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Fembat Unhinged
Journal · Scrapbook · Slippery Soapbox
My Goals in 2011
January 2, 2011 By
I noticed the post Welcome to 2011: Goals over at Dreaming in Grey and I loved the idea so much I decided to copy! Hope she doesnt mind.
For me, 2010 was an improvement on previous years but it wasnt great. I am determined 2011 will be different.
Big Goals.
Write Book 1: I do not expect I will complete but I intend to make a headway into writing Book 1 of the Triology I have been planning since I was 16 years old. Already I have revised my notes and have started writing out a detailed chapter by chapter plan of the first.
Save / Pay Debts: I am going to work hard at cutting down my personal expenditure so I can pay off a few debts and save a little for a rainy day… I would like to own my home in the future and therefore have, at the very least, a deposit to raise.
Medium Goals.
Improve my Spanish : Damn it, I live in the country, I should be fluent by now but I arent. I intend to find myself a tutor and take classes. I might also, shockingly, try talking to people.
Socialise more. I am going to try and overcome my personal adversity to “putting myself out there”. I am a little reserved in real life and I would like to work to overcome this and, hopefully, make some friends in this little village.
Little Goals:
Continue to Blog : I am not the greatest blogger but I do have a few blogs where I talk about subjects I am passionate about. This blog is essentially a personal journal, I also have my recipe and design blogs. 2010 saw me return to blogging with a little more enthusiam and, as a result, I would like to continue and build upon/improve during 2011.
Read more: I have the Big Read list to get through!
Sketch: I love to sketch so I intend to reawaken this long standing passion during 2011 by sketching the world around me.
Be more organised and cleaner in my habits. I can be very single minded. When my focus is elsewhere I do tend to let other things slide… cleaning, tidying…
Topical Tuesday #42 Write yourself a letter
October 1, 2010 By
This entry was inspired by this weeks Topic suggestion at Topical Tuesday.
In this weeks Topical Tuesday we would like you to write a letter to yourself – it can be your past or future self.
Dear Eliza,
Firstly, I know you are, by nature, a skeptic. Without some revelation of knowledge known only to you and I.. I mean we, I mean I, oh nevermind.. without some revelation of knowledge known only to ourselves I know you are unlikely to believe a word of this. So I shall begin by reminding you of something only known to yourself – Cala Ferrera, Miquel.
OK. Now we have that out of the way… I am you. Twenty years in the future. Based on this twenty years here are some words of wisdom.
Put the muck shovel down and go find a computer. Yes, thats right, the big white thing stuck on a desk gathering dust. Yes, this is a computer. In twenty years time you will be working on one of these. I understand, it seems hard to believe now with your shit covered jodphurs and nose so far up your arse you couldnt find yourself out with a map. I know it seems like a good idea now but working with horses isnt the career for you. Take it from your crippled older and wiser self.
Opt to study A level Computer Studies. It is the future. Do not study History at university, study Computer Studies or Design. You´ll thank your future self for it later.
If you get the urge to drop out of university to return to a life of back breaking manual labour and shit shovelling; ignore it! This way leads to poverty, despair and owning a wallet emptying poop producer.
Embrace your inner geek. It is there, trust me. Just very well hidden beneath all the horse obsession and snootiness. I was lead into the geek side of the force by some strange people on a chat site, but trust me, you need a head start. I want to be a better website designer and without all the health complications and pain derived from 6 years as a rider and profressional shit shoveller.
Forget horses, history, even social studies… computing, and in particular, website development is the job for you. OK, I know at this point you dont actually know what any of this is, but trust me, it´ll be good for you.
Oh, and Eliza, darling. Your taste in men sucks. No more holiday romances with delightful Latinos. ¡Nunca mas! I know you are the Queen of commitment-phobia and the princess of a low boredom threshold. But, you know, try and have a meaningly relationship once in a while. Oh, and if you hear the name Max and el cubano in the same sentence – run, very fast, in the opposite direction. Got it? Good girl.
Course, after writing all this I know you are a stubborn teenager who will do precisely the opposite to anything I say. That said, I know deep down your instincts are good – even if you do ignore them half the time.
I love you,
Eliza
Topical Tuesday #41 The Big Read
September 21, 2010 By
This entry was inspired by this weeks Topic suggestion at Topical Tuesday.
Out of all the books you have read during the course of your lifetime which have you enjoyed the most or, if you prefer, which have inspired you the most?
Which books would you recommend to your visitors as must reads for the coming year?
I read a lot. In fact one of the most irritating parts of having to earn a living is it interferes with my reading time. Casting that grumble aside here is a list of the books I have enjoyed the most.
1. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett is, by far, my favourite author. I adore the Discworld series. But, forced to select only one, it would be Going Postal. It is the book which introduces my favourite character Moist Von Lipwig (aka Albert Spangler) an ex-con with a gift of the gab and impeccable charm. Reading the antics of Moist Von Lipwig makes me feel all fuzzy inside. History aside I think, if he were a real man, I would be very close to falling in love. Yes, my taste in men is REALLY that bad. But, if you are a follower of my blog, you probably gathered that already.
2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Price and Prejudice was the first classic novel I ever read – outside of the genre intended for a younger audience of course. The English language, as it was then, was beautiful. It had a charm, a flow…
“You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.”
So much nicer than the modern day equivalent don´t you think?
3. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J K Rowling
I loved the Harry Potter books. They draw me into a world away from my everyday problems and, whilst not perfect, they are good stories well told.
Three Books I would recommend to my visitors
1. The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
2. Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
3. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
and an usual one of an atheist to select but I enjoyed it (a little simply written but, still, a moving story)
4. The five people you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom
SatScenes : Wall Messages in Torrevieja
August 28, 2010 By
The first is fairly self explanatory since it is written in English.
The second is a message which roughly translates to “against the crisis, general strike”. In Spain “crisis” is used to refer to the current economic situation – “la crisis”. The reference to the left “PCPE” refers to the Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España (on wikipedia)
Not a happy local population at the moment.
Topical Tuesday #39 The Ultimate Dinner Guests
August 14, 2010 By
This entry was inspired by this weeks Topic suggestion at Topical Tuesday.
You have been chosen to host a dinner party by Death (yes, thats right, the one with the big scythe). He is to bring with him two other guests of your choosing. They should be someone you would have liked to have met.
Who are they and why? Optionally you may also answer (if you are of the foodie persuasion) what would you serve to your esteemed guests?
My first dinner guest would have to be Freddie Mercury. Whilst other children were lulled to sleep on sweet lullabies I was raised by my Rock Chic mother and, as such, a musical diet of 70´s and early 80´s Rock. Freddie Mercury was the figure of my childhood. Some of my earliest memories involve listening to Freddie´s music or watching him perform live on the TV. I was captivated by his energy and his presense on stage. He was a God of Rock and there has been no one who can match him since. He was the symbol of my childhood and my teenage years.
A dinner party with Freddie Mercury as the star guest I think would be kind of magical. There are so many questions I would love to ask him and, I am sure I am not alone in saying this, it would be lovely to hear him sing live again…
Freddie Mercury was torn from us far too soon. I remember the day it was announced to the world he was dying. Of course, most of his fans were already aware something was terribly wrong with Freddie. But, to hear it said was devastating. I always say I do not understand how people can become so emotionally deranged over someone they have never met – Elvis, Diana… But, for Freddie, I cried. Freddie died the same year as my Grandfather and my pony Thomas. It was a bad, throughly demoralising, year.
The second dinner guest is a little bit of a stretch. I am torn between William Rufus, Aethelred Unraed or Claude Moñet. I think I may well go with the latter. Not only do I believe Claude Moñet will have better table manners, but I am not sure I would trust William Rufus to behave himself in the presense of Freddie.
I am a bit of a foodie but I am unsure what I would serve. Whatever the food it would be served with champagne or Russian Vodka…
Why a life list?
April 19, 2010 By
A friend of mine recently questioned my reasoning in creating a life list, especially such a long one. He felt that having such a long list would hold me in a constant state of failure since I could never possibly achieve all of them.
The reason is simple. I am a person who, no matter how disorganised they appear to be, actually thrives on not only constructing a list but on setting herself challenges.
I have more productive work days when I write a list of goals I would like to achieve by the end of the day, for example, site designs I would like to move onto the next stage or even complete.
I never make a list that is set in stone or which cannot be amended but it is there guiding me in my purpose. So, by the end of the day, I have a clear idea of what I have or have not achieved. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction when I cross out that last item.
Life, for me, is pretty much the same thing only on a grander scale. As an atheist I do not believe in the existance of an after life. I believe that we have one shot at life, this is it, its all we have. For that reason I do not want to waste the little time I have. Whilst I know full well I will never achieve everything on my list, it is the purpose of creating one that drives me. I keep in mind all the things I would like to do and will, as I know myself, strive to do until the day I die. It keeps me going, the mere thought that I am working to that next goal, that next item on my list… my next ambition.
