I love Bloggable Chain-Mail: ABC Me

Ok I've been epic blog stalking the beauty blogosphere on my days off this week and I came across a series of tag posts. This one reminded me a lot of those chain emails I was addicted to as a teen - I am definitely of the modern generation I love to share information about myself in these formats. It seemed to be a self-tagging one so I figured count me in (I don't have the blog friends to be being tagged or tagging others). [Please note that as a teen I only sent them to two friends NEVER my whole friends list or anything.] 

Anyway here's an alphabet listing of things you probably didn't need to know about me.

A. Age:  20

B. Bed size:  A king single - I just count myself lucky its not single.

C. Chore you hate:  I really, really dislike the dishes - seriously I'd clean 10 toilets to not have to wash a small stack of bowls after people have eaten porridge (notably I also don't eat porridge).

D. Day:  Saturday because it is as close as I get to having a free day.

E. Essential start to your day:  Breakfast. I'm not one of those people who skip it or have to work themselves up to it. I start the day with breakfast.

F. Favourite colour:  Purple and let me say I'm dedicated to it.

G. Gold or silver:  I wear both - but then again I only wear a gold & silver banded watch and silver (cheap) studs 99% of the time.

H. Height:  178cm (5'10") - My mum started telling me at 6 or 7 that she hoped I'd be 5'10" because she thought it was a good height. Always glad to be a good daughter.

I. Instruments:  My musical talent is decidedly limited however I have an appreciation that comes with doing both Piano and Flute. 15 years and grade 3 for leisure was my greatest accomplishment.

J. Job Title:  Somewhere between government employee and overpaid full-time student.

K. Kids:  At some point in the future after I have a husband. In the meantime I'm not a babies girl - I don't goo, I don't gah and I don't enjoy the fact that no other conversation takes place even if the party goes for 3 or 4 hours if a baby is present. I'll have to deal with that enough 10 years from now thanks.

L. Live: Canberra - against my will. I actually don't mind the size or the atmosphere of the country town city because I'm not a city girl but what sadist came up with out thermostat readings?

M. Mum’s name: Jenny and if you call her Jennifer on the phone she'll probably assume you are a telemarketer and hang up because she is NEVER Jennifer.

N. Nickname:  Bron/Brony/Bronnie (yes I know the last two are said the same way) however unlike my mum I will generally introduce myself as Bronwyn and let you shorten it all on your own (everybody does Bronwyn is just that kind of name).

O. Overnight hospital stay:  As a child to get my Tonsils out.

P. Pet peeve:  My biggest pet peeves is other people who have pet peeves and let other people know about them ALL THE TIME and the people who seem to be perpetually developing new pet peeves. Seriously stop letting it BUG you. This seems like a rather odd pet peeve to have - I mean do I bug myself? Short answer is yes however the long answer is that I generally reflect other peoples emotional conditions - if your happy I'm happy, if your sad well I'm hopeless and if you seem to be angry at somebody I feel like you're angry at me and I react by being angry at you.

Q. Quote from a movie:  'They come here, they all come here, how do they FIND me?' The Producers (basically he's bemoaning the fact he attracts absolute pathetic psychos). Now I don't really get how people (particularly guys) master a swag of movie quotes but I get this one in my head whenever the situation seems appropriate to it.

R. Right or left handed:  Right.

S. Siblings:  I always think to say one - my younger brother. However I'm one of those people blessed with a late-in life half-sister thanks to my dad's marriage to a much younger Indonesian woman. No seriously I love Mel she's a great little girl (if you excuse the terrible twos).

T. Time you wake up: On a working day 0550 h. On the weekend approximately 3 snoozes after my initial alarm which I set to 0730-0830 depending on how lenient I'm feeling. Yes I'm alarm obsessed. I hate feel like I've wasted the day - do you KNOW how much of your life you spend sleeping? I prefer to limit myself to 8-10 hours a night.

U. Underwear:  Plain and cream/tan/fawn/bone (I've forgotten the actual colour word I was looking for if you can't tell) in colour. Not particularly sexy however practical under white clothes.

V. Vegetables you dislike:  It actually changes a fair bit.... sometimes I can't stand cauliflower... sometimes I have to alternate brussel sprout for beans to get through eating them... but simply put I'll force myself to eat all vegetables.

