon too so she can roam outside safely (Harley hates going outside and is a real scaredy-cat) but Lola has a natural curiosity and a real sense of adventure so I think she will actually enjoy the time outdoors, plus its good for them to get their vitamin D :)

---UNI---

Oh the love??? of my life!

Well, today my uni results came out for 1st semester of my second year and I can now safely say I am halfway through my first degree (oh my gosh how did that happen so fast??)

So here they are:

Architecture: Modern History 83% HIGH DISTINCTION

whoohoo! was definitely not expecting to get this high, and I thought I made a massive mistake picking one of the hardest questions for my major essay (when I handed in my abstract for it, my tutor was like 'too vague, haven't defined your argument, not enough evidence to back this up, needs more research etc.) I must have taken it on board though because I ended up getting 80%, and I must have done well on my exam too :D

Studio 68% CREDIT

my lowest mark and the one I am NOT happy with. I worked so hard all semester with my tutor saying what a 'great idea' it was and saying good to everything I showed him. Some constructive criticism would have been nice man, then I might have been able to improve it..grrrr Still it's a very comfortable pass :)

Digital Design 76% DISTINCTION

What the???
I hate digital design, it's hard, it's stressfull and my tutor didn't speak to me ONCE the entire semester, so basically taught myself, did the assignments and ended up with a really good mark, what a great teacher/student I am!! ;) hahaha

So overall I'm very happy and relieved with my results. You have to achieve an average of 60% over the first three years to do the last two years of masters, so its so far so good!!

That's all I have to yap on about for now,

until next time!!

Zazzle Sale

2011-07-15T04:40:00.000-07:00

Just want to say thank you to Jeffrey for purchasing a hat from my Zazzle site. The support means a lot to me and I'm excited that my products are starting to travel the world :)

If you are reading this and you've purchased something off my Zazzle or Redbubble site I would love to hear any feedback you may have...good or bad!! Any comments about:
-Quality
-Design
-Opinion
-Satisfaction with the product

...would be greatly appreciated as I'm always looking to expand and improve. Also if there's something rat related you'd like to see for sale on my sites, I would love to see what I can do to help you out.

I'm trying to change people's minds about rats, one Tshirt at a time :) Hopefully spreading the word will let people know how amazing these truly beautiful creatures are. I owe it to my babies, coz I can't keep these beautiful animals any more, I need to make sure there are people open-minded enough out there willing to educate themselves and hopefully give these beautiful animals a chance to be a part of their lives. Trust me when I say you will have an incredible friend :)

Any additional info please email me at: mustloverats@yahoo.com.au

~Georgia~

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

2011-07-14T02:27:00.000-07:00

Sarah thank you so much for letting me know this book is out!!

I bought it yesterday and have already started reading it, though it is not going as I expected it to. For those of you who are fans of the 'travelling pants' series by Ann Brashares, you have GOT to read this book, it's like the epilogue to the series and is set 10 years after the fourth book, when the girls are 29 going on 30.

I will not spoil it, but the plot took a twist I completely wasn't expecting, and even though I'm only halfway through, the story has got me thinking about a lot of things.

Like the fact that even if we as people may have done some amazing things, or met amazing people or had a really perfect life...maybe we even had a really shit one, it appears that a large portion of our lives are out of our control, though I do believe we can change it, however I wouldn't say that was an easy thing to do.

And when people regret losing touch with people or saying goodbye to loved ones, and don't make the effort to keep up contact it gets you wondering whether it will come back to haunt you later on in life. Or maybe what you don't know doesn't hurt you. I admit to have done some really dumb things and also some really good things, I don't think you can really judge what category they're in until they're in your past. I'm a believer of living in the moment and (trying??) not to have any regrets when you look back on your life, but I think that may be an impossible feat. Because no matter how much you live for the present, it will always become a past, pretty much from the moment you've done it. When IS the moment in time a moment becomes a memory??

And it amazes me that one moment, one thing can change everything. And that is why people live forever agonizing over that one thing they did or didn't do and try and imagine they're life if they had chosen the other path. I think fate will be fate and the rest will follow but it's much easier said than done.

Tragedy is dealt with too, and when it is portrayed as an element which turns even the closest of people away from each other as they struggle to comprehend their own feelings and piece their own hearts back together, it got me thinking how selfish we beecome in sadness. Maybe that's not always the case, maybe there are some people who accept help, and let people in, but I know I am a 'selfish' mourner. I hate feeling out of control of my own feelings, I hate it when I'm trying to come to terms with something as permanent as saying goodbye. I push people away and become so incredibly defensive and snappy, not because I don't appreciate that people are trying to help and that they care, but because I'm afraid letting them in is the final blow to someone holding themselves together.

When people move past that inevitable stage and start living again and feel guilty for it, it's hard to make them see that it's ok to be happy, to be alive. It's important that you get back to that mentality because you only have one life and although you lose a lot in it you also gain a lot as well, and that is an important thing to remember.

Taylor Swift said "Why would you wanna go and break a perfectly good heart?" but does anyone actually HAVE a perfectly good heart? Maybe a newborn baby.. I think the further you go into life the more 'imperfectly good' your heart gets, because every time it gets broken, I don't think it ever fully goes back together. Maybe there's always a piece missing, like when Jews smash a glass at their wedding to ensure the time taken to put it back together will be how long their marriage lasts. I read in a book of someone throwing a piece away so a couple's happiness would last forever. Maybe that's what happens to your heart. Every loss loses a piece you can't ever get back so you can never forget the events of your life, good and bad. Maybe this is a good thing, maybe not, maybe it's a matter of opinion...

Obviously this is what goes on my messed up head when I'm reading what may in fact just be a nice little story, but hey, I've always been one for a bit of good old abstraction!!

Love always,

The List

2011-07-11T02:55:00.000-07:00

Saw this on a few other people's blogs, including my sister's and decided to do one too.

So here it is, the list of my life, what I hope to do with it before I die. All my hopes, dreams, goals and wishes. Hopefully even I just do some of it, I will be a happy girl, Im not greedy!! But it's good to aim high to start off with :)

~ Graduate from Uni

~Become an Architect

~Go to...

-FRANCE

-ITALY

-MELBOURNE

-GERMANY

-NEW YORK

~Learn to drive so I can...

-Do a road trip with my sister

-Drive/Own a Ferrari

~Own more rats

~Own my own house/apartment

~Make my mark on the world :)

~Own a Pair of Jimmy Choos

~Keep watching the Sun set

~Read as many books as I can

~Keep loving and keeping Kittens

~Live with no regrets

~Create a Masterpiece

~To be comfortable enough to be myself with EVERYONE :)

~LIVE. LOVE. LIFE~

Love always,

Winter

2011-07-10T00:24:00.000-07:00

Man I hate it. I mean I dont have anything against it personally, but come on, it freezing here. It's warmer outside the house than in which is even more disturbing!!

As you have probably guessed it is very cold today, I hate the cold, it depresses me. However in trying to look on the bright side of life, here are some positives about today and this week in general.

1. Work has been fasntastic this week, I've done the most shifts I've done in a long time (4 days), did a whopping $3000 sale on Thursday (the biggest I've ever done and it was by myself which was awesome), and made over 90% of my budget for the week, despite it looking pretty grim yesterday until about 3:15pm, when I managed to sell some expensive stuff right up until closing :D whoohoo!! Keeps my job, keeps the area managers off my back and training is paying off!!

2. Lola is adorable, and keeps me from having permanent goosebumps at night. She is sitting on my lap even as I write this and is so damn cute, is growing so much and is getting naughtier by the second.

3. I took Trav for a walk today and it was freezing but in a good way. It was just me, him and my thoughts and it made me feel tonnes better, despite being unable to feel my fingers when I got home!!

4. I went driving for the first time in forever today and it actually went really good. I practiced reversing and three point turns and hopefully I can get Dad to take me out a bit more, because I'm really really sick of being the only person who STILL doesn't have a license. I am not allowed to whinge about this coz it drives my Mum crazy, but it DOES frustrate me so I shall vent it out on here instead because it stops me putting my foot in it later on ;) haha

5. Last on; I can smell dinner cooking, and I'm starving so I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I shall write soon :)

Right now I am loving...

2011-07-05T00:55:00.000-07:00

-Kittens - especially ones that are amazingly adorable and go by the names of Harley & Lola

-Coles choc chip cookies and lipton sweet honey chai lattes (this is an amazing combination I would definitely recommend)

-Sex and the City: such a hillarious show, finally got the movies as well :D

-Taylor Swift

-Shoes, as always: especially converse (as always!), and my boots :)

My favourite songs right now are Christina Perri's 'Jar of hearts' (which my sister said applies to me, how mean :( hahaha) and Taylor Swifts 'Sparks fly', which is so cute

Christina Perri - Jar of Hearts

Chorus:

"And who do you think you are?
Runnin' 'round leaving scars
Collecting your jar of hearts
And tearing love apart

You're gonna catch a cold
From the ice inside your soul
So don't come back for me
Who do you think you are?"

Taylor Swift - Sparks Fly

Extract:

"My mind forgets to remind me
You're a bad idea
You touch me once and it's really something,
You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be.
I'm on my guard for the rest of the world
But with you I know it's no good
And I could wait patiently but I really wish you would...

Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile"

--- * ---

Lola is doing wonderfully too by the way :)
She has put on lots of weight, is getting bigger and fatter by the day, last night was cold and she slept on my head all night, fairly hard to breathe lol She's a beautiful girl and is getting cheekier, naughtier and overall more adorable by the day :)

She goes for her second vaccine on the 16th of July, which I'm sure she's not looking forward to!

Hope everyone and their animals are doing good :)

Love always,

Rats: They will forever leave an impact on my life

2011-07-04T04:59:00.000-07:00

If you think time heals all wounds, I guess I would have to tell you that it sort of does, but then isn't that what everyone would have to tell you?

Because no matter how much you think you are over someone, something, anything...you never are. True in many aspects of my life.

One area in particular is my babies, my angels, my little ones who have passed. You all know I'm talking about my rats :)
I was watching a vet show (Dr Harry's practice). I've seen a LOT of dogs and cats on there, having ops, care tips, breed advice etc. But tonight a teenage girl brought her beautiful female rat in, except the poor thing had an absolutely massive tumor that was beyond help. I've never seen a rat on there before, and I wish I hadn't watched it, I thought I could handle it fine, I already knew what the outcome of it was going to be. When the vet said there was nothing to do but put 'Minnie' to sleep, I was already crying.

Because to many people, that rat could have been just a rat, or a strange pet or in some cases even a pest (silly ignorant people), yet I saw my fourteen year old self in that girl, who clearly adored her baby girl. I burst into tears when she put her little girl on her shoulder for one last kiss, because it's exactly what I would have done in the circumstances. All I could think of watching it was Tilly, and how incredibly thankful I was that she passed naturally without medical intervention...and that her tumor didn't grow to that incredible size, because it was heartbreaking enough saying goodbye as it was.

I will never 'get over' my rats. They firmly imprinted themselves on my heart and left a permanent mark on my life. I think of them all the time, and the fact I can dissolve into tears when I saw someone saying goodbye kind of put me at peace, because I'm terrified I will forget how amazing they were, how privileged I was to have shared my life with them...and time has not and will not ever change how much I loved my babies.

Time eases wounds but does not fully heal them, like physical damage it leaves a scar that is a constant reminder. It may not be visible to anyone else, but it will always be visible to you and you will always be thankful that you can't forget.

Pixie Lott said "have you heard of this thing that heals and it's called time?" well no, I haven't, actually, time doesn't really heal at all, it just eases.

Love who you share your life with, be thankful for what you are lucky enough to have, whether it be forever or for a brief time.

Love always,

Myopic-Chic? Get real by Danny Katz

2011-07-02T04:23:00.000-07:00

I just HAD to share this with you all. I read it in the West Australian today and was laughing so much I was crying, because as my fellow visually impaired, guide dog using friends may know, wearing glasses all the time is so. not. fun.

And the fact that peeps these day are deciding it's cool to wear fake ones to 'look cool'??? (huh, since when did glasses become cool, I've endured enough torture over them!!)

This article by Danny Katz captures perfectly how all we glasses wearers feel and I could so TOTALLY relate to pretty much everything in it, so people? my message is to you:

'If you don't have to wear them...uh, don't!!'

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did,

Love George :) xxx

"Hitting a person who wears glasses is a terrible thing, nobody should ever do it, there's no instance where it's acceptable — except of course, the instance where the person is wearing a pair of those clear-lens nonprescription fashion-glasses that they don't really need to wear. Then if the mood takes you, feel free to stroll right up to them and schhhmack them in their inner-city Buddy-Holly-themed non-visionimpaired retro-faces.

Because it's a huuuuge craze at the moment, this fake-glasses-wearing thing — non-myopic people everywhere are walking round in chunky clunky blackframe glasses that are so heavy, if they ever head downhill, they have to just lean forward and let the momentum take them.

But on behalf of all the genuinely myopic folk, I say NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT, IT'S NOT FAIR, YOU CANNOT ADOPT SPECKY-GITNESS ON A WHIM WITHOUT HAVING ENDURED THE ANGUISH OF A SPECKY-GITTED LIFE. The only people who are allowed to hop on the four-eyed bandwagon are the people who have to squint first to see if it is a bandwagon coming, and not, say, Tram 67 to Carnegie or a Jim's Dogwash trailer.

