Welcome to the personal blog of Ganesh and Lauren! Feel free to visit the contact section and drop us a line. Thanks for visiting and enjoy your time here.

2010 Resolutions!

Thursday, 31 December 2009

You could almost say 2009 for me was exactly like the picture to the left. I spent most of the year plastering the walls, whiteboards, blackboards, refrigerators, iphone, gmail and my desktop with to do lists... hundreds and hundreds of to do lists. The things that were most likely to be done were the things I really cared about that were broken down into manageable chunks... so this year I'm only going to do things I really care about. Me! Not general societal expectations... Not things I think I should do... Not things other people want me to do... Not things I think I should do for other people... Only things I care about. I spent too much time this year on other people and my projects have lapsed as a result! 2010 is the year to finish everything I start and love every minute of it!

• Write a Nepalese Cook Book: My hypothesis is that Nepalese cooking is healthier, cheaper and more satisfying than traditional western cooking. I'm setting out to eat and cook nothing but Nepalese food for the month of January, writing a cook book we can use at home in the process, saving money and reducing my waisteline (that's the theory anyway).
• Have a 'Do something different' month: I feel like I'm stuck in a rut at the moment, repeating the same activities over and over again. I would like to dedicate February to doing something different/unusual everyday - something I wouldn't normally do. Something small, as I obviously have to work, but something new/unusual/inspiring/fun!
• Play more sport: I'm keen to join taekwondo officially this year. I have the money. I want to play sport. I want to be able to defend myself and I want to be more involved in the local community. I think this will be a great way to meet new people as well and hopefully recruit more like-minded individuals for the Sustainable Streetscaping Project. I should be braver and ride the bike to work more often. Or at least once or twice a week. 60km or so isn't that bad and it definitely gets the heart pumping! I'll also be joining dancing classes at monash uni in march when the union reopens. It's cheap, it's fun and it's a great way to break up the work day!
• Creative Recycling (T2T): I'm continuing this resolution on from last year. I really want to make a go of this. The time is right. The idea is fun and good. And I'm so so close! Aiming for 1000 sales at least by the end of 2010.
• Learning: I still want to learn Nepali. I need to devise a better way to teach myself though! I'm also loving the iPhone as a learning tool. By playing the guess the flag game I've almost taught myself all the flags of every country in the world. I'd like to work on world capitals and geography next. Then learn more history and philosophy through iTunes U (an amazing open university concept I'm completely taken with!).
• House & Garden: I'd like to implement my ultimate garden design and put the finishing touches on the interior decor of the house. It's so refreshing walking into a house that inspires!
• Be better at my job: I was a bit slack in 2009. A lot was going on personally and I think I let the team down at the Synch. I'd like to make a proper go of it this year and take a lot more initiative at work.
• 43 things: Achieve another item on my 43 things list!

If anyone has some unique resolutions or good tips on how to keep them let me know!!

Labels: happy new year, new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 3:31 PM 1 Comments

2009 recap

Wow.. the end of another year. It always creeps up so quickly on you! December has just flown by with Christmas preparation, the trip through the Nullarbor, extreme distress over Copenhagen and the lack of climate action, last minute catch ups with people we haven't seen in a while and projects! Yes, we have finally finished the four poster bed. After sleeping on a mattress on the ground for an entire year we have built a bed out of reclaimed and renewable timbers. I've always wanted a four poster bed so I'm living out my romantic princess fantasies atm. Thanks must go to G for his patience with the router. I was much more likely to take the quick route and chisel things out but his routering has given the bed a really smooth and professional finish.

I should also add here that we had a lovely Christmas... simple and fun with family and friends. And this year I extended the invitation to a number of people who were going to be by themselves this year... overall a Christmas how it should be.

Now for the part I've been dreading... How did I go on this years resolutions??? Let's take a look:

