Round and round we go ...

I have come to realize that quite often people forget where they are from and who they used to be. This is a sad factor but it is a recurring theme in today's society. Since society focuses on the individual and where they want to be in life. Often this means, stepping on the 'little' guy or changing your morals and values so that they are more self-driven. Sadly, as each person tries to focus more on their selves, they forget the original person they were. Things that most people take on as adventures themselves, they employ others to do for them. Examples include: dogwalkers, nannies, cleaners, etc. Now while i am hiring a cleaner, i am also included in this self-fulfilling prophecy. There are a few reasons why i hired a cleaner: i hate cleaning, i am not willing to all the cleaning required by myself, i would rather focus my efforts on trying to live a happy life instead of cleaning constantly and being depressed or disgruntled, A MAJOR POINT: i know by hiring a cleaner on a regular basis they know what needs to be done to keep a healthy and sanitary environment. Essentially the way i look at hiring a cleaner helps to ease my depression and i can put all my efforts into expanding on my skills and schooling which in turn will help move me ahead with my career. Before when i was spending money frivilously on POT, i would spend at least 80-150 on my habit, so i put that money towards having a cleaner. I think this is a healthy choice because i am living in a better environment and it does ease some of my worries/depression. In certain areas hiring people to do such tasks is a norm. Now because someone has hired a person to do something for them does not mean that i am going to judge them. I understand that people want to move ahead with their careers, want to keep working while having kids, etc. Just because people hire others for them though does not mean that they are BETTER than everyone else. Society says that people are allowed to do things but the things they do should not make them any better then anyone else. Yes a millionaire may have more money then the average person but that is not what makes them a decent person. It's by how people act towards one another. The millionaire could be a miserable person and 'hate' life, whereas the average person could be a happy person and enjoy life even though they cannot buy everything that comes into their head. Many would think that the millionaire would have no reason to be disgruntled with life but this is a major example of "money cannot buy happiness". Many people that are financially wealthy are very depressed and have issues with drugs, alcohol or other substances. They involve themself with these activities because they want to numb the pain they feel or fit in. So when society starts putting people in CLASSES i start to question who is the inventor of this policy. The classicism issue is one that is administered most often by the government and they focus on money being the deciding factor as to what class they are in. Instead of bringing our country together this divides and quite often alienates people. People get put in groups by what they have and do not have. The Have's and Have Not's is unfair to people. Instead of people being individuals they are lumped into monetary groups. It makes me sad to see people that are struggling and therefore i will try to help them out. I feel that if i have some extra that i can spread to someone that has 'nothing' it is only fair that i share. Charity and donations in a round about way are a self fulfilling method. Anyone who gives to charity does so to help and the act of helping makes them feel good. So essentially when helping others helps you feel good, is society truly an individualistic way of life that we are all working to better ourselves? ...........some food for thought.

A place i can call my sanctuary

YeaH I'm down and there's nothing i can do about it. No matter what i try it just feels like i am spiraling down, down, down. My dad seemed to have me under a magnifying glass which does not help matters. It's like he points something out and i feel put on the spot and then i react. My reactions of late are not tempered and i get agitated and frustrated very easily. Too easily almost. i have suffered with mental illness for 12 years now and it has been a long and dreary path. The most positive thing that has come out of it is my new therapist who teaches me skills of mindfulness and not being judgemental. Mindfulness is about being in the moment and accepting how you feel at that time. The judgements are a little bit harder and more tedious to combat. Regarding the judgements i have to realize that there is not just black or white but there are many shades of gray. The variety of grays opens many doors and windows. With borderline personality disorderr, it is very common to have black/white thinking, so introducing non-judgemental thinking is a notorious task. Things are not good/bad, or naughty/good. There are the triggers that cause a feeling and then there is an explanation for the feeling evolved from that trigger. For example, I do not like that book because i feel it is unrealistic about the events that happened. That would be a factual way of describing why you do not like a book. Instead of being like the average joe and just saying "I don't like that," it's more about the reasoning and the facts why you don't like it. Using a simple phrase is easier compared to the non-judgemental way but the non-judgemental way takes the black/white thinking out of the equation. So to change the disposition of the beginning of this post would be "I am feeling depressed and see everything in negative light currently, therefore making it very hard for me."

