Reminiscing.

So way back when (think five years ago), I used to blog. My posts were similar to the ones you read today, in that I was a crazy lady back then too. Except I was also sleep deprived and dealing with the perks of being mother to a (not-so) little baby. Nawwwwwww.

Anyway, I thought I'd share my first post from my old blog...... I've grown up a lot these past five years, haha. :)

I wasn't always this way. Once upon a time I was about as normal as normal gets. Happy, carefree, impulsive..... Not sure what happened!? ...oh, that's right. A living being decided to grow inside of me and not only steal my heart, but also my sanity.
No wait, that's a lie. I've never been normal. I've never cared what anyone thought... Always spoke my mind, and did whatever I pleased. I'm the sort of special you only read about. The infamous "window licker" variety. Rare species we are. ....Rare, yet totally awesome!
So I bet you're wondering what I'm doing here!? Well, I have all this *stuff* running through my head! All day, every day, it's there...Sending my brain into overdrive, and resulting in the CRAZY. So I decided (after severe peer pressure!) to start a blog. Never done this before.... Slightly disturbed. Like the turd my son did this morning.... I wont gross you out with details, but it was badddddddd!
So anyway, the moral of my blog? Oh, there is none. I just wanted to waste your time! :)
Up and coming blogs may include.....
Moving across the country.
Christmas chaos.
Smelly poo's.
Cleaning.
Rants.
And other hilarious bullsh*t.

You may not know this, but I moved across the country shortly after writing that post. With my lovely one year old and not much else. The similarities between then and now are a little crazy. Which is fitting, considering my crazy theme!
Then: single mum, man-hater, battling postnatal depression, stress relating to the impending move, adjusting to life with a walker...
Now: single mum, man-hater, overcoming depression, job hunting stress, trying to decide whether to move or stay where I am, adjusting to life with a (somewhat) 'diagnosed' boy....

No wonder I'm crazy!! I need to stop putting myself in situations that cause so much stress! And maybe go get my hair dyed. My greys are showing.

Peace out.

- L. x

Job Interview.

Oh, yay. I do love me a good job interview!

But seriously, why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to shine brighter than the sun come interview day??? My interview is tomorrow, so I still have a little time before the nerves kick in: this will more than likely occur at midnight tonight, for optimum effect.

I'm awesome. I graduated with a GPA of 3.3. Sure, that's not the greatest, but when you take into consideration that half of my first semester was spent battling glandular fever, thus giving me a GPA of 2.2 for that year.... I did GOOD. My transcript is more HD than anything else, I have a photographic memory, I'm reliable, hardworking and optimistic... I'm also a single mum, I live an hour train ride away, I'm frumpy and in desperate need of an eyebrow wax. But still, I'm amazing! I just need to remind myself of this.

Say it with me, crazies: I. AM. AMAZING! I. AM. A. WARRIOR! I. CAN. KICK. BUTT!

Meh. In less amusing news, I've spent half the weekend preparing for this interview, whilst the other half has been spent researching Aspergers. Have I mentioned I love researching things? Because I do. Just not medical things, apparently. So confusing. My brain can't make heads or tails of anything that I'm trying to retain, thus resulting in an entire waste of a weekend.
*sigh*

Life is great. I have a house, I have food, I have my health (to an extent - let us not go there!), and I actually manage to obtain interviews at prestigious law firms. More than I can say for many, I suppose.
(this was more for me than you.)

Peace out.

- L. x

The Impending Execution.

Time for me to give my opinion on the pending Bali Nine executions.

First, let me just say that I am not entirely FOR the death penalty in any circumstance. However, that is mostly because I lead a relatively cushy life here in Australia. 

As Australians, we are so used to our own problems and the ways they are dealt with, that we don't realise how bad it is in other countries. Sure, we see the news and read articles online, but how much do you really know about life in Indonesia?!
The drug problem over there is horrendous. I have no doubt that there are corrupt people over there who want death penalty dished out for purely sadistic purposes, but a lot of people see it as a last ditch attempt to try and save their kids. Their families. Their country. 