• Get Healthy: Okay, well it wasn't 10kg, apparently I like chocolate too much for that, but I did lose 3kg this year. I've also given up some of my bad habits like baking cakes and treats every weekend but there's a lot more work to go on the exercise front in 2010...
• Carbon Footprint: This is a tough one. If I exclude the trip to China/Japan (which I offset) I've done very well... including that trip it's been a disaster!
• Style: I have made an effort this year. I've introduced hats and accessories to my outfits and made some real progress with choosing clothing and putting outfits together. I still slip up occasionally though - like today! But I'm happy with how this went this year. I think I'm ready now for an end of year cupboard clean out.
• Creative Recycling: Another lapsed one I'm afraid. Too much other web dev work has meant this has fallen behind. On a positive note though the coding of the site should be ready by January 10th 2010 so we can start filling it up with data!! :-)
• Voluntary Work: I did join the SES this year, though it's been a long intake process with the forms only just recently being filled out. I've also made contact with the council and organised to run some free courses through the Olympic Adult Education center next year so I've been preparing for that as well... And of course trying ot acquire funding for the Sustainable Streetscapes project!
• Learning: On books this year I've been very good. I started borrowing from the Ivanhoe library and have almost finished reading all of the top 100 books as voted by the British. I also undertook a conversation class with the CAE and attended some bollywood dance lessons (before they closed down!). Not much progress with the Nepali - I need to convince G to help me with my podcast - learn nepali through song :-) And I have scoped out some dancing classes I can afford at Monash starting in March next year - yipee!! One good thing about the location of the synchrotron is that you get access to all of Monash services :-)
• 43 Things: I did achieve my life long dream of going to see a solar eclipse this year!! Woo hoo!!
• Focused Blog Posts: You be the judge!
• Make 2 new friends: Hmm... well I'd have to say I've made 1 good friend this year - definitely something to work towards next year as well :-)...
• Mini adventures: It wasn't quite 1 per month... 7 in total, plus a very long (and expensive!) trip to China and Japan is pretty good though. In backwards order 7. Drove through the Nullarbor 6. Participated in an Adventure Series Race 5. Rode around the Bay in a Day 4. Skiied in a blizzard at Buller 3. Bike rode the artists trail in Heidelberg 2. Went horse riding through vineyards down the Mornington Peninsula 1. Lived the life of an 1850s Gold Mining couple at Sovereign Hill
• Be less sensitive: I think I am actually... at least I project it on to other people less!

I'm looking forward to another exciting year ahead!! I hope you all had a productive, happy and healthy 2009 and I wish you all the best for 2010!!

Edit: I should note that there has been some fantastic progress with household projects this year. I'm almost at the stage where the interior decor is perfect and I've sketched out plans for the ultimate garden which we're currently working towards. One of the great things I learnt this year was vision posters. I put them up in relevant areas and am continually inspired to improve the house :-)

Labels: 2009, new years resolutions, summary

posted by genloz at 1:10 PM 0 Comments

Update on the 3 week challenge

Saturday, 24 October 2009

In the midst of recent excitement - Riding Around the Bay in a Day (the 100km challenge was a fabulous success), Ganesh's return from home and today's exciting 350.org protest - what do we want, climate action! When do we want it? NOW! - I have neglected to update you on the results of the 3 weeks to a better life challenge.

• Health & fitness: I feel fitter and stronger - Around the Bay in a Day, Ride to Work day and other bicycle adventures are testimony to that. Moreover I now have no fear of hills! Even the steep steep hill near the Austin hospital! I haven't lost much weight though - just 1kg overall - but my diet has improved as well and I feel much healthier so I count this as a success!
• Ideas & Business: Well the ideas side is certainly strong, however hiring is obviously a weak point of mine. No matter who I seem to hire, they are never as committed and seem never to be as skilled as if I just did the work myself. Unfortunately I don't have much time to do everything so I need to improve. I've already attempted to hire 3 separate people for trash2treasure.com - all unsuccessful! Clients are abundant though and new jobs are coming in for ecoIT which is positive.
• Household Improvements: A big tick of approval. The home improvements look great - exactly as I anticipated! And there are lots more projects on the list to keep me busy.
• Relationships: Mixed results here, but overall I've improved in my ability to be open, to converse with a range of people and to care more about the people I'm close to. Further work is required but I'm pleased by the progress made just by being more open to opportunities.

So you really can turn things around in a mere 3 weeks!

Labels: 350.org, climate change, new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 10:18 PM 0 Comments

Honesty and a Week 2 recap

Sunday, 11 October 2009

Week 2 of the "3 weeks to a better life" plan has been more of a spiritual quest than a physical transformation - though I did finally manage to lose 1kg! Yay!

I think it's all about being open to ideas... to share more of oneself and to be honest about everything! When dinner with Catherine turned into a surprise game of competitive netball (filling in for some missing team mates) - I had a blast! :-) and despite not being very good at netball anymore the subsequent bbq invitation was a welcome change... It turns out that a saturday night spent with chemical engineers (all with phds!) is actually rather entertaining :-)

I also took a conversation class run by a rather inspiring lady, Jacqueline Wise, who clawed her way back from a complete mental breakdown in South Africa (where she couldn't even buy tissues at the shops) to become a world renowned conversationalist and counsellor (though with a terrible memory from the electric shock treatment she received)... I found her honesty refreshing... she's 62... divorced... her house is worth a fortune now, though she bought it when it was worth nothing... etc etc... It made me wonder why I've ever been embarrassed about my age... or my skill levels... or what I have or haven't done... No one can be perfect... and it's actually quite selfish to be shy and nervous and anxious. It made me feel much better about instigating conversations in the streets. I had quite a good chat with the mechanic about the bulbs in cars and how it all works together and how to change them...

