Kicking The Habit

Yes!  I quit!  I finally QUIT.

Although it's really only the beginning of my smoke-free journey, I already feel like I am making HUGE progress.  I have not had a cigarette in 33 hours and counting and the same goes for Tiki.  We decided to do this together and keep each other strong.

The power of unity!

So I am currently using "the patch".  Its called Habitrol. You have to put it on and wear it for 24 hours, then you change it.  It slowly releases a controlled amount of nicotine into your blood stream via your skin, which seems to be effective in curbing the urges.

I thought WE were going to go through such MEGA withdrawals, but in fact we haven't suffered many side effects if any at all. I have to admit, I have thought hard about taking "just one puff" but used my inner strength and great desire to quit to stop me from indulging.  I think it has less to do with the fact that I want a cigarette (because I actually really don't), and more to do with the fact that I just need something to do with my hands.


FML! - like I'm not fidgety enough as it is.

I KNOW I don't want  a smoke, but I THINK I want one.

I like "mind-fuck" myself...WTF?

Usually, in the morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is reach for a cigarette. I light up, inhale deeply and then...COUGH.  Then  five minutes later I repeat the process, and this is before I can get anything done. This morning though was entirely different, but to be honest, I woke up and laid awake in bed thinking about it for half an hour, after this time had passed, I realised I still hadn't lit up AND I didn't really feel the urge to.

What an amazing feeling!

If I knew what it felt like to fly, it would be seriously close to that.  I think my lungs were having orgasms all day.  I haven't coughed, not even once!  I went for a walk and didn't get breathless.  And I've been on some sort of high too, like I've been annoyingly happy since quitting. *quizzical face*

It makes me think what a difference a day makes...

The coolest thing about quitting and wearing patches is that Tiki and I have been getting mad praise for quitting.  I know it's an achievement but I don't think it merits that much attention.

But I like it, so please don't stop ;)

And besides, we have so many patches (and I feel I may not need to complete the entire program in order to quit based on my progress thus far, but we'll see) that we have offered our friends and family some patches too.  I hope they will take up the offer and quit as well.

The price of cigarettes has gotten so expensive that to maintain the habit would mean to sacrifice things in life that are more important, which I am not prepared to do.  The pack that we used to smoke set us back like $35 NZD! And we usually buy two packs a week.  That's $3640.00 a year we'll be saving! Hell, we could go on holiday at the end of the year, or a shopping spree!  Not to mention the pictures they put on the cigarette packets of what smoking can do to you are fully disgusting and should've put me off years ago...I don't want to be one of these people.

(Note: be prepared these photos are quite horrendous)

.

.

.

.

.

Makes you think, doesn't it?
. . . . . . 

(I should really invest in one of those "electronic cigarettes" to help with those days when I think I might crack!)

The one major downfall to quitting is that now I have eat all day to compensate, so my next goal is to make sure the only food I shovel down my throat is whole foods that are high in protein to make sure that instead of losing one dangerous habit and picking up another, I maintain a healthy weight.

Now that I think about it, I should really be more active.  Hmmm...yeah and while I'm at it I'll end poverty and hunger and bring peace to the world shall I? AWEH...at least dreams are free...

. . . . . . 

Anyway after such traumatic exposure, to cleanse your eyes I have provided some pics of my baby Legend:

.

.

.

.

.

When we first got her...AWWWW!!!

(I made that bed with her name on it myself! Genius!)

 And now...so adorable! xoxo

*sparkly eyes*

Well, it's almost reached the time where I must change my "patch" so I will segue (google it, I didn't make it up) to another subject with all the grace of a newborn giraffe...LOL

. . . . . . .

At the moment I'm currently conducting an experiment to prove whether or not using Vaseline to lengthen and strengthen eyelashes actually works.  I came across a video on youtube where this woman says she uses ONLY Vaseline on her lashes and !O...M...G! she has the most amazingly long and luscious eyelashes - so jelly! I WANT! I WANT!

