Just in time for your New Year Resolutions - Mind Movie

After speaking with my girlfriend B, who incidentally has just left her commercial airline in Dubai to come work and play with me next month, she sent me a link to this 'Mind Movie' she watches everyday. You can either watch one already made or even make your own with all the things you want in your life....apparently it only works if watch it everyday. Just an extension of doing your own visualisation for what you do want in your life and forget even thinking about what you don't want. I love this stuff! Could really be helpful in your resolutions or goals for next year. I watched it today before I left the house for the gym, and my workout was the best I had done in ages. Plus everything else just seemed to flow so well for the rest of the day. And it isn't even over yet! Think I might make one of my own with my goals for 2009

New Year, New You

Another post about New Year Resolutions! Well it's about that time of year again when most people are thinking of new beginnings and goals they hope to achieve over the coming year. It is a time to wipe the slate clean and start a fresh or continue in your intended direction should your dreams be longer term.

Every year I tend to have one or two resolutions that I like to work on and they never really change. Things like, eat better, exercise more, pay bills on time etc. which I am sure most people can relate to. But 2008 was a different story for me. As 2007 drew to a close, so did my life in another country, my job and some close relationships. It was a very challenging period where for a time I wasn't making the wisest choices, and as a result all I felt I needed was a mantra, not a resolution for the coming year. That mantra became 'be kind to me'.

In every choice and direction I have headed towards this year, I have asked if it were keeping in with my mantra 'be kind to me' and it has guided me towards more fulfilling relationships with myself and those around me, plus an amazing job, MORE travel, and a drive to get overall healthier (mind, body and soul).

This year I have chosen to be more specific in my resolutions/goals as I feel 2008 was a consolidation year and I am ready to start moving forward in leaps and bounds. I have been working on specifics over the last couple of weeks with what I'd like to achieve next year in many facets of my life and am really excited to start to see them take shape.

Wanna peep at some of them?

• Go 100% Vegan - once again my guru Kristen at Kristen's Raw has inspired me through her insightful blog, amazing recipe books (available here), and personal guidance. The nail in the coffin for my meat eating ways was her recommendation to watch A Delicate Balance (only $4.95 to watch online) . Amazing information and I urge anyone who cares about their health and your planet to watch! My boyfriend has even been 1 week without any animal products (except for 2 small slices of turkey Christmas Day) after watching this and although he cares more about his health than most guys I know, he has always been adamant he could never give up meat! Plus being the animal lover I am it just makes sense for me to do this. Check out this photo mum took on Christmas Day of my 17 year old chihuahua back home. Hellooooooo Axl!
• Start Spanish lessons (this one has been on the cards for years!)
• Unpack my sewing machine from it's original box (and use it) from Christmas 2004!
• Go back to weight training at the gym - not just cardio!
• Be more conscious of how my lifestyle impacts the planet and act accordingly
  
• Learn that I don't have to always 'be right' or 'in charge'

These are just a few of the smaller goals I have but can't give ALL my secrets away just yet.

What are your resolutions for 2009?

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Wow, I never knew how busy this time of year would be for me considering I do celebrate Christmas however I am living in a non Christian country and I can count on one hand how many times I have heard any holiday greetings and we are only days away from the big day. I guess many years of working through Christmas have desensitised me to the 'specialness' of this day plus being away from family and close friends just make it a little easier to bear if you don't get too wrapped up in the day. Plus I can no longer get excited over the turkey feast as I grow a conscience for our planet and for my body, so really to me it just reminds me the reason why we celebrate it in the first place which has got to be a good thing right?

I love living in a country where I am able to experience a completely new culture, where my captain comes to work with a flask of arabic coffee to share with the rest of the non muslim crew, which his wife lovingly made for him to break his fast with some homemade baked date treats (when Muslim's fast for any reason, it is customary to break their fast with arabic coffee and dates at sunset). I often have to remind myself when I do find other aspects of living here quite difficult (not being able to drive etc), that this is an experience I am really blessed to have. I even get to share in some local traditions with some young arab friends I have made, for example partying (no alcohol mind you) on the beach til the early hours including dancing and games and being invited to Iftar* during Ramadan.

With or without Christmas I think this is always a busy time of year as it draws to a close and businesses and people work towards tying up lose ends before the New Year. New goals, opportunities and beginnings are just around the corner. As we wrap up the end of the year, it is a great time to reflect on what we have achieved, what we can improve on and generally just give thanks for what we have. Merry Christmas everyone and have a fantastic New Year!

How are you celebrating Christmas/New Year this year?