W. What makes you run late:  Other people or getting caught by the 'ten minutes I can't go yet its too early I'll just.... oh now I was supposed to leave 5 minutes ago' disaster.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth, left arm (for both a broken wrist and broken finger - the finger being the coolest x-ray I can lay claim to), back (for the chiropractor) and my ankle (always glad to know its not broken).

Y. Yummy food you make: I make... you've certainly narrowed down the field there. Myself and my good friend Louise have a tradition of chocolate chip cookies whenever I return to my hometown - I reckon after 6 years we've got pretty good cookies happenin'.

Z. Zoo:  When (and ONLY when) my best friend makes me - to be perfectly honest I don't get the Zoo thing.

Now if you have stumbled upon this I'd love to hear from you. Maybe even you want to tag yourself for a spot of fun?

Justifying My Purchases

So... I don't have the abilities of the all around dedication to be one of those epic make-up bloggers... That simply could never happen. However strange things happen when I'm on holidays.

More to justify my spending of HEAPS of money than to actually achieve something I did this. I'm not a huge fan of my shadow abilities but I really love my new copper eye liner... I'm glad I don't feel like I just wasted $6.

Addicted

I have an addictive personality.

It is as simple as that. I've known this for years. The tendency to develop habits quickly and quite concretely, the fickle but in-depth interest in things, the high achiever and over thinker... even the simple fact that I'm naturally anxious and can be both a good loser and a terrible loser depending on how I've approached the game.

It is probably the only thing I can remember for many life and awareness classes during a spare lesson delightfully called 'Options' in high school. Drug, alcohol and sex awareness, career options, study skills—it was that kind of class - procrastination central. Our teacher—the only other thing I remember from the class, the man dressed like a pirate from black longer hair held in a ribbon and white loose flowy shirt and black vest—described a set of things that made an addictive personality and stated that they were most likely to develop severe drug addiction. Good thing I never thought to try drugs is all I can think.

What am I addicted to at the moment? Make-up. It isn't a new addiction since I get it every time I'm on holiday however too much time and just enough money also allows for my other lesser known addiction... shopping. I'm perhaps even less of a shopper than I am a make-up artist... certainly more complex shopoholics actually set my teeth on edge (think The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopoholic - I hate that character sooo much). However as soon as I have money it just seems to go.

Where did my money go these holidays? To supporting my make-up addiction... Now if only I could practice USING all this stuff - the only thing I can guarantee I'll use with high frequency is that deodorant lol.

American Improvement?

Funny how I always come back to blogging when I've got nothing better to do... Perhaps if I did it when I DID have something better to be doing I'd have a more interesting blog. Sorry about that. So I figured... I'd look for some inspiration somewhere light and easy - television. Now as much fun as pondering the pros and cons of The Glee Project or anticipating the next season of How I Met Your Mother... I'm just not generally one for talking about the light and the petty.

What is more my speed? Wilfred. For those of you to whom that is a foreign concept this is Wilfred.

And I have to say if you're not Australian then Wilfred SHOULD be a foreign concept. It is, in its original form, an Australian show which played on SBS about a dog, Wilfred, and the guy who lives next door (the only other character who see Wilfred as we the viewer sees him - a human dressed as a dog). It is rather black, and I think distinctly Australian flavoured humour.

Apparently not good enough for American audiences though. They have recreated the series. They always recreate the series. The Office, Life On Mars, they even tried it with Kath & Kim. Why are international shows simply not good enough for the american viewership? I've been watching 80-90% American television since I was 9-10 years old and they can't manage a single Australian show?

I don't know - the television ads tell me its been a roaring success ( but then ads always tell you things are a roaring succes) - but I just can't help but compare it to the original. Don't get me wrong - I wasn't the original Wilfred's biggest fan. However I did feel it worked as a harsh Australian bloke's bloke comedy.

There is some kind of disconnect that occurs in the American version between the Australian dog (the same one as above) and the replaced and Americanised actors. I feel rather like they feel too 'posh' for the shoe - and its got nothing to do with accents as I contemplated having the show with British actors instead. The very nature of being American doesn't naturally correlate to the Australian humour and there is a disconnect between the characters (more than there is supposed to be).

Maybe after a few episodes it gets better. For me however the injustice is done and there isn't much they can do to make it up to me. At least the dog is still the same Australian bloke. 

