Self portrait

Whilst everyone always has someone glamorous hiding in their family tree, my relative of infamy is Oliver Cromwell.  You might not know who he is unless you’re from the UK.  He was a military leader and the leader of the uprising against the Royal family and resulting English Civil War.  He then became Lord Protector and “ruled” for a few years before he died.  He’s more than a tad controversial (he shut down all the theatres in London, made everyone dress like puritans and basically committed genocide in Ireland) but he’s my claim to fame.

Anyway, the point of the story is Oliver Cromwell was one of the first rulers ever to have a true likeness painted of them, instead of the usual flattery.  Apparently the phrase “warts and all” is attributed to him because he told the painter to capture him as he truly was.

Hi there, great-great-great- ad infinitum- uncle!

And then this is me.

I tried to make sure I got the family lock of hair and furrowed brow.

NB: It took several selfies to get a picture that I was happy to put up on the internet.  I don’t think Ollie would be impressed.  Vanity was one of the things he detested.  Hopefully his brother (who I’m actually descended from) was a bit more chill.

Personality Quiz

Because Abigail demanded it, here is another blog.  I was prompted by Jenni’s Blogtember for this blog post.  If left to my own devices, I would probably just whine about work and no one wants to hear that.

So for this post, I went to this page and did a short personality quiz.  The results came back that I was an ISFJ.  I was very strongly introverted but the others came back around the 50-40% mark. 

It’s interesting to note (well maybe just to me!) that I used to be an INFP.  And now I am an ISFJ.  The last time I did one of these, I was in high school so it’s almost ten years ago that I did it and I guess we all change.

However, I can’t imagine ever changing from an introvert to an extrovert!  The ‘F’ part has also stayed the same.  This means that when I have to make a decision I will take into account the feelings of myself and other people, as opposed to what is best logically.  And apparently the ‘feeling’ vs ‘thinking’ aspect plays a big part in your career choice. 

The ‘sensing’ over ‘intuition’ part has changed though.  I would definitely agree that I prefer to look at concrete facts and what is happening NOW when processing things rather than trust a hunch or look at the bigger picture.  Although this mark came back as 50% so I guess I could swing either way :)

And apparently I like to ‘judge’ now rather than ‘perceive’.  This means that I prefer to have things ordered and structured rather than spontaneous and flexible.  I would like to think that I was open to being spontaneous though!  I definitely think that I have had to change this aspect of my personality due to work.  I have to be very organised and everything must be structured- although trust me when I say this does not come naturally to me!! 

And ISFJ people tend to gravitate towards certain jobs such as nursing.  So there you go!

Blogtember- Day 1

Linking up with Jenni to do her Blogtember.  This prompt was ‘Tuesday, Sept. 3: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are’.

It’s actually something I’ve been thinking about fairly recently, the idea of where I come from.  I grew up travelling because of my dad’s job.  To make a very long story short, I was born in New Zealand, lived there for the first five years of my life, moved to Bahrain, lived there for three years, moved to England just before my eighth birthday and moved to Australia just before my 16th.

So you can see why I have somewhat of an identity crisis.  Australia and New Zealand have a “friendly” rivalry.  I use the term “friendly” in inverted comments because sometimes I think people go a little too overboard on the Aus vs NZ rivalry.  When people find out I’m not Australian, someone else will usually pipe up “oh, she’s from New Zealand” and the jokes begin.  And technically I am, you can’t fault them.  But I don’t feel it.  I left when I was five and who remembers much of what happened in the first five years of their life?

(The view from my dad’s place who is now living in NZ again)

In my head, I identify very strongly with England.  I like its history, its culture, I even have a soft spot for its crappy weather (she writes whilst it is currently gloriously sunny and warm outside!).  I get their sense of humour and their pop culture references.  I really “get” England in a way I will never get New Zealand.  I did most of my growing up there, I went through my moody teens there.  And even now after twelve years in Australia, I still ‘think’ in English: music videos, not film clips or chips, not hot chips.  (If you’re not Australian, just ignore that last part!).

However, there is now a definite part of me that is “Australian”.  I lost my English accent in about six months so there’s no mistaking what part of the world I now live in.  When I travel, I have no problem saying I’m from Australia.  I think Australia has a pretty decent reputation.  Yes, we’re known for drinking and being obnoxiously loud but I think if you spent any amount of time with me, you’d see that’s not a part of who I am.  I think Australians are also known for being laidback and willing to help someone out, and that’s certainly something I can stand for.

Who knows where I will end up later on and if another country will play a part in making up my very mixed up identity!