*The name of the meal at the end of the day which signifies the breaking of their daily fast during Ramdan

Beautiful Short Film

I've just moved house and in the midst of this silly season I will be back on track shortly with much to post about....

In the meantime enjoy this short film. I've watched it 3 times already....let me know if you love it as much!

Another giveaway!

Raw Epicurean must realise it is Xmas (oh and so do Excalibur!)

If you are wanting to go in the draw for the chance to win a Dehydrator click here.

I have just bought a converter for my UK plug Excalibur Dehydrator tonight, so I am yet to try out some delicious recipes on mine, but I can tell that Bev from Bev Goes Raw is just dying to have a 'dry off' with me very soon.

Good luck on the giveaway!

Rose Lane

One of my prized possessions is my tiny piece of this planet back home in Brissie. I know we shouldn't have attachments to anything material, but I guess my apartment stands for all my hard work and it is a little slice of tranquility I can call my own, especially after working shift hours and many a 4 sector day. One of the happiest moment of my life was the day it became mine.It has been the home of many a cocktail making extravaganza with no less than 30 guests crammed into my tiny apartment, girlie catch ups with friends over a bottle of wine or 3, a stop in centre for my FA girlfriends, who needed a place to crash when their house was too far to drive after a long trip or a big night out in the city where a journey to their home was $20 more in cab fare.It has even been a haven for my quarrelling parents who have just needed a place of respite from each other for a few hours, only to find they both ended up on my doorstep.

Oh yes it is small but mighty this one. I have shared some lovely memories in my apartment, but most of all was when my best pal KT decided to buy the one below mine. The only downside was she moved in to her house 2 months after I moved in with the parents to save cash for my obligatory overseas stint.

After years of living overseas since that moment, KT has welcomed me into her arms and HER cloned apartment every time I venture home to visit. It feels exactly like I never left and often I go to open cupboards soon before I remind myself it is not my house.

My apartment has survived (barely) me living through the tough times in London; who really can afford to live there honestly? There were tears when I felt forced to put it on the market just to ensure I could see out my UK experience, to the detriment of my bank accounts that were appearing in the red, only to find it wasn't the best time to sell anyway (thank goodness).

I have a beautiful tenant who at my age has loved my place as if it were hers the whole 3.5 years we have been apart.

Recently KT was pleased to tell me of her intent to move out after almost 3 years and in with her darling boyfriend and therefore it meant renting her place out also. This was an exciting time, new positive changes for her and less time living out of a suitcase for both parties. But this also reminded us, as much as we both adore our little marks on the world, it is really unlikely we will both ever live there again...and even less likely that we ever get to live there at the same time and install our internal fire pole from mine to hers to save from taking those few steps extra down the external stairs.

The end of an era.

Raw Epicurean Giveaway

For those of you budding RAW foodies out there, I came across this wonderful giveaway that thought you might be interested in. Even if you are not thinking of going RAW but have an interest in improving your health (or you already are), maybe you'd like to enter to have a chance to win a Lexen Healthy Juicer. Click here to find out more!

London: I Miss You!

On my trip to London last week, apart from spending up big on new RAW toys to play with, I had the chance to catch up with some friends, rug up with some of my favourite winter scarves and pound the pavement of Central London in a way I never did when I actually lived there.

Having been back to London 3 times since I moved from there in February, I continue to discover more and more charm about the place I once called home. In fact, I do believe that when you live somewhere you have less appreciation for it, plus you tend to forgo the sightseeing for the everyday grind and you can sometimes omit seeing all it has to offer.

I cannot deny on my arrival, I had chills run down my spine as I drove past recognisable "offey's"* and kebab chain restaurants, wondering if it were nostalgia or my gut telling me I had made the right decision to leave as London and I have mixed feelings about one another. But once I had had a chance to change and plan my dinner arrangements, staying in the heart of London made me smile once more.

The Highlights

• Meeting up with my partner in crime (Greensies) from when I lived in London (oh the stories!!!) and hailing from my own home of Brisbane, for a delicious meal and wine at delightful French restaurant Cote in Wardour street. I was finally able to meet her beautiful new man, PB, with whom she is moving to Tokyo with in one month. Expect some travel stories from there in future no doubt as she has made me promise to visit her next year. The great deal about our restaurant was the price. For a 2 course meal it was £9 and 3 course £11 if you were seated before 7pm. Such a great deal and the service was amazing. Wine too

• Peyton & Byrne - a very British Bakery. OK so it is still not RAW but I had been recommended to visit whilst on my Detox of all places...by a British restaurateur, after I mentioned my love affair with having High Tea. Delightful Darling! I did buy some Rooibos tea to curb my guilt as well as cupcakes for my friends.
• Dinner with another dear expat friend from home, residing in London for the last 5 years, to belatedly celebrate her engagement. Cam is planning two weddings next year, one back home and one in her fiance's home of Albania (once again, another destination on my list especially now I have a reason!) We also had French this time at Cafe Rouge, with a printed out 2 for 1 voucher from the internet, so who said the recession had to mean we could not indulge now and then. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled online now for more discounts!
  