A Secret Facination

I don't know how to say this... and have you believe it... but I have a growing facination about make-up. I'm sure you believe the 'obsession about make-up' part. Loads of women proclaim their make-up obsessions all over the internet. Wait I'm doing that right now too... so what do I mean secret?

I very, very rarely wear make-up... I might wear light day make-up on a Saturday to the shops once a month or put some on for going out for dinner (which probably happens even more rarely) but I don't wear make-up to work and I rarely wear it anywhere. Not a very good obsession? I think that makes for something that could only be described as a secret obsession. Make-up is my down time, my easy relaxation, and one of the only things I can take simple pleasure in. Make-up and music - the easiest pleasures around. I put make up on to study, to watch tv, to lounge around my house - on a days when I'll know nobody will ever see me - because the me the world sees doesn't wear make-up.

My make-up story is not a traditional one. I think I got my first make-up at 15... I only think that because I certainly did USE the stuff when I did receive it so I don't remember. Some girls have their mothers bemoaning their make-up tendencies... my mother went out of her way to attempt to entice me to wear the stuff... with little success. At 17 I joined the military... and at 18 make-up started to seem worth it - I got out the assortment of make-up I had (so pretty much the stuff I'd gotten at 15) and put it on in accordance with the solitary make-up lesson I had this one time at mum's insistence.

Then at 19 I started to think a little bit more creatively... make-up was kind of like nail polish only it washed off when I wanted it to and I could repeat the process without the lasting detriment of the canvas I was working from (sure excessive make-up can lead to break outs or whatever... but 4-5 days of bad skin is nothing compared with the 4-5 months of dodgy nails that nail polish abuse leads too).

Now at 20 I actively look into make-up... I love reading blogs about make-up, trying to imitate (generally with little success) the pictures and tutorials... Unfortunately I don't have the money to invest in the better quality products nor the desire to own expensive products that I'll probably only use a handful of times before their best before date... But I work with what I have and have a hell of a lot of fun...

But this is a secret. I'm not the kind of person to wear make-up let alone ENJOY make-up for make-ups sake. I don't get along with the kinds of girls who loved make-up in school or the ones who wear it daily now. I'm not that type of girl. I'm a study in contradictions a lover of romance, addicted to the colour purple, now admitting to make-up addiction - on paper I read like a girly girl I'm sure. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I'm not a very good one in actuality though... I never mastered the girlish giggle, my preference for conversation is social and cultural transitions rather than who's dating who, I study engineering and know more about control engineering than I do about flowers, cooking or men - and all my friends know that side of me... Certainly few if any of them would be interested in make-up.

And because everybody loves make-up photos a few of my own eyes =D.

Here's looking at you. (the day I was looking into 1920s makeup - I'm not going to show you the make-up I did on the night of the costume party though... I picked a gray with a blue tinge... and I looked ridiculous :( )

Today's make-up which is perhaps not really day make-up that looks nice being worn casually to the shops but I'm going to because I need to buy new eye make-up remover :P. Why am I playing so boldly? I'm in my hometown for the week - nobody to notice or to give me alternatives to do....

My attempt to follow along a blog tutorial - without having the brighter bolder colour varieties that had had... (I love the slightly hazel look my eye has in the photo though). (You can probably tell that I didn't bother with foundation that way and I've used the forbidden air brush to hide what I could)

If I Were a Genre of Music...

Oh dear. I'm spoiled for choice. Why is it that when I stop coming to Plinky the questions suddenly get infinitely better? So this wants me to pick a genre of music I would be .



And I have to say I can't go past country music.

2009 CMA 061109

Country is the obvious choice for me, but then this question is asked in such a way that I'm guessing most people will say their favourite genre. Who would want to be represented by a genre other than their favourite if they didn't have to be? Its got a lot to do with the fact that people favour music that gets to them. I am really concerned for anybody who says 'Screamo' to this question.



However why specifically am I the country genre? I mean I'm a large town/city suburbs girl for much of my life. I have a job which means I will live much of my life in Australia's capital cities from now. I certainly didn't grow up under a rock - as I will answer one of the other Plinky posts I have had semi-consistent use of a computer since I was 2.



