So remember, way back when I got that massage voucher?. Well it expires on 30th September so I decided it was time to use it up (I still had $115 available on it) and splurged on a $109 massage.

The name should have tipped me off, “Hot Herbal Oil Massage” but I though it sounded neat. It was, kind of, but that oil was so damn hot! My shoulders and neck feel like they’ve been severely sunburnt and I have a bunch of scratches all over my back somehow.

Even without that (it did feel good in some areas, like middle-ish back. That was awesome!) it was quite possibly the strangest experience I’ve ever had. At one point, I was lying on my stomach and she had her legs wrapped around my legs and was pulling my arms back… I felt like we were in a wrestling match.

Then there was the pants issue. They gave me a little outfit to wear, the shirt tied at the back and she undid it when it was hot oil time but I had to take off the pants. I know this is pretty standard in a massage but I just wasn’t ready. So I closed my eyes and let her do her thing! Ok, so that sentence makes it sound like she raped me or something. She didn’t. I just feel uncomfortable having a stranger touch parts of my body that most people don’t see :P

So, now I wonder. I have had 2 massages and both of them really freaking hurt. Is this standard? Do people voluntarily go through this pain… and enjoy it?

I can’t imagine I’ll ever have another one ever again.

Yes, I know that is slightly wrong but given that it is my birthday I don’t care

So, I haven’t been crying but there have been some let downs with this birthday. I took 2 days off work so I could have a 4 day weekend YEAH!. Yesterday it was cold and rainy which I got caught in and ended up soaked. Not only that but I had this mouth wateringly delicious burger… what could be wrong with that? Well, it gave me mild food poisoning… woo.

So after the incredible stomach cramps and all round discomfort I thought today would be better. I woke up and my stomach was ready for a birthday feast but then I realised I could barely breath and my throat was slightly sore. I was optimistic and though I just needed a drink and such but no, I have a cold! On my birthday!

I suppose the plus side is that I can’t recall any other birthday that I was sick and given the time of year (it’s winter here) I guess that is pretty lucky.

Although, did I mention I have my period, 2nd time in a row. Normal cycle or less lucky?

Anyway, here is the chance to leave me money and cash while I go take a nap.

Or whatever that saying is.

I’ve started my weight loss journey… again. I tend to get back up to approximately the same weight and decide it is time to start losing again. If only I wasn’t so predictably lazy. I am really trying this time, up until 3 days ago I hadn’t eaten a piece of chocolate in a month. A MONTH! And then I did… and it was kind of disappointing. I ruined my record and in the end wished I hadn’t. On the plus side, I think my cravings are gone.

That being said, I’m pretty sure I overloaded on calories last night. Damn work and their bar tabs! And possibly something to do with the irresistable taste of Vodka and Raspberry. Why does it have to taste so non-alcoholic, why?!?

Up until yesterday, I had lost 2.1KG (4.6lbs) in 2 weeks. Lets hope I didn’t break it yesterday.

I have increased my exercise to 3 workout days. One of which is Saturday, which then includes 3 workouts of its own. I’ve also cut out a lot of my diet which makes me a bit sad. Anyone gone through this? I’d love your input on what I should eat. I’ve been getting a bit depressed about the lack of awesomeness in my diet these days. I feel trapped by lettuce most days. Help!

For the last few weeks we have been doing out of hours training. Even
though it is out of hours i didn’t mind initially but then it turns
out it is on team viewer and hosted by a russian guy called Albert. I
keep wanting to call him Boris, is that racist? It feels like it is.
Even them, I was ok with coming because I scored a couch to sit on and
get paid to sleep. Sounds like a good deal right? I could be doing
more interesting things at home though. The only thing I’ve remembered
is the use of the word ‘gate’.
Albert really isn’t selling me on this new system. I’m really
appreciating WHMCS right now.

… literally. I just set up post by email. Anyone looking to do it
might want to think about why they want to do it because, really, it
might be easier just to login to wordpress. I thought it would be neat
to post from my phone because my best ideas happen on the bus but I
don’t think it was worth it. Oh, and a tip to anyone that got here
because they can’t get it to work. Plain text is key.

“You know I wouldn’t have hurt you right?” said the creepy guy who got on the bus at the same stop as me last night.

He then continued it with “I’m not a creepy guy. I just wanted you to know that, ok?” and then sat next to me. 3 people on the bus and he absolutely had to sit next to me and have a chat. I think he was a bit drunk. Or that’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

So he is chatting about life and people and tells me I have a good soul or heart or something kind and loving and he could determine this within 5 minutes of meeting me. Why? Because I’ll work a graveyard shift. I mentioned that fact that, yes I am working a graveyard shift but you know what? It isn’t like I volunteered. I do this crazy, new fangled thing call shift work(heh, nearly wrote shit work).

He then continued on about how he wasn’t a creepy guy and he wasn’t going to do anything to me and if that doesn’t make a person start to freak out I don’t know what does. I dealt with it though because you might be surprised to know that this isn’t the first time this type of thing has happened to me.

Current creepy guy told me people talk to me and sit next to me on the bus because I have a gentle face. I look like a nice person apparently. All I was thinking was how to change that. What more do I need to do to let weirdo’s know that no, I’m not interested in talking whacked out stuff with them?

I try to work out everyday what makes me the person that people ask for the time or directions or sit down to have a chat with. What makes people stare at me as I walk by them? Even as I give them a “What the hell are you looking at?” look, followed by a “Is there something on my face?” look.

For some reason it seems to be highly concentrated on transport. Taxi and bus drivers (my current bus driver of a week has started a personal joke with me – “We have to stop meeting like this” – should I add him to the creep list?) mainly. Are they lonely? Why me? Why not the other guy that got on the bus?