Daybook ii

Outside my window it’s nice and dark.  It’s not too chilly so I have my window open.  I can hear some crickets outside and from where I sit, I can see the full moon peeping through the palm fronds. 
I have been listening to honestly not a lot.  I’m not really a music person.  I have about three songs that I listen to on repeat.  One of them is ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ from Rent.  I just adore Idina Menzel’s voice.  I think she is phenomenal AND I GET TO SEE HER IN CONCERT NEXT MONTH!!!!!!!!!
I have been wearing my onesie.  Oh yeah, my roomies and I all brought onesies.  See picture.

I am thankful for the nice people that I housesit for.  I had a mix up with one of my clients and she was lovely and understanding.  And I’ve had so many buy me food and leave me chocolates.  Honestly, all the people and animals I sit for are top notch!  I feel bad for charging them!!  The work I do with them is enough to keep my head above water without having to take on an extra job and stress.
I am pondering love BIG TIME.  I have always been blessed with perennially single friends (boo for them, they are awesome, why aren’t they being snapped up, but yay for me because I get to spend time with them!) but now everyone is pairing up.  Two of my dearest friends who were also some of my favourite single ladies are now married and expecting babies.  Whilst I am over the moon, crazy happy for them, I can’t help but be human and scuff my shoe and mumble “When is it my turn?”
I am reading ,well, about to read a book called “Inside of a Dog” by Alexandra Horowitz.  It’s for the course I am doing but it’s also a bestseller at the mo in Australia, I’ve seen it floating around all over the place.  Should be a good read. 
I am creating absolutely nothing.  I have so many works-in-progress at the moment.  Maybe I can do a June Nano or something?  I have the germ of an idea floating around in my head.  It’s just a silly romantic comedy (who even WRITES those anymore??) but it might be fun to write something I don’t really care about, just to get back into practice. 
A picture-thought I'm sharing is me and the roomies in our onesies!  I am the sexy cat one.

Daybook i

I always enjoy it when Danielle does these, so here’s my version.


Outside my window there’s a train arriving at the station.  I live directly opposite a train station and my room is at the front of the house, like maybe 20m away from the track.  It’s surprising how quickly you get used to the noise.

I have been listening to Brooke Fraser’s album ‘Albertine’.  I brought it when it first came out which was… 2007 according to wikipedia.  I was a huge fan of her first album and brought this one, her second, almost immediately.  And I gotta confess, I did not like it at all. I can say with an assured tone that I have not listened to it once since the first listen.  But now, like six years later (ok, the whole ‘SIX YEARS LATER’ thing just floored me), a song came up on shuffle and I really liked it.  Her voice is just so beautiful and the songs are about love and patience and I think I can relate to it more now.  I guess I’m just in a different place to where I was when I first heard the album.

I have been wearing work clothes and PJs.  I really haven’t gone out anywhere that warrants wearing anything other than work clothes or PJs. 

I am thankful for friends and family.  And things that I fall into absolutely, that chew me up (and hopefully will never spit me out), whether it be books, or TV shows, or movies.

I am pondering life in general.  Feeling a bit in a rut recently and I know it’s my own fault for being so stagnant.  Got a few big choices to make.

I am reading The Hobbit.  I’ve been reading it for like a month now and getting nowhere.  I still maintain that Tolkein is a dry writer and am very thankful for Peter Jackson for making the movies and showing how wonderful the storyline and world is.  I am also reading “Bitterblue” by Kristin Cashore, another fantasy novel.  It is a somewhat sequel to another book that I enjoyed.  However it has been so long since I read the prequel that I’m finding it hard to get into this one.  I shall persevere though!

I am creating this blog post.  And hopefully finishing up a story in time to enter an online competition.  I’m trying not to get too carried away but it’s basically the best competition ever and so I really want to win… which is giving me some crazy writer’s block.  Murphy’s law :)

A picture-thought I'm sharing is this naughty boy that I will be looking after for a week starting from tomorrow!  He is just adorable and I love him SO much!!!!  I hope he doesn’t roll in mud whilst I am looking after him though.

Great Big Books Q&A & Something Else

Sidenote: I am over at Suzy’s blog today.  Come and say hello so that I am not a sad person with zero comments on her blog.  And then come back and read this that I stole from her blog…

These are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover
3. Answer the questions below
4. Tag a few people to pass the Q&A on to: I have a few ‘booky’ people who follow my blog and I’d love to hear their thoughts :)

Favourite book cover:I don’t think I have one.  There’s nothing jumping out at me off the top of my head.  Instead I offer you this- I have a very small collection of books with me and this is the one I like the best. 



What are you reading right now?
I’m reading ‘Heart’s Blood’ by Juliet Marillier .  It’s just what I need right now.  A nicely written, easy to read YA fantasy novel.  Pure escapism. 

