A Million Bad Habits to Break.

Image via French Voguettes

Jay walk, but look before you do it.

Risk it for the biscuit.

Go crazy, wild out, werk it.

Ugh.

I sometimes wonder when the consequences of moving fast will catch up, when my flinging hands will reach and smash the chandelier, when the bell will finally call the end to recess or when something finally, has to give.

Because living on the edge implies there’s an edge, and a deep, deep exponential drop down – to where though, it seems no one really knows. Or is there no such thing as an edge, does the valley keep on keeping on, and if so where does it lead?

Everything ends – except circles, they go right back to the start. Maybe that’s what this whole life thing is.

Is this actually an elusive, spherical world type of set up? Will we just keep exploring, pushing the boundaries and shuffling ever closer to a peripheral cliff edge that doesn’t really exist?

If so, when do you realise the glistening flicker beat is just a mirage that sparkles only because you’re looking in it’s direction? Is jumping over the fence worth it, only to find out the grass actually isn’t as green as it looked from the sideline?

For me, I think it’s time to re-read the Alchemist. Because I’m feeling like Lorde, I’ve got a million bad habits to break, not sleeping is one.

Raise a glass, because I’m not done saying it.

But I love it.

SB x

Coco Made Me Do It.

Image via I’d Throw Glitter in The Air, Tumblr.

It’s funny; I’d like to think of myself as someone who thrives on learning new things.

I really want to learn how to play guitar, to speak Spanish, and to master the art of cooking rice without totally ruining another good ScanPan. I also want to learn SEO and how to use chopsticks like a pro and be able to snap from raw story-telling to intensely formal corporate email writing in a second. Can I also learn how to use MailChimp, and change a spare tyre, and bake the perfect chocolate soufflé? Please and thank you.

A lot like you, there’s a lot I’ll get to, one day.

Keywords: one day.

What I’m finding though, that learning doesn’t happen from a place of ‘really wanting to’, there’s no motivation, scorecard, satanic trainer, or authoritative accountability associated with such an aloof desire. Not for me anyway.

The day dream of playing chords like Taylor Swift for the pleasure of campfire banter and impression of a Matt Corby-esque, man-bun is just not strong enough. And learning how to make an app just because it could be useful one day, doesn’t have a rich enough timeline to meet.

I still haven’t learnt any of these things, and I probably won’t. Why would I? I don’t need to.

Herein lies the catch: necessity equals results.

I’ll have you know, I’m becoming an expert in Google Adwords because my job demands it, I’m learning how to cook the perfect Spanish dinners because I now live out of home, and I discovered how to pump up my tyre because Dad wasn’t with me when a dose of air was vital if I wanted to roll any closer towards Yoga class.

Only out of desperation I skilled up.

The lesson is blatantly clear then, that nothing will happen unless it’s forced, demanded and required. End of.

Now I think of one of my favourite proverbs, Parkinson’s Law, which states that, “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

As a student, I know this to be supremely legit: you can either smash out an assignment in two weeks, or go from zero to hero in a record 4 hours with the company of a significant amount of caffeine if required.

Using old friend Parkinson to our advantage, there’s just one thing to do: get accountable.

And most of all, uncomfortable to the point where everything is new. Because by jumping over the edge the body has no choice but to follow, and live on. We hope.

Help me, I’m poor.

– But I still want to have delish noms in cool places. It is this exact dilemma which leads me to my incessant adoration for Is Lentil as Anything. All friends with similar wealth levels will resonate my praises for … Continue reading

Mornings in Thornbury-ish, Melbourne.

Thursdays are my current “trav” day, and by “trav”, I am acutely referring to travel. I just thought I’d cut the word short, because I am not travelling overseas, interstate or even outside my city: I am simply travelling in my land vessel  (car) to a new ‘burb.

The “Hood” in question: Preston, a.k.a the resident location of my latest efforts at being a cool, hipster intern.

So basically, the Preston/Northcote/Thornbury areas are quite foreign to this south-eastern gal, and for anyone completely lost, I am talking about the regions of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Southern Hemisphere, World, Earth, 3rd Planet from the Sun, Universe.

And yeah, in the realm of travelling, a 50km radius is hardly any cause for commotion, homesickness or a packed lunch, but I am a travelling fanatic, so any excuse to wear my Dora the Explorer mentality is met with obscene amounts of enthusiasm.

Hence, here is my first attempt at travel writing, ironically, on an area somewhat close to my hometown.

Let me give you a prologue: I HATE traffic.

Traffic lights, pedestrian crossings, slow drivers, peak hour, unnecessary road works, tractors unfit to accelerate above 15k/h (I Mean seriously, why don’t farmers just run more, it would be THAT much faster – and yes, I am a seasoned farm girl and tractors, as well as horses are not unusual on my local roads), school zones and – did I already say – peak hour traffic?

So you get the gist, I HATE TRAFFIC. In order to avoid the experience of annoyingly stalled vehicles, I leave my house 2 hours before humanly appropriate, in order to arrive at my location prior to the emergence of the said roadblocks.

This early bird fixture leaves me with ample free time before my 9am start. Hence, the opportunity to explore unknown lands, and in this case, neighbor-hoods.

In these wee hours of the morning, there is so much room for activities and I am glad to report that the strolls, chirpy baristas, haunted churches and Colombian Single-origin espressos have been quite delightful, and if you happen to find yourself in a similar predicament, here are my top picks:

1. Take a stroll through the Yarra Flats Park: The Main Yarra Trail goes through some pretty neat areas, just be careful for those helmet –wearing bandits on two-wheels, you may just get run-over.

