Very Versatile

Its been a while since this has happened - but would you believe i've been given a blog award? Apparently the lovely Ames over at Tutu Ames thinks i'm a " Versatile Blogger " and has bestowed a beautiful award and badge upon my little blog. Of course, when accepting prestigious blog awards such as this one, it is customary to complete the attached meme..... which happens to be along the " 7 Things You Dont Know About Me " line of things. Is it possible, after 500-odd blog posts, that there is still random crap i'm yet to share with you? Perhaps. Maybe. Probably not. With that in mind, here are the 7 little tidbits i've come up with, which may or may not already be old news....

1. Sometimes, on a Saturday afternoon, when there is nothing else to do.... i watch WWE wrestling with Mick. I dont avidly and excitedly watch it - like some little and not-so-little boys i know - but if its on i dont mind having a sneaky peek at some of the hard bodies and "athletic entertainment ". Dont be alarmed though because i know its not real.

2. I dont drink coffee, and i dont drink "normal " tea. I dont mind herbal teas from time to time and i love me a chai latte, but i cannot think of anything worse than downing a cup of coffee in the morning. In fact, the smell of strong coffee makes me gag. Yuck!

3. My top 3 favourite films from my childhood are - " The Princess Bride ", " The Never-Ending Story " and " Annie ". Apparently, even when i was a little kid, i didnt find over-the-top slap stick funny. Give me princesses, flying dragons, singing oprhans and true love any day!

4. My feet are a size bigger after being pregnant. Even so, i still only wear an Australian size 6-7. Apparently i have small feet ( pity my waist/hip/bum ratio is not in direct correlation to my feet... )

5. I work in the main street of my town and, believe you me, i get to see some interesting things out my office window - people with crazy hair, near misses when people dont check their mirrors whilst reversing, kids starting fights.... hell, just today i witnessed a bus pull in too close to the kerb and crash into the bus shelter!

6. I am organising my 10 year high school reunion for later this year. Well, me and one other of my former classmates. To be honest, i dont really want to, but 2 years ago there was a rumour going around that i would do the organising when the time came ( i still have no idea where this rumour started... ) but now that we're almost halfway through the year and no-one else has volunteered, i figure i better do it or it just wouldnt get done. My former best friend was keen to help two years ago - guess who is strangely absent from our small planning committee? My major worry now is that myself and the other girl will put in the effort to have a nice little get-togther and a) no-one will show up or b) no-one will enjoy it....

7. My best friend while i lived in America, F, has just had a baby. F is Brazilian and her fiance is Lithiuanian ( they were foreign students when they met... ) so they have named their baby girl Aleksa. Isnt that beautiful? Even though i havent seen them since late 2005 and in all likelihood will not see them for a long time to come, i still love F with all my heart. We just clicked - it seemed that though we were from different countries, different upbringings, different ages... at least we were different together in a place that was different for both of us. I wish we lived in the same country again so i could have a proper "best friend ", especially after last years debacle with my ex-BFF. Now all i gotta do is wait for the pics of how cute Aleksa looks in the clothes i sent her!

So there you go. The other part of the rules is i need to bestow this award on some of the blogs i've discovered and loved lately. So if you are one of the following people - you win!
1. Polly at A Working Mothers Chatter
2. Melissa at Suger Coat It
3. Kate at A Home For Ida

What? Oh Yea - Blah Blah Blah

Blah - this weekend was a total write off, blog-wise. I had this compulsion to sit down and write, but every time i opened the lap top there was....nothing. Nada. Zip. I couldnt think of a single interesting thing to write ( interesting being the operative word ). So, in the absence STILL of anything much interesting to blog about, here is a short list of things i considered, but than thought better of:

Image from here

* I could have gone a whole big spiel about how Joe from " The Biggest Loser " has an attitude problem. Which he does, big time. Someone needs to tell him that the world doesnt revolve around him, and be nicer to Nathaniel ( even though he's a cry-baby ).