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
I put ‘Black Out’ by Connie Willis down to read the book I’m currently reading.  ‘Black Out’ has amazing reviews and has won a ton of awards… but I just can’t get into it.  But I will persevere! 

What 5 books have you always wanted to read but haven’t got round to?
The only ones I can think of off the top of my head are
“The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusack (thanks for the reminder Suzy!)
“Love in the Time of Cholera” by Gabriel García Márquez

What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?
I never buy magazines as I think they’re such a huge waste of money.  But I think there’s a copy of Frankie in the living room courtesy of Girl Roomie.

What’s the worst book you’ve ever read?
Um… the worst book I’ve ever read..?  I can’t think of one but I can tell you a story about one.  I was reading this book (‘Affinity’ by Sarah Waters) and it was SO boring and weird and there seemed to be so much subtext going on that I didn’t understand (and I hate feeling stupid!).  I nearly put it down… but then it became the BEST story ever!  Beautifully written and an amazing ending.  And then I read it when I wasn’t a naive 17 year old and it made a whole lot more sense, haha!

What book seemed really popular but you actually hated?
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series.  Not that I ‘hated’ it exactly.  I read all the books and they were ok.  Just ok.  I don’t see why they were SO popular.  I read a lot of crime/thriller books and I didn’t think the plot or characters or writing set this series apart from any other book in the genre.  Don't understand why the entire world went gaga for this particular series.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
'The Princess Bride’ by William Goldman.  It’s a hundred times better than the movie.  And the movie is the best.

What are your 3 favourite poems?
I really like ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling.  And I tried to learn ‘Seal Lullaby’ by Kipling off by heart.  I’ve never been a big fan of poetry though. 

Where do you usually get your books?
I’m quite cheap when it comes to books.  They are SO expensive over here in Australia compared with elsewhere.  $19 compared with something like $7 in the US.  I nearly died when I went to the US recently and saw how cheap the books were!!  I very rarely buy books and if I do, I’ll get them cheaply online or from a second hand store.  I am a HUGE library girl!

Where do you usually read your books?
In bed.

When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?
Not really.  My dad used to read to me when I was about nine or ten before I used to go to sleep.  I could read for myself but it was a nice bonding experience.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
The Hunger Games trilogy.  I just *had* to know what was going to happen!  I really fell hard for Katniss’ character.

Have you ever “faked” reading a book?
I originally said no but then I remembered.  I have faked reading ‘Little Women’.  I’ve tried but it’s just so boring!  I love the movie and so I can talk knowledgably about the storyline.  And so people believe I have read the book and I just haven’t corrected them…

Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
I’ve also *not* brought a book because of the cover too.  I like fantasy books but some of them have really silly covers!  A book I know that I bought for the cover (and by ‘bought’ I mean, saw it for sale, fell in love with it and then got it out from the library') was.

Wow, it’s even lovelier than I remembered!  It makes me want to read the book/series all over again!!  It’s so gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!  Don’t you just want to be an archer and wear a red dress and swan about whilst the wind blows through your hair?!

What was your favourite book when you were a child?
Anything that had a horse in it.  I really loved the Narnia series and there was a book where the main characters were horses, ‘The Horse and His Boy’.  I’d say that one was a favourite for quite some time.  And also anything by Jacqueline Wilson.  She was the best!

What book changed your life?
I remember having a ‘wow, you can do that?!’ moment when reading ‘Catcher in the Rye’.  It was the first book I’d ever read that was written in that informal style and I loved the freedom it offered, both as a reader and a writer. 

What is your favourite passage from a book?
I can’t think of one exactly but my favourite parts of books are always those parts where you realise you’ve been totally blindsided.  Here I go referencing a movie whilst talking about books, but I love those moments in books which are like the final moments in ‘The Usual Suspects’.  Everything comes together and your world shifts.  You realise that the writer is a master and you have been played a fool and you are reading so fast that you’re skimming words and you *HAVE* to know what’s happening right this very second.  As a reader, I just love those moments! 

Who are your top five favourite authors?
These are five authors that I like, in no particular order, off the top of my head:
1. Dean Koontz
2. Kate Morton
3. Kate Robinson
4. Val McDermid
5. Peter Goldsworthy

What book has no one heard about but should read?
Oh, I don’t know… um… “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie.  Such a good book.  I know a lot of people dismiss her but she is the bee’s knees and this book is such a good thriller.  I have been dying for a good movie or BBC adaption or similar of this book for YEARS!

What are your favourite books by a first-time author?
I was so stuck on this one so when I saw Sarah’s answer, I knew I had to steal it because I wholeheartedly agree with it: ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer.  Beautiful book.  And so sad that the author died just as the book was being published and never got to see how many people loved her story. 

