From The Notebook Doodles
Things We Did that were Capital A Awesome in April:
Lauren:
Studying: In the year I’ve been out of university I’ve learnt some big things about myself, none more so than how much I enjoy study. The set goals, deadlines, forced productivity and learning all suit me well, and the year without study left me longing to hit the books. The trouble with working, writing, trying to keep my house tidy and not kill my pet fish (fail), though, is that there’s little time left for study and financially I’m in no position to return to full time education. Luckily for me there are all kinds of wonderful things to be done on the internet, and at the end of April I enrolled in a creative writing course through the Australian Writers Marketplace. Next week I shall begin a Freelance Writing Course online through the Sydney Writer’s Centre, let’s all hope my enthusiasm doesn’t wane over the coming months!
Reading: Maybe it’s linked to stepping back into study, perhaps it’s my discovery of the Rory Gilmore Reading List (I’m sorry, but I will never be tired of the amazement that somebody actually wrote that), but I’ve been making a deliberate effort to read more consistently during the last month. No more ‘oh I’ll just start reading this interesting looking book even though I’m in the middle of a different book and I only read once a week’ type habits, in April I’ve been enjoying reading every spare moment I get. As a youngster I read voraciously, but during uni I just plain old ran out of time for ‘recreational reading’ and the habit stopped. Lately I’ve been enjoying Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals and the classic Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Okay…so maybe I am still skipping between tomes, but one’s fiction and the other non-fiction, so that’s fine, right?
Ell-Leigh:
Indulging: This past month I spent a whole lot of time indulging in things I'd been abstaining from - mostly alcohol and shopping, and boy, did I indulge with fervor and joy. Sure, drinking too much is bad, and even drinking what would normally be classified in my books as fine while on a boat where you're constantly in air condition and rocking side to side after a germ infested day long flight can have some pretty bad consequences too, but sometimes drinking a pina colada out of a pineapple can be not only delicious, but also awesome. What is also awesome is shopping for new clothes in an outlet mall when your nation's dollar is as high as it's ever been and the country where you're shopping is still recovering from a crisis. So I helped with the recovery effort, it was the least I could do with so much gorgeous clothes around. 12kg of luggage later, and I'm one happy camper.
Being gentle on myself: There is a golden rule to self esteem which goes a little like this: imagine yourself as an 8 year old and treat yourself accordingly. As a highly strung virgo with dreams of writing Oscar winning screenplays and anything less with her life is a waste, no pressure, I can quite often forget this rule and I tend to wallow in my own "failure" which in reality is much more like "just not meeting the incredibly high, almost impossible to meet, expectations that I hold for myself". This month I've given myself a break, not only in a very literal way, by going on holiday, but I've also given myself a break from worrying so much about how I'm going to become the successful whatever etc that I want to be. Planning is important, but I don't think stressing about the future excessively is in any way healthy or going to help towards my goals... The link below to Sarah Wilson's website (which I've already shared once in last week's Things I Love Thursday post) certainly helped this. If you haven't read it and watched the video included yet DO SO NOW.
Links we loved and would like to share: Ell-Leigh:
Indulging: This past month I spent a whole lot of time indulging in things I'd been abstaining from - mostly alcohol and shopping, and boy, did I indulge with fervor and joy. Sure, drinking too much is bad, and even drinking what would normally be classified in my books as fine while on a boat where you're constantly in air condition and rocking side to side after a germ infested day long flight can have some pretty bad consequences too, but sometimes drinking a pina colada out of a pineapple can be not only delicious, but also awesome. What is also awesome is shopping for new clothes in an outlet mall when your nation's dollar is as high as it's ever been and the country where you're shopping is still recovering from a crisis. So I helped with the recovery effort, it was the least I could do with so much gorgeous clothes around. 12kg of luggage later, and I'm one happy camper.
Being gentle on myself: There is a golden rule to self esteem which goes a little like this: imagine yourself as an 8 year old and treat yourself accordingly. As a highly strung virgo with dreams of writing Oscar winning screenplays and anything less with her life is a waste, no pressure, I can quite often forget this rule and I tend to wallow in my own "failure" which in reality is much more like "just not meeting the incredibly high, almost impossible to meet, expectations that I hold for myself". This month I've given myself a break, not only in a very literal way, by going on holiday, but I've also given myself a break from worrying so much about how I'm going to become the successful whatever etc that I want to be. Planning is important, but I don't think stressing about the future excessively is in any way healthy or going to help towards my goals... The link below to Sarah Wilson's website (which I've already shared once in last week's Things I Love Thursday post) certainly helped this. If you haven't read it and watched the video included yet DO SO NOW.
Being Great Takes Time... So Take It! from Sarah Wilson (as mentioned above)
50 Unexplainable Black and White Photos - Some weird, some funny, some strangely off putting, definitely worth a look.
3 Piece Of Advice I'd Give My 18 Year Old Self If I Could - Wise words
How To Steal Like An Artist - This one has been doing the rounds, and if you haven't seen it click now.
I'm Comic Sans, Asshole - McSweeney's makes me giggle like there's no tomorrow, this was the first of the Short Imagined Monologue series I came across and I still revisit when I need a shot of laughter.
April Playlist
Techno Fan - The Wombats
I Don't Know What Happened To The Kids - Labi Saffre
Someone Like You - Adele
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO Feat. Lauren Bennett and Goon Rock
Fire In Your New Shoes - Kaskade Feat. Dragonette
and these songs...
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