Well when I came home from school, I offloaded everything that happened to mum and then went and cried it all out. Once I’d composed myself, Mum and I decided to take the dog for a walk on the beach. I was excited because I knew It would help me relax.

It was great. It really did help me to relax and it gave mum and I the perfect opportunity to discuss the things that were bothering me, and I came to a conclusion.. I’m not going to stay for year 13 at school.

It would appear that at school, every single thing that makes me happy is sports or fitness related (except for drama ), the rest of it I find stressful and boring. I want to get straight into building my career and doing what makes me happy, rather than staying at school when I can be getting started elsewhere.

I’ll either apply to join the Army (depending on how the ACE goes… My information pack arrived yesterday!!! Looks like it’s going to be A LOT of fun I’m so excited!!), or go to polytech, get a diploma and then my bachelor.

Either way, I’m going to reach my ultimate goal. I’m very happy with this decision and it makes me feel optimistic for the rest of the year.

Have a great day.

xoxo

BOY HOWDY, it was inteeeeennnseeeee. The whole thing was 40 minutes long and it was very challenging. I managed to complete the whole thing for the first time ever and by the end my butt and thighs felt like jelly. It was a great workout and I’ll definitely be repeating it again tomorrow morning

Something I’ve taken to right now is making sure I take some time just for me. I’m so busy these days and I’ve been really struggling to cope with everything I’ve got to do. My plan to help manage this is to spend more time doing relaxing things for myself. I’m cutting down on internet time drastically, limiting myself to 1 hour a day (includes blogging, reading blogs, facebook etc). So far it’s been going really really well I’ve been really a lot more which is fantastic because I love to read. Right now I’m reading “Plum Spooky” by Janet Evanovich. It’s really really good! It’s hilarious too.

I love Janet Evanovich, because even though her books aren’t challenging, they’re highly entertaining

Pilates this morning was also a way for me to take time out for myself. It’s very relaxing and rejuvenating

I had an AWESOME day yesterday!! I went over to my dear friend Anna’s house to help her develop a training plan for a 10km run she signed up for. I’m so proud of her for getting into it!! I was more than happy to help. I was a bit apprehensive about giving her a plan where she’d been increasing her distances in such a short space of time :/ I wouldn’t usually suggest that as it can be dangerous and increase the risk of injury, but she wanted to push herself and the race is in 4 weeks and she has no immediate sporting history.

We sussed out a plan and had a good catch up. I wish her all the best of luck!

Anyway, right now I have to get down to the swimming pools and do some swimming! That’s all I feel like right now surprisingly is a nice long swim

Have a great night!

xoxo

Also, I know this movie has received a lot of bad critique and I wanted to make a decision myself.

Personally, I thought this film was INCREDIBLE!!! I truly think Tim Burton has outdone himself this time.

I love the costumes, the colours, the special effects, the story line… Wow, I just cannot comprehend how it has so far received such bad reviews! I think what it might be is the fact that, the people who wrote those bad reviews do not share the “Tim Burton Mindset”. Me and Emma love that dark, intense, weird sort of a film and so naturally, we enjoyed it more than people who don’t.

Also, viewers may have a hard time adjusting to the story line. For those who are very very familiar with the classic Alice In Wonderland tale, they might resent the fact that this was such a twist and almost a completely different version of that.

The most stand out performance of all in the entire film has definitely got to be that of Helena Bonham Carter. SHE WAS AMAZING! I have seen LOADS of her films, but this one was definitely my favourite for her. She portrayed the Red Queen so so well, it was an incredible thing to watch. I truly believe that her performance was Oscar-worthy.

Johnny Depp’s performance was not that great. He was good as usual, but I think he played his character a bit too much like Willy Wonka from “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory”. Although, when he ran, the style was identical to Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates Of The Carribean). I thought that his character was a little bit dry to tell the truth.

Alice herself, played by Mia Wasikowska, was very good. I’ve never seen her in a movie before and for a first-see performance, I thought she fit the part very well and did great justice to a Tim Burton film.

However… My ALL TIME FAVOURITE character was the CHESIRE CAT!!

That big, fat, rolly blue-striped ball of fluff was adorable lol.

All in all, the story line was gripping, interesting and different. The cast was fabulous and each actor did their character 100% justice, and the special effects were amazing. I was hooked the whole time and wasn’t constantly checking the time to see how much longer we had left.

I give this film a 7 1/2 out of 10 and HIGHLY recommend it to anybody considering going to see it

Have a great Sunday night.

xoxo

Today has been buusssyyyy! I got up at 7am with the intention of going for a run and then a bike ride and then a swim later on in the day, well, that did not happen. I had my pre-workout breakfast of PB + J on toast and half a large banana with a cup of coffee, but then Ma asked me if I wanted to go to the Farmers market with her and that she’d be leaving early. I love the Farmers market simply for the cheap books they sell, I always pick up a seriously good Stephen King book or something and I didn’t wanna miss that opportunity again.

