Not so sweet anymore

Wow, did I ever underestimate the power of my sugar addiction! Honestly, I never really thought twice about how much sugary junk I eat. It's a bit like panadol I think (go with me here). A few years ago I remember having a really bad headache, and my reflex when I had a headache used to always be to take 2 panadol. So I did, and it didn't go away, so I remember having a few more over the course of the day/night. By the time I finally made it home after a long day with a long headache, my flatmates were really worried about me. I was totally pale, I nearly passed out before I could make it to my room, I had a really bad nosebleed that wouldn't stop, and one of them finally asked me "How many panadol did you have today?" When I added it all up, I had taken about 12 or 14 without realising. This is not good! But it was just such a reflexive response, headache = 2 panadol, that I hadn't realised that actually it was possibly the panadol that were contributing to me feeling so bad.

(I try not to take them anymore by the way, I learned that lesson!)

But now my reflex is: feeling bad = eat something sugary. This is also not good. I never realised how strong this reflex was until the past 2 weeks while I've been trying to control the amount of sugar I eat! So when I'm feeling bad (tired, sleepy, grouchy) I want to have something sugary, but can't. But currently - bad is equalling headaches, grouchiness, dizziness, I'm getting edgy and jumpy, it's a lot worse than I thought it would be. I really, really want to eat something that will instantly make me feel better, but I won't! I will not let the sugar win! This means that the bad mood stays there. And gets inflicted upon those around me. This has resulted in some bad behaviour, for which I am sorry! Yesterday I was in such a bad mood at work that I got sent for a ten minute time-out! I went and sat by the pool, put my feet in the water, and calmed down.

I used to be cookie monster, now I'm becoming Oscar the grouch!

Sarah has a theory (disclaimer: maybe she just told me about this theory, she might not actually support it) that who you are when you are tired is your real self. This does not say good things about me! I tend to get a bit impatient when I'm tired, and also mostly indecisive. (Mostly indecisive, that's hilarious - how can you be mostly indecisive?! That's a great example of me being tired when I'm writing this because I got up so early, and not even being able to commit to an adjective without qualifying it! Totally indecisive!) I'd like to put out a statement that who I am without sugar is NOT my true self! I'll get better, I swear! I am a naturally sweet person deep down, honestly, honestly I am :-)

Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane.
Philip K. Dick
(1928 - 1982) Valis

The world has gone crazy and taken me with it. It is entirely not the other way around.

(Just humour me for a little while!)

The Mountain

Amazing cartoon that I loved and wanted to share with you!

It's never as hard as you think it is...

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Low GI Madness

Hi, my name is Amy and I have a sugar addiction.

I've made the (tough) decision of attempting, attempting to kick my sugar addiction. Tough, did I mention tough? Oh the toughness. I have actually tried to do this before, but not knowing enough about the options I haven't gone very far. Possibly I also haven't really wanted it enough before, that could also be possible... I like sugar! I like sweet things! I like cakes and chocolate and biscuits! I like things that are quick and easy and pre-packaged and processed! This is not a good thing though. What ends up happening is that I feel flat, or tired, so I eat something sugary to pick me up - then end up with a sugar crash, where I feel flat, try to eat something else sugary to pick me up... sugar crash. (Sugar crash Amy is not pretty, as I think some of my colleagues can attest to) (actually, my beautiful colleagues are so well trained that at the slightest hint of a bad mood, a Kit Kat or a Giant Freddo will magically appear on my desk!) (it's just occurring to me now that this is possibly a self-defense mechanism on their part actually...)

So this time I've bought a little book on low GI foods, and am really attempting to re-educate myself on healthier options. And it's tough. Again, did I mention the toughness? Oh the toughness! What I've learnt so far is that high GI foods break down quickly in your stomach and give you a sugar hit straight away. So actually you want to look for things that take longer to break down, and give you a slower burning, sustained sugar burn, this is better for your long term energy levels. But possibly not as exciting. Or as chocolate covered.

Did someone say....

SUGAR??!!

Google tells me that it takes around 21 days to break a habit. 21 days! I've barely made 3 days! (And that's not taking into account an isolated incident of fairy floss for dinner on Monday night) I'm miserable. I don't want to keep analysing everything I eat. I don't want to make an effort to change. I want chocolate. I want biscuits. I want cakes. I want SUGAR! Oh the toughness! Can you possibly ever understand the toughness??!! (Possibly not, as I may be using that word in the wrong context, but please take into account my sugar-deprived brain and give me a bit of grace! I'm just asking for A BIT OF GRACE!!!)

Well, anyway, I think that was my point. In my low-GI haze, I think I'm just asking for a bit of love. The forecast is a high chance of grumbling, possibly leading into a full-blown storm of grouchiness. Give me a chance though, not a Kit Kat, and I reckon I'll be sweet again in my own strength eventually ;-)

Rego Lockdown

I've been ignoring my rego sticker for months. You know the way you do that? Or is it just me? So you actually need to find something out (I do this with bank statements and phone bills too btw) but because you know that you're probably not going to really like the answer, you delay it, and delay it... and then all of a sudden it's a crisis! And you think - I won't do that again! Next time I'll sort it out ahead of time! I'll be all over it before it's even happened!