• Christmas Lights and Christmas windows at Selfridges Oxford Street. Apparently this is the first time in 40 years Santa Claus has made an appearance in the windows and they have done it in style with him appearing in a bath tab and my favourite, a red VESPA among other creations. Aw, made me sad that I will be spending Christmas in an non practising environment, so I breathed in as much festive cheer as I could.

Photo: Helena Walsh

• Carnaby Street Christmas Decorations. This photo does it no justice.
• Wholefoods!
• Dim Sum at Gerrard's Corner in Chinatown. Ok so it is not RAW but I chose healthily and I had to visit for old times sake. Was the perfect antidote to a killer hangover in days gone by...this was my first solo mission here and quite a success. Somehow, no matter what you order, you never seem to pay more than £10 and you are never leaving there hungry. They have refurbished since I was last there and now have a Karaoke room downstairs for hire.
• Dinner (again!) at Cote. Just couldn't resist and another catch up with old housemate Gem and her gorgeous new boyfriend. I'm going to give her new online store for giftcards a plug here too just because I can and I hope the word gets around about Cote too!
  

The lowlights

• It snowed the day AFTER I left
• I didn't have half the time I required to catch up with all my pals (you know who you are!)
• I ran out of time to visit my old faithful friend, the Borough Market - only open on Thurs,Fri and Sat. Made famous by Jamie Oliver's visit's on his Vespa during programming for The Naked Chef....ooh the olive tasting and delicious mulled wine in winter held in gloved hands.YUM.
• Primark Oxford Street - nothing more said!
• I never got to sample the Raw & Vegan restaurants that there are plenty of in Central London. Definitely on my to do list for next time.
  
• I forgot to buy my Black Uggs (which Helena has made me promise to NOT wear them outside the house- - come on Helena that is where you want to wear them most!)

*Offlicence

Sorry...my domain is having teething problems...

Apologies if you have been trying to access my blog over the last few days and have had no luck. Things should all be rectified now and you should have no problems coming to pay me a visit......

Now what kind of tea would you like...I have green with mint, chai, cammomile, some fruit infused..........

I Just Couldn't Go Past This...

Adorable and quality film making.

ENJOY!

Team Raw Welcomes Some New Family Members - My New Toys

As well as being a career and leisure traveller, I am also a budding Raw enthusiast. Combine the two and it gets quite tricky to not let one of them slide. I am always impressed by my fellow raw foodist's abilities to still stay on track when they are indulging themselves in a wonderful holiday savouring the local cuisine, which to me is almost always the reason you chose the destination in the first place.

I just got back from another work trip, this time to London and Jordan (both fabulous!), and as I had at least a week notice prior to departing, I was able to plan my excursion with precision. As I was going to have 3 full days in Londontown I had to plan my time wisely and the main tasks I wanted to check off my checklist (apart from catch up with old friends as I only moved from London at the beginning of this year), was to pick up my tools to assist me on my drive to be healthy and 'mainly' RAW. By the end of my 3rd day, I swear the bellmen must have thought I was an online shopping junkie, with boxes being delivered to my room EVERYDAY!

Here's what I ordered and from whom:

Excalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator with 26 Hour Timer: The best way to preserve the goodness of nutrient dense fruits, vegetables & nuts without subjecting it to the heat of cooking where enzymes, vitamins & minerals packaged straight from nature can be lost

A Saladacco Spairal Slicer: A machine you can make spaghetti like strands out of most vegetables, most notably zucchini. I have been dreaming about this ever since I tried RAW Zucchini Spaghetti with Pesto Sauce at Spa Samui on my detox. The sensation of eating the long thin pieces of zucchini makes it feel like you are eating al dente pasta (albeit cold).

A Tribest Personal Blender: Now I have no excuse not to have smoothies on the road. This little gem is so power packed that it can grind dry ingredients (it has two kinds of blades) as well as ice and wet ingredients, and every day after I bought it, I was blending up all kinds of smoothies in my hotel rooms. Bananas, kiwi, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and spinach made an appearance with a dash of water...YUM! This little beauty is also light enough to pack in your suitcase. I am now searching on Amazon for extra large cups to go along with it and maybe a travel case....Thanks Kristen for recommending it to me over a year ago.