It's outrageous, this shortsighted attempt at shortsightedness. Nobody would ever fake other impairments for fashion — people wouldn't come out of a screening of The King's Speech saying, ''Y'know, Colin Firth made stuttering so sexy, might give it a g-g-g-go, see if it s-s-ssuits m-m-m-me.'' Guys are not showing up at nightclubs buckled over in a motorised wheelchair because ''that Stephen Hawking dude sure seems to pull a lotta chicks''.

But for some reason, with glasses it seems to be OK. But it's NOT — you have to EARN the right to be myopic-chic.

You have to have endured all those torturous years of schoolyard taunting, kids circling round you yelling ''four-eyed dork, four-eyed dork'' — and at the school swimming carnival when you had to wear goggles over your glasses, ''eighteyed dork, eighteyed dork''. You have to have endured the excruciating agony of wearing cheap wire-frames that your mum bought from Spec City with steel arms that were so razor-sharp, you had to wrap sponge round them so they didn't slice off your ears. You have to have endured the tragi-comic trauma of going on a romantic date and trying to make sexy-eyes through -5.5 corrective lenses, like a horny moray eel leering through magnified aquarium glass. You have to have endured the humiliating shame of wearing glasses during sex, killing the vibe by having to stop every two minutes to wipe condensation off the lenses with a pillow slip. You have to have endured the shameful humiliation of finally taking your glasses off during sex and not knowing what you're touching or grabbing, which is why the cat won't come into the bedroom any more.

You have to have endured the gutsick anxiety of buying glasses and not being able to see what the glasses look like on your face because you haven't got your glasses on — you have to stand with your face shmooshed against the mirror and then all you can see are two fat eyeballs and nose hair.

You have to have endured this kind of suffering before you are worthy of glasseswearing, and if you haven't, then remove those glasses from your nose-bridges immediately! Though I wasn't serious about the hitting thing. Nobody should ever hit a person wearing nonprescription clear-lens glasses. Because it just occurred to me that it'd really hurt our knuckles if they were wearing those supa-thick '50's-era Peter- Sellers-frames made of vulcanised vinyl." - Danny Katz

We are all (finally!) Australian!!

2011-06-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

Well we didn't think we'd get there, but my Family and I are finally all of dual nationality! I did my citizenship on January the 26th 2010 (Australia day) in a pretty massive ceremony and it was really good, but i did wish I could have had my family there with me. Still they all finally got around to it and on June the 29th 2011, the Hayden-Evans family finally all switched over to the 'dark side' and became Australians. It's great to properly belong to somewhere you've called home for the past 8 years and have the same opportunities as everyone else.

We can now get Australian passports, not ever have to worry about visas or getting deported hahahaha and we can live in whichever 'homeland' we want :) Of course as a compromise we also apparently have to lose half our brains, switch accents and use stupid phrases like 'G'day'...I'm joking, i'm joking, it's all good, I love Australia and though it's hard being away from family, I would not have my life any other way.

I'm also so proud of my Mum for sticking it out. No way did anyone think she would last this long and taking the final step in the journey was a huge deal for her, Im so proud of you Mam :)

So last night, my family attended a ceremony in Joondalup where 69 people were becoming Australian citizens from all over the world (how the host pronounced all those names right I will never know..what a job haha). It was a pretty informal ceremony, they had to take a pledge, listen to the world's most awful choir sing the Aussie anthem (I'm telling you, if you come from a singing nation like Wales with the world's most incredible anthem, it's hard not to judge that off-key performance!!) But it was still lovely and the parents had some native aussie plants and my brother and sister had a kangaroo toy. I, of course, in true fashion, embarrassed myself by falling off my chair coz I forgot they flipped back up once you got off them, so had my family in hysterics!! hahaha And then there was free booze and food, so all up a good night. So of course here are some pictures of my family's special night:

After they received all their certificates and stuff :)

Me and May at the Beach Shack in Hillarys (where we went for dinner afterwards)

Me, Mam and May :)

Family all grinning at thev camera, except May who's like 'I hate my life' haha

Taking the pledge :P

Me and the boys haahaha

My awesome sis :)

May and Harls celebrating

Maxi boy :)

well we had to celebrate...with the good stuff ;) cheapest wine around bahaha (Dad did buy sparkly too!!)

My siblings

Maya having a pash with her new Aussie boyfriend hahahaha

My brother may just be a doofus haha

Harley also getting cozy with a kanga hahaha

ceremony again..sorry these aren't in order!!

Me and May, how patriotic lol

The terrible trio hah!

May :)

And here are both our anthems (I still prefer the welsh one :) pretty different cultures thats for sure!!)

Australian

Advance Australia Fair

Australians all let us rejoice
For we are young and free
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea:
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare,
In history's page let every stage
Advance Australia fair,
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands,
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands,
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share,
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia fair.

Welsh

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

Cytgan
Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad,
Tra môr yn fur
I'r bur hoffbau,
O bydded i'r heniaith barhau.

Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i'm golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.
Cytgan

Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad dan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Gymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.
Cytgan

Love always!!

48 questions...stolen from my sister's blog..as per usual!!

2011-06-26T04:15:00.000-07:00

48 Questions...Feel Free To Post It Too :)

1. WHERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

No, just some lamo song called 'Georgia rain'...ugh I hate my name :P

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

No clue, I dont cry often enough to remember it

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

Love it, it's one of my better qualities!

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT?

Ew, lunch meat haha

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Yes, a 10 week old kitten called Lola :)

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

Probably not XD bahaha how worrying.. :P

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?

yes, a lot

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?

I believe so!!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?

No the idea of jumping off somwthing that high kinda freaks me out

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CEREAL?

Not really a cereal fan to be honest

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?

Nah too much effort!!

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ICE CREAM?

All of it, especially cookies and cream

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Their eyes :)

15. RED OR PINK?

pink...every time haha

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?

Um, I wish my eyes worked...I dont dislike 'em, I'd just like them to function please :D

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?

I miss so many people, saying goodbye to people in your life is always hard

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?

If they want to yes, Im just doing it coz im bored and I like reading May's answers :P

19. WHAT COLOUR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?

Not wearing shoes, just pink winnie the pooh (wow epic stuff) and blue check PJ pants that used to be my mums and are like 6 sizes too big for me :P

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?

My Ipod: Taylor Swift, Adele, Shania Twain, the Band Perry, Nickelback etc etc etc

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE?

Black haha

23. FAVOURITE SMELLS?

Lola by marc Jacobs, chai lattes, cinnamon, lynx africa, the ocean and gingerbread candles

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

My friend Qian asking me where the hell I was, she was apparently having a crisis lol

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?

Yes she's an incredible person and I love her muchly :)

26. FAVOURITE SPORTS TO WATCH?

Uh none? haha

27. HAIR COLOUR?

Kinda looking like a rottweiler right now, black with ranga roots bahaha I need a redye :P

28. EYE COLOUR?

Hazel

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?

Hell yeah, best invention...ever!! :P

30. FAVOURITE FOOD?

Chocolate, ice cream, anything my Mother puts in front of me ;)

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Depends, I like both

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?

Twintown...haha what a classic welsh comedy...makes me glad I moved out of the place, so glad I dont have an accent like that anymore!!

33. WHAT COLOUR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?

Black..duh :P

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?

Summerrr, hate winter its way too freezing

35. HUGS OR KISSES?

It depends :)

36. FAVOURITE DESSERT?

Um I have a sweet tooth, so Im not too fussed what it actually is lol

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

Not Sure

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?

Not sure

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?

Enid Blyton's circus series...I LOVED them as a kid and wanted to read them again to see how I look at them now, aww they're so quaint and old fashioned I love them!! :P I know, Im a total loser :)

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?

GEON logo (got it as a 'present' from work haha)

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?

Game plan (what a seriously cute movie haha) and twintown

42. FAVOURITE SOUND?

The ocean, my kitten mewing, music and rain falling :)

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?

Um neither? haha

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?

Uh well Im kind of like a million miles away from 'home' as it is. That's what happenes when you move overseas I suppose :)

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?

Unfortunately not, wish I did haha

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Glamorgan hospital, South Wales

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?

I am SO nosy so probably everyone's really haha

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?

Haven't :)

Lazy Sundays :)

2011-06-25T23:07:00.001-07:00

Nothing better than taking beautiful Travis out on the dunes on a Sunday morning.
And nothing better than a lazy Sunday morning in general!! First one I haven't had to be drawing/studying etc. for a long time!!

Slept in till 9:30 (lazy bum I know, but I was up at 6:30 feeding Lola!!) then took Trav out in Ocean Reef, I drove :D and was actually not terrible!! Croissants and Coffee and reading the paper, perfect :P

Hope everyone else is having/has had a good weekend
Much love,

Lola the Creative

2011-06-22T02:24:00.001-07:00

Actually more like me the creative!!

Im doing a sketchbook/scrapbook/journal type thing for Lola-Bear, and of course she thought it was awesome and fell asleep on it and I just HAD to share it with you guys coz she's just so damn cute!!

Hmm what else to write..

Worked all day yesterday, was pretty quiet but still fun, went out for brekkie with my Mum this morning to celebrate uni being over, that was awesome :)
Umm, just been doing nothing really, its good to do nothing sometimes, it makes you feel hell good, especially when you have a really hectic life usually!!

Hope you like the photo anyway,
I shall write soon

Little Miss Anxious

2011-06-20T04:50:00.000-07:00

...if I'd been a Roger Hargreaves Mr Men/Little Miss Character, this is DEFINETLY the one I would have been assigned to.

Yesterday I was in an absolute panic coz my little Lola girl was not her usual little self.

Lola went to the Vet for her 8 week vaccination (she's 9 weeks now apparently). She still a little baby who's still bony and so very fragile!! So she had her vaccination (and I said goodbye to a whole day's work!! :) and the vet said she was doing great, he was really good, I was impressed for once!! He had an obvious passion for animals (so many vets appear to see it just as a job these days, its sad) he was really really thorough and efficient with his checkup of Lola and talked to her and kept her calm the whole time. Then it was a jab in the neck and a warning that, like a baby, she might be very sleepy for the rest of the day (this was on Saturday)

Anyway we got home, she seemed fine, eating normally, running around with Harley, all good. Then my Mum accidentally trod on her foot and her toes are so tiny I was a bit concerned. Still fine after that, still running around, happy little girl. Then Sunday Morning, looking miserable, seriously heavy eyed. I picked her up and she squealed in pain when I touched her sides. Then when she got up to walk around, she was slow, stiff and limping. I was terrified she'd broken her foot or that she'd had a reaction to the vaccine!! Of course coz two things had happened the day before i had no idea which one was responsible for her being so unlike herself.

I DO think it was the vaccine coz she's absolutely fine today (Monday), shes running around, eating like a horse again, woke me up really early and putting weight on her foot. Little madam gave me quite a scare and she got me amazed how much you can love someone/something so quickly. Just the thought of her in pain was driving me crazy and the relief I felt to feel her bouncing around on my chest this morning was huge!!

She has to go back for another vaccine in three weeks, fingers crossed she'll deal with the booster a little better, she's just so tiny at the moment as well, I worry so much, get myself in a panic for nothing!!

So glad my little girl is alright :)
Dont scare me like that again baby!!
xo

All done...finally

2011-06-20T01:35:00.000-07:00

Today I had my first exam in nearly two years, it felt so weird to 'study' and memorise again!! It was on Architecture of the 19th and 20th Century and I would be lying if I didnt tell you that it is a VERY boring topic when forced to listen to 22 hours worth of lectures as a study aid!! Still, think I did ok, there were only two buildings I had abolutely no idea of, and the date were allowed to be +/- 5 years so that should help a lot!!

Still to show that I actually learnt something from the last week and um semester, I will share a few favourites with you:

Notre Dame Du Haut by Le Corbusier, Ronchamp France
Beautiful use of concrete, such an amazing form and play of light is really stunning

Villa Muller by Adolf Loos, Prague Czech Republic
Looks very boring from the outside, but its very elaborate inside and the the reasoning behind the plain facades is fabulous, love how individual this architect was and how he explored a different opinion on the modern man

Porte Dauphine Metro Entrance, Paris France
Such a beautiful little structure, so typical art Nouveau, love it!!

There was plenty more beautiful ones, but it would take forever to post the 124 slides I had to learn!!

Got my feedback form for folio back today, not as good as I'd hoped :(
Hate how much work you put in and you teacher telling you it great and you're going really well??????? and then have a comment saying otherwise. I mean, why not just say it's not completely working earlier?? that way I could have done something about it. Oh well what can you do, I blame Lola for distracting me :) I shall always remember it as the Folio I became a mother to a crazy little cat!! :)

So now Im all finished up till August thank goodness and I'm looking forward to not looking at too muh architecture :P

Hope everyone had a good weekend!!

Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

2011-06-16T04:07:00.000-07:00

Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars". Thats what I was listening too while Lola was on my bed on her back with me, playing with some freaky duck toy she's quite partial to :)

And I do forget the world when I'm with her. Right now I'm studying for my history exam on Monday, yet I forget it all when Lola walks into the room. Of course she's also being naughty, its only natural, she's a baby after all...her latest thing is trying to chew my laptop cord...not good, sweetie, not good at all!

