A short but sweet (and passionate) post today…

I’ve been thinking a LOT about passion this past month. Mostly because it was February’s Random Acts of Kick Arse theme thought up by Dani from Positively Present, one of the RAOKA Crusaders.

In a couple of days you’ll find out what my greatest passions are (and no, it’s not cup cakes, as surprising as that is) but in the meantime, I’m curious to know;

What are you passionate about?

Let fly people, I want to know what gets the juices flowing for you!

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This week’s question is taken from the book “If², 500 Questions for the Game of Life“ by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell;

If you were to pick a city whose character best represents your own personality, which would you choose?

I would say the city that best represents my personalty is Ashgabat. Yep, Ashgabat. In case you don’t know where that is, it’s the capital of Turkmenistan. In case you don’t know where THAT is, it’s the country between Iran and Uzbekistan in Central Asia. A hot tourist destination for sure.

Why’d I choose Ashgabat?

Well first of all, it sounds cool. And we all know how cool I am.

Secondly, few people would know where the hell it is. I’m told I’m hard to locate on accounts that my mobile phone (ie cell phone) usually has a flat battery and is in the bottom of a drawer somewhere. I also have the directional capability of a tree stump and so am frequently lost.

Thirdly, it’s just plain weird, as evidenced by;

• Ashgabat has more hotel rooms than the average number of tourists for the whole country annually (I’m pretty sure the total number of hotel rooms they’d have would be about 7).
• Former president (Saparmurat Niyazov) felt it quite fitting to have countless gold statues of himself erected all around Ashgabat, had the world’s largest carpet of his effigy created and outlawed long hair, beards, opera and ballet.
• Central Asia’s largest artificial lake is being built near Ashgabat in the middle of the Karakum Desert, which covers most of Turkmenistan. The purpose of the lake, (current cost estimated at 10 billion dollars), is unknown (I’d guess camel swimming races).

Sums me up pretty well I think.

So which city best reflects your personality? Guatemala? Las Vegas? Boogertown?

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This week’s question is taken from the book “If², 500 Questions for the Game of Life“ by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell;

If you had to name the best live musical performance you have ever attended, which would you pick?

For me, I’d say seeing the John Butler Trio live at an outdoor venue called Riverstage, which is, yep, a stage by a river, the Brisbane River to be exact (Brisbane City Council are a creative bunch aren’t they?).

I’ve written before about the John Butler Trio. Not only do they sound as good live as they do recorded but they use their music, their fame and their moolah to make the world a better place.

Nope, no flashy bling for JBT. No diva-type demands or 30 person strong entourage either. Just 3 gifted musicians, doing what they love with a focus on giving back.

Riverstage is a perfect venue for JBT. The stage is at the bottom of a hill in the middle of Brisbane with the river behind it. All that is required is to find a patch of grass, lay out the picnic blanket and make yourself comfortable. It was a night I’ll always remember for great fun with friends, unbelievable music and a fantastic energy.

OK peeps, your turn? What’s the best musical performance you’ve seen (please don’t say Brittany Spears or Milli Vanilli. OK, you can say Brittany Spears or Milli Vanilli but expect some ribbing for it! Just so you know)?

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A comment left on my recent cuddling a koala post by Jason at Escape Adulthood sparked this week’s question. Jason mentioned how Steve Irwin from Australia Zoo is “one of the only famous people I’ve ever encountered who didn’t appear to have a shred of Adultitis in him”.

For the record, according to Jason (& Kim, Jason’s wife), “Adultitis is a common condition occurring in people between the ages of 21–121, marked by chronic dullness, mild depression, moderate to extremely high stress levels, a general fear of change, and, in some extreme cases, the inability to smile.”

“It has wrought an epidemic of stress, anxiousness and depression. It has plundered laughter. It has transformed people into zombie-like doo-doo heads.”

Jason’s right. Love him or not so love him, Steve Irwin was renowned for his sense of fun and ability to mix work and play. On tribute boards displayed at Australia Zoo, there were more than a few comments from staff saying they’d miss dodging him on his 4 wheeler (it seems he had a penchant for playing cat and mouse).