I also made a long awaited trip to London's Wholefoods at Kensington which I was plenty excited about (so many little crazy ingredients that are just NOT available in my part of the world) after hearing about it all the time on some of my favourite blogs. Yeah it was heaven alright. I even came away with 2 logo hessian carry bags to cart my shopping home so I can look uber cool at my own little supermarket back home (and GREEN too) Then another quick stop to Holland & Barrett to top up on some ingredients that were sold out at Wholefoods then I was done. Phew.

So not only am I now flicking fruit & veggie pulp all over my kitchen with my daily use of my Champion Juicer, I can now make raw pasta, and some delicious treats with my new dehydrator whilst my kitchen looks like a garden with all my fresh produce. YUM!

If you are interested in more of the Raw lifestyle, here are a few great places to start:

Kristens Raw - got me on the road to learning more about raw after I devoured the book Skinny Bitch last year. Her blogs contains useful tips and hints, plus she sells the BEST recipe books. She is one cool chick!

Casey's Lifestyle Raw - shows how her choice for going Raw has helped her skin & low immunity. An Awesome Aussie girl!

Bev Goes Raw - an inspiring journey of 'Bev Going Raw' whilst showing some beautiful photos of her adopted home in Germany. Love her stories and beautiful photos too!

We Like it Raw - some inspirational before and after stories as well as interviews and tips to making RAW a part of your life

Raw Epicurean - RAW lifestyle recipes

I Have a Domain! Welcome to girlontour.com

This little computer illiterate nerd has just taken the next step in her education in the cyber world. I now have a domain...that means that you can access my blog now by simply typing in the address

www.girlontour.com

How exciting!

However you will still be able to access my blog by the old address of www.girlontour.blogspot.com but if you link into my blog from your page, might be a good idea to update it.

Thank you to all my readers, and watch this space for more (slowly) transformations.....

Brisbane Storm Season (What a Mess?!!)

Oooh I sometimes wonder at times like these if I am homesick or not. Crazy I know but at times I do miss the heat that drives everyone silly, the kind that ensures you are sleeping on top of your bed sheets, careful not to connect with your equally restless bed mate, unless you are a lucky one who happens to have air con. Funnily enough for my first 10 years of enduring Brisbane's summers, the only weapon I had to combat the sticky wet humidity each night was a squeaky ceiling fan. What I do miss is those powerful rain showers that appeared to come out of nowhere, when the lurking black clouds all of a sudden are upon you, and the rain is not just a light shower, it is a downpour and the usually pacey world has to stop and breathe it all in for a moment. All for 30 minutes, then the blistering sun shines once more and all you see is the steam rising from the roads.

Last week, Brisbane suffered a little more than a harmless storm. In fact my hometown has been getting bashed with a deluge of electrical storms, torrential rain and hail and gale force winds, which have ensured that once they were over, emergency services, the army, navy and apparently even some low security prisoners were enlisted to help clean up the mess. And apparently it is not even a little bit over yet. This is only November and December is traditionally cyclone season, but to be honest, Brisbane is not coastal and isn't usually at risk. Does this mean we are starting to really see the effects of Global Warming and Climate Change?

My mum sent me through these photos (after her electricity returned after almost a week and she was not alone).

All my Brissie pals had statuses on their Facebook to the effect of "enjoying a cuppa cooked on my neighbours BBQ" & "with the kids as school is closed"(of course they were using their mobiles to write these!) With stories of neighbours pulling together fixing fences, moping up and pitching in and helping one another really demonstrating the true Australian spirit. Kevid Rudd, our Prime Minister, even made a visit to some of the worst hit zones to inspect the damage.

I know, I know, stuff like this happens all over the world and quite a bit more severe too. Brisbane was very lucky, only one fatality occurred through all the mess. I guess however, when you have your mum sending you text messages like "Thank goodness I goto Boot Camp three time a week as I am now shifting a tree off the house and moving broken roof tiles", it takes me a little while to even comprehend this happening in my home. It also makes me smile too and wonder, where is my dad and why isn't he helping!?

Artist Impression of a Flight Attendant

One of my most treasured mementos and now a wall hanging in my house, is a caricature one of my bored passengers in the front row created of me on a Perth to Melbourne leg circa 2004. I had no idea what he was doing when shortly after take off, as I resumed my duties preparing for our first service of the flight, he started shuffling around in his belongings for his sketchpad and pencil. Approximately 5 hours later, he presented me with this.....

It now takes pride of place on my living room wall in a lovely wooden frame. Very cool.

