Life, it seems, has a funny sense of humour. Just when you think everything is going according to “plan”, a little (or big) hiccup comes along and reminds that life, truly is “a rollercoaster”. And yes, I referenced a Ronan Keating song.

Why bad things happen to good people

Some people have noticed that I have slowed down in my posting schedule whilst most go fleetingly by. I’ve vowed again and again to stick to a schedule (every Thursday damn it – or I’ll be damned) and come up with some zany and fun ideas, only to be distracted by the next shiny thing. I am a man of my word, and I will no longer make promises that I cannot keep. Yes, there will be a post on Thursday but not necessarily about food.
With recent life events like becoming an uncle for the first time and coming away from, in hindsight, from an emergency surgery, things just seem to take a different perspective. Isn’t it funny that it takes such an event for you to realise what’s truly important in life.

But if you’re thinking, oh no, is this going to be one of “those” posts. Oh please. I wouldn’t bore you with that stuff. This isn’t some sappy, “Dear Diary” entry. Sure there will be random musings on some philosophical discussion but that has nothing to do with why you are here. But more on that later.

With all these recent personal changes, I’ve come to realise, that I need to truly cherish you for taking the time to read my thoughts. Armed with this knowledge, I’ve gone out and worked on improving my writing. In time, these new found abilities will shine through as I work through the course. My original chicken crawlings will turn into the masterpieces they deserve. Plus, I am tempted to post out more longer reviews given that my review on Aashiana is the highest viewed article on my blog. For the first time, I let my guard down and became a bit more honest about the place. I used the same thinking and blogged honestly about Paperboy Kitchen and I even got one of the owners to respond. There is something to this new found honesty.

More fun, more often

I’ve given myself a photography challenge – I will be posting a new photo everyday on my instagram account (I’d love it if you followed me) for 30 days. The #100happydays project kind of inspired me and the last time I did this photography challenge, I learned so much more about myself. And in saying that too – I’m resurrecting my nearly forgotten hints and tips of taking better photos series. The twist? I’ll be focusing on the photograph regardless of the equipment. And who knows, further down the track – I’ll even restrict the medium to equipment and do solely phone or ‘point and shoot’ work. The one aspect I am really excited about? Black and White photography. You have no idea how much I love looking through old B&W photos – why I never put two and two together, is a whole different story.

Better leads and resources

Plus, I found out a new awesome, even more awesome website that I’ve been using to plan my Melbourne travels – “Timeout Melbourne”. I sometimes wonder how I got by so far in life without stumbling across what is literally, the best visit Melbourne website to date. Ironically, when you do stay in one place for a while, you tend to become complacent and not look through your own backyard, thinking…. there’s always tomorrow, or next time. But, guess what. When you look at a week, I don’t find “Tomorrow” or “Next Time”, just Saturday, Sunday, Monday….you get the idea. Just because you think you have the time, you just never know what’s coming around the corner.

Choose Yourself

You’re probably wondering about the title? Having been bed ridden for a few weeks, I had only myself and my thoughts to keep me company and when you’re under heavy medication, that’s when your subconscious choses to ‘POW’ hit you with those big “life” questions. During that introspection, I came across a few articles that actually mentioned how, in movies, the formulaic theme, is for a hero to be chosen, or given a supernatural ability or placed here from another planet. And because of that, we all wait to be chosen. But guess what? No one is coming to choose us for anything. If we want something, we need to go out and get it. I think I got this idea from James Altucher. Sure, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I like his amazing honesty. Besides, he’s a nice guy, promptly replying to an email I had sent him. If you get the chance, check him out.

And eventually, I want to travel the world and write for a living. And now I can do that! You know how? Melbourne is so multicultural, that you could potentially visit different cultures based on the various precincts. That is definitely a project coming soon!

And just for you….

Have you ever heard of a website called Quora? I didn’t until recently came when someone mentioned the site to me. Quora, is an online Q&A website about anything and everything. The consumer that I am, I signed up for so many different categories within the site, that I can’t keep up with the daily and weekly updates. However, I came across this one and I just had to post it and book mark it. When people used to say the world is at your fingertips, I never believed them. Now I do. Check out all the fascinating things to do on the internet. In my quest for knowledge I had only known about one tenth of these sites. Heck, it would have to be even less! Needless to say, I’ll be picking up a few new skills for the year and putting them into practice.

And there you have it. My first ever post that surpasses the 1000 word count. I didn’t think it was possible, but here it is. I am grateful that you’ve joined me on this journey. But strap yourself in, it’s going to be one hell of a ride coming up!