Here's to NOT going overseas!!

For the past two years I've watched as my friends have said Adieu to Australian soil and stepped forth into lands beyond. 
Whether it was the UK, Europe, America, NZ, the tropical islands, with bags packed and smiles on their faces (and pictures all over their facebook) their horizons broadened and so did they. 

Unfortunately, with my feet firmly planted in my backyard I have remained the same. I have no tales of the land beyond, I haven't discovered anything new and I'm not one to go to for travel advice. 

Travelling is always something I've wanted to do - And I have a few places in mind. However due to financial drought, a run-out of friends, University - not to mention the dark time in my life when I literally did nothing, saw no one and wanted to kill myself - travelling is something that had to take a back seat. 

When people were saving up for a trip, I was crying my eyes out and slowly wilting my life away (yeah, sad story, bro). Now I'm in  the stage of my life where I'm saving my dough for the beyond, however the people around me already have that money saved and are rushing around the world before I can say 'wait for me!'

I'll be honest, it sucks to be the only one not travelling  - while that's not true, it certainly feels like it. I even have some friends that are going overseas for the second time ;'( <- crying!! 

There's nothing I can do about it. All I have to do is focus on myself, save up and hopefully (one day) I can be the one exploring new seas.

Sorry, it's been a while + a Merry Christmas to all

So 100 apologies. 
It's been a while since I've written anything and the posts have been quite meagre pickings. 
I have been busy though. 

I've planned (somewhat) how I'm going to end (what would have been) my last year of uni. I've now added an extra semester to the degree, so I'll be there even longer now. 

It's the Christmas season - and I work in retail. Need I say more. 

My dog of 16 1/2 years passed away. My beloved friend, pet and dog who has been in my life since I was four, passed away a couple of weeks ago. I have hardly written anything since it happened - not even in my journal about her passing. 

My other dog had an operation - we're also waiting for test results to see whether a growth on his eye may or may not be cancerous. 

It's hot - and I mean really hot here - that means I've hardly needed to lift a finger before I pass out of exhaustion. 

I want to wish my readers (though I doubt they follow me anymore lol) a merry Christmas and a merry Christmas to all of you out there as well. 

Because of the recent events that have happened within my family, we're hardly paying attention to the Christmas-y lifestyle and hardly recognise that it's only a couple of days away. Hopefully when it comes down to the day we enjoy the events we have planned. 

x0x 
I'll talk after the Christmas hubbub has died down. 

Games Master Challenge - My First Year

Hello, Friends! 

It's been 16 months since I joined Neopets - the online virtual pet website full of games, fun and awesomeness. 
Around 27 minutes ago the Games Master Challenge - a site event - finished up for another turn. 
For the first time I decided I would join. 
This time it was between Sun and Moon - and the leaders/worlds that took part were of no interest to me (hello Team Tyrannia). 
To compete, you need to pick a team. Seeing as I don't like Summer AKA sun, I decided to go with team Moon. 
The Games Master Challenge involves the participants to compete in certain challengers over seven days. 
The team you pick determines the games you play and there's usually a theme. 
The only games I usually play on Neopets are the card games - I love them ha ha. 
Card games aren't a part of the Challenge. 
To say I struggled a little bit was an understatement - I didn't have a mouse for 6 out of the seven days (which is needed for some games), I started on day three of the Challenge and most games  I hadn't even heard of, let alone played them. 
But I loved the comp! 
There was a board that you could go to, to talk about challenges, team comradery and to help each other out - which is great to see. 
After you win a challenge they reward you with prizes - I really wanted to win the snow background which was achievable if you completed a game challenge - which I didn't achieve, so that was sad.
Did I mention that Team Moon won :) very exciting to be on the winning team, and I'm loving the trophy which has been added on my page lookup - yay :) 
I played about 40 games in total - I succeeded in half the challenges. 
And I received a Games Master 3 Trophy - which is pretty alright, considering my...ahem, skill (or lack thereof). 
Next time I see a Games Master Challenge (I think it's every so often, but not sure exactly when) I'll definitely join again. 
If you play Neopets let me know if you joined this time round. 
Love to hear from you. 

Go team Moon - and well done to all participants. 

Womanhood Milestone

Today my body and I reached a milestone. 

Ten years today (well around this time - well this month ten years ago) I got my period. 

I have had my period for a decade! 

I know for others this will not a be an exciting post, and seeing as I haven't written in ages, I know you deserve something better. And when Uni is finished I will come back and write something with substance - I swear. I already have some post ideas lined up. 

