Mid-year resolutions, because where the heck did New Years go?! July 17, 2013

So apparently it is already July, which I find highly doubtful, seriously, you’re all just joking right?! Coming to terms with this whole ‘we are already half way through the year’ business is throwing me for a sixer, considering I don’t even know where the heck the past six months has gone! What is even more scary about this way-mark is that it signifies I only have another 6 months left of my university degree. 6 months until the freedom I have desired for the past 3 and a half years. 6 months until I finally get that little printed sheet of paper declaring to the world that I am a scientist and qualified in Animal Behaviour. 6 months until I am no longer a student and have to face the ‘real world’, and even worse, pay full price for everything…. eeep! 😛 4 years of what has been a huge part of my life if coming to a close, and in a way, it makes me a little sad, but has also inspired me to make some resolutions for myself (that I failed to make on New Years because I can’t even remember it coming and going!) that I am determined to follow in order to make the rest of this year worth my while, while at the same time, working towards a better and happier me 🙂

I, creator of Remain Insane, Gemma [insert embarrassing last name here], declare that:

1) I will blog about the things that I wish to blog about without fear of judgement, and as a result, will post every fortnight

The biggest problem I have had with blogging for the past 8 months is my constant fear of judgement. I have always been told I have a way with my writing and the way I word things makes for a hilarious read, and after seeing all of my lovely followers responses to my ‘funny’ entries, it has become something I pride myself on. Personally, if I can’t make people laugh, I feel as if I am failing as a human being 😛 As a result I have let the ranting and creative side of me flourish, received so much positive feedback and loved writing each and every post. But on the other side of it, I have also made myself afraid to blog about other things, things that are a little more serious but mean a lot to me, in fear that I will disappoint and lose followers left, right and centre. It has been over a whole year since I started this blog, and I am yet to even write one of the first posts I had ever planned to about my beloved orang-utans. Letting one side of you flourish while repressing the other works out ok to begin with, but after a while you begin to feel it through your own writing, and for me, this has come in the form of I want to talk about something serious, feel as if I can’t, try and force myself to be entertaining even when I’m not feeling it, which then just ends with a temper tantrum as well as a shit tonne of posts getting deleted and never making it on to my actual blog. It has reached the point now even ranting Gemma just ain’t showing up when I demand her to, because serious Gemma wants to have some viewing time. So, I am going to let her. Never fear, I am not going to go manic depressive on you and fill your newsfeeds with what can be compared to a 12-year-old going through a break-up on Facebook 😛 Simply, I am no longer going to be afraid to write about the things that mean a lot to me like animal welfare and conservation. My blog’s content is not going to change and a whole load of snort-worthy ranting will continue to ensue, the only change will be you should be seeing a lot more of me and my posts 🙂 At the end of the day, you have to blog for you 🙂

2) I will stop being so harsh on my body and expect too much of it in too little time

For a long time now, I have wanted to partake in regular exercise to tone up a little bit of excess fat here and there. Problem is, I expect too much of myself in a small amount of time. I am that person who will do 300 sit-ups and then whine at my belly ‘WHY AREN’T YOU FLAT YET!’ the very next day. Then, because I can’t see results, I give up and do nothing. Then rinse and repeat. This is completely unfair on my poor body, and I think it knows this too, as more often than not it’ll make me bloat like crazy the day after a workout just to spite me 😛 No more! I have made myself a 30 day workout plan, and I WILL stick to it. Currently on day two, and the familiar aching in my muscles is letting me know I have planned a doozy of a month for myself, but I am hoping it’ll be worth it. And in order to visibly show myself that change IS possible when I give myself the chance, I have taken a Day 1 photo and at the end of the month will compare it to a Day 30 photo. Alongside this exercise I am also going to make sure I eat healthier. My main issue is snacking, so I am going to try and eat 3 set meals a day while only having a few snacks here and there. In saying that though, I will treat myself with chocolate if the opportunity  arises 😉 During this month I vow not to try and look for instant results, however I do give myself permission to whinge if I stick to my plan and Day 1 and Day 30 end up looking the same 😛