Flight Attendants Reunion: Singapore

Who else other than those in our profession of Trolly Dolly can say, "oh you wanna meet up for a drink in Singapore this week?" to our friends who reside in London whilst you live in the Sandpit and will be travelling from China.

This is quite often the norm for those of us in the aviation industry in particular, especially those who have worked for a number of carriers and tend to travel to a great deal of destinations, including those ports we used to fly to in our past lives at previous airlines. Don't get me wrong I am not being blasé to world travel, it is just something we take for granted when it becomes part of your daily grind, plus most of us would never be able to afford this amount of travel on the small income we earn, so there has to be some upside.

This week was my first time to put it into practice, and after a quick sweep on Facebook through my status, to alert my world wide pals to my arrival into Singapore, I was able to find that not only one, but three of my previous work colleagues were due to arrive into Singapore the same night as me, two of which were in my initial training group over two years ago when I worked for an Aussie carrier (and it was one of the girl's birthdays too - what a bonus!).

Having only been to this city previously for work with the same said airline a handful of times, the layover was never long enough for me to explore more than the Subway Restaurant which was in walking distance or the poolside. I was excited this time to have my pals show me what nightlife Singapore had to offer, I didn't let it bother me that it was only Monday night.

A couple of Raspberry Mojitos to begin with at New Asia as the crew had to hit the heavy stuff early or else they would flake out following their direct arrival from London (a 12 hour flight through their night) and were still going strong to their credit. The birthday girl then led us to one of the only bars that would stand a chance of having a least some crowd, and of course we knew for sure the majority of patrons would be aircrew (where else do you find body clock deficient people ready to party at any time of the day or week whilst all Monday to Friday'ers are enviably ready to tuck up into bed). The Bar: aptly named Insomnia. Singapore's sister to Lang Kwai Fong's (Hong Kong) bar of the same name. The cover band is almost a duplication; fun & frivalous singing catchy recognisable tunes (there is always a Cranberries number in there!), and the inside/outside bar layout almost makes you think you are back in the Kong version after a couple of Apple Martini's (my new favourite cocktail).

A few tipsy dances and some catch ups as to 'where are we now' and how many are left from our initial training group (I think I remember vaguely about 5 out of 20???), then before I would know it, in true FA# style, a couple of my pals have left without even saying goodbye. I realised this probably an hour after they had left! Who knows why we do it, but I guess we seem to live in a time warp by missing whole nights of sleep, where months can seem to pass like days and maybe somewhere in the back of our minds we know we will reconnect in another foreign city on a layover. Thanks for the catch up guys!

#FA - Flight Attendant

Swiss Ball Beijing

It was definitely not to be expected, but when in Rome (or China) why not do as the Swiss ex pats do and goto a Swiss Ball.

One of my work colleagues happened to acquire several invitations to the Annual Swiss Ball, put on for the Swiss-French community in Beijing every fall, on my recent visit. (I have seriously been away from Australia too long if I am now calling autumn fall). Why not, I thought. It is not like I will ever again have the opportunity to say I went to a Swiss Ball in Beijing. And I was in the perfect city to get a dress made in less than 24 hours.

On arrival to the Fire & Ice themed ball, we were directed to our table close to the front of the stage, where we met a Swiss ex pat adventure holiday specialist (his specialty - camping overnight on the Great Wall), Swiss/English newlyweds having only arrived to live in Beijing 6 months earlier, and a few other couples from mixed backgrounds. We had missed the fire twirling and pre dinner champagne and canapes however I think we were both happy to have been tardy for the Great Wall of China visit was earlier that day.

The meals were interspersed with entertainment, ranging from contortionists, to my highlight, Silvan Zingg, Switzerland's answer to Little Richard. He is often dubbed the "Boogie Woogie King of Switzerland" and despite his obvious talent for the piano, he was also very charismatic and of course handsome. He was self taught from the age of 5; impressive! His enthusiasm on stage was engaging even if I had no interest in the music genre beforehand.

Between courses, sorbets were served from a beautiful ice sculpture keeping in with the fire & ice theme, and on departure, dessert carts and an ice cream stand were scattered throughout the foyer for pick up for the taxi ride home. All this and a goodie bag to boot, including (of course) some delicious Lindt chocolates, local vouchers (one was a discount voucher for some cosmetic surgery - oh dear!) and a Victornox passport & document holder.

In the end I didn't end up getting a dress made and just went with a good old faithful I had packed for 'just in case'. The night was a hoot and certainly was a nice change from the ordinary lay over.

Next stop; Singapore.

