Then the terrible bushfires in Victoria, and they're still not out of danger.
Now, there's a cyclone in North Queensland.
And yesterday there was an earthquake in Victoria.
My heart goes out to the people in these regions. It's human nature to feel most secure at home but when your home is in danger, what do you do? Not only are you displaced, you lose your sense of security too.
I crashed out of my "healthy" diet pretty badly last week.
Some pretty major, worrying things happened and the mental stress of figuring it out left me with no energy to cook properly. I ate instant noodles, oily curries, Chinese food and way too much of chocolate.
The lack of sleep hasn't helped either because it left me so tired at the end of the work day that I didn't even go to the gym.
I'm sad and disappointed with myself. My worries and tensions haven't exactly disappeared and probably won't for a little while but I've realised that when I'm in control of the things I can control, even the uncontrollable seems controlled. Ha ha...Too deep?
Anyway, I'm going to the gym today and hopefully regain the motivation I lost over the last week and a half.
People have even questioned the usefulness of her studying Latin. "How is that going to help in the real world?" "Latin can't get you a job!" etc etc
The purpose of education is, surprise surprise, to educate. Education is not just the means to an end - finding a job.
I studied English Literature for my Bachelors. Why? Because I love it. There was honestly no other reason. There was no practical purpose to me studying Paradise Lost or Macbeth but I loved it and would do it again. So she doesn't know the name of the lead actor in Slumdog Millionaire. I bet a million others don't. But she does know about Aristophanes' Cloud Cuckoo Land. Neither trivia has any useful purpose but knowing the latter definitely makes her smarter, no matter how you choose to look at it.
Gail Trimble is not obsolete in modern society, in fact we need more of her kind. We need to stop the dumbing down and marvel at how smart she is. Because she is.
Okay…so as you have obviously noticed I have become a lazy blogger. And I am making an attempt at writing at least one line every day, starting right now.
I started a new diet and today’s Day 4. It’s meant to last 28 days and already I am dreaming of French fries. For those of you who don’t know me, potatoes are a big weakness…And fries…mmmm…I could eat them at any hour of the day.
So I have been going to the gym for about a month now and lost 2kg. My ultimate goal is not to lose weight – it is to become fit. To me there is an important difference between the two. My goal is to be able to run on the treadmill for at least 40 minutes without feeling like I’m going to die. At the moment, I can run only about 2 minutes and then I can speed walk but anymore running and you’ll be calling an ambulance. So you have a fair idea of how much I need to work on my fitness.
I also need to work on strength training especially my arms and shoulders which I have discovered are very weak especially when compared to my legs.
So anyway, I know the word “diet” automatically translates to “starving” for a lot of us. But I can’t starve myself. I love food way too much. I don’t eat to live. I live to eat! So when I say diet I just mean I am controlling a lot of what I’m eating.
I have been told a lot about the no-carbs-after-5pm diet and I’m taking a shot at it. Today is Day 4. Its 10:26 AM right now and so far I have eaten a serve of grapes for breakfast and a cup of coffee. For lunch I have a ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwich on wholegrain bread. And when I feel hungry in the afternoon, (which I most definitely will)…I have a choice between fat free yoghurt or an apple. I am a little worried about dinner because I have to go to a function straight after work so I don’t think I’m going to get the chance to eat much before I go there. And functions usually have a lot of unhealthy food…Hmm…it’s a long drive there. Maybe I’ll take something with me to eat on the way there.
Oh…and I should also mention that I am trying the smaller portions thing too. So I’m eating lesser but eating more often. I don’t know if it’s working…but it’s definitely making me hungry as hell!
I know you’re probably not interested in my diet but I will still document it anyway as it works as some sort of motivation for me. I have very little belief in my willpower to stick to a diet and I have almost always failed before so this is important to me. It’s hard for me to promise not to eat carbs after 5pm because I love carbs. Hehe. But imagine – no rice, no roti, no pasta, no bread and no POTATO! Think about how much fun I have planning dinner! Lucky for me I love vegetables too so meat and veggies will keep me going.