Nobody should die, I get it. But these guys knew EXACTLY what they were doing when they plotted to smuggle 8kg of heroine from Indonesia to Australia. You cannot spontaneously decide to smuggle such a massive amount of drugs without knowing the risks. No way. And the lives that would have been ruined, had that heroine made it into Australia.... Would you wish bad things upon smugglers if the drugs had made it into the country, only to be cut with something dirty that resulted in the death of someone you love?? Because that is a very real risk when dealing with drugs. 

I believe the Bali Nine knew the risks and consequences of their actions, and it is for this reason that I'm not against the death penalty. I'm not entirely for it either, but definitely not against it. 

....oh yay, a mini essay. Who needs to study!? :)

Peace out.

- L. x

I Think I Just.... [Southwest Sweet Potatoes w/ Grilled Chicken]

No wait, I KNOW I just had an orgasm in my mouth.

Oh, my god.

This is so good. I haven't actually made it yet, but just looking at it... Pwoar.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I'm mostly putting it here so I can find it later. I'm in a bit of a menu planning shakeup crazy funk thing right now. Much fun!

I will finish converting it to Australian later. ;)

South West Stuffed Sweet Potatoes w/ Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg chicken breasts (measured raw)
• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 1 cup black beans (optional)
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup corn
• 2 vine tomatoes
• 2/3 capsicum
• 3 green onions
• 1 zucchini
• 5 tbsp mozzarella (optional)
• Seasonings such as cayenne, paprika, sea salt, pepper, southwest chipotle....

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 210.
2. Wrap sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and bake until firm but soft, about 45-50 minutes.
3. Season chicken with Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle, cayenne, paprika, and dash of sea salt, and cook in a nonstick frying pan. Set aside.
4. Chop vegetables into small pieces.
5. Saute garlic and corn in a nonstick skillet using spray coconut oil. Once corn is seared, toss in vegetables and black beans.
6. Slice sweet potatoes in half and carve out part of the insides. Set carved-out portions aside to be used later.
7. Spray sweet potato halves with coconut oil, then place back in oven for 5 minutes.
8. Fill sweet potatoes with vegetable mixture, then top with 1 tbsp mozzarella.
9. Bake for another 8 minutes at 210.
10. Serve chicken breasts on the side with stuffed sweet potatoes.

Tip: So as not to waste food, take the leftover sweet potato, mash it up, and add 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tbsp raw honey or 3 packets of natural sweetener. Enjoy this sweet potato mash hot or cold. For breakfast, heat it up and sprinkle with a little bit of granola and fresh blueberries.

Peace out.

- L. x

Age Discrimination.

Yes, ladies and gents, I am about to vent about age discrimination in the twenty-first century.

You would think that applying for work in the legal field would mean there is less discrimination, as they know these laws are enforced. WRONG. I am quickly discovering that the legal industry is one of the worst when it comes to discrimination, as they know HOW to evade the law. This realisation is slowly shattering my faith in humanity; or at least my faith in Australia's legal profession.

Nevermind the other aspects of myself that I could be discriminated against - namely the fact that I am female, or that I am a parent (and a single parent at that!). Oh no, let us focus on this one aspect, as it is the one that is hard to hide from potential employers. YES, I did just say "hide from potential employers", because let's face it, I have to hide the fact that I am doing an amazing job raising Spawn on my own. Lest nobody hire me because I spend my 'free time' raising a human being.

I digress. The relevant subsections of s.3 of the Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cth)* state the following:
The objects of this Act are:

(a)  to eliminate, as far as possible, discrimination against persons on the ground of age in the areas of work, education, access to premises, the provision of goods, services and facilities, accommodation, the disposal of land, the administration of Commonwealth laws and programs and requests for information; and

(d)  to promote recognition and acceptance within the community of the principle that people of all ages have the same fundamental rights; and

(e)  to respond to demographic change by:

   (i)  removing barriers to older people participating in society, particularly in the workforce; and

   (ii) changing negative stereotypes about older people;

Bearing in mind the international commitment to eliminate age discrimination reflected in the Political Declaration adopted in Madrid, Spain on 12 April 2002 by the Second World Assembly on Ageing.

