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.”

The Universal Day of Awesomeness

Hello everyone!


My friend Macka has created an event. He created this event some time ago. This event is to honour the copious amounts of awesomeness in the world. Are you awesome? Acknowledge and own your awesomeness.


This Tuesday, things will happen. It is the official Universal Day of Awesomeness. 


I encourage you all to mark your attendance on Facebook. Search The Universal Day of Awesomeness.


This event has over 12,000 people coming. Even if it wasn't already awesome (which as clearly implied by its name, it is), the sheer act of being able to create a Facebook event that has attracted this much attention is pretty awesome.


Macka - this is my shoutout to you. You. Are. Awesome. 


Cheers
Ashleigh 

My Favourite Day of the Year

YES!

It is Australia Day tomorrow!!

I'm so excited! I absolutely LOVE Australia Day.

I will be having a sleep in, then working on my essay (no rest for the educated), then in the afternoon I'm going to go for a bike ride, then make a pavlova and some chicken dumplings (not strictly Australian, but I figure we're multicultural right?) then a couple of my friends from school and I are going to head down to the South Perth foreshore to hang, listen to the Mix 94.5 Australia Day programme, watch the BP Airshow then my favourite bit, the fireworks!!

I'm going to wear my white dress with Australian flags on it, thongs of course, and Australian flag tattoos!! I will try and remember to take many pictures to show you all my shameless patriotism.

I prefer to spend Australia Day with Australians as opposed to my copious amounts of international friends. Not that I don't love them, I see them more than I do my Australian friends, its just I don't feel like they get it in quite the same way. I don't blame them for this at all, I've been born into and indoctrinated into it my whole life, and they have a different perspective. I am intensely proud of being an Australian and all that it represents, and yes, even if that means I have a bogan accent and I drink too much and sometimes we are all a bit racist with our 'Love it or Leave it' and 'I Grew Here, You Flew Here' attitudes, but I don't think about that stuff on Australia Day. I think about how lucky I am to have grown up in a country that lets people have those sort of attitudes. Google 'why I won't be celebrating Australia Day' and plenty of articles come up spouting why we are a bunch of racist, loud-mouthed, holier-than-thou loutish bogans. Now say if that article had been written about somewhere in the Middle East, or perhaps Russia, North Korea, do you think it would be allowed to be published? Probably not. And Mr Brull would not be allowed to have his photo on the Internet, nor be allowed to say these things.

But we don't live there.

We live in Australia. We can pretty much say what we want, without fear of retribution. We have amazing weather. We have (almost) equal rights (ok, it could be a lot worse). We have a highly educated society. We have low unemployment. We managed to pretty much avoid the GFC. We have a mix of cultures, who are ALL part of making up the mesh of Australia.

In my opinion, I live in an amazing country. I love Australia. I cannot see myself living anywhere but here. For one thing, people from other countries don't tend to understand me when I talk (the bogan accent coming out and all). But I just think, I live in the luckiest country in the world. Why would I leave?

And if you don't think so, well thats ok. But I think it is. And I will celebrate Australia Day proudly. And one of the perks of living here, is that I don't get judged for this, and I won't judge you for not celebrating it.

Why Do I Blog?

To be honest?

I'm not really sure. 

It started one night when I was at a party and met this guy, whose blog I had been reading for a while. He was one of the Murdoch Student Experience bloggers and I always thought he was so funny, if a little long winded on occasion. No Lachlan, its not you. Although you are funny and sometimes longwinded. It was Jonathon, writer of Inside a Students Mind. We had a really fun night together, talking and since I may have consumed a bit too much of that dancing juice aka whatever foul concoction I had brewed up that night or bought because it was the cheapest in the liquor store, I got locked onto this idea of him writing about that night. I had such a wonderful time, and I felt we really clicked. No not in that way, The Boyfriend is still alive and kicking, it was just one of those times when you first meet someone then you feel like you've known them forever. 

Anyway, long story short, I wanted to be mentioned in a blog post. Something I hadn't done before.

He refused.

I know. I was shocked too. Generally I am good at convincing people to do things through sheer determination and wearing them down. However, he was stronger than I first anticipated. All night there was this recurring thing 'Jono, put me in your blog post' 'No Ashleigh, I told you, I don't write about people' 'Well, write a post about parties and mention me' '**chuckle and shake head (thinking who is this girl?) Answers still no. Sorry'. 

So basically I got home and passed out, as copious amounts of dancing juice will do that to you. If there are children reading this, dancing juice refers the mixing of apple and orange juice, of course. 

The next day, I was indignant. How dare he refuse to mention the great Ashleigh in his blog. Anyway I gave him the benefit of the doubt, sent him a quick email to remind him that he really should put me in his blog (yes I know your thinking 'Stalker!' and in my defense I don't think I had quite slept off the remaining effects of the dancing juice. 

