So, what have you done?

While I sit here in my deathly quiet house, soaking up the calm before I enter the undoubtedly huge storm that will be the streets of Sydney in just a few hours, I find myself asking the question: what have you done this year? Answer: a whole lot of nothing in between a few huge moments. Mexico is the main thing that comes to mind. I flew halfway across the world to land in the unknown and straight into the arms of a beloved, to see the life she was creating for herself and the people that now filled it. The only way I can think about Mexico and still be happy in my own life is if I think of it as a distant dream that was incredibly vivid and beautiful whilst I was inside it. I held another friend's hand as she let go of her childhood sweetheart and opened her heart for someone who could very well be the love of her life. I wrote some really good songs with a really cool guy who left me for London town calling his name home. I envied a friend who went back to uni and contemplated the idea that more study and debt was definitely the answer for the question I still can't quite articulate. I watched my brother love the same girl for the fourth year in a row, even though she was an ocean away and found myself uncharacteristically craving him to take the plunge and make some good old fashioned vows. I reconnected with two very special guys who are in some way the bookends to my life. I lived solo for a month while my love fell into a black hole in Vegas and did my best to sound supportive on the other end of the line. And most importantly, I arrived at a hair peak. Thank god for gay male hairdressers.

I'd like to say I have a fabulous new year's resolution, but it's the same story it is every year. Walk more, sing more, play more.
Maybe I should resolve to do something incredibly simple, like wear more lipstick or stop biting my nails. Or maybe I could finally realise that resolutions are bullshit. I hardly know anyone that keeps these empty promised made to oneself at the strike of midnight. Cheers darling.

I'm gonna get in early. Happy New Year kids. Hope it's a doozy.

What's in store for 2010?

cactus
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She sells sea shells

How clever are some people? Look at what a lady from work made from washed up seaside goodies. She even found a scrabble tile with an 'A' on it, specially for Amanda who received this lovely piece of recycled treasure. It's times like these I wish I was better with ideas for hand made presents. Sorry family, you're all getting paper aeroplanes...again.
Love you!

cactus.

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Bring it back now...

Doesn't this song make you want to run away and be sixteen again? When life was easier and your biggest problem was that your mum wasn't gonna let you wear white hot pants to the school disco next week. When you and your bff sat near the beach and
dipped hot chips in chocolate thick shakes (yes, I did that ) and watched that guy you kinda liked do below average kick flips at the skate park. When sitting on the floor of a train wasn't so gross, and you didn't mind sharing chupa chups. When your make-up routine consisted of glitter and lipgloss. When a cruise in your mate's gemini and a sneaky cigarette consisted of a good night out.
Sigh.

Any takers?

cactus.

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Yaysies for Able and Game ...

Christmas cards! Horay! I came home to a little package from Able and Game with theses cards inside. How lovely. I entered a comp they were having asking people to write through what they would give William Shatner for christmas. I said a copy of the movie Secretary; James Spader: totally has to date me. The illustrations are way cute, plus with cards for occasions like telling your crush you like them, congratulating that friend on getting knocked up and thanking your dad for teaching you how to drive you won't have to endure that awkward silence while you're not saying what you really wanna say ever again. Thanks Able and Game!

I'm pretty keen on the mixtape card. What's your fave?
http://ableandgame.com/

cactus.
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Romance is dead?

Is it bad that I find Whitley's new song 'Killer' slightly sweet and romantic? I'm getting flashbacks to early uni days where I had to do my first tutorial paper. It was for english lit and I had to analyse a few poems in front of the class and our very feminist, scary tutor. Now, considering I didn't even know what a tute paper was and I did it the half an hour before class, I thought I was doing pretty well. I remember reading one of the poems and thinking 'aww that's sweet.' as I described the flutter I felt in my heart to the class, my tutor looked at me in horror and spat out 'This is a poem, about domestic violence!' Whoops. Isn't poetry open to interpretation. I guess now that you mention it, breaking someone's legs to keep them in the hospital you're a Dr. in isn't the most traditional way to tell someone you like them but at least it's subtle and inventive, right? Hmmm.

Biggest misinterpretation ever? Possibly.

cactus.

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Warm Smiles

I left my desk for just a minute and upon my return was this beautiful Christmas card!
It's from the very talented Toyoko Sugiwaka, author of the cutest craft book 'Pass me a Smile'. She makes the happiest little creatures, if you love cutesy and kooky check out http://passmeasmile.blogspot.com/
There were some little lama stickers inside too. I feel so special. If you're reading, thank you Toyoko! Happy holidays to you too.

cactus.
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Tis the season ...

