My Resolutions and Goals for 2022!

First of all, happy holidays and happy new year!
It's the time of year for making resolutions again, and despite everything that's happened in the last few years, I'm in the mood for it.

I made a more fun video about some of my resolutions/goals/intentions/whatever you prefer to call them, but I wanted to write about some that I didn't mention in the video, and elaborate on some that I did. (I'll mark those ones with a "V" so you know what's what.)

In the last few years, I've been in the habit of dividing my goals into 7 categories on the model of a rainbow, so you'll get a chance to see that in this post, too. I've been experimenting for quite a long time now with different ways of presenting my goals to make them seem more fun and the boring ones less boring. I've seen others divide the areas of their lives into 3, 6 or even 9 areas. I settled on 7, myself. And then I had to colour-code them in rainbow colours, because, well, that's the kind of person I am. The categories are pretty self-explanatory, so I'll just dive straight in.

1. ART & CRAFT
❖ sew an outfit (V) - I'd like to learn/re-learn how to make the basic garments: top, pants, skirt.
❖ try altering clothes using different ideas and techniques.
❖ complete 1 painting a month (at least!).
❖ either learn to draw, or get over it!
❖ learn to write my Constructed Script off by heart.

2. READING & WRITING & VIDEOS
(I added 'videos' new this year as I now have a YouTube channel, and it seemed to fit well in this category.)
❖ read 1 book a month (V) - possibly the Game of Thrones series as I saw the TV show last year.
❖ re-read a classic/favourite book.
❖ write 1 blog post a month (at least!).
❖ make 1 video a month (at least!).
❖ re-do the intro and outro for my Yearlong Style Experiment video series.
❖ buy a GoPro (V) - or similar camera for making my videos more fancy.
❖ either write, or get over it!

3. FASHION & STYLE
❖ wear what I want (V) - maybe try to consciously create an outfit in a certain style (Mori, Cottagecore, Pastel Academia, etc.)
❖ learn modelling & selfie photography techniques - then I could document the above point with more confidence!
❖ wear novelty ears in public (V) - as I explained in the video, this comes from a satirical 5-year-plan style list that I created for myself several years ago. This is the only point from that list I've yet to achieve!
❖ create a Ghostbusters costume for Halloween/Springoween (V) - a pretty big project, but one that I think I would learn a lot from, and would make an interesting video, I hope!

4. HOME & GARDEN
❖ do 3 things to reduce waste.
❖ do a Christmas in July and document it on my blog (and video too?).
❖ "complete" my house and garden (V) - this was pretty vague, but I did list a few concrete things in the video, two of which I've listed below:
❖ set up the shed (V) - install more shelving and organise everything to create an efficient storage space.
❖ hang all the paintings/pictures I have (V) - they're in a box taking up space in the hobby room at the moment, so it would clear out that space as well.

5. THE WORLD
❖ stay in contact with my family and friends more regularly.
❖ get a job or make some kind of income. Or maybe volunteer?
❖ show my art more on social media, both finished and in progress (V) - I'm learning how to make Instagram Reels so I can do that.
❖ seek out more opportunities to share my art in person (V) - e.g. try to go in two exhibitions (I already have one lined up!); make my art/craft available to buy.

6. ME
❖ consistent selfcare and skincare (V) - taking my tablets every day, drinking Yerba Mate every day, excercising regularly, and doing my stretching exercises for my arthritis consistently.
❖ drink water! (V)
❖ go for a "walk" (V) - not just an everyday walk, but a forest walk somewhere lovely. In the past I've set yearly walking distance goals, but my athritis is very unpredictable, so I'm hesitant to do that right now.
❖ get my ears pierced again and get another tattoo (V) - something I've been meaning to do for a while, but hopefully I'll be able to this year.

7. SPIRITUAL
❖ meditate daily - perhaps not daily, but at least have a regular practice.
❖ practice divination regularly
❖ continue my studies
❖do more magic!

BONUS: DOESN'T REALLY FIT ANYWHERE
❖ learn the Rubik's cube (V) - I can solve it using a cheatsheet, but I'd like to memorise it so I can impress people by solving it spontaneously (haha!).

Holiday Greetings! (and Goodbye 2020!)

I hope you have a safe and happy festive season!
May 2020 be gone forever and never return!
And may 2021 bring you everything that you wish for and more.

Hello Autumn!