I made a small amount of progress with household improvements, though Dad and I hit a major road block with the study shelves - apparently the entire wall is a mess of pipes, electrical cables and indented bathroom shelving... I have high hopes for my steel road through the brackets suggestion but Dad thinks it's too much of a technical challenge... he's off to Darwin this week anyway to get some sun and run a lab up there for a week - funnily enough he's considering a permanent move while Will is still young... (and yes, the rumours are true - I really saw him crawl!)...

Overall a positive and productive week!

Labels: home improvements, honesty, new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 1:21 PM 0 Comments

3 weeks to a better life

Saturday, 26 September 2009

Apparently it only takes 3 weeks to change your habits and to be living a better life! With Ganesh away for three weeks and the big 'Around the Bay in a Day' trip the day before his return, it seems like the perfect opportunity for self improvement :-) Areas of focus will be health and fitness, ideas and business, household improvements and relationships...

A rough guide as follows:

Week 1

• Daily trips to the gym or taekwondo (1 hour every day)
• 1 hour on the exercise bike each day
• Follow the Kickstart diet all week
• Have lunch in the lunch room (not at my desk!) everyday and be sociable - try to recruit greenies for the implementation of the sustainable ideas jar project
• Recruit a programmer to finish Trash 2 Treasure coding
• Get back to various people regarding their job offers and finish their web work!
• Obtain recycled wood for bookshelves & workbench project
• Clean up the entire house
• Clean out the shed
• Visit (after work): Mum & the boys, Grandma, Paul, Catherine, Grace
• Organise mum's birthday present
• Draw out the plan for the garden
• Make a final decision on what to decorate the fridge with
• Post a daily green card blog entry
• Obtain books from the library to read
• Create mood boards/project boards for each room of the house for constant inspiration
• Make a decision on which photos to print for the photo wall & have them printed

Labels: home improvements, new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 5:17 PM 0 Comments

Half Year Update...

Saturday, 13 June 2009

Approaching the half way point of my new years resolutions I thought it was time for a quick check up to see how I was going!

• Get Healthy: Not much progress with weight loss, though I seem to have stopped gaining... Time to kick start a new diet a think and stop chickening out of the 30km ride to work (it's actually all the hills and main roads that are really putting me off - it's like riding over the himalayas)! I've decided to start the one hundred push ups program and cut out all chocolate, sugar, bread and pasta from my diet... Today I managed a pathetic 5 push ups...
• Carbon Footprint: There has been some great progress with energy savings despite the fact the solar panels have yet to arrive. Our consumption is less that what we would be producing which is a rewarding feeling! The vegies, the chickens, the water tanks, the led lighting and the general consciousness about the issues has really helped!
• Style: Ok, I still have no sense of style, but I at least have a small collection of pics of what I like! Probably won't get on top of this one until I lose weight... not much point looking at clothes I'm hoping won't fit! I have started home making all my health and beauty supplies - though I must say the honey-lemon hair shiner turned out to be a very sticky ant magnet and took me ages to wash out!
• Creative Recycling: Ahh!! I'm way behind here... AJAX issues combined with scrambling to find website dev work to make up the difference between half time work and half time unpaid Green Card as let this fall by the way side... I have tried to hire 2 different people to help here without success, perhaps 3rd time lucky?
• Voluntary work: I've ramped up my EWB volunteering this year and am helping out with the upcoming conference which has been good... Having waited 6 months to get into the SES training session in footscray (when we lived in North Melbourne) I've now been told I have to join a branch closer to the new place so back on the waiting list unfortunately...
• Learning: Well I've certainly kept up with my reading... at the moment I'm reading a book called Prismatic, written by someone I met up at ANSTO - it's so intriguing and inspiring to read books by people you actually know! This book is a bit darker than the books I usually read so it's quite a change. I was bitterly disappointed that my bollywood dancing classes were all cancelled. I'm now tossing up whether to find a different form of dance or take up taekwando!
• 43 Things: It's all on for the eclipse! Woo hoo!!
• Friends: I suppose you could say I've reached out a bit more and rekindled past friendships which is a good start...
• Adventures: Ok, I'm falling behind here - sorting out issues with China, work, leave and money as well as people to look after the chickens! BUT I have some great mini adventures lined up - including (if I'm brave enough to go through with it) sky diving!

