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A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to be able to go on a Western Australia famil. I tossed it up over an hour or so while my brain went to and fro. Do I go or do I stay at work. The famil was scheduled to be about a week after the Stars trip. What was I to do? Do I take the famil and have another couple of days out of sales or do I stay at work and try and make those extra few dollars count.

I was leaning towards staying at work. I was so close to being the #1 consultant at work (a bucket list goal) and thankfully the person who I am battling the top spot with was on Stars with me. So that made me feel all the less guilty. What I was hoping for was the opportunity to just make a decision for me. Then it did. I remembered my bucket list. One of those items was “visit every state and territory is Australia”. With this trip I could do this. But what about the sales, but part of me felt that I also needed to think about my sanity. I need to take a break, and I just needed to relax for a few days in the midst of all the craziness.

This famil was sure to give me all of what I wanted. I could fulfill that part of my bucket list, I could get that break I needed. The avgeek part of me could have that new airports in my log book. So I said yes.

It has been a great last few days. Tripping around the Margaret River region, experiencing amazing food and wine (although for me the more memorable meals were at the less memorable spots). I went running next to the indian ocean (and almost froze to death in the process). I had a great time with some great people I work with and through it all, I relaxed. I had time to chill out, to experience life like a normal person. i think this trip has meant the last few days has helped me in the process of being the normal person I want to be.

One thing I have realised. Through all this hard work I have done over the last 18 months, I am not quite there yet, but I am working on it

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Well as of this morning I have now completed something from my bucket list. I have officially learnt to ride my bike. The last 15 weeks have been totally crazy. What with plenty of spills, cuts, bruises, and everything, wow what an adventure. I bought my first ever bike (and love it to pieces), went Mountain Biking for the first time and promptly wanted to just find somewhere quiet to have an anuerism (as a pilot in a documentary once said) and yet here I am.

Today was the final lesson and I was still trying to do things that I have been doing over and over again, riding up small steep inclines, up and down gutters and also standing up on the bike. Even though I am by no means perfect at all these things, I can keep practicing over and over again for a while, getting used to these things, the more I practice the better I will become.

But it is totally crazy. Something my trainer said this morning I totally agree with. Looking back to that first lesson way back in the carpark at the gym, so many months ago, my trainer had one thought. What the hell has he gotten himself into. He did not even think I could do it, and neither did I really. But you know what, it wouldn’t be the first time I have proven myself wrong.

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Well I wasn’t going to blog today after the book review, was going to blog in a day or so about some other stuff but a spanner has been thrown in the works today.

So I got an email (well it was really a text message from a friend prompting me to read my emails) from the US State Department. It says the following:

Dear Diversity Visa Lottery Entrant:

We regret to inform you that, because of a computer programming error, the results of the 2012 Diversity Lottery that were previously posted on the Department of State Entrant Status Check website have been voided. The results were not valid because they did not represent a fair, random selection of entrants, as required by U.S. law. They were posted in error.

If you checked the Entrant Status Check website (http://www.dvlottery.state.gov) during the first week in May and found a notice that you had been selected for further processing or a notice that you had not been selected, that notice has been rescinded and is no longer valid.

A new selection process will be conducted based on the original entries for the 2012 program.

You submitted a qualified entry between October 5, 2010 and November 3, 2010. Your entry remains with us and will be included in the new selection lottery. Your confirmation number to check results on the Entrant Status Check website is still valid. We expect the results of the new selection process to be available on or about July 15, 2011 at http://www.dvlottery.state.gov

We regret any inconvenience or disappointment this might have caused.

Way to throw a spanner in the works US State Department. I mean seriously. Just when I thought I had my life in order and back on track this happens! I had totally been content with this, but then I’ve been thinking about it all day today, and I am back at the same point I was at in the lead up to the results. Indecision.

Do I stay, do I go. What do i do! I really don’t know again now. I had made some decisions about my life but now, well thats back on hold. Everything is back on hold. These results will be up by the time I am in Canada, so It will be a crazy result if i get through, but either way, it’s screwing with my head again, not that my mind doesn’t need much more help at being screwed!

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Wow… life is full on as usual these days. It just never seems to end. I feel like I am moving a million miles a minute some times with no time to stop. I thought I would just give a quick update to how life is tracking at the moment. All I have seemingly blogged lately is either books or travelling (although another Book Review is coming later today).

