This is my little sister Sam's 10 Guilty Pleasures that she wanted to do, and since I love her so much and she's being really annoying right now, here they are:


Blah blah blah we all have blah blah guilty pleasures that we don't want to admit to, but considering my only follower is sitting next to me, here we go!

1. Stealing chocolates from other people and never actually eating them

2. Watching myself get dressed in front of my mirror

3. Sleeping with more than one teddy

4. Picking my toenails, it may ruin my fingernails because I have such boss tough strength toenails but I can't help it!

5. Squeezing other peoples pimples, I literally fight people for a crack at their pimples.

6. Annoying the crap out of every single person that may choose to talk to me, this could be a very generalised thing, but it makes me laugh (like now with ashbash)

7. Palmolive naturals shower milk, its the honey one... (L) i brought a different flavour not long ago and it makes me want to cry

8. Drawing little cartoon animals, I won't lie to you... I do a MEAN rabbit in a carrot farm, also a great stick figure cat and horse.

9. Soy milk, I have recently discovered it because I wanted to try a soy latte at work, and it was love at first sip.

10. Quoting gay movies, e.g. Mean Girls, Step Brothers etc.

This was when my friend Daniel brought me this tassle thing on year 11 camp... I was pretty stoked and I wore it on my shorts for week.


Sam's blog is http://year12findingabalance.blogspot.com

Ten Guilty Pleasures

C'mon. Everyone has them. Don't deny you don't. Some are worse than others, but we don't judge here. I want someone to guest post for me, so email me with your 10 guilty pleasures  and a picture of yourself at your happiest, and the best one will be posted on here - linked back to you of course! 
I'll start you off. My 10 guilty pleasures are:

1. - Watching back to back episodes of Friends, wrapped in my doona on the couch
2. - Licking my finger and putting it in chicken salt, and eating the chicken salt straight (I know, I know, heart attack here I come)
3. - Tea with milk and sugar - I realise this is normal for some people, but I was always taught growing up that 'you don't put sugar in tea' - so whenever I need a comforting drink, thats it. 
4. - Taking my hot water bottle to work with me
5. - Putting on a pair of heels (no matter what I'm wearing), closing my blinds, blasting some music and dancing in the mirror - while lip synching and thinking I'm hot stuff by the way :)
6. - Deliberately setting my alarm 25 minutes early, so I can feel like I'm being rebellious and 'sleeping in', even though I'm right on time. 
7. - Blogging. I know, weird right? But I don't really tell people I blog, and if I do, I never give them the address. I don't advertise or put my posts on FB and The Boyfriend always refers to it as "blogging" (yes with the hand quotations). I feel like its my thing, and maybe the bloggy me is different from the real-life me. I think I'm more honest here, and I'm not sure I want others to see that. 
8. - Sleeping with 2 doonas. If The Boyfriend stays over, I feel that this just makes good sense, as I tend to be a blanket-hogger, but even when I'm alone, nothing feels better than being all tangled up in blankets. So snuggly.
9. - I never make my bed. Maybe this is an age thing, but I prefer getting into an unmade bed. As before, its just snugglier. 
10. - Researching wedding stuff. No, I'm not engaged, and don't plan on being engaged for a long time, but just the whole thing fascinates me. I'd love to get married somewhere funky and different, like Perth Zoo, or an aquarium. And bridesmaid dress - I have in my head exactly what colour they will be - fuschia a.k.a HOT PINK. 

So there you have it. My 10 guilty pleasures. Let me know yours by emailing me at freeman.ashleigh@gmail.com, along with a pic. 

Easter - What It Means to Me

Hello!

Given we have this lovely chocolatey holiday upon us, I thought I would do a little post about it :)

What is Easter?

Easter celebrates Jesus' resurrection. He was crucified on Good Friday, and rose on Easter Sunday. In the Christian churches there is much celebration the preceding week - Palm Sunday, Maunday Thursday and Good Friday - and also marks the end of Lent, which is the 40 days before (excluding Sundays) starting on Ash Wednesday.

