It's really okay to tip over, in fact it is very normal to feel tilted from time to time, especially in our current times. What I mean when I say tilted is a state of feeling, well... just a bit off really. You're not really yourself in totality if that makes sense. You aren't upset or angry or depressed,  you're just a bit tilted - left of centre, misaligned, not on target.
You may feel a little tired or you could be recovering from a recent illness. You may be trying to manage too many things at once and feel a bit torn between tasks or expectations. You aren't quite firing on all cylinders and it can be a bit annoying, concerning, confusing or perplexing when it happens. 
Generally, the tilted feeling doesn't last all that long - just a couple of days. Just long enough for us to notice that we aren't feeling like our usual selves and hopefully set about rectifying the imbalance. The tilted feeling, when I get it, is a gentle nudge from my body to say that something needs my attention. It's a gentle nudge at first and if I ignore it, it becomes something much harder to ignore.  It stops being a list and starts to become a problem. 
I don't know who coined the phrase - listen to your body when it whispers so that you don't have to hear it scream, but they were certainly on to something. This whisper that they speak of is the tilted feeling that I am speaking of; a gentle listing just to remind me that I have gone off course and am heading in a bad, troubling, unproductive or dangerous direction.
Often I experience 'tilting' when I have failed to replenish my own needs and my personal battery is beginning to run low. I feel tilted in the early days leading up to an illness, when I have done too much in too little time or I have given myself too many social interludes without any time to diffuse in between. Being an introvert, this can happen to me very easily.
My listing feeling may start like a headache or a bit of brain fog. It can be a tired feeling where I will just desperately feel like I need to be alone or withdraw. It can be an ache in my shoulders or my legs or my back that doesn't stop me from doing things but is as annoying as hell. It can present as little melancholy and low in energy and I can seem aloof, bored, disinterested or short. It's not black, it's blue; it's not dark it's slow moving and dull, like a tone running in the background. It can be ignored, but it never should be because as I said, it's whispering not yelling yet. 
Over the years I have become an expert at knowing what to do when I start to 'list' and I am very good at catching myself before I go full tilt overboard these days. Check out my top tips:
TIRED?

• Go to bed early for at least 3 days straight - duh!
• Clear the weekend, and stay home from Friday evening to Monday morning - full reboot. 
• Turn off the TV early and go read a book in bed. 
• Nap - get into the habit of napping when you can, it's awesome to nap. 
• Skip the gym/ workout for a day or two, you'll be fine!
• Meditate, it's super rejuvenating. 
• Wear peppermint essential oil. 
• Drink less coffee and eat more apples - it does work!

ACHING?

• Book a massage asap.
• Take a couple of Panadol/ Ibuprofen. 
• Have a long soak in the tub. 
• Lie down and put your feet up. 
• Splash lavender  and bergamot in your diffuser to soothe anxiety and stress. 
• Cut out the alcohol and clean eat for a few days to reset your system. 
• Make a doctors appointment if this a repeated/ persistent pain. 

OVERWHELMED WITH RESPONSIBILITY?

• Order in for a couple of days, you're too tired to cook. 
• Say no to people until you can manage more. 
• Farm the kids out for a night of peace and quiet. 
• Listen to an audio book when you are in the car to unwind and change your thought patterns after work. 
• Do what needs to be done only, fuck the rest it can wait. 
• Delegate, are you sure this is all yours to do? Are there other people who could take a bit of the load for you? 
• Reprioritise, what is more important? Your health and wellbeing are always the most important thing, so listen to your body!

I seriously suggest that you do listen to your body when it is trying to speak to you, and trust me when I say that your body is communicating with you at all times - because it is! Those little twinges, they don't stay little if you ignore them. Those aches gets tougher, the tiredness gets bigger and the feelings get stronger, so do not pretend that you can't hear those early warning signs that you are getting from your body - act swiftly and get on with your life! 

BRINGING OUT THE DEAD
Release Date: 1999
Rating: R 18+
Running Time: 121 mins 
An American psychological drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader and based on the novel of the same name by Joe Connelly. Bringing Out The Dead is easily the most original and unique film of 1999 and with a stellar ensemble cast, there's a lot to like here. 
An exhausted Manhattan paramedic (Nicholas Cage) fights to retain his sanity under the strain of his demanding and stressful job. A double graveyard shift tests his fortitude further as things for him, and his three co-workers, continue to escalate.
Nicholas Cage is really 'bringing out his dead' here, delivering a believably strung out and exhausted paramedic as he convincingly meanders around the edges of a complete meltdown. He is incredibly well supported by Ving Rhames, John Goodman, Tom Sizemore and Patricia Arquette, and although it isn't pretty, Bringing Out The Dead is genuinely interesting and thought provoking material. 
FINAL SAY: Saving someone's life is like falling in love. The best drug in the world. 
​3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Mother's Day always gets me thinking about all of the wonderful women that I have shared my time, my triumphs and my tribulations with. I reflect on the women that have inspired me with their wisdom, kindness, generosity, patience and genuine care, not only for me but also for the the world around them. In my mind, Mother's Day is not just about whether you are an actual mother or not, it's also about whether you are the type of women who can demonstrate the qualities of being a good mother to others. 
Some women may never actual become mothers themselves, but they spend a great deal of their time caring for others. They bring out the best in others, they inspire and engage us with their mere presence and they nurture and develop the wellbeing of others. If that isn't embodying the qualities of a mother then I don't know what is. However, what I do know is that you certainly do not need to carry a child in your womb to embody the essence of motherhood and become a role model or inspiration to others. 
According to psychologists, in order to be be a good mother (or parent) you need to have a few skills and traits. These traits (not surprisingly) have nothing to do with how much money you have, how big your house is or how many toys or designer clothes you can afford for your family. In fact, most of these traits come from the wellspring of emotional intelligence - you know the stuff that I am always banging on about on my blog? Yep, turns out that emotional intelligence not only makes you a great person, it also makes you a kick arse parent as well. So let's take a closer look at the top ten great parent traits.
1. Patience: a bit of a no-brainer right? As mothers we need to have patience in buckets. Kids are messy and noisy and are often really annoying as well and this requires the patience of a monk to navigate. If you aren't meditating yet, I suggest that you do asap!
2. Multi-tasking: this is a hotly contested topic these days, because mindfulness teaches us that doing lots of things at once isn't actually that good or productive, but whoever said that clearly hasn't had a couple of kids to wrangle! If you can't deal with lots of things going on that you mostly have zero control over then motherhood probably isn't for you! 
3. Encouraging: Just like adults, kids are riddled with self doubt and fear. They need a lot of propping up and guidance and they also need to learn early on that it is okay to make mistakes and get things totally wrong. Encouraging resilience instead of perfection is a terrific way to support your kids and be a super mum. 
4. Intelligence: Hard to teach them if you don't know yourself. Having mental, physical, emotional and social intelligence is not only going to make parenting a shitload easier, it's gonna make you a bloody legend! Get smart and be smart!
5. Flexibility: As a mother you will need to be adaptable and resilient. When kids are around things can (and will) change in a heartbeat and you need to be able to adapt and accept that whatever will be will be, just like Doris Day said. 
6. Leadership Skills: Okay, no matter how much you want to, you can't boss the kids around, but if you have strong leadership skills then your kids are more likely to want to do the right thing on their own steam without you having to bark orders at them like a drill instructor. With positive role modelling and leadership, children will generally be able to lead more efficiently themselves. 
7. Dependability: You have to be good to your word if you want to be a good mother. Kids can smell bullshit a mile away and they do not take kindly to being let down by wayward or unreliable adults. They will also be more honest and trustworthy teens if you set a good example in the early years.
8. Compassion: Kids need comfort, they need a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear to confide in. Regardless of whether they are wrong or right, Children need to feel like their parents are in their corner and their feelings need to be validated just like adults do, so offer compassion without the side of judgement or shame. 
9. A Sense of Humour: Laughter is the best medicine - it's true. Teach your children to laugh at the world, themselves and their worries. By keeping things light you will reduce the stress and anxieties of the world and allow your children to find the smile in any situation. 
10. Self Awareness: Kids have no idea how to act, mostly they just go with whatever they think will work at the time, often they are way off the mark. Many times they will just mimic whatever you do, or your reactions to situations so you need to have a handle on your own modelling and choices. Work on your own self awareness so that you can be the best role model for your children. 

Now have you got all that? Easy right? 
There is no doubt that being a good mother/parent is a tough gig that requires your utmost attention and effort, but my god - the rewards! The rewards of having a wonderful relationship with your children far outweighs any difficulty or challenge that may arise along the way.
And as I said earlier, I have experienced all of these beautiful and loving things from many other women in my life and some of those women are not even mothers yet. So don't despair if you never got these things from your own mother because there are millions of amazing, loving, generous and nurturing women in the world that can offer you all of these things and so much more. 
So go on, be a great mother, or be like a great mother, or be a great woman or better yet, be all of those things - just be great! And on that note I will say - Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women in  the world who give over of themselves to support, teach and nurture the lives of others. You are bloody amazing! 

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
Release Date: 2019 
Rating:  M
Running Time: 122 mins 
Every now and then, if you're lucky, you will happen upon a movie that is so enchanting and so beautiful that every frame feels like a piece of art, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is that movie. When it comes to romance, passion, adoration and fascination this historical French language film wins on all fronts, delivering something that is not only deeply contemplative but visually stunning as well. 
Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to paint a portrait of a troubled young woman named Heloise. Heloise's mother has been unsuccessful in getting her to pose for paintings and encourages Marianne to act as a hired companion, and encourages Marianne to try and keep her portrait painting a secret. It is not long before Marianne becomes enchanted with Heloise, who is betrothed to another and the two women begin a controversial love affair.  
If you are looking for something that captures the subtilties and beauty of affection and love then this slow burning romance will sweep you away completely. It certainly swept me away, I was deeply moved by this film and really loved how powerful it made the simple act of observing another person. 
Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel are unforgettably gorgeous as the two intertwined women and they are well supported by Valeria Golino  and Luana Bajrami who portrays another convincingly troubled character named Sophie. The film depicts women in various states of joy and peril and it is all delivered perfectly through the poised eye of director Celine Sciamma. This is truly unforgettable film. 
FINAL SAY: When you're observing me, who do you think I'm observing?
5 Chilli Peppers ​

I always feel like I have so much time when I start a school holiday break, but two weeks is never really as long as you would think, especially when you have lots of people to catch up with and appointments to keep. However, I am certainly not complaining, I am always deeply grateful for the respite and reset time and having a couple of weeks off to gather my bearings and reboot my system every 10 weeks or so is truly a god send. 
​In the last two weeks I have really used my time efficiently, swinging between obligation, organisation and pure indulgence, and I have loved every single moment of it.
The highlights for me were:

• Having cocktails with friends.
• Enjoying afternoon tea in the sun at the botanical gardens.
• A freshly baked morning tea at a dear friend's house.
• Walking the neighbourhood most fine days.
• Spending Easter with my loved ones.
• Hosting a pizza/movie night.
• Catching up with far away friends for brunch.
• Going to the ELVIS exhibition in Bendigo with the family.
• Sipping a 'Dark and Stormy' in a swanky bar with a buddy.
• Getting my hair and eyebrows tizzied up.
• Finally organising the the cable guy to hook up the Ethernet to my TV - so long Wi-Fi drop outs!
• Enjoying two meat smoker events.
• Going to the movies.
• Watching 16 films and finishing eight TV series.
• Reading four books.
• Cleaning out my jewellery cupboard and wardrobe - long overdue!
• Eating out at delicious restaurants four times.
• And I also took Craig to pick up his new whip for his 50th birthday - a brand new cherry red Mustang.

Never was there a happier man than Craig when he pulled up in our driveway in that car, smiling from ear to ear and more gleeful than I have seen him in an age. Craig has wanted a flashy car for as long as I have known him, which is almost 30 years now. He has saved and worked his arse off to make it happen and to see him get something that he has wanted for so long made my heart so full of joy. It was the icing on the cake of my already incredible holiday break. 
And so, like it does at this time every year, a new term begins and I return to the hamster wheel of work  for another couple of months, refreshed and relaxed after my epic break  but still always longing for the days ahead that offer me another round of respite and indulgent joy. 