* I could have written a sob story about how everytime i have something on for the weekend i get a cold. Which i do, but i already used that as a Facebook status. Let me tell you, attending a double christening after taking too many cold and flu tablets in an effort to perk yourself up is no fun at all. If everyone in the church has seen been inflicted with the lurgy, i wouldnt be suprised...

* I could have told you how beautiful Flynn has been lately, and how proud i am of him. Which i am, but i did that last week. In a new development since then - my son has FINALLY decided he's going to walk! - and he's really turned into Daddy's little shadow. I love watching the two of them together. Too cute!

* I could have done a review of " One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest ", and compared the book to the film. Which i rewatched, after finishing the book, only i didnt have the energy ( see the point about having a cold/flu ) to sit down and be really eloquent and descriptive. And stuff.

* I could have shared some of my extensive internet "research " into interesting ideas for wedding centrepieces and bombonieres. Which I have been doing, on and off, for weeks. I am using the help of an events planner but i wasnt entirely happy with the flowers she used in the sample centrepiece she made up. And, even though she assures me the colour would be different on the day, now i'm just not sold on the whole idea. And as for bombonieres - any ideas?

Thinking Happy, Week 4

Hello again, and welcome to week 4 of Holly's " Operation Think Happy "! Just a reminder that this involves listing 7 things that have made you happy this week. Focus on the positives people!

1. The moment, #1 - I was in the middle of getting dinner ready last night when Flynn decided he wanted to have a grizzle, so Mick scooped him up and took him outside. After a few minutes i go to the door and out in our driveway, there they are - Mick lokking down at this little wrapped up bundle in his arms, chatting to him about God knows what. I just stood at the door, unseen and smiling.

2. The moment, #2 - A few hours later, i've finished feeding Flynn and he's lying back, all milk drunk.... but not taking his eyes off his daddy. Its like, even at 8 weeks old, Daddy is his hero. Too, too sweet.

3. Planning an engagement party - finally! We've been engaged since October but havent even thought about an engagement party yet. Its not going to be anything fancy, just a big bbq at my parents house, with family and friends.

4. Chocolate truffle balls - I stole this very simple recipe from Welfare Wisdom and completely loved it! Basically get a packet of your favourite biscuits ( like Caramel Tim Tams for me, or it could be Oreos, Mint Slice etc ), blend them into crumbs, mix with cream cheese, chill, roll into balls and then cover with melted chocolate. Yummmmm.....

5. Cucumbers - or, more specifically, cucumbers from our vegetable garden. I dont know how my farmer fiance does it but they're big, green and fresh...oh, and free!

6. Mothers group - This was the fourth week of meeting up with my mothers group ( a group of first time mums - our babies range in age from 8 to 16 weeks ) but its the first i've actually ' clicked with ' some of the other mums. I'm a little shy and it takes me a while to warm up to strangers, so it was nice to be able to have a little chat and not feel too self-concious about it this week.

7. Hitting the 8 week mark - that is, my son is now 8 weeks old and i havent broken him yet! He's also gone up a size in the clothing for the first time, so that was a nice little milestone to hit...

2009: A Year in Review, Insomniatic Style

Alright, so now that i have caught up reading other peoples year in review posts, its my turn to post my best, worsts and favourites for the past year. I havent listed all the same categories as last year, and have thrown in a couple of new categories, so bearing in mind that when i say "best " i mean " My favourite " not the technical best; and when i say " worst " i mean " totally poo " . Also, all items are listed in no particular order.....

BEST FILMS:
1. " Inglourious Basterds " - whats not to love ? Its vintage wacky Tarantino, its good vs evil and Eli Roth ? Hella gorgeous.
2. " The Boy In Striped Pyjamas " - ok, yes, another Nazi themed film, but this one is rather more poignant than it is violent. I alternated between sadness and anger during this film, but the performance of both little boys was what made this film really special.
3. " Grand Torino " - Mr Gil and i saw this on our second date, so that alone makes it memorable, however it makes the list simply because its Clint Eastwood at his absolute best. Director, actor, composer - his touch is all over it.
4. " Wolverine " - anyone who is deriding me for this choice can go jump in a lake. I love me a superhero film and i love me some Hugh Jackman, so why wouldnt this film make my list ?
5. " The Proposal " - i dont normally rate 'chick flicks ' so high but this one was suprisingly enjoyable. Ryan Reynolds could just be my new favourite cute/funny/goofy dude....