3) I will be more positive, face the world with a smile and choose to be happy

 As of late I have come across a truly inspirational girl (will go into more detail later, she seriously just deserves a blog post of her own to do her justice), and she is one of the happiest most endearing souls you will ever come across. Her positive mindset, the love she has for herself as a person and the fact that she is only 16 years old but is helping heal 1000’s of young girls body confidence and teaching them to learn to love who they are is absolutely amazing. It is because of this girl I have decided to alter my attitude towards myself and life in general. Some people would look on what I have said as an odd choice of words: ‘choose to be happy’. But the more I practice this the more I find it is true. A saying I came across a while ago has really stuck with me: ‘Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% on how you react to it’. This, coupled with another quote from said wonderful human being above: ‘My life is my creation’, are already beginning to help me learn to love myself more and see what an impact your mindset has on your lifestyle. In every situation you have a choice on how you react to it. Even in a bad situation you can choose to let it hurt you long after it has happened, or you can choose to accept it happened and allow yourself to become a better more knowledgeable person because of it. Seriously, this will have a post of its own later 🙂

4) I will make every day count and live in the present

Being July already has made me realise how fast life goes, and I don’t want to miss a moment of it. Some days I feel like I have not achieved anything and wasted them either upset about the past or worrying about the future, or simply, by doing absolutely nothing. When in reality, you don’t have to go sky diving or do something extravagant every day of your life to make them worthwhile. I want to make sure every day means something to me. I will appreciate the little things more, like the cute look on my cats face when he stretches, or my boyfriend giving me a tender kiss on the forehead. Going on day trips, planning interstate or overseas trips, starting a new book, playing an hour of my favourite video game, blogging, catching up with a friend, cuddling on the couch with Steven watching a movie, every day is precious, and the things in my life are precious, and I want to appreciate them the amount that they deserve.

5) I will enjoy my last 6 months of study

I breathe books, live for video gaming, and to add to my already apparent ‘nerd’ status, I love science. While I’ve bitched and whinged about my study for the past 3 years, when it comes down to it, I have really enjoyed it. I adore biology and the secrets it uncovers about the process of evolution and behaviour. I love the fact that I can not just watch animal documentaries, but understand them on a new intellectual level. I even further love the fact I understand what has now become my absolute favourite pick-up line: ‘If I were an enzyme I’d be DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes!’, and can spend hours of my spare time giggling over lame chemistry jokes such as ‘Sodium Sodium Sodium Sodium Batman!’. With my study coming to a close, I feel a little sad that this intellectual journey is almost over, so I will appreciate it for all it is worth, 9am – 5pm laboratory practicals and all 😉 But I will not let this be the end of my learning, and will continue to expand my knowledge on biology for the rest of my life. I appreciate the passion for learning that my course has given me, and I will continue to do it justice long after I receive my Bachelor of Science 🙂

Lets face it, New Years resolutions never seem to work out anyway, as usually we make them spur of the moment to ensure we have plans for the new year. So here’s hoping that my mid-year resolutions are going to much more effective and successful, seeing as I have had a whole 6 months to think about them 😉

Until next time lovelies 🙂

Schoooool’s out for summer! School’s out forever! (I wish) December 7, 2012

‘School’s been blown to pieces!’ Bit far? 😛

At last, I no longer have to do any more revision or stress over exams or drink a huge amount of caffeine just to be able to function. At last, no more Uni or long bus rides or falling asleep in lectures. Instead I have THREE MONTHS OF WONDERFUL HOLIDAYS! 😀 And being in Australia, this means these wonderful holidays also include the awesome season of summer! Now, take note that I use the term ‘awesome’ very loosely when it comes to summer. For example, right now I am inside in an air-conditioned room eating my summer fruits in a summery dress sitting by a window looking out into the lovely blue sky. Right now, summer is awesome! Later, I will have to step outside of my air conditioned house and walk to the bus stop while sweating profusely, feel like I am literally melting, having my skin scorched and will have a shit-ton of flies (Shit-ton: An ambiguously large number, larger than a crapton, but less than a holyfuckton. Usually equal to one metric ass load) trying to shove themselves up into every possible crevice on my face. Later, summer will be shithouse! Summer and I, we have a love-hate relationship, so many things to love, but so many things to hate!

Things to love:

– The Beach

Who doesn’t love the beach?! Swimming, a night time stroll, watching a sunset, having a picnic, playing a game of footy, add the beach to these normal activities and it makes them a million times more awesome! Spending a day at the beach with the lovely relaxing atmosphere it creates is totally worth the sandy butt crack you have by the end of the day!