Yet you never fail to make me smile, and you remind not to stress about life so much, I'm so much more relaxed since I got you.

Lola is off to the Vets on Saturday for her first vaccination. Hope it goes well, and I hope she's polite to the vet (no scratching/biting Lola!!), and is healthy. She has put on lots of weight in two weeks and is an adorable little furball.

Travis was funny last night.
The cats are occupying a lot of me and May's time, coz we're constantly getting Lola out of situations she shouldn't be in, her and Harley have mad dashes around the house and knock stuff over etc. You get the idea, its like having kids!! So, of course sweet tolerant Trav who is an angel around the house, has, I am ashamed to say been overlooked in the last two weeks.

Last night I guess enough was enough. He would NOT sit down and just kept standing there staring at me and wagging his tail. You cannot resist those magic eyes I tell you!! So I got down on the floor and he lay between my kness, gave this MASSIVE sigh and fell asleep with his paw and head on my leg. And didnt move for another hour and a half. Thanks baby, for putting it back in perspective for me. If there's one thing I'm bad at, its balance. I swear to you, I do not love you any less, you are just so good I know I dont have to worry and watch you constantly!! But I treasure every cuddle we have, always have :)

Took Trav to Ocean Reef today for a run in the dunes (we'll just pretend we're allowed to do that haha) And it rained and the sea was beautiful and Trav was ecstatic and it was perfect. Of course.

Travis, Harley and Lola,
My prides and joys,
My babies,
My everything,
I love you all to bits...equally I might add! ;)

1 Year..

2011-06-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

"To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die" - Thomas Campbell

And when you live on in someone's heart, you are never fully forgotten.

Darling boy, how has it been a year already?
How has it been 366 days since I said goodbye, since we nursed you by the fire, since we prayed that love would somehow be enough.

It never is, is it my precious boy? But it certainly helps.

Nougat, you were an amazing little boy. I truly cherish the time I got to spend with you and your brother, my heart broke at how unfair life can be. Why was it you that had to suffer in what little time you had already. I know all rats have their health problems, but it still doesn't make it easier to watch you deteriorate.

Thank you for letting me love you baby boy, thank you for sharing my life when it was at a point that was full of change, anxiety and stress. Because you eased all those feelings, you and your brother never failed to make me smile.

And for that I will always be grateful.

Still loving you unconditionally,
Still missing you like crazy,
Still wishing I could see you just one more time,
You still live on in my life.

Forever and Always,

I am loving..

2011-06-12T03:44:00.001-07:00

These are two songs I really love at the moment, I love the lyrics :)

'Someone like you' by Adele

I heard that you're settled down,
That you found a girl and you're married now,
I heard that your dreams came true,
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you,
Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light,

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it,
I had hoped you'd see my face,
And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over,

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you,
I wish nothing but the best for you, too,
Don't forget me, I beg,
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead,"
Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead, yeah,

You know how the time flies,
Only yesterday was the time of our lives,
We were born and raised in a summer haze,
Bound by the surprise of our glory days,

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited,
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it,
I had hoped you'd see my face,
And that you'd be reminded that for me it isn't over,

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you,
I wish nothing but the best for you, too,
Don't forget me, I beg,
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead,"

Nothing compares,
No worries or cares,
Regrets and mistakes, they're memories made,
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you,
I wish nothing but the best for you,
Don't forget me, I beg,
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead,"

Nevermind, I'll find someone like you,
I wish nothing but the best for you, too,
Don't forget me, I beg,
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead,"
Sometimes it lasts in love,
But sometimes it hurts instead.

'The Story Of Us' by Taylor Swift

I used to think one day we'd tell the story of us,
How we met and the sparks flew instantly,
People would say they're the lucky ones.
I used to know my place was a spot next to you,
Now I'm searching the room for an empty seat,
'Cause lately I don't even know what page you're on.

Oh, a simple complication,
Miscommunications lead to fall-out.
So many things that I wished you knew,
So many walls that I can't break through.

[Chorus:]
Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking,
And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?
I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate when it all broke down,
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now.

Next chapter.

How'd we end up this way?
See me nervously pulling at my clothes and trying to look busy,
And you're doing your best to avoid me.
I started to think one day I'd tell the story of us,
How I was losing my mind when I saw you here,
But you held your pride like you should've held me.

Oh, I'm scared to see the ending,
Why are we pretending this is nothing?
I'd tell you I miss you but I don't know how,
I've never heard silence quite this loud.

[Chorus:]
Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking,
And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?
I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate when it all broke down,
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now.

This is looking like a contest,
Of who can act like the careless,
But I liked it better when you were on my side.
The battle's in your hands now,
But I would lay my armor down
If you said you'd rather love than fight.
So many things that you wished I knew,
But the story of us might be ending soon.

[Chorus:]
Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room and we're not speaking,
And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?
I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate when it all broke down,
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now, now, now.
And we're not speaking,
And I'm dying to know is it killing you like it's killing me, yeah?
I don't know what to say, since the twist of fate 'cause we're going down,
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now.

The end.

A Letter to Lola

2011-06-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dear Lola,

First off I found a song that i would like to dedicate to you. It's by Taylor Swift (of course!) and I find it very fitting:

"Your little hands wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
No, no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up" - Taylor Swift

I find this song extremely apt my angel, because right now Im in love with your innocence and your ability to love me unconditionally, despite the unpleasant start you had in your life.

As of this moment on, like the song, I promise to never ever desert you or let anybody hurt you ever again. Because you came into my life, changed it, shook it up and settled into it like you have been there forever. And that is why I love you.

However, we will not pretend like you are not also a little pain in the ass, and we will not paint a rosy glow on anything, because the things that annoy me and drive me nuts are the things I laugh about most!

Why dont we tell the world about how you like to be fed around midnight so that you may sleep peacefully through to 7am, rather than being fed earlier as this would of course result in a rumbly tummy at around 3am, which THEN results in you purring and rubbing your face on my nose and trying to bite me (lovingly of course!). Then of course when we do sleep through the night, lets tell everyone how you take great pleasure in sitting on my head like a meercat and start mewing like an abandoned orphan who has never been fed. Then of course this results in your mum (me) dragging herself out of a nice warm bed, depositing you off my head onto the floor, to make you a gormet brekkie at an hour which should not be seen by human eyes. Then of course you need to go to your en suite after that and let me clean up after you and go outside in the freezing cold. By this time of course you have broken your fast and waste no time in getting into playtime which either involves a poor mouse or my head. Face stalking, Lola baby, is not fun and I do not find it funny when you dive on my face at 7 in the morning. :)

But then you sleep like an angel sometimes, like right now, with your furry butt up against my elbow and it feels like you have been here forever.

I am so lucky to have you in my life. You make me laugh, I smile everytime Im near you (coming from a very non-smiley person!!) and you know, even as young as you are, when Im sad, tired or sick.

I love you with all my heart, because you have wiggled your way into it. And I love that life has happened in such a way as to lead me to you.

Love always and forever,
your devoted slave and mum,
Georgia xoxoxoxoxo

One Big Happy Family...

2011-06-10T00:37:00.000-07:00

...and it feels so damn good!! Little Lola has changed my life, she is a beautiful girl, miles away from the tiny fragile kitten we rescued :)

Lola is now seven weeks (but we think she may actually be younger, because harley was much bigger at that age than this little ratbag is!!) And to celebrate her week with me, we had Dad take some photos..of course, you know he jumps at every opportunity!! So I give you our beautiful little cat family: The crazy cat ladies (I can now be eternally single, live alone and shout abuse at people out the window, because I own a cat hahahahahahhahaha): Me and My Sister...and of course the cats; small, furry little Lola with the messy hairstyle and serious attitude, and Harley, the ginger (and rather tubby!!) tabby. I cannot believe how big our boy has grown in just a year, we had no idea how much until we compared him to baby Lola!

I have another photo too of me and my lovely girl but its on my other computer so I will have to put it up some other time :)

And here is my house!! Or my art facility for Heirisson Island, that I designed for first semester, 2nd year architecture design studio. I ended up being pretty happy with it, all things considered!
I really hope I do ok, I worked so hard for it, yet it never seems to be enough :) So here's some perspectives of my scheme!!

These are all done in sketchup pro, traced in autocad and coloured in photoshop cs3 for anyone who is remotely interested (which I doubt very much!!)

I also spent the first week of my break working...what a surprise!! Straight into working two jobs (yesterday packing boxes was a joy, now I remember why I hate it so much!) I should stop working so hard....every job I've ever had I still work occasionally, its like I can't get rid of myself!! Its great when you need a bit of extra cash though I guess.

I have one little exam next week (its worth 20%), guess I should probably study for it, Its hard to get motivated though when you're in holiday mood and it involves 100 slides of buildings and you have to memorise the name, date, architect and significant features of the building. I mean hello?? do I look like I have a photographic memory??

Still I didnt work today which was good, instead went to hungry jacks (thats burger king for you non-aussies who read this!!) and had breakfast with Mum and my sister (who just finished her exmas so had today off) Then I went shopping with my sister, because she has a burlesque themed party tomorrow night and needed an outfit....I am SO totally jealous, I mean what an awesome idea for a party...had so much fun, finding lacy tights, feather boas and shoes (i wanted her to get red stilettos, but apparently she cant walk in heels, shame!!) Still she looks fabulous if I do say so myself!

Im working all weekend, what a joy, and next week I should study for my exam, and after that I have to help set up the exhbition for opening night at uni and pick up my work and THEN I'll finally be free and will hopefully be halfway through my first degree!! Time is flying, I cant believe how quick things are going.

Anyway sex and the city is on tonight, I might nick some wine off the Parents, definitely get some chocolate, try and forget the cold my brother so lovingly shared (least I avoided it for two weeks, my whole family have been snivelling!!) and hopefully have a good night. Hope you have a fabulous weekend all of you,

Love always,

Long time no see!!

2011-06-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

wow its been a while....well, feels that way to me, it may not have been lol. And so much has happened, but I needed to sleep and sleep and sleep before I could write this, its been one hell of a long week.

This week has quite frankly been a strange one.

First I lost my little black Moor goldfish Mushu to fin rot, and was a little upset that I couldnt do more ( bought every medicine, tried everything...go figure) So thats what happened first. Then something happened last Saturday which made me so angry, yet also incredibly blessed and privileged. I became a Mum again.

No, I did not have a child, well I did, but it ain't human!!
I was given by some incredible turn of events, a beautiful Kitten called Lola. My Dad took Travis for a walk last Saturday and he found three 6 week old baby Kittens clinging to a tree. They'd been dumped there and were far too young to fend for themselves. Dad brought them home and I took one look at the two tabbys and uh, fell in love with their crazy fluffball of a sister. For an abandoned kittycat she sure as hell has spunk. Guess she had to, to have survived :) She was hissing like crazy to start with but was soon gaining trust in people and is a different cat this week. She has put on so much weight already and sleeps with me every night :). I am ridculously in love with her. She is so loving and has already proved herself a good nurse buddy when I, no joke, had a panic attack thursday night/friday morning (guess the stress of folio finally got to me, I was so scared I wouldn't finish..)

My beautiful girl completes me. She is a part of my life I never knew I was missing and I love her to pieces :) So does the rest of the family and even Trav and Harls like her!! (Harley was extremely jealous at first!!)

So folio is done, my first day of freedom I spent working, how typical, so today Im enjoying my first actual day off, and Im finally enjoying my baby and not rushing to finish folio.

So of course pictures! Heaps more to come Dad took good ones yesterday, but here are my shitty ones for now!!

Love Georgia, Lola, Harley and Trav xxxx

My stunning little girl, amazing what a bit of love can do :)

Lola

awww

The kittens we rescued, Lola on the right, the one we surrendered at the front, and Jack at the back <3

My gorgeous baby girl, how can you not love that face!!

Me and my girl one week on, she's much bigger and fatter!! Lola not me haha

My bubs <3, getting along finally!!

Lola in her new bed I bought her this morning, so nice to finally have a girl I can buy pink stuff for ;)
Harley seems awful big now :)

My darling boy :) I cannot believe how tolerant he is!!

awwww

talk soon!!

Counting down..

2011-05-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

There's just three weeks till the dreaded folio, one week till my next digital design assignment is due and two weeks before I have a stress-induced mental breakdown.

Oh the joys of being an architect student, mind you the buzz you get at the end (when you're in that zombified state of being so tired you're not tired anymore!!) is awesome, and I look at my work every time and think 'I cant beleive I did that!!'

Weekends are becoming majorly work orientated again, lots of study...mind you not much on the paid work at the moment as Mothers day is now over, so Im scraping the bottom of my bank account and hanging out for Wednesday when I get paid again...not much, but least its something!!

I dont have much to add really at the moment, so much work to do. I guess I should get back to it...so sick of staring at a computer screen!!

Hope everyone's having a better weekend than mine!! :)

Dear Life

2011-05-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you're falling apart sometimes and struggling to keep it together?

I laugh when I think about looking back on this blog in many years time and wondering what the hell I was stressing about and getting so worked up over. Maybe my issues and problems will seem trivial in a few years. Maybe life sorts itself out. Maybe not. Or maybe you will always feel unsure about what you're doing and where you're going, always wanting to take a step but afraid it will be that one too many which pushes you over the edge.

