Everyone Has a Story

Legend has it that Hemingway was once challenged to write a story in only six words. His response? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

I remember hearing that same story during a literature class in college and just the other day I came across it again in one of my morning blog reads. As I began to do some further research on what the story behind the six-word challenge was, I came across a project dedicated to the very legend.

The project is called the, "Six-Word Memoirs" and the site invites users to post a summary of their life using only six words. Apparently, there have been several books published with the thousands of posts they received during the first few weeks the site launched and even in the past couple days people are still posting regularly.

After reading some terribly depressing posts mixed in with some really freakin' hysterical ones, it inspired me to start thinking about how I would describe my life in just six words. After hours of counting words on my fingers and randomly cussing alone in my cubical, I came up with five good ones that I think do a good job of describing me in a nutshell.

Here goes...

1. More like my mother every day.
2. Have the memory of a goldfish.
3. Making it up as I go.
4. Queen of sass taking every opportunity.
5. Finally trying to live without regrets.

Here are a few of my personal favorites from the site....

1. Not quite what I was planning.
2. In a Manolo world, I'm keds.
3. Fell in love, married, divorced, repeat.
4. Four children in four decades; whew!
5. Lived in moment, until moment sucked.

It's much more difficult than it looks, but for some reason I find it to be really interesting and if nothing else I got a few good laughs out of it.

PS: I would be interested to see what all of you lovely readers would say if you had only six words to describe your life - so if you're up to give it a go, leave a comment with what yours would be or even some of your favorites from the site. :)

I am a Proud Addict. Leave Me Alone.

Hi my name is Nicole. I am in my twenties. And I too am an addict.

I find myself sleeping with my phone no more than 6 inches to either side of my pillow. I am constantly checking my text inbox and hitting refresh on my Google Reader to stay up to date with the blogger headlines around the world. I wake up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and have a desperate urge to check my email and Facebook notifications. I can't go more than 30 minutes without scheduling a tweet or perusing the latest on Drudge Report or Mashable. I start to twitch when I haven't thought of a worth while blog post to consume my thoughts throughout the day, and when my internet at home runs out of download credit I go into a state of shock that is only curable with a pint of beer and the free wi-fi of the corner bar.

I wish I could say that I want to find a cure for the madness that consumes every fleeting thought that comes in and out my brain, every moment of everyday, but I don't. I love the chase in finding the latest update and trending topics from around the web. I can't get enough of the way it feels to be able to share a certain connection between another expat living in London, or a blogger in Canada or a tweeter in Sweden and know that if we ever crossed paths in real life, that we would undoubtedly be able to share and communicate like we grew up next door to one another for years.

I've met a lot people throughout the past year who don't understand the world of blogging and admittedly I too started out as a skeptic. When I began posting, almost exactly a year ago today, I thought it was going to be something that I would passively partake in every once in a blue moon when the mood hit me. I could not have been more wrong. Once I began to build a community of readers and get to know people from around the world, I couldn't make myself stop. I have a constant need to expand my network of tweeters, bloggers and friends and to learn something from each one of them that I can't experience on my own. It has been a drug of information for me during the past 365 days and the high isn't likely to stop any time soon.

I have friends from Minnesota, Chicago and now here in Melbourne who can't wrap their heads around why blogging and social media are so important, not only for me, but to the rest of the world, as well. Everyday I get harassed by the Aussies on my internet obsession and am constantly asked, 'why do you blog? why do you want people to read about your personal life? why should anyone care what you are tweeting about during the day?" And I can only respond with why not?

Why not try to engage with as many people you can while you have the opportunity? Why not expand your network into a larger playing field and broaden your horizons through the power of the internet? In my mind, our generation and our children's generations have been given such a gift to be able to connect with people that our parents could never have even imagined. So I continue to ask myself, 'why would anyone want to let an addiction like this pass them by?'

Calling All Web Designers!

