Valentine's Day with Sam and Bri

Sam and I have been meaning to made a Geddan movie for quite a while, and it seemed like the perfect Valentine's Day project. We got all dressed up, then jumped around our house like idiots instead of going out for a fancy meal. The results indicate that we are massive nerds.

If you don't understand why we are jerking around the screen to bad J-Pop, a good explanation of the meme can be found here.

New Years Resolutions for 2010

3 weeks in now, and we've stuck to them fairly well so far.

• GET TO 70 KG THIS YEAR! (I can't emphasise this one enough)
• Eat at least one vegetarian dinner per week.
• Appreciate Sam more and be nicer to him.
• Relax (and start to unlink my perception of my own value from my work).
• Takeaway at most once per fortnight.
• Try to minimise car, electricity and water use.

JET Interview

I got an interview for the JET Program 2010! I was very excited yesterday, until I started reading some of the experiences of JET alumni. There were virtually no good stories! I had previously read only accounts of JET experiences on JET or JET-sponsored websites that were all quite glowing. Now I'm a little bit scared. I am not going to let a bunch of Americans dissatisfied with their houses stop me from trying as hard as I can to get this opportunity, but I guess my eyes are a bit more open to the potential downsides now. Eeeeek! Quite happy I got to the interview stage, though. Other than that, I'm busy with writing grant applications for a 2011 Discovery Project and getting papers together from last year. No fun lab work in sight for this month, at least.

I should write about Thailand and my lovely Christmas break - I'll do that next time, I promise.

Positivity

I have been in a shit mood most of this year. Largely work-related, somewhat missing home-related, partly just being a cynical bitch. I have also found a great volume of stuff on the internet to reinforce my increasingly-strongly held suspicion that people are mostly selfish bastards, and that there is not much good in the world. FML, passive-agressive notes, It Was Over When..., Perez Hilton and various other celebrity gossip websites are all on my list of daily internet activities, and they are all full of bad stories, sad endings and people treating each other badly.

Someone referred me to GMH (Gives Me Hope)

last week on twitter, citing the site's tagline line of "Like FML, but for optimists". I clicked through, and started reading. And reading. And reading. I had the site open in a browser window for days, reading snippets whenever I had a few spare minutes, before I finally lost my place. I had tears in my eyes many times while reading (shut up, I'm allowed), and it really made me want to be a better person. It has really changed my outlook (at least for the short term), and made me feel like there are some good people hiding somewhere in the world. I am inspired to try to help people and just reading other people's stories of positivity have made me feel a lot more positive. Isn't that lame? But it's true. I'm going to listen to more happy songs, read more happy stories and never go near a forum again.

On a side note, I found it interesting that most of the GMH stories start with terrible things happening - sickness, death, lost jobs - but people's perspective on others actions or outlooks make these stories uplifting. In contrast, lots of FMLs seem to be set in happy or potentially happy situations - dates, weddings, or just every day life.

December blogging

So some of my friends are doing Blogapalooza, where they will blog every day in December. I'm going to be away for lots of December, so I can't really join in, but I can make a bit of an effort for the time I'm here.
So, what's been going on? I have been through a frustrating patch with work, but I think I'm out the other side now. It did prompt me into deciding to give something other than science a go, though, and Sam and I have applied for a year of teaching in Japan with the JET program. We have our fingers crossed, and it would really work out well if we did get the opportunity to go.

I am applying for some science-type grants for next year, but more on that later.

For NOW, the exciting news is that we are off to Thailand in 1.5 weeks! We are going to fly into Bangkok, have two nights with Orawan's friend, then fly south to Surat Thani. From there we head into the Khao Sok National Park for some canoeing and trekking around the jungle, then down to Krabi for the beach resort thing. Then make our way back up to Surat Thani airport, fly back to Bangkok and maybe through to Orawan's home town (around Prachin Buri) for a day? Or possibly just hanging around Bangkok to see the city all dressed up for the King's Birthday, and getting ready for the New Year celebrations! Either way, I am starting to get really excited about getting to experience a whole new country, and getting to do it with a native.

Mexican Fiesta

Sam and I are well and truly Melbournians (Mexicans) now. We have been here about 2 months, and we have Victorian licenses and a Victorian car. I have actually considered purchasing moccasins - pretty sure that means the transformation is almost complete.

We have done a bit of exploring, but not quite enough for my tastes. We have a little herb garden now. We have a favourite Thai takeaway already. We have seen some live music, been to a few pubs, made some new friends and discovered where to buy Bulgogi, polish sausages and macadamia nuts. I think we are settling in to our lives down here pretty well. But we are becoming a bit house-bound, something that I plan on fixing in the future.

STUFF I WANT TO DO:

• Become a regular at the Astor (http://www.astor-theatre.com/)
• Go to an AFL match (with someone who can explain what is happening)
• Go to Chapel St
• Find a Japanese learning school and enrol
• cook cupcakes for new work friends
• go for a swim in the bay
• ride a bike along the Yarra
• Drive the Great Ocean Road
• Take Dad to the Squires Brewhouse
• See some dodgy dinner theatre
• Go to a taping of any show (Channel 10 studios down here, or Spicks N Specks)

That'll do for now. Hopefully the next time I'm thinking of a list, it'll be less touristy.

Not a Light Place

I think that the move (and life in general) is starting to take it's toll on me. For the last few weeks I have been finding everything increasingly hard. Small tasks seem arduous and difficult tasks almost impssible. I feel like I'm moving through molasses and like everything is pointless and useless. Nothing I need to happen seems to be happening, and I feel frustrated and stagnant with time rushing past me at lightspeed. I leave in 5 weeks...

And Virgin mobile still won't fucking connect me.

EDIT: Virgin just connected me. Data comes tomorrow. Oh happy days.