Labels: new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 11:32 PM 0 Comments

Resolution Evolution

Saturday, 7 March 2009

Almost 2 and a half months into the year and I'm starting to wonder about the progress of my resolutions (as well as where the time went!)... Here's an overview to date:

• Get Healthy: No progress here. Despite my proper lunches (avacado and lettuce sandwiches on light rye), eating sensible dinner rather than freddos, cake without sugar and bike riding, my weight remains unchanged. I'm sure I would survive on fat stores alone very well during an apocalypse! I suppose more drastic action is required. Perhaps a weight regime in the morning to help build more muscle?
• Carbon Footprint: I'm quite chuffed about this. All our utility bills have been reduced, despite moving to a much larger place and growing lots of fruit and vegies. We're even down to 58 litres per person per day... take that target 155! We've also reduced significantly at work thanks to behavioural change alone!
• Style: Well despite my lack of style I invested in some recycled garments from Nomads during the sustainable living festival - which are certainly looking a little perkier than the rest of my wardrobe and have the added bonus of making me feel good while wearing them! I guess this is a start if nothing else :-)
• Creative Recycling: While I've found some fantastic resources for this and had some good feedback from community groups, I'm struggling to finish all the coding in time. Each time I sit down to code my clients have website issues that need urgent attention. I suppose that's what comes from having too many jobs!
• Voluntary work: I'm back on board with EWB and helping out for the National Conference at the end of the year... Some online work and some face to face... I guess I'm easing into it! I'm having some good conversations with the council regarding the sustainable streetscapes idea as well, so this should help build my face to face quota if it comes off!
• Learning (dancing, books, nepali, conversation): Dancing lessons have commenced... I've kept up with at least 1 book per week... Seem to be forgetting more Nepali than I'm learning though... Still haven't had a chance to attend toastmasters meetings!
• 43 Things: The tickets to see the eclipse are booked and paid for so even if I have to camp at the airport for the duration I will see the eclipse!
• More focused blog posts: Well I do post a lot more frequently about chocolate. That can't be a bad thing? Seriously though, this might be the first resolution to take a tumble!
• Friends: Slow progress here... but I'm really enjoying the company of the girls from work...
• Adventure: 2 for 2! Though we'll need something simple (and cheap!) for March.. Perhaps a Korrumbura exploration and camping under the stars next weekend.
• Be less sensitive: I'm trying... I'll get there eventually! It's such a long, slow process!
• Try to be funny: Stuck here - suggestions welcome!

Labels: new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 10:02 AM 0 Comments

New Year's Resolutions

Monday, 29 December 2008

Ahh... Calvin and Hobbes, from my comic book days - which also included Archie and Mad Magazine (Many to spare if anyone would like to borrow!)... Sadly I'm not anywhere near close to being perfect so I have listed my new years resolutions accordingly!

1. Get Healthy It's time to lose those 10kg from last year... stop eating chocolate for dinner... and become a fighting fit blood donor again. This will be achieved with the aid of the CSIRO total well being diet and bike riding 30km per day to get to work and back! Progress to be tracked via Fit Day...


2. Carbon Footprint I will reduce my carbon footprint this year... both at home and at the office. According to the calculator on Greenroots Movement my carbon footprint during 2008 was 5699kg of CO₂-e for the year with the bulk of the emissions from food and transport. If everyone lived like me we would need 2.16 earths to be sustainable! I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the solar eclipse trip though... I don't really believe in offsets but I guess there is no other option apart from not going... At least I can grow lots of vegies to reduce the food portion!


3. Style The engineering geek thing has been fun but it's time to embrace femininity. Hopefully it will not necessarily involve lots of money - but I will try to be 'gorgeously green' :-) No promises of course as I really don't have an eye for it but I will try my best.


4. Creative Recycling I will give the creative recycling idea lots of attention and encouragement and aim for 1000 sales by mid year and 5000 by the end of the year... I think it holds a lot of promise and I'm really excited to see what people come up with!


5. Voluntary work This year I will do some face to face voluntary work instead of doing it all via the web... I'm really concerned about the impact of climate change on developing nations and indigenous communities in Australia so would perhaps like to volunteer for the SES... Alternatively more work with EWB, Word Vision or the ACF would be great. My dream job will be in this field one day!


6. Learning Since uni drained the desire for learning out of me it needs to be rekindled! Chosen fields of learning for 2009 are:
   - books
   - nepali
   - dancing
   - the art of conversation
   


7. Achieve at least 1 of the items on my 43 things list. 2008 was the house purchase, so 2009 is most likely going to be the solar eclipse but I could learn to Salsa as well, you never know... 2 left feet doesn't preclude dancing, it just takes a lot longer!


8. More focused blog posts I will try to stop rambling all over the place... As the blog is a personal one it will probably still meander through various fields but at least I can make each post more focused on the topic at hand.


9. Make 2 new friends As an HSP I don't get out as much as I should... I want to try and make 2 new friends (at least!) this year. No idea how to go about this yet, but will keep you posted... I guess this also involves being less sensitive!


10. Adventure Go on at least 1 adventure per month...

Now each blog post during 2009 will include progress towards these goals!

Oh, and I found out that I'm a creative travelling money manager:

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a Creative Traveling Money Manager 0% of the 10917 people who have taken this quiz are like me.

Labels: new years resolutions

posted by genloz at 10:00 AM 2 Comments