I eagerly awaited his next post.

It came.

I read it, excited with anticipation of seeing my name on screen. 

It wasn't there.

How dare he? I was so annoyed, I said to myself 'Fine. Jono won't put me in his blog. I'll make my own blog and it will be all about me! Hmph!' 

Anyway, I don't think he cared that much, as I don't think he's ever read this blog. But I feel good.

But I got mentioned in a blog post by Lachlan, writer of Disorderly Accounts of Uni Life, which made my day :). And I have been in a few since. This makes me so happy everytime I see my name on the screen, and I haven't put it there. Someone, who I have never even met, has thought of me, and put me in their blog! Also must give mention to Stephanie over at The Odd Duck, who has mentioned me before as well - happy 21st birthday!!! 

So that is why I started to blog. I continue to blog because its therapeutic, makes me feel important, and its a great procrastination tool. I love the thought of people all over the world (as indicated by my stats) reading me. I love to read others blogs to take a peek into others peoples lives, and its reassuring to think that while none of us have met, and we are all over the world, I can relate to each and every one of you. We have similar stresses and similar things that make us happy - family, friends, coffee etc. 

Especially coffee.

2010 - The Year That Was

Ok so you all know how I like to be a band-wagon-jumper right? Not all the time, just sometimes. Well as I didn't jump on the proverbial write-a-blog-about-Christmas-and-its-general-stresses-and-joys bandwagon I will leap forth onto the shit-its-the-last-day-of-the-year-and-i-haven't-written-a-post-for-a-while-yet-don't-have-a-lot-to-say-probably-coz-i'm-not-at-uni-right-now-thank-god-for-holidays-i'm-such-a-slacker-uni-student-with-my-5-months-a-year-off-anyway-how-was-2010-for-you bandwagon. 

Uni Students: Working Hard, 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 2 weeks a year 

(those two weeks being the one right before each set of exams when you realise you slept through most of your lectures, and even though it was a good reason at the time, just coz your lecture is on the other side of campus, in the smelly Vet building, at the hideously early hour of 9.30am, you still should have gone). 

What did I love about 2010?


- the day I found out I got an internship - god that felt good!
- booking my flights to London. Oh you didn't know I'm going to London? I'M GOING TO LONDON BABY!!!!!!!! 
- heading to Bali..... twice
- getting an high distinction on a written assignment. Oh did I not mention that? It happened twice. Boo yah!
- finishing my acne medication - pretty skin for me :)
- having a personal trainer
- my new pink laptop
- The Boyfriends sister getting engaged - and asking me to be a bridesmaid!! And then asking me to do a reading during the ceremony - apparently I'm the only one who won't 'fall apart'. 
- passing all my assignments, exams and units :)
- finding out my friend is coming back to Australia!! I will have to think of a pseudonym for her - she is one of those people stories happen to 
- turning 20 - leaving behind my teen years. And as my dad always says, every day is a new personal best - you've never been alive for this many days before!
- suggesting the wedding dress to The Boyfriends sister, which she subsequently fell in love with and cried over :) ***best bridesmaid ever***
- my school friend Dani having a beautiful baby girl - Charlotte
- Volunteer as a FYERST helper 
- A female Prime Minister!!
- playing social basketball
- seeing my first 2 strippers ;)
- starting a Certificate IV
- deciding that when I get married, I'm doing it at the zoo :)
- My blog and my lovely blog followers - all 4 of you :D






What I didn't like about 2010
- Flying Monkey getting drunk, falling off a wall, and injuring himself very badly. 3 months in hospital or something ridiculous like that?
- The Boyfriend and I nearly breaking up a couple of times - although I think it has made us stronger
- Not being able to leave the Village!!!!!
- My constant inability to deal with the heat :)








2011?
I have no idea what it will hold. Hopefully I will get skinny. Hopefully I will leave the Village. Hopefully I will be a bit more social. Hopefully I will get a graduate job. Hopefully................ well, hopefully lots of things. 






These things are certain. 


I start a summer unit on 4th January - Human Resource Economics. I am applying for a second job as I am soo poor right now. I am going to Europe. Uni will begin 'full time' mid February. I will find out one way or another about my graduate position mid February. 


Let me know how you are feeling about my blog. Do you like it, is it smeh, is it so awful it burns your eyes whenever you open the page? Would you like more uni stuff, would you like more personal stuff, would you like to hear me rant, would you just like to shut me up? 


Until next time (hopefully the not too distant future)






Ashleigh x 

Why I Hate Student Accommodation

Hi everyone

Sorry about the big gap between posts but I have been doing exams and study and everything is just getting away from me a little at the moment.