So since a jar of Vaseline only costs like a few bucks and all it takes is a  minute or two to massage a blob of it into your eyelashes and around the eye area, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try. I will keep you updated in future and post results at the end of a month.

In the meantime you can watch the video here, ENJOY!

xoxo

2012 Resolutions

Ok, ok...

I know its a bit late to be writing about New Years Resolutions but I usually make them and then break them immediately. So this time around I decided to make the resolutions internally and try them out for a week or so and see how it goes.  Now that it is the 10th of January 2012, I am confident enough in my progress to share.

The first internal resolution I made was to stop drinking fizzy drinks and drink only water.
This one was easy to start off with as I had a rather EPIC drinking session on New Years eve which then carried on till around 7pm on New Years DAY!  Obviously there's no explanation needed as to why this resolution was made...I spent the next TWO days hung over as a MOFO and could only keep water down.  So I have to say that this resolution is a keeper!
Note: And Please do not get on my back about how bad binge drinking is BLAH BLAH destroys families BLAH BLAH bad for your health BLAH BLAH ruins your kidneys, can end up on dialysis BLEEEHHH...

I KNOW OK? I'm not stupid I was just having a really good time...and I don't usually drink that much.

Anyway, like I said, its the 10th of Jan and I have only had maybe 2 sips of cola and got such a bad headache afterwards (I know I wont be doing that again any time soon HA!), but other than that I have drank 1.5+ litres of water a day and LOVE it! After the initial Coke withdrawals wore off I am feeling much better and healthier...

Which brings me to resolution number 2 - No more sugar!

I'm not much of a candy fan, and I don't like ice cream and cake is really a once in a while thing for me.  The only weakness I have is chocolate.  I don't eat as much of it these days but I will pop chocolate squares in my mouth non-stop without even noticing it!  So yeah, no sugar for me...This one is not so hard to keep I think, I mean, I'm already mostly sugar free anyways...

Lead on resolution 3! - Eat healthier.

I'm not new to diets and eating healthy and such, its just that there are so many more delicious foods that are "non-healthy" that I prefer.  This on is going to be a little tougher than the others because although I'm sick to DEATH of greasy take out foods, I'm ashamedly addicted to them. So far I have been doing OK but I'll have to keep you posted on that one...

The rest of my resolutions are rather clichéd...Stop smoking, lose weight etc....these are the ones I'm really going to have to put REAL willpower and hardwork into!

So yeah that's that.

What are your New Years Resolutions and have you been successful?

Let me know in the comments section and subscribe if you like or don't, up to you...xo

Why Knot?

No its not a spelling/grammatical error, "Why Knot?" is a store on Springs road in East Tamaki.  Its like a super cheap discount grocery wonderland!  I have been there only twice but I like it so much I decided to blog about it.

The other day I went there with Tiki (my LOVELY boyfriend!) and spent about $50 NZD and walked out with like a weeks worth of groceries plus snacks and junk food and also some long life soup bases, sauces and stocks.

OMFG!

I was so elated I walked out into the sunshine feeling all blessed that I was introduced to this shopping heaven.  Usually if I shop at my local supermarket (which is so nearby I can walk there - Countdown) where I spend a lot of my time doing grocery shopping, I could spend up to $80 NZD just to get the same amount of stuff.  I'm a big fan of Countdown since they have daily, weekend, week and monthly specials and as long as you have time to take a look around you can find some really quality goods for a very low price.

But I digress, back to "Why Knot?".

The only thing they don't sell there is fresh fruit, veggies (but I have a store I go to that is equally as affordable and local *winks*), fresh meats and specialised ethnic foods for example: foods from Japan, China etc, which I am VERY fond of.  But I can learn to look past this.

So now Tiki and I have made the conscious decision to shop there every week and have set a budget for each store now and lets just say I'm really looking forward to going grocery shopping next week! Yay Me!