Tonight is a good night for abstinence, although my mind tried to coerce me into having some pot. I have been very good, minus a slip up here and there (only 2) but i need to keep thinking that just because i fell off the wagon does not negate the progress that i have made. I am working with 58 days of sobriety from my habit that did not help me (another phrase without a judgement!) My dad suggested that i start over since i had my slips but i said there is no way that i am starting from day 1. I was and am determined to keep going with this. Tonight my brain kept taunting me saying "Oh you can have just one and you will be fine. One popper won't hurt." I say NO! Keep with the positive flow! If i can experience the emotions that i am having and remain clean for another night that is a battle well won. I did and am getting down on myself that my brain would try to fool me into thinking that it would be ok. It just wants the depression to subside for a bit but will smoking my brains out be a good way to put away my feelings. No! If anything i would much rather read and go to bed and actually sleep instead of be conscious and have to deal with my feelings. I think that sleeping, even though an avoidist measure, is better then the alternative.

So in my time of need i come to you dear reader to voice my thoughts, feelings and concerns. Nothing feels better then writing and getting everything, or most things, out of my brain. I can write without interruption and it challenges me because i try to phrase things is a well-spoken/written manner. I know that whatever i write, in this sacred space i have created, will not be judged or used against me in any way, shape or form. Here is the one place where i can be myself and say what is truly on my mind without censorship. For that i am thankful. For that i am lucky. So many people do not have an outlet to vent or say what is really on their minds. This blog is not about the fame or how many readers come to my site to see what i have written. It is my place for truth, honesty and feelings. A place i can come and share my tales and travels and let them just be. A place i call my sanctuary.

Blah blah blah, nothing exciting just updates

So the farm finally closed and my dad is just getting the rest of his stuff out and cleaning today. Tonight is his first night at his new place. I hope he has a good night and is comfy. Finally he gets to have a somewhat normal life and not have to worry about doing farm chores anymore.

Tomorrow is the first time my cleaning lady comes. I am very excited, I even took some intiative and cleaned out some cupboards so that they are more organized. I got most of the bottles left from my 'so called' friends. I am hoping that with the cleaning lady doing what she does i will be able to sort some areas out and de-clutter the apartment. This will make things better and i will be able to focus on my laundry and stuff. That will make things better, i know it will.

So more the more important dilemma is what to get my people for Christmas. I am really struggling with what to get the few people i have to buy for. I am shopping for my mum and dad and my bffx7 and her hubby to be. The problem with mum and dad is that i just don't know what to get them bc i normally get them really good ideas and stuff but i just have a giant brain block. Nothing comes to mind. I have got them one gift each but that's it, and even that gift isn't that creative. It's something useful, or what i thought would be a good relaxation gift. My bffx7 and hubby to be i am totally lost. She requested that i only get hubby to be a gift that is small and around $10, bc he has to travel with it. Her gift has to be relatively small as well bc she has to travel back to Paradise with it. Gah! If you have any suggestions or ideas please send them, i am in desperate need of help!

My dear friend Sm was over the other night with a friend of hers. It was the first time i met this friend but he was a really nice person for the first meet and greet. Can't wait till Sm is home for Christmas break. We might be going to the movies on tuesday or something but i am not sure. My mum has decided she is coming down for a visit on tuesday and i am uber excited about that. I haven't seen my mum since she moved up to the cottage so i think it will be good times. She will get to see what the cleaning lady did and we are going to talk about how good it is. I am also excited to show her some of my new organization in the few areas i did today.