Tell me, why me?

This afternoon I was sitting at home watching some TV when I noticed someone knocking at the front door – it actually took a few knocks for me to register they were actually at my door.

J goes to see what they want and who they are and from the couch it sounds like a religious group. I had a Jehovah’s Witness come visit me on Boxing Day and try to give me a bible – not really my thing – and figured this was the same but then J turned around and had a bag of… groceries.

These girls were from Life City Church and I guess decided everyone in my building was poor and needed some cheering up. Given that the first item out of the bag was a pack of Tim Tams I was happy to oblige, but they didn’t stay for a chat. Just gave us a flyer and left us with our goodies.

It was the strangest thing. The bag was filled with delights that I’ve wanted over the last few weeks but decided not to buy and all in one neat bag. It feels a bit weird that there wasn’t one thing in that bag that we don’t like – which is really saying something because we can be super picky.

One example is the juice, yes there was a bottle of juice in there and if you were doing random drops what type of juice would you buy? A generic Orange Juice right? The standard. I would have been disappointed though because I don’t like Orange Juice… luckily they got us Apple Juice, one of my favourites!

Now, I’m not religious in the slightest but it was like someone was trying to change my mind by giving me all the things I happened to be desiring at that moment in time (well except maybe the dry pasta… that would have to cook first :)). While it may not have converted me to their church I did think about it enough to a) blog about it and b) check out their website.

Alas, sorry Life City Church but I don’t think I’m quite so easily bought… maybe another visit next week and my arm might be twisted?

I went bra shopping last week (feel free to shudder). Why is it so hard? Why isn’t there a universal size for all brands? I think it is time to take them off and burn them girls!

Not only was I unable to find 2 bras in different brands that fit the same but bras of the same size in the same brand also had fitting issues. Eventually, I found one that fit and looked nice under my shirt so I bought it…

… I get it home and it doesn’t fit the same! How does the change room deceive me like this? I feel like I’m 15 again and trying to work out my size except that all my other bras are the same size and they fit.

I need to get fitted again maybe, have you been? How often do you go and when did you get your first fitting? I didn’t get my first one until I was 24!! and then I had the best bras I’d ever worn… it didn’t help that until that point I didn’t know what cup size came after D.

Now I’m off to shrug around until this bra feels like it fits.

The older I get the more questions I get about when I’ll get married and have kids. It surprises me that in today’s world there is still this expectation that people will get married, move into a house with a white picket fence and have 2.5 kids.

The world just doesn’t happen that way anymore. For me, I don’t intend to get married or have kids. The idea of pregnancy and kids scares me quite a lot. I don’t understand how a ‘natural’ process for a woman can have so many side effects and consequences. We’ve (as people) been around so long now, why haven’t we adapted and evolved where babies are concerned? Why are our babies so large in comparison to say, a tigers?

The more and more I hear about pregnancy the more it repulses me. Morning sickness, hot flushes, nausea, stretch marks, cracked nipples, leaking nipples, etc. etc. The older I get the more exposed I am to pregnancy the more I hear about new, disgusting side effects of it. The words mucus plug makes me shudder.

And all of that for what? 18+ years of dependency. I think I am far to selfish for it all. I don’t want to have to think of someone else every waking hour. I just want to worry about me.

I think number one thing that frustrates me most about the apparent requirement that I have kids is that people who can’t have kids don’t understand. I am meant to show sympathy towards them and yet, if I were pregnant, I would be shunned for not being happy about it rather than it being acknowledged as pretty much my biggest fear.

What is your stance on babies and marriage? How does pregnancy make you feel?

Oh my, it has been an age since I’ve been able to sit in front of a computer and just relax. The only reason I’m doing it right now is that one of my tools has decided to stop working and I can’t work for the second but I’m hoping it comes back soon. I was on a roll!

March was hectic, although it was mainly just work, food, sleep and repeat.

At work we have a leaderboard system and every month the top 3 people on the leaderboard (for that month) get a bonus. This month I strived for 1000 points (each call I take is worth 1 point and each ticket I resolve is 1 point) and… I got it! My highest point was 1031 which was a record for the company. So, they arranged a little surprise for me. I got my bonus ($300, yeah!) and also received a $200 voucher for a massage place called Orchid Essence. TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! I’ve never, ever had a professional massage before so this is going to be awesome and I might get a thing or two waxed while I’m there… probably just my eyebrows.

And that wasn’t all. I also got a little gift basket of chocolates from my team leader for my effort. So, needless to say I’m feeling pretty good about work right now. For the first time in, well, ever I actually feel appreciated at my work place. Last month 4 managers (at separate times) told me how much they love my work and and happy I’m in the company. It was all kinds of awesome. I’ve never had a CEO tell me I rock before!

I think they were building me up for next week though. One person resigned and his last day was today and another guy went MIA this week. Seriously, incommunicado! It is the strangest thing, they have tried multiple ways of contacting him (including calling his Mum) and nothing. Oh, and did I mention they made a whole team redundant and gave us their work! It is all kinds of scary.

Speaking of the guy that resigned. We had his farewell drinks yesterday afternoon and it was actually really great, I was kind of dreading it – given that most the people I work with are complete nerds – and I had a couple of drinks which is a first in I don’t know how many months. Granted, it may not have been the smartest thing considering I started work at Midnight and had a 12 hour shift but whatever, I’ll get over it.

In between all the chaos I’ve been trying to catch up on some reading but Cleopatra: A Life kind of bogged me down. One hard read. Glad I experienced it, but glad it is over.

Now, it is working again! Back to work.