Payday and other myths…

Don’t we all love it when that nice fat paycheck comes in? Mine must be on a diet, I reckon… But anyway, it’s always a great opportunity to reward yourself to give yourself that sense of achievement.

So, my money comes in and I decide to rewards myself with some extra special goodies from Ebay!

In conjunction with the weather becoming significantly colder, I’ve got myself a pair of gloves for just $5 (free postage). Let’s hope they’re actually warm (and they get here from China before winter is over!).

My puppy also deserved a treat, so I got her a Kong Wubba. She’s managed to tear the cloth bit already but I believe it will survive longer than some of her other toys. She has got jaws of steel – I’ve seen her crush a golf ball, so I know what I’m up against!

For the hubby, rather than buying chocolate again, I decided to buy the healthier option – liquorice! Mind you, it probably has as much sugar as chocolate (if not more), but it’s yummy so why not?

And I’ve also decided to invest in some lovely colourful cloth nappies! Just because every woman loves spoiling herself…

Honestly, I’m not a crazy shopaholic. I do spend money once in a while on smaller things, though I’m the type that will cringe if a piece of clothing costs over $20. Perhaps it’s in my upbringing, because my mother is also a shrewd spender and taught me the love of op-shops.

I read this article recently about tips to save money, especially in light of my giving up my job for full-time parenthood:
http://au.pfinance.yahoo.com/compare/savings/article/-/16849206/20-easy-ways-to-save-money/

Handy, only I do most of these things already. I take the bus into work (because I REFUSE to pay for parking), I don’t go out partying or drinking – not to mention, I am the master of all things second hand or anything from the Ebay domain.

Mind you, frugality honestly makes me happy. Some people are happy when they buy something that they’ve been eyeing for ages – they’ve saved up and finally can afford that dress, phone or car of their dreams. And then, you get people like me, who are just happy they were able to get a used designer dress off the rack of a Salvos shop for less than $10. I’m sure there’s a place in the world for people like me (and it’s probably not on a catwalk).

I’m just thankful that there’s more to life than what money can buy. And some of the best things in life come free… Like this:

Location: Chillagoe, QLD
Time: Around sunrise
Emotion: Tranquility, Perfection

May the rest of your week be filled with a whole lot of wonderful things that money can’t buy!

Happy hens night!

I don’t mean to go back on my word, but I do have an excuse for a girly post this week – hens nights can’t help being girly! We organised a simple yet fun hens night for our friend Dayu, who’s getting married in Bali in October.

For some people, hens nights involve hitting the town in skimpy clothing, dancing, drinking and other naughty things that will make your grandma blush. It doesn’t always have to be done that way though, and some types of debauchery are not for everyone.

For Dayu’s hens night, we had a gorgeous (and spicy) Thai dinner before doing a bit of a dress-up and watching some girly movies. The next day, we had Mi Goreng for breakfast and took a refreshing walk on the beach. In a way, I wish I had organised more but it was only four of us (and only three at the sleepover), so the laid-back approach worked out quite well.

“Dayu, I wish you all the best on your big day and hope you’ll have tons of happiness with Andrew! I wish Dan and I could be there, but I don’t know how well our baby will cope with flying to Bali  at about 1 month old. Love you babe!”

I never had a Hens night myself, but if I’d had one, these would have been my Top 5 choices:

5. Paintballing – Some friends of mine had a co-ed paintball Hens/Bucks party, and I heard it was pretty action-packed! I’ve never ever been paintballing myself but it sure sounds like a lot of fun (and I can put my M-16 skills to the test – more details next time). My only worry would probably have been the physical damage to the bride and groom – though bruises can be photoshopped out of wedding pictures, I guess.

4. Camping – I love being out in nature and it would be awesome to just be out there with the girls, going for walks in nature and huddling around the campfire. Of course, it would be great to have the boys there to put up our tents, collect firewood, cook the barbie, massage our feet, etc.

3. Beachside retreat – I love chilling out on beach – playing beach volleyball, body surfing and just lying in the sun (though Asians and tans do not socially go well together). Hiring out a beach house would great, not to mention it would be awesome to flaunt bikini bods.

2. Spa Day – Which girl doesn’t love a spa? I can imagine myself being massaged in amazing places (e.g. feet) and just having a good girly chit chat in a hot spa bath. If I lived close to one, I would go to outdoor hot springs – I once went to Peninsula Hot Springs in Victoria and it was divine!

1. White Water Rafting – One thing that bums me about South Australia is that we don’t have any really good white water rafting spots. My first (and favourite) rafting experience was at Tully River in Queensland where we hit some crazy rapids, jumped off cliffs and got flipped out of the boat (deliberately). The adrenaline rush is amazing – just what a bride would need to calm her wedding nerves… in my opinion anyway.

I would love to ramble on more, write some movie reviews or share some thoughts on politics and the weather, but this pregnant woman needs a bit more sleep after being rudely awakened this morning by a somersaulting fetus.

My final comment will be on the AFL game between North Melbourne and Adelaide Crows. I don’t actually watch footy much, but my interest has increased since I started Footy Tipping at work. For some reason, it felt slightly disrespectful not to support the Crows, and am I glad that I tipped them. I still doubt I’ll win anything through my tipping though, because I’ve been wrong pretty much every other time.
Full details here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-26/hawthorn-back-up-to-second-after-beating-gold-coast-suns/4713770

Good night and happy Monday for tomorrow.

My mid-pregnancy crisis

First and foremost, I want to assure you that this is not a pregnancy, mummy-baby type blog. I’m not here to bare my soul on the explicit details of having a child growing in me, nor am I here to gush on about the worries and joys involved in motherhood (or motherhood-to-be, in my case).

I really started this blog because of the internal crisis that plays on my mind from time to time. And no, it’s not whether I should have KFC for dinner every night (though I do battle with this thought regularly).

I’m the type of person who likes to plan ahead. First degree, check. Engagement, check. Marriage, check. House, check. Full time job, check. First child, almost check.

But, what next?

Plans of further study and work-from-home opportunities swirl around my mind, though my conscience reminds me that my primary venture should be to care for my baby to the best of my ability. I’m surprised at my own nonchalance but perhaps because it’s because I’m stepping into unknown territory, and my usual approach to ambiguity is apathy.

So, what to expect from my blog? I’m honestly not sure myself… One day I may share anecdotes about my neighbourhood-celebrity dog, and another I may be raving on about dream cars and sports bikes.

One thing I do know is that what the world is about to witness is as real as it gets.