Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? So much! Moved countries, visited Japan, lived in the bush, was a maid of honor, held a newborn goat, graduated, got paid to be a real teacher, lived alone, kissed a girl, fell down an escalator, did a shot of whiskey,  jumped out of a train, bought my own furniture,rode a quad bike, drove a bobcat and so much more than I could possibly remember.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don’t think I really had any resolutions last year. I think I will make some this time though, I’m gonna have a think and I’ll let you know.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I don’t think so?
4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank god.
5. What countries did you visit? Oz, Japan
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? More money, more time.
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Oct 8, the day I packed up and moved away from everything and everyone that was familiar and into the great unknown.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Graduating and moving overseas alone. I guess they were kinda both big deals in different ways.
9. What was your biggest failure? I don’t think I’ve failed at anything, I’d just do some things a little different if I had the chance again maybe.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Only a whole lot of bruises, I’m very bruiseable and I’m also a total spaz – not a great combination.
11. What was the best thing you bought? Plane tickets, I guess?
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Jac did a top job of graduating and doing her time in the bush and generally being a  rockstar. Best did a wonderful job of being a new wife/daughter-in-law but I had no doubt she’d be fantastic in this new role.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Wifey, Tex. Girls! When will I learn…?
14. Where did most of your money go? Rent, fucking rent. Plane tickets, shit I didn’t need.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Moving to Japan, finishing uni, Best’s wedding.
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? Anything by Polyphonic Spree, their gig is permanetly etched in the fibers of my soul. Possibly the greatest evening of my life.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? about the same, but far “healthier” mentally.
ii. thinner or fatter? thinner
iii. richer or poorer? Hmmm, I’m making more money but I have less cash due to more expenses? I guess a little poorer?
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Nothing, I don’t think, I think everything has been balanced enough.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Buying shit I don’t need, but I’m working on it.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? I already had Christmas?
22. Did you fall in love in 2008? Yah, but that hardly matters.
23. How many one-night stands? 0
24. What was your favorite TV program? American Dad and The L Word.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don’t hate anyone, but there are certain people who have behaved in a less than delightful manner.
26. What was the best book you read? 90 day Geisha
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Girltalk and Infected Mushroom, and Polyphonic Spree live.
28. What did you want and get? A degree, my own place, a life overseas, more tattoos, so so so many things.
29. What did you want and not get? Fame and fortune….well, there is always 2009
30. What were your favorite films of this year? Step-Brothers, Baby Mama
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? On my actual birthday I went to Harajuku with my Twin and chilled, it was a really rainy and cold day. I was 25. Shit!!
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Hmmmm…the ability to speak more Japanese, having a significant amount more money or being able to teleport.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Non-existent? It was sort of uni student chic to bushie chick to dirty gaijin in Japan. It it something I want to work on in the New Year.
34. What kept you sane? Zoloft.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Kate Moennig, delicious!
36. What political issue stirred you the most? Is the economic meltdown a political issue? ‘Cause it fucking sucks.
37. Who did you miss? Ummm, everyone?? Being OS has that funny effect on people.
38. Who was the best new person you met? My Twin, hands down. We share a brain. Tex is also magnificent, but the biggest mindfuck ever.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Even though you think you can’t do it, you actually can, so stop being a whiny bitch and get on with it.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: It’s like running away with the wind in your face, it’s like flying….flyinggggg.

• Hope everyone had a rockin’ Christmas! It’s bizarre, even though I knew it was Christmas it really didn’t feel like it here. It’s way too cold to be Christmas time, Christmas is all about BBQs and aircon and punch and rumballs and there was a lack of all of that here. Everything was all decorated for Christmas but there was no Christmas spirit to be felt, or so I though anyways. Lovely SusieQ and I woke up late, Skyped everyone who required and Christmas greeting and then went to Harajuku to eat all-you-can-eat cake for 90 minutes. That bit kind of felt like Christmas – eating far more than was sensible – but being surrounded by many, many Japanese women consuming mind boggling amounts of cake made it surreal again. Watching people go to school and work on Christmas day is just strange, I’ve told D’Olds that we must have Christmas when I come home.

• Lately I’ve been swinging between wanting to come home so badly and really not wanting to leave. I want to come home and see everyone and sit on a couch and eat food but I will so miss being able to see my Twin for coffee and epic chats, ¥100 stores, living alone, stupidly efficient public transport and Harajuku. I am very torn, I am certain about coming home but I will absolutely miss many things about Japan.

