Kieran
Below are the 10 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Kieran" journal:[<< Previous 10 entries]
|
04:01 pm
[Link] | I though, given that it's been about 5 months since my last time, that it could be time for an update. And given that I've now written my "to do" list for my next PhD day on Thursday, I feel that I'm in a head space right now to actually write on my journal without feeling too guilty.
In some ways, my current life is just a continuation of my routine that I've been building for the past two years. I'm still with my amazing partner Richie, I'm still doing my PhD, running, doing circus, Golden Dawn, visiting family, hanging with friends, lecturing and working in the prison. Now you'd think that working with a life coach for probably 9 months now, I should have probably changed something in my life... rest assured, the exhorbant amounts of money haven't gone to waste.
I think the subtelties of my life are working out a lot better. I'm definitely happier, whether that's from active changes in my life or just the process of maturing and growing in to my own skin, who knows. For example, I went to a party on the weekend, where the only person I knew was the host. The host, being busy and drunk, was not so available, so myself and Richie just wandered through. I sat down next to a nice couple, introduced myself and away we went. Now that, that, is some sort of confidence that I just didn't have 6 months ago. It may seem trivial, but in terms of my enjoyment of life, it's a big thing.
In the past 6 months, I've made the following achievements in my life goals;
* Helped set up an online learning forum for OTs
* Had good feedback from my OT students on my teaching
* Become more aware of my life direction
* Learnt to say "no" when required (mostly)
* About to move on to "intermediate" circus
* Done more work towards finishing my PhD
* Created my ideal career for the present (multiple part-time jobs, teaching, research and clinical work, with the possibility to only work 4 days a week)
* Managed to keep Richie around
* Seen family more frequently
* Kept a financial safety net
* Saved up enough to buy a 2nd hand car (really needed), hopefully next week
* Kept up my 1/2 marathon training, running 21.5km last monday
* Rejuvinated my private practice
* Increased my confidence in some areas
* Become slightly less angry with life
I've still got a way to go, but I'm going in the right direction.
In other news, my mum decided she'd start her own blog. It's called Linda @ Bellavista. It's moments like these that I realise that there's even less difference between my parents and myself. Scary.
|
|
08:28 am
[Link] |
2009 Begins
I'm not sure why I haven't posted in such a long time (6 months). Maybe it's laziness, maybe I just did't need to.
A fair few things have changed for me, and I'm pretty sure 2009 is going to be a relatively good year. I don't feel so bad about getting older anymore (I'm now 26.. I think). The only real downside of getting older is that it's just another year that i still don't have a house deposit or good car or anything material for my future. But on the other side is I bit more experience and feeling a lot more comfortable with myself.
I'm on the (long) home stretch to finish my PhD. I'm quite positive that it will be submitted before the end of the year. I've dropped my scholarship and dropped down to 2 days a week on my PhD. I got an awesome lecturer position up at the University of the Sunshine Coast 2 days a week, and I went through an interview and became permanent for my 1 day a week prison job. The Sunshine Coast job is up there in the category of "best job ever". Only downside is that it's on the Sunshine Coast, which means a lot of painful travelling. Luckily I stay at my family's overnight which coveniently reduces my travel load and provides me with regular family time.
My boyfriend, Richie, is moving in in a couple of weeks... which is awesome. It's a really good relationship for me. He's an absolute sweetie, very cute, and does running and circus with me. He's incredibly patient with me and so easy to be with that we practically go everywhere with each other on weekends. He's completely the opposite to my and very complementary.. slow going, practical, loves housework, willing to give my crazy ideas a go. I kind of developed this idea in my head since being a teenager that the 'right' person for me would be someone who was intellectually and personally challenging and would inspire me to do crazy things like travelling and taking on fun projects. Richie is none of those things.. but who he is is so much better and healthier for me. What it ends up that I really need is someone who's willing to make a connection with me and share aspects of each others lives. If I want intellectual / personal challenge or artistic inspiritation or whatever.. then I've got friends, jobs and hobbies.
Also, after being sick for over a month at the end of last year, I'm feeling pretty good. I've also worked hard to make sure that I'm now injury free at the moment with sports. I have infrequent but regular visits to the masseur, chiro and life coach. Still don't have much money (a result of the life of a perpetual students) but make enough "sacrifices" to keep my outgoings below my income. I've taken up the new hobby of "sidewalk shopping". I've put all the council curbside cleanip dates for southside suburbs in my dairy. I've already made three work tables and a bed out of salvaged free timber. Now I need more supplies. Each creation ends up costing about $7 in screws and that's it. I bought a bread machine too and now homemake my own bread, laundry detergent and beer. Unfortunately I think the brew I made last night seems to have died. Maybe too hot for the yeast. On that note, I desperately need empty beer bottles. If anyone is drink this Australia Day weekend, I'd love it if you save your empties for me.
It's all a pretty good platform to start the year.. I've just got to make sure I do the best with it.
|
|
02:15 pm
[Link] | A) People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.
B) Tag eight people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse. These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.
Tagged by ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.7) schaz
I tag: softstone and koningin
( Quiz )
|
|
09:36 pm
[Link] | I just got back yesterday from a two and a half week from China. Really interesting and just the "reset button" that I needed for life. The incredibly thick and damaging smog and destroyed history there did get me thinking again about the whole 7th Generation principle.
China is probably my last overseas trip for a while, given the whole carbon footprint thing. But now when I look back at my travel over the past few years, I think what will be great, great, great, great, great, grandkids say about my travel. Was it worth it? Did I make the right decision to use precious fuels just for "fun". It's prompted me that I have to start paying back from my experiences. How has my learnings from other cultures added to my contributions to others. When will I step up and become an architect for a better future.