But country is about that... There are plenty of country songs of the outback but many more that aren't specific or are just as applicable to everyday city people. In fact there are some specifically about the fact country is at the heart of city people too 'Gone Country' by Alan Jackson of the top of my head.



No I say country not because of where I'm from (which I admit is the home of Keith Urban - and that was significant to me at one stage in my childhood). Its about who I am, what I like, what I find important and what country music sings about. If you ever wanted to hear about what country music is about there are a number of songs that attempt to describe it 'Songs About Me' and 'This Is Country Music' I know well.



Basically I don't know who anybody with a slight romantic streak can't love country music however. From romance-y songs like 'Amazed', 'This Is Your Song' and 'Fall Into Me' to songs about wanting more 'Not My Guy', 'Wrong Girl' or 'Not Your Cinderella' to break up 'Songs About Rain', 'There Is No Arizona', 'You Aren't Leaving (Thank God Are You?)'. Country is the musical variation of my love of romance fiction.



I don't only listen to the love songs though. I love the songs which are simply about life. They are about taking the bad with the good but then celebrating the good. Songs about family and friendship and looking forward to getting out of work and spending the afternoon at the pub. Country music is simply about life.

Start With a Title, End With an Idea

So.... Its been a long time since a plinky topic has made me want to complete it badly enough that I came back to it a second time. I have to say that plinky is a real let down when you don't get through to the end of a post before you need to shut off etc. I suppose that is why I should write my own blog posts rather than simply answer these.



Thats irrelevant today because Plinky just asked me to title my masterpiece. I have to say that that is one of my favourite off and on hobbies. Books titles and ideas come to me all the time. Sometimes I write them down, sometimes I don't. I hope some day, when my writing abilities magically multiplies, that I can turn one of these casual story lines into a fully fledged book.

On the Bus
Emma is a mid-twenties city-dwelling office-working bore. At least that is why her colleagues say about her. She a vegetarian - and not one of those fashionable ones - not big on sharing her cause or making a song and dance out of her reasoning. She doesn't smoke, she doesn't drink, she's never rocked up to work on a Friday bleary eyed or attempted to use Mondayitis as an excuse for a three day weekend. Nobody knows exactly what she does in her spare time - simply that it must not be very interesting.



Tom could care less. He wears his formal business clothes a bit daggier than he should. He leaves work early when he feels like it. Nobody is about to tell him off - he's the boss. He isn't hugely into the parties these days but anything other than work is great so party he does - as many nights a week as possible. Unfortunately the one person senior to him is his mum. And she makes him help the environment by catching the bus to work..



This is a love affair of two people who happen to share the same bus to work. And how maybe they aren't as different as they seem...

Drop Dead Fred
A satire of every story that gave the main character everything they ever wanted.



Who knew Melanie had a great Uncle named Fred who wanted to give her everything he owned in life? Which was 10 million dollars, a bookstore and a library of first additions. She's a sensible girl she's seen the movies. Maybe the money isn't where she should find her pleasures. She tries to make herself content with the shop. Runs it herself... Every time she has a day off she experiences more of that party scene that having money to waste gives you access to. She realises - to hell with being good and right and following the script of a good girl's life - this money provides EXACTLY what she wanted all her life. She loves the men, loves the action. This girl just wants to have fun.

Sand Bottom Sound
A long long way from Iron Bottom Sound there lives a girl. A girl who knows the dangers of the every changing sands and the other underwater hazards of her home town. She also knows the darker secrets beneath the still waters of the Sound. How will she convince the new comer to town that the waters are unsafe? That even if you were to avoid the sand banks a far darker experience awaits anybody who dares take a boat out upon those waters.

Ellipse
A romance... completely unrelated to anything Twilight and Eclipse :P... This one is more of a just a title than some of the others I've mentioned... But something to do with a graphic artist. It talks about being incomplete and how perfection isn't necessarily the way society sees it. Maybe geniuses can draw perfect circles... and maybe they can draw beautiful ellipses instead.

An as yet unnamed romance
Despite all of the different ideas up there... If I was to write a story it would be a romance. Romance is the genre I know best, the genre I love best. I could never write a suspense thriller - I can't even watch thriller movie trailers... When I create a story in my head however it starts by the end it has a boy and a girl a conflict, a resolution and a happily ever after... I'll keep you posted :P