It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I've arrived home to my parents' house. It's about 40 degrees outside, but still much cooler than being in my flat in the same temperature as they have airconditioning and I don't.

So there's a Christmas tree. And presents around the fire place. I may be 28 but when it comes to Christmas, I'm still five years old. Minus the getting up at 6:00 am (I gave that up when I worked long hours before and after Christmas in a department store).

I love giving presents. I love choosing them for the recipients. I love wrapping them all special. And I love giving them and seeing the (hopefully joyous) expressions on the recipients' faces. (And of course I enjoy receiving them too!)

On Christmas day we'll have a beautiful meal. I might make trifle. And on Christmas night we'll go to a friend's house for a party, again with beautiful food. I will wear a pretty dress. Maybe even the new Ladakh dress from Freez. I can't wait!

I don't celebrate Christmas because of religious reasons. I celebrate it because of family and friends and believe gift giving is a sign of my appreciation for them.

Two more sleeps until the fat man in the red suit arrives. So excited! (There is a large present by the fireplace with my name on it!!)

On a serious note, right now I'm thinking about a few friends who have had a difficult time this year with losses of their loved ones. Christmas can be a difficult time for many, and my thoughts and love goes out to my dear friends and others.

Peace and kindness to all x

Internet places I like.

Hello!

On this Sunday afternoon, in an attempt to procrastinate cleaning the house before the cleaner comes tomorrow, I want to share with you some of the places I like to visit on the Internet.

Vogue forums

This is a community of fashionably minded people - me included - who discuss all things fashion. Sales. Clothing trends. What they are wearing today. Where to find that fabulous dress Miranda Kerr was wearing. And a bit of other stuff including pop culture, current affairs and food.

My user name is Sqoggle. I don't chat there a lot, but I like to lurk.

I took part in a great Kris Kringle (Secret Santa) on Vogue forums this year and last year. Both times I received something beautiful from anonymous Vogue forum users. Both times I received something from this wonderful Etsy seller, Wiyomu.

This year I received this necklace, but in silver. It's so delicate and special. It's perfect, well chosen from someone who didn't know me at all. Thanks Polly 6034!

Red Dog and Jude

This is a blog by my friend Danielle, who is a graphic designer. She designs books and images for children's clothing and toys. Danielle is very talented and very busy.

Flair to Remember

As mentioned a couple of posts back, Nikki is the creator of Flair to Remember. Nikki has an amazing sense of style, and I do enjoy reading her blog for inspiration.


Vegan Lunchbox

I used to be a regular at Vegan Lunchbox, but not so much recently. Jennifershmoo creates amazing vegan lunches for her son and herself. They are presented so well. Even if you're not vegan, which I am not, you'll find the presentation and inventiveness of her food amazing.

Faux Fuschia

I have only begun reading this blog recently, but I love it! The writing reminds me of a glamourous TV character. Very tongue in cheek, but very serious about style.

Alibi Online and Freez Clothing

I'm not a huge online shopper outside of Ebay. I often buy clothes, books and CDs from Ebay. Recently I bought a fabulous playsuit and Mimco headband from Ebay. I like the buy now option - the bid option makes my heart beat fast. I've not had many bad experiences on Ebay apart from the time I bought seasons one to four of Felicity on DVD and when I received them, they were pirate. I really really wanted them though, and they were relatively cheap, so I wasn't too disheartened, but I don't like supporting piracy.

But the online stores I visit and make purchases from (as opposed to visit and see what I can buy in store - hello Mimco and Sportsgirl have been Alibi Online and Freez Clothing. These have affordable and stylish clothing that are mailed super fast. If you're into fashion, and like things you don't see every day in the shops, try Alibi Online and Freez Clothing.

Well they are just a few of the Internet places I like. Check them out.

The things I am thankful for

I know my previous two blog posts have been quite sad. Legitimately so, but I want to try to give this blog a positive vibe, while still maintaining honesty.

This week, particularly Thursday, has made me thing about what I am thankful for.

Bushfires

On Thursday 17 December I received news from a friend in the country that my parents' town had been evacuated due to bushfires. I cannot believe the rapid panic that came over me. Even though I spoke to my parents who were not at home when I found out (so they were safe), I was so worried about the dogs being left at home alone, with no means to escape. At that stage, I didn't know the location of the fires, just that they were in the main town. They managed to get home, water the gutters, pack some bags and remain on alert. I heard from them via phone calls and texts, and a few friends called me and kept me up to date via Facebook. But I am 300 km away, and the unpredictability of bushfires meant that even with reassurance of their safety, I was very scared. That Worksafe ad kept on going through my mind, the one with the Dido song. 'I won't sleep, until you're resting here with me'. Fortunately they are all safe. I am so thankful for that. Four houses were lost, countless damaged, and thousands of livestock were killed. But no human life was lost. The NSW Rural Fire Services website currently says the fires are contained and there is now low to moderate risk, residents need to remail vigilant. I am looking forward to getting back with them at Christmas. I really miss them in a time like this.

Friends

Last Saturday I had my birthday party at a restaurant called Bopha Devi. It's a Cambodian restaurant. The food was amazing. I love Cambodian and Vietnamese food so much it makes me want to take a food tour in these two countries. I had about 14 friends come, plus my Mum, and it was a fantastic night. At one stage, the whole restuarant, including two other parties, sang me Happy Birthday! I felt very loved, and I am so appreciative to have these great friends. I received many lovely gifts too - they were all very 'me'. Thank you to everyone that came and shared the meal and the fun time. Apart from that dinner, I've caught up with a few other friends over these past two weeks. It's been very social and very lovely.

Uni results

As I mentioned, I'm studying part time for my Masters of Communication. I push myself quite hard and don't strive for anything less than a distinction. I received my final result for last semester on 30 November, but I picked up an assignment on 7 December. While I didn't achieve a distinction in my graphic design subject (something I've never done before but enjoyed a lot and came out of it with a new skill - book binding), I achieved a distinction in my other subject of last semester - Communication and New Technology. I was escpecially pleased with the result for major essay, which was about how new technology allows for mobility and self empowerment. I focused on how the internet and mobile telephony creates identities and communities for people with chronic illnesses. I achieved a high distinction for this, something I was pleased with because it was such a hard subject.

Flair to Remember

Lastly, I was lucky enough to win a beautiful dress from a blog called Flair to Remember. The lovely Nikki teamed up with Freez clothing to give away a dress to a person who described how they let their light shine. I was honoured to be chosen from a selection of great entries. You can view my entry in this blog entry. The dress arrived on Thursday and it is so beautiful. I cannot wait to wear it at Christmas. Thank you so much to Nikki at Flair to Remember and also to Freez clothing for this gorgeous dress. I feel honoured and lucky to have been spoilt.

I had my work Christmas parties yesterday. We went on the tramcar restaurant, but unfortunately it ran out of power so it remained stationary for most of the 'journey'. Oh well, the food was great, and so was the company. This week I've been to FIVE Christmas parties and two morning teas. Phew! I'm exhausted and looking forward to the rest!

Hope you're having a relaxing weekend, not too stressed with the Christmas shopping. Mine's done so now I'm just enjoying the wrapping of the presents.

Talk soon,

Carly :)