I'm starting to get that that is what life is about though...pushing yourself that little bit further. Try it even if you're terrified of failing, or screwing up. Push it to see how far you can roll with it. Stop worrying about getting hurt or embarrassing yourself.

I think whatever you find a massive deal in the present will always feel trivial in the future because no matter how bad it seems at the time, life just goes on and time really does heal. Even now, I look back on my primary and high school diaries and smile at that poor sad troubled kid with so many ridiculous self esteem issues and no confidence in people. I want to so badly go back and tell her it's going to be ok, and its going to get better. But maybe there's a reason we can't go back. Our experiences are what make us the person we are and the person you have become and when times get tough again, you draw on those experiences for strength and it is your past fractures that somehow ironically hold you together and stop you shattering completely.

Life's a crazy thing. I have learnt so much already, but my most important bit of advice is the most cliched one out there: "Be Yourself"

And that's not just me saying that because you read it in every magazine, heard it from my parents, whatever (I did by the way!). I'm saying it because when people say that to you go 'pfft as if, thats gotten me nowhere before'. But have you really tried being you, really truly embraced it. I always thought I was me when I was younger but I was really just a chameleon, trying my best to stay invisible and blend with the crowd that is teenage girls. Bad move.

But maybe it taught me something, because when I did finally 'find myself', I came out a much stronger person, a much nicer person I like to think, because I know what it's like to be 'that girl'. The one everyone gives funny looks to, laughs about them behind their backs, makes sarcastic comments about their appearance, cutting comments about you trying to make something of yourself etc. I know what it's like and so I can relate. Yet I also did finally find 'me' too.

I ditched the clothes everyone else is wearing, I fell in love with my wild, crazy, uncontrollable hair, I invested in contacts, but can now finally also wear my glasses with no inhibitions, I started talking to people, without being scared of what they thought, or whether they were bored of my company.

It always works out. Always. Don't ever ever give up on yourself girls because you are all here for a reason, and you're all beautiful, and smart and funny...it may just not be in the conventional sense. But you soon find people start liking you because you're a bit quirky and random and that you actually have different hobbies and interests and aren't afraid to show it and let the whole world know how truly awesome and amazing you are. Don't forget that. Ever :)

Questions (from my sisters blog again!!)

2011-05-08T02:00:00.000-07:00

Pointless Questionnaires

I'm bored, and this is what I do when I'm bored :) Feel free to repost it!

Ten Things I Wish I Could Say to Ten Different People. (but don't say their name)
1. Sometimes I wanna kill you
2. You're hurting my brain
3. Im sorry Im not perfect
4. What happened to us? we used to be so close
5. Im so sorry for everything, and Im sorry that I broke your heart
6. You make my whole day when you shove your nose in my hand haha
7. Im gonna be amazing one day you know
8. You are the best: my psychologist, my friend, my family
9. I cant be what you want me to be
10. Life doesnt always work out the way I planned, but Im trying so hard believe me

Nine things about myself.
1. Im a paranoid OCD freak
2. Im terrified of what people think of me
3. Im stubborn as hell
4. Im shoe addict
5. Im my own worst enemy
6. I speak before I think
7. I actually like pressure and stress, it keeps life interesting
8. Im a workaholic
9. I wear glasses

Eight ways to win my heart.
1. Love me for me
2. Listen to me, but dont pay attention when I lash out, its usually a defence mechanism
3. Be spontaneous
4. Make me feel like Im the only one
5. Dont be too mushy, its gayy :P
6. Be honest
7. Sit and watch the sun set with me
8. Be my best friend as well as winning my heart

Seven things that cross my mind a lot.
1. Uni (could probably be X7!!)
2. My mistakes
3. My family
4. My schedule
5. The fact I dont have my license yet
6. My angel rats <3
7. Life :)

Six things I do before I fall asleep... in no particular order:
1. Run through my mental to-do list
2. Go to the toilet
3. Brush my teeth
4. check facebook
5. take my make up off
6. use handcream

Five people who mean a lot.....in no particular order:
1. Mam
2. Dad
3. Maya
4. Max
5. My boys

Four things you're wearing right now.
1. Undies
2. Pajama bottoms
3. A Tshirt
4. Socks

Three songs that you listen to often.
1. Last Kiss by Taylor Swift
2. If I Die Young by The Band Perry
3. Im a bitch by Alanis Morrisette

Two things you want to do before you die.
1. Travel the world
2. Own a ferrari

One confession.
1. I've screwed up, many many times

The little things :)

2011-05-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

There are some things in life thar just make it better. Take shoes for example; buying a pair of shoes for me can make my whole day. Buying them on sale at 40% off is even better. Finding out they were actually leather and thus will last longer was another bonus. And so it goes on...little things make a big difference and add up to big happy things that make you feel happy and are the difference between a good and bad day.

Of course these things are also not superficial. Watching TV with my cat snoozing on my lap or my doggy giving me a kiss or watching a butterfly can also have the same effect. They're little moments in time, but they make life worth it, they make it life.

Mother's day tomorrow. Hope you're all spoiling your amazing Mothers. Don't know about anyone else but mine is super amazing. How she can love and support me no matter what really amazes me and I love her to bits :)

Life isnt easy sometimes, I have 10 million assignments to (actually not really Im exaggerating...but it IS a lot! And I am busy like all the time. However I always take time out for a coffee and a relax, coz you kinda need to, otherwise you'll go mad. Then you just keep going and keep enjoying those little moments that make it all worth it :)

"The butterfly counts not months but moments and still has time enough" - dont forget that, we should all take a lesson from it :)

Have a good weekend guys :)

My new boots ;)

My boys <3

:)

94 truths (stolen from my sister's blog!!)

2011-05-03T01:06:00.000-07:00

94 Truths

1. last beverage = water

2. last phone call = Amie

3. last text message = Mam

4. last song you listened to = Sweat by Snoop Dog

5. last time you cried = 2/3 months ago

HAVE YOU EVER:

6. dated someone twice = yup :P

7. been cheated on = no

8. kissed someone & regretted it = No

9. lost someone special = yes

10. been depressed = sometimes

11. been drunk and threw up = yes haha

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:

12. Pink

13. Black

14. Silver

This YEAR (2011), HAVE YOU:

15. Made a new friend = yes many :)

16. Fallen out of love = yes

17. Laughed until you cried = all the time

18. Met someone who changed you = yes I have

19. Found out who your true friends were = I already know :)

20. Found out someone was talking about you = not yet

21. Kissed anyone on your FB friend's list = yes who hasnt haha

GENERAL

22. How many people on your FB friends list do you know in real life = pretty much all of them

23. How many in your family (including you) = 5

24. Do you have any pets = a cat, a dog, two hermit crabs, and two fish (keep my sisters answer here haha)

25. Do you want to change your name = nah is not too bad lol

26. What did you do for your last birthday = made a model for my folio project and cut my finger and bled over the first floor of the model, cried and then went down the beach and toasted my 18 yrs :)

27. What time did you wake up today = 9:30am slept in...again haha

28. What were you doing at midnight last night = sleeping

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for = my life to start haha :)

30. Last time you saw your Mother = 5 mins ago

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life = Nothing, you learn as you go, you are who you are whatever you've done

32. What are you listening to right now = Taylor Swift

33. Have you ever talked to someone named Tom? = oh yes i have haha what a strange question, of all the names.. =/

34. What's getting on your nerves right now = my digital design tutor

35. Most visited webpage = facebook

37. Nickname = George

38. Relationship Status = single :D

39. Zodiac sign = scorpio

40. Boy or girl = girl

41. Elementary = Yscol Evan James/Marmion

42. High School = Carine

43. College = UWA, its the ONLY uni in WA ;) haha

44. Hair color = at the moment? black :P

45. Long or short = pretty long...and curly..and crazy

46. Height = tallish??

47. Do you have a crush on someone? = Nah not at the moment

48. What do you like about yourself? = My brain haha

49. Piercings = ears. top of ear, belly button

50. Tattoos = nope

51. Righty or lefty= lefty

52. First surgery = dentist pulled half my teeth out??

53. First piercing = my ears

54. First best friend = Elina

55. First sport you joined = Zumba

56. First vacation = Jersey

58. First pair of trainers = dunno but they were probably pink lol

RIGHT NOW:

59. Eating = chocolate

60. Drinking = nothing, but i want a coffee!!

61. I'm about to = do my dig design

62. Listening to = Ipod

63. Waiting for = Nothing

YOUR FUTURE :

64. Want kids? = Dunno

65. Get Married? = Nah haha

66. Career? = Architect

WHICH IS BETTER :

67. Lips or eyes = eyes

68. Hugs or kisses= depends

69. Shorter or taller = taller

70. Older or Younger = older, but not TOO old (leave my sisters answer here too haha)

71. Romantic or spontaneous = Both :)

72. Nice stomach or nice arms = haha is both being greedy :P

73. Sensitive or loud = sensitive

74. Hook-up or relationship = relationship

75. Trouble maker or hesitant = LOL i dont know

HAVE YOU EVER :

76. Kissed a stranger = yes

77. Drank hard liquor = yes

78. Lost glasses/contact = nearly but no thank goodness

79. Sex on first date = hell no!!

80. Broke someone's heart = yes I have :(

81. Had your own heart broken = not really, im pretty bulletproof :P

82. Been arrested = nope not yet

83. Turned someone down = yess

84. Cried when someone died= of course

85. Fallen for a friend = who hasnt haha

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself = yes I do now :)

87. Miracles = yes for sure

88. Love at first sight = no

89. Heaven = yes

90. Santa Claus = hell yeah

91. Kiss on the first date = sure why not?

92. Angels = yes

93. Demons = well yeah theres always an opposite

94. Someone's watching over you = I like to think so :)

My SIster's birthday

2011-05-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

So despite everyone else being super excited about the royal wedding, we were actually celebrating my little sister's 16th birthday on Friday :)

Pretty good day, went out, had a good cake and watched the wedding haha, poor May had to compete with Kate, thats for sure!!

I got her a hoodie that I designed and I have to say it looks really awesome, here she is modelling it:

She really loved it, and their really cute, so if you're interested in getting one, I'd recommend it (Im definitely ordering myself one!!) They're really light weight and warm and are perfect for Aussie winters!! :)
Visit my site here for more details (come in variety of sizes, colours and designs, can be printed front or back)

Hope you're all having a good weekend :)

The Meaning of Life

2011-04-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

Sounds heavy I know, but seriously, what IS the meaning of life? To be honest I haven't got a clue and probably neither does anyone else.

I had a very interesting conversation with a friend today who is very religious. He basically told me I was going to hell for not being a hard core Christian and I find that very hurtful in many ways, because I try not to judge anyone and respect and understand their views and beliefs, yet they fail to respect mine, whatever they may be.

I am not a Christian, but I also do not beleive there is nothing, because the world is too amazing and too magical for there not to be something. Why do I need to go to a church, a man-made object, to worship someone who may or may not exist? There is definitely something and I am very superstitious. I believe in spirits, in angels and in life after death. I also believe in Karma and Fate and although those beliefs may not be enough to form and define a religion, they still hold meaning to me.

The Dalai Llama said "my faith is kindness", what a beautiful thing to say. Respect everyone, do not judge and treat people as you yourself would like to be treated.

Every day, I find magic in something. A sunset. Rain on my face. My dog's bottomless eyes. My family. My friends. The wind. A rainbow. The smell of autumn. A tiny baby. A new flower. The list goes on and on and on.

I'm a good persaon. I try not to judge people, I try to respect people and help people when I can. I work so my parents dont have to spend any unecessary money on me. I work so hard in uni, so that I can have a future, support myself and not have to rely on anybody else.

Surely you dont go straight to hell for not believing in a certain thing? If God is so good and fair and honest, then surely he wouldn't condemn people without a second tohught to other things they have done in their life?

When I go down the beach at sunset, the water is still, the colours are breathtaking and the stillness in astounding. I feel completely at peace looking out to the ocean and thinking about everything I've lost and everything I am lucky enough to have. I, to some degree, worship, as I am thankful for everything I have in life and remember those who are not with me anymore. The beach is a natural creation, a little bit of magic in this world, and surely that is just as profound as a church?

Something gave me my rats, the fate of me meeting them, of being able to share their lives. Something gave me my beautiful, truly incredible family, that I cherish every single day. Something gave me my friends. Something even gave me my shoes :)

Everyone is different. No one should be forced to believe anything. That is disrespectful. Many people even hide behind a church and are bad people, and that is so incredibly hypocritical, because people who truly believe and devote their lives to rleigion are good people, but those who use it to cover something else is so wrong.

I dont know what you all believe. But whatever it is, I hope it makes you happy and helps you get through your wonderful lives. Because that is the most important thing, because life is too hard to get through alone :)

Break

2011-04-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!!

Just realized i've over 10,000 hits and 29 followers, how awesome!! thanks for reading my ramblings guys, and all the support even though I'm missing vital ratty family members these days :( Cant believe its been nearly a year without them and I miss them like crazy...I think about thedm every single day :) they seriously rocked my world, turned it upside down, made me fall madly in love and made me laugh and smile every day they spent with me...I feel incredibly privileged to have shared their short little lives with them.

