Monthly Archives: June 2014

How liquid breakfast pulled me through a mini-crisis.

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Image by James Lee Parry for Oyster Magazine.

Image by James Lee Parry for Oyster Magazine.

I recently had an epiphany on Up&Go’s claim of possessing the ‘goodness’ of 2 Weetbix and Milk.

It’s an inventive marketing ploy, to embed ‘goodness’ into something as simple as 3 breakfast ingredients, but the events of a certain yesterday have taught me that such combinations really are, inherently god sent.

I’ll break it down for you.

The events which took place less than 24 hours ago, saw me:

  • Experience one of my worst fears: getting a flat tyre, driving high speed on the freeway,
  • At the most inconvenient of times: on the way to an end of semester exam worth 70% of my overall mark,
  • In undesirable circumstances: 120km northwesterly winds, torrential rain and a deep dark sky.

Needless to say, my insurance finally came in handy after an almost perfect 3-year term on my P-Plates. I mean, I was running a stellar track record, and was was pretty proud of having acquired nothing more than a cheeky bump into the back of an old commodore, in my attempts to escape the Safeway car park up to this point.

But this was a whole new playing field, one requiring me to jump on board a tow truck, and effectively miss the essential 10 minute duration of exam reading time (not to mention the ENTIRE exam).

It was horrible, literally the worst possible thing that could have happened, but I have surprised myself in thinking that it was the BEST sequence of events to occur on that very, Melbourne day.

Firstly, I didn’t swerve off the road and cause a major collision, disrupting the homecoming traffic on a major freeway.

Secondly, I didn’t have to suffer a wrongly, prolonged exam duration – the lecturer accidentally prescribed the 3 hour exam as 4 hours on this exam day. Ew.

Thirdly, I came out alive without so much as a broken nail. AMEN!

My RACV ‘knight in shining armour’ says if I’d driven any further, the rubber part of my tyre would have completely stripped off, leaving me rolling fast paced on the metal part of my wheel – a prospect which could have been extremely catastrophic given the weather and road conditions.

This deserves another AMEN, because to be honest, I am in no position to accept any liability – I have a flight to all things Rome: Meatballs, Nonnas, Vespa rides and Italian stallions, in 48 hours time.

So essentially, I am one grateful cookie that these whole shenanigans played out they way they did. I am alive, I am safe and I finally got a chance to make use of those endless insurance fees.

Sure it doesn’t have the protein, energy and fibre of 2 Weetbix and Milk like my favourite, Chocolate Up&Go carton, but it’s pretty damn full of goodness.

Yay for being alive!

Where can you source goodness today? Holla!

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Life Lessons from Biggie Smalls.

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Notorious B.I.G.

Notorious B.I.G.

Minimalism. I could start and end this entire post with that one word. Now I know exam-time is the usual antithesis for uncovering many of life’s mysteries, I mean, let’s not be ashamed of mastering choux pastry all in the name of procrasti-baking. But honestly, on my hunt to find ways of distracting myself from memorising all of Spanish’s three past tenses, I am learning a whole lot more than the difference between singular and plural conjugations.

I am realising how badly I want to uncomplicate my life.

Call it a cull, call it a quarter life crisis, call it me being totally warped and mildly insane, or take it from me, and call it nothing but a change.

I can’t blame these epiphanies merely on pending exams, because I think a lot of my musing is borne from the fast approaching departure date of my latest, trip of a lifetime. It seems that in every lead up to this type of adventure, I really begin to question well, everything.

What am I going to learn?

Who am I going to meet?

What am I going to see?

Where am I going to be?

How am I going to feel?

What song will be the soundtrack to this journey?

Will I change? Will I be different?

Will home be different when I get back?

Do I even want anything to be different?

Am I even ready to do this, to bail all over again on comfort in order for something so totally foreign that I can’t really even pronounce it with my lips let alone my feelings?

I soon get pretty caught up in all these questions, trying to answer them with yet another three issues, which have become illuminated by the initial query.

But as I try to take it slow, attempt to calm myself and focus on the present – because that’s all we really have, I realize that again, I have supremely complicated everything.

And so this minimalist thing pops up once more. It could be a phase, or it could be a turning point: a pre-emptive change into the person I will be when I begin to legitimately grow-up. I’m not sure who she is, what she looks like, or if she will have ultimately experienced that growth spurt I am currently still waiting on, but right now, I know she wants simplicity.

As I look back now on the past 6 months  – which from my mum’s standards has seen me be ‘way too busy’ for my own good, and from my grandmother’s perspective, has inspired her to tell me to ‘slow down and take care of myself’ each time we converse over green teas – it seems that their wishes for me to tone it down a notch have officially rubbed off.

So beloved matriarchs, here it is. I’m toning it down.

I won’t take on 5 projects at once all because the opportunities exist, and I won’t say yes to being in three places at once simply because I drive a fast Jag with iPod connectivity to get me through the distance. I won’t sleep only 5 hours a night because there’s too much to do, and I won’t need to use an excel spreadsheet to organize my professional and social life. What I will do however is follow my heart over my head. If it excites, scares, intimidates and challenges me then YES! But I’m over wasting my time.