I made a new year’s resolution this year after many many years – and it was to get my life back on track and the first step was to get in shape. I have been going to the gym but I need to go more. I have been eating right on and off but I need to do it more. Getting fit & writing more is a good step in finding myself again I think. Writing for myself I mean. I write for a job but that doesn’t count.
Oh, and before you point fingers at me when I write tomorrow’s menu I will defend myself. I started this diet suddenly 4 days ago but I had a dinner planned for tomorrow night many weeks ago. Dinner is at an Indian restaurant so it will be lots of unhealthy, oily food. And I have to have naan (read: carbs carbs carbs). I haven’t eaten out at an Indian place in a long long time so I am excused for dinner tomorrow. I know it sounds like an excuse but it really isn’t. I thought of postponing my diet plans till Sunday but I didn’t want to so instead I am just excusing myself tomorrow night. I will make up for it though.
Wish me luck! Day 4 has only just begun and there’s unhealthy food ready to pounce at me at every corner. Photo courtesy: waggaway
I am inherently resistant to change. Which is funny because I don't enjoy stagnancy either.
I've written a lot about change - at different stages of my life. I love my memories and can sometimes spend too much time reminiscing. But what I have also realised is that if I didn’t experience changes, I would never have had new experiences – and therefore more memories.
Obviously, moving out of home, to a different country has been the biggest change in my life so far. If life was perfect as it was, I would never have moved would I? But because it wasn’t and because I’d like to make it as close to perfect as possible, I made the choice. And I don’t regret it.
I put myself on the backburner for a long time. I have lost myself in my quest for a better life but I am slowly finding and making myself again. I have changed but I remain the same.
I detest plagiarism. Authors, musicians, poets, songwriters...even plagiarised thoughts. So, I was very disappointed to discover "viva la vida" has eerily similar riffs to joe satch's song "if i could fly".
V, the joe satch fan, is highly delighted. he's found another reason to refuse to go with me to watch coldplay live in march. But he has to go. He owes me. :D
Back to my original point. I am very disappointed when greatness is not original, and is "inspired". I expect this from Anu Malik and his Bollywood brothers not Coldplay. I understand, creative arts are such that sometimes when you create something that is great, you think you came up with it yourself. But we have to be very very aware that we didn't copy someone else. I know its hard; sometimes when I write something, I worry about if I've read that line somewhere else. And I'm not even famous. But Coldplay is, so they need to be so much more careful and responsible as musicians. I understand how it could have been a genuine creative mistake (i really hope it is!) but that doesn't necessarily make it okay!
Led Zeppelin made a whole career out of ripoffs but Coldplay, you are The Scientist who Fixed me and made me go Yellow because of the Rush of Blood to My Head. Okay, corny I know, but if you haven't noticed, I really like Coldplay. I'll never sing viva la vida the same way because V will always remind me that its joe satch and not coldplay!
Watch this video and see what I mean
Oh and I think the combined version sounds really good. Just a thought: Maybe, now that Coldplay's album has gone Double Platinum and they've been nominated for a zillion Grammy Awards, maybe they should release a Special Edition Viva La Vida feat. Joe Satriani?
i dont' understand how you cannot care. i don't understand how 9/11 is important to you yet 26/11 isn't. i don't understand how you can watch your city burn and just go about leading your life. bombay's (yes, bombay!) resilience may also be its apathy. but bombay's protests can also be the nation's protest.
i sit here a million miles away and i spend hours, every day watching the news, reading more articles talking to "mumbaikars" because I AM AFFECTED i have never been to bombay but this isn't about bombay this is about India the politicians don't care neither do you i call to check on you and you say "it's all downtown so we're just carrying on with life as usual" life as usual? life isn't as usual anymore.
care a little more don't just stand there watching while your country burns stop blaming pakistan you are no less to blame if you don't even care.
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