I have a new little project I've started working on down under and am trying to get off the ground as we speak. Before I let you in on all the juicy details I need to find the help of a web designer. Anyone have any suggestions of someone they've used in the past?

I'm looking for someone who can help me create my own site and set up the creative for it as well. I don't want to spend a fortune on it, but appreciate that stuff like this isn't cheap either.

So if you or someone you know is looking to take on a side project for a few weeks, send me an email at: nicoleroberto1224 {at} hotmail {dot} com

What a Mess!

Ok now looking at that last post it's terribly hard to read and was even more difficult to type on my phone! Please don't send me hateful comments about it - I AM trying to sort this out ASAP :)

My LIfe is Havoc Without the Internet

Quick post from my phone - so please bear with the typos of T9 and possibly even the formatting.

Generally speaking Blogger is a very good friend of mine, but on occasion really shits me! It's weeks like this past one that make me want to switch over to my own site. I have had problem after problem with trying to get my posts to appear and actually stick to my blog. So please excuse the mess if some of my photos or posts seemingly disappear for no apparent reason.


Onto a 'down under' update for the fam back home as our Skyping sessions have fallen by the wayside lately:


1. Have lost a kilo over the past 2 weeks (which I'm told is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 2 pounds) thanks to my Bikini Booty workout regime.

2. Our internet is down for the next week or so at the house once again so no Skype this weekend.

3. My friend Andrew is currently staying at the house as he wraps up his 12-month Australian adventures and heads back to Minnesota next week.

4. Saturday is the Australian Football Grand Final Day (re: Australian Super Bowl) and have plans for a morning brekkie with a few girls followed by an afternoon pub crawl in the city.
5. Booked my tickets to go down to New Zealand and Sydney for a week or so in October with a couple friends from Chicago. (Counting down the days because I am in desperate need for a holiday, I know strange to say, when some days I feel like I am on a 12-month holiday, but nevertheless am looking forward to getting down there and spending some time with them!)

6. Mr. Yummy and I are still seeing each other here and there, but the fun of that adventure has surely faded away.

7. I'm missing living on my own something terrible, but am trying to convince myself that living with roommates is all part of the fun and that I'm growing into a better person by living with other people. (I try to tell myself that every so often to keep me sane I realize it is probably not the case.)

8. Mom, don't read too much into #7, I'm just a baby and love living in my own space, there's nothing wrong with my roommates, everything is fine.

9. I tried to make a coffee this morning at work with a new automatic machine and ended up covered in warm milk. I stink already and it's only 10am. (fml)

10.Have been trying to come up with a few ways to swim my way out of my Quarter Life Crisis and hopefully will have a post on that later in the week if blogger cooperates.

That has been my week in a nutshell. And if summer doesn't get here quick, I am going to have to start jetting off to Sydney and Cairns every weekend to take in some rays and I just don?t think that my bank account can withhold that type of damage each week!

I will be back to blogging regularly by the end of the week, please stay tuned.

Trying to Get a Bikini Booty in Time for Summer!

Today was day 6 of my Mission Lose 10 pounds in 30 days and lets just say the enthusiasm is already starting to wear off. Yes, I'm still making it to the gym everyday.....well fine I didn't make it on Sunday and I overslept today, BUT I have been every other day. I have only eaten one piece of chocolate since I started, aside from the last 20 minutes as I was binge eating an entire box of Minnesota State Fair taffy and Reese's Peanut Butter cups that my mom sent down, but other than that have been a model citizen in the dieting world. Well, I guess that's not entirely true, I did go to a party Saturday night and made a late night Hungry Jacks visit and ordered a large Whopper meal with cheese, followed by several bottles of my favorite Australian beer, Little Creatures - which I know is not the other light beer in Melbourne!

Nevertheless, I hopped on the scale yesterday and of course I've not lost an ounce or pound or kilo or whatever it is the damn thing is measuring in.

Moral of the story is: I'm back on the two a day training sessions starting tomorrow.

Can't have these old timers struttin' there goods down the beach looking better than me in their size 2 g-strings!!

