The Facial

As it turns out, my skin is not nearly as sun damaged and ancient as I had previously thought. In fact, it was dubbed "lovely" by the beauty therapist. Score!

So this morning I have woken up with skin that actually looks dewy. That thing all the beauty mags bang on about is actually real. I am a little gobsmacked. I think I should have another of these: (a) in my lifetime; and (b) before my friend's wedding in June - who knows who might be there? Ha! Looking youthful and radiant is a very pleasant feeling!

Beauty Therapist was also a fantastic conversationalist. We discussed the heartbreak and a lot of the circumstances surrounding the heartbreaker in question. We decided:
* the universe had been sending me a LOT of messages, and that really it was all for the best
* I should listen to my gut instinct more - this was the lesson I needed to learn from this relationship
* Happiness is a choice. Yes. I was wallowing because it was a safe (albeit not pleasant) place to be. We choose happiness and our attitude to the day. So I'm chugging to 3pm and that usual 3pm feeling of sadness isn't creeping up. I had coffee with people who know the sordid mess, and we laughed about it rather than me getting glum and quiet. And I felt ok discussing it. No well-ups. No downer after I left them. No feelings of being swallowed by loneliness.

Not only did my face get a good clean, so did my attitude. Happy Friday indeed! xo


So many lightbulb moments!

Happy Friday: Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

This weekend is BUMPER! Bootcamp (I started when I got back from o/s - we run, tumble and generally work out in wet grass at 7am every Saturday - my sneakers STINK!), looking for a new place to live, skolling coffee, putting the final touches on my bride-to-be's hens night (very stressed - bride is a Virgo to the max!), participating in what is sure to be a terribly drunken affair (what to wear?? outfit canned due to FREEZING temps!), then brunch with the women of my family (mama, sister, niece) and taking mama shopping. And then a game of rugby (to view, not play) and probably another party.


Run run run.

It'll keep going until I ...

... flop!

What's Your Secret?

Fifty People One Question :: PostSecret: Confessions On Life, Death & God

Cute! What's your secret?

Bad Girl

Click here for a fantastic article on the National Treasure status of Kate Moss - based primarily on her "I don't give a fuck" attitude to basically everything. And her non-neediness. She doesn't appear to want the adoration of the public, and that's why we lover her, apparently. Or is it just the good old mysteriousness factor? She does whatever she wants, makes mistakes, makes no excuses and has 19 year olds for boyfriends. Personally, I love that.

Take Me Home

A little Country Road in its offering (of clothes), I really just like the imagery from Chance...

Brow Bar

Some of the things I have embarked upon as part of my get-well-soon are the trusty old, "do something that scares you" things that get trotted out by the lifestyle magazines fairly frequently. They suggest that little gem so often because it's absolutely true. So some of my scare things have been to do with my face...

...Despite being an incredibly vain creature (or perhaps because of being one) I have never had a facial in my life. Or had my eyebrows plucked, waxed or threaded by a professional. I pluck my eyebrows myself, and only in the most frugal of ways... I have an insane fear that should I ever have a facial or have my eyebrows waxed, that I will walk out of the salon blissfully unaware of the fact that my face is bright red and terrifying to puppies and children (a la Samantha in that episode of SATC), or that something will go terribly wrong and the real face hiding under my current face will be revealed (and that it won't be pretty). Insane!


So in keeping with including a bit of fear in my life, tomorrow night I will have the first facial of my life (I am so so scared). A few weeks ago, I had my eyebrows threaded.

Unless you've been living under some kind of girl's magazine rock, you would know what threading is. Threading is the ancient Indian artform using cotton thread to remove facial hair, and which hit the beauty world by storm a few years ago. So I decided to give it a go... Again. Terrified. What if I became one of those girls with the way-too-skinny sets of eyebrows? Or what if the eyebrows become too short or too far apart? So I set strict parameters: keep within the line of my brows, don't go bananas, and please have respect for the fact this is the first time anyone has ever touched my face in the beauty sense and I'm shitting bricks right now!