So in the name of Europe, South America and whichever other continent I decide to ambush in the next year, I’m ready to step up.

I am ready to focus, to work smarter not harder, to laugh louder, and smile wider than ever before. But there’s a catch. A little sentence that will lead me through it all, one offered by none other than Biggie himself:

“Stay far from timid. Only make moves when your heart’s in it and live the phrase: the sky’s the limit.”

If your heart is in ‘it’, it’s worth mentioning, and if it’s worth mentioning, capturing and writing down it’s important. Because honestly, what is important, is very important.

So bay-bee, what’s important to you? I’d love to know what gives you excited shivers. Get in touch!

Sheona xo.

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Chess Mate: 20 essential pals you need in your life.

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Image by Hurry Up And Smile Already via Tumblr.

Image by Hurry Up And Smile Already via Tumblr.

I am a huge fan of having countless best mates, inexplicable memories with someone whose name I am not quite sure of, and exposing myself to random social circles. There’s something somewhat magical about once-off memory making which can make someone you actually, legit have only met once, into a life-long pal. I just had this thought while I was washing the weekend mess from my hair, and I thought I’d compose a non-musical compilation of the 20 friends, that EVERYONE must have. Standard shower musings right?

1. The Worst Replier: Lezbehonest, it takes the guilt away from being non-responsive back (you know, sometimes you just can’t be bothered).

2. The Hugger: This one is great for a hug, will pat your head when you’re tired, and hold you close when it’s really cold and you’re walking down Chapel Street after exhausting every indoor option for warmth at 4am.

3. The Puzzler: Someone who is totally cool with staying in and doing a puzzle – to good tunes and good company, puzzling is actually a really enjoyable event!

4. The Friend with the Coolest Friends: You get excited when a house party invitation arrives in your Facebook notifications, because you just know that you are going to meet some of the raddest people ever. I’m not sure how some people just attract rad friends; rad times and are just bloody rad themselves. #rad

5. The old-Best Friend: Someone who saw you go through your mullet and flared jean stage and still agreed to associate you anyway. These guys are essential to gas-bagging the ‘past you’.

6. The Music Scout: Car trips are the best with type of friend, they always manage to have the best playlist ever, full of songs you love within the first 5 seconds. Not sure how they know about new artists before they are even ‘unearthed’, but they manage it. (Could it be alien insight?).

7. The Hippie: Someone who keeps you earthed and always makes you wish you were a) vegan, b) a yogi, c) living in Byron bay d) willing to devote your room to incense, or e) all of the above.

8. The Surfer: There’s nothing quite more attractive than a guy/girl who surfs. Maybe it’s the endlessly ‘beach hair’ hair, or the remembrance of Kate Bosworth in Blue Crush, but I dig it. Surfers are always so chilled, look incredible in surf clothes, and are just so down-to-earth. Enviable right!

9. The Motivational Speaker: We can’t all have Dr. Phil or Oprah on speed dial, but I really think everyone needs a friend like them. The kind of friend you can call when you’re stressing, feeling a little blue, or just really need motivation to start running again. It’s mind-boggling how these people are forever motivated, but it sure is nice to have a taste of the magic when you are with them!

10. The Photographer/Artist/Design Student: Decent instagram pics. That’s all.

11. The Ludicrous Snapchatter: You may not actually be mates, but the genius of their Snapchats makes them best mate worthy! You know the type.

12. The Husband/Wife Material: It’s nice to know there are some goodies out there #amirite.

13. The Friend who gets ALL your jokes: Personally, I am specifically referring to my delirious obsession with throwing in a movie quote here and there (specifically Mean Girls) – It’s nice when others appreciate this kind of gesture. “That’s just, like, the rules of feminism.”

14. The Masterchef: Dinner parties/lunchbox steals are a win when this person is around.

15. The Health Nut: When you really want to feel guilty abut your ‘cheat week’ or want to be reminded that healthy food can be bloody delish!

16. The Connected One: Need a list at a club? Give this pal a call as they are bound to have SOMEONE they know on the door a.k.a free entry, a.k.a drink cards, a.k.a gooooood times!

17. The Shopper: When you are poor/saving for Europe/saving for South America/at Uni and have no spare cash to splurge on a good outfit, it’s great to have a friend who doesn’t know the perils of being broke. They have the best clothes, and have always just gone shopping, again, for the third time, that week. And actually bought good stuff! Its essential here, that you a) fatten up, or b) slim down, or c) get taller – in my case – so you can actually take advantage of this GREAT type of friend.

18. The Breakfast Lover: I have never encountered anyone who would pass up a breakfast date. If you have, then we are probably not friends anyway so it doesn’t matter! Yay for breakfast.

19. The Secret Keeper: No judgment, no scrubs, just nods and agrees and totally is on your side, even if they shouldn’t be. These guys are needed for moral support.

20. The Joker: Laughing. Its gotta happen, and its gotta happen often. There is not better feeling than gaining an almost 6-pack after a non-gym sesh. These types of friends are great for both a hilarious gag, and the summer bod!

So here’s to my friends, your friends, our friends and your mum’s friends!

“I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy.”

Hope I didn’t miss anyone, if you think of another essential type of pal, i’d love to know about it! Send love to [email protected], or use the form below!

xo

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