I WANT YOU BACK
Release Date: 2022
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 111 mins 
A romantic comedy directed by Jason Orley from a screenplay written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger that actually delivers just the right mix of rom/com to work. 
Two recently dumped strangers team up in attempt to win back their exes through unscrupulous and underhanded methods. 
The storyline here is simple enough, but the cast are truly terrific and deliver their roles with tonnes of humour and likeability which really elevates this rom/com from predictable and basic to the halls of genuine enjoyment.
Charlie Day and Jenny Slate play the roles of the two devious and heartbroken friends with a plausible onscreen chemistry and they are very well supported by Scott Eastwood, Manny Jacinto, Clark Backo and Gina Rodriguez whom all believably fall into the messy love entanglement that ensues.
I Want You Back is no game changer, but for a rom/com this is a solid and enjoyable watch. 
FINAL SAY: We're each others sadness sisters. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

When you are in a healthy relationship, things just seem to work. They aren't taxing, you don't have to compromise yourself or alter yourself to be accepted and appreciated and even though you may argue from time to time or occasionally traverse some troubled waters, you can generally bounce back, talk it out and move along with grace. 
Not all of our relationships in life are that good, in fact some of them can be downright toxic. Toxic relationships will test you, trial you and leave you feeling deflated and defeated and they can turn up in many different places. You could be in a toxic relationship with a partner, a sibling, a parent or even a work colleague. And these unpleasant relationships could be literally draining your resources and leaving you completely depleted.
Unfortunately, depending on the nature of the relationship, signs for toxicity can be subtle or very obvious and you may not even be noticing the red flags popping up because you are too close to the source to see what is going on. It's kind of like a 'can't see the woods for the forest' type of scenario. 
So, what are the signs to look for when it comes to identifying a toxic relationship? Well, let's get down to brass tacks and identify some things that you need to be on the lookout for. 
1. Lack of Support
Healthy relationships are supportive and caring, there is usually a desire to see others succeed so if there is competition or a lack of encouragement or care, this is cause for concern. Basically, if the time that you spend with someone no longer feels positive, if there is a lack of trust or care or if the other person is only ever worried or concerned about their own needs, then this is a red flag. 
2. Toxic Communication
If conversations are mostly filled with sarcasm, condescending tones and snide remarks then odds are the relationship is toxic. There will be a lack of kind or respectful talk and much of what is said will be delivered with contempt. You may find yourself avoiding contact with this person, avoiding their calls or doing other things just to avoid further argument or hostility. 
3. Envy or Jealousy
If you are constantly suspicious of someone's motives or have a feeling that you cannot trust someone, then you may have a toxic relationship on your hands. If someone treats you with suspicion, displays envy or jealous around your actions, choices or successes this is considered to be a serious red flag that should not be ignored. Controlling or manipulative relationships are extremely toxic and can be also become very dangerous and/ or abusive. 
4. Resentment
Healthy relationships let go and move along after problems or hiccups. Toxic relationships do not. Holding on to grudges and not letting go of things chips away at peoples ability to be intimate and trusting. Over time this gap becomes a chasm that cannot be crossed. Any relationship that nurses grievances and makes you feel unsafe to speak up is toxic. 
5. Disrespect
Any patterns of disrespect are cause for concern. Always being late, forgetting events, speaking to you poorly in front of other people, gaslighting you or saying provocative or insulting  statements are all part of a toxic relationship demographic. Consider patterns in these behaviours and how they affect your ability to have a healthy relationship with the person in question. 
6. Constant Stress
It is not normal to always fight with someone or to always have tension. Sure life happens, sometimes things do get stressful: a family member is ill, job loss, financial stresses happen, but if someone is always stressed without much reason and projecting this on to you, that is considered to be a toxic relationship trait. 
7. Ignoring Your Needs
Going along with whatever someone wants and says all the time is not healthy.  If you feel like putting forward your needs is going to trigger an argument then you have a toxic relationship on your hands. Also, if you clearly outline a need or boundary that needs to be respected and the person in question continues to ignore or disrespect that need, then is safe to say that this is a toxic one-sided relationship.
8. Walking on Eggshells 
Any relationship that laves you feeling like you are walking on eggshells is seriously toxic. if you worry about bringing up things, you feel like you'll provoke tension if you speak up and you always need to go out of your way to avoid conflict then you are in a very toxic relationship.

However, it is important to know that although many people assume that toxic relationships are doomed, this isn't always the case. The deciding factor? That both people in the relationship want to change. If only person is invested in creating healthy patterns, than there is unfortunately very little likelihood that things will get better. In order to move forward look for these positive signs that your relationship still has a chance:

• An ability to accept responsibility 
• A willingness to invest in the relationship
• An ability to shift from blame to understanding
• Openness to outside help and support

With time, patience and diligence, toxic relationships can be improved, so don't be afraid to acknowledge if you are struggling with a toxic relationship that requires further support or intervention. Make sure that what you are experiencing isn't an abusive relationship rather than a toxic one and again seek support and guidance if you feel like this may be the case. 
We aren't all blessed with high functioning, loving or supportive relationships and no-one has to tolerate being treated poorly or being disrespected. Toxic relationships are extremely hard work and can be exceptionally detrimental in the long run, so always remember your worth and the importance of healthy relationships. You deserve to have good healthy relationships, so don't settle for being treated poorly by the people who should treat you better. 

PALMER
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 111 mins 
An American drama directed by Fisher Stevens, written by Cheryl Guerriero and released on Apple TV+ streaming services, Palmer delivers a simple story that offers just enough heart and honesty to not feel forced or cheesy. At it's centre, Palmer is all about people being given permission to just be themselves and it is delivered in the most touching way. 
Eddie Palmer returns to his home town after a 12 year stint in jail. Staying with his grandmother and desperate to find a job and improve his station, Palmer attempts to walk a straight line. However, in a small town, people don't forget easily and he soon finds himself involved in the problems of others, especially his problematic neighbour and her flamboyant son Sam. 
Touching is an understatement, this film is deeply moving and heartfelt. And although it isn't necessarily delivering anything new or original, what is lacks in artfulness and mastery it makes up for with good intentions and likeable characters.
Justin Timberlake proves that he can do a lot more than sing and dance by shining in his lead role as Eddie Palmer, and he is well supported by Juno Temple, June Squibb and Ryder Allen as the delightfully colourful character, Sam. 
Make sure you have a tissue at the ready, this film will get to you.
FINAL SAY: I know you're mad at me. It's okay. I'd be mad at me too. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

Your mind, like mine, consists of three different modes of thinking. When we are doing mundane or neutral types of activities like driving, brushing our teeth, shopping or running errands, we are usually engaging our Rational Mind. And when we are having times of high fear, excitement, sadness or joy we are engaging our Emotional Mind and coming in third place  is the ideal state of mind that we don't engage as often as should, and it is called our Wise Mind. 
Let's take a better look at these three states of mind because doing so will help you to understand yourself a whole lot better. In fact, if you can identify when you are triggering automatic responses from these modes of thinking you're going to able to to save yourself a lot of heartache and worry down the road. 
Firstly, let's examine the Emotional Mind. Basically, this mind kicks into gear when our thinking gets triggered by our external experiences of the world, for example:

• When you are arguing or disagree with someone.
• When you are fighting the urge to have a drink .
• When you procrastinate.
• The feelings you get from certain people, places or events. 

In general, the emotional mind is not impartial, it is reactive and it can be crippling. It can hijack our thoughts and sweep us over like a tsunami with dread, anger, sadness, fear, anxiety and many other big and often unhelpful thoughts and feelings. 
Next comes the Rational Mind which is pretty much opposite to the Emotional Mind. The rational mind bases all of its decisions on facts, evidence and things that worked well for us in the past. Situations that engage the rational mind may be things like:

• Deciding what to cook for dinner.
• Driving to work.
• Planning an event or social gathering.
• Learning a new language.
• Fixing a leaky tap or changing a flat tyre. 

The Rational Mind is straightforward, logical and thinking and because it is quite polarised to the Emotional Mind it can create great inner turmoil within people when they are trying to be decisive or precise. 
Enter the third state of mind - The Wise Mind. The Wise Mind is the ideal mind because it takes into account both the Rational and the Emotional mind without allowing them to conflict or overwhelm each other. Rather than allowing the Rational mind to wag its authoritarian finger at the sensitive Emotional mind, it instead seeks to build a bridge between the two and encourages a sense of harmony and acceptance. 
The Wise Mind honours and accepts emotions whilst taking into account the facts by working in a manner that is reasonable. 
A Wise Mind is mindful, aware, observant, patient and kind to us and that is why is we need to try and engage it as often as we can. 
Another way to conceptualise the three Minds, is to imagine how they might form a dialogue with one another. 
Rational Mind: You should get out of bed and go to the gym, you have a lot to do today.
Emotional Mind: I don't feel like getting up, you're stressing me out!
Wise Mind: I can feel stressed out and still get to the gym, I know that I will better once I have gotten my workout done for the day. 
Good old Wise Mind always finds the happy medium that is required to get the job done! And that's why we need to try really hard to recognise which state of mind we are using most of the time by being mindful and aware. This allows Wise Mind to take the reigns and make far better choices, decisions and pathways so that we can stay calm, focused and fresh. 
Being mindful about your 'mind state' will make your life easier and has been proven to assist in the management of anxiety and also to help individuals to identify unhelpful and hijacking thoughts that they entertain within themselves. Engaging your 'Wise Mind' is deeply self empowering, try it for yourself!

FRESH
Release Date: 2022
Rating: R18+
Running Time: 114 mins 
An American thriller film adapted from a screenplay by Lauryn Kahn and directed by Mimi Cave, in her directorial debut. Fresh delivers a unique blend of storytelling that is part American Psycho and part Silence of the Lambs with a sprinkling of Delicatessen and a side of How to be Single, and somehow it works!
Noa is struggling to find a suitable partner when she bumps into Steve in the fruit and vegetable aisle of the supermarket. Steve is handsome, smart and romantic and after several dates the new couple decide to go on a holiday together. Whilst on holidays, Noa discovers the truth about Steve; who he really is and his extremely disturbing appetites.  
This film is greatly strengthened by the terrific performances. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan are really solid here which adds a lot of credence and jet black humour to the story. There's plenty of gripping and disturbing interludes, some nice little twists and some pretty nasty behaviours to wrangle, but overall it's an enjoyable ride. 
FINAL SAY: It's about giving. Giving yourself over to somebody. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

Everyone in our home has now popped out the other side of our gross Covid-19 experience and we are making solid attempts to resume some normality and get back into the groove of daily life again. A little easier said than done though, because the post-Covid drag is real and you do tend to wear out easily and feel like you want to lie down a lot more than you normally would. This tendency to want to get horizontal a lot more than you typically would is, as you would imagine, really inconvenient and not very conducive to getting shit done. This has proven to be really annoying for me because I generally like to burn the candle at both ends and get a lot of bang for my buck when it comes to my everyday routine. 
​Unfortunately, my post-covid body doesn't really seem to like 5.30am yoga and it certainly doesn't seem to like much of anything after 9.30pm in the evenings except sleeping.  It also seems highly reluctant about doing 10,000 steps a day and it isn't nearly as invested in meal preparation as it was pre-covid, which has made dinner, lunch and breakfast periods feel like their own form of fresh hell three times a day as I try to navigate even the simplest of tasks in the kitchen with a heady mixture of disinterest and exhaustion.
As a consequence, our meals have been basic at best, my fitness has dropped off and I am not beating the alarm with anything except my fist in the mornings at the moment. And it's fine, I know that this level of reduced energy is to be expected and is completely normal but I am quite impatient and I have found the frailties, fragilities and failings of my body genuinely frustrating. 
According to Tania Mucci-Elliot, a doctor and expert on infectious diseases, the reason that we feel so fatigued during and after Covid-19 is because our immune system goes into overdrive, releasing chemicals called cytokines that trigger inflammation, fever and tissue death. Covid-19 is a systemic illness and affects many parts of the body, such as the respiratory mucosa, the kidneys, the fat cells and even parts of the brain. After this type of stress response, your body needs to go into rest-and-recovery mode, which causes the severe post-covid fatigue that people complain about.
Basically it's like your body has just run a marathon and it needs to reset. Signs of fatigue and tiredness is the way that your body prompts you to rest and take a break and you need to respond by putting up your feet. So doctors are recommending lots of rest, lots of water to flush your system out and being super vigilant about leaving things that aren't a priority for the first few weeks after infection and just getting the important stuff done. 
Easier said then done for someone like me who usually likes to race about like a rocket, but I really don't have a lot of choice, my body isn't wiling to allow me to go much faster than a snail at the moment anyway, so feet up and chilling out as much as I can is what the doctor is ordering and who am I am to argue with the experts? 