Perhaaaps this isn’t the best way to deal with it though! 😛

– Summer fruits

SO MUCH LOVE! I find it almost impossible throughout the other seasons to eat healthy snacks as nothing is in season aside from the fact I whole heartedly respond with great gusto to my body wanting fatty foods 😛 But in summer: mangos, watermelon, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, kiwifruit and oranges are available by the dozen, and I couldn’t be happier! Summer is probably the season I am the healthiest due to the sheer amount of mangos I consume alone, messy but delicious 😀

– Night time activities

Because of the longer days and Australian daylight saving, it only gets dark around 8-9 o’clock at night throughout summer! This gives you these wonderful extra hours to enjoy a lovely summers day without the scorching sun, which is best spent out walking, at the beach or simply having a waterfight in the back yard 😀

– Thongs

And no my English and American friends, I am not referring to the thong that is situated between your buttocks cheeks, I am referring to the good ol’ Aussie thongs, maybe better known as flip flops 🙂 While I’m not sure on the popularity or opinion of this footwear around the rest of the world, almost every Aussie owns a pair of these shoes. I find them so comfortable and wear them all summer long, hell, I can even run in these babies, though it definitely takes practice! 😛

– BBQ’s

There is nothing better than having a few friends over on a lovely summer evening while chucking a couple snags on the BBQ 🙂 It smells amazing, it tastes amazing, what is there not to love?! 😀

– Ice cream

Pretty self explanatory 😉 And mango sorbet is pretty awesome too!

-Summer rain

I don’t know what it is, but I find the smell of the air just before a summers rain amazing. The moisture in the air, the tingle of electricity, it is such an earthy but wonderful smell. Often I’ll watch the spectacular lightning and thunder display that follows this smell, but then go back outside again just after the rain has stopped, after the earth is damp, atmosphere has cooled and before the moisture is evaporated and again enjoy the simple but glorious smells. I always love the smell of rain, but it is always better in summer!

Things to hate:

– BUGS EVERYWHERE

Summer also unfortunately is that time of year where bugs make their presence quite known and they also happen to like to pop into your house and say G’day! Finding random spiders throughout the house daily, killing a hundred mosquitos so they don’t make a meal of you and swatting away the gazillion flies that insist of following you EVERYWHERE is what awaits you in an Australian summer. If there is one thing you have to admire them for, it is their persistence! But god almighty do I hate hearing that ‘bzzzzzzzzz’ constantly circling my head -___-

– Sleeping

Usually I love sleeping, but in summer, it is the worst! In winter when you are cold at night, its as simple as putting your electric blanket on or grabbing a hot water bottle, hopping under the covers and cuddling a boyfriend/girlfriend or a pillow and off you drift to dream land! In summer, you can sleep butt freaking naked with the fan blowing directly on you without the covers and the sheets are still sticking to your sweaty body!

– Stupid tan lines

Having an olive skin tone can be great, but by the end of summer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be! Because my skin likes to soak up rays like there is no tomorrow, by the end of summer I have a different tan line for each piece of clothing I have regularly worn out in the sun! Last year I think I counted about 5 different tan lines on my shoulders, 4 on my back, 4 on my feet and 3 on my legs! At the end of summer I am very thankful for the oncoming winter so I can hide underneath jumpers and pants waiting for my skin to stop looking a tad bit demented 😛

– Humidity

While I love the smell of summer rain, I certainly don’t like how it feels after the moisture has been evaporated back into the air! The sheer heat of summer is bad enough on its own, but when the humidity is high and it’s muggy as all hell it is the worst! Also, humidity+curly hair honestly does result in what is depicted above! Its ok cartoon weather girl, I know your pain all too well! 😛

– Boyfriend’s car

It can reach 40+ degrees celsius around Adelaide. My boyfriends car also happens to not have air conditioning. We are in for one hell of a summer when it comes to car rides! 😛 I think we are going to have to have all the windows down otherwise we are going to get roasted!

Sticking our heads out the window when we drive is sounding mighty fine right about now!

Nevertheless, through the good and the bad, I plan to enjoy this summer through wonderful day trips out with the boyfriend, sitting out the back reading a great book or sitting inside watching anime, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory or playing Skyrim or Lego Lord of the Rings! 😀 And blogging of course 😉

I’m baaaaaaccccck!

😀

Life as of late! October 17, 2012

 After typing a gazillion essays (YAY FOR UNI -___-), not yet being bothered to complete all of my actual interesting but lengthy blog posts, having a complete burn out and not being able to comprehend what is going on half the time, here is my life as of late in picture form!