View From The Beach

I took a quick snap of the sunset last night, before heading over to Danielle's house for some delicious Mexican cuisine......More to come on the excellent dinner and ex-pat fun later this weekend!

Dating Update

Mr. Yummy and I went on our second date this past week and to be completely honest his personality really ruins his good looks. Which is a damn shame really, when a guy has it together on the outside, but is really struggling to piece together the inside! I enjoy going out with him for the most part and at times is good company to be with, but the constant bragging about how sweet he is - is just plain embarrassing. 

I will say this though, it has been nice to some extent to have the company of another American who I can relate to on a different level than that of some of the other Australian guys that I've met. So part of me thinks that keeping Mr. Y around for a bit longer may not be a terrible idea. 

We are planning on some sort of dinner rendezvous on Friday evening so we'll see how we go.  

Day 1

It's official I have gained somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-10 pounds since arriving in Melbourne just over two months ago. (Tough to say exactly though since I'm being weighed in kilos and we all know how I am with my math conversions!) 

I'm not too surprised at this new revelation because I have noticed that my eating and exercise habits have changed quite a bit here in Australia. I eat ALOT more chocolate in Melbourne, I have no idea why and I can't come up with a good explanation for it, but ever since I stepped off the plane I crave chocolate of some sort AT LEAST twice a day. Back in the states I could go at least a few days maybe even a week without having a chocolate craving! So needless to say the past few weeks I have shamelessly given into the TimTam urge and have undoubtedly eaten around 15-20 packs over a 60 day period. That disgusting! That's like 200 some TimTams! 

I take the same tram to and from the city each day and pass by Fernwood Women's Fitness Center all the time. It is right off the tram stop and about 10 minutes from my house. I went in today and signed up for a 14-day trial membership to see how I like it. So far it's great. (I know of course that's what I'm going to say on Day 1 of my new diet and exercise plan!) But really, I did enjoy myself. I did a cardio kick boxing class this morning before work from 6-645 and was able to shower there and get into work with plenty of time. The club provides hair dryers, straighteners, curling irons, hair products and complementary breakfast until 9am so it was really quick and easy to get in and out on time. I also went back this evening to see how busy it was after work and decided to do a body pump class for an hour and met some really great girls!

I never thought it bothered me to work out at a gym with guys there, until I went and worked out in an all female environment. It was so relaxed and a much more inviting place to be without the greasy, slimy grunting noises of the muscle men getting in the way.  The group classes were a lot of fun and although I am feeling like my limbs are made of noodles right now, it's the best I've felt in a long time!

My goal is to lose 10 pounds in 30 days and cut my chocolate intake down to half. (As you can see I am not being as precise with my chocolate goal as I'm not sure I'm 100% ready yet!)

To get me off to a good healthy start I cooked up salmon, broccoli and green beans for dinner, and for being a completely average cook, it turned out pretty delicious. Granted, I was so hungry after getting home from class that I think burnt chicken would have been just as scrumptious!

No, I'll Take the Stairs - Thank You

I wouldn't say that I am the type of person who worries or is afraid of too many things. Sure, I will jump at the thought of a spider and the sight of any bug with more than 6 legs beings tears to my eyes; but generally speaking I'm not a person who lives in fear of the swine flus of the world or about picking my half eaten apple up off the ground in the train station or that the next time I fly I may be sitting next to a terrorist. However, I am quickly discovering that I am the girl who has a fairly serious fear of dying in an elevator related accident.

I don't know if it's because I used to work in a building that was more than 1000 feet tall, or that I've heard countless times that Car 1 is stuck between the 73rd and 74th floor or that I've seen Otis Elevator men climb into the shafts hundreds of feet above the ground to fix a cable; but somedays I wake up convinced that I am going to kick the bucket by being crushed in an elevator shaft.