I have had one hell of a week!! I have sat at my kitchen table two days straight and done a full set of drawings in just two days!! Im currently designing an art gallery/educational facility/student accomodation on Heirisson Island in East Perth WA. Its going ok, but Ive just 6 weeks to crack this baby!! Coz its not resolved yet, and myn assignment was to present it to a schematic level. Pretty damn hectic!!
But now I have a week off!! :D So need the break before I fall completely behind :P

On good news I got 22/30 for my digital design snail (see previous post) which Im stoked at as I did think for a bit that I was gonna fail it!!

Anyway gotta go to work now, hope you all have a wonderful easter, ratties and all...here's a few samples of my current studio project for you to look at. or not. depends whether you're into architecture or not I guess. Anyway if you do like it let me know what you think!!

Finally, Finally, Finally!!!!!

2011-04-08T02:26:00.000-07:00

I HAVE FINISHED MY DIGITAL DESIGN ASSIGNMENT!!!!!

OH, AND IT'S FRIDAY...WHICH MEANS WEEKENDDDDD WHOOHOO

I submitted it today, and I am so relieved and so tired :)
Stsyed up til 3am last night finishing the stupid thing and took me forever to learn how to use the software and lay it all out but I'm finally done and I'm so happyyy :)

I think I've learnt more in the last week than I have ever learnt anything in my life.

We were all crazy people yesterday, don't know what I'd have done without my awesome friends and fellow Architecture people, we keep each other sane lol

Anyway, so I'll probably do really bad, coz some of the people who submitted stuff was freakin incredible!! But hay, I tried, and I'm pretty happy that I just managed to get A robot happening and submitted on time :)

Let me know whatcha all think :)

This is the snail, haha its so retarded I know
brief was it had to be able to fly, swim and walk and house two humans :P

here are the 3D images, last one is terrible, just experimenting!! I submitted the other two :)

and finally the technical drawings, dont worry if you don't understand them, i dont half the time either!! hahahahaha

so there it is, hours and hours of work and planning (had to submit millions of sketches and design process too, but wont bore you all with that)

will try and update soon, but I have heaps more assignments to do...sigh

:)

Long Time No Write!!

2011-04-03T03:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, so it's been a while, I hardly have time to breathe these days let alone do anything else!!

My life is super crazy again, work, uni work, work, uni work etc. fun fun!!

I've got like a million and one assignments due and the one Im panicking about most is my robot due Friday =/ its getting there though, will post pictures when I finially finish it!!
Had to do a talk on Friday too, and was pretty damn stressed about it coz I HATE public speaking, I cant stand everyone looking at me, it freaks me out. People don't pay attention to me usually so why start now I say!! Think it went ok, had a bit of a brain freeze at the start but was ok after that!! hahaha 'um, um, um....uh, what was I saying?? STOP LOOKING AT ME!!!!!', yup that was what was going through my head at the time hahahahahaha, I'll get over it one day I'm sure :)

Studio is going good, handed my first stage in last week, fingers crossed I did good, my coordinater seemed?? to like it!! Well I like it anyway, it wasnt my usual style and it was fun to try something new. My artist retreat is shaping up nicely!!

Got a 1500 word essay due in two weeks, then a 3000 word one, and stage two of studio soon..aaaaaaargh, kill me now :P

Wow this post is kinda turning into my to do list!! how sad that this stuff runs through my head twenty four hours a day!! I'm not sleeping at all lately, all I can think about is my 'baby' or my house as most of you would see it!! it becomes your baby though, you cant stop thinking about it, wanting it to grow and develop properly and beautifully, pretty crazy really!!

Im stressed as hell but Im getting there :D its good to have a focus anyway, stops you from going nuts and doing crazy things :)

It's also been a whole year since I got my little Harley-Cat today!!! I cannot believe how someone so small can leave such an impact :)

Mushu is also healing from his eye infection and looks MUCH better, am upgrading to a new tank as soon as I can afford it (hmm thats gonna be a tough toss up; new tank for Mushu or those knee-high boots Im dying for!!!! hahahaha only joking, Mushu will come first :) )

Anyway gotta go....yet MORE work to do,
take care all of you,
miss you all!!
I am readig your blogs though!!
xx

.............

2011-03-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else look in the mirror every day and think 'who the hell am I?'. Because I do. Every single day. It's like I'm a different person with different people and I just can't seem to fit the pieces together and no matter how hard I try, I can never please everyone. If I am myself (and sometimes I wonder to myself who that actually is) it turns into fights or arguments with someone.

I am not a perfect person, never have been and never will be...except sometimes there is this suffocating pressure to be perfect. People who love you want you to have the best of everything, be the best at everything, do everything right, have your life follow the conventional pattern. But sometimes it doesnt work that way does it? My life is not following that standard pattern of wonderful childhood > model teenage daughter > getting into uni and doing something wonderful > falling in love with a nice normal equally perfect guy > getting married > have kids blah blah blah. I did fine on the first three, the rest of it's just not happening for me, but I don't even know if I want it to. I love my life, its not perfect, I dont know perfect people and I am not a perfect person. But that doesn't matter because life is a crazy confusing thing and you never know what's going to happen. So what if you're not following a conventional path, maybe I will eventually, but right now I'm still trying to figure myself out, and that is a full time occupation in itself.

It upsets me to think I may be letting people down or disappointing them, I try very very hard not to, but sometimes it just happens. I don't know what to do about that really..

Work, work work!

2011-03-12T17:20:00.001-08:00

Hmm havent updated much, sorry about that guys!!

Uni is hectic as usual, trying to sort out the layout of my artist retreat, drawing strange looking 'bubble diagrams'...every teacher's different!! Also had to model a 3D duck in Rhinoceros 4.0, mine's neck looks seriously dodgy coz my blending surfaces didn't work out so well...but it kinda looks like a duck!! here he is...let me know how terrible you think it is!!

I have to make a dog for my assignment in a similar way...kill me now please!! I hate computers :P

Hmm what else, I worked at the jewellry shop for the first time in two weeks yesterday, which was good...pretty quiet though :(

All my boys are doing well,
hope you're all doing ok...Im off to do some work for uni...again!!

p.s have any of you watched the disney movie 'Tangled'...just goes to show I will never be the princess...they've modelled the bad chick on me in a few years time it seems!! same hair ;) hahahahahaahhahahahahahahahaha oh well, being the blonde angel must be boring anyways!!

Its an AWESOME movie by the way...its adorable. I wish life was a disney movie sometimes :)

Back at Uni..

2011-03-05T06:17:00.000-08:00

..and I think it's gonna be tough!!

It's good to be back though, I really do love architecture, no matter how crazy it can be sometimes :)
I'm at uni five days a week now instead of four, more travelling, more work...I even have an exam this semester...shock horror!! haha
I do three units, all of which are going to be really interesting I think, we are concentrating on sustainability a LOT more this year which is fantastic coz I'm really interested in all that.
Studio sounds really good this semester. We are doing one big project instead of three and what's awesome is that the project my coordinater 'invented' is actually part of a real project. The city of Perth are planning to make an open air sculpture park on a little man-made island in the middle of the Swan River (perth's major river). We, as a studio, are designing an 'artist's retreat' for a resident sculptor and his pupils, as well as exhibition spaces to enhance the culture of the park.
The masterplan for the real project is on this website if anyone's interested!! sculpture on the swan

I'm also taking a digital design unit, not my favourite, me and computers are not the best of friends, but we're getting there!! I finally set up my new printer/scanner in my room too, which is making my life a lot easier. First project? designing an anime animal robot...how cool is that!! I know what I want to do, just don't know if I have enough digital skills to pull it off...we shall see :P

And last but not least, Architecture: Modern history...umm contradiction much? I've always done well in the history units (I got a distinction and a high distinction last year) but this year looks pretty hard. Two essays, a talk (man, I HATE talks...me and speeches are not friends, I shake too much haha) an exam and some other test thing. Fun fun.

Did a site visit to heirisson island last week, was pretty hot and there were giant ants attacking everyone haha

Seeing as this blog was originally for my boys, I like to mention my animals as much as I can so here's my beautiful babies' updates:

Travis
Is great, I bought him a huge bone today so we're very good friends right now, It cleaned his teeth up beautifully!! dont know why I didnt buy one sooner. :P

Harley
Aww we just watched P.S I love you together, he sat on his back with his legs in the air, it was adorable. I love that movie, think I need to go to Ireland to find myself a cute Irish guys with a gorgeous accent. huh, like that's ever gonna happen!

Mushu
Has grown soooo much!! Cant believe it! I saw some baby black moores at a pet shop today, and couldnt believe how big Mushu was in comparison. Definietly want to start a bigger freshwater tank when I have more money

Hermit crabs
Lionel has stopped bullying the others, mind you there's only two of them now coz he was so nasty. I picked him coz he was gangly and kinda ugly and how does he repay me? by eating poor little jimmy and beating the other one up...Im very ashamed of him!!

So there you go. Hope everyone's doing ok, probably wont write as much coz I'll be busy with uni, but I'll see how organized i can be :)

End of the holidays

2011-02-27T03:50:00.000-08:00

so yes, that tragic yet somewhat anticipated day has finally decided to come along, and tomorrow is the big day that I start uni again as a second year architecture student. I have no idea where the time's gone and it seems like yesterday I was taking my final high school exams and wondering what the hell I wanted to do with my life.

It's been a crazy couple of months, but new year, new start, lets hope its a good one.

I haven't posted in a while. Friday I went to Freo with a friend, which was good, as I havent seen her for a long time and we went to a crazy little vegan hippie cafe and had awesome smoothies with strange ingredients that I wasn't quite sure what they were...bee pollen was one of them!!

Then Friday night was hot and the wine was cold, had a teensy bit too much...was rather hungover on saturday morning. Get a call off my manager at 8:10 am on this very saturday morning asking if I could do a full day's work as someone had called in sick. I say yes, had to make a quick trip to the bathroom sink...and uh, soldier on I guess...had one of my best selling days in ages feeling like shit. Oops!! Not like me at all, I will behave myself from now on haha

Sunday, today, was very hot. My driving however was GREAT today, best session I've had in ages!! The beach was amazing tonight, so beautiful and the sunset was truly stunning, the colours were to die for :) Makes you nostalgic for the holidays which are ending hehe.

So back to uni tomorrow, back to hard work, late nights and other crazy stuff...good times hahahahahhaha

hope you all had a good week, say hi to your animals for me :)
Have a good one,

Photoshop

2011-02-22T00:21:00.001-08:00

Been playing around with photoshop a bit lately, trying to get back into using computer software before I go back to uni (I hate computer software!!)

Decided to try these really fun, simple text effects, can be done with any words or fonts and they just look a bit nicer than the usual boring text you get!!

All tutorials from Photoshop essentials

Here are my attempts:

Light Burst Effect

Flame Effect

Gold plated effect

They look pretty cool and all three only took like an hour to do, so they're not hard!!

On another note, my beautiful Harley kitten is a year old today. I can't believe how perfectly he seems to have slotted himself into our lives and I never thought I would fall so completely in love with such a naughty ginger ball of fur! I love you so much little man, I hope you see many many many more birthdays and keep me smiling every day in between.

Have a great day everyone!!

Good to know :)

2011-02-19T17:08:00.002-08:00

There are some things in life which have a big impact on you, and my high school job in a Fish and Chip was one of them for me.

I got the job when I was a little kid of 13 and I didn't leave until I was 18 (four and half years it worked out to be). That's a really long time at a point in your life where you change so much! It was one of the constants in my life and I loved it for that. I also loved the people, the job itself and my regular customers :)
When it all changed and I stopped enjoying it, I was devastated and found it reallu hard to leave, even now I still miss it. The boss seemed to think I was too old for the job, he hired fourteen year old princesses who didn't like me and I certainly didn't like them!! And it just stopped being the job I loved. It was hard to accept and sad for me to leave.

I did leave though, and I'm glad I did, because if you're not appreciated, it's not worth doing. I moved on and despite thinking I would never find another job I would like as much...I did!! Working in a jewellery store is amazing. I get to interact with people again, dress nicely, handle some beautiful rings and share people's special moments, such as engagements, anniversaries and birthdays with them. It's great. And I'm learning all the time, the manual I'm training from is huge!!

Yet I still missed the fish and chip shop. So last night when my little sister (who's at her new job in a restauraunt) served an old regular from the fish and chip shop, she came home and told me that he'd asked where we both had gone and that he hadn't been back since I left, because it wasn't the same. He said that I had kept the place running and was really efficient, and always remembered how he liked his order. Apparently the new girls didn't measure up and he even said that it had gone downill since we left, the new staff weren't nice and the food was crap! Now I know it's not nice of me to be happy about this, but after how upset I was to leave, and my boss didn't seem to really understand how much it meant to me, it completely made my whole day to hear someone had said that about me, my sister and the old chip boy...as we were all really good mates and all left under less than ideal circumstances.

Just goes to show, even if you think no one notices you, the certainly do when you're suddenly not there. I'm glad I made an impact on people's lives, no matter how small it may have been :)

Phew!

2011-02-16T21:08:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

so, uh, I'm not bored anymore!!

My life is back to being full, crazy and hectic as I am now back to 'the girl with two jobs' and have been working 8-9 hour days every day this week. I'm still at my preferred job of the Jewelry Shop but am now also back at the print factory with Dad, except I've gone up in the world and now work in their new Digital Department instead of the factory floor. (Basically I'm a photocopier babysitter!!!) haha. Still, it's good to be busy again and to earn a little extra money before I go back to uni, which is very soon. I can't wait, it will be good to get started on it again!