• It sounds insane, but I want to go back to school. Being on holidays is fucking expensive, I prefer being inside a school all day and unable to shop, it’s far easier than shopping all day and not being able to spend any money. The next couple months should be OK though, I’m finally on track with all the rent and stuff so I should have more “playing” money.

• I hate the cold. Truly and sincerley hate it. I don’t enjoy being rugged up, I don’t enjoy drinking hot drinks, it’s all just balls. I will never move to a cold climate again, I’d love to do Europe but it won’t be London – fuck that! I need sunlight and warmth and gentle breezes, I’m just not a cold weather model. I yam who I yam.

• Happy 2009, all!! I know it’s a bit early, but you can never have too many wishes for the new year. Hope 2009 is the year of Awesome for you all, I wouldn’t mind 2009 being a little less eventful than 2008 turned out to be, but so long as everyone is healthy and happy then I’ll take whatever I get Catch you on the flip side!!

So, I know I should save this for my new site, but it’s too cool to save – I am morally obligated to share a cool band with you.

I actually found the Flickr of Sherri Dupree just the other day, before I knew anything about her or her band, or even knew she had a band! I like her photos so much that it was either gonna go one of two ways when I heard her band. 1) Her photos are awesome but her band is the biggest bunch of lameos ever and now my love of her/them is tainted. 2) Her band was going to be as awesome as her pictures and I would fall several different kinds of in love with them.

It’s defs 2). I think you should go and watch the “Telescope Eyes” video on their website. I think I pretty much want to be Sherri in this clip and if I can’t be her, I will absolutely steal her hair. As soon as I get around to buying some iTunes credit I intend to get all of their albums, I’ve listened to all the free snipets (cheap ass, I know) and I really love their sound. It’s very sweet and souful… a little whimsical almost, I kind of wish they all had pointed ears and lived in a little cottage in a forest some place.

Go tell all your friends about Eisley (Eyes-ly, in case you are a spaz like me and didn’t know how to pronouce it). You won’t regret it. Or maybe you will, but I think you won’t.

I’m fairly desperate for another tattoo. I want quite a few more, actually – to the point where I might need to make a list so that I know what I’ve got planned and how much space I have left to put things. Let’s see shall we:

Places I’ll never ink:

• across my knuckles
• the backs of my hands
• my scalp
• my face
• my outer forearms
• my throat
• my chest – boobage and collarbone area
• my lower back
• my thighs
• anywhere on my belly
• any place that would usually be covered by undies

Places I would like to be tattooed:

• down the side of my ribs
• on the tops of my feet
• upper sleeves – both arms
• behind my knees

There really isn’t that much room left. I am still very, very set on getting something Dia de los Muertos inspired on the tops of my feet. I think the sugar skulls are amazingly beautiful and I never tire of looking at them so I know they are something I’d never regret having on me. I really want to get some realistic looking bees tattooed behind each of my knees – purely because of the whole “I’m the bees knees” gag. It’s like the fingerstache – something stupid but funny. The fingerstache was the best idea ever. The upper sleeves will be tricky – I think both will end up being custom drawn involving a number of themes I want worked into one, overall piece. I am not even close to being ready to commit to the sleeves yet. It will take me a couple of years to decide on all the things I want incorporated into the design. Down the side I would like some writing, but I’m not entirely convinced of what just yet. I am still keen to get something by Kurt Halsey permanently imprinted on me, so maybe that, we’ll see?

I so, so love being tattooed. It’s absolutely one of my most favourite things, I love having a new picture on me. The dampener is though that not everyone loves them as much as I do and working with wee ones means that parents tend to prefer to think of you more as a sweet, girl next door and less of a tattooed lesbian so I wouldn’t get the sleeves done until I can make my main source of income in a less…traditional field or am prepared to cover up, on all occasions, to keep them from showing.

In regard to my last post, I have been blown away by the comments, emails and facebook messages that have been coming in. It has been overwhelmingly positive and I’m really excited to get things kicking off. Lots of people have lots of questions and to be honest I don’t have all the answers just yet. I’ve got a little time now to get some of the preliminary stuff organised and I’ll have a month or so when I am back in Oz before I start teaching to get things really off the ground. Guest posting is something I am keen on, but I am yet to work out the finer details as is the idea of foreign corespondents and that type of stuff – I’m only one girl, in one place – I know my limits…sometimes

In my mind, at any given moment, I have an idea for at least one book, a couple of professional websites, several clothing and accessory brands and at least one retail store. I don’t know why, but even since I was little I have always wanted to start businesses and create brands. When I was maybe seven I dig up some of the plants from our garden and tried to set up a road side stall. When a car slowed down to see what I was selling, I ran away because I was too shy to actually speak to anyone. Thankfully, my social skills have improved slightly since then and I would like to think I have more sucessful ideas than selling plant clippings on a footpath.