ROCKETMAN 
Release Date: 2019
Rating: MA 15+ 
Running Time: 121 mins 
A musical biography film directed by Dexter Fletcher and written by Lee Hall and based on the life of singer/ songwriter Elton John. Rocketman received huge critical acclaim and a number of awards largely due to Taron Egerton's incredible portrayal of John, but also for the unique and creative use of music, costume design and engaging choreography. 
At an addiction rehabilitation session, Elton John recounts the events of his life from childhood to present day. Through a series of musical numbers Elton recalls his troubling childhood, his rise to fame, his struggles with addiction, his relationship to best friend Bernie Taupin and his often traumatic love life. 
​Taron Egerton is dynamite as Elton John, delivering a powerhouse and mesmerising performance. The entire film feels fresh and original in structure and delivery, which is why I felt like it was more art house than drama, but to be clear there is plenty of drama going on here. The music is hypnotically good and it was almost impossible to not sing along with some of the numbers as I watched.
Like all good musical tributes you're left with a sense of just how much great music Elton John has delivered to the world. However I also found this film quite sad because it so clearly highlights how no amount of fame or money can ever fill some very deep holes that some performers seem to harbour inside of themselves, and Elton John's story certain demonstrates that. 
​FINAL SAY: You've got to kill the person you were born to be in order to become the person you want to be. 
​3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

On 28th January 2020 the first case of the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in Australia. And for over two years I have been blogging on and off about it. I've written about lockdowns, vaccinations, self care and mental wellness around the pandemic and although it had touched many around me, I had been fortunate enough to avoid contracting it myself. 
Well, on March 9th 2022 that all ended when that crusty bastard known as the Omicron variant finally made it's way all the way out to bum fuck nowhere (aka Enfield) to track me down, slap me down and steal my lunch money.
Poor Seth was the first to succumb to it, then I contracted it four days later and then just when Craig thought he was going to have a little freedom from his close contact isolation, he got it on day seven of exposure. Yep, we all got a go around, aren't we lucky? Thank goodness that we have all had three vaccination boosters, which meant that our symptoms were mostly moderate and thankfully also short lived. The middle two days were definitely the hardest, which for me coincided with my birthday which made it all the more painful to be honest. I mean no-one wants Covid-19, but they especially do not want it on their birthday; talk about a Debbie downer event. 
I became a proper Moaning Myrtle for a few days there. I felt tired, achy, melancholy and when I wasn't burning up, I was shaking with the chills. It was the pits! Seth was still in recovery himself, Craig was working from home so he was busy which meant that I was pretty much left to my own whiny devises for a few days, getting sadder and sicker by the hour. It was so gross and yuck! Worst still was my complete inability to move around a lot because it hurt to do that and my complete brain fog that prohibited me from being able to focus on any one thing for more than 5 minutes at a time. 
I couldn't go for a walk, or do yoga, or watch a movie, or read, or draw, or hold a conversation and I certainly could not complete even the most basic of tasks like cooking or cleaning (even myself - what a pong dog!). It was hard, and so many people were calling me for my birthday and making a genuine effort to be delightful for me and I was just like...what?...huh?...I can't focus right now....I need to lie down. And of course all of the cool plans that I had to go out for dinner on my birthday and the trip to Melbourne to see Moulin Rogue that I had planned were all kaput! Everything gone up in a big puff of covid-fuck-you -smoke! So, yep, I got low for a couple of days. I got run over by a bus, rag dolled down the side of a mountain and lay there at the bottom having a big fricken sook for a couple days and feeling desperately sorry for myself. 
Not my best days, I am willing to acknowledge that. And then on day four I thought, yeah fuck this shit, I am not doing this shit anymore. And I got up, got showered and pulled my shit together because I haven't come this far to only come this far. I haven't worked my ass off on myself, on my wellbeing and my zen to let some pandemic come and take me down. So I said no to all of my whiny first world bullshit problems and did a big turn around, I looked for the positives:
1. I am not going to die (big fricken plus right there)
2. I have people here to keep an eye on me
3. I have loads of people offering me support and love  
4. I am isolating in lovely Enfield where the birds are singing and the green is on fleek
5. I have more than a week off work mid-term 
6. I can watch crappy reality TV because I have good streaming services
7. I have plenty of food, toilet paper, clean water and cosy/comfortable places to rest 
8. I am over the worst of it and I am doing fine
9. Nothing is lost, it's just on pause 
10. There will be other birthdays...lots more of them. 
And then boom, a shift in my mindset occurred and I dusted myself off and realised that although painful, sometimes 'going wrong' can actually be a deeply cathartic experience. There's nothing like a little comedown to make you appreciate your usual health, vitality and capabilities so much more. As I said in my last post, I had been living my best life this year, going out every weekend and having a lot of wonderful and fulfilling experiences, and every intelligent person knows that if you eat high on the hog every damn day then eventually you'll get sick. It was just our turn, it happens to us all, it was a setback and nothing more than that. The fact that I can even have Covid19 and still find a silver lining makes me a pretty lucky person in my eyes, I got this. 

RON'S GONE WRONG
Release Date: 2021
Rating: PG -13
Running Time: 107 mins 
A computer animated, science fiction/ comedy film directed by Sarah Smith and Jean- Phillipe Vine. This is the first animation feature film from Locksmith Animation and TSG Entertainment; and a mighty fine effort in my opinion. 
A tech giant known as 'Bubble' has created the B-Bot. A robot companion that is designed to help children to make friends. Pretty soon everyone has one, except for Barney, a struggling social outcast who is desperate to fit in.  Barney believes that everything is finally going to change for him when he gets a B-Bot for his 12th birthday. However,  unbeknownst to him, his B-bot called Ron has been damaged, making it unlike any of the other bots on the market. 
This is some seriously funny material, I was laughing out loud a lot of the time. The voice actors, who delivered their material remotely due to the Covid-19 pandemic are all genuinely terrific, especially Zac Galifianakis who brilliantly voices Ron and pretty much steals the entire show. However strong performances must also be acknowledged from Jack Dylan Grazer, Ed Helms and Olivia Colman. 
​Aside from all of the humour, there is also a super strong message here about friendship, acceptance, understanding and the gross misuse of social media platforms by young people today that I think that many children would benefit from hearing. 
Overall, Ron's Gone Wrong is a  hidden gem that you may have overlook amidst the giants of 2021, but it is definitely worthy of your time. 
FINAL SAY: A bird has commented on your face. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

So, I have happily been living my best life. Doing lots of things, getting out amongst the people and having a bloody lovely time. Dinner with friends, a big live music event, an athletics event, a day at the spa and woohoo, with my birthday coming up I was getting pumped for a few nights out, a long weekend (which always occurs around my birthday) and a visit to Melbourne to see Moulin Rogue. 
And then on Saturday poor Seth tested positive to covid-19 and everything had to come to a grinding halt and we were all thrown into seven days of isolation. Oh well, no point crying over spilt milk as they say. Such is life - c'est la vie! Things happen and I have clearly had a very good run over the last couple of months so I have nothing to complain about, and besides as yet (fingers crossed it stays this way) Craig and I have both been testing negative so far; so as long as I don't contract the virus myself over the next four days, I could still make it to Moulin Rogue and all will not be lost. 
​This is the first time that Craig has had to work from home and it's a whole new world for him. Finally, he is getting to see that not being on site is far from ideal and that things are actually ten times harder and twice as annoying to co-ordinate from a distance. Also, I am not sure how I am going to put up with his crazy antics for the next week because, although he is amusing himself around here being loud and a boisterous, he is actually annoying the shit out of Seth and I  who just want to chill out, rest and watch movies.
I don't have to work from home this week, because I really can't, so I have taken the week as sick leave. So I just want to enjoy the down time to be honest. However, it's a bit hard to do that when you've got a bear sized man meandering about the house shouting out random things, talking to himself about work and just generally poking everyone in the ribs because he can't manage being locked up at home and it's only Monday for fuck sake! 
God only knows what state we all be in by Friday if he doesn't manage to calm his farm a bit. Because although a week of no work and relaxation sounds like heaven, it is anything but when you have to be locked in with someone who is not coping well with the situation and cannot read the room and gauge their actions based on the people around them. 
This could actually be a very long week....

BO BURNHAM: INSIDE 
Release Date: 2021
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 87 mins 
Written, directed, filmed, edited and performed by comedian Bo Burnham during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown of 2020, this unique film is a collection of Burnham's songs and skits in response to his deteriorating mental health and the world's obsession with social media during isolation and enforced lockdowns. 
This entire film feels deeply personal, and that's because it is. We literally get an intimate glimpse inside the head of Bo Burnham, delivered through original music, stand up comedy and meta-commentary. What Burnham manages to do in 87 minutes is take his audience on a ride, delivering something that feels so fresh and genuine that you can't look away.
It's a little bit theatrical, quite heavy on the sarcasm, with a smattering of dark humour and some beautifully bleak and honest storytelling about the social and emotional effects of isolation, in a word it's riveting!
Critics lauded the special's presentation of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he never actually mentions by name at any stage during the film, and he became the first person to win three Emmy's individually in a single year after he took the directing, writing and music direction awards in 2021. 
Bo Burnham: Inside was definitely my favourite comedy of 2021 and it shouldn't be missed.
FINAL SAY: White woman's Instagram!
​4 Chilli Peppers ​

At the moment I have been doing a lot of work and putting a lot of consideration into the ways that I can support the children in my workplace to become more emotionally intelligent. First and foremost, for anyone to become more emotionally intelligent they need to understand what it means to be emotionally intelligent and what being aware of and in control of your emotions can offer you in the long term.
I myself have spent a great deal of time over the last five years practising, refining and building my own levels of emotional intelligence and it has really made me a much kinder, more patient, more accepting and generally better person that I used to be. When I think back to the way that used to behave and the things that I used to say, I practically flush with embarrassment! The way that I chose to present myself to others and how little tolerance I had for, not only my own emotions, but also the emotional needs of others, was actually quite disgusting and unacceptable. 
Unfortunately, I was not taught to be tolerant, kind or aware of my own emotions or the emotions of others when I was younger and as a consequence I turned out to be a bit of a judgemental asshole in my teens and early adult years. It actually took me many years of deprogramming and reprogramming to eventually arrive at where I am now. And now, I value emotional intelligence, kindness and patience above everything else, but I had to work hard to understand that and I wonder every day who I may have become if only I had learned these things a lot earlier. 
As a society in general, we teach children from a very early age to value intellectual intelligence (book smarts) and physical intelligence (sporting prowess) over spiritual intelligence and emotional intelligence. Even though we all know that we need all four intelligences to live a balanced and joyful lifestyle, we just don't really spend a lot of time fostering children with their ability to be spiritually or emotionally intelligent. And why do we do this?
Honestly, I think that it is because a lot of adults themselves are not very spiritually or emotionally intelligent, and you can't teach what you don't know. We also as a society don't generally see those attributes of spiritualism and emotional awareness to be as valuable as being book smart or physically put together, so we tend to feel comfortable with not teaching children these skills directly.  However, I do see some fundamental problems with this thinking, and I also see a lot of children struggling to find meaning and strong relationships in their over stimulated and over-informed worlds. 
Children today have abundant and never ending access to information thanks to devices, social media and high speed Wi-Fi. Which is great, but they also have, as a consequence of this and all the COVID-19 lockdowns and shut ins;  less face to face interactional ability, less understanding of feelings, thoughts, and appropriate emotional responses within themselves and others, less connection to community and less of a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves. In short, kids today are becoming more confused, jaded and unaware of how they present in the world than ever before. And in my opinion it is the responsibility of all parents, caregivers, educators and support people to up their game around educating young people about their emotional intelligence and emotional wellbeing. 
There are five main areas that I have identified as areas of great need in children today and I believe that we all need to shift our attention and teachings towards these key points if we want to improve emotional intelligences. 
Self Awareness: The ability to recognise and understand your moods, emotions and drives, as well as their affect on others. Hallmarks - Self confidence, realistic self assessment ability and a self depreciating sense of humour. 
Self Regulation: The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods. The propensity to suspend judgement - to think before acting. Hallmarks - Trustworthiness and integrity. Comfort in ambiguity and openness to change. 
Motivation: A passion to do things for reasons that go beyond reward or status. A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence. Hallmarks - Strong drive to achieve. Optimism in the face of adversity. Organizational commitment. 
Empathy: The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. An ability to treat people according to their emotional reactions.  Hallmarks - Expertise in building and retaining friendships. Cross cultural sensitivity. Calmness in the face of adversity/ discomfort. 
Social Skills: Proficiency in creating and maintaining relationships with peers and adults. An ability to find common ground and build rapport. Hallmarks - Acceptance of change and differences. Understanding of the nuances of friendships and the 'give and take' dynamics of strong relationships. 

However, as I said earlier, you can't teach what you don't know. So I suppose as adults and stewards for future generations, we must first look at ourselves and address what types of emotional strengths we are delivering and depicting at the front line of society ourselves.
Are we being emotionally intelligent?
Do we meet the key 'emotional intelligence' criteria listed above? 
Are we helping or hindering our youths to become the best version of themselves?
These are questions that we need to be willing to ask ourselves and address if we are to set a respectable standard. The days of "don't do as I do, do as I say" aren't going to cut it for our highly informed young people, they demand and expect better than that, and why shouldn't they? And in response to that, we adults now need to lead by exceptional example, which means that each and every one of us has a responsivity to improve our own emotional intelligence so that we can teach, empower and educate others. 
So please, do yourself a favour and start working on your own emotional intelligence now, you are going to need it in days to come, trust me!