And I KNOW this is happening to me. I know, because I was told that I would more than likely be unsuccessful at one particular interview, once she discovered what year I finished high school. Like, I knew she was fishing for my age without coming out and asking me directly how old I am, because my date of birth is irrelevant, but I honestly was not expecting to have that response straight to my face. It angered me so badly. Like, you cannot even begin to fathom the anger that flowed through my veins as I watched the expression on her face transform from pleasant to 'I need to hurry up and get this lady out of my office - a 29 year old trying to start a new career path is a waste of my time'. That is the EXACT look that came upon her face. Disgusting. I did think of later sending her an email quoting the Act, but thought better of it. I'm better than her - I'm better than all of those stinking discriminating bastards.

And that, people, is how you own the shit out of your circumstances. You OWN your flaws right alongside your strengths. Sure, I'm turning 30 this year. But I also won't be running off to take maternity leave in a couple of years. I won't be changing career paths, because this will be my career until I retire. I won't react childishly to certain things, because I've lived longer than some fresh out of school kid. I will handle pressure and bad days better than a teenager, because I put things into perspective and know that it's easier to just GET. IT. DONE. But whatever, their loss. Someone will hire me. And they won't regret it, because I am amazing, and I refuse to let this discriminative bullshit get me down. I will one day look down at those pathetic people and smile - smile because I won.

Peace out.

- L. x

**The Act can be found here.

Chicken Parma Balls

I LOVE these! They're so simple and affordable, yet so yummy! This recipe was originally a "4 Ingredients" recipe, however I have tweaked it a little to suit our tastes.

INGREDIENTS:
500g chicken mince (or turkey!)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use GF crumbs)
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 tbspn (approx) mixed herbs
salt & pepper, to taste
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup pizza sauce 

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180° and line a tray with baking paper.
Combine the mince, breadcrumbs, spring onion, herbs, salt & pepper, and half the cheese in a bowl. Mix together using your hands, until well combined.
Put the sauce into a small bowl, and the remaining cheese into another bowl.
Roll the mixture into meatballs (I like them to be 'two-bite-size', but do them whatever size - you may need to adjust cooking time accordingly) then dip them into the sauce and place on tray, sauce side up. Repeat until mixture is all rolled, then put in oven for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, dip in sauce again, but this time dip in the cheese after dipping in the sauce. Bake for a further 5 minutes, or until cheese is golden, "having become one with the sensuously delicious balls"**.

I serve these with anything - salad, vegetables, you name it! They're also great in the kids lunchboxes the next day!

Enjoy!

- L. x

**This description is one the 4 Ingredients author used, but I had to "borrow" it! It's too good! ;)

You Have Failed This Consumer!

Samsung, you've done it again.

Well, almost.... Okay, you COULD have done it again. But then you took away the removable battery and micro SD slot. So now, the new S6 is just a fancy phone. Just like the iPhone. NO DEAL, Samsung. NO DEAL.

Have you seen the fancy new video announcing the details of Samsung's latest creation?? It's right here. I'm so gutted. I currently have the Samsung Note 3, which I've had since it was first released almost 18 months ago. So obviously, I'm about due for a new phone. Now I don't know what to get. I like the removable battery thing!! And I LOVEEEEEEE the SD slot!!! It's added security, which is great considering my phone is my life, my camera, my everything. I break my phone, I lose everything............well I would, if I didn't have an SD card saving my arse. ;)

Hmph. Such a first world problem, for sure, but a real problem nonetheless. So, help a girl out. What phone should I get? Added bonus if it comes with a stylus!
I'm thinking I should just wait for the Note 5, and hope Samsung reverts back to the way Samsung lovers want things. Not the way Apple lovers love their iPhones. We get android phones because we DON'T want iPhones, after all.

Peace out, crazies.

- L. x

The pretty phone in question - the Samsung Galaxy S6.