But this post is all about my little achievement and that I'm really excited about this. I know it sounds weird. 

Seeing as we still have a society where women still feel the need to hide a normal bodily function; from men, friends, family and themselves. And seeing as this time of the month on any other occasion would suck!, I thought I'd bring some light to the world and happily announce to you all my milestone with my body. 

Here's a cat. 

And a round of applause if you got the innuendo there :) 

Speedo Warrior has Won. Someone Get me Out of Here!

The Australian election has come and gone. 
For overseas people, the idea that a campaign could run for 6 weeks seems like too long. For Australians, we couldn't agree more. 
As an Australian, I can't even say there was a campaign; all the parties really did was bag out each other, made promises they don't have money for, and kept their real ideas behind closed doors. 
It was a sad thing to watch. 
Finally yesterday Australian's could put pencil to paper and with only a couple of minutes of their time, make a decision that could impact the rest of the country for another four years. 
I voted :D well, you have to here, but I honestly love voting. There's something about getting your say on how you will live and run your life (on a national scale) that is very empowering. 
So we all voted.
And it seems that Australian's voted with their eyes closed. 

With every fibre in my body, do I regret to inform you, that my new Prime Minister, the man who will be running my country, is this man...

thank you to the Herald Sun. www.heraldsun.com.au

Tony Abbott and his team now get to screw the Australian people over with his traditional ideals, spending cuts and home wrecking policies. 

It's only been a few hours since it was announced and already people are getting ready for the cyclone that is The Liberal Party. 

If you can't tell, I'm a tad disappointed with this new government. 

Personally I'm worried about my education - University cuts are soon to ensue, 

and with the Canberra economy predicted to reach a recession, I'm worried for my job as well. 

It is predicted that 12,000 public servant jobs will be scratched - both my parents, plus other family members work in the public service. 

Liberal announced cuts on age care - something either of my grandparents will be able to handle. 

And there's more to come. 

Holy crap, I'm actually scared. 

What worries me most though, is when Abbott goes overseas and talks with other world leaders. 

He has the political grace of a elephant on ice-skates. 

Australia is going to look like the dumbest country ever. 

Maybe I should move to New Zealand.....

Seeking Shelter at the Hipster Bar

Despite my small town, we have more than a few places that cater for the Hipster crowd. 
One of these is known simply as the Hipster Bar - I've mentioned the place in certain posts before. 
On Saturday I went there again. 
It was 11 O'clock. Waiting for other friends to show up, the Pixie and I decided to go to the Hipster Bar and relax before we meet up with the rest of the group. 
The place was crowded. Full of dirty Hipsters. Blah. 
And for the first time I actually saw a band there. I have no idea what they were called and all the members were too old to have a crush on...so I paid little attention. 
Then we got a text from the rest of the group and we left. 
We went to a more mainstream, popular bar where you get groped while you dance and have little room to move. I was ready to dance, but an awkward encounter from an ex-best friend had me running out of that bar like a little five year old. 
I needed to go somewhere where that little skank would never be seen dead in. 
I sought shelter. 
At the Hipster Bar. 
For Christ sakes, even the band was still playing!
So there I sat as I watched the band play, with a Hipster Chick with a brunette afro danced with a skinny guy that was hardly male - even now I'm still not sure. 
We clapped at the end of each song and eventually the band left. 
I sat with The Pixie, who kindly ran after me when I caught my eyes on the ex-best friend skank. 
The Bar was warm, cosy, people (no matter how weird they seemed) laughed, talked, no judging or criticising. Guys were only coming onto me at a distance. I liked hanging out there. 
Oh Holy Jesus. 
 I refuse to call this place my hangout. I don't want to be a hipster! I know I'm not - and judging by the outfit tastes of me compared to the fair maidens on Saturday - I don't think they'd call me one either. 
it does worry me that when I was upset and drunk in confusion, that's the place I wanted to go. 
Is this a Hipster Transformation in progress? 

...nah! 

My Fantasies are getting Wayyyyy out of Control.