AND THE WORST ?
" The Hangover " - i've chosen this as my worst film for the year not because it was bad necessarily .... but because it was disappointing. So many people told me it was the new " The 40 Year Old Virgin "; that it was hilariously funny; the funniest movie they'd seen in years. And then Mr Gil and i watched it last week ( so it only just makes 2009 ... ) and it was just - meh. To be quite honest, I didnt see what all the fuss was about.
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BEST SONGS:
1. " Breakeven " by The Script - a soulful, sad, sexy pop song by some cute Irish lads. It got played to death on radio over here, but rather than grate on my nerves, i just liked it more and more.
2. " The Fixer " by Pearl Jam - yea, yea, yea! This has been my sing-along-song for the past few months ( not that i know all the words.... ). Its the one that comes on the car radio, i turn up the volume and rock out at the traffic lights. Every list needs one of these songs, and Eddie Vedder and the boys get that honor this year.
3. " Last Day On Earth " by Kate Miller-Hiedke - this is an exquisite, melancholy love song. It initially came to my attention because it was attached to an episode of my favourite soap ( hello, " Neighbours"! ) but then it gained radio airplay and i totally fell in love with it.
4. " Like It Loud " by Cassie Davis - another Australian artist, this time with a perfectly crafted party song. Not that i've done much partying this year, but this was my favourite song to get my happy face going....
5. " Burn Your Name " by Powderfinger - this is officially my song of the summer, and reminds me of both my fiance and now my beautiful son. It doesnt hurt that its by one of my favourite bands either.

AND THE WORST ?
" Pokerface " by Lady Gaga tied with " Down " by Jay Shawn - it is no secret that i just cant stand Lady Gaga, so its no suprise i'm going to choose one of her songs to be my least favourite of the year. " Pokerface " happens to be the one that annoys me the most ( pa-pa-pa-pa-pokerface! Pa-pa-pa-please! ). Tied for this incredible honor is " Down " - pretty much because its just been totally overplayed and its a weak Backstreet Boys impression to begin with ( seriously, check out the clip. Someone totally wants to be in a boy band ).
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BEST BOOK:
" Eat.Pray.Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert - ok, so i'm a little late jumping on this particular bandwagon - you know, seeing as Oprah had been praising the book in 2008 - but this was just a really great book. It might seem kind of hippy-dippy or hokey-spiritual to some, but when i was 8 months pregnant it was an inspiration ( woman divorces; falls into depression; decides to take a year off and visit Italy, India and Indonesia; ultimately finds redemption and happiness ). It was - is - nice to think that if we want something bad enough and strive to reach for it, we can have happiness, for ourselves and others.

FAVOURITE TV SHOW:
" The Big Bang Theory " - this was on last years list, and its still my favourite. Seriously, Leonard and Penny are my new Ross and Rachel - and Sheldon is just in a league of his own.

BEST MOMENT FOR ME, PERSONALLY:
27.12.2009, the birth of my son - the proposal of marriage by Mr Gil was pretty damn sweet, and had my son arrived on his due date, the engagement would have made the top spot. However, seeing as Flynn decided to arrive 2 weeks early, making him a 2009 baby and not 2010 like he was supposed to be, meeting my little man and the making of our little family gets to be #1.

And that be it. Last year i included a list of best albums, but i had to leave them off this year because, sadly, i havent purchased too many actual albums this year. I have 3 or 4 that i've been meaning to buy but just havent got around to it, and now that i'm going to be home quite a bit with a sleeping baby i'll have ample opportunity to sit down and actually LISTEN to a whole cd at a time, so look out for a " best albums " list in my 2010 countdown....