Autumn must be my favourite season, because I haven't skipped a single year since starting these Hello seasonal blog posts, and I think I've forgotten about at least one of all the other seasons! I love the cooler, rainy weather that the season heralds, the hazy sunlight and occasional thunderstorm. So many of my favourite activities are best done in cooler weather, so I'm going to take a look at some of them today.

craft
In the middle of Summer it's too hot to do most kinds of craft -- holding wool and having it on your lap isn't the most pleasant experience, and trying on self-sewn clothes can be a sticky experience. Right now though, my urge to do craft has returned in the biggest way. I've started several new projects, and even taught myself the new-to-me craft of tablet weaving, which I wrote about in my last post. Here's a sneak peek of another project I started recently:

snuggly things
Speaking of scarves, getting to wear them is heavenly, too. One of the best things about cooler weather is that I get to wear layers -- cardigans, scarves and closed shoes with socks. Maybe even legwarmers if it's cold enough! I have a large collection of all of these things and am always working on making more, so it's nice to get to wear them. I really like the way a scarf looks and feels in particular. P.S. I've been practicing my photography and modelling lately.

baking
As soon as it's cool enough to put the oven on, I feel like baking, whether it's biscuits, cakes, fruit or vegetables loaves or buns. Husband can whip up a cake without following a recipe (a gluten-free one, too!) which is an enviable skill to have, in my book. We stopped eating bread late last year, so baked products are a bit more special than they used to be. I had a craving for vegemite scrolls, so I baked these last week:

tea
Nothing goes better with the baked goodies I mentioned above than a nice cup of tea. I'll drink any kind of tea, but my favourites lately are a fruity flavoured black tea, and herbals like peppermint. I like to re-organise my tea cupboard and refresh my inventory this time of year, so I'm looking forward to doing that soon.

Samhain
I'm not a big one for following the Sabbats, but this time of year my mind always turns to the more esoteric and spiritual matters. As the days grow shorter and the light dimmer, now feels the time to turn inwards. I feel like building altars and lighting candles. Plus, I want to finally experience the other joys of the season as everyone in the Northern Hemisphere got to do six months ago.

Happy Holidays!

May you have a happy festive season,
and may 2020 bring you everything you wish for!

Hello Autumn!

Once again, my favourite time of year has come around. The searing heat of Summer is dying down, and the light is becoming hazy and golden. Summer seems like almost a second hibernation period here in Australia. Plants don't grow very much due to the lack of water and the heat, and even with regular watering, several of my plants died. Now, the world is starting to come to life again. The grass is starting to grow green and lush, and the plants are daring to put out new shoots. I'm coming out of hibernation too. I've felt sluggish the last few months, hiding inside in the air conditioning, only going out as necessary to water the poor plants. I'm eager now to get back outside for the enjoyment of it. I want to go for walks, dig around in the garden, pick the last of the roses.


Here are some things I'm looking forward to in Autumn:

tea
I've been drinking Yerba Mate tea every day for my health, but as the weather gets cooler, I want to drink a lot more! I've decided to collect teapots, tins and other tea accessories, and I'm in the process of setting up a display and storage area for them. It's time for the yearly re-organisation of my tea cupboard, too.

rain
There's nothing more wonderful than hearing rain on the roof and smelling it soak into the earth. I can almost feel the plants and trees sighing in relief when the first good rainstorm of Autumn comes.

scarves
Scarves, shawls and pashminas are wonderful for adding a bit of extra warmth, and giving outfits more of a layered look without committing to a full garment. There's an almost infinite choice of colours, patterns, textures and styles -- and they're easy to DIY!

See this post for the making of this scarf.
Technically a shawl. Never mind that, though.

baking
I've been itching to start using the oven again! Not only to make baked goods, but for hotpots and stews. Husband and I learned how to make baked potatoes in the slow cooker last year and they're delicious. And of course there's my favourite: sausage rolls!

mystical things
As the seasons turn towards the darker half of the year, my mind takes on a more mystical bent. I've been feeling it more than ever in the past year. Autumn is the best time for reaching through the veil, shadow work and divination. I want to start honouring the environment I live in and celebrate at the appropriate times for me. Therefore, I'll be doing Halloween in April. Northern hemisphere be darned! (Just kidding, I love you NH folks!)

Happy Autumn and/or Spring!

2018 in Review

Firstly, I'd like to make a small announcement. My blog used to be hosted on a different site (Live Journal), but over the course of this year I've been transferring all of the posts over to this site. You can now see my entire blog right from the beginning, in one spot! Just go to the 'Archives' section in the right-hand sidebar. There are over 700 posts going back to 2004, so it's quite an achievement. And yes, here is the obligatory link to the first post, though I doubt it will make any sense to anyone!

Now, on to my review of 2018!