Main Yarra Trail, Yarra Flats Park, Melbourne.

Main Yarra Trail, Yarra Flats Park, Melbourne.

Main Yarra Trail, Yarra Flats Park, Melbourne.

Main Yarra Trail, Yarra Flats Park, Melbourne.

Memorial, Yarra Flats Park, Melbourne.

St. John’s Anglican Church, Melbourne.

St. John’s Anglican Church, Melbourne.

2. Little Henri: Super talkative baristas are always a plus, and this place has really nice toilets, and a courtyard. Actually, make that an AWESOME courtyard. You’ll love life until you realize you can pay by cash only, and your phone fails to find the non-existent Wi-Fi (how am I going to check-in now?). C’mon Henri, c’mon.

Little Henri, Melbourne.

Little Henri, Melbourne.

Little Henri, Melbourne.
Image by @kleeborg via Instagram.

Little Henri on Urbanspoon

3. Lowlands: legit a hop-skip-and-jump across from Little Henri lays a place where Santa comes early, in the form of: EFTPOS, Wi-Fi, Clap your hands say Yeah! Gleaming from the speakers, incredible coffee, even better iced teas, delicious bagels (so I’ve heard), nicer baristas, and wait for it: THE BEST GODDAMN COURTYARD I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED IN MY LIFE!Huge call, but I stand by it 100%.

Picture this: you died in a sea of marshmallows, which became clouds, and propelled you to the golden gates of heaven itself. That, my friends, is what you experience when you head to Lowlands is. It would be rude, NOT to go there!

Lowlands, Melbourne.

House Blend Magic. Lowlands, Melbourne.

Iced Tea.

Iced Tea. Lowlands, Melbourne.

So there are my Thornbury Morning Picks. These will be totally relevant if like me, you are interning on High Street, hate traffic, like long walks on the beach, enjoy fondue by the fire and have time to kill in Melbourne’s North.

Keep Experimenting! xo

So in Sync.

Image

I’ve been reading a tad about synchronicity lately, and testing the waters with a newfound awareness of how in sync, well, everything really is. I guess I am finally beginning to comprehend the reality of that age-old adage, “everything is connected”.

At work today, I told one of my biggest fans and favorite work mate, that I would be writing a blog post, at this point, I wasn’t sure what I would choose as my topic, but I assured her that throughout the day, I would FIND something to write about. (Remember the word FIND #keyword). I also promised to dedicate the post to her, so here you go Till, you looked great behind the till today ;).

Back to the post – So it’s New Years Day and the café is filled to the brim, with Melbourne beach vacationers proudly disrupting the usual flow of regulars, and ensuring that my pedometer reaches an impressive 10,000 steps before 12pm.

In between collecting latte glasses and picking up the marshmallows that children forget to eat with their baby chinos, I see in the middle of a major walkway, amongst the chaos that would undoubtedly resemble that of Chadstone on Boxing day, and amidst the clamour that I imagine to fill the mosh pit of Justin Bieber’s last pre-teen concert – I hope you are getting how crazy our little coffee spot was! – I see a feather.

Firstly, I don’t see any birds.

Secondly, I don’t see any blackbirds.

Thirdly, its raining so I’m not sure where anyone could have seen a bird, let alone a black one on a day like this.

Fourth, how did it get inside? a.k.a who is the creepy bird keeper, this isn’t Hogwarts.

Fifth, how has someone else not stood on it and kicked under table 5 yet?

Sixth, how lucky is it that I looked down at the exact moment that I could a) see it, b) pick it up, c) realize that within an hour of professing my need to FIND something to write about to my gal pal Tilly, that indeed, I had FOUND exactly what I was looking for!

With a little imagination and a touch of enthusiastic vocab, this post is borne, and a profound “moral of the story” shared.

After finding this little treasure in the most unlikely of places, I got to thinking about the whole synchronicity of the whole event.

Then I started musing over the other synchronicities that I experience, and often overlook.

  • How many times have you thought about a funny night out, and nek minnit, someone “likes” one of the photos from that night on Facebook.
  • Or, you have a song in your head and nek minnit it’s playing on Fox Fm.

But do these coincidences delve much deeper? Carl Jung (who is a pretty big deal in the psychology world), called it the phenomenon of synchronicity, and over the years, the reports of epic flukes are countless. Type in “coincidences” in Google, and the results are pretty “wow-wow”! (Seriously do it, there are some loco stories out there), but think back throughout just today, and I promise you will find at least one event of synchronicity, but don’t just look for huge ones like wishing to be rich, then winning the lottery. Think about these bonds basics:

  • Wishing Melbourne turned on summer a little better, then seeing an ad in the paper for sunny Bali.
  • Thinking about your uncle in Sydney and then hearing about someone’s recent trip to NSW.
  • Considering what to have for lunch then you pass Subway.

Whatever it is, believe me, it is connected. We are all connected.

Even people. On my last overseas trip I realized how small the world was and accepted that I just HAD to be in Krakow, Poland in order to make some new Melbourne friends, and I HAD to be in London to finally learn the name of the guy I used to scroll through Tumblr with in our first year Business Law Lecture.

It’s just the way the cookie crumbles, and it’s pretty exciting stuff, if you only become aware of it, notice it and appreciate it.

So here’s your mission if you choose to accept it agent 007, keep an eye, ear and hand out for the coincidences! I’d love to hear what magic comes your way! Holla!