DUNE: PART ONE
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 155 mins 
Easily the most anticipated movie of 2021, Dune: Part One was originally scheduled for release in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which only served to heighten the hype around this blockbuster science fiction film. The third attempt at an adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic novel, Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part One sports a massive ensemble cast and some unforgettably spectacular visuals whilst also managing to deliver something that could best be described as ambitious and seriously intriguing. 
Paul Atreides has valuable magical abilities that he inherited from his mother, but he is also the heir to a noble family bloodline. The House Atreides has been tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is "spice," a magical substance with many uses that is also capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the universe, spice is sought after and killed for, making Paul's destiny treacherous and deeply  important. 
Set in the distant future where inhabitants can access interstellar travel, this is an  exciting and emotionally charged hero's journey tale. There is a lot going here, both visually and audibly. Quite beautiful to behold, Dune looks incredible in every way and the actors are all perfectly cast here, especially Timothee Chalamet who just shines as Paul Atreides.  What this movie does do is set up a really strong and sound foundation for future Dune movie efforts to ride upon, and for that reason it feels a little slow at times, but I honestly believe that the pay off is yet to come here. 
What I did see, I liked a lot. What I heard, I also really liked a lot because Dune's soundtrack  is definitely Oscar worthy. Bottom line is that I definitely want to see more of this, so well done Villeneuve, you now have my full attention. 
FINAL SAY: Dreams make good stories, but everything important happens when you're awake. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

I never wanted to live an ordinary life. I never wanted to just get by, survive or 'get on with things,' even when they may not be very enjoyable or exciting. All my life I have longed for adventure, experience and growth; in every aspect of my life. I love to find new things, new sounds, new flavours, new ideas and new ways of being. I love to travel, I love to discover and I desperately try to improve my intelligence, my station and myself in some way, shape or form every year that I am on the planet. I never signed up for average and I refuse to live a mediocre life. 
There are millions of ways that you can support a more meaningful life that isn't difficult, expensive or hard to incorporate into your current routine. And these things will guarantee you a more enriched, fulfilled and interesting life. I have done a lot of these things myself and I can say without a shadow of hesitation that I live an extremely abundant life.
I eat well, sleep well, drink well, exercise, meditate, study, share, laugh, read, write, absorb and indulge myself on the daily.  I love to socialise and I also love being alone. I love to get things done and I love to waste time smelling the flowers and watching the clouds and the stars in the sky. I take time to watch sunsets, sip coffee and eat at the table with family and friends. I love to cook, take daily walks, watch movies, draw, listen to music and dance. I may not be great at these things, but I love to do them and they bring me joy. I have a very rich lifestyle and I am not ashamed to say it. And to do that, I had to stop being average. 
You can stop being average too you know. 
So many people are happy to just get by and go through the motions day to day, not really getting into it but not really getting out of it either. Some people are happy with average, and that's cool, 'go you' I say. But I am not happy to live my life in that way, and if you want some tips on how to enrich your life, say farewell to dull and kick average living to the curb, then I have some great tips for you that you can start to do right now. 
​So, let's get cracking!
1. Start spending some time each day reflecting on how things went and how you feel. That doesn't mean wallowing in your poor choices over a glass of wine everyday, it means writing your thoughts and feelings down daily in a journal. This will allow you to track habits, discover your triggers and open up some space for you to express yourself. It's very liberating to know yourself. 
2. Read. I mean it, you have to read. Even if it just a few pages of something a day. Get into the habit of reading and expand your vocabulary and knowledge a little each day.
3. Learn to love being alone. Spend at least half an hour alone every day. What you do with that time is up to you, but do it without the need to communicate with anyone and without interruptions. It's easier said than done for many people, but be vigilant. You'll be surprised where your mind will go and how much you'll gain from being able to sit with yourself. 
4. Find an exercise that you like and start doing it regularly. That doesn't mean you have to be sweating it out at the gym (but it's also great if that is your thing). It can be as gentle, mild and as innocuous as a walk if that's all that you can muster. Just find something you like to do that gets you moving and commit to doing it regularly. Exercise releases loads of feel good endorphins and hormones and will move you from average to awesome very effectively. 
5. Challenge yourself to learn something new at least once a month - preferably not related to your work. Not only will you be learning a new skill and improving yourself on the daily, you will also stave off boredom and early onset Alzheimer's, and you'll boost your mood and your brain health.  It can be as simple as a card trick, a board game or a new way to save money. Or you could go hard and learn something that takes up a lot more time and energy like learning how to fly a plane, speak another language or even scuba dive! Find something that excites you and go for it!
6. Take care of yourself! You have one body, its got to last you for the duration so respect it! Find out how to eat a healthy balanced diet, how much water you should drink, how much sleep you need and how to take care of your skin, hair and nails. Take a multivitamin, meditate, stretch and minimise your body trauma by cutting back on nicotine, alcohol and junk foods. Your body will thank you for your efforts for many years to come!
7. Surround yourself with great people who inspire, support and/or love you unconditionally. Start to put boundaries around how much time and energy you invest in people who make you feel used, exhausted or undervalued. It's your life, share it with people who are deserving of your time. 
8. Reward yourself every single day with something that you think is marvellous. Could be as simple as a good cup of coffee, a long hug with a darling, a favourite TV show, a piece of excellent chocolate or an extra ten minutes in a good hot shower. And it could be something more consistent that you can look forward to, something that you could add to your regular routine like a monthly massage, a weekly yoga class, a fortnightly dinner with a friends. In short, find what gives you joy and 'get ya some' every damn day. 
​
Quitting average is one of the best things that you can be doing for your life right now, so why wait? Go find your joy, go find it today I say!

CODA
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M
Running Time: 111 mins 
A unique coming of age drama, written and directed by Sian Heder, CODA premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival before being released on Apple TV+ in August of 2021 and quickly winning over audiences with it's emotionally engaging story. 
Ruby Rossi is the only hearing member of her family, making her a CODA - Child of Deaf Adults. Ruby is shy and a bit of an outcast at school, but she decides to join the school choir in an attempt to develop her hidden talent - singing. Ruby shows exceptional promise in the subject and is encouraged by her music teacher to apply for college, however with a family that depends upon her heavily to manage their fishing business and livelihood, stepping aside to pursuit her own dreams proves challenging.  
Nominated for a Best Motion Picture Golden Globe and a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Troy Kotsur who portrays Ruby's deaf father in the film, CODA swiftly became a must see movie for 2021. 
And there is certainly no lack of feels to be felt in this movie, I got teary a few times as I watched this genuinely lovely and touching tale. The deaf people in CODA are genuinely deaf and the cast is very solid. Marlee Matlin delivers her usual levels of likeability and talent as Ruby's mother, Troy Kotsur give the term 'sensitive dad' new meaning and Daniel Durant gives us a believable and likeable older brother portrayal. Emilia Jones is utterly delightful as the sweet and often misunderstood teen Ruby, and the entire films swings between family loyalty and independence in an unforced and deeply tender way. 
CODA is a wonderfully heart-warming film that is definitely worth a watch. 
FINAL SAY: I really love to sing.  
4 Chilli Peppers ​

A lot of people were probably really happy to see the back end of 2021. It was another year of COVID-19 madness wasn't it? From vaccinations to pandemic variants, we were subjected to more lockdowns and interruptions than ever before. Communities, workplaces and even families were divided by the decision to vaccinate or not vaccinate and we all tried very hard to keep our heads and our kindness in check as we navigated through another very strange year indeed. 
However, I don't want to whine on about all of the bad things that happened in 2021, I would much rather celebrate the great things that happened and reflect on all of the joys that I managed to squeeze into my time. 
Craig and I were just saying how blessed we were to be operating in virtual 'business as usual' mode during 2021. Unlike many people, we survived relatively unscathed. We didn't have any cut backs to our paid employment, we didn't have to navigate much work from home because we were both considered to be essential workers, we also thankfully did not catch COVID and neither did anyone else in our families and we all managed to get vaccinated with minimal side effects. I would say that these statistics alone would make us more fortunate than 70% of the people on the planet and certainly places us in no position to whine about just how bad 2021 was.
So, there will not be any complaining from me about 2021, instead I am counting my blessings, thanking my lucky stars and acknowledging just how grateful I am for all of the tremendous endeavours that I did get to enjoy  this year.
Here are some of my personal highlights from 2021:

Pretty fair to say that I have had a really lovely year actually.
There is a lot here to celebrate and appreciate that's for sure. And on top of all of that, I have also managed to squeeze in:

• Daily meditation.
• 61 books.
• Yoga 5 times a week.
• 213 movies.
• 10,000 steps a day.
• Nine trips to the cinema.
• 142 TV series.
• 30 delicious restaurant meals with family and friends. 
• A daily French lesson on Duolingo
• Brain Gym everyday for 10 minutes a day.
• And.... I lost 5 kilos and drank 1.5 litres of water a day.

Oddly, 2021 may well have been one of my most productive and focused years to date, go figure. 
Now, let's see what 2022 will bring my way!

DON'T LOOK UP
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: M
Running Time: 138 mins 
An American satirical science fiction film, written, produced and directed by Adam McKay that hosts a massive ensemble cast of Oscar winning actors and comedians. After receiving mixed review from critics upon it's release in December 2021, Don't Look Up went on to become a cult favourite, receiving four Golden Globe nominations and making the top ten movie list of 2021 from The National Board of Review and American Film Institute. 
Two astronomers attempt to warn humanity that a giant comet is on a collision course with Earth that will set about the total destruction of human civilization. However, with a world that is more invested in what pop culture icons are doing with their spare time, the fatal news is not properly received or heard. 
In my opinion this is one of the funniest and sadly also one of the most depressingly accurate films of the year. Slammed for being too heavy handed about total world annihilation, I think that this film was lost on people that don't have a good sense of humour, because it made me laugh out loud so many times. Sure it's not joyful material and the overall message about what the general population have the capacity to digest is undoubtedly provoking, but it is a science fiction comedy for goodness sake, so just have fun with it! 
The cast is insanely good here, from Meryl Streep to Leonardo DiCaprio to Jennifer Lawrence; to name but a few, the performances are solid and the story is genuinely engaging and entertaining. I really liked this movie and it will probably make my top ten of 2021 as well. 
FINAL SAY: You guys, the truth is way more depressing. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

As everyone starts to wrap up their affairs, finish off at work and start to unwind for a well earned Christmas break, it is not unusual for people to also start thinking about the measure of their success for the year. Just before we all pop the champagne for New Year's, we often find that the period between Christmas and January 1st offers us a moment of introspection to stop and consider how much we have achieved, what we did well and what we wished we had done differently. 
Sometimes this pondering begins to happen when we open up our Christmas work bonuses (or lack thereof), or when we clock out of work for the last time in that year or when we get together with family and friends and hear all about their achievements, losses and wins throughout the year over the festive season. However it occurs, it generally happens around this time of the year. And wherever we recognise the deficit in our current lives at that point can be indicative of what we will tether out resolutions to for the coming new year. 
The reason that I am even thinking about this is because of a poster that I saw yesterday. At the top of the poster in big lettering it said: HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE. Naturally, I stopped to read that poster that was hanging in the window, because let's be honest, who doesn't want a very clear road map of how to succeed in life? Was I actually expecting to find the answers to life on a poster hanging in a shop window? Nope, of course not. At best I was hoping to get a giggle or maybe a snort out of it, I mean, as if a poster with gigantic ugly lettering was going to have anything useful to tell me! 
And this is what it said - I still know because I took a picture of it on my phone:
Talk - Softly
Eat - Sensibly
Breathe - Deeply
Sleep - Sufficiently
Dress - Smartly
Act - Fearlessly
Work - Patiently 
Think - Creatively
Behave - Decently 
Earn - Honestly
Save - Regularly
Spend - Intelligently
At first I really questioned Act - Fearlessly, because if you did that then you would be acting fearless all the time, which is both reckless and stupid, however Behave - Decently cancels that out, because no decent person would act recklessly or stupidly. Also, acting is not necessarily doing or being, so if you are behaving decently, then you really could act fearlessly without being a dangerous asshole. 
Anyway, after some serious scrutiny, I had to admit that it really was pretty sound advice for a shop window poster. As far as being the elixir for HOW TO SUCCEED IN LIFE, well it's hardly that now, is it? After all, it is missing some very important life ingredients in there like love, kindness and humility; but overall, I had to admit it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting and it does have some useable elements to consider if you are looking to get on board with a new resolution for 2022. 
And perhaps if we did all spend a little more time measuring our levels of success based on the ways that we talk, eat, breathe, sleep, think, act and behave, rather than how much we weigh, earn or have, then maybe we would all be a lot happier and healthier overall.
​It is certainly something to consider. 