There were a few firsts -- and seconds -- this year. I finished my first magazine-style zine, Intensely Introverted #1, and took it to the Festival of the Photocopier Zine Fair.

I've written zines before, but this was the first one that I want to turn into a series, like a magazine. Work has started on Intensely Introverted #2, but you know what, I'm not sure that I'll return to the zine fair. The amount of anxiety and stress I experienced before and during the Fair wasn't really worth it. I just can't be in a room that full of people for that long. Or perhaps I'll skip a year and only do it every second year.


I went in three (!) art exhibitions, all at NOIR Darkroom: their first anniversary exhibition, Stay Safe, and A Very NOIR Christmas. I feel incredibly lucky to have had these opportunities, and I hope I'll have more in 2019!

(Mine is the one at the top.)Also at NOIR Darkroom, I did two workshops: Painting with Bob Ross and Screenprinting. Both are highly recommended! Since then, Husband and I have started watching Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting on Netflix when we want to relax. Though we now know that creating those paintings isn't quite as easy as he makes it seem!

Early in the year, Husband and I became re-acquainted with a foodie friend, and we decided to have a monthly lunch date together. I've been to many places that I wouldn't have gone to otherwise, and had a chance to dress up (Or even just get dressed at all quite frankly. Leaving the house voluntarily isn't really my thing!)

In June, I finished my first 101 Things in 1,001 Days cycle and started my second one. I did NaNoWriMo, went to the Melbourne Planner Market, and spent much more time outside.

Last but not least, in April I got to wear the Birthday Hat:

Now for the customary stats (last year's stat in brackets):

Books finished:
full-length: 19 (19) . . . . It's not a typo, they're the same!
short & manga: 16 (13)
currently reading as of today: 10 (14)

Blog posts: 46 (57)
Instagram posts: 285 (284) . . . . There may be more this evening!

Craft items started: 2 (2) . . . . (It seems like I never do any craft, but I've been working on my blanket a lot!)
Craft items finished: 4 (4)
Craft projects in progress as of today: 42 (42)

Zines started: 0 (1)
Zines finished: 2 (1) . . . . (if mini zines count! harhar)
Zines in progress as of today: 1 (1)

I hope everyone had a good 2018 and will have an even better 2019! I'll be back soon with my plans for the coming year!

Happy Festive Season!

I hope you receive everything you wish for!

I didn't quite reach my goal of blogging twice a week this year, but I have lots of plans and hopefully now that I'm on holidays I can bring some of them to life. Here's a sneak peek of a few topics coming up soon:

❄️ My new art project
❄️ Growing potatoes in a bag
❄️ Sewing adventures
❄️ Podcasts I'm loving
❄️ My planner sticker collection
❄️ Cooking fun

Have a happy and safe holidays (if you're on holidays!).

Hello Autumn!

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. Perhaps a good judge of which seasons are my favourite can be seen in which seasons I've forgotten to write about since starting this series! I remembered Spring, but skipped Summer. All season I've been thinking ahead - pining for Autumn to finally arrive.

Autumn is when the heat of Summer finally subsides and the world comes out of survival mode. The threat of bushfires has passed, and both plants and people alike breathe a sigh of relief. New grass is starting to peep through the crisp brown hay that Summer created. (The homeowners that water their lawns in Summer are conspicuous by the swathes of green amongst the brown.) Some plants -- fuchsias and daisies in my area -- are entering their second growing phase for the year and bloom again before Winter begins. Others, none of them native, are starting to drop their leaves. Our winters are so mild that I almost feel sorry for them for going to the effort. It's only in the mountains that it really gets cold enough to hibernate.

Last year I wrote about the things I'm looking forward to in Autumn -- tea, wearing layers, hot comforting foods -- and that still stands of course. This year I'd like to explore ways to celebrate the seasons.

attend a harvest festival
Celebrating the harvest is perhaps less relevant in the modern world, where fresh food is available year-round. To me, this time of year is more about switching from hot-weather foods to cold-weather foods. It's time to put the salad tongs away and unpack the crockpot. To celebrate the appearance of pumpkins, squash and parsnips, and embrace the cooking of hearty stews and soups. This is what I enjoy most about the harvest festival atmosphere. I also have more of an urge to leave the house now that the weather is cooler. Melbourne has a huge foodie culture, so there are plenty of events to choose from, both city and country.