So I can see the back of the rego sticker in my car from the drivers seat, but that doesn't show what date rego is due. And every time I sat in the car, I'd say to myself 'I should really check that when I get out of the car' and then walk around the back of the car instead of around the front thereby not seeing it at all, which actually delays the date that the rego is due. Okay, possibly I can't really back that up. But it would be nice wouldn't it? So that's avoidance technique alright!

Well, I've finally faced up to reality, checked it out, and rego is due on April 17th. That's a measly 3 paydays away. So I am now on rego financial lockdown. This means no spending on anything non-rego related. Hey, stop laughing! I can do this! Anyway, luckily insurance is not due til May (don't ask me when exactly, I'm busy employing avoidance technique there as well) because that's going to hurt enough as it is without having them both come at once. I remember with my first car actually, I had rego, insurance and my licence renewal all in the same week - which fell on my birthday week! Happy birthday to me!

So on Friday I scurried up to my mechanic on the Central Coast, expecting a lengthy lecture on how bad the condition of my brakes were (they were screaming so loudly that random passers by on the street were looking at me in alarm!) and an extremely large bill... but instead I find that the brakes are fine, and all I need is 2 new tyres and a wheel alignment. Hurrah! (There may have been other assorted things done to the car as well, I'm a bit hazy on mechanical details) My mechanic is so great! He even let me split his payment, what a champ. I have to say, even though it's a pain having to drive all the way up to the coast to get my car serviced, being a young, gullible looking female (why fight the label) it's so worth it having a mechanic you can trust!

So that's the... er... pink slip... which means that now I need to get a... green(?) slip possibly, and not too sure about CTP also... and maybe something else... possibly... er...? Oh rego, rego, whyfore art thou rego? If only catching public transport wasn't so darned annoying... but then if only more public transport was as stylish as this!!

Cloverbus artwork thanks to the wonderful Chris!

43 Things

You might have noticed on the side of my blog (scroll down and have a look) a funny list called 43 Things. It's a lovely site I've been spending a bit of time at lately.

The premise is this:
" “I am doing 43 things”
People have known for years that making a list of goals is the best way to achieve them. But most of us never get around to making a list. 43 Things is great for that! Make a list on 43 Things and see what changes happen in your life. Best of all it’s a way of connecting with other enthusiasts interested in everything from watching a space shuttle launch to grow my own vegetables. So the next time someone asks you, “what do you do?” you can answer with confidence, “I am doing 43 things!”.
Why is it called 43 Things?
Everything needs a name. We think 43 is the right number of things for a busy person to try and do. Why not more? It’s too much. Why not less? You can do less, but it is still called 43 Things."

So if you go onto the home page, there's a list of all goals that other people have put in that day. The larger the goal appears, the more people have added that to their list. You can add goals that you like, or you can make your own ones. Some of the goals are crazy and make me laugh, some of them are inspiring and make me dream, some of them are ones that I've already accomplished, which makes me happy!

One of my favourite things about the site is that people can give you 'cheers' if they think you've made a good goal. You can write entries about your progress on a goal, and people might write and give you tips, or advice, or just give you cheers, which is nice :-)

I came across this list today which shows most popular goals, and how many people have that goal on their list. I've pasted the top 15 here, but if you have a few minutes, check out the rest and see if any of them inspire you. The further you go down the list the crazier they become!

1. lose weight 19479 people
2. stop procrastinating 15398 people
3. Fall in love 13115 people
4. write a book 12730 people
5. be happy 11609 people
6. Get a tattoo 10299 people
7. drink more water 10161 people
8. go on a road trip with no predetermined destination 9689 people
9. get married 9560 people
10. travel the world 8919 people
11. see the northern lights 8615 people
12. Kiss in the rain 8431 people
13. Take more pictures 8370 people
14. Learn Spanish 7945 people
15. Save money 7483 people


Have you got many goals?

Random fury

To the lady whose carpark I took this morning - SORRY! I really didn't see you waiting on the other side of the street there. And if you had have waited a few moments more, instead of shouting abuse at me and driving off in a huff, I would have moved my car and let you have the spot. I hope that doesn't ruin your day.



To the man who made it his business to get out of his car and come and shout at me, mate I'm working real hard on forgiving you, and I'm sure you thought that shouting at me was the right thing for you to do, I think the only thing I can say is that God loves you... and that's about all I'm ready to say about you so far.



Random fury... not a nice way to start your day...

UPDATE 10:20
Things that are making me happier today:
I straightened my hair this morning and it looks sassy
I have my new stripey Primark top on (Mish, there is other Primark attire being worn also!)
It's birthday Friday today, so I had 2 pieces of cake (1 x cheesecake, 1 x carrot cake)
People keep complimenting my stripey top
I have my pointy high heels on and have been strutting around the office (strutting is good for your soul)
It's Friday (Fridays are also good for your soul)
I'm wearing my huge cubic zirconia ring and it's all sparkly and nice
I'm going to go to Borders today and buy a book
The joy of the Lord is my strength!