Donating blood has been on my Big List for a long time and I've given it many attempts but for various reasons (my rebellious belly piercing, my more rebellious tattoo, travelling to 'risky' countries and not just having enough of the stuff), I've been a Blood Donor Reject. Unwanted. I was a bloody loser.
My brother's best friend is just like another brother to me and has been since I was five. His wife Edwina is like a sister. Following the diagnosis of Dwee's very dear dad 'Davo' 12 months ago, Davo’s Bloody Donors was founded and I knew that I had to step up and stop being a Bloody Loser. I was going to be a Bloody Winner.

A year of amazing moments,little dreams & loftier ones on a really Big Wish List. After a "Year of Action", "Year of Positivity", this is the year of Making my own Magic. Travel, adventure, learning new skills and helping make little changes in the world. This is no bucket list, this is a life list.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Number 82 - Half-Marathon Fundraising Star! (THANKS TO YOU!!)
With 10 days to go, I've reached my fundraising goal (exceeded it actually!) for Cure Cancer Australia and I'm all set to run the daunting 21km. Thanks to my incredibly generous friends and family I am officially a Can Too Fundraising Star. Complete with orange glitter hat and certificate, I now get to wear my full day-glo running shirt and running hat!
http://cantoosmh2013.gofundraise.com.au/page/CJsHalfMarathon2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Number 36 - Beer Baby
As a toddler living in Perth in the very early 1980s, my Dad would fall asleep by the side of the pool leaving the warm dregs of his VB stubbies. In my pink and white terry towelling dressing gown I would cheekily wander around and drink these nasty dregs while my Dad dozed in the sun. It might be for this reason (or because I later developed a later love of champagne!) that in my adult years the smell and taste of beer makes my stomach turn. I had tried in Mexico to drink a Corona, my brother had tried to do his brotherly duty and force a beer down his sisters throat but to no avail. I'd only ever managed a few sips before it had gotten warm and nasty, and I could drink no more.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
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!
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Sunshine Awards on a Rainy Day
This morning while blearily participating in an early conference call
with my colleagues in Argentina, we were discussing the miserable weather.
Torrential downpours in Sydney were nothing compared to the flooding and
fatalities that had occurred overnight in Buenos Aires during a crazy storm. I
felt a little sad that a vibrant Sydney summer was ending and a solar powered
me was potentially going to be just a tad bit flatter.
Deciding that I would curl up on
my couch and work from home for the day, I opened my computer to discover that
I was the very proud (and somewhat baffled) recipient of a Sunshine Award! Fortuitous
when it seemed to have abandoned me so heartlessly!
So what exactly is a Sunshine
Award? Well it’s here I will steal the words of Laura Maya whom I thank for
bestowing me a morning of happiness and your usual ray of joy. A Sunshine Award
is awarded from one blogger to another to recognise “bloggers who positively
and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere” so entirely apt that the
person who is my blogosphere inspiration is also my award benefactor!
The
way the award works is this: Thank the person who gave you the award and link
back to them. Answer questions about yourself (I’ve decided to change one and
see if my nominees do the same!). Select up to 10 of your favourite bloggers, link
their blogs to your post and let them know they have been awarded the Sunshine
Award!”
I decided to do some research a found that just by searching for this award I stumbled on some amazing blogs. So here is my contribution to send a little warmth out into the ether.
Who inspired you to start blogging:
My
cousin Laura Maya Frot (though I occasionally call her Laura Poole whichI have
called her since we were knee high). We grew up together creating make believe
and racking up our parents phone bills. Now as adults we get to live our dreams
and she inspired me to write about them (though she has a way with words I can
only aspire to!).
How did you come up with name for your blog:
A few years ago inspired by
the Sydney New Year’s Festival “Year of” symbol on the Harbour Bridge. I
decided that rather than have New Year’s resolutions I would have a different “Year
Of”. I started with a “Year of Positivity”, “Year of Fun” and “Year of Action” ,
then 2013 became the “Year of Magical Moments” and ultimately the year to focus
on some of the things on my Big List.
What’s your favourite blog:
I actually tend to follow more
blogs than I can count through Twitter and Facebook, so rather than reading a
blog religiously, I tend to focus on posts that focus on particularly interests
of mine (which are fairly eccelectic!). I’m particularly interested in the
issues surrounding Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation, Child slavery,
womens issues, and on lighter notes; Bucket
Lists, Food and Travel, Fashion and Photography.
Tell us about your dream job:
I actually love my job (I
know!) working for a company whose philosophy is Conscious Business, while in
my spare time I intern as a Project Manager running campaigns to raise
awareness about Human Trafficking (http://www.projectfutures.com/ ). But
ideally, travelling, drinking champagne, eating good food and being able to
volunteer full time would be perfect!!!
Is your glass half full or half empty:
My glass is bubbling over
(like perfect pink champagne!) and I really do love my life. I like to think of
myself as a rational optimist (to steal from Matt Ridley’s book). I really do
feel that our generation can use our voices to effect change.
If you could go anywhere for a week’s holiday
where would it be:
Everest Base Camp, Nepal and
Tibet are right at the of the top on my list. There is the small matter of a big
fear of the tiny plane to be overcome but it will be done.
What food can you absolutely not eat?
Oranges, Mandarins, Grapefuits.
It’s the citrus thing. It does bad things to me, I don’t miss it. The smell me
sick, so of course people manage to eat them around me all the time and orange
juice is the only thing served at every breakfast ever. And it can make
cocktail hour tricky.
Dark Chocolate or Milk chocolate?
We just had Easter. I can
barely think about this without feeling like I need at Lindt Intervention. Milk.
And Dark. And White. And Honeycomb.
How much time do you spend blogging?
Nowhere near as much as I
would like. I’m relatively new to the blogosphere and being completely over-committed
in my life I find that I am restricted to perhaps once a fortnight, at most
once a week. I’m hoping that as I get into the swing of things I am able blog
more.
What’s Your Lucky Number?
The Number 4. I believed this
since I was little. Because I was born in April, on the 14, my older brother
Dean (whom I idolised) had the football jersey number 4 and I always thought it
was the start of a star.
My Sunshine Awards Go To........
Nisha Dua @ http://devourbeauty.blogspot.com.au/
Sebastian Terry @
http://100things.com.au/blog/
Catherine Shepherd @
http://www.champagneduchess.com/
Steph Lorenzo @ http://projectfutures.com/blog/
Kristi Odom @ http://www.kristiodomphotography.com/blog/
And of course one of my
favourite people in the world (and someone I’m missing alot at the moment!!)
Trust me if you can live like this lady and her super-hubby then you’ve got
life figured out.
Laura Maya @ http://free-to-dream.org/
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