Taking Stock

On this gloomy, wintery day I was inspired by this list to give you a sneak peek into my life lately.

Making: NOOD's raw chocolate tart with the unexpected secret ingredient being tofu! Check out more NOOD recipes here. 

Cooking: the perfect winter warmer, cheesy mushrooms on toast with wilted spinach.

Drinking: too much iced water for this chilly weather. 

Reading: The News - A User's Manual by Alain De Botton. An intriguing analysis of the news machine we love so much and what makes certain stories so addictive and others so damn boring.  

Wanting: to see these little munchkins again soon. Even though I've just returned from Cairns, I'm missing my crazy nephews already. They are growing up so damn fast and I loved our chats while I was there (intelligible and otherwise).

Looking: forward to our Flashback Friday party this weekend.

Playing: netball, as usual.

Listening: Tightrope by Illy on repeat.

Wasting: time.

Sewing: nothing. I rarely sew.

Wishing: adulthood wasn't so expensive. Bills, rent, who knew!
Enjoying: my Peter Alexander hot water bottle.

Watching: Friends reruns.

Wondering: how to recreate the amazing pear and goat’s cheese pasta I had in Sydney a few weeks ago.

Loving: The Lion King after recently seeing the musical - amazing!

Hoping: for a call from a potential employer. 
Marvelling: at the intelligence of my nephews after rewatching some cute videos I filmed. 

Needing: to slowly back away from the chocolate! Obsessed. 

Smelling: My divine beeswax candles, compliments of the lovely Brooklyn. 

Wearing: Thick knit bed socks and my cosy Seed scarf. 

Following: the ANZ Championship finals.

Noticing: the orangey red leaves that have fallen. 

Knowing: you have to be ready for everything that is thrown your way, life waits for no one! 

Thinking: about over thinking. I think too much. 

Bookmarking: Houzz. Great inspiration for future apartment interiors. 

Opening: new magazines received in the mail - bliss. 

Giggling: at talking cat videos...which are also slightly creepy. Also, old Facebook statuses which are hilarious and cringeworthy all at the same time. 

Feeling: sore from netball. I always end up with at least one (extremely) minor injury, whether that be a corked bum, a jarred finger or a bruised arm. All part of the fun, of course.

xx Luce

Abseiling

A few weeks ago, I conquered one of my biggest fears by slowly descending backwards off a few cliffs...and it was amazing! 

It was my first time abseiling and it isn't something I would willingly choose to do but as a Christmas present from Steve, I had no choice.

We headed up to Mountain Quarry in Boya, around 35 minutes out of Perth, and the whole way there I was pondering how the hell I was going to do it. 

I thought I'd share a few happy snaps and prove that sometimes the most fun you can have is doing something that scares the pantaloons off you. 

We started on the baby face, supposedly as a warm up. Everyone else seemed relaxed so I took that opportunity to look for the nearest escape exit that didn't involve throwing myself over a cliff. 

There was none, so over the edge I went.

We did an intermediate face next, which involved some free falling because of an overhang.

 The real mission though was the huge 55 metre cliff that I had vowed not to go near as we first entered the quarry.

Of course, Steve was cool and calm and disappeared over the edge with ease. 

Meanwhile, I was making the instructor double and triple check my ropes and promise me that I wouldn't die. 

The whole way down I was shaking and was so thankful no one was around to hear my self affirmations interlaced with profanities.

It was exhilarating though, the most amazing feeling and once I was on the ground, I wanted to go again! 

Adventure Out is who we went through and I recommend you do too. The instructors were fun and informative, they knew their stuff and made you feel at ease immediately. 

They also kept their promise that I wouldn't die and for that I am grateful! 

xx Luce

Friday Fancies

I adore current affairs. This love has more than likely stemmed from my mandatory news quizzes at uni, where I would study tirelessly each week to add a measly 2% to my semester mark. I can confirm these quizzes were, and probably still are, the bane of any journo student's existence.

On the train and in lull moments of my day, I love nothing more than to scour the web for interesting, funny, thought provoking and sometimes peculiar articles, blog posts, videos and the like. They might not be the most intellectual or newsworthy and my old tutor might disapprove, but here's a few links from the past week that have tickled my toes and piqued my interest.

Firstly, I need to work my way through this list of books that will apparently change your life...God knows I don't have enough books in my to-read list already!