I went and never got around to exercising. I bought “Needful Things” by Stephen King because Emma has highly recommended it to me, and even though I find Stephen King a bit intense, I wanted to check it out.

I started getting really grouchy because I hadn’t exercised since Monday and that’s a looonnngg break for me. When I’m off for that long, my mind starts playing tricks on me…. I get really self-conscious, start becoming convinced that I’m gaining weight and get really fussy about my food. Usually, when I’m exercising regularly I don’t care about what I eat, but when I’m not, every. little. calorie. counts. It’s probably a really unhealthy mindset to have but I can’t help it.

We went to check out some op-shops after that and I got the cutest little running skirt!!! I was very pleased because I’ve wanted one for ages but they cost around $70 in the shops I got mine for cheapsies

We also went to the SPCA to visit the cute animals… I fell in love and made a new best friend with the cutie-pie, TUESDAY

There were also some cute Labrador puppies

Aren’t they sweet?! I really hope someone comes along and offers them a safe, loving home.

After that I came home and went straight over to Emma’s. We chilled for a bit and then went to see Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” (which I will post a full review of tomorrow). By time that was finished and we got back to her house it was 5.30pm, I dashed home on my scooter, got ready and went down to the gym…

Epic fail.

I forgot that the gym closes at 6pm on weekends, so I got there and it was shut. I freaked out a little bit because I felt as though I needed exercise but the GYM WAS CLOSED!! It’s been so long since I exercised outside of the gym that I kinda didn’t know what to do :/

I followed my new training plan and went for a run. I did 5 minutes running with 2 minutes walking, 5 times. Felt great to get outside and I felt fit and fast, but after about 15 minutes my knees started hurting not good… I came home, stretched and iced them. I sat down and watched the Simpsons, then I cooked dinner for myself. It was DELICIOUS! At the Farmers Market we picked up 2 big fat Butternut Squash pumpkins- my FAVOURITE vegetable in the entire world. I chopped them up, put them in a baking tray and roasted them for 30 minutes on high with paprika, salt and pepper for seasonings. They were soooo good. It was like Butternut Squash chips.

I also had a whole wheat bread bun filled with cheese, salad, beetroot, tomato, sundried tomato, hummus and chutney, I also put some leftover roasted pumpkin inside… Man, it was awesome.

I should’ve taken photos but this was a meal where I was too hungry to remember lol.

Anyway, moving onto GOOD NEWS….

I GOT INTO THE ARMY CAREERS EXPERIENCE!!!!!! So happy! When I found out I was jumping for joy like CRAZY! I’m so proud of myself and I cannot believe I made it. I DESERVED to make it though, I worked so damn hard at the fitness test. This is one of my all time greatest achievements and I’m SO excited for the holidays so I can get into it

I can’t wait and I look forward to keeping you guys updated on the haps

Have an AWESOME Sunday tomorrow!

xoxo

To celebrate the beginning of Autumn (March 1st), I decided to cook an Autumn meal for dinner the other night.

My stomach was still a bit off, I came home sick and I don’t think I’ll be eating chocolate yoghurt for a while… but I was craving vegetables and fruit like crazy. My body’s going through withdrawals from having none for so long!

I got this recipe off Rachel Ray when I was home sick the other day. I made a mental note to repeat it when I felt well enough. And the time came and I did it!

The result tasted great and I was amazed that for the first time in my life I cooked something that worked out well. It was also the first time I have ever cooked pasta. I never knew how but I winged it and it came out perfect!

Last night I also cooked vege burgers (man my cooking skills are just on fire, lol). They were amazzinnggg. I forgot to take photos but they were AWESOME!!

Expect to see them again here on the blog

Anyway, if you have any questions, just leave a comment.

Have a great night!

I’ve been through much physiotherapy, starting the journey to recovery back in Hamilton. Then returned to Whakatane and began treatment with a new physiotherapist, and then ended up switching over to a different physio due to schedule clashes with the previous one.

During the 4 months, I lost up to 5kg’s, and then after much effort, gained 1 1/2kg’s back because I was underweight.

I’ve been looking forward to this day for so so long. Here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for… Here’s my training plan!

I’m so excited to get into it. I won’t be running until Saturday because I’m still recovering from my stomach bug right now and I’m not sure how long that will take. Although, I’m happy to announce that I’m starting to feel quite a lot better and my food is sitting better in my stomach. Hopefully tomorrow morning I can eat the blueberry pancakes that I’ve been so looking forward to!

I’ll keep you updated on my running progress and how my tummy’s coming along.

Have a great night!

xoxo

Hey guys! I’m feeling quite a lot better today. I’m taking the day off school though just to be sure. My appetite is beginning to return and I had some jam on toast for breakfast and don’t feel like hurling so that’s some serious progress. I still feel weak, tired and a little seedy though, so today is a day off but tomorrow I’ll be back at school.