No 2. Wonder of the Week: Great Wall of China

TRAYTABLE, the author's of one of my favourite regular blogs and a fellow flight attendant, got it in one. My second wonder for last week was the Great Wall of China. You go girl! Wow is really all I can say about the World Marvel, oh and you too Tray :)

After speaking with a colleague who had first seen the wall via Badaling, we had all agreed we wanted to travel further out of Beijing by half an hour to a less populated area to visit the wall, at Mutianyu where we could chair lift it up, and toboggan it back down. Perfect.
On arrival I was greeted by stalls and stalls of souvenirs catered to the many tourists spilling out the mini bus doors on a daily basis, however this day due to the balmy weather, we were not too inundated with other sightseers. I was in heaven immediately as I bought up big on many sun dried fruits and nuts from the stall owners where their produce was a plenty. YUM! My Raw Foodie Friends would have loved it. Except I was put off my dried strawberry when one of the pilots referred to the recent melamine scare.

Once up at the main part of the wall for this region, our guide Mike, would drop tidbits of trivia about either the Wall or China history itself (well worth getting your own personal guide), and although it was a VERY cold day and overcast, we could see the wall winding for miles and the autumn colours in the trees were a perfect back drop. The pilots were determined to walk to the top, only to find that at each 'top' there was further to walk to the next 'top'. Didn't they know that the Great Wall is the only man made structure visible from the moon?

The following day, I managed to make it to the Forbidden City, across the road from Tienanmen Square, for a few hours of wandering through the grounds where you are free to even walk through the to the concubines residences. It was totally out of this world.
As you have probably guessed China was part of my amazing trip and I got more than I bargained for in my down time.

More on the shopping later! (When my credit cards are not hurting so much).

Two Wonders of the World in One Week

How lucky am I? I had no idea I would be seeing two such wonders in under a week without any plan to.

Here is the view from my aircraft window the other day on my way to work. What a fluke it was such a clear day and my camera was able to zoom into it so clearly.

This, my friends, is Mount Everest from my office window. The whole of the flight over the Himalayas was so breathtaking and spectacular I wanted to be dropped down, albeit gently, and forget about the world. Maybe Base Camp is next to go on my list of THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE.

Will put pictures up shortly of the other wonder I managed to visit today. It involved a lot of walking and climbing. Any ideas? ;)

Playing with the Boys

Last week, I had the good fortune of being able to play in a tournament. Not just any tournament. A MIXED BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT. Yay! I have loved beach volleyball ever since my old gym back in Brisbane about 7 years ago decided they needed to diversify and get some courts built outside their facility to bring in the bucks. Plus it was at the height of Brissie girls Kerri Pottharst and Natalie Cook's world beach volleyball reign and everyone in Oz thought it was their birthright to strut and pull some moves on the sand court. Certainly the male participants hoped we would wear as little as Nat and Kerri on the court too.

Since moving to the Middle East, I have thrown myself into some new sports and hobbies like joining a ladies football/soccer team (season starts next week...weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!), but truly all I was waiting for was for a beach volleyball fixture to be organised. Come on we all know the topography in one of the biggest sand pits in the world is just crying out to have a giant beach volleyball match right?

As a trial run, a friend arranged an all day tournament to gauge future interest for other matches or competitions, and I am pleased to say it was definitely a success. It was really great to meet new people as there were young and old, athletic and not so much rallying to take on the other teams.

I must admit though, days like this really teach you so much more about yourself. In new group environments, I can go one of two ways. Usually I either jump headfirst into the action, or else I shy away and hope the ground will open up and swallow me whole. Sport tends to have me at the former. Growing up as a regular tomboy, representing my regions for softball and netball, and being the neighbourhood’s most accomplished rollerskate driveway dancer (seriously), I tend to throw myself straight into my new sport even if I have not read the rules.

I guess the main thing I discovered about myself from this wonderfully amusing day on the beach, was that I tend to be just a tad competitive, however I am not bothered if we win or lose on the day, I just want to see the team work well together throughout the play. Things I like to encourage include communication and strategy. For example, I don’t think there is anything wrong with gently (but loudly) reminding the ‘never played but keen to try something new’ lady on the team that she should ‘CALL THE BALL!!!’ And it doesn’t matter so much really does it, if I make sure I repeat it a few times until my whole team of 6 is ‘calling the ball’ and then committing to it? Directing my team to BLOCK, SET and STRIKE really isn’t too competitive or aggressive is it?

Oh dear, maybe I need to just relax and realise the whole point of the day is to have fun and introduce new players to this wonderful sport. Now come to think of it I think I know why the organiser got me to sub in on EVERY match. His ‘strategy’ was to perhaps tire me out so that everyone could get a break from me.