And since I touched on the subject of Japanese and Chinese foods, I have to say Japanese food items are quite hard to come across unless you are willing to drive a bit, although Chinese food markets are popping up everywhere *Delighted* and are easily accessible which is awesome because over the last few years I have graduated from mediocre "Chinese Take-away" foods to at home authentic Chinese cuisine.

I have always had a love for Japanese food although admittedly its mostly been limited to store bought or home made sushi, ramen and udon dishes but I'm looking to expand my horizons as it were in authentic Japanese cuisine.

Like this

After trolling the net (like I do on most days) looking for like what a typical Japanese family would eat at home so I can make it and enjoy the benefits, I was only able to come across meals that were mostly made up of items that are typically only available in Japan or things that had no explanation as to what they were or how to get a hold of them.  Most websites that I viewed were actually written by someone living in the US and only had information on where to get them from in the US...BLAH *rolls eyes*.

But even the stores that are here are quite expensive to buy from and like I said are quite a distance away.  So unless I am able to magically make petrol and money appear with a click of my fingers, that will have to wait until I'm within its vicinity.  Also another frustrating thing? They do not sell online which means I really have no other way of getting my hands on these delicious morsels.  AWEH...

So where does this leave me?  In a very bad place between hunger and annoyance.  I'm here often actually when I cannot decide what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it is such a pain in the ass!  I'm so sick of western food, with its greasy grease and fatty fats.

UGH.  My body swells to obesity at the thought...

I want to eat something that is healthy and nutritious that I haven't had the chance to eat much of.  I've tried other "healthy and nutritious" diets and although I have had some enjoyable meals it tends to become tedious and boring.

If I could, I would spend a year in Japan, learn the language (which I have tried and abandoned due to laziness) and to experience the wonderful food and culture, which in fact is now my current obsession.

This may seem like a waste of space and I have made myself hungry so I'm off to go cook whatever I can get my hands on...maybe some ramen...

P.S: If you know anywhere in New Zealand where I can get my hungry hippo hands on some good quality Japanese food items for a bargain, pretty PLEASE let me know in the comments section.

And for your viewing pleasure I decided to add a few pics of insanely cute Japanese food...

 Gorgeous!

 So cute...I have never wanted to eat Pooh Bear...till now

Adorbs!  I could just die...

For me its RAMEN time! xo

My MacGuyver Moment

So yesterday in our rush to leave the house Tiki and I inadvertently locked the keys inside our room.

DUH!!

And since we are notoriously paranoid about being robbed, all the windows were locked up tight also.  So without a spare key and no other way to get in we were quite stumped.

I have broken into my own house a few times before using a credit card trick that a friend once taught me in high school.  So armed with this limited knowledge, I tried my best to get the door unlocked.

Suffice to say there was no joy after a good 10-15 minutes of trying, and since the day was very hot I was sweating and getting more frustrated by the second.

In the mean time my lovely boyfriend Tiki was outside the house trying HIS best to "jimmy" a window open.

...Still no luck.

I was almost out of patience and was about to get Tiki to kick the door in when I had an epiphany!

I quickly ran to the living room and grabbed a flower from his Grandmothers fake flower arrangement and pulled the wire out of the stem.  Then I went into the bathroom and got out this weird blackhead scraper thing that I saw in the shop (and was curious enough to buy) and proceeded to try and unlock the door with this method.

Now I have seen this done numerous time on television, with various tools and I have always thought it was near impossible unless you:

A: had the appropriate tools;
and
B: was well practised in the art of B&E (break and enter, not bacon and eggs!).

And so there I was, under no illusion that it would work, but still trying to maintain the faith that I could do anything, I poked those two tools in the keyhole and fiddled around until...

. . . CLICK

It turned! The locked actually turned and the door swung open.

Oh the joy and elation and feeling of achievement that flowed through my veins is indescribable.  Tiki pats me on the shoulder and says to me "Love, you are the BOMB! Way to go, my MacGuyver."

I have to say, I was pretty full of myself for the rest of the day and even did my best not to brag about my accomplishment.