To be getting way too trashed at Christmas parties. What is it about cheap champagne and a new frock that makes one giddy with silliness?

I wish I'd thought of these before I attended my own work party. If I had, I may not have felt that hot flush of shame as
I pressed the elevator button the next day. And so I felt it my obligation to share some handy hints about surviving the
silly season at work.

Steer clear of beige's/whites/creams/baby-blues. Sad but true, you'll probably be wearing someones drink later on in the night and the last thing you want is an obvious stain all down the front of your fabulous ensemble.

Karaoke, under any circumstances, is never a good idea

Don't talk work talk, challenge your boss to a sculling competition or think that this is the best setting ever to tell your office crush how you really feel. The market's still tough so chances are you'll have to hold onto your job, and share carpet with these people for the next few months. At least.

Only do the running man if you can can, And only if your work mates already like you.

If you're stuck in a boring convo (i.e. 'And then I said to Georgie my goodness you've gotten tall, and she really had, she's at least three feet taller than when I last saw her. They grow up so fast, don't they darling.') quickly offer to get some more drinks but leave before they've had the chance to answer and never return.

No one cares that you're considering swapping sides to Team Jacob after seeing some very pecksuasive evidence recently.
I found this out the hard way.

If you do peak too early and need to bail before dark, cop it sweet and don't call out 'I used to be fun. I swear!' to the happening party as you're bestie holds your hiccuping arse up, hailing a cab at the same time. If you do need to bail, backdoor it. It's the only dignified way to go.

Shots=the end of your night. As if you're not drunk enough already.


Even if you remember one of these you will have one less thing to cringe at the morning after. Cos I guarantee there's always one perky girl with a camera who somehow had the hand/eye coordination to snap away the for the entire party, and facebook is her best friend. Untagging won't save you now. Go, be merry and drink your company for all their worth.

Have you got any tips to add to the list?

cactus.
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valid reason or a good excuse?

Finders Keepers was fab. Such a good atmosphere, so many talented bunnies. I did come across some treasure (above as promised) ...some very interesting treasure: my dream dress. I don't mean that in the 'oh it was so beautiful, it really was a dream dress' kind of way. I mean it in the sense that I dreamt about this dress the night before. Now, I know hearing about people's dreams is about as boring as scrubbing grout so I'll be brief and spare you the details. This dream was in third person, I could see myself running through The Rocks in this cream, lace dress with my hair flapping behind me, fastened by a headband. So you can imagine the alarms ringing in my head when I came across my dream dress. Literally. I tried it on and it fit perfect, naturally, as a dream dress does. My Christmas budget didn't quite agree with my need to possess said dream dress. A good friend talked me into putting it back on the rack and threw the old 'there'll be another dress' line at me and we left it at that. Except, I couldn't. What are the odds of a) remembering the type of dress you wore in a dream all the next day long, b) finding pretty much the exact dress and c) it fitting in all the right places? It has to mean something right? I tossed and turned all night and the next day, did what any girl in my position would do. Hit an all time low and borrowed money from ... my mother. Ouch. Not a proud moment in my life. Still. I had to have it, right? Or is this just another hairbrain excuse for me to purchase another dress? You decide. It is very pretty. So, now I have a pretty dress to wear when sitting on my couch watching tv ... cos that's about all I can afford to do now.
Thanks to Katie Mayors for the finders keepers and owl tree pics-so cute!
How was your weekend?

cactus.
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Happy Friday!

I'm off to the Finders Keepers markets tonight. Will post if I find any special treasure to take home.
And then a summertime party tomorrow night. Yaysies.
Hope the weekend holds something lovely for you.

cactus.
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to phone or not to phone?

I'm quite perplexed about something. Maybe you can help me. Yesterday morning I was on my way to work when a good friend from Canberra called. We don't speak all that often so it was lovely to hear from her (Hi Kim!) So I'm walking along when I hit my cafe, line up, get my money ready and order my large skim cap with two raw sugars (does the skim milk cancel out the sugar? I don't know but it always lightens my guilt slightly) to which the coffee man responds 'don't do phones any more. Next', waves me away and takes the next order in line. Umm ... excuse me? I tell my friend calling from Canberra to hold on a minute, I then re-order my coffee and turn the slight colour of beetroot and go hang in the corner. 'I don't do phones anymore.' The words over in my head. Why? It's 2009, we're not friends, your job is a service, to make coffee, which I pay for. Isn't the customer always right? What if I'd had my ipod in-would I have been denied service then as well? When my coffee was ready I felt like accidentally-on purpose dropping it on the floor and saying 'I don't do steady-grip anymore.'
Interestingly when I got to work and told the story people's opinions were divided. Apparently this cafe is now a 'no phone zone'. Personally, I don't get what the big deal is, but all my gen-x friends thought I was in the wrong, while my gen-y buddies were aghast at the rudeness of coffee man. I still don't know what to make of it. all I know is that I now can't get coffee from the closest cafe to work.
What do you think? Generation gap thang?

love from a slightly embarrassed/self-righteous cactus.
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Let me eat cake!