I also started going to Zumba again, except me and my sister go to a party one in the evenings now which is awesome coz they turn the lights out and have the music really loud...and it's cheaper, go figure!!

Having a day off today (coz I'm working the Thursday night shift) and went shopping with Mum, saw the cutest goldfish ever and I really want to get one to go in with Mushu, but I need a bigger tank. It's called a black Ranchu and looks like this:Pretty cute huh?

Well that's it from me for now, its pretty hot here in Perth today, too hot to be on the computer anyway!!

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T04:48:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone!!

Hope you all had a great day with that someone special in your life, be it your partner, family, friend or pet!!

I sold a LOT of jewelry today, so glad to see everyone's getting spoilt rotten :) I had some really lovely people at work today, it was a great shift!!

I dyed my hair black the other day, I love it!! I always wanted black hair when I was a kid so thought I'd give it a try. Dad took photos of course and my beautiful boys are in 'em too, so thought I'd share so you can see how big Harley's grown and how so damn cute that dog of mine is!! :)

Love to all!!

photography by: Andy Evans (gormaymax photography: http://gormaymax.redbubble.com/)

Bored..

2011-02-11T01:06:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am bored.

There is such a thing as a holiday that's too long. Don't get me wrong, I like a break as much as the next person but four months???? My goodness, I'm going insane!! And my hours at work have been cut back because it's so quiet so i don't even have much of that at the moment either. (I DID get promoted from christmas casual to casual though, which is a plus!!)

So yeah this holiday is going on forever and I'm actually looking forward to going back to uni now, 2 more weeks!! Then at least I'll have something to focus on instead of being left to my thoughts constantly. It's driving me nuts!!

But still this holidays has been far from normal and I can't say it hasn't had some interesting parts to it (as well as some crap ones and some good ones). But that's just life in general, it's always gonna be like that.

Monday is Valentine's day, I was going to do some Tshirt designs but I guess it's a bit late now. I hate Valentine's day anyway and think it's really stupid. But I get to work all day for it, so hopefully there will be some guilty boyfriends who forgot about this 'special' day, forking out lots of cash to make up for forgetting or depressed single people spoiling themselves!!! Or it could be completely dead, who knows? you can never predict what people are thinking :)

Anyway that's it from me,
if you like Valentine's day, have a good one :)
Love always,

My beautiful beach...and Happy birthday Scarlett!!

2011-02-09T00:59:00.000-08:00

On Monday, my special little friend Scarlett celebrated her 5th Birthday, so of course we had to go play at the beach and see her sunset :)

I am so privileged to live in such a truly amazing place. Mullaloo beach on Monday was absolute paradise, I could have been anywhere, it was truly incredible. I went for a walk during the day and the waters were crystal clear turquoise with dark reef patches and it was so clear you could actually see the jellyfish swimming by! And it was flat too and no wind. Perfect :)

Then I went down in the evening too to watch the sun set and play with the mini Dudleys, Scarlett (the birthday girl), little River (who just turned 3) and little Ocea (who recently turned one). Ocea even stood up when she saw us (she's just started walking!!!)

So here are some pics of my beautiful beach and baby Ocea, who looked like an adorable little ocean fairy in her ballerina bathers!!

I hope the rest of you appreciate and love where you live as much as I do. I am a very very lucky girl :)

photography by Andy Evans (as usual!!), check out his website here: http://gormaymax.redbubble.com/ and his new 'photo a day' blog here: http://gormaymax.blogspot.com/

Poor Australia

2011-02-07T00:50:00.000-08:00

Seriously, how many more natural disasters can poor Australia take?

my heart goes out to every single person who has lost their homes and livelyhoods in the past few days. It's just one blow after another.

Thank goodness Australians are so strong and positive, watching the communities fighting back against mother nature and tryig to piece their lives back together is truly humbling and made me cry.

First there was cyclone Yasi in Northern Queensland, one of the worst cyclones/storms to ever hit Australian coastlines. It destroyed thousands of homes, but thankfully there was only one fatality due to Queensland's preparation for the storm.

Tully, Queensland; one of the worst hit areas

Then we had Melbourne's flash floods. More damage, more devastation for many many Aussies

Melbourne floods

And most recently, and the closest to home, is Perth's devastating bushfires, which have been named 'Black Sunday'. Yesterday Perth was very very hot. And also very very windy. The conditions could not have been worse. Unpredictable winds and fire can be totally catastrophic and over 50 homes have been totally gutted and destroyed and many more damaged. It's estimated about 80 houses will be lost to these terrible fires which we are having trouble getting under control due to the unfavourable weather conditions. It broke my heart watching the news last night, because I know people who live in rural areas and I know how many animals these people have on their country properties. To know that they may have a lot of animals and only had two minutes to evacuate was heartbreaking. I can't imagine what I would be like in that situation, it would be devastating. Lucky there have been no fatalities yet, but the fires are still burning and I doubt they'll be the last fires of the season either :(

Kelmscott, WA

I'm hoping this is the last of the natural disasters for a while, and I hope everyone affected is coping ok. My thoughts and well wishes are with you.

Sticker Sales!!

2011-02-05T22:03:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!!

I'm happy to say that I have sold three stickers on Redbubble today. Yeah ok, I only made like 70 cents from the sale, but my work is getting out there and I'm making fairly regular sales which is fantastic, the support means so much!!

So, to whoever bought them (I DO know they have been sent to the UK!!) thank you so much, I hope you like them, any feedback of the finished product would be awesome and again, thanks again for the support, trying to get your creativity and designs noticed in this big wide world is hard work, but I'm perservering and getting there slowly!! And a lot of my work has donations going to Perth Rat Rescue and Rehab, so we're helping a good cause too!!

For those of you who weren't aware of the stickers, basically the site I sell my work through has started making stickers from T-shirt designs. So any Tshirt design you like can be bought as a sticker!! You can also get hoodies and kids/baby clothes now too.

These are the stickers I sold:

-Give Rats a Chance!

-Save The Rats! (II)

-Must. Love. Rats 2011 - 3 Rats Down
By the way, buying 6 stickers gives you a 50% discount (and they can all be different designs, so thats a nice cheap way to do it!!

So again, big thank you, I really appreciate it!! :)

View the rest of my work here

The Ocean

2011-02-05T01:55:00.000-08:00

"Our memories of the Ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand have disappeared" - Author unknown

It's hard to describe how beautiful the ocean is and how much it means to me.

I guess when you first encounter it, you are faced with how vast it is, and how it appears to go on forever and ever. You feel so insignificant standing next to it, yet in awe of it's size and strength. You respect it because you know the damage it can cause if it wants to, but most of the time, it lazily laps the shores.

Then you are amazed by it's beauty, how it compliments the sky and the sand perfectly, the colour different, yet stunning every single day. A still sparkling prussian blue on a perfect day is just as breathtaking as a wild stormy steel gray ocean on a winter's eve.

Then there is the sound of it. There is no sound quite like the ocean. If you sit on the beach with your eyes closed and listen to the ocean, it is one of the most incredible sounds on earth. I would miss it terribly if I moved away.

The ocean holds a lot of meaning for me and a lot of other people and no matter your mood, going to the beach and being at one with the Ocean and the beach is therapeutic, it compliments happiness, eases sorrow and brings incredible peace in times of stress and anxiety.

A truly magical part of life, don't ever underestimate the power of the sea, and the hold it can have on you.

My Lovely Boys...and Me haha

2011-02-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

My boys are a LOT cuter than me, but I got new glasses so I figured I'd shove some photos of them on here...after all, they are Prada so they definitely deserve to be on here!!

I also dyed my hair...it was supposed to be black but ended up dark brown haha it looks pretty good, so here's me...and my new hair..and my new glasses (reinventing myself much?? hahahaha)

Hair before...

...and after!

But enough about me, these are the photos I really wanted to share...my very handsome, beautiful, cute as hell boys, Travis and Harley.
They both have Christmas presents which coincidentally are Valentine's day colours...or maybe we just like pink!!

Travis got given a pink bone for Christmas from my sister and he loves it!! It's the first toy he hasn't destroyed, he carries it around everywhere, licks it lovingly, it's really funny (and super cute to watch) And Harley had a pink mouse from me, and he didn't want to be left out of the photos so here he is as well :)

I absolutely hate Valentine's day, I think it's a really stupid pointless day that puts couples under pressure and singles massively depressed, but if I have to have a valentine this year, I'm picking Trav...how can you resist those gorgeous eyes??

Love you big fella :) xxxxxx

And my beautiful boy Harley (which I think Maya has already shotgunned hehe) with his mouse, love you gorgeous kitten xxxx

I'm so lucky to have you guys in my life, you make it complete and make me smile every single day. There are no better friends than your animals :)

Have a good day guys!!
George xxxxxx

Cute Song Quotes :-)

2011-02-02T00:48:00.000-08:00

"Forever can never be long enough for me,
to feel like I've had long enough for you" - Train, 'Marry Me' (cutest. song. ever.)

"I hope you know, I hope you know,
that this has nothing to do with you,
It's personal, myself and I,
we've got some straightening out to do,

And I'm gonna miss you
like a child misses her blanket,
but I've got to get a move on with my life,
It's time to be a big girl now,
and big girls dont cry" - Fergie, 'Big Girls don't cry' (in loving memory of Tilly, who loved this song, she always bruxed on my shoulder when I sang it to her :) I miss you baby girl)

"The silence isn't so bad,
till I look at my hands and feel sad,
coz the spaces between my fingers are right where yours
fit perfectly" - Owl City, 'Vanilla Twilight' (one of my favourite songs, and I love that line)

"I was enchanted to meet you" - Taylor Swift, 'Enchanted' (such a cute song)

"If I should die before I wake,
it's cause you took my breath away,
losing you is like living in a world with no air" - Jordin Sparks, 'No Air' (in honour of my little boy Dougal, first song to come on my Ipod after he passed away)

"Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky
are like shooting stars?
I could really use a wish right now" - B.O.B ft Hayley Williams, 'Airplanes' (seemed to be on an awful lot when my boys were sick)

When I see her face
there's not a thing that I would change
cause you're amazing
just the way you are
and when you smile
the whole world stops and stares for a while
cause girl you're amazing
just the way you are - Bruno Mars, 'Just the way you are' (the song every girl wants sung to them!!)

"If it's love
And we decide that it's forever
No one else could do it better
If it's love
And we're two birds of a feather
Then the rest is just whenever
And if I'm addicted to loving you
And you're addicted to my love too
We can be them two birds of a feather
That flock together" - Train, 'If it's love' (awwwww)

got any cute lyrics you want me to add to this? let me know people!! :)
George xxx

Memories

2011-01-31T00:25:00.000-08:00

As we wander through life, we come across an endless amount of surprises, but for me none quite as surprising as the love of a rat.

From the moment my first rat arrived, however unplanned, into my life, I was hopelessly in love with a creature I never expected to cross paths with.

A rat, in my opinion is perfect. They are cuddly, loving, funny, loyal and smart. As babies, you experience the joy of teaching them how to love and be loved, how to be confident, loving animals and playtimes are so much fun and so incredibly rewarding. Then as our beautiful friends mature into adults, I found I fell in love with them even more, if that is even possible. With adults, I would experience what I like to call 'comfortable familiarity'. Adult rats are big lazy squishies and when I picked them up, it was like wearing a favourite pair of old shoes :) They fit in the palm of my hand like they had been there forever, a perfect, comfortable fit. You know every line, every hair and every move.

They get more and more loving, but like some cruel trick of fate, the more loving they get, the weaker and helpless they become, like some cruel equation which has to balance at all times. Suddenly they need to you to entice them with food as they lose weight, to hide medicines in their foods to make them better, to bathe them as they become incapable of doing it themselves. Yet despite all this, they continue to be happy loving companions, a tower of strength.

When the time nears for them to leave this world for a better place, the bond is so strong that you know exactly when they are leaving you. You place them on your neck and whisper to them how much you love them, how they are not alone and will always be with you. Their breathing slows, their eyes close and they snuggle deeper into the curve between your neck and shoulder. Then when they take their final breath, it is marked by your tears in their fur and the sound of your heart breaking.

Have you ever come across any animal which has had that effect on you?
I hope so, because as much as it hurts, that short precious lifespan is a moment in time which stays with you forever. and ever. and ever.

In memory of my four babies; Tilly, Otis, Nougat and Dougal xxxx

More than a rat

2011-01-30T00:12:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share this with all you rat lovers that read my blog, I got it from Sarah, a fellow blogger who's a big fan of rats and I just loved it, its so true, so beautiful and made me cry and I wanted to share it :)

MORE THAN A RAT

As rat parents, we live the deepest love and suffer the most earnest sadness of a complete lifetime many times over in our own lives.

We watch our children grow from hesitant, shy or questioning pink babes to curious, rambunctious teenagers; testing the limits of their siblings, exploring new corners, new tunnels; tasting new baseboards or new boxes; stealing treats from each other; learning to ride on shoulders. We give them names like Stinky and Cookie and PoPo JeeJo, and talk about them with other rat parents.

We see them emerge as confident adults, enjoying the fruits of their environment but always content to go back home after a busy play time; sometimes slowly waking up from a full day of sleep as we return home; sometimes running to cage doors to greet us as we awake each morning to their loving faces, all tired out from a busy evening of nest-building, sibling-picking, cage-climbing fun. We are always and never surprised at their creativity…waterfalls sculpted of stolen tissue, food bowls buried under mounds of litter, bedding surreptitiously moved from one location to another.