I had a lunch marathon with my twin in Tokyo today, and over the course of our lady date we covered the topic of blogging, making money from blogs and the fad of “positivity/lifestyle” blogging (amongst other things). It’s not a huge secret that I love blogging, love everything about blogging and would happily do whatever it takes to have blogging as my main source of income. Having said that, I would not feel comofortable having this blog being the one to do that for me purely because this is simply a place for me to come, dump whatever is running through my head, and move on. I don’t make any real attempt to construct my writing in any pleasing way, it’s usually stream of consciousness blogging with the occasional thought out post mixed in.

I would really like to start a blog, like an educational type blog. A little like Gala’s*, I guess, but less fashion ( and god knows I am not nearly cool enough to be giving fashion advice). Maybe some articles on how to be more positive/grateful in your daily life, but written for people who aren’t already living in a super happy bubble. I was talking with the Twin today about how, when you are kind of stuck in a bubble of negativity or depression and you want to start to claw your way out, it’s not always just as easy as deciding to be all sunshine, puppies and rainbows and it just happening. Sometimes you just need to start working on little stuff and that in turn will bring about bigger change. I guess if you’ve never been in that yucky, dark place then you can’t really imagine how difficult things become but when the simple act of physically getting out of bed seems insurmountable it can be really difficult to write a list of all the wonderful things in your life.

I guess I kind of want to create a site for people who are looking to make some positive changes in their life and the way they think, but just in little bite sized chunks. Over the course of the last couple of years I have spent an amazing amount of time working on myself and the way my brain works because I realized that the way I was thinking and the way I was talking to myself were incredibly destructive and I think I am finally at a place where it is working for me the way I want it to. It’s not perfect, I have shit days like everyone else and I can be mean and bitchy and jealous but I can also release that negative energy and replace it with something more beneficial. I have people email and comment on how I have a positive outlook on things and I think it’s something I could help other people to achieve.

What do you think? Does the internetz need another advice-esque site? Would you like to read a website that showed you some cool stuff to buy or to do or to see and also helped you to improve the way you think about things, if you wanted help to do that? It wouldn’t be all “Go and buy this $2984 handbag now, it will make your life that much better” or “Go and write a list of 15 things that are amazing about a rainbow”, more like “Go buy this bag because it’s made by a design student and it’s unique and well made and it supports a small business” or “Think about one thing that wasn’t shit today. Awesome, now tomorrow try and see if you can find two things”. I know I’d really like a website like that, I like to know where to buy cool shit that isn’t insanely expensive, or little things I can do to focus on the better stuff and not dwell on the crap bits or just movies that are out and that make you feel happy. I’m truly curious as to any feedback you might have on this. I am motivated primarily by the love of blogging and writing and wanting to help people feel a bit less shit about things, but I would like to make some sort of income from it so I would consider advertisments and product placements and all of that, but I would be comitted to supporting as many “little” people as I can through stuff like that. Advertising indie businesses, promoting films made by people on a shoestring budget with nothing more than a video camera and a head full of magical ideas, showing off bands and artists who are not household names but who are awesome and really should be in record stores.

So, what say you? Total pipe dream? Nice idea but no one will care? Shit idea, you are totally just ripping off …. (if this is the case, please tell me who, I don’t know anyone doing what I want to do)? Awesome idea, sign me up yesterday now let me email all my friends and tell them this second?? It’s not something that will happen overnight, or next month, but it will be early in the new year. I will have the time to invest in such a project and it’s something I would dearly love to do so it would be very much my baby.

* Don’t get me wrong, I have much love for Gala and her site. She has done so incredibly well and worked very hard for the fame and fortune she is now reaping. I really admire her spirit and energy but as someone who does not have pink hair, and does not go to cool parties and own wonderfully fantastic clothes and accessories or live my absolute ideal life every single day, I find it a little hard to take all of her advice – I would sometimes just like some advice or articles from the average Josephine for other everyday girls.

• We all knew it would come back to this sooner or later, right??

• It’s the beautiful and charming Jac’s birthday today. It pains me that I am not there to go out and piss about with her, but I suspect we’ll make up for it in the future. Happy birthday, wonderful girl!!