Despite all my sportiness, honestly I still don’t even know who won the day.... :)

Treat or Trick

I think I have found my new favourite holiday. What other time of year, can adults act like children, get away with it and have just as much if not more fun???

Being a born and bred Aussie, it is not really something we are taught much about until American Halloween Specials come on TV and we beg our parents to do the whole Trick or Treat thing just like our American cousins (well ok and who doesn't like free sweets and dressing up - any excuse right?) I'm not sure about now, but when I was a kid, there was not much trick or treating around our blocks, if there were we would be considered 'pesky' to our neighbours, and our parents were more concerned we would not return home. So therefore it was not really practiced.

This year, with so many Halloween parties for us to choose from, it wasn't until 3 hours before hand, we had decided we were even going (we were also thinking of a Salsa Ball instead!) and then panicked about what costumes we could pull out from our own devices, not having enough time to shop.

We both arrived at the first party, with the strong desire to jump straight back into our cab, as it appeared we were the only ones to have made the effort as we looked across at the queue to get in. How embarrassing. Out comes my phone to call in reinforcement and then we discover, yes, others are on their way. Phew.

In the end I decided on an old flight attendant uniform complete with massive hair, red nails and lips (surprise surprise it still fits, albeit a little snug) and PPP escorted me in a hard hat and wife beater tank....(he was asked if he was 'The Village People" - yes all 5 of them, or Bob the Builder). We didn't really mind who we were, we just wanted to prove we had at least some imagination pulled together with some props from friends and what was laying around.

I can't help thinking though, how unimaginative my costume was as in my mind it would be no different from a policeman coming dressed as a cop for Halloween....IT WAS ALL I HAD :) I guess I could've said I had come straight from work and didn't have time to change. Poor PPP was asked if he was off to nightshift when our cab came to pick us up!

What did you dress up as?

It Began with a Detox and Ended with a World Famous Full Moon Party...Oops: Koh Phanghan, Thailand

Well everyone needs to be a bit a little naughty sometimes right?

Feeling the picture of health, a few kilos lighter and with a fresh air of radiance following my detox at Spa Samui, the little devil on my shoulder (her name is Ra*) says to me, "You know how we are breaking our fast tomorrow? Well actually you are, because I broke mine last week, but anyway, it falls in line completely with the Full Moon Party. It's a full moon tomorrow night!"

My eyes almost touch her. You have got to be kidding me. I have just spent the last 9 days being kind to myself, I know these things only end up the way they were intended...MESSY. I mean I know what can only happen to me in places like this. As much as I thrive in a beautiful sanctuary environment like the Spa, for some crazy reason I happen to thrive in party places as well. Especially if excess is the key and the venue is one of the world's beautiful beaches (read: Koh Phanghan) and dancing all night is on the agenda.

These parties are world famous and apparently began in 1987 or 1988 when it started as just a birthday party or a few people strumming guitars on the beach. Today, thousands of party goers descend on the beach of Hat Rin, to dance under the full moon to beats pumping out of the many bars lining the beach. In low season up to 8,000 revellers can show but in high season, up to as many as 30,000 come to dance into the dawn.



This party was definitely on my THINGS TO DO BEFORE I DIE list, however was not ideal that it fell in line with the day I was due to break my fast. I thought I was being a little mischievous heading out for a cooked (vegan) dinner planned with the friends I had made as most of us were departing the following day, however this party could not be passed up.

Of course, it was exactly what I expected, lots of crazy souls lining the beach by 10pm, drinking whisky buckets sold by the locals, sharing them or dancing around them as they unknowingly kicked sand into their beverage pails. I did break my fast rather dastardly, I had a couple of drinks and I splurged on a vegetarian spring roll a the end of the night.

I had a brilliant time, I could have partied harder, but maintained some restraint whilst still allowing myself to have some fun. I mean aren't some rules meant to be broken? Plus the next morning will always remind you what you are NOT missing out on by passing up a few hard nights out with friends although they are still fun sometimes ;)

I've Got an Awesome Work Trip Coming Up!

Stay tuned, I have been a bit quiet of late, settling back into life at home and planning my next work trip. I have already started planning my shopping list. They include some electronics, a few cool kitchen gadgets, maybe some golf clubs (a half set to get me in the game) and some cool golf visors for me and the man. If I really want to spoil myself some clothes and shoes (not that I am half in the mood for these after my great shopping fun I had in Thailand recently). Anyway there is lots more fun to be had in this place rather than shopping and great places to see as well. Can you guess where I am off to???