From as young as I can remember (well at least from year 5, anyway) I have lived my love life in fantasy. 
Being a nerdy, ugly, shy, funny child and teenager meant that boys didn't exactly come knocking on my door. At all. 
So, to make up for my lacking (or non-existent) love life I daydreamed it in my head. 
When I was younger, it was of boys from my school. It never left the school yard and usually involved the same guy for a long period of time; I had limited choices. 
I got to High School and while my fantasies stayed in the school community, a wider choice of guys meant I could be more fickle with my crushes and my, well...err, "boyfriends". 
Then it started to spread into the world of Hollywood - celebrities galore! Hooray! I remember I

Google Images 

had the biggest crush on Max Benitz who played Midshipman Calamy in Russell Crowe's Master and Commander. It literally lasted for years....even thinking about it now......OK Daydreamer, come back to reality girl! 
As I grew older my needs became more dire and the same fantasy grew old very quickly. 
I had different fantasies all over the place. People I knew, celebrities, people I'd make up, book characters, my "ideal" man, etc. 
Then I grew up. 
Sort of. 
I still fantasise. In fact I do it more than ever. 
Instead of outlandish events that would never happen, with guys that are way out of my league/don't know I exist/ too young/old; the guys in my fantasies became more realistic. They became men. Real men that I could have a relationship with. 
I started dating myself, had a better idea of what relationships involved and just basically became an adult about these things. 
They weren't all the time (because, you know, as a young female it can literally take up ALL of your day) and they were in moderation. 
Recently though I'm finding I'm getting more outlandish with my fantasies again. Not good. 
A few weeks ago I discovered this small town band - they're from my town actually, and I even know people who are friends with the band members. 
One of these said band members is quite the attractive fellow, and these past weeks have found me daydreaming about this guy and how great he is. And more importantly, how great we'd be as a couple. 
I haven't even met the guy. 
It's starting to get bad. 
The band has a YouTube channel, which hasn't been updated in over a year. But they'd find an increase in their video views. My bad. 
Don't get me wrong, I love their music but I know I wouldn't be watching it if he wasn't in it. 
So it's begun again. Daydreamer's wild, out there fantasies about love have taken over once more. 
I think I'll need a guy in one of my Uni classes to sweep me off my feet instead. 
That will never happen though. 
Not in real life anyway....

Google Images: Daydreaming Bubble.

Midnight Drives and Responsible Decisions.

Last night I was invited to go for a midnight drive with one of my mates. 
Not a 'makin' mayhem' type of drive where the passengers are up to no good - this was a 'need to get out of the house and the situation I'm in drive' where we go to a location and relax; no rough housing at all. 
Luckily for me (though I didn't know this at the time) I had Uni in the morning, it was cold and to be honest, I really didn't want to go. So I declined. 
I declined despite I knew that there would be a special guest. 
So there was my friend (the driver), a mutual friend of ours - and the guest; a man friend of the driver, who (she made clear) was very single. 
Despite my cat-like curiosity I stayed home and today messaged her about how it went. 
The guest didn't go - after I was going she told him not to bother. OK definitely a set up situation. 
I wasn't up to coyness so I asked who he was. She told me. 
Now I've never met him personally and there was a reason why:
Not only is he an ex of the setter-upper-er, he's a douche (took her on dangerous car rides (go figure)) and a complete bogan/country arse. 

She tried to set me up with him!? 

Not only was a receiving her leftovers but she knew what he was like and that we would be TOTALLY wrong for each other in absolutely every way. 

I think there's something more going on here - there's no way she though we would actually date or that I would even consider him - it just wouldn't happen. 
I'm now starting to doubt her motives. 
Like some screwed over, retired spy - urgh. there's something wrong with me. 

I always thought being set up by a friend would be exciting, fun and he'd be my perfect match. But this was wrong on so many levels. 
I'm super glad I didn't go on last nights drive; I hate to think how I would have taken it at the time (over the computer was bad enough). 

She's not one of my favourite friends - she's full of drama and melodramas over everything. She only hangs out with me and a guy friend of ours. Our other friends are smart enough to keep their distance - maybe I should do the same. 

Thank God I have Uni to distract me. 

I Must be a Jinx! Or Have one Near Me

So in my earlier post today (I'd put a link up but I'm too annoyed) I talked about how I was going out tonight.  
I do this all the time. I plan things, I get excited about things, I imagine it in my head, I talk about it, I think about it and it takes up my whole day/week/s. 
Obsessive? Hey, I'm a daydreamer - dreaming is what I do.
Then, like some sort of jinx, the outing gets cancelled. 
Cue the excuses:
"I'm too tired,"
"Uni is busy,"
"I have musical rehearsals,"
"I have work,"
All I hear is "blah, blah, blah" and "don't want to hang out with you Daydreamer." 
I know it's nothing personal - shit, I hope it isn't, but it totally sucks to be turned down by everyone because of one reason or another. 
I'm devastated. 
And I think I have the right to. I was looking forward to go out, we haven't gone out in ages and this was our one night to go out before Uni started and everything. 
But it's not happening. 
Once again I have to get used to not going out, staying in and making plans on my own. Like some loney loner. Ergh. 

