Sorting, sorting

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I’ve been sorting things out this week. And procrastinating. I just worked out that me putting off sending my application for registration as a yoga teacher and getting insurance sorted out is really just nervousness about actually taking the next step in this little journey of mine. Will I be a good yoga teacher? Can I really do this? All that sort of stuff.

I can do it. And I will.

In the meantime, my writing’s taken a bit of a back seat. I’m still working on some things, but I haven’t thrown myself into anything wholeheartedly for a week or so now. I miss it. And, if I’m honest, I’ve missed it for a while now. Sure, I’ve been working on things the whole time I’ve been studying, but I’ve not really been very disciplined about it.

Things are slowly sorting themselves out, as far as building up my working hours again goes, and I’m really looking forward to having a bit more a solid schedule, so I can get back some writing discipline. I was talking about this with a friend today: we agreed that it would probably be a good idea to do regular writing exercises — the kind you find in creative writing books. You know, to actually practise writing, as well as doing it for real.

But for now I must have patience. Things will be sorted out soon…

The Novel Challenge

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Remember the MS-Read-a-Thon? I loved taking part when I was a kid. I’d call my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and occasionally family friends to ask for donations to my reading. So when Ange from LiteraryMinded asked me to be part of Team LiteraryMinded for the adult equivalent, The Novel Challenge, I was pretty excited! I’ve been reading a lot of non-fiction lately, so I’m hoping this challenge will help me get back into reading some novels.

You can track my progress at my profile page, where you can also make a donation to this very worthy cause. Multiple Sclerosis affects an estimated 18,000 Australians and over two million people worldwide. As its cause remains unknown, there’s no known cure. No donation is too small, and I’d be incredibly grateful for any support you can offer.

Music

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This song is my current obsession. It somehow manages to make me sad at the same time as making me smile. I wish I could play it on piano (I used to play well, back in the day, but not so much now).

Amelie is one of my favourite films, but, until recently, I’d not thought much about the music. I’m not sure how, but at some point I kind of lost my connection to music. It seems to have come back (thankfully), and I’m reminded of another film soundtrack that I loved just as much as the film itself: the soundtrack to Pan’s Labyrinth.

I think the music I’m listening to probably changes how I write — and, in fact, I used to put particular albums on when I was trying to write an atmosphere into whatever it was I was working on. Clearly this needs further exploration…

Anticipation

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This week, I’ve spent most of my days sitting in various libraries and cafes at ANU (Australian National University) in Canberra, writing madly, pretending I’m a student there. I haven’t managed to finish the essay I’m working on, but I’ve got a writer’s first draft (that is, not something I’d be comfortable having someone else read, but something that forms some kind of whole, and that I can continue to work on). This afternoon I lounged on the couch in my parents’ back room, reading one of the many books I’m trying to absorb as part of my research for this essay, and for the bigger project I’ve tentatively started work on.

I had a few moments today where I really felt excited about what I was doing. I could almost feel the cogs in my brain turning, working things out, and I thought, ‘This is why I do this.’

I need moments like this more often.

A little sojourn…

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I’m in Canberra this week, visiting my family and trying to come back down to earth now that I’m officially qualified as a yoga teacher. Just as I thought they might, it seems like things are going to fall into place quite nicely… but more on that next week (hopefully).

For now, let me show you why I love Canberra so much at this time of year. I’m a fan of the cold — I love rugging up in a coat, scarf and gloves — and in Canberra you definitely need to do that at this time of year! And the autumn colours are gorgeous. The city is equally lovely in Spring. Canberra is definitely at its best at the change of season.

Off with the (yoga) fairies

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So here’s the deal: I’m pretty immersed in the world that is yoga philosophy at the moment. It’s absolutely fascinating, if only because many of the teachings show that humans have been asking the same questions about the origin and meaning of existence forever. And they come up with fairly similar answers…

But my point is, I’m sorry, because it means I’ve neglected this space (not to mention a number of other projects). The training is coming to an end soon though, and I’m hoping this means I’ll get at least some of my brain back to talk and think about writing (amazingly, I’ve managed to get words onto paper, even if I haven’t been happy with them). I’m not sure where I’ll end up, physically or mentally, at the end of it all, once I’ve worked out how to integrate what I’m learning into my life. I may stay in Sydney, I may move back to Melbourne, I may go off travelling. For now though, I’m happy not knowing where I’m going. Which is a BIG change for me.

That said, I do have some plans forming. My big idea is one of them, I have another project on the go that I’m really excited about and will write more about here when I can, and I’ve got a few more hanging about in the wings.

In the meantime, my curiosity has finally got the better of me, and I’ve downloaded the Hipstamstic App for my phone. These are some shots I took in Newcastle while I was up there at the beginning of the week. Cool, huh?