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:)	Jul. 17th, 2008 @ 09:12 am

dizzydezzy

Nothing much to update on, so here's a movie review:

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Run Fat Boy Run

the good: As if Simon Pegg wasn't exciting enough, Dylan Moran's in it, and is absolutely totally fabulous. And you get to see his butt. Twice. I wonder if it's really his butt or if he had a butt double for that movie, but anyway, there was bare butt, twice. And really I just like saying "butt".

the bad: I't all lovey dovey and happy-ending and all that crap, and the story is kinda silly. But it's really not too bad.

the ugly: Dylan Moran's in it and you get to see his bare butt, that ugly enough for ya??
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Current Location: work

Current Mood:

amused

Current Music: Muse - Knights of Cydonia

Tags: bare butt, dylan moran is god

	Jul. 16th, 2008 @ 11:17 pm

catsnstuff

One day I'm going to spell Nietzsche's name correctly the first time. You'll see...

Current Mood:

determined

Exercise funny	Jul. 16th, 2008 @ 10:31 pm

catsnstuff

A while ago I posted that I could leg-press 190lb - I was pretty proud of this. And yet, sometimes when I went back to do this, it was so bloody exhausting - seemingly much more than it was the original time - and I gave up on that machine for a while in favour of trying out others. I believe I started to think that the 190lb day must have been an extraordinarily fantastic one, but I hatehatehate going down in weights and I didn't want to have to concede my glorious achievement may have been a once-off.

Today I tried out the leg press again because it's one of my four assigned supplementary machines that I'll be consistently working with for the next while or so. I was a little scared because of how horrible it felt to attempt this last time and so put the weight down to 186lb. Then when I started going... and it was surprisingly easy! One of the trainers came along (one of the mean ones, which I actually prefer), and he stayed to make sure that my form was correct and I wasn't slacking off. I did 15 repetitions quite well, plus some extra small movements that this guy seems to have concocted to make the machine kill one's ass muscles (sorry, "gluteus muscles") even more than it normally does. Since the goal is to have the muscles give out somewhere between 8 and 15 repetitions, this seemed a good job. Even so, I was somewhat shocked when he suggested I put the weight at 200lb next time! I put on my "incredulous" face (which was probably somewhat marred by my "absolutely exhausted" face) and asked a couple of times if he was serious. In the process I explained that I had actually put it down 4lb from the recommended weight, pointing to the 186lb setting - I was behind, after all, and should try to catch up. He seemed to realise something and said, "did you know you actually did 190lb that time? The other weight was set to 200lb, and they even out."

The other weight??? It seems this machine has weights on either side of the foot mat, but all this time I had only noticed those on the right. Apparently the machine just takes the average of both sides and distributes it: it would work the same had one of the settings read 400lb and the other 0lb. I felt quite embarrassed that I had been setting the machine wrong and had completely missed this rather important aspect of it; then I realised the implications of the oversight. Today I had only put the weight down from someone's 200lb setting, and had actually been quite pleased with this, knowing I wasn't too far behind someone. (I had been even more pleased at putting the weight up from someone's setting on the abduction machine.) On other occasions, though, I had put the weight down from a considerably higher figure - I've tended to assume these were men's settings. But of course, I hadn't realised that I was only decreasing one of the two settings. No wonder I had found the "190lb" to be so incredibly awful sometimes: it was actually much more, perhaps more like 220lb or some other heavy (for a Small Nat) amount!

So there. I get to feel like a fool... but a strong fool. ;) And I can now work towards my next goal with more confidence: that of being able to leg-press Andrew's weight. *GRIN*

Current Mood:

cheerful

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Funeral for a friend	Jul. 14th, 2008 @ 08:35 pm

It has been such an emotional day today that I am exhausted. I have found it hard to control my tears all day today and the smallest things have set me off such as the overwhelming number of well wishing text messages, The mention of Puhoi (Where John lived and was buried today), The sign on the way to the funeral saying 'John .... road'

The funeral itself was wonderful. The celebrant was outstanding. The people who spoke were amazing. I chose to speak. My word included an introduction of who I was and I reminisced about some of my favourite memories. How John would always make us sit in front of the fire to dry our hair before we went to bed so we wouldn't catch a cold; the tree hut he let us build out the back and how he complained till the day he died about all the nails we used and how he was so tight we even had to bring our own nails!!!!! Sliding down the back hill on Nikau palms and not seeing the 3m drop until it was too late and bruising our asses to no end... I was fine with my speech until I spoke about the night my sister, John and I lay down on the hill under a cloudless night looking at all the amazing stars. I remember John saying 'There are thousands of them you can't see' and handing us his night scope to look through and the whole sky took on a new life as thousands upon thousands of stars twinkled in the night scope. I closed with a quote from Abraham Lincoln 'And in the end it is not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years' and John had plenty of life in each of his 66 years.My sister followed me and she did an amazing reading too and she had us all in fits.

