Monthly Archives: December 2008

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2008 in 40 questions

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Left the country.

2. Did you keep your new year resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
New year resolutions aren’t my thing at all.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Uuummmm… the fact I can’t think of anyone heavily suggests that’d be a no.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. And it was awful because it felt like it was a life that had been cut way too short.

5. What countries did you visit?
America.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Hhhhmmm… more money would be nice but realistically it’s not going to happen. Realistically, I think greater self-discipline when it comes to food and going to the gym would be helpful.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September 21. It’s the day I left Australia for the first time. My longest flight before that was three hours. It was also the day I arrived in foreign country and was finger-printed.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I don’t know. 2008 hasn’t really featured any major achievements. Still, one big achievement was being the lightest I’ve been in a long time. It’s not terribly significant in the grand scale of things but it’s still a big deal for me. And I say this even though I want to be more disciplined about going to the gym.

9. What was your biggest failure?
My inability to be more disciplined when it came to going to the gym and the food I ate.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I tore one of the muscles in my right hip. It was unbelievably painful and an injury I hope to never do again. And it appears I’m going to end 2008 with damaged nerves in my shoulder. Yay.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Toss up between my macbook pro and all the art I bought in Baltimore.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
All my peeps in the States who made me feel so welcome when I landed on their various doorsteps. I’ve never felt so welcome by a group of people.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
All those evil people in the world who think of it’s fine to exploit others.

14. Where did most of your money go?
On my trip and comics. I also spent a fair amount on clothing this year as well.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My trip. I set up a blog to write about it. When it was over, I was crushed.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Ampersand by Amanda Palmer.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Right now, sadder.
ii. thinner or fatter? But I’m definitely thinner.
iii. richer or poorer? About the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
To be honest, I don’t know. I did pretty much everything I wanted to. Well, the stuff I really wanted to anyway. Some things had to be sacrificed for – you guessed it! – my trip. And I wish I’d had the guts to ask someone out but I didn’t and I probably never will.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying so much about what other people think.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
With the family.

21. What was your favorite month of 2008?
September

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Hhmm… if I didn’t fall all the way, I was definitely heading towards it.

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Doctor Who

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nah, that requires too much energy. And besides, who need that sort of negativity in their lives?

26. What was the best book you read?
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Amanda Palmer.

28. What did you want and get?
A commission piece from Tim Sale and a colour pencil Green Arrow sketch from Matt Wagner

29. What did you want and not get?
I don’t know the answer to this one. If I really wanted something, I worked out a way to get it.

30. What was your favourite film of this year?
The Dark Knight, followed closely by Iron Man and Wall-e.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On the day, I was at home sick. But the day before I went to see Wicked with my mum. Then I went out of dinner with some friends. I turned 36.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I dunno… Probably less drama and more trips to the gym so I could look my best. Also, staying longer in America would’ve been great.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Errr… the same as always? I don’t think I really have a look but I love my red sneakers and superhero t-shirts.

34. What kept you sane?
Not much.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Robert Downey Jr. Damn, he looked fine in Tony Stark’s suits.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
The election of Obama. I’m not even American but I found myself caring intensely about it because it represented so much for not only the USA but the rest of the world.

37. Who did you miss?
My American peeps.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
All my American peeps. I wish I could see them more often but alas I am too poor for that.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
Happiness can only come from yourself. You can’t rely on anyone else to do it for you.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I’m not going to live my life on one side of an ampersand.

Travel insurance is bought

I got an email from the company I bought my travel insurance for my trip in September, offering me 10% off another policy. It’s not a huge saving ($8) but it’s better than nothing.

I should be super excited about this trip seeing it’s only three months away but I’m not. I had already planned everything for my first trip but this time the only thing I’ve organised is my flights to L.A. I dunno… I shouldn’t be leaving the planning to the last minute like this. I have flights to and from Seattle to buy but I’m finding it very hard to get motivated to organise anything. I’ve already decided to do a bus trip from L.A to the Bay Area to visit Steve and that’s going to take a whole day but I still haven’t arranged anything with that either. However, I don’t know if I actually can.

Zero motivation to do anything. Don’t know what’s wrong with me. Sigh.

Today’s wanderings provided me with…

photo title: silence is golden photo title: reflection photo title: into the blue

Silence is golden | Reflection | Into the blue

Today was such a beautiful day I decided it would be a waste to spend it inside. So out I went with my trusty beloved camera and took some shots. Took me a while to get my eye in and I seemed to be mostly attracted to shapes which didn’t really work as photos but perhaps I can use them as textures for other things. Still, I did get three photos I was happy with so I think that’s a pretty good result.

I’m really digging Reflection. Docklands isn’t my favourite place in Melbourne but who ever designed the car parks came up with some fantastic concepts.

I’m trying to get my creative mojo back. Things have been a bit tough for me recently and taking photos/being creative always makes me feel better because I feel like I’ve achieved something. I haven’t been getting a lot of comments on my photos recently but I’m getting a steady amount of views which is nice. Besides, my photography is only going to improve if I keep plugging away at it. It was very bad of me to put my camera down and not pick it up for months.

I have poor impulse control

Why?

Because I just bought…

The last few weeks haven’t been the best for me so I decided I deserved a treat. And it is almost xmas. But it’s not all about pleasing my ID because I’ll be paying it off over the next two months. Two months waiting for my latest Tim Sale pretty. Sigh. Money is going to be unbelievably tight but I’ll just have to be more careful about what I squander, I mean, spend my disposable income on in the next few months.

I wonder if I ask nicely enough if he’ll ink it for me.

All that remains

All that remains #1
All that remains #1

All that remains #2
All that remains #2

All that remains #3
All that remains #3

Found this collection of bones abandoned in the gutter whilst walking home from my friends’ place. The bones were wired together which suggests that until recently they belonged to someone. I’m pleased with how they came out. I think the depth of field is really good, especially on the first one.

Bones aren’t something I’d normally photograph but the way these ones were arranged and the fact they’d been abandoned by someone made them cry out to photographed.