Firstly, the 1st of May rolled around. This signalled something that I had been waiting for quite some time, we will call it “Green Card Day.” Last October I had applied for a shot at the Green Card Lottery for a diversity visa to the USA. This is the famed residency card that lets you live in the USA for as long as you like essentially. There is a billion in one shot (probably not that bad of odds, usually about 1%) that you will get one of these visa’s, but hey worth a shot. Well the 1st rolled around and I didn’t get it, but hey, was worth a try.

But since I didn’t end up getting the visa i can now really start setting some more goals forward in my life, so I have come up with a few for next year. Nothing overtly crazy compared to last year’s goals, but I think its what i need.

1. Move out of Home
2. Start looking at buying my own apartment
3. Run a Triathlon
4. Get into Mountain Biking
4. Take advantage of all these points im about to earn

With that goal of the triathlon I think it should help me keep in shape, and learn to use my bike a bit differently. Don’t know which Triathlon to do or when, but hey, why the hell not. It has been a bit crazy with the bike, I have had my share of stacks but I am enjoying it more and more. As the mornings get colder though, I am finding it really hard to get out of bed as I seem to feel the cold much much more than I did in the past, gonna have to start running in a jumper maybe!

Work has been good, a few big bookings in April have kept me in the running for the #1 spot and I won’t be going down without a fight, I’ve been putting in the mega hours, feeling like I don’t leave my desk but the more hours I put in, the closer and closer I get to closing the gap. I don’t know if I can do it, but I won’t go down without a fight. Never Give Up!!!

But the awesome bit is, I was told I was nominated this year to attend something that we normally cant attend. Each year our company puts on a big event called S.T.A.R.S (it stands for Sunlover Travel Agent Reward Scheme) and its attended by our Top agents from all over Australia. This year they are inviting some top staff to come with them. I was nominated. Now just being nominated to me was a big big priveledge. It made me feel like I was achieving something, that all the hard work I had been doing was being recognised. Well word came in Tuesday. I am off to STARS on the 25th of May! AYYAYAYA 4 days in a mystery location (haven’t been told anything yet at all). Hopefully should be good!

The big trip is also fast approaching, 2 months away today. Can’t wait! Should be awesome. Now to just stay focused between now and then!

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Well, it seems all I’ve been doing lately is posting about movies, books or food. Hah! Well I thought I would post a little about life for the last month or so. Things have been busy busy busy. I feel like I am on the go non stop day in day out. It feels like I haven’t taken a breath and rested for more than 20 seconds for the whole month and it doesn’t look to change much at all for the next week or so.

I’ve had the bike for just on a month now, (been riding for 10 weeks now and I think I can cross it off my bucket list as I know how to ride now). I am getting more and more confident each time I get on the bike and don’t in any way regret any decision to buy it. It was well worth the investment, even though I have fallen off it about a billion times already.

It feels good sometimes to get out and ride but I am still not at the point where I am able to switch off and do things instinctively like I can with my running. When I run at the moment, my brain switches off. I am able to just run and run without thinking, my brain goes off and I can relax I guess you could say. With riding I have to constantly think about what I’m doing, concentration is always at a peak. But I guess with that it means that my heart rate stays up there and it means I can burn a hell of a lot more calories (11k ride on Sunday morning burnt like 1200 calories which is roughly 2/3 of a daily intake).

In life outside of the bike, work has been pretty good, but I have been having to focus pretty damn hard, make sure I am getting every single booking and every single dollar so that I can make my goal of top consultant. As of this morning I was sitting in first place but I am holding onto that position by the skin of my teeth ($60.. yes that’s right $60). I have to work my butt off to stay in first place and the thing is, It is going to take major effort to stay there.

The trip planning is pretty much done now. I have like 2 things left to organise but they both can’t be done till very last minute (JR Pass and rail in France both don’t allow bookings till like 2 months prior) so you could say I am pretty much done. I have to organise some insurance thanks to lovely difficulties I am having with my current policy (won’t cover me due to a clause on the length of trip) so after the Travel Expo on Sunday I am hoping to have this all worked out. With the Trip pretty much done all that’s left in my check list is really to organise the spending money, insurance and those train bookings and its all done, and with less than 3 months to go, I would have to say its all going to go swimmingly.

What more can I say. It has been a pretty full on last month or so, and with more full on times coming I don’t see things quieting down any time soon. I travelled to Canberra for a weekend last month to catch up with Stuart, Michelle and see Daniella again which was an awesome weekend. Qantas stuffed me around on the way home and still haven’t given me the credit that I wanted for the flights (giving up on that I guess). Next weekend (easter) is going to be some fun travelling. I might post about it just before I go but will be doing some travelling for the hell of it and acting like a Plane nut for the first time in a while (essentially flying to Sydney for Anzac Day via New Zealand).