After the readings and tributes we accompanied John to the Puhoi Cemetery where we laid to rest our life long friend, brother and/ or lover. It was really hard to say our final goodbyes but it was a beautiful service, the rain held off until we all departed. We headed back to the hall for tea, coffee and nibbles. We then adjourned at the local pub where John spent a lot of his time. The flag was flying at half mast in his memory. So many people came up and thanked my sister and I for our speaking, saying that we brought them to tears and had displayed a side of John that so few people had seen. It was a remarkable afternoon.

I will say, If go as peacefully, and my funeral is a beautiful as Johns, I will be an extremely happy lady....

Good night

Current Mood:

sad

Aaaaargh! Aaaaargh!	Jul. 12th, 2008 @ 11:48 pm

chris_san

GODDAMNIT! Fucking South Africa! Cunts.

Current Mood:

pissed off

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Music	Jul. 11th, 2008 @ 12:07 pm

catsnstuff

An old mashup, and one of my favourite songs at the moment:

I'm also enjoying bopping around to:

Tags: mashups, videos

It's friday, huzzah!	Jul. 11th, 2008 @ 11:03 am

dizzydezzy

Went for a free swing dancing lesson last night after work - I can't dance to save myself, but it was actually quite fun! - I'm thinking of signing up to the beginners class and going every week... Even if it's only to step on people's toes :D

Other than that nothing much happening here :D Heading over to Josh's place for drinking and general hanging out after work tonight, huzzah for drinking!

Oh, also, watched some DVDs recently, here, have some reviews. Or something.

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Saw IV

The good: I'm struggling here to find the good in this movie.. I suppose there was a bit of plot. Of course the plot somewhat diverged from the original plot of Saw. Blah. Ok, something good, something good... oh, there was a cool autopsy scene, if you get a kick out of that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, I rather enjoyed the movie. I just wouldn't describe much of it as "good" by any means.

The bad: just about everything, really. Lotsa gore. You know, the usual.

The ugly: nothing struck me as being worse than the rest, except maybe the ultimate message of the movie. Which amounted to "do not burst through unsecured doors". No, really, I'm not even kidding.

**************************
The Golden Compass

The good: it was very pretty, nice cgi, for the most part very well cast and scripted, close enough to the book for my liking. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

The bad: they named the movie after the american version of the book, which rather irked me, actually... And they kept referring to the alethiometer as "the golden compass", even though it is never called that in the book. It just twangs the same bitter string as "harry potter and the sorcerer's stone". Seriously, WTF.

The ugly: nothing, really. Except for the fact that I just could not stop thinking of James Bond.
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*yawn*
*stretch*
back to work now I guess :)

Current Location: work

Current Mood:

calm

Current Music: sisters of mercy - more

Tags: fun, movie, saw, swing

A novel in it's own right	Jul. 10th, 2008 @ 10:24 pm

I have this extremely intense urge to post, I feel like I need to harness all the thoughts that are in my mind and translate them to the tangible before they slip away.

I have changed, I know that. How can a person travel the path of Outward Bound and not come back changed? I have found in myself abilities I never knew existed. I have discovered parts of me I never even knew were there. I have new found appreciations and aspirations, Friends whom I have a bond with like no one else who roams this earth and I have found a deeply hidden passion that has budded into a beautiful opportunity.

I will not go into what happened at Outward Bound, You would never understand and couldn't fully appreciate the time away until you embark on this yourself. I will also not tell you because should you ever do the course, Knowledge will take away from the experience. I knew too much before I left. It is not a regret but rather an annoyance.