We watch the fullness of their adulthood, sometimes producing babes of their own, sometimes never recognizing they had been neutered. We cherish their response to our touch; amazed that such a perfect, intelligent creature could at all be interested in our voices, our hands, and our activities. Sometimes we stare forever at their feet…perfect in every way; or stroke a tail wrapped around our chin. We marvel at the connection we have – different than with a cat, or a dog, perhaps a bit of both, but always deeply emotional.

We watch them age, their fur growing less silky, less soft and shiny, their eyes clouding with time. Sometimes our hearts sink as we caress a small lump nestled under a leg or detect the telltale rattle of myco in an elderly breath where a churr used to be. We see the slowness of limbs and the thinning of bodies with time; feel the hipbones and the shoulder blades where once was hearty muscle. We often are confronted with the grumpiness that comes with elderly aches and pains and we respect that and touch with gentle kindness and compassionate understanding.

Within two to three years our little friends have lived a full life. To us, it is a microsecond. Just a moment in time that we have been blessed to be acquainted with one, or two, or twenty, of the most incredible creatures on this earth. We have laughed so hard we cried, we have learned so much and smiled even more. We have been delighted and saddened, comforted and heartbroken.

On this God's earth, there is no companion quite so devoted, so communicative, so loving and so mesmerizing as a rat.

Cynthia Goehrin

Whatever people tell you or whatever stupid prejudicious judgements people make about these truly fantastic creatures, dont judge until you've met one...and I don't mean just looked at one from a distance.

My rats were more than pets; they were friends, my babies, my life and they become a piece of you, and when you lose them, you lose a little piece of yourself along with them, and it can't ever be replaced.

I love and miss you all so much, and when life gets a bit difficult, it makes me want you even more.

Love always,
George xxxxxxxxx

Happy Australia Day

2011-01-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

It's Australia day, I have officially been an Australian citizen for a year!! Wow, time goes so incredibly quickly..WHERE did that last year go?

It's pretty amazing that I am lucky enough to be two nationalities, I know a lot of people need to give up their citizenship in their birth country in order to become Australian, but I am fortunate enough to be able to hold both. Because, if I had had to make that choice, I don't think I could have given up my British nationality. It's who I am and where I was born, and I wouldn't like to have the choice of living there in future taken away from me. As it is, I can be part of both countries, each wonderful in their own ways.

From this: Pontypridd, the town I was born in

To this: Beautiful Mullaloo

Big difference huh?

Well, I'm off to enjoy the rest of the day, beach later, its gorgeous weather (as usual!) hope you all have a good day too, whether you're Aussie, half Aussie or not at all..whichever works I guess!! :)

Love George xxx

Mulan

2011-01-25T01:45:00.000-08:00

Mulan

Mushu

so next we watched Mulan, which I gotta say was really awesome...I am so glad I named my fish after that dragon :)

I found myself relating to Mulan alot - clumsy, not your conventional girl, attitude problem etc etc hahahahaha

This one actually had a happy ending too, where she marries the hot asian guy and lives happily ever after. good for her. I am now putting up with my sister singing 'someday I'll make a man out of you' 24/7 (not well I might add!!), but again the songs are really awesome...especially "Reflection"

Reflection

"Look at me
I will never pass for a perfect bride
Or a perfect daughter
Can it be
I'm not meant to play this part?
Now I see
That if I were truly to be myself
I would break my fam'ly's heart

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight
Back at me?
Why is my reflection someone
I don't know?
Somehow I cannot hide
Who I am
Though I've tried
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?
When will my reflection show
Who I am inside?"

Very very good song I thought, apparently it's based on one of Christina Aguileira's.

Anyway, yeah that's my disney review for today. I've also been driving and its finally starting to come together...thank God, I was starting to think I might be menatally challenged or something!!

Tomorrow's Australia day and also our wonderful friend Carly's son Christian's birthday. He never had a chance to celebrate it as he was born asleep, but tomorrow he would have been four and Carly is planning on celebrating his 'awesomeness' as she puts it in our favourite special place, Mullaloo beach. Should be great, I'm sure I'll be playing in the ocean with her little angels :) If you're Australian, hope you all have a great day tomorrow :)
If you're not, maybe you could have a public holiday and not bother turning up to work/school and just say 'but it's Austrlaia day!!'. Lemme know how that goes down if you try it!!

Love George xxx

Disney Movies :)

2011-01-23T21:52:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love how adorable disney movies are?
My sister wanted to watch a disney movie again coz we haven't seen any for years, they're so damn cute and always have a happy ending (like that ever happens in real life right?)

So we ended up watching Pochahontas, which is an awesome movie, the raccoon reminds me of Harley, my kitten!! (fat and stupid :) hehe) It's actually a really moralistic movie too (as most of them are!!) and it keeps going back to how important it is to respect the land and all the creatures we share this beautiful world with. I love the songs too, they are really beautiful.

"Colours of the Wind" is one of the best, and most famous and some of my favourite quotes from it are:

"You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name"

"Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth"

"You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind"

and another song I really liked, which I forgot was in it was "Just around the riverbend", I thought the lyrics were really good!!

"What I love most about rivers is:
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What's around the riverbend
Waiting just around the riverbend"

So yeah, that was my disney fix for the week, May wants to watch more of 'em and seeing as we own pretty much all of them (we were BIG fans when we were little) we'll probably end up watching a fair few!!

Hope you all have a good day :)
Love George xxx

23/1/2011

2011-01-22T19:49:00.000-08:00

I'm slowly getting my life back on track and it's returning to normal..how boring right? but sometimes normal and boring are good I suppose.

My holidays are into the home stretch now and I've only got a month and a bit left, which in some ways really sucks and other ways is kind of unreal. I can't believe I'm going to be starting my second year of university!! Where does the time go?? :O

I've been working lots and have been asked to stay on as a permanent casual, and get to have all the staff training hopefully which is awesome!! I even got transfered to another store yesterday coz they were short staffed, which I was really nervous about...its like starting a new job but knowing exactly what to do!! Least I kept up with the rest of them though!!

I finally had my eye test too, and my eyes have finally stabilised, they're still crap and don't work but at least now they're just staying at the same level of crapness hahahahaha. I needed new glasses too and of course fell in love with a pair of black prada's...thank god for credit cards ;) hahahahaha.

My driving is also finally getting somewhere...I think...well I hope anyway.

It's good to have a day off, Im just chilling with my sis listening to Taylor Swift (who knows what she's doing, there's funny banging noises coming from my desk haha)

Catch ya's :)
Love George xxxx

Finally!!

2011-01-19T23:37:00.001-08:00

I finally got a pair of black converse. Don't get me wrong, I love my pink sparkly ones to bits, they just dont go with everything :P

I have pictures, of course...they're really cute, that takes my shoe count up to 14 pairs I think...and thats just the ones I wear!!

Organizing myself : )

2011-01-19T17:35:00.000-08:00

I don't know what to write today, there's a lot I want to write really, but I just don't want people to read it, so I won't :)

I'm a bit all over the place right now, but everything's also a lot better recently, I'm getting there slowly.

Mushu is growing and getting orangier by the day, it's nice to have a roomate again :)

I am finally getting my life sorted out too (trust me to leave everything to the last minute again). I applied for a proof of age card yesterday, which will make my life a whole lot easier haha coz we all know what would happen if I had to take my passport around with me!! (oh I seem to have put it somewhere and now I cant find it...!!)

My driving is also improving dramatically now that Dad is actually taking me every day, instead of once in a blue moon :) hopefully It'll click eventually, I can't wait to get my license, it will be so much easier.

I finally booked an eye test too so I can get some new glasses coz my other ones seriously aren;t working for me anymore (maybe they're just dirty??) who knows, but yeah then I won't have to have another test for a whole year!! (that's a good thing, I absolutely hate the opticians, it freaks me out haha) soo not looking forward to it.

So yeah, I'm getting myself organized, finally!! Good for me :P
Hope you're all doing ok, sorry I haven't updated as often.
Love George xxx

This Crazy Life of Mine

2011-01-17T01:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt like you're not society's depiction of normal?
Ever felt maybe you don't follow the flow or appear as a conventional person?
I feel that way all the time in nearly all aspects of my life.

On one hand, it's good to be unique, to be a strong, self assured individual who is not a follower, but at other times I think it's a lot easier to go with the rest of the world and be a little less different and a little more invisible.

I have spent my life perfecting being invisible, and then you start trying to be something else, and you dont know whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, because then you get noticed. I don't know what's right and what's wrong anymore, which is why I'm glad i have such good people in my life to help me figure it out, because sometimes it's hard to see straight and it's hard to work out what the hell you're doing.

I have made a lot of mistakes lately, but yet I still wouldn't take them back, because I have learnt some valuable life lessons and realized how much I love my family and how much they love me too, they're always there for me and it doesn't matter what stupid things I've done or how epically I have screwed up, they still help me through it. That's a truly magical gift, never ever turn your back on your family, no matter what you think it might cost you.

Meet Mushu!!

2011-01-10T19:06:00.000-08:00

I took some pictures of the real Mushu today, they're not very good photos coz he's too damn fast!! He's really cute though :)

Apparently he may turn orange too! I was told by a friend who's really good with anything concerning animals that he may be young and may turn orange later on!! Haha that will take some getting used to!!

So here's Mr, Mushu, who is settling in really well, and has met a few other family members too since arriving! ;)

I also bought some plants for his tank too coz it looked really boring. They have very poor eyesight though so you can't have anything which is hard and could harm their underbellies or anything too big either :) so I got some little soft ones for him and it looks much nicer in there.

Before...

After!!

Harley meets Mushu. I forgot to shut my door this morning and this is where I found Harley. He didn't make any move to hurt him though, just watched...which is good!!

So that's my new little buddy and Harley gives him the look of approval!!

oh, and here's my photo that Aimz was meant to give me the other day from New Years Day. Meet Smartypants, who's absolutely beautiful but a tad too small for me!! :) hehe

I think thats all for today!!

oh and here's Harley watching Mushu from a distance. I told him to look but not touch and to only sit on the chair...so he did!! :P what a cutie haha

Have a good day guys!!
Love George xxxxxxxx

Im bored...

2011-01-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

so of course I resort to these dumb quizzes haha :P

Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

closet doors?? I dont have a bloody closet..my room IS a closet hahahahaha

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?

unfortunately I cant remember the last time I went to a hotel so who knows what I would do :P haha

Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

god these qs are weird, in i think...

Have you ever stolen a street sign before?

um no, but that would be hell cool!! XD

Do you like to use post-it notes?

yes, I have OCD, of course i like post it notes haha

Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

yuppp :P

Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?

a bear, its over quicker hahahaha

Do you have freckles?

yes, way way way too many :P

Do you always smile for pictures?

uh most of the time, I look like a grumpy bitch otherwise haha

What is your biggest pet peeve?

oh I have so many, most of them involve germs and my brother lol

Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

yeahh haha

Have you ever peed in the woods?

um no lol

Do you ever dance even if theres no music playing?

not usually, but if there's music and a mirror... :P hahaahah

Do you chew your pens and pencils?

:O no, they deserve more respect than that!!

How many people have you slept with this week?

oh heaps ;) nah Im just kidding, that would be ZERO

What size is your bed?

single :( I cant fit a double in my room!!

What is your Song of the week?

Pitbull's 'Hey Baby' haha

Is it okay for guys to wear pink?

yeah whatever floats your boat lol, i for one LOVE pink :P

Do you still watch cartoons?

sometimes :)

Whats your least favorite movie?

oh god where do i start? there's too many to name

Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

with my babies, they'd keep it safe for me :)

What do you drink with dinner?

water usually

What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

tomato sauce

What is your favorite food?

chocolate and ice cream, cant pick between them haha

What movies could you watch over and over and still love?

mama mia, dirty dancing, mean girls, p.s I love you and fast and furious 1

Last person you kissed/kissed you?

now that would be telling!! ;)

Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

hell no!! haha

Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

no way haha

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

christmas, one to my gran, one to an old neighbour and one to dad's friend (for dad who hates writing)

Can you change the oil on a car?

of course not :D

Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

no I cant even drive for goodness sake!!

Ran out of gas?

see above :P

Favorite kind of sandwich?

um I've never really thougt about it lol haha

Best thing to eat for breakfast?

greek honey yoghurt and strawberries...or nutella and strawberry croissant (not quite so healthy lmao)

What is your usual bedtime?

11 - 12 I guess

Are you lazy?

if I say no, Im going to get a LOT of shit from my family :P hahahaha

When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

witch of course ;)

What is your Chinese astrological sign?

monkey...thats about right!!

How many languages can you speak?

it was 2, 3 even but the welsh has left me completely and my german's rusty :(

Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

architecture australia :P

Which are better legos or lincoln logs?

wtf??

Are you stubborn?

oh hell yes!! and the world's biggest grudge holder :P

Who is better...Leno or Letterman?

who??

Ever watch soap operas?

not really, used to more when I was younger

Afraid of heights?

I dont think so :P

Sing in the car?

all the time, its the best place to sing :D

Dance in the shower?

no...I'd probalby fall over XD

Dance in the car?

noo :P

Ever used a gun?

um no Id probz end up shooting myself haha

Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

does dad count, if so ALL the time haha

Do you think musicals are cheesy?

no I love them :)

Is Christmas stressful?

it sure is!!