I am almost done reading this Jodi Piccoult book called Perfect Match. This book was a giant disappointment. I thought it was going to be really good. I was intrigued and wanted to keep reading and then i reached the 200 pg mark and the book just went down hill. The subject was a prosecutor that finds out that her son has been sexually abused by a priest at her church. Trying to find out who actually committed the crime was ridiculous bc it was like a totally guessing game. The child suffered some PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) that caused him to be mute and when they were trying to find out who hurt him the similarities in the names were so close that it was just like "Oh it wasn't this guy, it was him bc the character had some excuse as to how he pronounced letters and stuff", the excuses were endless. Now i am not making light of the situation because i wanted to find out who hurt the boy as well but when it kept jumping around i didn't find it believable and the way the story turned out to be told was just not good. I was very disappointed bc there were two other books that Piccoult wrote that were very good so i guess i had my hopes up for this book. I probably will not read another book by her unless it is a subject matter that i am interested in. Boo for that book. Glad i'm pretty much done it. It isn't a good book to read anymore it's more like it has turned into a chore.

So many topics....

So many things to tell you so i am just going to make a list and start telling you about everything :) I know that you have been dying for another post so here it is :)

-my mum has sold her house. It's the first of many steps as my parents are currently working on selling the farm. My horses are going to stay boarded at the farm which is really nice for them. They will get to live out their lives on the property and get to be buried there, a tradition that has been long carried out with all of our animals. It brings me comfort to know that i can still go to the farm anytime i want visit our pet cemetery and relive all the good memories me and my animals have shared there.

-i was looking through my facebook messages and i came across a suggestion to listen/watch this video called Penelope by PINBACK, it's a very good song and i really like the indie type of music they are. Good choice when i feel down or nothing or anything in between.

-i am sitting here waiting for my person to come from merry maids to give me a free quote. I decided that i want to live in a really clean atmosphere and stuff so since i am not willing to clean night and day, i would much rather pay someone to do it for me. Yes i guess having a cleaning lady would be a diva-esque type of thing but i deserve it and it will be better. I have already agreed that i am going to have the cleaning lady come some time next week since my bffx7 is coming home and i don't want her to see the apartment as a hovel. I think this could be a giant step for me. I hate cleaning and it is the bain of my existence. Drives me a bit nutty if you know what i mean. So if i have to make some sacrifices to get a cleaning lady, i am willing to do that. Can't wait to have someone else do my cleaning for me. I have sat and thought about it for quite sometime and all i can think of is the benefits. And yes, i did some tidying up for when she comes so that she doesn't think i live in a little pit or something. Silly to clean for a cleaning lady but oh well, it's my first time meeting this person so i think that she will see the small effort i made for her, and yep, i'm even going to tell her i did some tidy up duties.

-my favourite aunt gave me an idea to write a story for the people at work, more specifically the kids. I never really thought how fascinating an idea it was until i started having ideas for this project. So at night when i should be sleeping i have all these wonderful ideas for the book that i will be creating, verses, rhymes, pictures, etc

- just finished my meeting with the Merry maids representative. From the notes she made i can get that they are going to be cleaning my bathroom (3 pcs), my hall, my living room/ dining room, my kitchen and my foyer. All the areas will be cleaned, dusted and vacuumed and my floors will be washed as well as santization of particular areas. I decided to go for the weekly cleaning option and i was told that it will probably take the lady about 1 hr to do. So for having a lady clean all my things and stuff it will cost under $100. I chose the weekly option bc that is the best choice and then it will be in a constant state of clean. I did request that at a later date i will have my bedroom done but that will be added and it will still be under $100 which i thought was great. Now yes, the big thing is I am so excited! I won't have to worry about doing anything extra, a step of a house owner i made!