I know, I know what you're thinking - the chances of me actually being one of the 30 or so people a year that are offed in the United States due to an elevator related accident is highly unlikely. But every two or three weeks I have a terrible dream that I am either, A: stepping into the elevator only to find that there is not a floor beneath me and I fall several hundred feet to my death, B: the elevator gets stuck in between the ground and the top of the building, but nobody knows it and I end up trying to escape only to fall once again to my death, or C: I step into a crowded elevator and am leaning against the door, when suddenly the walls disapear and I am crushed by a passing elevator during my descent.

Irrational? Most likely, but this morning I awoke in a pool of my own sweat and my heart jumping out of my chest, unable to get back to sleep. I realize that elevators make millions of succesful trips up and down each day throughout every major city in the world, but during those 40 or so times a month when I am zooming up and down the shafts, I can hear a tiny little voice in my head reading the headilne, "20 Something MN Girl Dies While Taking Elevator Up 10 Floors."

Guarenteed, for the next 48 hours, you can bet that I will be taking the stairs.

TokBox

I discovered what could very well be my new obsession while I was tweeting away at work today. It is a communication website called TokBox. At first glance I thought it was a knock off SKYPE, but after 2 minutes of completing my profile and given a brief virtual tour by Lauren (some lady from Tokbox) I was well on my way to discovering that TokBox is in noway a knock off - it's the real deal. TokBox is a free website that allows you to video chat with up to 20 people at once, (Skype only allows you to view one other person at a time while chatting), you can sign into any one of your other instant messaging screen names and have all of your contacts appear on one consolidated webpage. I already gave it a try with my mom this morning during work and it was great.

So for all of you avid SKYPERS out there, hop on over to TokBox and give it a try. I can't wait to be able to see my friend Kristin in Colombia, my mom back in Minnesota and Danny in Chicago all on the same screen talking at once! And did I mention that it is FREE!

So if you're reading along back home and would like to sign up you can find my profile HERE!

Ok that's all for tonight - not a whole lot going on down under this past week, but summer is finally under way and that means that alot more of my posts will be featuring me oceanside with a margarita, sunglasses and laptop in hand, keeping you all up to date :) And probably making you all ridiculously jealous if you are in Minnesota bearing the sub-zero temperatures, while I prance around in my sandals and bikini for Christmas.

Mom, Who Are THEY Anyway?

I spoke with my mom via Skype this morning and let me tell you every time we do that, it is a new adventure - I swear! Sometimes I think she just likes being able to see my face and her face simultaneously on the screen. She tends to like to make faces at me and start pretending to do sign language into the computer when I'm trying to be serious! At times extremely frustrating, but more often than not it is my favorite time of the week.

I wish I could post the picture that I snapped of her during our hour long conversation today; but I'm fairly certain if I did that, my monthly care package full of American goodies would mysteriously just stop showing up at my doorstep. So in an effort to keep the peace I will move on with my post.

Each time we Skype it's always the same general routine of questions and each set of questions seems to be lumped into different periods. We start out by figuring out what time zone the other person is, followed by who from the family is present at both locations and then the conversation begins to flow into the following categories:

The first is the 'General Well-Being' portion of our Skype dates,

"Are you eating enough?"

'Yes mom, I've gained at least 2 kilos in Tim Tams alone - I'm fine'

"Are you drinking enough milk?"

'I put at least a cup in my Sultana Bran every morning'

"Do you have a cough?"

'A little I guess'

"It sounds like you have a cough?!"

'Yea, I have a sore throat and a little congested, but that's all'

"Have you gone to the doctor to see about that cough? I hear Australia has had a lot of Swine Flu cases - have you checked to see if you have Swine Flu?"

'No mom I'll be fine - if I still feel sick on Monday I'll look into it!'

......and then we move into "Friends and family gossip" followed by "Guess if I'm really frozen on your screen" and then into, my all time favorite part of our conversations, the "THEY SAID" portion.