My list is in a constant state of revision. That is to say, its not set in stone. Hell, I change my mind more often than I change my socks! Tomorrow I may suddenly decide I want to jump off the Burj Khalifa. Its highly unlikely, but I might
But by keeping this list I know I have something to refer back to. A reminder of those small things I would like to do in my lifetime… and a reminder that my life, to date, has not been completely pointless. Why? Well, when I look at that list it reminds me that I have not failed at everything, I have achieved…
I can look and remember the amazing things I have done. I learned to ride horses, not as a leisure ride but to be a profressional. I competed and owned horses for many years. I had some of the most amazing experiences, saved horses, including one from the very brink of death. I taught myself to design websites. I learned to draw, paint in watercolor and oil paints. I travelled thoroughout Europe… I moved abroad to live in a country, despite the fact I was not fluent in the language. I have done things and sometimes its good to remind myself of that fact.
So, to return to his point, its true… I may not achieve everything on that list, but its existance and its contents has me striving to achieve the things that matter to me… and there is always the chance I may achieve them… y´never know. Its the journey that matters.
Life List Update
April 10, 2010 By
No actual progress on my lifelist during the course of the last month. Although I have been contemplating some new additions (and have actually removed some ambitions I no longer wish to fulfill..)
45. Go to Glastonbury with friends
Next year, 2011, I have every intention of making this fairly simple ambition a reality. I am going to go to, one way or another, Glastonbury 2011.
Anyone care to join me? The organised chica that I am has setup an event on facebook.
My personality
April 7, 2010 By
| % | |
|---|---|
| Openness | 81% |
| Conscientiousness | 50% |
| Extraversion | 38% |
| Agreeableness | 50% |
| Neuroticism | 63% |
Its been a while and I simply could not resist. Funny thing is… its accurate. Seriously scaringly accurate.
Topic #34 Life List
March 18, 2010 By
This entry was inspired by this weeks Topic suggestion at Topical Tuesday.
This weeks challenge is to write a Life List of ten things you would like to do before you die. Only ten mind – make them count.
I admit it. I have only completed mine so early this week because I am channeling the character of a Blue Peter presenter… “and here is one I made earlier”
I only had to select which of the ten I would most like to achieve – which would mean the most.
1. Start Horse Riding again
Horses were such a big factor in my life. I was plonked on a horse before I could walk. I lived and breathed horses for the first twenty five years of my life. I miss it, dreadfully. I miss the smell of hay, and a clean straw bed. I miss wrapping my arms around an equine neck and burrying my nose in their warm coats. I miss the sound of a horse happily munching hay. Most of all I miss that early morning screaming whinney that can only mean “hurry up and feed me now!!”
2. Become self-sufficient
As I grew up we had a fair amount of land. My family always grew their own produce and kept hens. To a large extent they were almost entirely self sufficient most of the year. I firmly believe that fruits and vegetables do taste better when they have been grown yourself. I am also passionate about making my life as green as it can be.
3. Write a book
I have been planning and writing the same book now for nearly half of my life to date. It was all based on a series of dreams I had when I was a teenager – incredibly scarey but inspiring dreams. I have written them all down in note form and have, quite literally, dozen of notepads hanging around the house with character profiles, plot ideas and the ending of each of the three books I had planned. But, for one reason or another, I have never really sat down to write it – largely due to lack of confidence.
4. Visit all 7 Continents
I love to travel. To experience other cultures, hear foreign tongues and taste their cuisine… sure, thats a contributory factor. But largely because I love this planet, I love visiting distant shores to see the varied terrains and geological patterns. Its an amazing place you know? If you just take a minute and truly look.
5. Go cayoning in New Zealand
I have a love affair with New Zealand from afar. I have always wanted to go, even before they filmed Lord of the Rings.
6. Spend time living on an uninhabited island.
I´d love it. To test my survival skills. Just me, maybe a good friend or two and nature. Now that would be an experience to blog about.
7. Help make a movie
Many moons ago I dreamed of acting. I had acting lessons, was a member of an amateur dramatics group… took part in and stared in a play or two. Then I lost all my confidence and could not stand in front of group of people without shaking violently. I jest not. I actually shake and my voice trembles. It just happened, almost overnight.
I would love to help make a movie – or at the very least be involved in the creation of a movie… even if it is something as simple as setting up a website for a movie. Just to be involved and see my name at the back end of the credits… you know, underneath set cleaner or something 
8. Read the BBCs list of Top 100 Books
Three years ago I did actually begin to start this task. I kept records of the books I had read – crossed them off my list. But then lost the list, lost track and subsequently lost interest. I would still love to do it however. If it were not for the BBCs Top 100 books I would not have discovered authors like Paulo Coelho (even if some quarters consider it ironic an atheist loving his work?)
9. Drive an F1 car
I love Formula One Racing. I would love to drive a Formula One Car…absolutely love it.
10. Disprove my theory there is no such thing as true love
Then we come to it. When did it happen? When did I lose faith in romance and love? If I ever really did have faith in these two things (not sure I did, I´ve always been a tad cynical). Love, Lust and Chemical Reactions. Hey, that sounds like a good title for a book