The new normal...

It's been almost exactly a year to the day since I last posted but it feels like time for a catch up. Over the last few months I've had so much happen that I've really felt like some sort of creative type of outlet would be awesome. At the end of January I became a member of that club that unfortunately so many of us are a member of either directly or by default. I was diagnosed with uterine cancer (which I like to think of as the other C-Bomb...) 

Since then I've been spending a ton of time at the hospital and just recovering from 3 surgeries. I'll begin my Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy treatment next week. I've just found that this one diagnosis has changed so many things. SO.MANY.THINGS! I am really living with a new normal that I didn't choose but which I am having to adjust to quickly. 

I'm learning so much and receiving so much energy and love from people that I am completely humbled. I feel uncomfortable to be receiving that which is my 'normal' to provide but I'm really trying to just relax and be grateful that I'm going through this surrounded by all the people that I'm surrounded by and whilst being a citizen of a fantastic country that provides spectacular care. 

I had a hysterectomy to deal with the uterine cancer and that means that at the ripe old age of 37 I am officially in menopause! FUN TIMES.  Pre treatment and post surgery the hot flushes are the biggest thing that I'm dealing with. I'm super lucky that for me they're ok and I can pretty much deal. It does provide a certain amount of humour when shy and prudish me ends up unashamedly cooking dinner in my underwear because it's just toooo hot.

So yeah... I have a lot to say and I'm forever experiencing new things so I am going to probably have a ton to say on the subject. I'm also, of course, still living my life and doing all those things that I love to do so as I hope to be reestablishing the blog I will also write about cool stuff that happens. I do tend to find that if you look for it you can find a LOT of cool stuff :)

xo

Recently loved movies and stuff

I'm pretty useless about reviewing things but there are three movies,one book  and two apps that I've really enjoyed recently that I wanted to do quick reviews of on this rainy holiday Monday 

I LOVED this movie. It was the first one that I've actually had to look away from because the action was too intense though. It's all bravado and stunts and it's stupid as hell but SO COOL! People start talking plot holes with these movies but the only plot hole that matters is that they'd all be dead before the first half was up if any of that ish actually happened to them. It's so slick and so shiny. There's a LOT to like about this movie if you take it for what it is and don't expect anything else. I think my fave bit was when The Rock flexed his way out of a plaster cast! LOL!!!  Oh ... and also Vin in a tux ... just sayin.

The last bit was so well done and they really did well paying tribute to their lost friend. Over all 10/10 AWESOME

This has just come out here but I think it's pretty old. It had zero advertising and the only way I knew it existed was that I saw the trailer when I went to see another movie.. but lets not go there ( Into the woods blurgh).

We have a typical love triangle/interfering parents type fairy tale here. Everyone  knows how this story goes but I adored the way they presented it. The animation is bright and bold and vaguely Tim Burton-esque ( to this untrained eye at least) and the setting is so original. It's a movie about life and love told in the realm of death. I love the idea that no one is ever really dead so long as there is someone left to remember them and the Day of the dead festival to do just that. Personally I think it's more beautiful than morbid or scary. It was a little slow to build but seriously by the time I left the theater I was so in love with this. It's one that will still be good at home even if you don't have a giant TV to play it on so go watch it people! 8/10

I hadn't heard anything about this movie at all and actually watched it at home. I just .. ITS SO GOOD! I don't even know how to write something articulate about it. It's funny and cute and made me cry, it's smart and sensitive and just the best animation I've seen in forever. LOVE LOVE LOVE Big Hero 6

This book has had a ton of hype which can sometimes make me a little wary but I saw it on the rental shelf at the Library and decided to grab it. It's hard to explain the book without giving it away but it's about an experiment done by a Doctor of Philosophy on his family and the life long effects. It's about Animal rights and what family really means. It's so many things to be honest. I found this families life absorbing and read the book in a few sittings. It feels like a true story and when I was having a discussion with my mother a few weeks later about a similar issue I had to stop and think if I'd heard it on the news or read it in this book. We are all completely beside ourselves is intense and a bit weird and in some places it feels like you've read this story before ( BUT no you haven't). It's really original and feels smart though it's one of those things that will incite people with a bit of knowledge on the subject to come out swinging against it I'm sure. Take it for what it is and don't expect a fun ride. It's unhappy and bumpy and will certainly make you think about what you think about the world. 7/10

so that's what I've been loving recently. I also want to mention this ap

I just downloaded it a couple of days ago so I'm still in the fun, figuring it out and playing with things phase but so far it's awesome. I'm using the free edition and you can make videos up to 60 seconds long and use about 10 photos and 40 seconds of video. I've made a couple of little things that are really cool :)  ... and of course this one which turned my boyfriend into the prettiest little stripper out there...

My Idol is all in Chinese but reasonably easy to figure out. At first I was a bit frustrated because the photos of my boyfriend were going onto female figures and every time I ended up as a male! I thought it was using some algorithm to decide he was just prettier than me but then I looked a bit harder LOL. Lots of fun but I'm probably going to be over it pretty quickly. 

We're off to see the Avengers this afternoon so if I like that as much as I liked the first one I'll probably review it at some point :)

xoxo

Good bye Jonathan Crombie. Thank you for the memories.

I was so sad yesterday to hear of the death of Jonathan Crombie. It's ridiculous to be this sad about the death of someone that I've never met, almost a little disrespectful to his family who actually have a claim to mourn him. Still, Jonathan has a very special place in my heart and to be honest my life. 