Stop the press, GEMMA ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WITH HER HAIR! Those that personally know me know how big this is. My whole life I have never done anything with my virgin brown hair, so Steven decided to pay for me to get a change and get it dip dyed caramel blonde. I have to say I am extremely happy with the result, I have always liked the ombre colouring, and it goes perfectly with brown spastic curly hair that is kept down 99% of the time such as mine. And best of all, it is easily maintainable for the lazy bastard in me 😀

Steven and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. This man means more to me than words can describe, and he has made the last three years of my life amazing. Love you always baby! 🙂 ❤

We also both just turned 21. This doesn’t really bother us, as we both already know no matter what age we are, we are always going to act like 5 year olds 😀 We also had a 21st BBQ, which was a big thing for us because we are usually antisocial and have an overwhelming need to cut off total human contact once it gets dark 😛 It turned out to be a wonderful night full of tipsy fun, in which I discovered I can still Gangnam style (If you are not sure of the dance and song I am talking about, go onto Youtube and look up ‘Gangnam style’ by PSY) like a boss while drunk:

After dancing to it once, everyone seemed very impressed with my dancing and insisted it was done again. Only the next morning could I actually recall how many people actually filmed a video of my dancing, and while I have seen it and was quite proud of my moves, that is one video I don’t think I’ll be showing you 😉

This 21st gift from my little brother made my inner nerd have a fan girl episode and squeal with glee. IT IS AN ACTUAL LIFE SIZED COSPLAY KEYBLADE. ISN’T IT AWESOME?! I might not be prepared for the zombie apocalypse, but if the Heartless attack, I AM THE KEYBLADE MASTER! XD

After a year of living in Adelaide and applying for over 100 different jobs, I finally have got one…… at a pet store! 😀 This is currently my second week and I’m loving it so far. And just quietly, I am always happy when a puppy is a fussy eater or its siblings don’t let it have any food, it means I can take it out the back and feed it aka play with it, like this little sweetie 😀 It really makes me want to buy so many puppies, if it was up to me I would have already brought home a Blue Heeler, a Jack Russel, a Koolie, a Siberian Huskey (the little one above^) and a Golden Retriever! I sure if Jasper knew my plans of becoming a crazy dog lady, this would be his reaction:

Dear god….the end is near

At any chance to blow off my uni assignments, I have been devouring this mind blowing series. Seriously, read it right this second. I considered getting this book for about 6 months before actually purchasing it, and I regret not reading it sooner! I’d have to say it is already one of my favourite book series EVER. Jean Auel is an amazing writer, and the whole story is drool worthy. Set in the last Ice Age, the story is based on Ayla, a young European girl who loses her family to an earthquake at the age of 5, and is found and raised by Neanderthals, even though she is classed as one of ‘The Others’. Personally chosen by her totem the Cave Lion, Ayla tries her hardest to be a good Clan woman as she grows, but while her people and the Clan came from the same beginnings, the differences in body and mind between the two are vast. Tested over and over by an enormous amount of trials and tribulations, Ayla must try to repress her differences in order to stay with the only family she has ever known and loved. But as hard as she tries, Ayla is just too different, and has a destiny too great to ignore. After all, the Cave Lion, the strongest of all Clan totems, only chooses those that are meant for greatness. I could go on and on, but in all honesty, it really deserves a blog post in itself to do it any justice.

Uni is also sending me slightly batty, and I haven’t even begun to think about exams which are only 4 weeks away. If I actually manage to stay sane over the next month without some sort of breakdown it’ll be a miracle!

See you all on the flip side of exams! I hope……. /eye twitch

A month too long! August 22, 2012

After quite a long hiatus on my part, I thought I better quickly drop by to let all of my lovely subscribers know that I have not jumped ship and abandoned my blogging baby, she just needs a little dusting off again that’s all!

Torturous weeks of uni, 5 essays, moving house, useless real estate agents, useless builders, useless councils, useless internet providers, unpacking, hundreds of phone calls to all useless people listed above, 4 started and then discarded blog posts and running around making sure the cat doesn’t destroy our brand new house. These are the things I blame for my absence. Especially the essays, all scientific writing and no creativity makes Gemma a dull woman! 😛

I soon plan to break out of this weird ‘Let’s be a good uni student’ stage, blow off all of my homework again and get back to ranting as per usual. I only have to hope I haven’t offended my wonderful viewers with my lack of posting, and if I have, I am willing to resort to begging if I must 😛

Please take me back? Pretty pretty please?