Open a bottle of wine guys. It's going to be a long night. 

Post Before Uni Starts and I Get too Busy to Write

Hey People. 
This week is O Week for my Uni, so it starts real soon. With work and whatever else I have on, I'm starting to wonder when I'll have time to sit down and write - with anything, not just this blog. 
I thought then, that I should write a quick post before I put my nerd glasses on and hit the books. 
So what to write about? 
A few things come to mind: 

The first is that I'm going out tonight :D yay. I would be more excited if two people hadn't of bailed. I get the feeling that the others will as well and I'll be stuck at home drinking cider and watching Bridget Jones' Diary under my bed covers. 

Second was the news story about the two Canadian boys killed by a giant python. I don't want to dwell on such a horrific story (if you wish to take a look you can view the story by clicking this text) but I was shocked to find out that the snake was *quote news reader* "destroyed". I couldn't understand how they could kill a snake for doing what a snake does. If anything the handler should have been 'destroyed' for being so stupid and reckless. 

Thirdly there's Uni. Unit Outlines are out, classes are sorted, and we go back next week. I'm both excited and nervous! I know I freak out about everything and when I get back into the swing of things it will get better, but for now I'm freaking out! 

Neopets is my most used tab. Not exactly an exciting fourth topic to talk about, yet for me it kind of is. It's overtaken Facebook and Gmail (which has held the top spot for months now) which I thought could never happen. That shows how addicted I've become to the game! 

Er, I think that's about it for now. 
I don't know when I'll be posting again (though now I've said that, it will probably be tomorrow) but hopefully I wont be gone for too long and there will be a post occasionally through Uni semester. 

<3 Daydreamer. 

A Day Without Running Water - It Had Me Clogged.

Yesterday I had quite a few things happen. 
1) My Brother went on retreat for school. 
2) My Mum went into hospital for surgery. 
3) I was left home alone as Dad assisted Mum in the hospital and I was left with the dogs and cats. 

Around 12 I decided to have a shower. I turned the tap on, realised I forgot something so I turned the tap off. But the water kept flowing! 
My shower tap was broken, and with no way of fixing it (even if I could) the water had to be turned off. 
I ran around my house in a panic before I got my stuff together, went out the front and turned the water off at the main. 
The shower stopped shooting water everywhere and I was able to take a closer look. 

I had no idea what I was looking for or what I was doing. Finally Dad came home. 
He tried to fix it but he only had a certain amount of time before he had to go back to the hospital again. 

With the shower still broken, the water main had to stay off. If it got turned back on, the water would come gushing out of the shower again - not good. 

While Dad was home, we turned the water main on, filled up some jugs, pots and had some water in a 'rationed supply' which I had to look after. 

At first not having water didn't affect me. 
But throughout the day it started to take its toil. 

You would go to wash your hands and the water would be unavailable,
no rinsing dishes, 
the dishwasher couldn't work, so dishes and cups were rationed,
can't flush the toilet,
water for the cats and dogs were now a priority, 
I didn't drink any water yesterday due to running out,
brushing your teeth at night time was a struggle,
no shower. 

I could turn the water main on when we ran out and filled the jugs and pots again - but it was a pain and every second that main was on - water was gushing out (waste) through the shower. 

All of a sudden, I started to realise how much I take easy water access for granted. Little day to day things that aren't thought about were now in the spotlight because water was rationed.  

I know this sounds like a First World Problem - and yeah, I guess it is. 
But this isn't what the post was supposed to be about. 

Having no running water (only for a day) made me realise how much I take it for granted. 
It's now fixed and the first thing I did was make myself a big glass of water - healthy! And my needed headache really needed it. 
Though I should of taken a shower instead. 

Ever been drunk, wanting desperately to go out but you're stuck at home?

I'm that way right now. And it sucks! 
For dinner I had a delicious Sheppard pie, with a tad of wine generously poured in (for flavour, dudes). 

I even took my own photo. I'm that bored!