- my bffx7 is coming home for christmas and my other dear friend Sm is coming home on monday. I truly can't wait to see both of their smiling faces. Have girl time and chill out, have a couple drinks and party it up. Clubs, movies, and good food, how could i want for anything more. Hopefully, i can arrange for them to meet each other because they are such dazzling people. It would be so awesome! <3 Maybe a trip to the city for a great bar night is an order! We'll have so much fun and party it up in Sg style!

-Another bit of good news, i have been clean of my pot usage for 35 days today. I have been keeping track so that i know. Things are a lot easier and with the money that i was spending on pot i am going to get a cleaning lady which is so much better. The one thing i don't like about it is experiencing all the emotions but i have to get used to the feelings since i was blocking them out for so long. I am not dependent on the drugs which is really nice though and my system feels so much better. My next chore will be to quit smoking. I usually only have one a day but somedays it is more. I am not to beat myself up over having them though because i want to continue being successful on my pot free journey. I was told that if i try to quit everything at once i won't be successful at anything and i want to keep the positivity flowing through my veins.

- I am getting a new car! This is very exciting as well. It's blue and it's a subaru. It's the wagon model, not sure whether it is the forrester or the impreza but it's hot. I had a dream last week and i think that i am going to name it Grover. The name came to me because it's blue, but when i drive it there might be another name that comes to mind. Just have to see what it 'tells' me. Cars have their own way of telling you what they want to be named. There usually is a moment or time that happens when they get their name. Can't wait to get my new 'moment'.

-

Death Before Dishonour

With the impending dissolution of my family, i find myself a useless emotional wreck. I turn to movies, books, and food as my comfort. They don't talk back to me and they understand what it means when i say leave me alone. The funny thing is that i never would say that to those things because they are my comforts and are there for me in times of need. They help me escape to farther places then the present and let my mind dwindle on other things instead of troublesome topics.

With a cup of trusty hot choc by my side i am going to start the day off by sorting out my pills and putting them in the appropriate combinations. There's one pill that i am going to choose to leave out of the mix. One i have been on for a long time but i am starting to question it's use....Clonazepam. The little orange pill that is supposed to be a tranquilizer and make it possible for me to deal with the day is getting put out of the regime. For some reason i don't think that i need to have that in my night time meds, which will not only lower the pill count down to a nice round 5, but i am going to add an extra sleeping pill into the mix so that i don't cause myself any grief while making this monumental change, so that will keep me at the round number of 6 pills an eve. I have been whittling myself down on the Clonz bc there are so many adverse effects it can have on ones system. Yes, while it dims the mind, it also wreaks havoc on other areas such as kidneys, and other areas that filter what goes through your system. Day by day i am sorting out my breakfast and my bedtime assortments. Seems like a boring process and in some ways it is, but it allows me the chance of sanity so i cannot complain. Green, yellow, white and orange, a half size colour wheel missing the red and blue. Most of them are odourless except for the Melatonin, which has a peppermint tinge. Minty fresh some would say. Little numbers and engravings on each pill making them different from the others.