Step one, introduce squatting while waiting in lines (great for your back and ankles). Step two, embrace democracy and figure out even better systems of governance to promote. Step three, eat more with chopsticks.
|
|
09:22 am
[Link] |
Callout for anyone who can assist
Hi friendies,
Does anyone have an old mobile (completely OK if it doesn't work) that they're happy to get rid of? Doing some work in the prison with people who are approaching parole. Some of them are very apprehensive about leaving prison, especially if they've been in prison for more than 20 years. One of the scary things is mobile phones (which weren't even around back then). Since mobile phones are prohibited in prison, we need just the shell of one (no working parts inside) to show the inmates what they look like. If anyone has on old, dead one lying around please let me know or ask you friends.
Thanks heaps
|
|
12:38 pm
[Link] | The "cafe" which is only about 60m away from my office has large, yummy chicken breast salads in recyclable plastic containers for only $5.. and my building has a recycling bin. Could life get any sweeter?
|
|
03:04 pm
[Link] | I swear I post more on LJ when I'm away from home (and have less internet time) than when I'm home. I'm currently in Adelaide. It's fantastic. I had very low expectations, but it's awesome. It's beautiful, that have good chocolateries. It kind of feels like Brisbane from the 1980s and 1990s, but with all the good things added from modern life (internet, recycling bins, social progression, etc.). It's a bit of a geek city though.. but I'm OK with that. So liveable. I spent heaps of time at the museum today. It was awesome.
Tomorrow I've got a conference that I'm presenting at and then I'll fly back in the evening. Yay!
|
|
09:02 am
[Link] | It's almost a month later and I still can't juggle. Strangely though, my spinstix ability is improving. So yeah, circus is fun and life is good.
I was having a bit of thinking this morning about all my material possessions. Mmmm.. material possessions. I have been called materialistic on the infrequent occasion.. which always seems strange to me because I love my old car and hardly ever spend money on things like dvds, cds, jewelry or the like. Anway, in July I posted here on LJ my "would like" list including both expensive and less expensive things. I then decided to spend some money and ended up buying most of the things on my life or getting them for my birthday.. washing basket *tick*, new laptop *tick*, digital video camera *tick*, effects pedal and amp *tick*, kate-miller heidke cd *tick*, spice rack *tick*, etc. I've always resisted going out and just buying stuff, mainly because I thought that it doesn't matter how much I buy, if I get it I'll just end up wanting more and more. But I have to say, I'm pretty happy now with what I've got. I'm still aiming to invest in shares and buy an electric piano.. but otherwise I'm pretty much set for now.
Well, now that material stuff is pretty much taken care of.. I should probably start to look a bit more at the physical, cognitive or spiritual. It might end up being physical seeing as my legs and feet hurt again, I've once again put on weight (getting close to 20kg heavier than when I left school) and my diet needs a bit of work. So this means more and more (better quality) running and exercise for me.
|
|
07:29 am
[Link] | *lol* The other day at circus I think I strained my upper rectus abdominus (6-pack) muscles. Who would have thought? I've never felt it before, but it was quite uncomfortable at times for a couple of days. The swelling in the muscle was awesome though, cause it actually made the muscle look bigger for a couple of days. Sadly, it's almost healed and I once again have a 1-pack.
This week has been a mix of stressful / boring.. so I took a half mental health day yesterday. It was pretty cool. I'm going to take another half day tomorrow too. It's such a great concept. But today, I shall work hard.. once I've eaten some chocolate.
I went out on Sunday with SF and bought some juggling balls, spinstix and a hoola hoop from the National Geographic store. Despite practicing on Sunday, I continue to absolutely suck at juggling. I will continue to perservere though.
|
|
08:29 am
[Link] | Whoa.. long time since my last post, but I've been pretty run off my feet. Since my last post I had my 25th birthday. I celebrated in many ways.. family came out to Three Monkeys to celebrate one night, the celebrated with Silver Fox the next night, the had a 1930's Hobo birthday party (with my running and old uni friends) the next night on my actual birthday. The next morning I woke up and went on a three day adventure with my Dad and his friend to Stradbroke in search of a lost Spanish Galleon that possibly pre-dates Captain Cooks arrival. Didn't find the Galleon, but got some good clues and enjoyed 3 days in the swamp and plenty of time for fishing. Then the next day I went to Hervey Bay for 4 days to do some research and the came back down and spent the weekend catching up with people including my awesome friend Linn who's just had a baby, my sister and my niece.
Since then, work and life has been crazy... and stressful. I think the universe may be working for me though over the last day and a half. Everything that was completely stressing me out was cancelled, and not even my fault for cancellation. Go Universe.
I also started a adult beginner circus workshop yesterday. OMG, it was absolutely the best thing. I was started to feel a bit depressed because of the stress, but the circus class absolutely lifted me out of it. It actually feels like it's filled in a little hole that was missing in my life. We did basic tumbling, strengthening, tissu (where you climb up big pieces of fabric hanging from the ceiling), plate spinning, spin sticks and juggling yesterday. It was a little nerve-racking, mainly because I was learning something completely new. I can't remember the last time I learnt something completely new that pushed my comfort zone. It was the best. Of course, as expected I completely sucked at juggling and spin sticks. Like completely sucked. But I was suprisingly comfortable with tissu. It was one of those rare time when OT skills come in extremely handy in analysing and teaching myself what I need to do. Now I just want to have my own circus set-up to practice at home *lol*. I'm pretty sore today that.. especially in my forearms from hanging on for dear life. I may develop upper body strength as yet.
Can't wait until next week.
|
[<< Previous 10 entries] |
|