The "They Said" chapter of our chats is the time where my mother likes to 'slyly' interject some tidbits of information that she has picked up over the past 7 days. This information is taken from conversations she's had with co-workers, relatives, friends and what I can only assume to be the highly educated biker crew of .80 cent beer night at The Moose Country; about different things going on in my life that she isn't 100% on board with and is looking for someone to back her up.

Let me give you an example.

As you all know, I have recently booked a 10-day trip to Bali, Indonesia. Not the world's safest place to visit, but definitely not even close to the most dangerous. The pro's outweigh the con's any day of the week! However, ever since booking the trip my mother has been on edge about me traveling there on my own. So during the 'They Said' portion of the conversation she brings up some of the following points:

"Well, you know that they say that Bali is no place for you to be traveling alone and that terrorists bomb there ALL the time. What do you know about that?"

"I was at work yesterday talking with a group of friends and they said that Indonesia just had an earthquake that killed hundreds and what if you are there and another earthquake hits and you die? Did you think about that?"

"I left Church last week and they said that you need another visa to go there and that you should look at your Australian visa to see if you can even get back in. They said that you could get stuck in Denpasar Airport if you don't have the right papers - have you looked into that?"

......They said......

AAGGGHHHH

WHO IS IT SPECIFICALLY THAT YOU ARE REFERRING TO WHEN YOU SAY THEY?? Who are these people and why are they putting these outlandish and occasionally irrational fears into your head!!??

So today somewhere after the 'They Said' segment, but before the 'Shut Your Eyes' portion, it was pointed out to me that I am currently suffering from a disease my mother likes to call, 'The Invincibility Of Your Twenties Syndrome'. Apparently it affects people in their early to mid twenties, who believe that they are invincible and cannot be hurt or touched by anything - no matter where or what they are doing in the world.

Now, clearly my mother has grossly misdiagnosed me with this syndrome and I understand the worry of seeing your only daughter run off to a foreign country on her own for 10 days, BUT to lump me into a group with the other crazies of my generation is just plain rude.

Do you or someone you know feel that you are being misdiagnosed with this syndrome, as I feel that I am, and what did you do to fix that perception in the eyes of your family?

Done With Finger Painting - On To World Changing

Image from www.staffwriter.wordpress.com

I think it's some sort of syndrome that all 20-somethings must go through at one point or another post college graduation. It's that initial shock and realization that your life can no longer revolve around Facebook friendships and Twitter updates.  The desire to create a name for yourself, to prove that the $100K you (or your parents) just spent on a 4-year degree wasn't a complete waste of time and money.  That moment you begin to understand that you are no longer the only one who matters in the world, and that there are far bigger issues to tackle than the latest and greatest on You Tube. The need for some sort of recognition or stamp of approval that you have made it and are actively using your education and experiences to better the world as you know it.  

Like many of my peers, I never thought that I would fall victim to this syndrome, because up until a few months ago I had a 'plan.' And I have always been taught that if you have a plan and are prepared for the next step than you will succeed.  I'm sure I had some version of the perfect American dream painted in my head that allowed me to make a difference in the lives of others, all the while still having that dream job, husband and family. A plan to save the world all in one clean sweep. 

Being part of the 'trophy generation' where everyone is a winner and everyone gets a pat on the back for their participation; it is a rude awakening when even though you have jumped through all the hoops, and taken part in every step of the plan, you still come up short. We have been told our entire lives that if you get good grades, participate in extra-curriculars, volunteer at local charities and go to college, that you would be paving the road to success; for that 'perfect plan' you've been dreaming about.  However, when you are competing with the daunting statistic of only 19% of 2009 college graduates who applied for jobs actually securing one by graduation day, that perfectly paved road is not so smooth anymore. 

There are thousands of blogs, webinars, online chats etc. trying to reach out to Generation Y about everything from,  "Tweeting Your Way to the Top" to "Turning Your 20 hour Internship Into a 40 Hour Career." But at what point does having a plan become irrelevant and no longer lead to success? 