So with extra wine free from the open bottle, it couldn't go to waste AND it's the perfect accompanied drink for the pie. 
A few glasses later and a belly full of pie, I'm the perfect state to dance! I really want to go out, dance, drink more and party! 
But there's problems. 
Problem 1 
Blame my pride for this one. 
There's my go to friend (my bestie, I think she's known as The Pixie on here) who I can always go to when I want to go out. We were talking the other day, when she had to go off (or something like that) so we stopped chatting. I sent her a message yesterday hinting that we should go out sometime this weekend - to no reply. 
I could send her another message. I could send her a text and pester here. But I won't. 
One: I refuse to message her again - she'll reply when she wants to and is ready to reply. 
Two: what kind of friend would I be if I pester her to go out? 
So The Pixie is a bust. Damn. 
Problem Two
Miss Confidence isn't always available. She kinda has a kid (OK, no kinda about it) and on such short notice, she's not going anywhere. 
Problem Three
Birthday Girl (I'll have to give her a new nickname seeing as it's no longer her birthday, well not since May anyway) and two other friends went out Thursday night. I very much doubt that they'll want to go out again tonight. 

I don't know who else to ask. I want to go out but I have to accept it. Tonight I'm staying in. 
Ergh. 
At least it'll save me some money. 

Origin of the nicknames can be found in this post if you want to discover the original story. 
Birthday Girl will need a new nickname - I'll get back to you on that one. 

Sits Down and Gets Serious About Writing....Oh Look, Google!

This morning I sat down to my computer and continued a story I was working on. 

I just had breakfast, had a warm, half drunk tea on the table, the curtains pulled back and I was rugged up, ready to go. 

I was in the zone. 

My head was buzzing with ideas but still had a focused mindset. I managed to string out a few paragraphs too. 

Then I got stuck. Not dramatically; my character needed a hat - I was determined on it. But What type of hat? I'm not an expert on hats in general, let alone men's hats, but I needed a specific type of hat this character needed to wear. 

I'll Google it, was my first instinct. 

Big mistake. 

I then spent 15 minutes...longer, trying to find the perfect hat for this character - a tangible detail that's not even important!

But I did find a hat. 

While I may have digressed, I clicked back onto word to continue. 

But it was gone. 

My focus, my ready mindset, my ideas, my inspiration and my motivation. They had deserted me. 

That small amount of time digressing had cost me. 

I looked at the words at the screen and went 'meh.' In frustration and sadness I then jumped on here to tell you about it - another digression. 

I find it happens to me all the time - and I hate it. We all do when it happens. But that's just it; it happens. 

If I take one thing from this, it shouldn't be negative. 

I chose to take from this that, even if it stopped my flow, my character (even if he has a smallish part) now has a hat. 

It's a Stingy Brim; if you were wondering. 

Milkshake Meme

It's no secret I love memes. 
I could spend all day looking at them and I've even created my own - I'll leave that for another post though. 
Ages ago; like, a really long time folks, I saw a meme that a friend had posted on their wall. 
It was one of the Stare Dad memes - one I haven't seen much of, thus not a favourite. 
But I loved this one

Thank you Memebase.com & original creator - love it :)  

Today I was reminded of it again - and while only thinking about it I laughed at it...again. 

For those who don't understand it (there might be some of you) the meme is referencing Kelis' song Milkshake, which embarrassingly I have on my Ipod. 

It got me thinking of the song itself. I was only in year Five or so when it was released so a lot of the adult content was lost on me. 

I remember walking around school with a friend when she announced to me what 'milkshake' actually meant. I was shocked and impressed at the same time. 

Looking down at my own 'milkshakes' I came to the conclusion that they wouldn't be bringing any boys to my yard. 

Hell, I still think that now! 

And I was right. 

Looking back, I'm surprised (though a lot of it was lost on me anyway, like I said before) that I was listening to that type of music at such an age. 

I grew up in a house where rock music was like a god. When I listen to some of those rock lyrics now, I'm surprised I turned out as normal as I did. 

As an adult, I hate witnessing the music that Littlies are being subjected to. Typically, I believe that music is forever being more explicit and whatnot - a lot worse than the music that I listened to. 

It reminds me of something a Uni Lecturer told our class - kids are reaching puberty a lot earlier these days. 

And the music they listen to shows that.

But that's expected, isn't it? To think that those younger than you will end up worse than you did, because you know better, lived in a better time. 

While it's universally acknowledged that the older generation think this, what goes unrecognised that (even if it's only a couple of years) younger generations think the same of younger people than them.

Whoa, I've gone a tad away from memes, but it's all connected, I suppose. 

While I tut over the next over the top music sensation, I'll search for new memes. 

Keep an eye out folks! 

Got any favourite memes? 

Feel free to post a comment!  

My Brother Failed A Class - And My Parents did What?