What 3 books are you an “evangelist” for?
Ah, I can’t think of any.  I’m definitely an “evangelist” for “The Princess Bride”.  Also probably anything written by Kate Morton because she’s a local girl and I love her books.   

What is your favourite classic book?
Since I got this from Suzy and she said ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ which would be my usual answer, I’d like to pick something different, ‘Jane Eyre’.  I think it’s fairly easy to read for a classic and I love Jane as a heroine and her story.  And I think Mr Rochester has a lot to answer for when I consider the type of men I like!

5 other notable mentions?
I have absolutely run out of steam and MUST go to bed.  My eyes are falling out of their sockets, I’m so exhausted.  Therefore I am bypassing this question.  BUT knowing myself as I do, I will think about this question and probably come out with ten or fifteen other books that I am kicking myself that I didn’t mention.  So I’ll probably edit this later :)

I hope you made it all the way to the end and I doubly hope you fill this out yourself!!

Ten Day You Challenge: Nine Loves

#1 Snuggling with animals
The way they just snuggle into you and simply love you and trust you. *sigh* It's so cute. Especially kitties when they purr and you are just both so content.

#2 Reading while in bed on a cold morning
Bonus points if you have no reason to get up and can stay in bed for as long as you wish!

#3 Eating melted chocolate
Normal chocolate is a love too but there's something deliciously decadent about eating warm chocolate when it's all gooey and melty.

#4 Watching reality TV whilst stuffing my face with some kind of snacks
It's always best when it's some kind of 'appearance show', like 'America's Next Top Model' or 'Biggest Loser'

#5 Laughing at something silly, usually with my mum
#6 Reading blogs
Love reading about you all and what you crazy kids get up to! I love hearing about other people's day-to-day lives and getting the insight on their innermost thoughts. You never fail to make me laugh or inspire me. You remind me that I am not alone!

#7 Drinking tea
This is especially true when it is accompanied by some kind of delicious baked goods

#8 Writing a story when it's all working out and everything's flowing
Yep, I just compared myself to Shakespeare :) Also, this is what I wear when I write... an open necked puffy shirt and I, of course, use my trusty quill at all times.

#9 The smell of rain on a hot summer's day
I also love that 'Doctor Who' taught me that the word for this is 'petrichor'. Isn't that a cool word? And now you know the word for that lovely smell that is the smell of summer.

Honourable mention is this video that my teacher showed us in class today. If you have ever spent more than five seconds with a cat, you'll enjoy this one too!

10 Day You Challenge

This looks like fun. I've seen it on a couple of blogs that I read and I want in! I won't be doing it every day but just when I want to shake things up on the blog.

First day is ten secrets, so here we go!

#1 I'm 25 and I still have a stuffed toy in my bed. He is called Woof and is awesome. I actually only got him when I was 10, so he's not a beloved baby toy which I feel would somehow make it ok that I still have him. I don't snuggle with him every night or anything, just like having him around. One of my favourite things about him is that he is also my dog's toy too. Ok, this is getting weirder and grosser by the second, sorry. When my dog used to live with me, she used to love Woof as well and would just carry him around in her mouth all over the place and would snuggle with him. So Woof reminds me of my dog, who now lives with my grandparents.

#2 I'm a total cry baby. I hate crying but I cry an awful lot. Probably about once a week. If possible I cry in privacy but sometimes I get caught out crying in public.

#3 I still daydream about celebrity crushes. I know I was supposed to give up all that when I left high school but I can't help it! Sometimes it's nice to think about how [whoever I'm crushing on today] and I will meet and how we will get married and have celebrity babies with nice ordinary names.
#4 I know for a fact that I will grow up to be a crazy old lady with a house full of animals. I'm ok about it. I just hope my house doesn't stink *too* bad.

#5 I only sing along to music when I'm in my car. There's something about blasting music really loudly and singing along that is so liberating. I think it's because I play my music so loudly that I can't hear how my actual voice pales in comparison!

#6 I wish I had the guts to wear gypsy, boho fashion. I would love to swan around all the time in long skirts, vintage tops, messy hair and top it all off with bangles. My sensible brain rejects this fashion because it is messy and unprofessional. Although I do have the 'messy hair' part down :)

#7 My dream job would to be on the judging panel of a reality show. Doesn't matter which one. I would be the 'nice' judge. I think it would be fun!

#8 My actual perfect man is John Krasinski. Although that's not really a secret, I tell everyone that :) My girl roomie and I have had a John Krasinksi week actually, it's been lovely!
#9 I think I was born in the wrong era. I'm quite passive (read that as LAZY) so I would have been a perfect woman in olden days!!

#10 Whilst I'm a certified homebody, I really love travelling and living overseas for extended periods of time.