I consider my family insensitive to my feelings right now and want nothing to do with them. They invalidate me everytime i bring up a point that is causing me emotional distress at this time. We fight like cats and dogs and i bring an attitude when i have to interact with them right now. It feels like i am being penalized for their poor choices and that mum and dad are coming together more as certain dates near. They assure me nothing is going to happen, which i hope is true but i just can't be guaranteed anything right now. I don't believe them, i don't believe what they say. They are operating in a machine like fashion trying to get things sorted out but in the same sentence they are cold and dull like a machine, emotions lacking. Once this dissolution is complete mum will be moving up to her bf's place and living with him, this causes me agony bc their r-ship is more like the ups and downs of a rollercoaster then that of a solid pair. Mum will actually be moving 45 mins away and this scares me, not only for her personal concerns but also for myself. I feel that when she leaves i won't see her anymore and anything that was remaining of my original family unit will be forgotten and lost. 27 years worth of collecting and hoarding has been put into storage. Dad is moving into an apartment just outside of town, which i feel is good for him as he must move on with his life. He must begin to realize there is life outside of being surrounded by things my mum has collected. Now you might ask why is it ok that my dad move on and i struggle with the fact of my mum doing the same. Since i was told about there being issues about my birthday and mum's bf was upset that we were getting together to celebrate my bday as a family unit, i feel that once mum moves to his place, he will have more control and pull on her decisions to spend time with my dad and i, especially on critical dates such as christmas and my birthdays to come. If mum is going to have to create lies and such to be with us it makes me wonder what she is trying to hide or protect. In my sole opinion, i believe that it has nothing to do with him and he should just get his nose out of business that has nothing to do with him. He is not part of my family unit and he never will be. He may never understand the importance of why i cherish getting together with my family during these times because he does not have any children of his own, and lacks any family that lives near him. Then my question to that is: why should i have to forfeit time with my family just because he has chosen to distance himself from his? That's a price i should not have to pay and to make everyone live by his sword is wrong. He is not a king or commander in chief of my family so therefore he gets no say. He is only an outsider that has chosen to dig their claws into my mum and try to change who she is so that he doesn't have to change his childlike behaviours and habits that cause dilemmas within their r-ship. A saying comes to mind, “Death Before Dishonour”,
it is used by the American Army but i feel that it applies perfectly to my case that i am stating right here. I will not continue to stand by and allow my mum's bf to degrade my family unit bit by bit and i will not allow this without a fight. Call it aggressive, i call it standing up for my family and what is right. Many a time i wonder why he has to put his two cents in and make my mum feel guilty for spending time with her family. That's wrong, and she does not do the same to him. My mum has started defending him but coming up with countless excuses as to why he does not understand or begin to comprehend the repercussions of his actions. Fine, if that's what you really want to defend then, but what about your original family unit that you took the time to build, nurture and care for over the 27 years that have gone by. Are you just going to throw that away and move into the next format of your life that holds no continuity or stability? These are questions i ask myself about their r-ship all the time, and when i point them out (using tact or not) i always get shot as if i am some sadistic messenger.

The door buzzer rings and it is my wonderful local delivery person bringing me my tasty brunch of pizza and french fries. Comforting carbs, how i love you! I settle in and begin to watch the first movie of the Transformers series, in anticipation of the new one coming out in the near future. It all started with a cube, a simple shape that changed the destiny of planet earth. I know the story like the back of my hand. Autobots, decepticons. Good and evil clashing for the title of king.

Grumpy Panda with a positive TWIST

So i'm a bit of a grumpy panda today.

There's this person that i introduced to my group of 'so-called' friends. He's always been really arrogant and just thinks the world owes him everything.

Last night was the true test. I had 2 of the good guys over and they left my house to go do 'bad' things (which will remain unnamed) at this person's house. Since i have not been having them over all the time and i have been focussing on work and getting my life together they have now moved onto this guy, especially since he has a truck for the next little while. What bothers me most about this is that i realize now that since my place is not much of a convenience anymore they don't care. Well this makes me mad because the person i introduced is now taking my friends away. It sounds really petty i know but it upsets me how the guys can just move on and forget that i even exist. Sorry but i work everyday now and i enjoy going to bed at a decent time at night. I don't want to be up till all hours of the morning and then going to work on little or no sleep. This person said that he considers me a true friend but i see more and more that is not the case. He sees me as a friend when he is drinking my booze, and smoking my cigarettes, which he says will be replaced but never are. Well my answer to him is FUCK RIGHT OFF. When i say no he tries to pull the puppy dog eyes or has a hissy banana so that he can get his way. Grow up, you`re 26 years old and you still don`t like being told no. Sorry but in the real world no gets thrown around a lot, get used to it. I am tired of his childish games and just want him out of my life, so i am making a stand. He is no longer welcome at my house. I don`t even want to see him. Another thing that ticks me right off is that he is driving around in this truck lent to him supposedly by the Hells Angels, and he only has his G1. He likes his liquour and it is a guarantee that during the course of the weekend he is going to be drunk the entire time. Great! So now he`s driving around with people i care about and did i add that he`s driving recklessly. There have been a lot of car accidents of late and many young people have lost their lives. If he remotely hurts anyone of the people i care about i will rip him a new asshole. Just because he wants to endanger his life doesn`t mean that he can endanger others and get away scott free. I will bring a wreckoning and he won`t like that either but too bad.