Easter Customs Around The World
Easter, like other religious holidays, is not restricted to the church. Some customs around the world include:
Central & Eastern Europe - decorating eggs.
Czech Republic/Slovakia - the men spank the women on Easter Monday. This is not intended to harm or cause pain, and it is believed that the women need to be spanked to retain their youth and beauty for the coming year. Sometimes women can get their revenge the next day by pouring buckets of cold water on the men. In Poland, an all day water fight ensues, known as Dyngus day.
Croatia/Slovenia - a basket of food is prepared and taken to the church to be blessed.
English speaking world - decorating eggs on Easter Saturday, then having an Easter egg hunt (which have been hidden by the Easter bunny of course) on Easter Sunday.
Hot cross buns are eaten on Good Friday traditionally, the cross on top representing the crucifix. They are now eaten for a while before and after Good Friday.
Scotland/Northern Ireland/Northern England - rolling decorated eggs down steep hills
Bermuda - children fly kites to symbolise Christs ascent. Fish cakes are often eaten

No meat on Fridays?
During Lent, Christians are required not to eat red meat on Fridays, and especially Good Friday, in an act of penance. This is because meat is a staple of most meals, and was a considered a luxury as well. Fish is often eaten instead.

Personally, I don't partake in any religious acts throughout Easter, as I consider myself to be an athiest (as indicated by my previous claim that Jesus owned a microwave). I do love the chocolate side of it, but will try and restrain myself this time. I also don't eat seafood, so the fish on Friday thing is kind of lost on me.

This long weekend, I will be focusing on ANZAC day more than anything. ANZAC Day is the 25th April, coincidentally the same day as Easter Monday this year. As a result, Australia gets a 5 day weekend - Tuesday is also a public holiday. I will attend the Dawn Service in Kings Park on Monday morning, and will let you all know how that goes.

You've all heard before how proud I am to be an Australia, and ANZAC Day epitomises that. The concepts of mateship, diggers and courage came about with this tragic event and I believe it is one of the most important days in Australian culture.

Lest We Forget.

Priorities

I need to prioritise more. I have a tendency to get overwhelmed with everything in my life, and then freak out that I can't do it, and hide under my doona until the storm passes. A lot of Friends is watched during these times, and not much sleep happens. The Boyfriend usually intervenes.

I need to remember this story:

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the story of an empty jar and the 2 cups of coffee. 


A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks until the top of the jar.He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was! 


So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. 


The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “yes.” 


The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.


”Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ” I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your health, your family, your partner, your children, your friends, your favorite passions – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.


The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else – the small stuff.If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal”Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”


One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked.It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.”

Book Club!

Hi everyone

So Stephanie and I had our first bookclub meeting :) 

We have the blog all set up. Its called On The Shelf, and I think it looks FANTASTIC! Kudos to Stephanie and her design skills, as I don't have a creative bone in my body :)

We have a blog badge, but no books yet.

If you have a book you'd like us to read, please let us know and we will endeavour to put it on the list. Please join up and read along with us, or just comment. 

Check out the blog here.

I know I have neglected you all lately, but this is soon to change I promise! Uni is just crazy busy at the moment, and I'm barely having time to sit down and work out what I'm doing. Right now, its an essay on how the media portrays (inaccurately) scientific research. I promise you all a proper blog post soon.

Until then, much love and I hope to see you On The Shelf

Ashleigh 

Book Club

Hi everyone!

I need to do a quick survey - my dear blogbuddy Stephanie and I are looking at starting a Blogging Book Club - we haven't worked out the finer details yet, but basically reading and reviewing books and then offering questions for discussion, etc etc.

Would any of you be interested in following, reading etc? What kinds of books/discussions would you want to see on there?

Please comment and let me know, so we can get this project off the ground ASAP!

BTW - Can't wait to Skype-meet you on Saturday Steph!!

Cheers
Ashleigh

EuroTrip - Not the Movie.

QUICK COMMENT - re last post. I don't particularly want to get engaged, it was just the ease with which it was accepted by their friends and family I envy. The option is what I envy.... oh and the proposal method I have my 90% happy / 10% jealous hat on :) 


Hi everyone


Erin Rae Mac commented on my last post asking where I was going in Europe and I realised I haven't annoyed you all with excess Europe comments for a while! 


I shall give you my itinerary.


12th June 2011 - Depart Perth to London with Air Asia. We got ridiculously cheap tickets - $775 each return inc taxes :) 
12 - 17 June - staying in London with my cousin. We have a whole list of things we want to do in London - mainly the touristy things. I figure, you've got to do the tourist thing at least once right? Then the next time we go, we can do aim for the 'off the beaten path' stuff. 
17 June - Catching the Eurostar to Brussels and then a Eurail train to Cologne. 
17 - 18 June - Staying at The Express by Holiday Inn. We are catching up with some of my German friends/
18 June - Catching the train from Cologne to Frankfurt
18 - 21 June - Staying at Best Western Domicil
21 June - Catching the night train via Switzerland to Rome
22 - 26 June - Staying at the Milo Hotel in Rome
26 June - Catching the night train to Paris
27 June - 1 July - Staying at Relais De Paris Lafayette - its our 3 year anniversary on the 30th - how lovely to spend that in the most romantic city in the world
1 July - Catching Eurostar to London
1 - 5 July - Staying at Royal National. 