Momijigari / Autumn leaves viewing
While Australia doesn't have the spectacular displays of leaf-fall that are seen in the Northern Hemisphere, there are still places to go to find some beautiful Autumn colour. The introduced deciduous trees go through their seasonal changes against a backdrop of native evergreens. In some ways, we have the best of both worlds here in Australia.

bake a special bread
One of the things I've been looking forward to the most is firing up the oven again and doing some baking. I've been dreaming of cakes, biscuits and muffins, but bread is the most back-to-basics and yet comforting food of all. To celebrate the abundance of the harvest, perhaps something like this Tsoureki I made back in 2010:

2017 in Review

Overall, 2017 was a pretty good year for me. The general mood seems to be that 2017 was even worse than 2016, but for me, it was about the same. At the start of the year I was jobless. It wasn't a bad thing though: it was intentional. (Isn't it interesting that there's not really a good word for not having a job?)

I participated in my first exhibition in January. This was a huge step for me: the first time that anyone other than Husband had seen my art. It was terrifying and exciting and surreal to watch people looking at my art, wondering what they thought of it. It was also lovely to spend an evening with other artists. Despite the anxieties of that evening, I wanted to do more. I also had to get a job though, and that took priority.

At the end of March I started working on an 18-month digitisation and archiving project with a small team. This took up most of my time and energy for the rest of the year, but I did manage to participate in a second exhibition, in November. This one was in a proper gallery space, and I learned a huge amount about what it takes to put on an exhibition. I didn't sell any work, and in the end I don't think it gave me that much exposure, but it was extremely valuable in terms of connecting with the gallery owners, and meeting a couple of interesting people. I feel I know enough now that I could put on a solo or small group show in the gallery -- though I don't have enough works yet to fill even a quarter of the space!

Other things I did:

★ went to a cyanotyping workshop
★ finished my conscript (the blog post about it is still in progress, though!)
★ wrote a zine about my chronic illness
★ started making a Temperature Scarf (due to be finished March 2018)
★ wrote this blog post comparing different online shops which has received 180 times more views than any of my other posts!
★ re-read the Harry Potter series
★ went to a herbal balm-making workshop
★ went to two concerts: G-Dragon and VIXX
★ started learning to play the ocarina
★ had my DNA analysis done by two different services

Now for the customary stats (last year's stat in brackets):

Books finished:
full-length: 19 (20)
short & manga: 13 (20)
currently reading as of today: 14 (9)

Blog posts: 57 (63)
Instagram posts: 284 (?) There will probably be more this evening!

Craft items started: 2 (6)
Craft items finished: 4 (6)
Craft projects in progress as of today: 42 (40)

Zines started: 1 (1)
Zines finished: 1 (0)
Zines in progress as of today: 1 (1)


I was a bit disappointed to find that I did less of everything this year than I did the year before. I learned new things in other ways than reading books though, and did things that can't be counted in stats, like spending time in the park and observing how the plants change over time. Those are important things too.



Have a happy and safe new year everyone!
See you next year! xx

2017 Goals - How Did I Do?

At the start of this year, I sat down to work out my goals for the year, as many people do. For the last two years, I've been categorising them by areas of my life, according to this grid:

I didn't share all of the goals I set myself, as most of them were quite boring ("review my health insurance") and a couple too private (though I think I'm more open now than I was a year ago). Looking back on my goals, I completed about a third of them to my satisfaction. Despite knowing better, once again, I set some that were vague and hard to measure (e.g. "plan a regular yoga practice"), so it's hard to say whether I achieved them or not.

Goals I felt I did well included:

✦ spend more time outside -- the place where I'm working at the moment has a huge park right next door, so I spend every lunchtime outside for an hour. It's wonderful!
✦ See if my sewing machine still works -- I did, and it does! I used it to finish one small project, but didn't have a chance to sew anything bigger.
✦ Share more on the blog -- I didn't write as many posts, but I wrote more personal ones, and that was important to me.
✦ Continue my rune studies and other spiritual pursuits -- I did a daily rune reading most days, longer readings once a month, and in July I also enrolled in the Grey School of Wizardry. While my studies are going very slowly, it's given me a chance to interact with teachers and other students in the forums, and expose myself to other points of view.

Goals I failed completely included:

✦ Finish Kon-mari'ing my house -- it's a much bigger job than I anticipated, and working 6 days a week didn't give me much time or energy to dedicate to it. Plus, I slipped back into impulse shopping several times and acquired more stuff that I had to deal with. I will do better next year!
✦ Re-open my online shop -- This just became less of a priority for me as the year went on.
✦ Research herbalism -- My track record on growing herbs is extremely poor: they always die before I can harvest anything, and this was very discouraging. I would still like to work with herbs, but I might need to content myself with buying them instead of growing them myself.

