So we finally in Australia (2 flights, 15 hours flying time and 12 hours lost to time zones) after leaving on the evening of the 23rd we arrived in Brisbane on Christmas Eve.

I am just so happy and grateful to be with my parents and brother from Christmas.

I am struggling with the time zones, and my sleep patterns are all distrupted now.  Its strange to see everyone on twitter in SA and just waking up and its afternoon for us here already. The strangest was seeing people in America still having Xmas dinner when it was Boxing day morning for us.

Christmas day started with some fantastic news, my best friend got engaged on the Nile! Now it is official I am going to be the last single gal AND I get to be a Maid of Honour (provided she does not go and find some new 15 year long best friend between now and the wedding). I am *so* happy for you Candz xoxo (p.s. ready your liver for the hens party, cause I will be throwing the bestest hen’s party ever!)

Then it was breakfast and gifts with the family and @za5. I got a stunning gift It rained the whole day, and it rained today (apparently it is going to rain for a month – WTF! I need to be brown when I go home).

We had some of my extended Australian family over for lunch and I was introduced to MudBugs (taste like crayfish) – very strange looking seafood.

And I am so happy to be on leave, away from work and have time to myself. This year has been a killer and I have worked my ass off to get myself through it.

I am also hoping to blog everyday, while on holiday – a simple small pleasure I don’t normally have time for.

It is about 80 hours since I last smoked a cigarette (it feels like 548028883 hours).

This is the longest that I have gone without smoking, ever! Smoking has been my ugly best friend that I could not dream of living without.

With only 80 hours under my belt (don’t I get a token or something for that?) it is still early days but I am feeling strong.

The cravings rear their ugly heads every now and then, and my brain starts to make up stories about how only one will not hurt. BUT a line an ex-smoker friend told me, before I quit smoking, keeps me away from that smoke……

“We are both drug addicts. You can never, ever for the rest of your life, have a smoke. End of story.”

PS. (he is also now my sponsor who gets SMSs at 7am in the morning from me that read: “I REALLY, really want a smoke!”) Thx, J for the support!

PSS. MA if you read this I don’t want to discuss my giving up smoking until I am on like day 39 or something, love you x.

I am trying desperately to sort out some stuff that I still have from my past, things that will free me from a time that I feel I was in the wrong mind set and also made some wrong decisions.

Its hard, what is even harder is I almost feel like the universe is working against me with sorting some of this stuff out. Like when I send emails with details about said things, the emails will bounce. Or the people will not return calls, or the paperwork will be wrong.

I feel like I am fighting a battle to get the most simple things done that relate to letting go of these things.

So here it is my plea with the universe….

Dear Universe,

I have chosen to move forward from ‘these things’.

I know that it is the right thing to do and it will allow other doors in my life to open. It would be really great if you could stop fighting me on these issues and actually help me by sorting out whatever it needs to be for these things to sorted out and be gone out of my life.

I want them to be gone and so should you.

So help me out. I am more than willing to do my fair share of the work.

Thanks
S

I have been working like crazy lately! Actually like a work-a-holic.
My last blog post was almost three months ago. And in between so much has happened.

I am super excited, exactly 2 months till I get to see my Ma and Dad in Australia for a ONE MONTH long holiday!
Planning on spending a week in Fiji, if I close my eyes I can almost imagine I am there already.

I have realised that I am one strong cookie… this year has thrown every single curve ball out there at me.  And I am still standing and ready to fight!

I have gained wisdom and a bucket of respect for myself.

Right, so anyone that follows me on twitter will know that I really, really, *really* want to be on the new SA Survivor (Maldives).

Auditions are soon and this weekend I decided that I needed something different if I was going to give this my best shot and so this blog post was created at breakfast with my BF and BFF on a brown paper bag…..

After a few tequila’s, a trip to Victoria Street and a shopping centre for prop’s – we hit the beach for a little photo shoot that turned a few heads.

So after laughing at the pictures below it would be super fantastic if you could show support for my *desperate need* to be on the show by clicking on the support button below…

(Disclaimer: This is my own concept for my audition and does in no way reflect the requirements to enter the show. If you want to enter visit the following site for full details: All You Need to Know to Enter Survivor SA­ )

orchids…..

Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.

-Donatella Versace

An idea that is developed and put into action is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.

-Buddha quote