Notes - I have a booked a High Tea at the Swissotel The Howard. I will also be booking tickets to The Lion King stage show while in London :) 


If anyone has ideas for our itinerary please let me know! And no, don't say 'oh you should go to Spain/Munich/Scotland/etc while your there.' I have the places I'm going and they aren't changing. 


Speak soon
Ashleigh 

I Do.. or Do I?

Just want to start off this post by saying I am so happy and there is not an ounce of criticism or judging going on, more a general wonderingment (word courtesy of Ross Geller - Friends Season 1 Episode 7, The One With The Blackout). 


And maybe a touch of jealousy. 


"I mean I’m probably 98% happy, maybe 2% jealous. And I mean what’s 2%? That’s nothing" - Rachel Green, Friends, Season 6, Episode 24, The One With The Proposal


I just got told that two of my friends just got engaged. I knew it was going to happen, as they've been together for a bit longer than The Boyfriend and I, I just didn't think it would be so soon. I am so happy for them, as they really are meant to be together. 


And their story! Man, the proposal story is just amazing. This is how all men should propose (no, don't start and being all like 'but that wouldn't be special then, the whole reason its special is because no one does it'). I've never heard anything so romantic in my life. 


This is the story how it was told to me - "it was our anniversary yesterday and we were at this bush retreat and we were up at 1am (the time he asked me out) and we were outside star gazing and I opened my present and he named a star marry me ________"


I kid you not. 


Ok, so maybe I'm more like 90% happy and 10% jealous. 


So the question I want to put to you now is: what age should someone get engaged? She is 21 and he is 23. Everyone is so happy for them. However, I know if I got engaged now (while I am 21 and The Boyfriend is 23), all I would get from my family is disappointment. They all say, oh you've got bigger things to do in your life first, your too young etc. But everyone I know, who is around this age, and gets engaged, gets absolutely nothing but love and happiness wished upon them. 


So I'm not so much jealous of the engagement, more of the fact that their families seem to be more accepting and allow them to make their own decision and not judge them for it. Yes I know I have big things ahead of me, but why can't I do those same things as a Mrs? (Not that I would be changing my name)


When I told my mother today that my friends got engaged, the only response I got was 'mmmm'. She has told me before that she would be very disappointed if I got engaged. My grandfather made a joke about me being next, and my grandmother shut him down immediately 'Ashleigh has bigger things to do first'. 


Why should they have the right to comment on my relationship? The Boyfriend and I have been together for 3 years, if and when we decide to get engaged, everybody is just going to have be happy for us. But I find it sad that I need to have such a defiant attitude towards it. I don't think I would even want to tell my family, because I would be too scared about what they would say. 


I'm not the kind of person who would get married and become Mrs Wifey, bearing many children and taking care of the home. That is not me at all. But I am the kind of person who would like to make a public declaration of love to The Boyfriend, one day. 


I'm not saying I want to be engaged right now. I want to live with The Boyfriend, and just with The Boyfriend, first - make sure he won't want to kill me! Probably want to finish uni first. But when I finish uni I will only be 22 - is that still too young, according to my family? How do you even judge whether or not someone is 'too young'? Is there a 'cut-off' or does it vary from couple to couple? 


It makes me laugh a bit actually, because I have always been a bit more mature, and settled than other people I know. I have had 2 long term relationships over my life, and only done a bit of dating in between. But I would far rather my life, than a single life - the thought of going through what some of my friends go through horrifies me. Yes, going on dates would be fun, but the additional stress of 'will he call, did I sleep with him too early, is he using me'? No thanks. 


I know I sound like one of those snotty couples who you probably can't stand. Sorry about that. I try really hard not to be like that, I know my friends hate it. 


Anyway, The Boyfriend and I do have a bit of news! We are moving in together in July - with one of my friends - which is something I have wanted for a long time, and I'm so happy its finally happening. 


Much love
Ashleigh 


PS - check out the new blog badge!