Welcome to My Fast

On arrival at Spa Samui, I was greeted with some herbal capsules and a piece of litmus paper for me to test my PH levels should I be too acidic to begin my fast the following day. I became accustomed to my new surrounds almost immediately by reading in my hammock in the tree tops. The last time I was here, I had chosen to stay at the Beach Resort and this time I wanted to try out their neighbouring Village Resort in the rain forest. When the time came to check my PH levels in the evening, it was no surprise to me that I was NOT ready to begin my fast the following morning, considering the fun I had had with my partner in crime in Bangkok and Phuket earlier. No problem I thought, this gave me a chance to sample some of the delicious RAW and Vegan recipes at Radiance Restaurant for one more day whilst my body became more alkaline.

During the fast I made friends with fellow ‘fasters’, all from many walks of life and age groups, as we all headed to the Detox Drink Counter every 3 hours, shared in a coconut water or a broth, or just spoke of our individual experiences (of which there are many, including emotional healing, euphoria, lethargy, fuzziness, unlimited energy etc). It was nice to share what was happening with like minded individuals despite the fact we were all from varied backgrounds.

This fast, as opposed to the same program I did this time last year, was much easier for me. I believe it is because I had better prepared my body with suggested eating habits and mainly my juice fasting /feasting (my own verision) in the weeks leading up the fast. Also in my observation, a large majority of people come to the resort, because something just isn’t working in their life, either physically, emotionally or even spiritually. This time for me, I had mainly chosen to come because everything else in my life I felt quite content with, except for my diet and lifestyle choices.

Although I came to the Detox feeling happy and content with no desire to develop any particular aspect of my life other than those mentioned earlier, I did come away with more than I could of hoped. The friendships I made and the experiences I shared with these individuals is in most part why I have been longing all this week to be back in the simple relaxing rain forest, sipping on my coconut talking with my new pals about the plate of fruit we are going to devour when we finish our fast, just small talk or even sharing the results of our latest Mediation/Tarot/Birth Chart reading.

I loved this experience and I would definitely do it again (hopefully very soon!) I can see why so many farang go to Thailand on holiday only to find themselves still living there years later. In a time when it is very difficult (however I realise not impossible without a little organisation) to remain healthy most of the time with so many social obligations and crazy work patterns (our poor bodies), I would love to commit to visiting some place like this at least once a year for a ‘tune up’. I already have another trip planned to Thailand early next year, purely by accident as my little sister leaves Oz for her obligatory stint in the UK and we are going to meet half way for a few weeks. I am still working on convincing her to surrender at least 3 and half days of her holiday for us to do a mini Detox at worst, but something tells me I won’t need to do too much convincing as after all she has been living on a party island for the last 6 months. Her body will be basically begging for it. So watch this space.

Are you interested in finding out more about this Detox? Drop me a line and I will be more than happy to share this wonderful experience even further.

So You Wanna Detox?

This was my second time at SPA SAMUI, Koh Samui’s popular rejuvenation destination for people from all walks of life. I had much success on my first time last year with weight loss and a new vitality that I have since joined in the ranks of so many others that return more than once.

The whole idea of this kind of Detox (or rather FAST) in my mind is to get rid of the build up of many toxins in our bodies that accumulate from so many processed and refined foods we consume. My interest in diet has always been there (mainly from a weight perspective) but in the last few years I have become more in tune with nutrition as my father was diagnosed with Celiacs disease (wheat and gluten intolerance) and Diabetes is really strong in my mother’s family. In her doctor’s words, “your children stand no chance!”

With this in mind I try now to be more informed on the food choices I make, not from a weight perspective anymore, but I do believe that if you do eat correctly and get enough exercise then the weight gain or loss will just follow naturally. So basically speaking, my eye is not on the weight loss ‘ball’ anymore. It is purely about health for me now.

The program for First Timers, is usually 3 ½ days or 7 days depending on your time available, and it includes twice daily ‘Colemas’ (self administered colonics), 5 times daily herbal supplements, 5 times daily ‘Detox Drinks’ (diluted fruit juice with psyllium and betonite clay to help with the elimination process) and 2 hot broths a day. You can also purchase a couple of coconut waters (my favourite) and different juices, and the Spa has a world renown Vegetarian Restaurant (one of the top 50 in the World apparently!) . This makes it worth staying longer than your fast, so you can sample the menu either before you begin or break your fast. They even have a wonderfully delicious RAW menu (and RAW food classes).

Having said all this, as I have been slowly heading towards a more healthful life I felt I needed a little jump start once again to lead me in the right direction. For me just going to the resort is the first step in the mental preparation. Just being there and investing the time, money and mind is a move in the right direction for me. Oh and the meditation, massages and the sea views from my hammock don’t hurt either.

[More to come on my Detox Experience. PS I feel AMAZING!!!]

And Another...