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Release Date: 2019
Rating:
Running Time:
A British drama/ comedy that was inspired by the real life coming of age events of journalist Sarfaz Manzoor. With enough Bruce Springsteen hits to sate any die hard fan, Blinded by the Light uses the power of music to deliver a truly heartfelt, feel good tale about growing up in difficult times.
Javed Khan and his Pakistani migrant family are living in Luton, England in 1987. Times are tough. Javed's strict father has just lost his job, his mother has to work all day and night to support the family and Javid faces constant cultural prejudice and social isolation. When he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen, he believes that he has found a kindred spirit and his life is changed forever. 
Although this film presents as a feel good hit, it isn't afraid to address some really tough topics either. From politics, racism and family tradition to social exclusion and isolation, there is actually a lot going here. Sure it's a little cheesy and at times over the top, but it is also insightful, inspirational and unexpectedly touching, and for those reasons it shouldn't be missed. 
FINAL SAY: You can't start a fire without a spark.
3 Chilli Peppers ​

Ageing is a cruel and unavoidable process. It makes bones ache, hair grey, muscles weaken, wrinkles appear and perhaps the worst of all is the devastating and detrimental effect that ageing has on our ability to recall facts and remember fragments of our lives with clarity and meaning. The exact amount that we will remember and how much we will recall is completely unique to each and everyone of us, just as much as our appearance and fingerprints, there is really no way of knowing how accurate your recall will be or how much of your past you will be able to clearly remember when you are 85 years old. 
So, what is normal to forget and what rate of forgetfulness is considered to be concerning? Generally, as we approach old age we do see what is called a normal level of memory loss. We may miss a monthly bill, forget what day of the week it is, fail to place a name to a face and sometimes even struggle to recall a word when we are in the middle of a conversation. And none of these things are any real cause for alarm if you are 70 years or older.
In fact, studies have shown that up to 50% of adults over the age of 50 have some mild forgetfulness, and scientists are arguing that people from as young as 45, especially if they are not working their memory or strengthening their brain functions regularly, will have a noticeable drop in their ability to hold onto facts, recall events with accuracy and remember details. 
However, don't despair because if you aren't having any serious or significant problems with your memory then you can easily build it back again and vastly improve your brain functions by following a few simple recommendations. However, before I list these, I think that it is really important to note that if you are suffering from any of these significant memory loss symptoms in relation to your memory or recall abilities then it may be worth seeking some advise from your doctor.
SIGNS OF SIGNIFICANT MEMORY LOSS INCLUDE:

• Making poor judgements and decisions 
• Problems managing money
• Problems managing household tasks eg. keeping the yard tidy, supermarket shopping etc.
• Losing track of time, dates, years.
• Trouble recalling the names of significant family members and friends.
• Struggling to hold a conversations because you struggle with the words. 
• Misplacing or losing items and belongings.

Significant memory loss is sometimes reversible but it rarely improves at all without proper  intervention, so please do seek medical advice if you have concerns. 

For the rest of us, we can get cracking at turning back the hands of time on our brain functions and can begin to improve our memory immediately by following these 12 simple, natural and scientifically proven guidelines.
1. Eat Less Sugar.
Sugar has been linked to a swag of health issues but it is like cyanide for your memory and brain functions. Research has shown that people who regularly consume lots of sugar have poorer memories and lower brain volumes than those who do not. 
2. Try a Fish Oil Supplement
Rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, fish oil supplements will help to strengthen your short term working and episodic memory. They can be purchased at most supermarkets and are relatively cheap and convenient. 
3. Meditate
Meditation isn't just good for your brain and your memory, it's also super good for your whole body as well. Meditation increases the grey matter in the brain and improves your spatial working memory. Make time to tune out a little every day.
4. Maintain a Healthy Weight
Obesity is a risk factor for cognitive decline. Maintaining a body mass index in the normal range will assist you with a host of issues associated with obesity, including poor memory. 
5. Get Enough Sleep
Studies have consistently shown that insufficient sleep affects memory. If you get enough rest you will not only consolidate your memories, you'll perform better on tests as well. 
​6. Be Mindful
Practising mindfulness techniques has been associated with increased memory performance. Mindfulness is also linked to reduced age-related cognitive decline. 
7. Drink Less Alcohol
Alcohol has neurotoxic effects on the brain, including reducing memory performance. Occasional moderate drinking isn't an issue, but binge drinking can damage the hippocampus, a key area in the brain associated with memory. So keep your alcohol consumption in check. 
8. Train Your Brain
Games that challenge your brain and make you think may help you strengthen your memory and may even reduce the risk of dementia later in life. So, do more crossword puzzles, play Tetris or download a brain training app and challenge your thinking. 
9. Cut Back the Carbs
Like adding sugar, refined carbohydrates lead to a spike in blood sugar levels, which can damage the brain over time. Diets high in carbohydrates have been associated with dementia, cognitive decline and reduced brain function. 
10. Make Sure You Have Enough Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is very common, especially in colder climates. It has been related to age related cognitive decline and dementia. If you think that you may be deficient in vitamin, see your GP for testing as soon as possible. 
11. Exercise More
Exercise is clearly beneficial for your entire body, including your brain. Even moderate exercise for a short period has been shown to improve cognitive function across all age groups. A 30 minute walk a day will help to keep your brain matter in tip top order. 
12. Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Anti-inflammatory foods are great for your brain, especially berries and other food that have high levels of antioxidants. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables and drink green tea. And try to add a little cocoa to your diet as well because small amounts of dark chocolate that has 70% cacao will really help to boost your concentration and memory and best of all, it tastes delicious!

​STILL ALICE
Release Date: 2014
Rating: M
Running Time: 101 mins 
Julianne Moore gives a convincing and Oscar worthy performance (Best Actress worthy actually) in this harrowing tale about a middle aged woman that is struggling with Early-Onset Alzheimer's. 
Renown linguistics Professor Alice Howland has started to forget words and minor details, but when she starts to forget where she is, she decides to visit a neurologist to ease her mind. Unfortunately, Alice actually has Early-Onset Alzheimer's and it is rapidly altering her ability levels. Alice must rely on the support of her loving family to help her as she loses more and more of her memories along the way. 
This is one of the saddest movies that I have ever watched, mostly because it is so real and tangible, and also because the levels of hopelessness were so truly heartbreaking to witness. I was literally sobbing on the couch as I watch this once highly intelligent and independent woman lose herself. It's a real tear jerker, have the tissues at the ready. 
FINAL SAY: Hi, Alice. I'm you. And I have something important to say. 
4 Chilli Peppers

Just spent the last fortnight in a state of complete and utter holiday bliss. The sun was out almost everyday and when it wasn't, well it really didn't matter because it just gave me plenty of opportunity to laze about at home and do all of the things that I love to do. I have read seven books, binge watched entire TV series, done 40 minute of yoga each day, slept in for at least half of those days and also watch a movie everyday for 14 days straight and I don't feel even slightly guilty for indulging my passions or getting as much rest and relaxation time in as possible. 
I brunched with friends, picnicked in the local gardens, played tennis twice, walked 10,000 steps a day, meditated for hours, had my first restaurant lunch in months and caught up with family. I baked, cooked, drew, journaled and sat about on Pinterest to my hearts content and I have loved every moment of it. I have zero regrets and tonnes of gratitude for just how rejuvenating and rested I am feeling right now. 
I could mention how out of hand the COVID numbers are and how depressing it is to still be in a pandemic, but I'm not going to go there. Instead I am going to draw your attention to the mighty fine Emmy Award Winners for 2021 (which just happened to air on the very first of my holiday break- just to add a little icing to my happy time cake). And if you haven't seen the list yet, it's impressive and will definitely give you something to turn your attentions to if you need some distraction from the miserable state of the world right now. 

​Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Cecily Strong, Saturday Night Live
Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live
Rosie Perez, The Flight Attendant
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
WINNER: Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso
Juno Temple, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Kenan Thompson, Saturday Night Live
WINNER: Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso
Brendan Hunt, Ted Lasso
Nick Mohammed, Ted Lasso
Jeremy Swift, Ted Lasso
Paul Reiser, The Kominsky Method
Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hacks

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Jean Smart, Mare of Easttown
WINNER: Julianne Nicholson, Mare of Easttown
Kathryn Hahn, WandaVision
Phillipa Soo, Hamilton
Renee Elise Goldsberry, Hamilton
Moses Ingram, The Queen's Gambit

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Daveed Diggs, Hamilton
Jonathan Groff, Hamilton
Anthony Ramos, Hamilton
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, The Queen's Gambit
WINNER: Evan Peters, Mare of Easttown
Paapa Essiedu, I May Destroy You

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Boys (Rebecca Sonnenshine, Episode: "What I Know")
WINNER: The Crown (Peter Morgan, Episode: "War")
The Handmaid's Tale (Yahlin Chang, Episode: "Home")
Lovecraft Country (Misha Green, Episode: "Sundown")
The Mandalorian (Dave Filoni, Episode: "Chapter 13: The Jedi")
The Mandalorian (Jon Favreau, Episode: "Chapter 16: The Rescue")
Pose (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock, Our Lady J, Episode: "Series Finale")

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Bridgerton (Julie Anne Robinson, Episode: "Diamond of the First Water")
The Crown (Benjamin Caron, Episode: "Fairytale")
WINNER: The Crown (Jessica Hobbs, Episode: "War")
The Handmaid's Tale (Liz Garbus, Episode: "The Wilderness")
The Mandalorian (Jon Favreau, Episode: "Chapter 9: The Marshal")
Pose (Steven Canals, Episode: "Series Finale")

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
WINNER: Gillian Anderson, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Emerald Fennell, The Crown
Ann Dowd, The Handmaid's Tale
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid's Tale
Samira Wiley, The Handmaid's Tale
Madeline Brewer, The Handmaid's Tale
Aunjanue Ellis, Lovecraft Country

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Michael K. Williams, Lovecraft Country
Bradley Whitford, The Handmaid's Tale
Max Minghella, The Handmaid's Tale
O-T Fagbenle, The Handmaid's Tale
John Lithgow, Perry Mason
WINNER: Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Giancarlo Esposito, The Mandalorian
Chris Sullivan, This Is Us

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Amber Ruffin Show
A Black Lady Sketch Show
WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Variety Talk Series
Conan
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
Jimmy Kimmel Live
WINNER: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
A Black Lady Sketch Show
WINNER: Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
The Flight Attendant (Steve Yockey, Episode: "In Case of Emergency")
Girls5eva (Meredith Scardino, Episode: "Pilot")
WINNER: Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Episode: "There Is No Line")
PEN15 (Maya, Erskine, Episode: "Play")
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Episode: "Make Rebecca Great Again")
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Episode: "Pilot")

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
B Positive (James Burrows, Episode: "Pilot")
The Flight Attendant (Susanna Fogel, Episode: "In Case of Emergency")
WINNER: Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Episode: "There Is No Line")
Mom (James Widdoes, Episode: "Scooby-Doo Checks and Salisbury Steak")
Ted Lasso (Zach Braff, Episode: "Biscuits")
Ted Lasso (MJ Delaney, Episode: "The Hope that Kills You")
Ted Lasso (Declan Lowney, Episode: "Make Rebecca Great Again")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Aidy Bryant, Shrill
WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
Allison Janney, Mom
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
William H. Macy, Shameless
Kenan Thompson, Kenan

Outstanding Competition Program
The Amazing Race
Nailed It!
WINNER: RuPaul's Drag Race
Top Chef
The Voice

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Hamilton (Thomas Kail)
I May Destroy You (Sam Miller, Michaela Coel, Episode: "Ego Death")
I May Destroy You (Sam Miller, Episode: "Eyes Eyes Eyes Eyes")
Mare of Easttown (Craig Zobel)
WINNER: The Queen's Gambit (Scott Frank)
The Underground Railroad (Barry Jenkins)
WandaVision (Matt Shakman)

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
WINNER: I May Destroy You (Michaela Coel)
Mare of Easttown (Brad Ingelsby)
The Queen's Gambit (Scott Frank)
WandaVision (Chuck Hayward, Peter Cameron, Episode: "All-New Halloween Spooktacular!")
WandaVision (Jac Schaeffer, Episode: "Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience")
WandaVision (Laura Donney, Episode: "Previously On")

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
WINNER: Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen's Gambit
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision
Cynthia Erivo, Genius: Aretha

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Paul Bettany, WandaVision
Hugh Grant, The Undoing
WINNER: Ewan McGregor, Halston
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Leslie Odom Jr., Hamilton

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Emma Corrin, The Crown
WINNER: Olivia Colman, The Crown
Uzo Aduba, In Treatment
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid's Tale
Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country
Mj Rodriguez, Pose

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Regé-Jean Page, Bridgerton
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Billy Porter, Pose
Jonathan Majors, Lovecraft Country
Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason
WINNER: Josh O'Connor, The Crown

Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards
The Oscars
The Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show Starring The Weeknd
WINNER: Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
Bo Burnham: Inside 
David Byrne's American Utopia
8:46 - Dave Chappelle
Friends: The Reunion
WINNER: Hamilton 
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote

Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish
Cobra Kai
Pen15
Emily in Paris
Hacks
WINNER: Ted Lasso
The Flight Attendant
The Kominsky Method

Outstanding Drama Series
The Boys
Bridgerton
WINNER: The Crown
The Mandalorian
Lovecraft Country
Pose
The Handmaid's Tale
This Is Us

Outstanding Limited Series
Mare of Easttown
I May Destroy You
WandaVision
WINNER: The Queen's Gambit
The Underground Railroad

​AND...the best movie I watched over the spring holiday break was...