It got me thinking (a dangerous pursuit for me) and I’m interested to know…

What child-like, crazy, Adultitis curing antics are you known for?

It’s no surprise to regular readers here that I’m prone to impromptu Flashdance routines. I’m also not adverse to handstands, generally in the pool (gravity can be a bitch) or against a wall. Then there’s the jumping out from behind doors scaring the bejesus out of whichever poor soul is my victim. I could also mention the snorting of milk but that was more of an accident than anything.

What about you? How do you “be like Steve”? What constitutes play for you? Ever attempted a Flashdance?

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This week’s question is inspired by 2 posts I’ve recently read; Resting in Awareness over at Positively Present (a guest post by Steven from The Emotion Machine) and Taking Inventory by Nadia at Happy Lotus.

Both authors discuss the importance and benefits of taking the time to be still through meditation. Given I am generally about as stationery as a Border Collie on speed dropped in a herd of sheep, coupled with the fact that my brother gave me a meditation CD for Christmas, I think I know the answer to this week’s question…

If you could change one thing about your typical day, what would it be?

My one thing would therefore be, to sit still, breathe, turn off my out of control, crazy arse, spitfire brain and zen out for 10 minutes. In essence, to balance out the high-strung Border Collie with a rotund Labrador napping in the sun.

OK peeps, what one thing would you change about your typical day?

PS. This week’s question was taken from the book “If², 500 Questions for the Game of Life“ by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell.

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If ever there’s a time of the year that’s full of tradition, it’s Christmas. Depending on who you are, where you live and what rituals you’ve grown up with, it could involve decorating a Christmas tree, hanging stockings, draping your house and yard with every Christmas light imaginable, door-to-door carolling, parading a large ox laden with holly and ribbons through the streets or making sure the barbie is fully gassed up and clean.

You only have to Google “Christmas traditions” to find there are literally thousands of different rituals, ceremonies and practices for those who celebrate Christmas around the world.

I’m curious to know…

What would you say your favourite Christmas tradition is?

Mine is the present opening first thing in the morning on Christmas day. Now I know this may seem materialistic but it’s not. Really, it’s not. There are a couple of reasons I love this tradition…

I love the giving aspect to it. There’s nothing cooler than seeing the look on someone’s face when they open a gift they love. You know you’ve nailed it when their lip starts to twitch, like when my brother was given a Nintendo something or other when he was about 10. He was so excited his lip starting involuntarily twitching when he ripped open the wrapping to find his highly prized treasure. He’s never lived it down.

I love the Christmas-wrap-bomb-explosion look the lounge room has after all the presents are opened. Can anyone see the dog?

I love the laughs. In our household, there are ALWAYS laughs, mostly because we have a $2 gift tradition, which I alluded to in my 16 not very helpful tips for a stress-free Christmas post.

Every year, we each buy a gift that costs no more than $2 and wrap it. The gifts get assigned a number and then a hat gets passed around containing bits of paper with corresponding numbers. Each person draws out of the hat and gets the gift with the same number.

If you’re lucky you might get some chocolate. If you’re not, you might end up with a giant skull mug complete with plastic red jewels for eyes or a frog sculpture that you’re pretty sure is a frog but can’t be certain or a box of cow shit. Yes, my beloved brother once entered a box of dried cow dung as his $2 gift. Guess who got it? Yep, me.

Not only did I get a box of dehydrated cow shit but I was also told in no uncertain terms by someone who shall remain nameless, Mum, (oops, did I just say that out aloud), that I was being ungrateful when I protested. Yes, that’s because IT WAS A BOX OF COW SHIT! 

So how about you? What’s your favourite Christmas tradition?

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After the latest Random Acts of Kick Arse theme of beauty, this week’s question is timely. It’s taken from the book “If², 500 Questions for the Game of Life“ by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell;

If you had to name the one most important ingredient of human beauty, what would you say it is?

The one most important ingredient of human beauty for me would be spirit. By spirit I mean an enthusiasm for living, liveliness, energy and passion – “the force” if you will.

In my opinion, there’s nothing more beautiful in a human being than an unbridled exhilaration for life.

In the words of a little, green, arse whoopin, Jedi Master, “May the force be with you.”

