Post-Christmas, Pre-New Year...

So I'm back in Melbourne on this (weather wise, admittedly gloomy) Friday morning, at my aunty's house. Rob's making bacon and eggs as I type, and it's been so long since I've smelled fried bacon. I have the day off work and I'm looking forward to spending it, as I see fit; with others.

Christmas and Boxing Day in Mildura was more or less uneventful and quiet. Cats in empty boxes, food comas, the whole lot. I didn't feel like buying anything at all, and I'd browsed in the afternoon when it was less crazy. Consumerism: at its best... or worst?

Sweden seems all the more closer now that Christmas is over. My mother and I found a decent winter jacket before I hopped on my flight back to Melbourne yesterday noon. Nice colour, and a decent fit considering the layers I will be wearing. My apartment is a little more empty than before and it's getting quite exciting now.

New Years' Eve is chugging closer and I can't think of a better mindset to end the year in. I'm happy, I have people who I can respect and love mutually, and I have loads to look forward to once the clock strikes midnight on this year that has been 2012.

New Years' resolution? Well I guess it would be the usual, the same as the previous two years. Be the best that I can be, and be happy with what I have.

Seasonal (Mildura Edition).

So I'm back in Mildura - in time for a 30°C or higher Christmas. My gypsy style of living (university student style!) has allowed me to experience so many different kinds of decorating this Christmas season. First my minimalist approach. The antics of Cheer Day at Starbucks. Chadstone's enormous two-story tree was quite the jaw drop. My aunty's tree and outdoor lights, and now my mother's tree and outdoor lights, as above.

The drive up was quite okay, I got three hours' worth driving. It's a relief to get time off work and the drama. I've never been one for drama, as people who know me are aware of. The twenty or so years of my life  span have had enough drama.

Christmas carols playing in the background: Chad Sugg, The Fray, Coldplay, Darren Criss, Bridezilla.

And some Melbourne appreciation; including an early Christmas present to myself. Click to enlarge.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Edit: This is my 300th post here at Crazy Catastrophes!

Even MORE seasonal photos.

Acknowledgements, pre-Sweden.

Credit: Staffan Widstrand/imagebank.sweden.se

So there's just about a month to go. I'm wondering how this last month will go, and I'm realising that I have been incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. So they will have a public thank you.

My friend Nicola deserves the first thanks. She was the person who was right there from the beginning. She saw me after my first information session; how amazed I was, and how much I wanted to do this. She gave me the final push to submit my application, encouraging me along the way. Thank you for giving me the courage to apply when I was so convinced I couldn't do it.

 

The next thanks go to my mother. I grew up curious and dreaming for something more in life, and she's always encouraged me to follow my dreams. We may not have agreed on things at times, but she's always supported me 100% no matter what I want. She was over the moon when I got accepted into my Media and Communication course at university - she didn't try pushing me into medicine or law, and that's something I will always be thankful for. She encouraged my creativity and my independence. Thank you. I love you.

 

My younger sister Alex deserves some mention; I hope you're happy for me. You have a few things to live up to! Don't be afraid to do your own thing. My adventures are mine, and you're entitled to have your own.

The next ones up are my aunty Lenya and Co.; you've encouraged me to open up and truly blossom. These past couple of years would not have been the same without you. You've encouraged me to actively live my life, and I'm becoming a badass woman who can learn to take calculated risks. Rob, you wrote me a glowing recommendation on my first application (one that nearly brought me to tears - and that's difficult to do) and it is my belief that I was accepted on this recommendation. You've taught me that I deserve the best for myself - and so do all of you.

 

My older brother and sister, Con and Fotoula. I'm so glad we've come back into contact and I love you guys. Not really having you around growing up has only helped me appreciate you more. I love our catch ups (mainly happening down Degraves Street), and your combined tales of travel only convince me more that our shared wanderlust is hereditary.

My friend Sam, you're definitely getting a mention. You've helped me through the rougher patches and kept me happy though the good ones. We met so many years ago and I'm glad we're still friends.

 

My friends; there's a few I want to mention. Juliana, you've been such an understanding person who's listened to all my problems. Jodie, I hope you're having a wonderful time in Japan. Faye and Genevieve, thanks for catch ups at Starbucks, and Melissa too.

 

And my uni friends! Kara, Kat, Sian and Nina; we all met last year and bonded over assignments, and terrible lectures (though we all met in an awesome one - Screen History!). Tuesday wedges and our antics and sarcasm are something I've really appreciated, even during that dreaded Screen Practitioners fail. Kat and Nina just got back from their two week study tour in the States; we're definitely all going to catch up before I leave.

There are a couple of new friends I want to thank too: both Alex's and Jack. You guys talked to me during a bad time in my life and I'm glad we're friends.

More seasonal photos.

Seasonal snapshots.

Christmas at Chadstone.

There's something about this time of year. 

Maybe it's the constant consumerism being shovelled down my throat.

Maybe it's the gingerbread frappuccino.

Maybe it's the fact that things are changing, and it's all very exciting and scary.

Christmas at Starbucks City Square.

Work is keeping me busy as Christmas draws nearer. I'm starting to look forward to Christmas traditions; watching I'll Be Home For Christmas with my younger sister (it's such a terrible film but it somehow became our tradition), my stepdad's mashed potato, the obvious lamb roast inclusion for Christmas lunch,  leftovers for Christmas dinner, and cats pouncing on wrapping paper/hiding in bags and boxes.

I'm starting to pack up my apartment here in Melbourne. So much accumulates over the year, and hey, it's time to move again. I'm a things and stuff kind of person. I guess I'm a teenage gypsy. Hey, maybe I should just have a caravan to put my things and stuff in. Of course, a car would be helpful to move around.

I've been looking around at clothes and equipment I'll need for Swedish living. Gulp.

I've delved into Elbow's lengthy discography a little more, and I'm pacing myself slowly. Cast of Thousands has a renewed optimism that somehow works with their already seemingly melancholic style. I'm incredulous about the fact that this time last year I was carefully delving through Muse's lengthy discography sequentially; they've ended up being one of my staple bands. Time seems to just fly.

Elbow's Asleep in the Back seems to have become a staple album for me at the moment. Songs like 'Powder Blue' tell of a yearning that I feel like I've felt recently. That piano, that guitar...I'm especially obsessed with that glass smash in the last few seconds of that track. Despite my lack of knowledge of the technicalities and how it works, music has always evoked powerful emotional responses for me, both of joy and melancholy. It's calmed me down and roused me. It's motivating and discouraging.

I hope you're not being trampled by Christmas/consumerism enthusiasts. I forget that there's a distinction between them nowadays so it's just easier not to try remembering it.

...have I mentioned how cynic I've become?