Where to begin? Me... Well, I amazed myself. I truly did. I pushed myself so hard, Harder still in the last week when I was sick. I never gave up and I gave 110% every day. I faced fears that made me want to be sick, I conquered tasks that daunted me to a tiny speck on the ground but I did it, I pushed myself through the barrier of fear and I grasped every opportunity and every challenge with both (Or in one case one) hands. I made life changing decisions that will stand me in good stead. I have made new commitments and challenges for myself.

I am going to be honest, With myself and everyone else. There is no lying (not that I really did anyways) and there will be no 'White lies' or avoidances. I will be up front and honest. In this, I have realised that being honest to myself is a rather profound thing. I have realised that in order to achieve what I want to then I need to make changes. Some of these changes include being in a positive relationship that has a common goal, One where we are both on the same page and ready to work for what it is that WE want. I think it is really important to create long term stable relationships rather than ones based on shallow needs and wants. I have also realised that my friends are truly amazing. I can not thank them enough. Each person brings to our relationship a different and diverse array of qualities. My friends bring out the best in me, and those who don't, who tend to use me, are not worth the time or effort. I know life is short, you don't know how long you have and I intend to make the most out of every day. I will live in the moment. I'll keep the past as a reminder of how far I have come, Not something to dwell on. I have today, now, to use wisely. No one can recycle wasted time. The future... I have my goals, And I am aiming above and beyond them. I will not panic about the future. I will take it as it comes, Work hard for the dreams I have but most importantly I will end each day knowing I have done all I can, lived to the fullest and enjoyed every moment.

I know that life will throw me curve balls and that I am to learn from each one. I accept failure as part of my life, and lessons learned as the key to success. I know that it wont always be easy but that it will always be worth it.

I know thinking positive is 100x more effective than thinking negative. I know I am capable of doing what ever it is I put my mind to. I know I am an amazing person capable of doing extraordinary things. I appreciate my friends and family for their advice, guidance and support.

I know we all need to start looking after Mother Earth. She is the only planet we have. I hope and dream of a beautiful planet left behind for many generations to come. I have learnt the value of recycling, of going that extra little bit to make my own impact on the environment a positive one. I have realised that by caring for the environment I am saving myself money, and I am ensuring the earths future.

I am strong both physically and mentally. I am focused and determined. I have passion, I have creativity and I have desire. I hold my hopes and dreams close to me and always strive to better myself. I will think positive from now on. I will be kinder and receptive to my friends. I will display more compassion, more integrity and lead by example. I will try not to be so stubborn, I will lose the excuses, I will use my time wisely. I will also set aside time for me which is something I have never done. I will be honest, open, reliable, trustworthy and loyal. I will rid myself of idle gossip and focus on the things that are most important to me.

Wow, This is turning into a novel. If you have read this far, I am impressed.

I am looking at a course at Uni for 2009. It's a diploma in Outdoor Education. I admired my OB leaders every day when they came to work with us and simply couldn't wait. The passion for their job is amazing and I realised I want a job that I love to do every day. Where I get excited to go to work. I also realised how much of a passion I have for the outdoors.

I have more to post but the lead weight eyelids demand my attention and with such a full on day tomorrow, I need my beauty sleep.

Good night, And thank you :-)

Natalie talks to God	Jul. 10th, 2008 @ 10:26 am

catsnstuff

( Read more... )

Current Mood:

amused

R.I.P John Bartrum	Jul. 8th, 2008 @ 09:59 pm

Our family friend who had the stroke took a turn for the worse this morning after contracting a major infection. He continued to deteriorate through the course of the day.

I received a phone call at 5.11pm from my mother informing me he had been taken off his medication and that I needed to get to the hospital ASAP... That John was dying.

I arrived at 5.30 ish and he was not doing so well. His breathing was heavy and he wasn't very responsive. Mum, My sister, my father, Tee and I spent the evening by his bed side. Sadly John passed away, Very peacefully at 7pm. He took his last breath surrounded by all of us, holding his hands, stroking his hair and telling him we loved him. It was such a peaceful passing.

I thanked him for all he gave and for all he did for us. For the memories and for the amazing life he provided when I was growing.

It's a very sad day, My mother, she is a mess, as is my dad and sister. I am glad he passed with us all there for him, In a room full of love and in such a peaceful way. So Rest In Peace John, With love always and forever...

	Jul. 8th, 2008 @ 08:09 pm

poor_toms_acold

Because it's my journal, and I've been so good at not going on about it: 17kg down, 7 to go.