In the end, I concentrated more consistently on the activities in my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list than on my yearly goals. I'm not sure if this was because they were things I'd rather do, or the new goals just added too much on top. Nevertheless, I'd still like to set goals for 2018 as it helps me to stay positive if I'm planning my life and have things to look forward to.

In a few days, I'll update you on how my year went in general.

Season's Greetings and Christmas Presents

It's hard to know what to say this time of year, so make sure all bases are covered. Merry Christmas! Happy Channukah! Blessed Yule and Litha!
It even seems a little strange to say Happy Holidays, as I know that many people are working, especially in the service industries. Whatever you did and will be doing, I hope you're happy and safe.


I didn't recieve as many presents this year as in the past: Husband and I just aren't as into it as we used to be. We still love giving each other presents, but it's hard to think of things that we haven't already bought for ourselves during the year. Likewise with other family: we've made a 'kids only' agreement.

First up are these Karel Čapek tea tins which I featured in my Rakuten Order post:

I asked for a "Build A Ladder" t-shirt and beanie. This idea comes from YouTubers Simon and Martina. Martina has a chronic pain condition which can lead to depression. Build A Ladder refers to the tiny things she can do each day to make her happy and improve her day. The motto has been inspiring many including myself.

I also got The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, and The Pokémon Cookbook.

Husband and I traditionally always give each other a box of Anthon Berg liqueur chocolates, and he usually gives me a novelty tin. This years' is an unusual combi-van shaped one.

When I was getting a Curvy Barbie for my niece, I couldn't resist getting one for myself too. It was the first time I'd seen outfits for Barbies in the shops, so I bought all the (two!) different varieties that were in stock.

Here is a bottle of strawberry liqueur with a bonus glass, and the star gift: a crystal ball! I wasn't expecting to receive it at all, and I'm very much looking forward to trying it out.

Finally, we decided on impulse while at the bottle shop to have a cocktail-themed New Year's Eve celebration, so we bought each other some spirits and mixers.

I also received an amazing present from my best friend, but I forgot to take a photo of it, so I'll show it in a future post.

Why I'm not into Halloween

When I was a kid, we didn't have much to do with Halloween in Australia. It was an American thing. On the 31st of October, there'd be a piece at the end of the news with people in weird costumes standing around piles of pumpkins and that was just about all I'd hear about Halloween. It was an exotic custom that belonged to a different culture.

But not only that. Some years, kids would come around our house dressed up in white sheets and witches hats. (Never with their parents of course. It was a simpler time.) My Mum would give them a lecture on the Americanisation of Australian culture and then send them away. Any time Halloween was mentioned on TV or we saw a display of Halloween-themed merchandise at the supermarket, she'd embark on a rant about how everything American was over-running everything Australian.

With an upbringing like that, I'm sure you can imagine what I thought of Halloween. To me, it was just another overblown commercialised holiday designed to make money, like Valentine's Day. Plus, I don't like anything scary -- scary movies, practical jokes, haunted house rides, etc. Even mock-scary things make me feel uncomfortable.

It wasn't until I was older and did my own research that I found out about the older tradition of Samhain and how it's tied in to Pagan practices. I also learned more about the traditions of Halloween from a psychological perspective and how exposing yourself to mildly scary things can relieve greater fears. It was very interesting and explained a great deal, but I still wasn't into Halloween. While I have a different perspective now, I still don't think I can embrace Halloween the way everyone around me is.

I mean -- I live in the Southern Hemisphere. Why would I celebrate a harvest holiday in Spring?

Spooky Cheese.

The dissonance between my experience of living in the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere experience becomes particularly acute at this time of year. I've felt it especially in the last 5 years or so. I think it's due to social media. Whenever I log onto Facebook or Instagram, my feed is literally filled with photos of Happy Halloween graphics, pumpkins, Autumn leaves, carved pumpkins, people in Halloween costumes, pumpkin pies, Samhain spell suggestions, pumpkin spice lattes. (Seriously, people are obsessed with pumpkins at this time of year!)

We can't even buy pumpkins at the moment because they're not in season. And there's no canned pumpkin in Australia. It might not seem like a big thing, but it does have a tendency to make me feel isolated and out of step. (Not just the pumpkin thing, but the whole cultural phenomenon.)

So when I see the Australians around me wholeheartedly embracing Halloween, it's a bit disconcerting. I'm sure that Pagans who follow the local seasonal cycle will be celebrating Spring right now, so I can't help but think some of the people here who celebrate Halloween aren't doing it with the depth that would show a true respect for Samhain. I can't really begrudge them though and I don't want to sound like I'm complaining -- it does look like a whole lot of fun!