steffish

Okay, I promised Laura a post about my sewing adventures!

Basically, it's a good thing I never got around to making my New Years Resolutions post, because this is the only one I've even approached making an effort on.

ANYWAY, one of my resolutions was to learn how to sew! I'm not entirely sure what brought this on - possibly partly the fun I had making the incredibly shitty Sailor Moon costume I wore to a party last year, partly the fact that there are some years when I just can't find any clothes I like in the shops (seriously, half the 'dresses' they sell I would only ever wear as a top :/ they cover NOTHING).

I only recently stole Mum's sewing machine from her, so I'm still working on my first couple of things.

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I am fortified and ready to brave you.

Recently I have been terrible at everything. I have a backlog of 50 things in google reader, I have 752 cards due in Anki (translation: I have not studied Japanese in the slightest in like a month and am forgetting things at a terrible rate of knots, and YET I CAN'T GATHER UP THE GIVE A FUCK TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT). I usually read emails as soon as they pop up on my phone in preference of concentrating at work, but no, I have ones from a couple of weeks ago still sitting there.

Right now I have a bottle of wine, so I am going to achieve a high enough level of "don't give a fuck" that it loops back around into productivity!

Excuse me while I go get shit done.

After doing a ditl for the first time in years, I'm in a bit of a photo-posting overshare mood. So! I'm going to try doing a MITL: a month in the life. Every day in December I'll post one picture to illustrate some part of my day (these won't be fair representations of what the majority of my day was spent doing, because no one wants to see day after day pictures of work being stressful). As a bonus, hopefully this'll help me get back into the habit of actually posting on here a bit!

Of course, by the wonders of procrastination we're already a week into December and I haven't posted anything yet - hopefully by this weekend I'll have backdated all the posts up until now and can carry on from there :)

Since I last wrote here, I've managed to get a new job! And because I've been procrastinating on everything, it's already my last day living in Hamilton. Tomorrow I'm moving down to Taupo, and on Monday I'll start at my new place. I'm half scared and half excited... I only know one person down there, and her only vaguely. But I was getting fairly bored at my current job, which I've been doing for 5 years. It was definitely time to move on.

I've just finished up my packing now, and I'm off to drinks with my workmates tonight. Last night was dinner and karaoke with my friends from Monday night quiz at the Cook, and today at work hardly any actual work was done, thanks to shared morning tea, lunch at Furnace, and having a last chat with lots of people in the afternoon :)

I don't know what I'd do without the internet: it's nice that even though I'm leaving all my RL friends behind, we can still keep up with each other via Facebook - and of course, that my LJ/DW friends will still be the same as always XD

Tonight I attended a workshop held by the Wai Taiko drumming group. It was incredibly fun! And quite rewarding too, first being amazed as the group members played a difficult-looking song and then by the end of the class being able to play it ourselves (of course, they weren't actually hard songs at all, just looked that way to us beginners...) Anyway, I really wish that it was a club that could just be joined, because I'd love to do it on a regular basis, but it looks like all I can do is attend all their public workshops. So that's what I'll do :)


Also, a meme I stole about a week ago and have finally got around to answering: Comment with "Ludwig the Unicorn". I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can get to know you better. Update your journal with the answers to the questions. Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions. My questions were from crsg

1. What was your most cherished possession when you were a child?
My stuffed rabbit, Bah (I don't even know where that name came from...) Well, he's still pretty cherished now, too :)

2. If you could go back in time and change any one thing you said/did/didn't say/didn't do, what would that be and why?
I regret a lot of things, mostly of the 'didn't do' variety. But if I had to pick one... I wish I'd gone on a student exchange to Japan in high school, rather than deciding that the 2 week trip with my class was enough. I tried to remedy this with my semester at Kansai Gaidai in 2009, but it just wasn't really the same, since I was surrounded by other english-speaking exchange students. I think my path after high school would have been a lot clearer if I'd done this.

3. Do you believe in the supernatural (i.e. ghosts, spirits, fortune telling, etc.)?
I kind of want to believe, but I can't make myself.

4. Very generally speaking, are you okay with who you are as a person right now?
I think I'm usually okay with who I am, though there are a lot of things I'd change if I could. I'm probably more dissatisfied with the circumstances of my life and what I'm doing, rather than with myself as a person. Though I do wish I could be a little less shy and more decisive.

5. What/who do you look to when you're seeking inspiration for something?
It depends what I'm looking for inspiration for, but usually I'd head towards something natural and beautiful. For instance, whenever I have something important to write (job application, scholarship essay etc) I go sit in the Hamilton Gardens' Japanese garden and feel the peaceful atmosphere while I write (well, until a family with screaming kids or a busload of tourists comes by...)


Anyway, tomorrow I'm off to Auckland with my sister to see some comedy shows, since she's hugely into these things. So if you ask for questions for this meme it'll be a few days before I can give you any, sorry!

And with that, I'd better go pack and get some sleep so I can drive safely tomorrow :)

I just discovered the existence of Keyhole TV. There goes my free time! (Well, if only I can get it to show videos properly unlike the frozen mosaic I've got now XD )

But wow! Great listening practice :D

Today, on the way home from Uni:

A bus stops for about 5 minutes for a driver change, with no announcement of any sort, leaving the passengers asking each other what's going on, some getting off for a smoke etc.

Finally the new driver arrives, but because we're now behind schedule he drives extra-fast, and doesn't stop to take on passengers at all, only to let those already riding off. If people happen to be waiting at a stop where someone's getting off, they get told another bus will come soon and the doors are closed in their face.

And they wonder why few people use public transport?! If one of my early experiences trying to take the bus had involved a clearly not full bus completely bypassing the stop where I was waiting (probably with somewhere I had to be and some time when I had to be there...) then I definitely would think twice before trying it again too.

OMFG I've been haemorrhaging money for the past 3 days, someone help! I need to have some money left when I actually reach Japan!

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As I had expected, my problem with packing isn't so much the volume of stuff as the weight... My big suitcase is only about 2/3 full but about 16/17 kg already... I think I'll just end up having to pay excess baggage, because none of this stuff is unnecessary.

But... $40 per kg O_o REALLY?

I'd gone and spent way too much money on all the toiletries I'll need, but now I'm having to get smaller bottles to try and reduce the weight. What a waste of money :/

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When I get back from Japan I might change banks, because mine is so useless for travellers. I went in on Monday to get travellers cheques (late, I know) and the woman on the counter wasn't sure, but didn't think they did them anymore. She checked, and sure enough the National Bank doesn't sell travellers cheques, only the new travel cards (well then why does their website still say they sell them...) And those travel cards? They don't sell them in Yen. So what am I meant to do, take a huge wad of cash? Well I couldn't get cash at that branch either. How are they so useless?

Anyway, I went up the road to the ASB and they were very helpful and ordered travellers cheques for me, which should be in today or tomorrow :)

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Since it's less than 48 hours until departure (!!), I was able to check in online just now. It's so good to know that my seats are already confirmed - window seats in the front part of economy, near the wing, just like I wanted :D

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Did I mention LESS THAN 48 HOURS?!