I've been reading several blogs lately authored by my fellow Gen-Y'ers about how they are trying to make a difference in the world, and what they are doing to make their voices stand out amongst all the clutter. There are several bloggers who appear in my Google Reader every morning writing about how they've taken their passion for a specific cause and through their knowledge of social media, were able to turn it into a career that they could have never dreamed possible. Many of these bloggers are being forced to create a place in the market for themselves and in turn are finding that there is a lot more opportunity to be had underneath the surface.   

Lately, I've been trying to figure out what it is I can take away from my time here in Australia that will make it all worthwhile. I know that being here in itself is worthwhile, meeting new people, living outside my comfort zone and trying to figure it all out by myself is something to cherish all on its own. However, I feel like I could do that anywhere in the world; I could have gone and lived in Middle America for 12-months and surely at some point felt out of my comfort zone - what is so special about Australia? I have to believe that there is something else that I need to learn or do while I'm here that I can take forward and use toward my future. 

I haven't decided what it is yet that makes this experience different than any other change I have encountered in my life; nor have I come up with a solution to what I am supposed to be taking away from it all. But I do know that there is something bigger I need to achieve while I'm here. 

During that past 6 weeks, I have come to understand that living in the 'right now' is much more fulfilling and offers much more opportunity than I probably realize. I have spent a lot of time planning my future, mapping out what comes next in the equation and preparing myself for the following step; but many times that makes it all too easy to forget about the potential of this very moment. 

Now what this all means to me in the grand scheme of things - I have no idea. BUT what I do know is that all of this has been swirling around in my head for the past 48 hours, as I lay all hopped up on Codeine and taking in way too many episodes of Entourage and Snicker bars. 

When In Rome......

You all know that I struggled to get on board with Melbourne fashion when I arrived a few months ago and could never see myself purchasing anything here. It seemed a bit too trendy for my liking and every time I turned around people were wearing leggings! (something that up until now I wouldn't even have considered) Generally speaking, my fashion taste is very simple and classic. I rarely strayed away from my 5 go-to shops of JCREW, Banana, Nordstrom, Ralph Lauren and Victoria's Secret.

Well after several shopping trips with my kiwi roommates only to be left leaving empty handed and constantly being surrounded by the fashionistas of Melbourne at work.......I caved.

I now own a black and brown pair of tall leather boots, two pair of black leggings, several jumpers (dresses not sweaters - Aussies call sweaters jumpers as well,) a few large belts to go over the jumpers and who could forget the skinny jeans.

I didn't get too out of control on what I bought because come June when I hop on the plane back to the states, I will be pulling out my loafers, trouser pants, cardigan sweaters and pearls. The only thing that I could ever imagine wearing again are the boots - very classic and are really good quality.

But to give you a sneak peak of a typical outfit in Melbourne.....

It's almost like I'm in an actor in play or something, right?

Some of my new favorite shops in Melbourne include:

Country Road

Marcs

OJAY

JUST TO BE CLEAR THIS IS NOT A "NEW" NICOLE BY ANY MEANS. I AM SIMPLY EMBRACING THE ADVENTURE OF LIVING SOMEWHERE DIFFERENT AND I WILL SOON BE BACK TO MY RUFFLES, HEELS AND CROPPED PANTS UPON MY RETURN TO THE STATES.

Dear Emily Griffin, Will You Be My BFF?

Since arriving in Australia I've found myself flying through books like crazy! I've already read 5 or 6 different novels in the past 2 months and can't get enough. Last week my mom sent me another amazing care package filled with DVDs, American candy and of course Emily Griffin's book 'Something Blue.' I have read two of her books prior to this and love them. If you haven't had the experience of Emily's work you really need to hop on over to Border's and pick one up.

Something Blue is the sequel to Something Borrowed and sheds a whole new light on characters and the situation they find themselves in. I even found myself having to set limits on how many pages I could read in any given day so the book wouldn't to be over too quickly. It's a great summer read and definitely a page turner.

I am now onto reading President Obama's first book, 'Dreams From My Father.'

If anyone has any good book suggestions please let me know!