A couple of weeks ago my brother made a terrible mistake - he slept in. 

This wouldn't be so bad if he hadn't slept through....an exam. 

He got to take the exam again - though his grade would be on a pass or fail basis. 

While my parents weren't impressed, I feel like they didn't give him the punishment that he probably should have deserved. He was mighty lucky to get to take the exam again - but with a pass/fail grade, my brother needed more than that to do well in this class. 

Fast forward a couple weeks later and he's been playing games ALL DAY! 

He's been doing nothing else - except for eating and whatnot. 

Yesterday his results arrived. 

There wasn't really a stand out class - and surprise, surprise he didn't do to well in this exam he missed. 

Actually he failed. 

This was the first time either one of us has actually failed a school subject. I'm still shocked that he actually managed to fail - it's unusual for anyone to fail anything at my old College/High School - they keep a close eye on you. 

But it's not really a wonder when I think about it. 

He plays games all night - on weekends; every opportunity he gets he plays Internet games with his friends. 

What's done, is done. And still he sits there playing his laptop. 

The thing that gets me though is that Mum and Dad didn't do anything about it. 

They weren't impressed (obviously) but apart from a quick 'this is very disappointing...' nothing else went down. So, still he sits - playing his game. 

He gets it from Mum - all she does nowadays is play her Ipad. Like, literally it's all she does is play games as well. She's even having a "rum night" to celebrate this war thing her alliance is having - so, bloody nerdy and stupid, right? 

My brother is in year 12 this year - and he's working towards his ATAR (his score) to get into a University. At this rate, I'm wondering if he'll even make a good enough grade - and what will happen if he keeps failing classes. 

He's almost an adult but he lacks in everything! He has no domestic skills; he can't iron for example, he has little social skills - no work skills. He's falling behind. 

I know that I'm the same - while I have some things under control, there's a lot in my life I need to get sorted; learning to drive for instants. 

I know how it feels to lack, and it sucks - I really don't want my brother to go down that same path. But I fear I might be too late. 

:/ 

Trust me to get a Full Time Job When the Altador Cup is on

Because I'm really cool like, about a year ago I indulged in an old childhood game and reconnected with Neopets. 

Destruct-O-Match!!!!

When I was younger I would usually talk on the Newbies board and do little else, except for some Destruct-O-Match; that game was epic! I could play it all day long. 
Then a time came where I got too old (and busy) to play; I got bored and I may have been given one to many suspensions from the game (oops). 
When I decided to reconnect in late July last year - my post can be read right here, people - I wasn't into it; at first. 
My post talks about how the game had changed and I wasn't really a fan - but to be honest the game grew on me. 
This was a new beginning and I decided my new account would be different. 
I started paying attention to my Neopet - giving him food he wanted, playing games with him, paying attention to his Pet-Pet thing, making him happy, full and - for the first time - levelling him up. 
I'd never levelled up any of my Neopets before, and I was keen to get going. 
It's been a year and my little Moehog is a grand total of level 6! He would be higher, but I don't want to rush him into anything - he has to go to training school...anyway, that's not important. 
A part of the game allows you to look up other users - you can see how long they've had an account, what Neopets they have and their stats; but it also shows you game trophies and site trophies that they have received. 
This was it. 
My new goal on Neopets. 
I needed game trophies and I would work my hardest to get some. And I have! Not many, I think I only have a few - but some of them are not easy to get! 
Then, at the end of May this year, a buzz went around the site about the Altador Cup. 
I had never heard of it before!
I soon found out that it's the Neopets version of the Olympic Games. It's a yearly competition (that goes throughout the month of June) that all the worlds compete in. 
As a player you can chose a world to side with and you play these games (there's four) that only appear in the Cup. 
From memory, I had never heard of the Altador Cup - though I wasn't big on these things in my old account anyway.
I didn't really know what to expect; how competitive it was, what the games would be, who were the teams to beat and which one I should join - but I decided.....I had to participate in this years Cup! 
So it began. 
I picked team Tyrannia and have never looked back. They were friendly on the boards, and I was pretty good at the games for a Newbie. 
You have a rank that follows you throughout the Games, and when the Cup is over people can look at your Altador Games Statistics - *gulp* no pressure or anything. 
I made a commitment that I would play everyday - I had nothing else on anyway. 
I wasn't a hardcore gamer, and I was starting to fall behind those people who play it (literally!) all day long. But I wasn't far behind. 