I actually feel as though I’m able to get some school work completed which I’ll do before lunchtime- provided I don’t start feel terrible again.

ANYWAY, in other news…

I’m not sure whether I’ve told you this already but my (new) physiotherapist has given me her blessing to resume a regular running training plan again!!!! Even though it’s five months on from when I stopped running, it’ll be great to get back into it.

I’ll be starting out very small though, as though I’m a total newbie to running. I don’t want to reinjure myself and cause myself to have to take a break again. At least this time round I know what to expect and I know how I can prevent from injuring myself again. I really need to work on strengthening though. It’s super frustrating because every physio I’ve ever been to has said the same thing but it just doesn’t seem to happen for me! I’m not getting any stronger in the areas I need to! grrrrrrr. Something to discuss with Gaz this afternoon.

Anyway, off to read the rest of “Hamlet” now and write up a journal for P.E.

Have a great day

Eventually I did manage to get some sleep but I woke up feeling seedy and exhausted so I knew today was not a day for school. I started feeling crook yesterday, so it’s really no wonder this came on.
Firstly I thought it might be food poisoning from the Japanese student Farewell supper last night but then I was told that there is a tummy bug that has been going around lately  so that’s more likely to be the cause.

Nothing to do but rest up and drink plenty of water. I have got some homework sorted so I don’t fall too behind in class (in year 12, missing ONE day of school can have a massive impact. It’s super important to make sure you stay on top of all the classwork and homework).

I think I’ll kick back and watch some movies too.

I was planning on going for a massive workout today but that’s not going to happen. I would die if I tried to do anything right now.

In other news!

Issues against women aging.

This is something that has bugged me for a very long time. Women so hung up on aging. It’s ridiculous! EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET AGES. It’s just a fact of life and the course of nature. It frustrates the hell out of me when I see all this stupid anti-aging creams and how much of a big deal it is to do a photoshoot without photoshopping the photos.

The reason I’m writing about this now is because in the latest Woman’s Weekly magazine, they’ve made a huge deal about the fact that the cover woman isn’t photoshopped in her picture. Why does this annoy me? BECAUSE SHE’S GORGEOUS AND IT’S A SHAME TO THINK THEY’D EVER PHOTOSHOP HER IN THE FIRST PLACE!

I plan to age well. There is no denying fate. We’re all going to wind up old, blemished and wrinkly, it’s unavoidable. But you can age WELL.

When I think of “aging well” I think of taking care of your body. Eating the right foods, exercising regularly, not smoking, not drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, getting enough sleep… etc etc etc. Just the usual things that help our bodies to function at their best.
If you take care of your body you will reap the results.

Anyway, that’s my little rant for the day. Time to go put my feet up and watch movies

Have a great day!

xoxo

I was working all day today and couldn’t contact my Mum coz she was camping out in the middle of nowhere with no cellphone reception. They weren’t even aware anything had happened!

It was hard to remain happy and focused today because I was worried the entire time, I had this big knot of fear and concern in my stomach until about 1pm. I finally started to relax when they stopped mentioning it over the radio and that nothing had so far happened. Also it was relaxing to see all the customers who were unfazed by it, that helped me calm down.

ANYWAY! On to more enjoyable matters, Sunday SG’s:

Enjoy

I love it! I’ve been driving it round today and really getting used to it. It’s going to be so nice to be able to drive to work instead of cycle. It won’t be so frantic and I won’t be so exhausted at the end of the day.

Anyway, today I went to the Street/Tuna Fiesta with Emma.

We came into town at around 2pm because Emma wanted to buy a skirt before we went to check out the music. She didn’t end up finding anything she liked, so we headed over to check out the festivities. Nothing interesting really happened until it was time for A New Era to go on stage.

It was so cute, since the music was up so loud, Emma and I saw this little girl with her fingers in her ears. It was adorable!

Emma and I had some fun during the performance. Photo within a photo….

We’d promised Dal we’d take lots of photos of him.  I stayed true to my promise

At the end I wound up holding his guitar coz he was stuffed and I wanted to help ease the load.
I had a great time lol, but ended up being a bit of a danger to passers by…

We met up with Dallas in the Craic shortly after to give him back his guitar. We had some fun…

After that we hurried off to catch Attic Skies. They’re another local band, and omg they are GOOOD! They were my favourite act of the day. They were entertaining and refreshing and there were just some kick ass vibes goin’ on with these guys that radiated to the audience.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching these guy perform

Anyway, we hung around a bit after their act, we listened to a little bit of another band but by then it was 7pm and I really wanted to get home before it started getting dark. I ended up driving with my sun in my eyes anyway… but oh well.

A great day has been had by all I’d say! If anyone from A New Era or Attic Skies want extra band photos, just leave me a comment. I have TONS!

I have work tomorrow and it’s a long shift… I’ll see you after! Goodnight

xoxo