As you can see i have proved my point that i am a grumpy panda. It just bothers me when my `so-called` friends always do things without me and never invite me. I think it`s quite rude and it`s apparent that my f-ship really means nothing. So i have been passive about it for a long time and now i am starting to toughen up and express my thoughts and feelings. I have to stand up for myself and do what i think is right and this is one of the times where i have no doubts in my mind that i am right.

On a good note i have been pot free for 9 days and am currently working on my 10th. I decided to do this of my own accord and it has worked out well. My parents are happy and most of all, i`m happy. I feel better. It`s not like i ran out or anything i still have some in case i need it but i just feel that i would rather not do it. I am starting to embrace feeling emotions, and it can be scary but it is a lot better. I was worried that i was having consistent bad dreams because i no longer was doing the pot before bed but i have washed that fear away by having several nights where i am not so disturbed by my dreams. Maybe it was part of withdrawal, i have no idea but man do i feel a whole lot better. I am not coughing my nights away. I am getting sleep. I have gone back to my roots and am being an avid reader once again. A past-time that i dearly missed. Books are my escape and i wouldn`t have it any other way!

I must keep on the positivity train as i am doing so well!
Thanks for all your love and support!

So much to tell you

Dear Reader(s),

It has been, what feels like forever, since i have written you.

I am a busy bee lately. Things are going well with my job. I have been there for almost 3 months and am coming up for my review. I am going to start making notes if there is anything that i want to discuss or be informed about. No date is set yet for my review but I am looking forward to it. I can't wait to hear the constructive criticism as well as new ideas.

Working at the daycare is amazing. It's the first job where i have actually felt a good sense of accomplishment and worth. The kids depend on me and i continue to try and be a good leader that they are wanting. I have a person that i work with, and we just JAM the room. Things work well, we work well and have a good environment in our room. We manage from 10- 12 children in the afternoon and on the whole, it goes smooth like peanut butter.

I got to celebrate my birthday yesterday, with friends, family, co-workers, and the kids in my room. It was one of the most memorable birthdays ever. The kids made me a card with some pictures they drew on it, and they participated in singing happy birthday two times, as well as having cupcakes with me.

Movie Alert _ THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (2009)
A documentary on VOGUE magazine, which revolves around Anna Wintour, goddess to the fashion world. She single-handed-ly changes fashion and creates the new look as well as promoting new and upcoming designers. I watch this movie at least once a week, and i feel lost when i don't watch it. I love the fashion world for it's change, innovation and imagination. If you have a passion for fashion like i do then this is a must film for your collection. I recently bought my first copy of VOGUE magazine and was astounded. I was actually able to accept it for what it was and how much work goes into the production of it. Mind you it was not the September issue but I am happy to say the November issue. Even though she is known as the “Ice Woman” of fashion, damn is she good!

Productive is my middle name tonight. I have made myself dinner. I washed my dishes. Tidied up a bit. Got all my thank you notes written and are ready to be posted and given to those recipients.

Another important thing that i would like to mention is that I have significantly cut back on my pot usage and drinking. I rarely drink, only on special occassions or when i want to chill. My brain is feeling so much better and i am starting to experience emotions, some for the first time! Oh the joy of being overridden with emotion but it feels a lot better then just numb, angry or sad.

I think i am doing really well and want to keep this positivity flowing.

Thanks for your support and love. I will keep you posted!

Ciao <3