Your turn! What would you say is the one most important ingredient of human beauty?

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This week’s kick arse question is taken from the book “If², 500 Questions for the Game of Life“ by Evelyn McFarlane and James Saywell;

If you were to pick the one thing that always makes you smile, what would it be?

Hmm if I had to pick only one, I’d say without fail, puppies make me smile. And photos of puppies like this…

How about you? What one thing always makes you smile?

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OK peeps, I need your help. I am embarking on my next adventure on my Daisy List and it’s a big one. Such is the scale of this task, I am joining forces with 3 others (my cousin Katie, her partner Nelson and Dad’s cousin Kim).

Our goal is to tick off number 16: Enter the 2010 Variety Club Bash.

Non-Aussies could be forgiven for thinking that the Variety Club Bash is an annual festival showcasing a “variety” of cage fighting disciplines involving bodily harm and bloodshed. Fear not, it’s quite the opposite really.

It’s actually an annual fundraising car race held by The Variety Club, a charity whose mission is to “transform the lives of sick, disadvantaged and special needs children”.

The Bash is no walk in the park. First of all, all vehicles must be at least 30 years old. Secondly, we’ll be travelling some 2000km through the Outback over dirt tracks whilst dodging kangaroos and pot holes big enough to lose a small country in. And thirdly, we’ll be dealing with Bash officials who take great delight in taking bribes and issuing fines all in the name of fundraising. Proof of this can be found in the rules; “Entrants can be fined for taking the event too seriously. The amount an entrant is fined depends on the seriousness of taking it seriously.” 

In order to participate, we need to fundraise at least $7,500 (our goal is $10,000). In case you need reminding, we’re in a global financial crisis. As such, highly creative fundraising ideas are required and preferably ones that don’t involve the use of ancient Japanese cage fighting techniques.

Sooo, this week’s question is;

What are some kick arse fundraising ideas we can use to raise money?

So far we’ve thought of the following;

• Street party with a silent auction.
• Girl’s clothes swap and cocktails night with lucky door prizes.
• Boy’s poker night with lucky door prizes.
• Collection tins at local stores.
• Stall at Carols By Candlelight event.
• Stall at a shopping centre.

 Have any other cool ideas?

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This week’s kick arse question is inspired by a project undertaken by Lance at the Jungle of Life and Joanna at Fitness and Spice (I recently posted about it) called Blog-4-Cause. These two amazing bloggers set about compiling an ebook by calling for bloggers to submit their favourite articles to contribute.

Their goal was to support research into breast cancer by donating 100% of the ebook’s proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Well, word spread and they were inundated with over 150 articles from bloggers all over the world. The topics ranged from funny anecdotes to inspiring stories to favourite recipes and much more.

It’s been a crazy month for Lance and Joanna but the finished product is now available. To get your hands on a kick arse ebook and to support finding a cure for breast cancer at the same time, head to Blog-4-Cause. Just to sweeten the deal, you’ll also receive a bonus ebook by author, Tim Brownson called, “Don’t Ask Stupid Questions?”

Let me just say, the ebooks rock!

Now on to this week’s question;

What is the biggest crisis you’ve experienced and what helped you survive it?

It’s probably no surprise to those of you who’ve been part of this community for a while, that the biggest crisis I’ve experienced is the D word. It’s not in the same league as breast cancer but still, it was about as much fun as eating a cactus.

My family, and a few select friends who might as well be family, were my saving grace. I consider their unconditional love, complete support  and free tissues as THE biggest reason I came out the other end relatively unscathed. In a very dark time for me, they stepped up in ways I could never have imagined.

On top of that, the following also helped me survive;

• The stress relief of meditation.
• The other stress relief of exercise.
• Dad saying, “The only revenge is to live well.”
• Getting to the anger phase (this helped lift me out of the doldrums and back into the world).
• Vegemite toast.
• Daily entries in a gratitude journal (my sister gave me the journal).
• Starting a new life in Canada.
• Crying…a lot (Kleenex made a fortune!).
• Sleep (responsible use of sleeping tablets helped massively with this).

 How about you? What’s been your biggest crisis and how did you survive it?

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