• I so love D’Mummy right now. I always love her, but I love her a zillion and three at the moment. I was chatting to her on gmail today (which she learned to do, just for me) and I asked if she was cheesed that I was going to be coming home soon rather than staying away for ages, considering all the money and drama involved in my moving here. She told me that she’s not and she is excited I am coming home and that she is really proud of me for actually doing it and moving here. I know some people are all “Whatevs, Mums have to say that” but our family tends not to talk…about anything, so to have her say those actual words (or type them, at least) is momentous. She is also taking care of my current maxed credit card bills, I wasn’t going to ask and was just going to deal with it myself but she has done it of her own accord. Just as she was about to go when we were chatting before she told me she’s gonna take a week off work when I come home. Seriously, best Mummy ever. (Can you guess I’m just a little bit of a Mummy’s girl??)

• I can’t decide what I want to do first when I get home, go and buy shoes or eat…maybe I can eat whilst buying shoes. That would be exciting on so many different levels 1) Shoes will fit 2) I can read English and therefore know what ingredients are in everything and food is familiar and tasty 3) Eating whilst in public is not a horrible, rude thing to do 4)I can have D’Mummy and/or Jac with me.

• I’m half tempted to do one of those summer camp deals in the US at some point in the next couple years. Maybe not 2009 seeing as it’s very possible that I’ll be in the middle of Oz being a teacher superstar, but maybe the year after. I’d consider one of those ski-field jobs, except I hate fucking winter. I now know that I do actually hate it. Korea bit ass when I was there because the entire time it was freezing and grey and I came home and was overly ecstatic to bathe in the sunlight and I’m feeling the same way about Japan. Though, to it’s credit it’s much, much more beautiful and vibrant in the cold than Korea was, but it is still cold. I used to dislike Brisbane winters for not needing jackets and scarves but it sucks to dress nicely, then cover it all up with a jacket and scarf. I know you get to shed a layer when you reach your final destination, but it’s bothersome. Is there any other kind of temporary jobs one can do in nice weather? I like the idea of breezing into someplace, doing a bit of living and working then breezing back out.

• I have suddenly had a huge mind fart and anything else I had to say is gone. No doubt I’ll remember at a particularly convenient time like as I’m falling asleep or in the shower or on the train tomorrow. I’m awesome at remembering like that.

God, this is the third time I’ve started this post now. Let’s hope this one is a winner.

Firstly, I’m coming home in March-ish. It’s not a decision I made on a whim, it’s not as the result of any bad feelings or anything, I just feel it’s what I need to do. I miss sunshine, Aussie music, vege food in the supermarkets, having space, beaches, the Aussie vibe and of course D’Mummy and my beautiful friends (and D’Family, but D’Mummy most). In fact, when I think about the idea of seeing D’Mummy at the airport, or being able to go drinking with Jac and SusieQ at the uni bar I want to burst into tears and my heart feels like it will explode with glee, all at once. I realize what I am giving up, but I don’t regret moving here – it was by absolutely no means a waste of time or energy and it taught me more than ever thought was possible, so I’m just ready for my next adventure.

Next adventure? I hear you ask. Yes, my pets, I have my next adventure planned. Teaching in the NT for a bit. With any luck I’ll get Alice Springs, if that is the case I’m prepared to go for a year and anywhere else, I guess I’ll play it by ear. I’ve never been to the red center but it looks entirely amazing and I had the best time ever out in the bush so I’m pretty sure Alice will be a trip!

So, right now, I am so, so excited to be going home and at the same time very sad to leave everything magical that is Tokyo. I am just gonna enjoy the ride for the next few months. I am lucky enough to soon be joined by the lovely SusieQ for a few weeks, then after she leaves I have a couple of weeks before Best and BP arrive to entertain me (or viceversa) for a couple weeks. Then, if school is entirely shit I will bail, and if it’s bareable I will stay until the end of the school year. Having so many cool friends here now means that I have every reason to come back for holidays and Jetstar’s super cheap flights don’t hurt either.

In other news, my internet finally started working today. I applied on the 3rd of November and after every possible problem a person could encounter had been overcome, it just worked. I’ve had the modem for over a week, it provided a charming but largely ineffective nightlight with it’s one tiny light to show it was on, but this morning I looked at it (as I tended to do a couple of times a day, just in case) and this morning the mysterious “link” light was on. In disbelief I plugged in the cable and, joy of joys, there was the internetz. I don’t really know what to do with myself now, I’ve been listening to TripleJ – live, streaming, uninterrupted radio – for the past several hours (Aussie accent, I miss you!!) or so and this morning I watched a few episodes of American Dad simply because I could stream them now, but other than that…it’s sort of the same as my dodgy wireless. Except now I can sit on my futon and blog rather than in my wardrobe or one of the few other places in my apartment the internet connection is strong. If anyone can tell me fun things to do with a high speed internetz connection I’d be most appreciative.

