2011 Wrap-up to welcome in 2012

Wow, it’s been a while. Last post being 2009. Sporadic, no? A lot has changed since then but I will spare you the boredom and run through my personal highlights of 2011:

• Moved into our newly built home – We got the keys to our house in April 2011 and moved into the house over the Easter break. It’s really nice to have a place to call your own. It certainly has been a lot of work and a great deal more needs to still be done, but we’re taking our time to get it right and enjoying it all too. It’s modest, eco-friendly and 15 minutes from the city.
• Adopted Olive – we adopted a kitten named Olive in May 2011 fostered by @_paulr. It seemed crazy at the time, having only lived in our house for a few weeks and having both never owned a cat, we managed to convince ourselves that making a home for a wee little kitten was more important than getting ourselves furniture. Best decision ever. You’ve seen all the Instagrams, I need not explain myself
• Degree completed! – my first year of uni was 2004. After several changes to majors, adding a communications degree, taking 6 months off and then deciding to go part-time mid way through it all, it’s done. 6.5 years to finish sounds a bit ridiculous but there were no regrets.  Unlike a lot of peers who took the minimum time to complete their qualifications, I’ve been able to walk straight out of my degree into a directly relevant job that aligns to my career objectives. I think it has had a lot to do with graduating with a great deal of work experience, both through the “trenches” and at an executive level. I found working in relevant jobs to my degree while studying helped apply and solidify theories learnt rather than being abstract – you really get more out of a class rather than simply going through the motions. I can’t say what would be different if I hadn’t gone down the lengthy  method of tertiary studies I chose, I am happy with it’s more immediate returns now.
• Career – just started in a marcomms role in December of 2011. It’s hard to think I’m meant to be qualified to do this now, only weeks after finishing uni. It’s still early days but I’m excited by the prospects that have been planned for me. With a wide range of clients that happen to include quite a few of my favourite international brands, I am constantly having to tell myself to act cool and contain my squeeing excitement! On a lifestyle side note: It is weird having juggled between uni, a part-time job and building a house to just having 1 job. I believe a hobby is in order.
• Health – as mentioned, I got a new job in December where a medical was required as part of the application process. From this, I found that I had blood sugar readings indicative of prediabetes. After seeing a specialist, I was relieved to find that my pancreas was in good shape and that my body was insulin resistant (Type 2 in my case). From here, I was prescribed a strict diet that comprised of shakes and a small range of vegetables (lettuce, tomato and cucumber) – the aim was to clear the fats from my liver in hopes that it will make my body sensitive to insulin. It was extraordinarily difficult – and I did slip a few times but after the 4 weeks my blood sugars had decreased over 3 fold to 5.5mmol and I had lost 5kg. I’m now back on a normal diet and monitoring my blood sugar levels to see how it’s responding to insulin – I’ll see the specialist again in a few months with full blood work to see if I can prevent any long term effects. I count myself as lucky for things to have fallen in place to discover the condition – I had no symptoms so it could have gone untreated for quite some time. So forgive me if I sound like a nagging mother, but I urge you all to get a yearly check-up with your doctor even if you feel that you are young, fit and healthy! It’s better to be safe than sorry.

I can’t complain about 2011 – it was a good year. Moving forward to 2012′s mini projects and goals:

• Lose another 5kg – my recently discovered health issues can be made easier to manage with less weight. While I am classed as in the healthy weight range, the doctor recommended the extra “buffer” of losing a bit more would make it easier for my ongoing treatment. I’ll be doing this over more time though as losing the first 5kg in 4 weeks of my treatment made me feel like I could have developed an eating disorder (I agonised and punished myself for eating 2 prawns at one stage). I still have heaps of shakes left over so I’ll use them up (too cheap to throw them away) and I’ll keep going for walks and playing the Wii Fit Plus. Hopefully it will only take me another 2 months or so to achieve this.
• 52 Film Project – where I will be taking 1 photo a week on film, develop the rolls and publish them at the end of the year. I’ll be loading my Canon AE-1 Program again! I miss the romance in using film – no instant gratification, mystery of getting that shot, analogue grain and relative return when you add patience to the mix. I’ll privately document the process and reveal it at the end of the year. Feel free to join me on this project if you wish.
• Travel – 3 trips have already been booked. Adelaide in April, Tokyo and Singapore in September. It’s been indicated that I’ll be travelling a bit for work to, both interstate and international so also looking forward to these opportunities.
• Learn a bit of conversational Mandarin and Japanese – Obviously learning Japanese for when we go to Tokyo. Learning Mandarin will be more for work.