My little Indian (sooo patronising. I could go to PC jail for that!) did an amazing job. It weirdly looked like she was flossing my eyebrows, and it made a funny kind of razoring sound, and it actually hardly hurt (yes, obviously I felt something, but it wasn't murderous). And my eyebrows look normal. She cleared up that pesky bit between the brows, removed some of the added extras above the brow line (I panicked when she did that), and ensured the ends came to a lovely fine point - without being too fine, of course. I was so happy with what she'd done, I said - do my upper lip! I don't know why! But I LOVE it. I am actually more obsessed with the fantastic job on the upper lip than on the eyebrows. We did get a little over excited and discussed doing the entire face (yes, people do it - and I honestly think it would be worth the time and money), but ... I had to draw the line. Both monetarily and fear-factor-ish. And yeah... I think the whole face would hurt a little. The upper lip was sort of uncomfortable in bits, but ultimately well worth the results.


So may I suggest you try threading. In your lunch hour even: the redness disappears after 1 hour (and that's on my overly sensitive, cry-baby skin!).

I had mine done at the fabulous Appruzzese Hair & Body salon in Paddington, Brisbane. Phone 3511 7777 if you're in the area. There was a half price special on when I went, so ask for a favour...

Hello.

Hello hello hello lovely friends.

Thank you for all your messages and kindness. I needed it. I also needed the verbal slap I got from my mother on the weekend (that sounds far more violent than it was, but I needed it - and deserved it a little also). I spent quite a bit of time wallowing the last few weeks. I drowned in sorrow, but thankfully not self-pity. I was just so, so sad. I still am a little, but I've put things into perspective. And I read, and read and read again my post about breaking up. It's so easy to advise someone else on their broken heart, when it isn't you in the hot seat.


I did some crazy things, and I did things that didn't show any care or regard whatsoever for my own personal health and happiness. Being broken up with at the same time as dealing with the low after the huge high of a fabulous trip was very disorienting. I think I'm still a little sideways! But I am trying to separate the two. One: I am bored in the world I have returned to and need to make some changes. Two: I am hurting, and sad, and broken hearted for a huge what-could-have-been (some of which really may not have been very realistic). So I am de-clumping these problems.

I just read Ali's recent post about French classes... It was so great, and I am cheered immensely by her happiness 11 wks after her own break-up. Yes, fantastic that she met a guy who is chasing her in the most adoring way (yes he is!!), but better that she is happy and she's done it all by herself. I love it!

So what am I doing now?
1. Spending more time with my parents. My dad is not well. I am worried.

2. Moving house. YES a total change. New housemate (just one!), new house. In about a month. I am dying for this change.

3. Taking up Spanish in a few weeks. One thing I loved about doing my Masters was the learning and using my brain bit. I love that. I don't really give a toss what I learn! But Spanish will be useful for my next trip.

4. Planning another trip to South America - from NYE onwards. Who wants to come? It will be glorious! You can come for as long or short as you like!

5. Spending more time with my niece. She's 8 months now, and she is pure, innocent, true love. I am feeling grateful the old biological clock hasn't started to tick, as perhaps this love would be a little marred by desire or possibly envy. As it is, it is something very sweet. And my sister-in-law is so precious. She's my sister now.

6. I have been taking tennis lessons, and it takes me to so many happy places I cannot tell you them all! And I'm getting better! Bonus. There was also a ridiculously hot South African coach there last night, and I swooned. In the old school sense. It was marvellous.

7. Saying NO to people. NO I will not bend over backwards and juggle my entire week around you. NO I will not let you hurt my feelings. NO I will not let you play your games. This is a work in progress, because I love to please and to help others. It's not always healthy. I'm trying.

8. Seeing someone. And delving deep into the dark corners. It is really, really hard, and there are places inside of me I didn't know existed. I find them on that couch. Psychology is amazing. If you like to learn, I suggest you see a good psychologist. The shit they teach about yourself, others and the human condition is immense! And you are not insane - you are enlightened by the entire experience.

So anyway. That was long. I just wanted to say "hi", and to let you know I'm back. And I'm starting to feel better.


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