Then it happened, the title of my post. 
I, Daydreamer, by some miracle, got a job. One where they actually pay you, like real money. 
But it wasn't just any job. With my Uni break I'm free all of the time - and with those sorts of hours available - I began working full time. 

If I thought I was falling behind on the Cup scores then, it was nothing to how I feel now. 

*I would also like to take this time to say yes - this is why I haven't blogged in a long time. Sorry. 

Today I have a day off; yay! And I took the opportunity to play some games to boost my Cup scores. I even managed to make it to rank 2. For me that's a big thing but for others, they were rank 2 by the fifth day of the games! 
I can't see myself getting a higher rank than that - the time has flown and there are only a few more days of the Cup left. 
I'm also back to work tomorrow. 

So my commitment may have flown through the floor - and trust me to get a full time job when I finally have something going on - OK, not that the Cup is important or anything but for some people, it is. 
While I wouldn't trade my job for all the All-Star Ranks in the Cup, it would've been nice if I had gotten a higher rank than level 2. 

I'll also try and Blog more - having a job is no excuse to be slack. 

If you're a Neopets player, and participated in the Cup, I'd love to hear from you. 
What team did you join? 
What were your personal goals and did you achieve them?
Though I didn't get as much playing time as I would have liked, I loved the Altador Cup and enjoyed the time I did have playing. 
I can't wait till next year! 

Ugga, Ugg - Tyrannia!

Writing Warriors: Bouncing Back After Rejection

It has happened. 
The journal I submitted my work to replied to my email. It wasn't good. 
The email itself was sweet and optimistic for the future. 
At first glance it looks like a personal email, written only for you. It softens the blow, however it's just a stark, polite email sent to all it's failed writers, I'm sure.  
I remember reading it thinking 'OK, well that turned out this way' and I felt indifferent about it. 
Then I started really thinking about it. 
They didn't want my work. 
It got worse. 
They don't like me, they accept other work - what's wrong with mine? I'm a failure and this writing thing is never going to work.  
It started to get personal and very depressing. 
I got angry, vowing I would never submit work into that journal again. Even thinking that I would submit into other journals that would accept my work, and I would be a big success and this journal would be regretting not taking my words of amazingness!!! 
I can be a bit melodramatic at times. 
Last night to say I was upset was an understatement. 
I needed to think back to what my lecturers have been saying. Rejection is apart of the writing world. 
Everyone (at some point) will have that letter/email saying that the certain publication doesn't want your work - be it a one page poem, or a thousand page novel. 
I needed to have a good cry about it (and a good punch up with the punching bag) and get over it. 
Which I think I am now. 
But there's still one thing bugging me. 
This morning I had a look at the email. I opened the link to take me to my poem. I read the first line and stopped. 
I hated it. I felt stupid for submitting it, of course they didn't want it, it sucks! I read more and felt like laughing at it - it's that dumb. 
But I'm wrong. It's not a bad poem. Yes, it needs to be polished. Things could be different and made better; that's always the case. 
Right now I can't even look at my work. I started writing something in the early (really early) hours of the morning in a blur of tears, which I don't dare read back. 
Last night I had an epiphany that I was going to polish this rejected poem up and send it off somewhere else - see what happens there. 
It might have to wait though - I need allowed time to grieve. 

Worry Warts: From Phone Calls to New Jobs

Out of all of the flaws I believe I have, my ability to worry is at the top of the list. 

I worry about everything. 

Character by Roger Hargreaves

I'm worse than Mr. Worry on windy day - or an ordinary one come to think of it. Him and I have a special connection as we both (truly) worry about EVERYTHING. 

Here's an example and the point of my post. 

A few days ago, a friend told me about a new job she has, and (seeing as I haven't worked in who knows how long) I should apply for work there. 

Straight away I was excited - I have been putting off getting a job because of my anxiety (and laziness) and freak out at the prospect of hard work. 

But hearing my friend talk about this job, how much she loves it, how great the people are; made me realise that I should be working and I don't have an excuse not to (Uni has finished for the semester). 

So after keeping it a secret from my parents (I didn't want them to know unless I chickened out), mulling it over with myself for a few days and asking my friend every question I could come up with to douse my fears, I finally made the decision that I had to call. And soon. 

Places were filling up fast and if I didn't call I could miss out completely. And the only thing worse than working for me, was not working. 

I had the owners number, name and any other things my friend could think of ready for the call. 

I just needed the balls to do it. 

Lying in my bed, listening to the music on the radio I thought about everything  I was going to say, how I would say it (got to be confident baby) and try and relax and to not be nervous - it was just an inquiry call after all.