Fringe World Festival is upon us here in Perth. There are way too many amazing events and performances, from comedy to art exhibits, cabaret to theatre but I have managed to compile a personalised wishlist on the festival's website. My top picks are All the Single Lad(ie)s, comedian Khaled Khalafalla, This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things musical comedy, The Drunk Show and 5-Step Guide to Being German 2.0. Let me know if there are any other spectacular shows that aren't on my list, I'm definitely open to suggestions.

Special mention to my housemate, Lauren, who will be belting her lungs out as a soprano in The Menagerie indie choir's performance, This Song is Mine. Unfortunately it's already sold out but I ordered my tickets early and cannot wait!

Moving on from Fringe, The Guy's Guide to Seeing Women, Not Objects is an interesting read and something that I think both genders need to take on board, not just men.

Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Mary Lambert were joined on stage by Madonna to perform Same Love at The 56th Grammy Awards. Throw Queen Latifah into the mix as a celebrant and three dozen newlyweds to create a real wow moment. It is such a moving performance. Of course, the backlash soon followed, as expected. 


Also at the Grammys: Imagine Dragons teamed up with Kendrick Lamar with a freaking hectic remix of Radioactive.

Last but definitely not least, how amazing do these whiskey sours sound from the sisters at a Beautiful Mess? Cocktails needed, pronto! Yum.

Well there you go, I hope you've found some inspiration for your weekend!

xx Luce

2014

2013 was a great year for me. There were many amazing, big moments: I did my first triathlon and welcomed a new niece and nephew into the world, as well as some pretty cute babies close friends popped out. My parents relocated to the country, I moved out and graduated from uni. I went to my first ever interview for a job in my field and attended some beautiful weddings.

        

This year I was not keen on making a new years resolution because I believe that every day is a new day  and you can enrich your life any time that you decide. Naturally though, because it is me after all, I changed my mind about the 'no resolutions' resolution.

So my new years resolution isn't the usual lose weight, get fit type, although that's also needed! Instead, I am going to have a Year of Firsts (à la The Londoner). To try something new as often as possible and to not let fear or complacency back me into my comfort zone that I seem to love so much. These firsts can be as small as trying a new food or as huge as going skydiving. I just have to do it!

First firsts on my list? Abseiling, donating blood and laughter yoga. Anyone want to join?
I'll let you know how I go!

xx Luce

I'm a twentysomething and I'll keep being me

My friend posted this link on her Facebook page the other day. For those too lazy to actually go check out the article, it's The 20 Mistakes You Don't Want to Make In Your 20s and it is pretty self explanatory. Obviously I was drawn to it because:

1. I adore lists; and

2. I am currently in my early 20s - WHAT!

Whilst I agree with many of the points the author makes (Hello 'Blaming anyone else but yourself for anything in life' and 'Forgetting about the piggy bank and spending every dollar you have' - I still have eight years to figure that one out, right?), I had a weird feeling after reading it.

It took me a while to pinpoint what it was, but then I realised. I was angry! I was actually fuming that this author decided he was the one and only twenty something who had ever lived and he alone dictated the way it should be, no babies, relationships or mistakes allowed.

So of course, me being me, I analysed the shiz out of my feelings - was I just feeling inadequate, did I just tick too many of the boxes for my own liking? The answer is no. Yes, I do tick some of the boxes ('Getting comfortable like you actually deserve down time' and 'Thinking that this is the right time to fall in love' - I'm in a relationship BUT I did make that decision in my teenage years so technically...). Yes, there are times where I compare myself with others through the joys of 'social media stalking' and seem to fall really short, but the dislike I had for this overall article was something different.

The author hadn't taken into account the myriad of different twenty somethings out there. The twenty somethings who are happy being young mummies or the ones who don't figure out what they want to do until they're in their 30s. I'm not saying it's for everyone but by publishing these kind of articles that cast judgement upon people who live their lives, it's actually being a bit hypocritical. It's saying "look to challenge yourself and build your own dream"...as long as that dream aligns with MY idea of a worthwhile dream.

There are times when I've been guilty of just that. Anyone who knows me knows I can think of nothing worse than having a baby right now but two of my close friends have had babies in the last year AND THEY'RE BOTH UNDER 25! Shock horror. I remember when I found out, I was slightly thrown and had to pull myself up and realise that dreams, wishes, wants and needs come in all shapes and sizes.

This is something we all have to understand and be a lot more open minded about. As long as you're living as true to yourself as possible, why should you be concerned what someone else is doing. I mean, if they're wrong, according to the handbook of life, isn't your twenties the time to make mistakes anyway?

xx Luce