Hoping 2012 will be an awesome one!

Panda-eyed

I’m ok with lazily removing my eye make-up which is sporadically worn as these posts are. Unplatting my Jedi braid after spending all day using the force for such seemingly trivial matters.

Un-clipping earrings that are a little loose. Responsible for a constant panic several times a day, making sure they haven’t come undone.

They say someone is thinking of you when an earring falls from a lobe unintentionally.

I’m torturing someone aren’t I?

Tomorrow, I’ll get some new butterfly back clips for my pretty ear things.

Hold Your Horses

I had a pretty amazing opportunity to photograph the cheeky girls of Hold Your Horses.

This shot appeared in The West Australian to promote their up and coming musical, Heart of Gold.

A family unravelled by secrets. A haunted landscape. One boy’s fantasy of Westralia at war with the Eastern States. A new, darkly comic musical about obsession, betrayal and the long buried past.

Tickets can be purchased here

Left to right: Tarryn Gill, Thea Costantino and Pilar Dupont.

While we’re doing introductions…

This is Brandie – she is a 3 year old boxer dog of ours who thinks she is still 3 months young.

She likes licking yogurt out of almost empty yogurt tubs. She likes pigs ears. She likes to play with pigeons and ducks. She steals porterhouse steaks. She lies on her back and makes gremlin faces. She trots like a horse. She knows when you’re down and cuddles you until you’re better.

Breakfast Dates

Breakfast at Tiger Tiger Coffee Bar this morning. An old saturday ritual until I stopped working structured work hours.

Fiori beans in my coffee, crispy bacon and free range eggs in my bagel. Not too shabby for a pre-9am wake-up.

If you have yet to try this charming secret in the heart of Perth, I suggest you check it out. Though, I’m sure I’m biased (in the best way possible). They have a dynamic small foods menu which is served at lunch and dinner, currently with a southern influence. Not to mention they have a small bar license now!

Tiger Tiger Coffee Bar
Shop 4 / 329
Murray Street
Perth WA 6000

Hi! I’m miyori. Nice to meet you too.

Fancy bumping into you here. Statistically speaking, the chances of this meet was highly unlikely given this is the first post, so lets make it worth it?

Due to the lack of content here at the moment, perhaps it would be a grand idea to list you down my plans for this space in hopes that it might entice you to return one fine sunny e-day. And the fact that I have the mad skills at making lists:

• Life un-blog – wtf does this mean? I do want to share the things that occur in my life to you, however mundane they may be. You may find some rather random and out-of-context posts from time to time because I rather appear elusive than mundane.  It means that I hope this doesn’t become one of those blogs where ineloquent ramblings occur. I’ll try and keep it concise (although, it appears this isn’t really happening yet). This space is first and foremost a place for my narcissistic side to have a stretch – if you happen to find this entertaining, consider that a bonus.
• unLife blog – so after reading what I just typed above, I’d also like to express that not everything that occurs in my life will be posted here. I think secrets are delicious. Don’t you?
• Photo things – I don’t consider myself a photographer. I don’t like some of the tags which are associated with the title. I do however enjoy taking photos, sharing post production techniques and talking camera gadgets. I also work at a photolab which lets me get my printing giddy~ness on. I have had work published in magazines and exhibited  in Queensland and Melbourne before but worry not, my head has deflated since then. I do consider myself a n00b though – I barely know all the settings to my DSLR, I know nothing about professional lighting and strobing and it was only last year that I stopped using the [P]-mode. Terrifying, isn’t it?
• Food things – whether it be wining and dining or cooking at home, I’m sure there will be amazing reviews which lack credibility and recipes which involve processes professional foodies would scoff at. Here’s hoping my mum doesn’t find this place – she’d machete me in a heartbeat for divulging her cooking secrets.
• Teen Angst – I’m not a teenager anymore but I have been told that I write superbly when angry. I’ve mellowed with age though, so these types of posts will be relatively sparse.

So here’s for the first post.

Has it left you wanting more?

Didn’t think so.

In the meantime, head over to the links on the sidebar towards your right where you will find blogs whose content is far more witty and entertaining than how mine currently is.

*Posts a billboard up*

WATCH THIS SPACE!