Number 101 – Heavenly Hawaiian Massage

As I celebrated my 32nd birthday (once I figured out I wasn't actually turning 31!), I decided to treat myself with one of my easier list items. With Mum flying into the country for the weekend it was a perfect opportunity for some girly time and to see if both of us could relax!

Knowing how much I love getting massages and after me raving about a massage I'd had in Bali, my friend Charlotte recommended I try the Lomi Lomi telling me it was an experience not to be missed. I've had massages all around the world and some pretty amazing ones so I was more than happy to take Char up on the challenge.


Ka Huna Lomi Lomi massage is an ancient style of massage, traditionally performed to honour the body as a temple. It’s designed to relax, rebalance and invigorate the mind, body and spirit. During a treatment, the practitioner moves around the massage table with flowing hula movements, using their hands and forearms to massage the client. Below is a Ka Huna demonstration.

After a bit of research I found Sydney Ka Huna located in Paddington, literally up the road. Mum and I arrived to a a small studio and were greated by our therapists Natalia and Jae with huge smiles. http://www.sydneykahuna.com.au/

After being taken into a balmy room, Natalia talked through the process and what to expect. It was time to get ready and I quickly realised this is not a massage for the overly modest. Getting down to my birthday suit (appropriate for a birthday treat!), I was given a little sarong to preserve what modesty I had left. 

Lomi Lomi massages you from head to toe in long strokes, going over and under the body in constant rhythm, slathering you with oil. The therapist breathes in time with the strokes and after 10 mins I was already starting to nod off.

An hour and a half later on was floating on a cloud. With rhythmic drums, tinkling bells and heated towels I was in heaven wishing there was a way to make it last just a little longer. When they tell you to take your time, how long do they mean??

Number 101 complete, though I think I may need to go back a couple of times just to make sure!

An Introduction to The Big List

An Introduction to The Big List

 
As another year starts racing away (how is it that a month has already slipped by without me noticing?), I've been spending time I should be lovingly devoting to Excel spreadsheets actually thinking about what it is that I would like to achieve this year.
 
Having been inspired by Sydney's own NYE fireworks display and their "Year of" symbol on the Harbour Bridge, I decided that each year I would have my own "Year"
 
2010 was CJ's Year of Positivity. Having returned from a year of carefree travel around the world including several months of volunteering with beautiful children in Tanzania and Costa Rica, being thrown into head first into reality required a definite shift from the "Post-Holiday Grump" in which I was wallowing . Being positive about friends, strangers, work, myself and most of all about being back in Sydney. I was no Pollyanna playing the "Glad" game but I'm sure pigtails are making a come back.
 
2011 was the Year of Fun. A year of not taking myself so seriously, enjoying my friends and ensuring I made the most of everything this amazing city has to offer. I began to realise that Sydney was waking up. Small bars and restaurants kept popping up; my friend Alex and I couldn't keep up with a lists of places we needed to try. There were always events on, movies to see, festivals to go to and experiences I needed to be a part of. I got to travel back to the Caribbean and New York with my Mum where I unwittingly ticked of a few of the items on my list. It really was the Year of Fun. This was also the year I turned 30, and had one of the most amazing parties of my life surrounded by beautiful people both in and out.
 
2012 - The Year of Action. At the end of the Year of Fun I started to lose my way and wasn't sure what was next. It may have been an attack of the "Dirty Thirties" or simply watching my friends doing things that I wasn't. After a weekend of long talks with my ever inspirational cousin I emerged with a Action Plan, and The year of Action. In a Year I got a dream job, on course for my dream career (for now!), a new house (never need to rent again!) and started my studies (though a loooooong way to go).
 

2013 - After a year of seriously big moments, I sat back a thought about what it was that I needed this year to cement the huge achievement and satisfaction I felt from the last. I decided that it  needed to be about the smaller moments, so I went back to a list I wrote quite a few years ago. Once again, it is my amazing cousin who also has a list of hopes and dreams, (30 of which she achieved the year she turned 30) who first pointed me in this direction. My uncle has his "To-Do" list. My neice has her "Bucket List". I think we've made it a family affair, one that we help each other to achieve. And so, today I start with 120 Dreams (23 of which I can already say "I did it!").  Bring on the CJs Year of Magic Moments