Stop avoiding things just because everyone else is doing them

Funnily enough, I read a horoscope a few weeks ago that went something along the lines of, ’... you don’t have to do things, just because everyone else is doing them.’

I guess this goal was really about obtaining a better balance. Id est, not feeling obliged to follow the crowds, whilst also recognising that sometimes the masses may be onto a good thing.

It’s so stupid, I never wanted to do so many things because it was soooo ‘mainstream’ I made myself dislike a lot of music, stopped myself from buying certain brand of shoes and clothes, stopped myself from doing alot because I didn’t want to be a mindless consumer well.. over it so now LOOKIT ME IN MY CONVERSE SHOES, STRIPED STOCKINGS, DYED HAIR, LISTENING TO MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE AND WALKING INTO HOT TOPIC AND ACTUALLY BUYING SOMETHING. Haha so sue me.

If many people are doing something, or saying something all the time, and it’s just a thing that everyone does, i refuse to do it bcuz i want to be different. Understand?

and in a weird way I’m kind of excited, yet still very cynical about the whole thing. I emailed out the new invitation this afternoon:

Subject: Trish is back!

That’s right, she’s returned to us, full of vim and vigour. Thus, I am pleased to present:

Loquaciouslass’ Tupperware Party (Mark II)

The new proposed date is Wed 26th July, at 7.30pm.
Let me know ASAP how that date suits you, and if it’s good for the majority, I’ll confirm it with Trish.
Bring a friend! Heck, bring TWO friends!

Trish tells me that she has some new specials catalogues (with some new products, I think) so I’m sure you’ll be just as excited as I am. You may even be more excited… and good for you if you are! :-)

Remember, the theme is “Chocolate Lovers”..... chocolate…. chocolate…. and if you’re lucky, you may even get some!
(Chocolate, that is… please, keep your minds out of the gutter ladies… it’s not that sort of shindig)

Hope you’re having a great day!
LL ;-)

Hmmm… I just realised that some of the women to whom I sent the invite may not appreciate my sense of humour. Oh well… too late now!

was supposed to be held last night. But the poor Tupperware lady has had to post-pone, as she’s not very well. Considering how enthusiastic she is, I figure she must be feeling pretty sick to have cancelled.

She’s going to phone next week to reschedule. I have to admit, a little voice piped up inside my head and said, “See? See what happens when you try to do things like this? It’s not meant to be… it just doesn’t suit you.”

Eh… the voices aren’t always right…

Australian Rules football (or ‘Aussie Rules’ as it’s colloquially known) is a big part of life here in Australia. Particularly in Victoria, the state in which I live, as this is where it originated. Never having had much of an interest in sport, the mere thought of watching the game, let alone sitting to watch it on TV, bored me to tears. Plus, it really irked me that I should feel obligated to get caught up in the football frenzy, just because every man, woman, child and dog in the vicinity thought it to be necessary. About 10 years ago I did go to a couple of games, and had to admit at the time that I did enjoy the atmosphere. The excitement of the crowd was palpable… and you could easily ignore the cold, wintery weather as you held your breath waiting for the roar that inevitably followed a spectacular mark (aka ‘a speccy’), or the scoring of a goal.

Whilst I was at university, I made a friend with whom I quickly became very close. She’s amazing… caring, thoughtful, confident, inspiring, gorgeous… and it just happens that her partner (and now husband) is an AFL (Australian Football League) player. I wouldn’t have known him from a bar of soap, but have since discovered he’s quite famous in the world of Aussie Rules. Due to my general lack of interest in the goings on of the AFL, I wasn’t particularly phased by this… in fact, I went out of my way to avoid talking about football… although, not that big a stretch, seeing as I knew nothing about it.

Slowly, however, I’ve begun to take an interest, simply because it’s such a big part of my friends’ lives. This year I’ve been to a few games with my friend, and realised exactly how exciting it can be to watch the game unfold. It’s even more exciting when you know somebody who’s such an integral part of the action… and I find myself cheering along with the rest of the crowd. I’ve even taken to watching the game on TV… that is, if I happen to turn the TV on at the right time, and my friend’s team happens to be playing.

I’m really glad I let go of my stubbornness about this… not only because I enjoy it so much, but also because it’s allowed me to share another part of my very dear friends’ lives. I’m even starting to take an interest in other sports… rugby, soccer, cricket… who knows what else will come of this!

... that I am going to host a Tupperware party? Yep , that’s right… Tupperware.

It happened kind of by accident… a friend had been… what’s the term she used again? That’s right… she was roped into hosting a party a couple of weeks ago. At said party, I got a little too involved in a bidding war over a mystery gift. The Tupperware lady (who is lovely, but often refers to herself in the third person) suckered me into hosting a party by bribing me with additional ‘bidding money’. In the end, I didn’t even win the mystery gift… two of the other girls pooled their money and out-bid me at the last moment. Sneaky…

Anyhow, as a result, I am hosting a party of my own in the next few weeks. I’ve decided I’m going to make the most of it… a good opportunity to spend an evening with friends, engaging in scintillating conversation, and enjoying yummy treats (provided by my good self). Oh, and we can look at some Tupperware too, I suppose…

In typical fashion, cynical ol’ me went off to the closing ceremony, and got swept up in the atmosphere… I had a fabulous time! Went to the after-party with my friend who’d performed in the ceremony… such a pity it was a Sunday night :-(

And... although this may not make sense to anyone outside Australia… I met the Moccona Mocha Kenya guy! Does anyone else remember that ad?

I tend to avoid movies, books, events etc. that you ‘have to’ see or read because everyone else is doing it. It’s an instinctive reaction, I think related to my need to avoid being sequacious… well, I am an Aquarius, and therefore supposed to be an individual… hmm, and sounding like a bit of a wanker just there ;-)

I’m getting better with at least being more selective with this, as I’ve found that sometimes my stubbornness means that I miss out on some really good experiences. For example, the Commonwealth Games have been on in Melbourne over the last week or so, and I had been quite cynical about this and decided to avoid it like the plague. But over the last few days, I’ve actually enjoyed watching some of the events, not to mention some of the spin-off activities. So when a friend called a moment ago to offer me a ticket to the closing ceremony, I said “yes”. Am actually quite looking forward to it!