Talking at crossed purposes can be funny on stage. Or when you're watching a conversation take place that you're not directly involved in. But when it's you and you're at work, nay in a large meeting, talking at crossed purposes doesn't necessarily see the light of a giggle. It's someone's birthday at work thus there is cake. At 2 pm. My weekly meeting with my manager, her next manager and the design manager is also at 2 pm. This poses something of a problem for me as mid-afternoon is usually the time I need my sugar hit. What should I do? Ask to move the meeting back half an hour so I don't miss out on cake? Come late to the meeting with cake in hand? Come late to the meeting with cake in hand for all? Although the last one may have scored me brownie points (no pun intended) I decided to just calm down, stop being a fatty and let the idea of cake go. The meeting's about half way through and we've been discussing how frustrating it is when the other departments don't support one another and how we really need them to be backing us right now. My manager says she's going to pop upstairs and bring the spreadsheets back down with her, throwing in 'I'll see if there's any cake left while I'm there' with a bit of a wink. Oh sweet relief! All I have had on the brain is caramelised profiteroles with fresh cream and custard topped with wild forest berries (surely now you can see this isn't your everyday sponge I was fretting about). Once my manager is upstairs the design manager says 'oh I'm so glad someone was as worried about that as I was, I thought I was the only one!' Oh hello friend, I think. That is where that thought should have stayed, in the brain but instead I piped up and proclaim 'I know! I felt like shouting "Save me a slice piggy-wiggies, I've got a meeting to attend!' Silence. This is when it dawns on me that my design manager is not actually too concerned about voicing the fact that she may miss out on an afternoon sweetie, but more is relieved that my manager is on the same page as her regarding her opinion on the other departments. Gulp. I go strawberry in the face, feel like there's cream being whipped in my stomach and as if cashews have dried all the leftover syrup in my mouth!

That's nice isn't it?

Farewell Gateau St Honorè (and pride)...I'll catch you next birthday.

cactus.

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Nothing like a faux pas flash to wake you up

I kind of like those mornings where you're still half asleep as you get on the bus, basking in the remaining afterglow of a good weekend and feeling pretty darn fine about the real cute outfit you threw together in ten minutes. So I'm walking to work with Mystery Jets in my ears (relating way to much to 'Young Love') and start to notice that it's not just me that thinks my style is fine this morning. A small boost of confidence kicks in, which in turn puts a spring in my step. Until I look down. My fab little button up floral dress, is not nearly as buttoned as it should be and the girls are hanging out for the world to see. That's nice isn't it? Good morning Sydney and Happy Monday to ya! At least I had my little friend here to greet me on my way into the office.

How's your day so far?

cactus.

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warning: DIY markets may be hazardous to your wallet

My number one tip when hitting markets is: always make a bee-line for girls sitting on the grass with clothes spilling out of their suitcases because they'll be selling golden items for cheap cheap. So, needless to say that when I got to the hub at Newtown today I started rummaging straight away and found some killer wedges (see above) for only three dollars, I also scored a brand new green halter seduce dress for only five bucks (price tag still attached reading $299.95) along with a cute pair of jelly sandals, throw in a few five-dollar-dresses and I now have myself a new week's worth of clothes for less than what breakky costs me...well maybe just a little bit more. Good evening baked beans on toast.

Said breaky was had with lovely ladies who are very bad influences on me when shopping. But I love them anyway. One of whom gave me a belated birthday pressie...a cuddle cup! How cute is it? I think it's something I'll be cuddling for many mornings to come.

How was your Saturday?

cactus

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Pleased to meet you

Dear friends, strangers, ex-crushes and talented cross-stitchers,

So. I've always been into scrap-booking. Not the kind that was really popular a few years back, but the kind that is like collecting a pocketful of memories that makes you smile each time you flick through the pages leafed with memories and daydreams. The problem is I never seem to finish a book. Ever. So instead of having dozens of half used gluesticks and pictures that haven't found the right book sitting in my draws I thought it would be better to start a blog so I can keep everything in a place that I won't be able to lose or not finish.

I've just come back to a hot Sydney Summer after a few weeks in mid-autumn Mexico and with this heat wave, there's nothing I'm craving more right now than a chelada: lemon juice and beer with salt, lime and chilli.

cactus.

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