ANOTHER ROUND
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M 
Running Time: 117 mins 
A Danish film originally entitled Druk or "binge drinking" that was directed by Thomas Vinterberg and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.  Another Round went on to great acclaim; winning the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards and then two BAFTA's in 2021. 
Another Round cleverly uses a mixture of dark humour and drama to address sensitive topics like alcoholism, mid-life crisis and pressure in the workplace to create a thought provoking and affecting dialogue.
Four teachers undertake an experiment to test the Finn Skårderud theory that human's are born with a blood alcohol content (BAC) that is 0.05 deficient. By imbibing just enough alcohol to maintain a 0.05 BAC reading, as long as they don't drink after 8pm and abstain altogether on the weekends, the four friends make a pact to see how this experiment will affect their lives. 
As you would imagine, getting partially drunk at work on the daily is challenging, especially when you are a teacher and the results are somewhat amusing but also quite disturbing.
Mads Mikkelsen delivers another solid performance in the lead role and he is very well supported by the Thomas Bo Larsen, Lars Ranthe and Magnus Millang as the drunken brotherhood. This film says a lot about our social attitudes towards drinking, our tolerance and acceptance of it as a readily available and social stimulant and just how easily excessive drinking can destroy lives and relationships. Another Round is truly food for thought and it really made me reassess the way that I approach alcohol in my everyday life. 
FINAL SAY: We're not alcoholics. We decide when we want to drink. An alcoholic can't help himself. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers ​

You could easily be forgiven for thinking that the world is in complete anarchy right now. Ever since COVID-19 spread it's grimy infectious fingers across the globe, it does feel like we have been in a state of constant drama and tragedy around the world. It has literally been one thing after another, just a continuous barrage of hateful behaviour, natural disaster and pandemic mayhem on mass. It has put everyone into a constant state of flight or fight and it is becoming increasingly hard to find any peace, joy or whimsy in the world at the moment.  However, as I enter my 8th lockdown at the same time as my spring holiday break commences I am determined to embrace my own happiness and find some genuine joy over the next two weeks. 
What do you do when the world goes mental around you and you've been wrangling with your own bonkers feelings lately as well? Well, honestly, you just have to go in. You have to focus on what you can control and that means a complete re-focus on the only thing that you can ever really control - yourself! You just have to throw your hands up in to the air, admit that you cannot change anything and go completely inwards and refocus on making the most of your own self. 
There is nothing like a huge dose of worldwide panic and mayhem to make you really feel like withdrawing from society and going into self preservation mode and that is exactly what I am going to be doing. Self preserving, self assessing, self guiding, self healing and most importantly pushing the button on self awareness and self control. And doing that has nothing to do with being selfish or self involved, in fact it is the complete opposite of that. I am doing the only wise thing that can be done right now, taking care of me so that I can take care of others. 
I've got it pretty great compared to so many people on the planet right now. I am healthy, I have had my COVID vaccinations, I get to lockdown in my lovely and comfortable home with plenty of good food, great company and all the creature comforts that I could ever need for a couple of weeks. That makes me one of the most fortunate people in the world. And let's not forget that I also don't have any hang ups, hates or general annoyances in my life right now because I got all of my personal gripes and issues off my chest and dealt with my demons a fortnight ago. So I literally feel completely liberated and free from burden at a time when the world appears to be falling apart all around me.
Is that weird?
Is that stupid?
Is that ignorant? 
No, it's none of those things.
It is deeply liberating and peaceful and unashamedly wonderful to be able to find joy and release at a time like this. And I say that without any malice or judgement towards anyone who isn't feeling like that and I also say it with love and understanding that not everyone is sailing through these choppy waters with a lotus flower in their teeth, sashaying about and proclaiming to be carefree and joyful. All I ask is that you don't judge or condemn me for deciding to flick the switch on my mood and mindset around the current dreadfully grim state of the world right now. 
It's not that I don't care, I do care but I am also powerless to change anything.  And I do not need to fight something that I really just need to accept. I accept that there are things that are happening in the world that are dreadful and unfair and confronting, but I also accept that I am for whatever reason very fortunate in many ways but also powerless to do anything about it. So I am shifting my own thinking and focusing on my own positive vibes. I am focusing on building my own positive energies which I am going to send out into the world. And I do hope that the people that need them the most catch will some of those vibes and find some joy in their lives again soon as well. 
Finding joy is the only think that really matters anyway -it's the meaning of life for goodness sake, so learn to accept what you can't change and learn to manage yourself. It's probably the best thing that most of us can do for the world right now. 

DON'T WORRY, HE WON'T GET FAR ON FOOT
Release Date: 2018
Rating: M
Running Time: 114 mins 
An art house, comedy-drama directed by Gus Van Sant and based upon the memoir of the same name by John Callahan; Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot was an unexpectedly inspiring and enjoyable watch. This film left me with a delightfully warm and life affirming feeling, and it also delivered some of the strongest performances of the year as well.
Alcoholic cartoonist  John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes a paraplegic after a  drunken car accident. Now Callahan has to try and discover new meaning and purpose in his life as an artist, an alcoholic and a paraplegic. 
It's the genuine and heartfelt way that this film is delivered that sticks with you.  The cast are so good and so believable and the onscreen relationships feel plausible and committed. Joaquin Phoenix is a powerhouse here and he is extremely well supported by Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black. In fact Jonah Hill's performance is so amazing that he virtually eclipses Phoenix whenever they are onscreen together, that man can seriously deliver tenderness and compassion!
I just loved this film. I loved the hopefulness, the humanity and the life affirming conversations and considerations that occurred throughout. It's a delightful story that is definitely worth a look. 
FINAL SAY: It is hard teaching people faith.
4 Chilli Peppers ​

I recently read a really a beautiful piece of writing called Things My Mother Didn't Tell Me But Should Have by the British poet, author and teacher Warsan Shire. The writing came to me just after I had watched the movie Never Rarely Sometimes Always and it felt like the two forms of art were in some ways almost talking to each other about the challenges of being a young woman in the world today.  I also really loved the piece of writing so much that I just wanted to share it with you all, perhaps it will reach someone at the right moment if I pass it along. 

Never give any kind of pleasure to a boy you wouldn't give to yourself.

Kiss like a promise and wait for the other person to break it. 

Human beings are not ships, you cannot save them from sinking if they don't want to be rescued from the floodwaters. 

Loving someone that doesn't give a damn about you isn't sexy: it's misplaced energy, also known as self-destruction. 

Don't ever treat anyone like a refugee from a civil war; they will come back from battle and leave you as wounded as if you were the one who had been paid for military service.

Forgiveness isn't putting the weapon down; it's learning how to kiss the person pulling the trigger, not just a quick peck on the cheek, but a full one with tongue. 

Let the dead be dead. 
They have no answering machines, no phonelines:
if you call them, only the ground will ring.

Never trust a boy who already packed condoms ready in his coat pocket before he even asks your name.

When the world tries to break your back with its weight, get a stronger spine. 

Your father left us because he was ashamed for not being the one that gave birth to you. 

Even oceans misplace their anchors sometimes. 

Never give a man permission, you shouldn't have to. It should be mutual. 

Stop treating your body like currency - don't pay anyone who doesn't deserve it.  

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS 
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M
Running Time: 101 mins 
Written and directed by Eliza Hittman, this candid and honest portrayal of a teenagers struggle with an unwanted pregnancy is seriously affecting. After its release at the Sundance Film Festival in January of 2020, Never Rarely Sometimes Always was selected to compete for a Golden Bear Award. The film won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize and has since received unanimous acclaim from critics and viewers alike. 
Autumn Callahan is seventeen and has just discovered that she is pregnant. Without anyone to confide in except for her cousin Skylar, the two girls embark on a trip to New York to try and find a solution to Autumn's problem. 
This film is unsettling from start to end, but it is also an extremely realistic portrayal of the challenges and burdens that many young girls face in todays current climate. 
The casting here is perfect with Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder delivering believable degrees of strength and fragility in their challenging roles as vulnerable small town girls in the city. The entire film teeters continually between tender and troubling but it also feels so true and genuine; making it powerfully unforgettable.
FINAL SAY: I want to make sure that you're safe. 
4 Chilli Peppers ​

As lockdown 5.0 extends for more days than any of us would have liked or could have predicted, I continue to search for happy distraction in my life. So far  I have cooked, exercised, cleaned, sketched, meditated and baked away some of my free time in an endeavour to not be glued to the screen for hours on end.
God knows that there are literally thousands of movies on my 'to see' list not to mention the numerous TV series that I could dive head first into right now but as I said, that does mean a lot of screen time, and when you are already average around 5 films a week, you need to have other outlets.
​Thankfully, I also like nothing better on a cold winter's day than curling up with a good book. I like to listen to audio books and I also like to sit and relax with a good old fashioned print novel as well, I will take my books in any form and I try to get through at least a couple of books a month, regardless of the weather.
During this particularly frigid spat of weather that we are experiencing in Western Victoria right now and the lockdown restrictions keeping everyone at home for most of the time, it's good to have something lovely to do. Reading for me, is one of those lovely things. A great book, a big cuppa and a comfy couch...hmmm, simply heaven and a terrific way to pass a few lockdown hours away on the weekend. 
So what would I recommend for a good, cosy Winter read? Well, I have made a list of the 10 best books to read yourself and the 10 best audio books that I have listened to on Audible in the last 2 years for you to consider. All of the ones to read to yourself are also probably available in audio format if you like to read on the go, the choice of how to digest the material is of course completely up to you. 
All of these books are excellent and will provide you with a fabulous distraction from any lockdown annoyances, happy reading/listening!
​READ TO YOURSELF:

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delta Owens
• Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
• Honeybee by Craig Silvey
• Circe by Madeline Miller 
• Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline 
• Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe 
• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones 
• Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton 
• Educated by Tara Westover 
• Modern Love by Aziz Ansari 

LISTEN TO IN AUDIOBOOK FORM:

• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Narrated by Frankie Corzo) 
• Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes (Narrated by Jimmy Barnes on Audible) 
• Bunny by Mona Awad (Narrated by Sophie Amos) 
• Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (Narrated by Neil Gaiman on Audible) 
• So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (Narrated by Jon Ronson on Audible) 
• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath  (Narrated by Maggie Gyllenhaal on Audible) 
• Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jnr. (Narrated by James Franco on Audible) 
• The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong (Narrated by Rupert Degas on Audible) 
• Teresa Raquin  by Emilie Zola (Narrated by Kate Winslet on Audible) 
• Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid  (Various Narrators on Audible) 

I have come to the end of another school holiday break and I am feeling exceptionally satisfied with the amount of things that I have squeezed into my time. It's quite amazing just how many things you can get done when you have some extra day time hours away from work to get things in order and also tackle a lengthy and much neglected 'to do' list. 
This winter break I have successfully :

• Hosted three guests for overnight stays at Enfield 
• Visited my mother and helped her to get some of her affairs in order
• Been to the hairdresser
• Had brunch with a friend
• Read a book
• Got my first Pfizer immunisation
• Had dinner at a restaurant with friends 
• Got my car serviced
• Listened to an audio book
• Went to the dentist for a check up
• Had my eyebrows done
• Had morning tea with a friend
• Watched a movie everyday 
• Hosted a dinner party
• Had lunch with a friend
• Went to see a specialist with Seth 
• Made an appointment to get my tax done
• Went clothes shopping 
• Chatted on the phone to family and friends

And I don't want to brag too much but while I'm on a roll I will just say that I still managed to meditate, do yoga, write in my journal, brain train, practise French and get in 10,000 steps every day as well. Not a bad effort at all and now you know why I feel so satisfied about how I've used my time. It was a productive and lovely break and I have genuinely appreciated every moment that I have had to share with my friends and family and all of the lovely things that I have had extra time to indulge myself in. 
I have managed to get six months worth of 'to do' list items sorted in two short weeks and I feel so ready to face the second half of the year now.  All of my happiness chemicals are also firing on full reboot because of the activities that I have engaged in these holidays. I got my dopamine (the reward chemical) kicking over by completing tasks and doing self care activities.  I got my oxytocin (the love hormone) stimulated through my friend and family time. My serotonin (the mood stabiliser) got a recharge from all of the meditation. yoga and nature walking. And my endorphins (pain relief) were ignited from all of the laughter, good food and wine and the extremely pleasant time that I spent  curled up in my favourite chair with a delicious coffee, excellent smelling incense burning and a bit of good quality dark chocolate whilst watching movies or reading. Talk about the perfect way to re-energise your senses and spend the darkest days of winter - so utterly delightful!

​THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
Release Date: 2004
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 119 mins 
Another Wes Anderson tale of the weird, the wonderful and the awkward; The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is a parody-homage to the great French diving pioneer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Filled with all manner of unusual characters and occurrences, this film flies in the face of conventional comedy by being eccentrically funny and whimsically ironic. 
After his best friend Esteban du Plantier is brutally killed by a supposedly mythical 'Jaguar Shark', renown oceanographer and documentarian Steve Zissou vows revenge. A motley crew join Zissou on his research vessel Belfonte to assist with the tracking and documenting of this dangerous mission -  to find and destroy the Jaguar Shark. 
In true Anderson style, this is really wacky stuff, there are plenty of things happening on and off the camera that are so random and odd that you can't help laughing. I especially adored Pele dos Santos, the safety expert that also happens to be a Brazilian musician who sings David Bowie songs in Portuguese, acoustically throughout the film, gold! 
FINAL SAY: It's a documentary! It's all really happening! 
3 Chilli Peppers

Said you say
You wanna be alone
But someone loves you more than you know
Breath slow
'Cause you don't know
You don't know
'Cause you don't know
All the things that could set you free
Like embracing me....

No, unfortunately I didn't write those beautiful words, they are from the song Embracing Me by Safia which happens to be one of my favourite songs. I often think of those lyrics when I need a bit of healing or comfort. I recall all of the really great embraces that I have had in my lifetime and how great they all made me feel. Some of those hugs came from my husband and children, some from my parents, some from my friends and some days I have even embraced myself. 
Embracing yourself looks a little different than just stretching out your arms and wrapping them around yourself, although this too can offer a great deal of comfort when the need arises. But the comfort that I am talking about is when you embrace yourself with kindness and pleasure. Still not sure what I mean? 
Well, if you want to embrace yourself physically try these things:

• Go for a morning walk
• Hug someone for a longer than usual length of time
• Drink a glass of lemon water or some good quality herbal tea
• Stretch for 10 minutes or do yoga
• Eat a colourful plant based meal
• Take a hot bath or a cool shower
• Immerse yourself in the sun
• Apply a face mask
• Get a massage 

To embrace yourself mentally try these options:

• Read a book
• Clean out your wardrobe
• Listen to a podcast
• Write in your journal
• Do brain training or brain gym
• Plan a gathering or dinner party
• Watch a TED talk or a documentary
• Play a video game
• Try something new
• Do a puzzle
• Rearrange a room on your house

And to embrace yourself spiritually give these a try:

• Meditate
• Watch a sunrise, sunset or starry sky. 
• Sit quietly in nature
• Connect to someone you miss
• Read or write poetry
• Pray, visualise or contemplate
• Have a laugh with friends

I think you may be getting the idea at this point. And time and time again I have proven myself to be a hedonist aka pleasure seeker in this life.  And lets be honest, life is challenging and demanding and mostly unpredictable so why wouldn't you take some time to embrace the really good stuff that makes you feel more alive? And remember, if there is no-one else around for you to embrace, just embrace yourself- mind, body and soul. 

​​CHASING AMY 
Release Date: 1997
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 113 mins 
The movie that 'Silent Bob' broke his silence for. It could be seen as a bit dated these days, but when it was released, Chasing Amy had a fresh voice about the jealousies and insecurities that ruin good relationships. Written and directed by Kevin Smith (Silent Bob), Chasing Amy won two Independent Spirit Awards in 1998 and was generally received with favourable critic reviews. 
Comic book authors Banky (Jason Lee) and Holden (Ben Affleck) have been best buddies for over 20 years, but the arrival of a high spirited lesbian named Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) threatens their friendship when Holden falls for her. Holden finds that his feelings are put to the test, not only by Banky who desperately wants Alyssa gone, but also by Alyssa's checkered and promiscuous past. 
This a great story about young people attempting to find themselves whilst trying to deal with their baggage and hang ups. I really enjoyed this movie because love does come in all kinds of packages, and some of them aren't very neat or pretty. 
FINAL SAY: So, I've spent every day since then chasing Amy. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

Yep, it's another round of lockdown for all Victorians in Australia. The government are attempting to give this proposed 7 day compulsory 'shut in' a more palatable name by calling it a 'circuit breaker' lockdown which implies that it will be short. And yes, none of us can deny that the previous 5 day short lockdown in April did seem to do the trick in curbing the rising numbers and stopping the spread, but at this stage of the game I think that Victorians are just so tired of being put under restrictions again (this is our fourth one now) that they are just about ready to rampage in the streets. 
And even though I am all for a lockdown if it's going to save lives, there is absolutely no denying that we wouldn't have needed to do this again if the government hadn't been rolling out the COVID-19 vaccination  at a snails pace this year.  The vaccine has only just become eligible for 40-49 year olds, which is mine and Craig's age bracket, but when we called this weekend to organise getting the jab, the soonest date that we could muster was July 4th! That is hardly rushing things through now is it? And what about anyone under 40? They are still looking at months of waiting until they are even eligible to receive the vaccine. It's a big load of bullshit if you ask me. You cannot keep enforcing lockdowns when there is a vaccine available, people are going to riot. 
I think that the Australian government needs to focus on pouring all of its energies and equity into getting everyone in the country vaccinated, starting with all Victorians, obviously! Everyone in Melbourne and then everyone in the rural parts of Victoria, we Victorians have all endured enough lockdowns and shut ins and the fall out from is costing the government a mint, so let's just get this done for goodness sake.  We should've all been immunised by April 2021 if the government had been able to commit to it's initially planned roll out anyway. 
I do have some serious concerns about the mental wellbeing of singles, widows and isolated elderly people, not to mention the poor teenagers, the hospitalised and the first time mothers. It's just cruel being locked in for long periods of time for some people, and while introverts across Victoria may be high fiving themselves at the prospect of a super long weekend, for some this time represents another stint of loneliness, isolation and financial hardship. So, let's keep the people in our thoughts who may not find this time so easy and make sure that we are there to prop them up and support them as much as we can. Let's hold out the hope that immunisations do roll out faster and Covid-19 becomes a distant part of our history and not our current reality, sooner than later. 
And above all else, take care of yourself, your families, your health and your mental wellbeing during this challenging time. Don't be worn down by this latest setback, stay strong and most importantly stay alert because if history is anything to go by, we really don't ever  know what may be around the next corner. 

​THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES
Release Date: 2021 
Rating: PG
Running Time: 113 mins 
Are you looking for an animated family movie that has both comedy and science fiction? Well, look no further because The Mitchells vs the Machines has both of those things in buckets as well as a huge ensemble voice cast, some really quirky animation techniques and a truly interesting storyline. 
A dysfunctional and unique family head out on a final 'hoo-rah' road trip together to drop their eldest child off at college. Unfortunately their plans are interrupted by a hostile robot uprising that threatens all life on Earth. 
This film is both funny and fun and delivers two terrifically interesting storyline plots simultaneously. On one hand this is a tale about redefining the meaning of family and on the other hand it's a story about an evil robot uprising.  Both storylines are great and the whole experience is enhanced by the colourful and fast paced animations and the incredible voice cast that boasts the likes of Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Eric Andre, Conan O'Brien and Olivia Coleman. 
Steaming on Netflix, The Mitchells vs the Machines is a must see for the whole family. 
FINAL SAY: The endgame has begun. 
3.5 Chilli Peppers

Consider this:
The most important relationship that you will ever have in your lifetime is the one that you have  with yourself. 
We all have so many relationships in our lifetimes; some of them intimate, some fleeting, others from a distance and then there are others that will define and shape the person that we become.  But we rarely, if ever, consider the relationship that we have with ourselves. 
In previous posts I have talked a lot about ways that you can improve your relationship with yourself. From the importance of positive self talk and letting go of things that no longer serve you,  to protecting your energy, raising your standards and even shifting your mindset, I've pretty much covered all of the bases.
However, there is one thing that I have not yet discussed that I have discovered about successful people. They all have one really important thing in common. They all make the most of their mornings and have strict mindful morning routines with themselves to ensure that they start everyday at their absolute best. From entrepreneurs, performers and celebrities to religious figure heads and leaders across the globe; it's unanimous that a mindful morning routine is one of the most important and simple things to have in your self care toolkit. 
There is really nothing quite as powerful as the beginning of a new day to reboot our minds and give us a fresh outlook on the day ahead. And best of all, you don't even have to be rising with the morning sun to get the best kick start to your day. Having a mindful morning routine can be as simple as getting up 30 minutes earlier to practise a little self care.
Why not give it a try for yourself. Here is a five step process that could help you to incorporate a little more mindfulness into your day, everyday. 
1. Make sure you get enough sleep. 
You can't really expect to be all peppy and mindful in the morning if you're not getting a good night's sleep. Make sure that you get an adequate amount of rest each evening and set up a good sleep routine. Check out my blog post on the science of sleep and creating a good sleep routine if you need some help with this. www.spicywatch.com/blog/the-science-of-sleep
2. Train yourself to get up earlier. 
Sounds obvious enough, until the alarm goes off and you reach for the snooze button. Try to increase the time that you rise by 10-15 mins each week until you reach the desired amount of extra morning time that you require to practise some uninterrupted mindfulness. 
3. Decide on what you're going to put into your mindful mornings. 
It could be meditation, gratitude journaling, yoga, a mindful tea drinking ritual, mindful walking or being creative with art supplies. It's really up to you to find the thing that will guide you happily into your day and set you up for a terrific start. 
4. The Act of Mindfulness.
Now that you have a plan, you have to put it into practise - mindfully. This is where the real work begins because you may struggle with being mindful a little at first. Being mindful means that for at least 30 minutes you will immerse yourself into your chosen activity completely and uninterruptedly.  You will not go off to do other things, you will not turn on any devices and check emails or apps, you will not quit and when your mind wanders off to your 'to do' list for the day, you will need to purposefully and intentionally pull it back to you and your chosen activity. 
5. Go slowly  and appreciate the silence.
Don't rush, it is first thing in the morning after all! You can't hurry love and you also can't rush a good mindful morning routine. It takes time to establish but it is worth the effort. Try to be gentle with yourself and the process. Take in the quiet and appreciate how good it feels to be alive. Here's a great mindful mantra to say to yourself upon rising:
As I open my eyes,
I awaken to the beauty and freshness of this moment,
A whole new 24 hours has been given to me,
I will live it mindfully,
Appreciating deeply every moment of it. 

Sometimes things in life are certainly not as linear or as straight forward as we would like them to be. In fact, quite often you can have two opposing thoughts, ideas or concepts running at the exact same time in your life which may seem to be  in contradiction of each other.
What do I mean by this? Well, I was reading a really interesting article by clinical psychologist Dr Heidi Green the other day about opposing energies in our lives and she had an excellent list that gave examples of how two things in our lives can be true at the same time. 
Here are some examples:

• Your parents did the best that they could, AND their choices wounded you. 
• You love someone AND you know it's not healthy to keep them in your life.
• You're terrified to take the next step AND you know it's the right thing to do. 
• You want to have a healthy relationship AND unresolved trauma is making it difficult. 
• You're afraid to fail AND you believe in yourself. 
• You really want to get fit AND you hate to exercise  (I actually just made that one up myself and yep, it's probably one of my own opposing truths)

​Food for thought right? Well it certainly was for me because I have a couple of opposing truths functioning in my life right now and having those two dialogues running at the same time can make you feel rather torn about your choices and decisions if you can't manage them well. 
So what can you do about your opposing truths? To be honest, sometimes you don't have to do anything about them but accept them to be the truth and learn to live with the fact that things aren't always tidy, easy or finished off with a neat little bow in life. Some opposing truths are just that, TRUTHS! Truths about yourself that you need to swallow, digest and accept. And as long you aren't in denial about those truths, then maybe you don't need to do anything about them. 
However, if you are allowing yourself to hang on to destructive, dangerous or potentially damaging truths about yourself then it is probably high time that you faced your opposing truths head on and started to make choices that are more inline with what you want to do, who you wish to become or how you want to be perceived. Not being willing to change things about yourself that are holding you back, perpetuating a problem or keeping you in denial is never going to be good for your overall wellbeing, so tackle any damning oppositional truths about yourself as soon as you can. 
And most importantly, at the end of the day, be gentle with yourself. Facing opposing truths about who you are isn't always easy and most of us have at least one or two of them.  Some of them will feel like bitter pills to swallow, some will feel like downright poison and burn on the way down and then some will feel like a cloud passing you by on blue sky day as you let them go and turn your attentions to more pressing matters. 
And always remember that opposing truths are both truths about you and who you are and in being so, you always have the power to squash one and bring the other one into the light at any given time, and that really is some food for thought. 