Just as soon as "Grandma" goes to her rest home I will be able to stop locking my bedroom door.

And if you're thinking "Wait, you live with your boyfriends Grandma?" I have this to say to you: First of all SHE lives with ME and it is because of necessity and not by choice, so keep your fucking opinions to yourself OK?!

Know me before you judge me Fool.

Was it something I said?

Hmmm...

Santa must have read my earlier ranting post about Christmas being awful and put me on the "Naughty List".  Because no matter how hard I try, I can't find a single gift. *sad face*

I thought for a bit about it, and although I'm not a big gift giver, its always nice to get something, right?  Searched high and low and still no trace...

Still, I have to admit, my Christmas this year (from Christmas day onward) was quite excellent.  I made special dishes for the at home feast and some other special request dishes to take with me to family that I visited.  They we're all happy joy about their food gifts and the "Thank You"'s  dished out we're quite sufficient indeed.

Oh good grief, I sound so annoying...but I don't care, it's my blog and Ill say what I damn well please!

Never mind...I just hope all the children of the world got to have a nice, happy Christmas.

Hope the New Year turns out better...

WTF?

Has anyone seen the new "Rainbows End" commercial?

FML!!

Has to be by far THE most hideous ad I have seen in all my years.  A Boy George look-alike sings the gayest song I've ever heard and it just seems to me to be a really half-arsed attempt.  No offence to gay people, it's just an expression OK!

Like why didn't Rainbows End send out like a nationwide audition for its commercial? I could probably pick 10 people off the streets that would do a better job.  In fact my neighbours sing so well, Rainbows End would probably become famous worldwide...just saying. It was bad enough the last ad they had was like fully an embarrassment, my boyfriend used to make fun of it ALL the time when he came over from Australia.

Now, now Rainbows End, THAT is so not the way to get customers streaming through the gates!  If anything, it would scare them off!  The guy (dubious...) who sings the theme song looks like a retarded psycho pedo dude who likes to dress like Willy Wonka.

All I'm saying is, NO amount of thrilling new rides will compensate for that farce.

YUCK, now all I want to do is scrub my eyeballs clean and find out where I can complain.  I wish I had evidence of said embarrassing commercials but since my broadband is at it's limit, I can't troll the net for it to show you...I will post it though...

*Rambling on...*

OMFG!

Xiaxue is hilarious!

I've been a fan of hers for quite sometime (like first ever blog post I read, I was hooked) and I have mentioned her before in prior posts, but until recently I had never read any of her posts from BEFORE she was famous,WHAT!?  So this morning since I had nothing else to do, I decided to read a couple of her earliest posts...

...MATE!

I just read the one about llamas.......FUCKING HILARIOUS!! spit, grass, grassy spit, spitty grass...FML I laughed so loud...

Some people obviously wouldn't find that funny but I do, and I'm proud that I have a warped sense of humour...keeps me interesting right?

And I mean, she's just super clever and witty.  I think I like reading her blog so much because I can relate to some of her experiences and secretly I wish I had her courage to write such a personal blog.

The WHOLE reason I started this blog was because of XX! I wont say I want to be like her, because I like being an individual and besides as IF XX wants another wannabe clone of her running loose in the world.

You can read her blog here.

And to ALL the Xiaxue HATERS I ask you this:


Is it because Xiaxue is infinitely more intelligent, beautiful, famous etc, that you don't like her? It is, isn't it? You like to disguise your seething jealousy of her behind political nonsense and such, don't you? You like to pick obscure and unworthy things to make fun of her for.  You call her plastic, and ugly...hmmph, I guess you're ALL unbelievably good looking, well liked geniuses from "Imaginary Land" are you? At least SHE has the guts to strive to be the best that she can be AND has the strength to stand up to people who make awful comments and "Anti-so-and-so" websites just to make others feel like crap.

WOOOOH!! I guess you all deserve an award.  Congratulations on being an ASSHOLE. Now go get a life losers.