Guess I should probably get back to work now… slacked off enough

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Well i alluded to this in my last post but the last 6 weeks or so I have been learning to ride a bike. But the whole aim was to learn to fully ride a bike. Part of that process means if I am going to learn I am going to need something to learn on, I can’t keep relying on someone else to provide me with a bike to practice on or do my lessons. So with this in mind I did a bit of research, took lots of advice from professionals and from friends and I pulled the plug.

I bought a bike!!! Yep thats right a 2 wheeled, human powered mode of transportation. Now this may not sound as like exciting news but considering this is my first EVER bike and im almost 30 years old, its a big deal to me. Unlike most people I never had a bike as a child. I was never taught to ride as a child and never given a bike by my parents, so I never learnt to appreciate what its like to have that ability to get places quickly and easily unless i was walking.

But I am really excited at the process of learning to ride. The more I learn the more confident I get and the better I feel. I dunno if I am gonna be hitting mountain trails or anything yet, but at the moment my little goal is 2 things:
1. Do a River Ride around the city (i think its like 40km or so)
2. Ride a Bike overseas while on my holiday
It sounds kinda silly but the most daunting part of this is making sure I am confident enough to not want to die when I get on the bike. At the moment I have a habit of focusing on things while I am riding, like this morning, was trying to thread a bit of a path between a rubbish bin and a pole. So i was doing as instructed, focus on where I want to go, don’t focus on what I want to avoid. So i was looking at the gap, looked at the bin, looked at the gap, looked at the bin, o that bins getting awfully close, clang! Handle bars hit the bin lid. WOOPS!

But enough about me learning to ride, what about the bike. Well I followed some advice from my trainer and other people and looked into a mountain bike. But not a full on moutain bike. Matt & the boys at Avanti Plus Fortitude Valley really looked after me. They really knew what to recommend to me for someone who is looking for a decent first bike. They gave me two options.
Avanti Agressor 1
Avanti Agressor 2
Both are Hardtail Mountain bikes. So that just means they only have Front Shocks rather than both Front and Rear. So good for both general riding but then if I do decide to go off road (which eventually i do want to learn and try it out cause it seems like fun).

I looked at both bikes, not much different between the two, with the Agressor 2 having the better parts (both have the same frame). So thats what I went with. In the long run the bike will do me better. Rather than spending less now and then having to go for that bike in the future, it is more logical (damn my logical focused brain) to buy it now. So i bought the bike and now I just need to get some roof racks for the car, cause my car is a bit small and the bike takes up 2/3 of the car when in it. So once I have that I will be all kitted out for the moment (will eventually need to get some lights for it if i ride in the dark etc but for the moment, i don’t really need them as I wont be riding in the dark).

So if anyone wants to go for a nice easy ride sometime, let me know, im still learning remember!

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So as you know i have been wanting to work on some of my fears this year and conquer little things before I go off travelling this year. Lots of little adventures rather than one big one like Kokoda. Most people know I have been learning to ride a bike but I will leave that for another post another day. Lets go over one of the other things I have been working on. Getting over my fear of Rollercoasters. I have always had the fear, but my size just gave me an easier excuse, one that meant i didn’t have to admit I had a fear.

The thought of putting myself into the rollercoaster, where I was at risk of dying (or so my mind told me) was just over powering. But because the harnesses wouldn’t fit me, I didnt have to worry about it. But now that there is the new sized mal, I don’t have that excuse anymore. I can fit in the harness, so now I either admit I have a fear of something so silly, or I work through it. I won’t say that I will ever be not afraid of them, but hell, I will be able to go on them without turning into a heaping mess.

I think this last weekend has done some good that way. With a group of friends heading up from interstate wanting to hit the theme parks for a weekend, and my friend Daniella visiting from Germany it was a perfect chance to work on this fear. So i told my friends, do not give me an excuse to not go on a ride. I can’t say no to any ride (although I should of said no to the lethal weapon cause my head still hurts). So saturday rolled around, we hit movieworld and first up was Batwing Spaceshot. Like a reverse Giant Drop. You get shot up and then fall back down again. It was ok, line was mega short (we were on pretty much straight away). I was nervous as you would expect, but I sucked it up. Getting shot up was ok, it was those few seconds of weightlessness as you come back down again that freaked me out! They seemed to last for ever!!