Ever eat a pierogi?

a what??

Favorite type of fruit pie?

uh apple? i dont know!!

Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

vet, singer, actress hahaha

Do you believe in ghosts?

yes :)

Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

yup

Take a vitamin daily?

fih oil, should probz take garlic for my crappy circulation :/

Wear slippers?

nup

Wear a bath robe?

sometimes

What do you wear to bed?

tshirt and undies :P

First concert?

city muster with Aimz haha, Lee Kernaghan, whoo! :P

Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?

uh target? i dont know, dont really like any of them, my taste is a tad more expensive XD

Nike or Adidas?

lol sport brands :P um Nike? hahahaha

Cheetos Or Fritos?

wtf is a frito??

Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

peanuts, but i havent actually tried sunflower seeds so Im afraid I cant judge haha

Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?

nooo

Ever take dance lessons?

yes, ballet at 7 (was terrible and had to quit) and I was part of a theatre/dance group for s couple of years, but was a better actress and singer than I was a dancer!!

Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

hopefully he's a billionaire but I wont hold my breath!! ;)

Can you curl your tongue?

yeah i think so

Ever won a spelling bee?

never been in one, but if I had then yeah probably...im a shit hot speller!! haha

Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

yep, on my 18th birthday and probably several other occasions...Im a very emotional person lol

Own any record albums?

nup how old skwl lol

Own a record player?

see above haha

Regularly burn incense?

not regularly but I love it :)

Ever been in love?

I dont know..

Who would you like to see in concert?

Taylor Swift and Nickelback

What was the last concert you saw?

I dont even like concerts, why's there so many questions on them!!

Hot tea or cold tea?

cold

Tea or coffee?

coffee...every single time!!

Sugar or snickerdoodles?

what???

Can you swim well?

used to be able to, maybe I should test that haha

Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

yeah I think so haha

Are you patient?

oh no, if there's one trait I do NOT possess, its patience. I am the most impatient and most easily frustrated person you will ever meet. My parents call me nervy, dramatic, emotional and 'highly strung' hahahahhaa which Im afraid is also all true :P

DJ or band, at a wedding?

ew weddings haha

Ever won a contest?

yeah, but nothing life changing :)

Ever have plastic surgery?

ewww no way!!

Which are better black or green olives?

eww olives haha

Can you knit or crochet?

I can knit badly and need my gran to supervise me LOL

Best room for a fireplace?

Living room :)

Do you want to get married?

no not really. My parents have been engaged 22 years. you dont need a piece of paper to prove your love to someone. Why wreck something that's already perfect? Why define something you and your partner already know? and why spend a load of money on one day? haha yeah Im strongly opinionated on this subject!! :)

If married, how long have you been married?

N/A

Who was your HS crush?

uhhhh didnt really have one lol

Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?

no, I used to ;) LOL

Do you have kids?

do my animals count? :)

Do you want kids?

Im not really a kid person, but I am actually getting more tolerant these days and my answer to this question has gone from 'no way in hell' to 'maybe, someday very very far into the future' haha!

Whats your favorite color?

Pink :)

Do you miss anyone right now?

yep :)

Another New Family Member!

2011-01-09T02:44:00.000-08:00

Yeah, me and my animals...the family just keeps on growing!! I know I've had a couple of new followers so thought I'd do a sum up of all my current animals :) Starting with my oldest baby haha!!

Then I have four Hermit Crabs:
-Jimmy JoJo (age: 18 months)
-Lionel (age: 11 months)
-Entzio (age: 1 week)
-Toorez (age: 1 week)

obviously these aren't their actual ages, Lionel's a big boy and is probably a couple of years old and the others are probably at least a year old, but this how long its been since we got 'em :)

And one siamese fighter, Yoshi, also about a week old since we got him but probably around 6 months. Looks a bit like this:

and last, but not least my new little black Moor Fish, Mushu!! Who looks a little like this (I cant get a photo, he moves too fast!!):

So thats the family updated to the present and of course I'd like to remember other pets I've had the joy of sharing my life with: Chloe (my whippet X who died age 13), Harriet (my hamster who died at 2 yrs old), my four amazing rats Tilly, Otis, Nougat and Dougal (2, 1.5, 2, 2.2 respectively), my fighting fish Calypso and Finley and my hermit crabs Bstista, Humbug, Pinchy, Sebastian...hopefully I didnt leave anyone out.

Its hurts losing animals, but loving them and giving them a life makes up for it and more :)

I love all of you guys, past and present...you have taught me many many valuable lessons and I love you all the more for it :)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Shoes!!

2011-01-08T02:51:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to design my own shoes for a while now, and I finally got around to it, and decided to share them with you all in case you wanted to buy them too!!

It takes a bit longer than shirt designing because they have to be submitted for approval to zazzle before being allowed to sell them to the public.

Anyways they passed, they're actually Keds too, which is awesome and I think I may just order myself some!!

Hope you like them!!

Love George xxx

New Norcia

2011-01-07T03:14:00.000-08:00

Today we went on an epic day trip to New Norcia, which is like a hundred and something kilometers out of Perth. It's a monastery in the middle of nowhere and it's pretty amazing! It was built in the 1800s (no cars...how on Earth did they get the amterials and resources there??) and the architecture is beautiful...I had heaps of fun taking pictures.

Was so hot today, it was my little brother's last 'Vacswim' today (holiday swimming lessons on the beach) which he passed...well done buddy!! I, on the other hand got sunburnt for like the first time ever...I never burn!! :O So now I have a red back, yayyy :P maybe I'll finally get a tan...I doubt it though!

So yeah, I'll let my photos do the talking, fell in love with yet another staircase, all it was missing was Romeo ;) haha

Hope you all had a good day :)
Love George xxx

Isn't this the most beautiful staircase you have ever seen..."Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone" hahahahhaha :P

Beautiful Church :)

Love, love, love this mediterranean style...I want a house like this, and isn't this fantastic inspiration for a courtyard???

Guest House, gorgeous classic style

uh me, not so classic hahaha...all the little courtyards were so pretty :)
Damn I'm blocking that gorgeous door, what a shame!! trust me, it was a beautiful door :P

Flowers.... :)

Try hard Juliette hahahaha (told you I was in love with the stairs!!)

Before I went out :) me and my beautiful boy, Travis (I love you very very much xxx)
Me and my very cute little sister :) I want to steal your shirt lol

Work

2011-01-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

I didnt post yesterday, how naughty of me :O Im late by 13 minutes...tsk tsk, oh well too late to change that now!!

I worked this evening, spent this morning designing and playing around with AutoCAD and drawing...uh thats all Ive done today how boring, Ill post again today (but later on) when Im not about to fall asleep on my keyboard and have more interesting things to say!!

Love George

P.s Just wanted you all to spare a moment to remember Pepper, my friend Sarah's beautiful little ratty who passed away recently. Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you Sarah, I know how hard it it, and I hope you're doing ok xxx

New designs, first ones of 2011...and a sale already!!

2011-01-05T03:12:00.000-08:00

Yeah, Im embarrassed to admit that I keep forgetting it's 2011 and keep writing 201o on everything...oops!!

Anyway, trying to remember as I have lots of newv ideas and a fresh new burst of creatvity (its about time, ive been seriously lacking lately!!) and came up with this new design which is avaiable at the moment as a tshirt/hoodie/sticker on redbubble and a bag and mousepad on zazzle (if you want this design but on a different product on zazzle let me know..I made shoes with it on, which Im goona order soon!! :D cant wait haha)

let me know what you think, more where that came coming soon!!

I worked all day today, my knees hurt. my feet hurt. Im whingeing. I hate whingeing. So Im gonna stop right now haha

Have a good day guys!! :)

Love George xxxx

p.s Just put up some more new designs if you'd like to check 'em out!!
three new ones in the PRRR gallery ($3 from every shirt sold goes to Perth Rat Rescue and Rehab) and the rest are my new designs for Must. Love. Rats 2011 :D and I've sold a baby PRRR shirt already!!! Thanks Tatiana for your support :)

5 Months on and it still hurts like hell

2011-01-04T01:31:00.001-08:00

I really should learn not to go into pet shops.

Coz every time I do, I get so upset when I see beautiful little ratties I just can't have. I'm pretty ok usually, but today's little balls of fur? Absolutely gorgeous. They were so young, energetic and full of life and all of them were super cheeky and had their little paws up on the glass wanting to get out. And it broke my heart coz when I see those beautiful little faces it makes me realize how much I miss having them in my life.

And I do. Seriously miss them. Like you would not believe.

I had every intention of getting some hermit crabs today, I miss having something that's mine to look after, but after seeing the rats, my heart just wasn't in it. Coz that's what I really wanted. The one thing I'm not allowed :( Life sucks like that don't you think?

I really miss having them because they are such amazing creatures, and I know I will own them again someday, it just seems like a very very long time in the future, which is just downright depressing.

On a brighter note, my sister got a new fighting fish, Yoshi, which means goodness and luck. He's a royal blue with turqoise bits, absolutely stunning. And my brother got two new hermit crabs, Entzio and Torez (I have no idea how you spell that, they're assasins from some book he's readig at the moment!!).

And me? I got a good healthy dose of depression....wonderful.

Hope you're all having a good day, will try and post pics of the new family members soon :)

Love George xxx

Nothing Much today...

2011-01-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to write about today, except it's really humid (my hair's best friend?? I think not!!)

I cleaned my room earlier, that was a joy. It's funny how I started architecture with nothing but a couple of pencils and a notebook. I'm trying to organize my desk one year later and have expanded my equipment list to:
-2 packs of coloured fineliners
-1 pack of artliner inks
-At least 5 packs of sketching pencils ranging from 5H to 8B
-3 packs of coloured pencils (one classic, two watercolours)
-soft/medium/hard/kneadable/black erasers
-about a million sharpeners
-clutch pencils and leads
-5 rulers (I kid you not!!)
-A3 cutting mat, folders, folios, files etc
-graph paper/trace paper/cartridge paper
-sketchbooks (lets not go there, there are at LEAST 10 haha)
-set square
-sprays (adhesive/fixative etc)
-A2 folders
-a lot of books...just coz I like them, and they give me inspiration
-quite a few copies of architecture australia
-a laptop, AutoCAD 2010 ande 3DS MAX 2010
-etc, etc, etc, etc

My God, that all has to fit in my cupboard of a room, not an easy task!! But I managed, so now I can actually walk into my room without falling over my shoes/paper/general crap which I see as a very good thing.

I have two more months of holidays which is awesome and Im re enrolled in uni and am taking environmental design 2A - sustainability, environmental design 2B, Digital design 2, Architecture: Modern History, Architecture: Australian studies and Architectural Technology 2. Riveting stuff dont you think? haha

Anyway, I have no idea what I'm doing for the rest of today, and dont really care either...as long as I ain't working I'm happy :)

Hope you're all enjoying your day :)
Love George xxxx

The 20th Week: A Good and a Bad one

2011-01-01T22:52:00.000-08:00

Well its a new year, new start, end of something else. I dont know if I wanted 2010 to end. It has been a very significant year in my life. It went so fast, yet so much happened in that time, its quite amazing. Of course every year has its ups and downs, but I felt like last year was a lot more positive than negative. I have had a lot of negative years in my life, and so the fact that they just keep getting better is a good thing! Maybe that means 2011 will be my best yet.

I will start with what I think is good news (though most people are like get a life you loser!) I added to my Tiffany & Co collection once again with a Paloma Picasso designed ring. Its a three row crown of hearts design, sterling silver, and in my opinion, absolutely stunning. I finally got to actually go in the store too, which was good :P I now have four little blue boxes and some seriously stunning jewellry. I know its wrong to like material things, and dont get me wrong, I absolutely love nature, life and all the natural beauty of this Earth which in many cases is seriously miraculous (is that a word??), but I also have an appreciation for material things, and I dont see that as a bad thing. Design and creativity is a big passion of mine and I think a lot of man-made things are a celebration of human intelligence and creatvity. Of course this may be a load of bullshit I made up to cover the fact that I just love pretty (and expensive!!) things, but I like to think its not :) Anyway enough of my rambling here is my beautiful new ring:

Gorgeous hay? I think so anyway!!

My other news makes me sad, which is why I'd rather put it last coz I know a lot of people think Im a big sook for falling apart when my animals die, but hey, someone's gotta love 'em and all my animals mean a lot to me.

So I would like to remember my sister's beautiful white fighting fish Angelo, who passed away just after Christmas:

And also, I have to say that beautiful Batista, my favourite hermit crab passed away too. Trying to see the good side, we did think Lionel was gone too but hew was just molting :) successfully I might add!! He has shed his unusual black-brown skin (I have never seen such a dark hermit crab!!) and he is now a lovely shade of pale grey with hairy legs :) I did have Jimmy in my room for a night, while we cleared the tank and were waiting for Lionel to resurface. Here he is, looking pretty at home on my desk!!

So, Im relieved Lionel is ok, but sad that Batista didnt make it :(

Lastly, Im trying to get into Tumblr, my sister's latest addiction...if you want to check it out here's the link: http://tattooed-on-my-heart.tumblr.com

That's it from me for now I think, if I remember something else, Ill post later
Love George xxxx