LOVE AND MONSTERS 
Release Date: 2020
Rating: PG
Running Time: 109 mins
An adventure film directed by Michael Matthews that hits some unexpectedly high notes with it's unique mix of coming of age story and monsterpocalypse action. 
After the destruction of an asteroid heading for Earth, the chemical fallout causes all of the cold blooded animals to mutate into large monsters that seem hell bent on destroying humanity. Humans are forced underground to survive and after 7 years in a bunker, Josh (the least likely hero of the story) decides to trek above ground to be reunited with his long lost teenage crush Aimee who lives in a beach colony across the state. 
There is a lot to enjoy here so don't be put off by the cheesy title. Firstly, it's fun and fast moving and the monsters and action scenes are really well orchestrated. Also the actors, especially Dylan O'Brien who plays Josh, are really likeable and the complete silliness of the whole thing makes it really fun to watch. And last but not least, it's pretty squeaky clean as far as sex, language and gore goes, which makes it very family friendly and mighty rare for a monster flick. 
FINAL SAY:  I really didn't have your typical upbringing. I mean, I did at first and then the world ended. 
3 Chilli Peppers ​

I have been working on the subjects of 'focus and control' in my life lately. I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the things that consume my time (for good and bad) and about the things in my life that I should be working towards eliminating because it would increase my enjoyment of life, boost my sense of freedom and  offer me a chance to self liberate. 
Being a person who works closely with children and also supports them with their social skill set and self moderation techniques, I also feel that it is paramount for me to not be holding onto any unnecessary bullshit or engaging in things that are counterproductive to my ability to be able to socialise well, care for others and myself and self moderate like a boss. Basically, if you want to lead well you should be able to lead by example and you should be practising what you are preaching. And lets face it, when it comes to kids they can sniff out bullshit from a mile away, so if you're attempting to instruct them on ways to lead a more harmonious lifestyle and then behaving like an asshole yourself, well it's just not going to fly is it? 
So it was with this in mind that I decided to take a big step back from myself, take stock of my life and my relationships and have a good think about what I should be letting go of in order to become more self aware, kind (to myself and others) and mindful about my behaviours and what I am sending out into the universe.
What became abundantly clear quite quickly as soon as I started to look at my role in my family, my close relationships, my job, my friendships and the way that I interact with others was my ridiculous need to be validated and how much of a people pleaser I am. And this lead me to realise that I genuinely needed a serious overhaul in the way that I was doing things and the way that I was spending my precious time and here's the list that I came up with of things that I need to let go of to become a more whole and rounded person. 
1. Trying to make everyone happy.
It's ridiculous how compelled I am to taking care of everyone else's needs before my own. I go out of my way to make sure that everyone's needs are met, all the boxes are ticked and everyone feels heard and respected, and even though this is a lovely thing to do, It's actually  not my job to make everyone happy. Everyone has a responsibility to create their own joy and find their own happiness, so attempting to do that for someone else is just hindering their ability to self manage. It's my job to make myself happy and that's going to be my focus from now on. 
2. Saying yes to people or events that I'm not invested or interested in.
Saying no, choosing to not over schedule my calendar and having the courage to weed out some negative people from my circle of friends is a really hard thing for me to do. However, over the years my inability to say no has made me put up with some pretty shitty one sided friendships, spend my free time listening to people who don't care about me at all, allowed people to unload their baggage onto me and then disappear for months and has also made me negative and bitter at times. Well no more! If I am not feeling it then I am not doing it anymore, life is too short for mediocre friends and crappy events and gatherings. 
3. Fear of failure.
All of my life I have hated the idea of being wrong or getting things wrong. In the past I have even engaged in pointless arguments just so that I didn't have to admit that I was wrong, how seriously stubborn and messed up is that? Talk about a closed mindset. Well that's over for me now, I am now more than willing to fail and learn and even fail again, it's all good. It's just like the Japanese proverb "Nana korobi, ya oki" which means 'Fall down seven times, stand up eight' which is a much gentler and kinder way to live your life than always trying to be clever, smart or right. I actually don't mind being wrong these days and I also don't mind not knowing things, I love to learn and that is my new focus now.  Failing is human and its how we grow.
4. Not Trusting That Things Will Pass
I have said 'this too shall pass' a million times, but when things are happening to me, I often allow myself to get caught up in the drama of it all. Being able to accept that all states are transient and fleeting in the big scheme of things is something that I am really working hard on. It is just as much about trust as it is about letting go and it really comes down to one's ability to manage their emotional responses, be self aware and moderate as required. All things are impermanent and this does gets easier to accept as I get older, however being able to keep calm and stay the course when the waves get high is something that is still a work in progress for me. 
5. Listening with My Whole Self
I have a tendency to get distracted and not always give 100% effective listening to people. I really hate it when people do it to me and yet, I sometimes find myself drifting off when people are talking to me. I want to stop doing that and I want to become an active listening zen master.  I want people to feel like they are the only person when the room when they speak to me, I want to listen more and talk less and I want to completely engage when people are talking to me. This will require me to block out all other distractions and so this has to be my first port of call on the way to being an active listening zen master, so I am choosing to take this approach one conversation at a time. And if you are someone that has a relationship with me, feel free to prompt me back if you see me glaze over but also forgive me if I am so focused that it starts to get scary, at which point you can also prompt me to back off!

Okay, so there is, me being all transparent about all the crappy things that I do that I need to let go of and work on. It's never easy to admit our shortcomings but in the name of self improvement, I am always all about it; and admitting a personal flaw is definitely the first step to fixing one. 

I have been on more than my fair share of great holidays. I have been on planes, trains, ships, trams, boats, buses and even elephants as a means to get around, but I have to say that some of the best holidays that I have ever had in my life have involved road tripping. There is nothing like a road trip to get your senses going and your interests flowing and in my opinion, road tripping may well be the best way to spend your holiday time. 
A road trip gives you loads more time to reflect, stop and smell the flowers. You can literally pull over and get your fill of the landscape at any time. And unlike being stuck in a tour group or on some other vessel that is just going from A to B, a road trip allows you to go at your own pace and take as many detours as you like. Every road sign is a potential adventure and an opportunity to take in something new or explore another area.
You don't have to go far to have a road trip adventure either. A road trip can last a day, a weekend, a week, a month or however long you want to take your holiday for. You can pursue a road trip in your own country (Australia has the best road trip opportunities - so blessed here) or you can plan to travel abroad. Craig and I road tripped from Germany to Italy in a car and it was nothing short of amazing, we also road tripped France and England together, we've taken our family and road tripped across the North Island of New Zealand and I have done short road trips to Sydney and Canberra with my kids as well and I can honestly say that all of those holidays were easily some of the best that we have ever had. 
Another great thing about road tripping is that it is a cheaper and more convenient form of travel than any other transport and as long as your car is in pretty good working order, it's super easy as well. Just fill up your tank and go, any day at any time. You can literally head off at any given moment to explore the countryside and decide where to stay as you go. We usually stay at Airbnb's which is generally a pretty cheap option, but if you've got a caravan or an RV, well that's even easier and cheaper as well.
The thing that I love best about a road tripping is the complete freedom of it. I love blasting my favourite playlists and singing up my tunes, making memories and sharing special moments with my family, operating outside of any schedules or work commitments and just being in the moment 100%. An open and unknown road really can give you all of that. And let's not forget that incredible feeling that you get when you come home after a couple of weeks on the road and you have totally reinvigorated your awareness around how amazing your life and your home actually are. A road trip definitely heightens your awareness, not only to the amazing adventures that you've enjoyed but also around how incredible it is to return to the comfort of your home after the fact. 
Yes, I really do love to go road tripping and having adventures on the holidays, but for me there really is no place like home, and for that reason I know that I am definitely not made for a full time nomadic existence, no matter how much the open road beckons to me. 

NOMADLAND
Release Date: 2021
Rating: M 
Running Time: 107 mins 
An American drama film written, edited, produced and directed by Chloé Zhao and based on the 2017 non-fiction book Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. I think that being based on a non-fiction book has made this movie feel very authentic, in fact the entire movie plays out just as a documentary would. There are even real life nomads (Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells) all portraying fictionized versions of themselves here which really adds a lot of depth and credence to the tale. 
Over the course of a year we follow Fern (Frances McDormand), a reclusive nomadic woman who is mourning the loss of her husband and traveling across America in an old camper van. Along the way we experience the highs and lows of Fern's voyage through the people that she encounters on the road, the impermanent work that she undertakes and the places that she visits along the way. 
Nomadland won the Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director awards at the 78th Golden Globe Awards, however I think that it is the incredible sweeping landscapes and cinematography that make this film truly unmissable.  I definitely recommend viewing Nomadland on a big screen if you can,  however be warned, the lure to jump into an RV and hit the open road is somewhat overwhelming and you may find yourself planning your next road trip after seeing this. 
FINAL SAY: I'll see you down the road.
4 Chilli Peppers ​

By definition, mantra is a Sanskrit word that means a sacred utterance of numerous sounds, syllables or words. Many languages have mantras that are believed to hold religious, magical or spiritual powers. In modern and westernised spiritual practises, the word mantra has become the mainstream word for intention, but in truth mantra and intention are quite different.
The word mantra can be broken down into two words. The first being 'man' which means mind and 'tra' which means transport or vehicle. In other words a mantra is an instrument for moving your mind from one state of being into another. It is a way of triggering a shift in your mindset, which is clearly quite different from setting an intention. 
Just like planting a seed into fertile soil to get the best results, when you plant your mantra over and over in your mind you will also get the best results. Basically, you need to shift your consciousness to more abundant patterns of thinking by repeating your mantra to yourself during meditation, times of focus or when the need to 'shift gears' arises. The key to a successful mantra is all in the repetition. 
When you undertake a course in transcendental meditation with a qualified practitioner, you are given a personal mantra which is usually in the form of a 2 or 3 syllable chant. However, you don't have to go to a professional to set yourself a mantra or chant, you just have to find a saying, sound or group of words that transport your mind to a better or higher frequency of thinking and feeling. 
I have had many mantras over the years. Some have been short and sweet and yet still very effective like "I am strong" "I am focused" and "I can let go." Others have been chants or chimes, bells or transcendental vibration noises. Most recently I have adopted the following mantra:
"Where attentions goes, energy flows"
I say the first three words on the inhale and the last two on the exhale when meditating. However, I have used this mantra to help others as well by gently reminding them about what they are pouring their energy into and whether it deserves as much of their attention and energy as they are giving it. I say this to myself when I feel like I am entering a power struggle, beginning to play into some else's drama or getting caught up in  negative thought patterns about someone else, myself or a situation. 
At the end of the day, a mantra is supposed to bring you back to simplicity, which if done correctly, will support you in protecting your energy as well, which is what I wrote about in my last blog post. We live in a complex world and it is so easy to get lost in all of the details. Having a mantra can help you to keep circling back to a simplistic approach to life and to help you to focus on those things that inspire and truly make you happy, so why not give it a go and create your own mantra, what have you got to lose? 

BLACK IS KING
Release Date: 2020
Rating: M
Running Time: 85 mins 
There is no disputing that Beyoncé is not everyone's cup of tea, but after Lemonade I was more than willing to have a look at Black is King and I was definitely not disappointed. 
A musical and visual album that was directed, written and produced by Beyoncé herself, the film serves as a visual companion to the 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift, a tie-in album curated by Beyoncé for The Lion King. 
The story revolves around a young African prince that is exiled from his kingdom after his father passes away. When he becomes a man, he embarks on a journey to discover his true identity and purpose. He is protected and guided by his ancestors and eventually reclaims his rightful place upon the throne again. 
The music, dances, costumes, themes and sets are all simply divine and the overall experience is a complete transcendence into sight, sound and spirit. There is a lot to love here, and if like me you are a fan of artistic expression and creativity, you will love this as well. 
FINAL SAY: Find Your Way
​4 Chilli Peppers ​