Next up, Superman the Escape. A traditional rollercoaster (no loops thank god). Pretty fast from when you see it, but the line was huge (pretty much an hour wait). But I tell you what, the speed didnt affect me much. It was the drops. God damn they were high and they were STEEP! looking down at that hill just scared the crap out of me!

After that we did Lethal Weapon. This is the one that freaked me out the most. It has loops, and thats one thing I have never really liked. Going upside down has always freaked me out. So my friends dragged me on it. They failed to warn me that I was going to be thrown about inside the seat like a pin ball with my head banging side to side constantly. Hurt like a sun of a bitch! Scooby Doo coaster was the last of the big ones that I had to combat and it was so much fun, loved every minute of it.

Then after night out on the town on the Coast saturday night and finding out that I am a Cadbury now (2 drinks and i was fucked!). Daniella & I went to Seaworld on sunday. She had told me she wanted to swim with dolphins while she was over here and since they offer it at Seaworld, I thought, why the hell not. So I did it to! Amazing experience, words can’t describe how much fun it is. Then we had a good chance to check out all the stuff at Seaworld before spending an afternoon over riding the Jet Rescue Coaster 4 times in a Row. Love that rollercoaster. So much fun. Its fast and it flicks you side to side, curve after curve, awesome!

So all in all, it was an awesome weekend. I loved it! Definately put a good dint in that fear. I don’t think i will ever be able to get rid of that fear, but it sure wont control me now thats for sure.

Theme Park Weekend

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Ok well most people i know, know that I don’t know how to ride a bike. As shown in the ACA interview, its something I want to conquer. Well It has begun. The big challenge for me this year. Learning to ride a bike.

Last sunday I bought my first ever helmet. It was a bit daunting as I had no idea what to do, for something so simple to. I mean its just a bike helmet. Thousands are sold world wide every day. But I had no idea what I was doing and just decided to grab what looked like a good colour, had the right standards things, and also was pretty cheap. You may now probably think “why buy something cheap to protect your head” well my thoughts at the moment are. I may not enjoy riding a bike, if I am not going to buy one, why would i need a decent expensive helmet when the plain cheap ones do the same thing. Because if I do enjoy it, then I will buy a bike and a decent helmet worth every cent. But till that time, I will just use what I have.

On Tuesday I had my first lesson with Andy. Yeah i’m back doing PT but this time only 30 mins a week and I am paying for this time. But it was good. I am slowly getting used to it. I have not yet started to pedal or anything, just slowly getting my balance on the bike, one little step at a time! I did a bit more this morning and some more tomorrow morning after i do some weights. The more I do the longer I spend, the better it will be!

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Well as most of you know I was approached by ACA back in September about my story etc. I did all the taping about 2 weeks after coming back from Kokoda and it was just after getting over a massive stomach bug that had me off work for about a week.

Well it went to Air last night and here is the link for those that havent seen it yet.

A Current Affair Website – Bigmal’s Triumph

I hope you all enjoy!

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So Life has been pretty good lately. Start of the month went really well, managed to keep myself nice and happy with the way i ate at the christmas party. It was a good night to, everyone all dressed up, I was wearing my nice suit (which i really do thank Vanessa @ Always Habit for helping me out there) and got heaps of compliments on it!

Been managing my food pretty well but unfortunately went down 3kg over the last week and that was probably due to not thinking properly over the last few weeks with snacks etc and working out to much so im still juggling all of that each and every day, but thats the new goal for the new year, maintain the weight loss and keep it off. I can tell that I am slowly putting on some muscle as I can feel myself getting stronger. Managed to do some good heavy weights this morning and could definately see my performance increasing (mind you my arms are killing right now).

I had also been planning for a while to get a new Crumpler bag for work. As most of you know, I love crumpler. But i wanted a new bag that was custom made so that it would be about the whole transition of my life etc over the last year. Unfortunately to order a Custom Bag I would need to fly down to Melbourne or Sydney before the new year to get one etc and couldn’t justify the costs etc on top of the normal bag. However yesterday i was in the Crumpler store picking up a small piece for my laptop and checking out their new range of bags (for shits and giggles) when i saw this amazing looking bag in the window. I asked them about it and he told me that it was a custom made Complete Seed and they were selling off some of the random custom designs they had before the Custom Bag Stores close. I was ecstatic, i loved the design and I had to have it! So i bought it!

As for trip planning, things are pretty much done. Only france left to go with all of asia organised now and booked. France will probably be planned in the new year as I am going to hopefully be accompanied by my friend Yena. Who is going to join me in Normandy for some history!

Hopefully!