North vs South

The North Side!

Every city tends to have a bit of friendly rivalry between residents depending on which area you live in.  For us Canberrans, it is the North Side and the South Side.  To put it simply – whether you live North of Lake Burley Griffin or South.

I grew up on the South Side and when I moved back to Canberra last year and moved in with the folks, I was reunited with the South Side once more.  I’d never even contemplated living “over there”.  But then again, I also had no real idea of how long I would be here for and was considering studying overseas too.

My first semester of uni is coming to a close and what I had thought I would do a few months ago has changed.  I did intend to spend at least a semester overseas, but now I feel that remaining settled here in Canberra for the remainder of my degree may be the right thing to do.  And then, upon completion of my degree, I could go and do some further studies elsewhere.

It’s strange how ideas change.  What felt right yesterday, suddenly doesn’t seem like the best idea today…and so, last Friday I signed my lease for my new place!  I am moving North Side!  I all kind of came out of nowhere.  But that is me – once I’ve made a decision I tend to just run with it!  The main reason was for convenience – to be closer to uni and work; but the majority of my friends are over that side and I feel a change of scenery will be just what I need.  I also feel I will live a healthier and more active lifestyle over there with more opportunities to walk places and a whole new world to explore!

And so the photo I have posted today represents the North Side and a whole new chapter of my life!  In one month’s time I will be settling in, developing a new routine and enjoying the change.

Good bye South Side…until we meet again [yes, no matter where I am…I’m a South Sider at heart 🙂 ]

Crossing things off the “to do” list!

Yesterday was a great day!  It was a long day, but it was a day in which I went to bed feeling a sense of accomplishment and contentment.  I woke up early at 5:15am (and wasn’t feeling too bad surprisingly), dressed and headed to the gym.  I had decided this week to do GRIT on both Tuesday and Friday morning as this week it is highly unlikely I will be able to train in the evening at all.

GRIT, like last Friday, was release 7 which involved mostly upper body (clean and presses, shoulder press etc) and cardio – squats, burpees, push ups.  I was stoked to be able to do a few of the push ups on my toes – huge achievement for me!  They weren’t very deep but it’s a start!

Work yesterday was one of those days where you manage to cross a few things off the “to-do” list.  Love those days!  I hope today will be similar….

After work I headed off to a cooking class (one of my 30 things) which I was a bit nervous about, but ended up being a lot of fun!  I am looking forward to the second installment next week!  It’s a two-week course which gives you ideas to make meals which can be frozen so that you can have a quick meal if you’re low on time.  We also got a book with recipes, tips and hints and even variations on common meals.  I’ve learnt a few things already 🙂

When I got home yesterday I was pleased to find that my “sponsor pack” had arrived in the mail for the tiger I have adopted.  His name is Hunter.  He is gorgeous!  For more information on sponsoring an animal from Australia Zoo – check out this link!  If you’re not in Australia, I’m sure zoos all around the world have similar programs.  They are such a good idea 🙂

Here’s a picture I put up on instagram last night 🙂

By the time I had read through my pack and had a light dinner, it was almost 10:00pm.  So I read a little bit and then headed to bed.  I went to sleep feeling like I had achieved a lot and it was a great feeling to have.  It also got me thinking about maximising time during the week – days like yesterday are so worth the getting up early for!

It also got me thinking about a conversation I had with Coffee2Words yesterday.  I discussed getting up at the same time each day, no matter what I have on, and using those extra hours to get things done.  Maybe even scheduling in the same day each week to write my blog.  I’m sure I’ve touched on this before; but it’s something I struggle with.  I’ve gotten into a good routine with my exercise, I just need to do the same with other aspects of my life.  I think it will also help down the track when I am studying.  This weekend I plan to prepare in another way – organising a proper routine for myself.  Doing the same thing each week no matter when my shift at work is!

Do you have a routine?  Do you think that it works for you?

Thoughts….

So I just discovered this blog which I had written on the 21st of August never actually got published for some reason….let’s see if it posts now!  

And another post will follow shortly which I’ve just spent the last hour or so writing 🙂

How is it that I’ve been here now for over 2 and a half months and my life is still half packed in boxes?  Time just seems to disappear – we are in the latter part of August now and less than 5 months now until I turn 30….

I have yet to sort out my routine, as mentioned in my last post.  It’s something I really want to do, yet I struggle to do it.  I’ve always worked well when I have a set structure I need to follow, but sometimes trying to set it up yourself can be the hardest part.

I guess what I want to do is to be able to fit in my work, fitness, socialising and also my blogging so that all of them receive the attention they need.  How do I achieve this?  I’m trying to figure this out…

 

Routine

I’ve come to realise lately that routine is very important in my life.  Without it I struggle to get everything done that I need to.  There’s always certain things that fall by the wayside….without a plan in place I put things off far too easily.  If only our days were as simple as:

photo credit: http://thewritersideoflife.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/daily-routine-2.jpeg