I know I sound a bit silly - but my worrying ability is really that bad. 
Think about it - my friend told me about the job days ago, but it was only this morning I found the courage to say 'Daydreamer, you need a job, you need a life, and more importantly you need money. Call, and if you get a job rejoice - people have to have jobs.' 
So I grabbed the phone and I called. 
It lasted all of a few minutes. 
Said I was interested, that my friend had suggested the job to me, that I was free practically all day everyday. And so it was. 
I start tomorrow. 

What?! 

I knew I should have seen this coming, but thinking about how I start tomorrow has meant Mr. Worry has been joined by this guy....

Copyright: Roger Hargreaves 

I need to remember to breathe and relax. 
To enjoy it and remember that any fears I may have are (more than likely) irrational and that I just need to smile :) 
I'm an organised person, easy to get to know, and I do work hard - everything else is out of my control and at the end of the day it comes down to my ability as a worker, keeping my head down, and my chin up. 
Thinking about these things keeps my anxiety, worrying thoughts, and nerves at bay. 
So I really just need to look at the positives of the situation. 
Hopefully that can put a damper on my Worry Warts; Until tomorrow at least. 

Being a Virgin is Making me Miss out on Some Serious Fun.

So I'm a total Single Pringle - I say it all the time, mostly complaining about it.
Guys never (and I mean NEVER) seem interested in me. And when they do, I'm not interested in them like that and I never was (nor will be).

Then on Friday I went out with friends for a birthday Friday. Let the loose morals and drinking begin! 
We hit a few bars, then ended up at the hipster bar I mentioned in May. 
We waited at the bar, when a guy stood in front of me and wished me a happy birthday (we had a birthday crown, which the Birthday Girl refused to wear, so it ended up being traded around) and we started talking. 
One of my more confident friends took over and got a free drink from it - I didn't mind, the guy was a bit older than me so I wasn't interested. 
We left the bar with a new friend - yep, the guy, let's call him Cradle Snatcher, decided to tag along with us. 
He started hitting it off with Miss Confidence as we hit dance floors, took shots, and pushed and shoved our way through the crowds. 
We then decided to go to a club notorious for old pervs, slutty women, sticky floors, and a ghost town (you don't go unless you want to die!)

I was standing at the bar (behind my friends) when Cradle Snatcher handed me a drink and we sat down. As the others joined us and began to chat, he whispered to me that I was the one he was after. That's why he started talking to me and admitted he was disappointed when Miss Confidence took over. 

Together we left the bar and as a group we hit Maccas (that's MacDonald's for my overseas readers) when some of my friends decided to go home. 
A friend and I decided to stay, waving goodbye to our other friends and Cradle Snatcher who was standing in line with them. 
My friend had a go at me - 
"Give him your number, he was into you", "You were both so cute sitting together," "He's hot, go for it."
But he was in line and we decided to walk off. 
My friend (The Pixie) was in desperate need for water, so we went back to the Hipster bar. 
On our way, a guy came up to us (from behind) and said 'wait up!"
It was Cradle Snatcher. Turns out he wasn't heading home and saying goodbye to Miss Confidence and Birthday girl before they left. 
Because we were going where we found Cradle Snatcher in the first place, he came with and went looking for his friends when we got there. 
Pixie got her water, and was chatting to some blokes when Cradle Snatcher came back. He held me close and took me back to his friends (after I grabbed The Pixie away from some old dude). 

The Pixie decided it was time to go and I agreed. I (thanks to The Pixie) gave my number to Cradle Snatcher and gave him a pash before I left. 

Now this is where my title comes into the story:- 

When I got home I received a text from Cradle Snatcher. Calling me cute, saying he wished I hadn't left and that he thought I had a smokin' bod. 
He wanted me to meet him again - right now. 
It was obvious what he wanted and to be honest I wanted it too. 
But there was one problem.
I'm a virgin. 
I'm a 20 year old virgin.
Usually it doesn't bother me - the right guy hasn't come along (probably never will, but anyway) and I haven't lost it yet. Just how it is. 

But I realised (as I flirted with Cradle Snatcher) that being a virgin is stopping me from meeting up with this guy, and having some fun. 

My virginity is holding me back. 

I'm young, free and have a great arse (thank you Mediterranean background). 
I want to go out and have fun - there's nothing wrong with that. 
But I know I don't want to lose it to anyone - especially if they're only looking for fun. 

I guess that means that there's only one option.....

Verydemotivational.com