So, who's up for a henna/drinkies/DVD afternoon? I want to henna my hair, but it's hard to do on my own, so I thought we could make it group thing and do each other in my back yard (phwoar) then sit with the crap on our heads and have drinks/nibbles/watch DVDs, and you may make full use of my shower to wash it off (though I'll probably sleep in mine, thick dark hair takes longer). I'm thinking Saturday 26th July. Who'd be interested?

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Writer's Block: Hope	Jul. 8th, 2008 @ 10:07 am

What gives you hope for your future? How about hope for your world's future? Is hope hard to maintain?

View other answers

What gives me hope for the future?
I do. My ability and the power of one person to do amazing things. There is nothing I can not do and I truly believe that, So should everyone else. The power is in us all.

How about hope for your world future?
The worlds future is in each of our hands. We must look after and love the planet, Everyone has the ability to make changes that can have a huge impact on the future of our planet, You just need to be open to the changes and prepared to work a little harder, Push a litttle further and question a little more.

Is hope hard to maintain?
I think this depends on the person. For me, With out hope there is very little for me to aspire to. Hope encompasses my dreams, my goals, my ambitions... Everything that makes me get out of bed each morning and give 110%. A positive attitude and self belief go a long way to maintaining hope.

More is in you than you think - Kurt Hahn

Current Mood:

creative

Tags: hope, writer's block

Gemini	Jul. 8th, 2008 @ 10:03 am

Interesting I thought...

Oh you Geminis! You have enough brains for two people and you know how to use the old grey matter too. You can flirt the socks off the rest of us because you know who to read people and what's likely to get into their head. You can make people laugh and you have some of the most brilliant insights around. Forget what you've heard about Geminis being two-faced. It's not that you're anymore two-faced than the next person. You just have an uncanny ability to see every story from at least two sides, which can be confusing to those around you. You're the curious type and you're not afraid of asking the kinds of questions which can make others squirm a little. Let them squirm. Sometimes there are questions which just need to be asked, and if it falls to you to do the interrogating, so be it!

You're a versatile mutable sign which means that you're rarely rigid in your ideas. In fact, flitting from one idea to the next is your forte and one of your weaknesses. Far from needing to learn to keep your mind open, you need to learn to focus on one thing at a time. Your knowledge and the diversity of that knowledge means that you don't like to be kept on one track and if there is one criticism people are likely to make of you it's that you tend to intellectualise things too much. You even try to intellectualise and rationalise feelings. Next time you find yourself doing this, stop, and do a double check, to discover how you feel, rather than how you think you feel.

You have a well-ordered mind, despite your tendency to think one hundred things at once. You're the type to get conversations started during awkward silences and you have highly developed critical facilities. You also have a reputation for being one of the worst flirts of the zodiac. Who are they kidding when they say that? You're one of the best! Flirting is as much about getting into someone's mind as it is about anything else, and you know just how to do that when the spirit moves you. You also have a reputation for being slightly fickle, as well as prone to fits of blackness, but this is the price you pay for your quick wit. Yes, there are times when you feel down and as though the world is a dark, dark place, but just as quickly as these moods descend upon you, they up and leave.

Ruled by Mercury, the fleet footed messenger, you remain as flexible as a reed in the wind and more than happy to adapt to the situations you find yourself in.

MEMEMEMEMEME!	Jul. 8th, 2008 @ 08:25 am

dizzydezzy

I'm thinking this test got thouroughly confused somwhere on the way to giving me the results... Or maybe I am actually warm, friendly and welcoming, and I just don't know it (and neither does anyone else)? :P

You Are Extremely Charming

When someone talks to you, they feel like they are the most interesting person in the world.

And for you in that moment, they actually are.

You truly care about the people you're around, and it's obvious to everyone who meets you.

You are open, warm, friendly, and welcoming. You epitomize charm.

Are You Charming?

Current Location: work

Tags: meme

HUZZAH!	Jul. 7th, 2008 @ 08:45 pm

dizzydezzy

The internets have been restored! Huzzah!
The last episode of season 4 of Dr Who has been downloaded and watched! Huzzah!
Now let there be WoW! Huzzah!

ok, I might be just a little bit hiperactive right now. I blame the german daleks

Current Location: home

Current Mood:

bouncy

Tags: dr who, huzzah!, internets