That's
mainly because I have a new favourite thing, namely: instagram. A
little photo-sharing app that lets you run pictures through a series of retro
filters, tag them, and share them with online friends. It's insanely addictive.
I've probably come to it quite late, as I'm one of the last people I know to
have an iphone. But it has certainly been keeping me from blogging. Maybe I can
claim I've been micro-blogging, in a way. Oh no, wait - that's twitter. Or
maybe I can consider it photo-blogging. Anyway, if you happen to want to follow
my feed, you can do so here and find me as @bittersweetcity
if you happen to use instagram too.
A new life manifesto, courtesy of instagram? |
The other
reason it's all been a bit quiet is probably because this is the start of my
30th year and I've become much more focused on the future. There's a pressing
need to shake things up this year, which if you've been reading previous posts,
you will know has been on the agenda for the Mister and I for almost 3 years
now. Careers have really taken over our lives for the past year, but the
continued stresses and upheavals felt by changes at my place of work, and the
sector itself, are spurring me on to do something different. And I mean it this time. I'm hoping to
be able to quit my job by August and with savings, attempt the long-awaited
travelling and working abroad scenario I've been going on about on here for
years. I'm working on the plan in earnest now. Here are my
prequequisites:
1. Must
be French-speaking. I've been sort-of speaking well-ish for coming up to 12
years. It's time to get bloody fluent. Oui, je voudrais parler
couramment, quoi.
2. Must
be warmer than Britain.
That's
not a lot to ask for, surely(!) I'm considering anything from training for a
TEFL course to pouring café lattés in Bordeaux. Or preferably, rum punches in
Mauritius.
The thing
that scares me the most is waking up on my 30th birthday on August 25th and
thinking, "I know exactly what the next 12 months will be like." I am
frightened of having everything all planned out, and yet I want to know what I
won't be doing this time next year.
It means
having to take risks. Scary, but good. It's the last time in my life I think
I'll be able to, before I need to consider if, or when, I have children; before
I need to make plans to be near my mum, as I'm her only child and she is on her
own. I know being free of responsibility sounds selfish, and it's never truly
possible.
But just
once I'd like to try it.
Surely
I'm not alone in having thoughts like these. People of the interweb: do you
also have them? Have you acted upon them? Better still, have any success
stories or tips you can share? I'd be ever so grateful.
Til' next time (stick around, I feel an increase in
productivity coming on ;)...