Jonathan, your 'Gil' was the first love of my life and like many around the world the standard to which I have very unfairly held every non-fictional love. Thank you for Gilbert.  RIP

xo

A Sunday night track

I been thinkin bout a slow dance :)

xo

A weekend away with the man

This past weekend was Easter and Tony and I went to Hamilton ... yep. Hamilton.  It was amazing weather and honestly every time we go down there I have an awesome time! I never thought that Hamilton would equal fun and relaxation but there ya go 

It's SUCH a pretty drive. I love driving through all the country side and it was so nice that this time it was pretty much green. Often at this time of year its all brown after a long hot summer. We had the most relaxing breakfast ever in the most relaxing cafe I've ever been in ( The Kaimai cheese company). Then it was time to hit up the Hamilton Gardens with Taiga!! My nephew is seriously the cutest thing in the world. He got a hold of my phone and when I put the front camera on he LOVED it and took about 50 photos of himself. LOL

On Easter Sunday we went to see Fast and Furious 7 at the XTREME screen at Te Awa. Firstly they are the flashest theaters I've ever been in, just luxury and cool personified and secondly, movie review to come. After that we went all hunter gatherer in the name of lunch which is a lot harder than it sounds when you take NZs archaic Easter trading laws into account. We happened upon Diggers bar and LOVED it. It was just had a cool vibe and we enjoyed our pizza and beer :)  Then we finished the day with a little more Taiga time.

On Easter Monday we went home via Bridal Veil falls and Raglan. I fell in love with Raglan. It's the perfect beach town. I would absolutely live there if I could support myself somehow *le sigh* hahahaha. It's actually a little bit too cool for me. Everywhere you looked there was just Surfer peoples being cool! I was in no way cool enough and I didn't even mind because it's so PERFECT!! ...yes I'm just a little bit enthusiastic about the town.

This weekend made me feel so crazy lucky. I feel so grateful to have been born in such a stupendously beautiful country and to have free access to it. I feel grateful to have such a lovey man who takes me away to places like this and holds my shoes and towel when I have a swim in the freezing ocean. I feel so grateful that Taiga is mine (well my nephew at least hahaha) and that he's so happy and healthy and smart. 

I wish everybody could be as lucky as I am. 

xo

Cinderella 2015

Yesterday I had the very cool privilege of taking someone to their first movie EVER!!! My fave little girl, 3yo Sophie, her Mum and I went to see Cinderella at Mission Bay.  Sophie did so well! I was really proud of her because it's actually a really long movie and it's confusing and it's 100% not a cartoon. Unfortunately it starts with sadness, death and dying ( oops) but luckily Mum was there with pretty fantastic answers to all of the questions.

I was so surprised but... I really enjoyed this!!! I thought the marketing to women instead of/ as well as girls was a bit weird but I get it. This fairy tale has such an appeal and they've vamped it up just enough to make it relevant and give it a place in 2015.  It's still a fairy tale and of course there's the Insta-Love problem and the 'Prince has every female dance for him then chooses a bride' problem but given that it's Cinderella and a fairy tale we'll let it slide.

I loved this Cinder. She was just a little bit sassy and she never gives in.  She handles the Step mother and sisters as we've come to expect Cinderella to but you never really get the sense that she 'becomes' the slave girl or that she gives up hope of a different life.

Of course they've done a beautiful job of making it beautiful! *Sigh* - That dance at the ball. Oh MY. I now want a big swirly dress and a classical dance at my wedding. So. Freaking. Perfect.

Go see this movie people. Take it for what it is ( a fairy tale) and just get swept away. As modern females of course there are problems with this story but it's not a modern story and at the end of the day it's fun to day dream about dancing with the prince at the ball ( Harry I'm Looking at you!).

LOVE 8/10

xo

I've found the secret!!!

A long time ago my friend gave me a great bit of advice. I was rabbiting on about not having the will power or determination to get myself on the health train and she said... (dum da dum dum) "Don't take things away just add them" 

It's actually such a simple and elegant solution to the "I cant give up sugar" or "I don't have time to exercise" or any other excuse. In essence don't give up sugar. Don't even think about the sugar you eat and drink just add as much water and clean food that you can. Drink that coke and eat that chocolate but add in a few glasses of water and some almonds for example. The idea being that if you slowly keep adding "good" things you eventually wont have space or time for the "bad" things that you're trying to give up or change about yourself.

I took her advice on board at the time. I thought it made sense and was pretty smart actually but didn't really do anything about it until recently.  Since I've moved into my own house I've been trying to add things to my routines. I'm very driven by routines , I love them. In the last month I've added a glass of water, A face washing-hair brushing-tooth cleaning routine to my mornings and I've added a ton of walking to my day.  So far I'm noticing that waking up is so much easier and I'm so much more on to it when I get to work.

I've added in my asthma preventor medication twice a day and OH MY GOD I ran for the train this afternoon and humid as it was I was barely out of breath and nothing like the red faced, heaving chested wheezy mess I usually am!!!!

I'm loving this simple idea and it's already working for me. In the next few weeks I want to add as much water as I can and I want to add more sleep. About 8 hours a night sounds good to me. After that I will add some sort of exercise class I'd say. I've only been thinking about doing it for about 3 weeks but the results are great so who knows what the future might hold and I can still enjoy drinking coke and eating Easter chocolate!! PERFECT

xo