These 4:30pm sunsets are really getting to me, it makes the day seem over so quickly and it makes me even less inclined to venture outdoors when it’s fucking freezing and dark. Really, it’s just unnecessary! Thankfully, I have Tim tams and a reliable wireless connection so I’m gonna imagine my next tattoos and window shop online for stuff I can’t afford…which is everything, but it’s more fun to pretend it’s just because of the exchange rates at the moment!

P.S I watched Juno the other day, and also checked out the special features. I knew Diablo Cody was a blogger but I had no idea someone emailed her one day and was all “Hi, your blog is awesome, how’s about writing a screen play??”. God, can you even comprehend how awesome that would be?? It’s like my wildest dream that someone reads my blog and offers me some kind of awesome job or opportunity as a result. A book deal would be sweet, totally open to that, I have no immediate plans to write a screenplay but I reckon I’d make a pretty sweet movie if I was given the opportunity. Diablo Cody = win.

Hi! Remember me? I’m the girl who used to be an obessive -post-a-day blogger. You may have noticed things around here have been just a little (lot) quiet lately. It’s not from a lack of wanting to blog, but from a complete and total lack of time and energy to do so. The good news though, if you were waiting for some, is that I am now on three weeks vacation so I will have time (and, with any lucky, energy) to blog until my heart is content.

Since the weekend of the 23rd November I’ve had no days entirely off. I have been at school all week for up to 11 hours a day, then on the weekends I have my private students, and for the last 3 weeks, more school. So that is six days a week of school, plus a private student to teach on top of all the silly little things I do in my free time like eat, sleep and clean my apartment.

I’m almost truly concerned about malnutrition and if it wasn’t for my boss’s mother constantly feeding all the teachers when ever we stand still long enough to draw breath between classes, I am pretty certain my hair would be falling out and I would have rickets (I’m not entirely sure of the details of rickets, but I am sure I would have it. Scurvy too, if it weren’t for the oranges I eat almost daily in a half assed attempt to pump up my Vitamin C levels to ward off any illnesses). On Wednesday, the first time I got home before 8pm in a long time, I did four loads of washing so you can imagine how creative my clothing choices were getting at that stage. Today I vaccumed for the first time in weeks and cleaned Thundercat’s tank, I aired out my futon, sorted out my garbage and tidied up. I still need to deal with some dishes in the sink and my bathroom but it’s a vast improvement on how things have been latey.

As a result of all this, I’ve spent the first day of my vacation either sleeping, breaking shit*, cleaning or feeling sick. As is always the case when I get too busy, I’ve got a cold from being seriously worn down over the past few weeks. *I also must have some seriously bad energy for electronics at the moment – this morning I was hairdrying my futon (don’t ask, I was just trying to make sure there was no moisture in it) and I stood up and stepped over the cord ripping it straight out of the wall. Not so bad, I though, until I saw I had bent to pins that plug it. I straightened them a bit and tried to plug it back in but a little blue spark came out so I decided to leave it be, I don’t wish to be elecrocuted nor do I want to burn my apartment down. This evening when I tried to adust the antenna cable of my TV because the picture was being funny, the whole thing came apart in my hands. Like the actual antenna connection from the TV part snapped off. The TV would be about 10 years old, and it looks as if it’s been broken before and wedged back into place previously but it’s still annoying. I am going to email the real estate tomorrow about it, if I’m paying to rent a TV from them I would at least like one that is not broken.

I knew it was time to force out a blog post when the “are you still alive??” messages started coming. I also had to email D’Mummy today to reassure her I had not been chopped up and thrown into a river. It’s nice that she waited a week before sending a one line email asking me to reply to her, one week must be the line between just being a shitty daughter and potentially having met a grim ending. I still have many more emails and facebook messages to write and reply to, I’m not ignoring anyone specifically, I have been uniformly slack to everyone I know so please don’t feel singled out by my inattention.

Tomorrow I shall regail you with stories about what I’ve decided to do in the new year, my plans for my vacation and an assortment of other boring-ass topics that aren’t as exciting to read about as they are for me to write about. If you still bother to check my blog, please accept my most sincere thanks for sticking about and I will try to ensure that it’s more worthwhile for you in the coming weeks!!