So given that I am in this horrible state of increased tension, I thought it appropriate to give you the reasons why I hate student accommodation. 

I have lived in SA for 2 years now and plan on being here for another year at least, possibly 18 months (when my degree ends). I can see the good points, really I can. Its great living so close to university, in the same community as your friends, meeting so many different people etc. 

The bad points:

- It is as noisy as all hell. I am particularly gripey about this as it is currently the exam period. During exams and the week preceding, the Village has a 'strict no noise' policy. This includes gatherings after 9.00pm, loud tv/music etc and all that jazz. Is the policy ever followed? Apparently not. It is currently 9.37pm and there is a 'gathering/party' outside my window that is so loud I may as well be there. Last night I actually called the night manager to get him to shut a whole bunch of Americans up. They were having a party and someone was watching Harry Potter so loud I could follow the story from my bed. I am on the 4th floor. The sound carries like you would not believe. I don't want to complain about them too often because I feel like a whinger. 

- It is hot. I realise this is more of an Australia-thing rather than a Village-thing but the Village has one key aspect lacking - air con. I have a ceiling fan, which does little to alleviate the stifling heat. And I like to cool my room down at night by sleeping with the blind and window open, but alas, this is impossible as it is so fucking loud (see point 1). There is literally no escape. 

- I do not have an oven. You would be surprised how much you miss ovens when you don't have them. I used to make great food in ovens. Now I'm restricted to microwave and stove cooking. It gets old. 

- Crap flatmates. I actually don't have any bad flatmates at the moment thank god. But I have had some shockers in the past. An Arab whose core belief system included the fact that women were substandard versions of men. Yeah that went down like a lead balloon with me, as I am a firm believer in the fact 'Anything you can do, I can do better'. Also an Australian who we think was a World of Warcraft addict. Not quite sure as we very rarely saw him but still. Crazy. And you can't get rid of these flatmates if they turn out to be shit, you are stuck with them for at least a semester, maybe a year. 

- Living with other people. This has some serious perks. Having a ready made friendship group is cool as well as having someone to walk to uni with etc. But to be honest, if you count boarding school, I have been living in shared accommodation for 5 years now. I just want my own place. Where, should I so desire, I could walk to the bathroom naked. 

- Lack of space. It is so frustrating having only a shelf of the refrigerator. And one cupboard. And having to fight for room in the freezer. I'm the kind of person that would prefer to freeze a whole bunch of meals and have them ready when I need them - I'm a lazy kind of person. Can't do that here.  

- Having electronics in the bedroom. This is more of a personal thing - I don't think you should have electronics in the bedroom. I certainly never use them in bed. Bed is for sleeping and sex. Nothing else. Bedrooms should be peaceful places where said sleeping and sex takes places. Not 400 hours of assignments and countless browsing hours. Very hard to switch off from an assignment when it is sitting on your desk less than a metre away from you. 

- Paying for laundry. $6 it costs me to wash and dry a minuscule load of laundry. I don't have a washing line I feel comfortable using, as it means leaving everything out for everyone to see and steal so a dryer it is. Usually I try and do my laundry at the boyfriends house, but thats a 20 minutes drive. 

- Its very light. See point 2. I like to sleep with the blind open so the air can get in, but that lets in floods of light from the security lights. I have a little eye mask, but it is still frustrating. I feel the best sleeping conditions are cool, dark and quiet - I get none of that. 

Anyway, student accommodation is great for a while, but I am OVER IT. I can fully understand why people only stay a year. I have definitely overstayed but I am on such a sweet deal rent-wise, I can't afford to give it up (i.e. Dad pays hideous amounts for my rent then his company reimburses like 80% of that). Yes it is hideously expensive to live here too - despite all the wonderful things they tell you. My flat next year will be a whopping $175 a week inc utilities ex Internet. Thats a 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat. And each flatmate pays $175. Thats a total of $875 a week. Ridiculous. I could have a house in Applecross for that kind of money. 

Sorry for complaining, but its just been one of those days/weeks/months. Ready for exams to be finished. 

Ash xo

15 Things I Would Tell the 15 Year Old Me

Right I know this is corny and everything but lately everywhere I go I find articles/blogs etc saying 'What I Would Tell My Younger Self'. So I am jumping on the bandwagon. These are the 15 things I would tell my 15 year old self:

1. You are not, by any stretch of the imagination, fat or ugly!
2. If you want something to be different, then do something about it. Sitting there in silence hoping someone else has the guts to speak up and they want the exact same thing as you is never going to work.
3. Yes it sucked that you were in a car crash. Yes that drunk driver should have gone to jail but somehow didn't even make it to court and it was unfair. Yes you will be plagued with back problems for at least the next 5 years. BUT - the fact that you were in that crash has made you a safer driver. It has made you more aware of the dangers of the road. Life is unfair sometimes. Your back pain will let you know when you are stressed/have been sitting at your computer for too long and allow you to take action against that. It will also give you the excuse to get massages and not feel guilty. 
4. Just because you have a boyfriend now and you are 'so in love with him!' does not mean that you will marry him. Your life does not need to be so mapped out and at 15 what do you know about love anyway? He will dump you, over the phone, on a Monday morning, right before your TEE exams. You will blame him - try not to. He tried to do the right thing, because your relationship wasn't right anymore, he just did it the wrong way. And don't be so desperate and needy by calling him at all hours begging him to take you back. That ain't right. 
5. When your dad tells you to go outside and 'do something', do it. Just because you feel like sitting inside reading doesn't make it the best thing for you. You will probably read that books 6 more times a least - you don't need to finish it today. 
6. Drink more water
7. The people in your class who are mean to you? They will do nothing with their lives. Just because they are the 'cool kids' now, has no bearing the second you step outside the school gates for the last time. You have the courage and the opportunity to leave town, to go to the best school in the State, to go to university, to leave the comfort of the known. They don't. It's sad really, because you can see their potential. 
8. You do not smile enough nor take enough photos.
9. Eat the sandwiches Mum makes you for lunch. Its healthier than going hungry. Or at least have some respect and tell her you would prefer something else, rather than throwing out your lunch and getting angry at her without her knowing why. 
10. Put the pocketknife down you idiot. Stop being so self indulgent - you will get angry at yourself every time you see that scar. These things take a long time to fade. 
11. Quit the sulky whiny 'everybody is against me' attitude. 
12. Stop feeling like nobody recognises you are important and start believing you are
13. Don't gain weight - its much harder to lose it
14. Don't stop karate - you are actually quite good. 
15. Be nicer to your sister - she will grow up way too fast and it scares you. Try and be there for her. 

 So there is my 15 Things to Tell My 15YO Self. 

Me at 15

Side bar: If I was able to tell my 15yo self all this - and she listened - I would not be the person I am today. So I probably wouldn't tell her. Although I would love her not to have that kind of teenage pain to go through, to be honest, it was probably a good thing. 

Ashleigh 

The One with the Control Issue

So I have realised that there appears to be a theme of tiredness running through this blog. 


And drunkenness. 


But more tiredness. 


So lets lay off that for a while. 


Firstly I would just like to add that I have just come from Horny Frog's house and I beat both Smiling Tiger and Drunken Leopard in Cluedo. Yes I guessed correctly - Miss White with the Pistol in the Kitchen. Boo yah. 


I have recently discovered that I have control issues. I make excessive lists, I panic when things don't go the way I've planned, I've got every second of my life planned out for about the next 30 years and I do not like to lose (except at Mario Kart where I don't really care). I am becoming very neurotic. 


Now, because of my control issues, my life is very organised. I know three days in advance what I will be eating for dinner (although thats probably more to do with my food issues), I know my next two weeks in minute detail, I know pretty much what all my assignments will say and I drive everybody crazy making plans. I feel like this habit of mine makes my life better. I feel better when everything is planned and there is no uncertainty. However, recently I have been wondering - if I was less organised, would my life be easier? I wouldn't be stressed if the plans didn't work out - because there wouldn't be a plan. But I figure that would require a whole personality overhaul that I could not handle. It's the change aspect going on there. 
I thought this was a recent thing, but I have been making some enquiries with True Blue Kangaroo and also my ex bf from a few years ago and apparently this organisation habit of mine is quite advanced. Hmmm. 


The reason I bring this up is because I have found that, when you watch a TV show, there is inevitably one character on the show that reminds you SO MUCH of so-and-so. I am a HUGE Friends fan. When things go pear shaped, there is nothing better than lying on the couch under the trusty doona and watching Friends. Friends will always be there. Friends will always have the same type of humour. Friends will tell me when to laugh. Friends love each other. Each Friend has their own unique personality and they have good bits and they have bad bits but you love them no matter what. (OK not sure if I'm still talking about the TV show - moving on). 


I was watching Friends the other night and I was trying to work out which person in my friendship circle resembles which character the most. Like I said there is always one. I could not think of one. Then I realised -  what if its me? My flatmates used to call me Monica - because her major control issues. A girl I work with says I remind her of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. The problem here is these characters are the butt of a lot of jokes. Am I the butt of a lot of jokes? Does it matter if I am? Probably not. I'm not going to change and my friends have put up with me so far (well except the boyfriend who dumped me - but that was his issue I'm sure). 


Anyway, this is a fairly random type post. But thats ok. I can be a random-type person with random-type ideas and unpredictable actions. If I plan them. 


Ashleigh xo