I don’t want to be manipulated or directly influenced by everybody I interact with. But I am not so arrogant as to think that regardless of how strong minded I might be that I’m not influenced on some level by my environment and the people around me.

So I don’t want to care about what other people think of me but I don’t want to disregard the signs and subtle hints that are shown to me in my everyday life of interacting with different people. These help me understand myself better and grow to become more of the person I want to be.

However I won’t get caught up in analysing every little situation. Just become more aware of my environment and the people around me. Start living more in the present. Stop living in the past. And stop worrying about what is going to happen in the future.

Thinking about the future too much is counter productive for me because it means I start to think in terms of what should happen. What the world owes me. But the world owes me nothing and good things only happen to those who are willing to help themselves.

So to follow my dreams, be successful, feel happy and fulfilled, all I need to do is to be aware of what is happening in any present moment and enjoy each second as it passes. But I need to be careful not to place differing levels of importance on whether that very second might be going to a business meeting, socialising, or simply doing the dishes.

This means I don’t have to worry about what might happen because I know I will be present to make the most of the situation regardless of the outcome. Any time I fail or become annoyed by what has happened it is really just a lesson to help me change my actions or my perception of reality.

This has become evident for me recently after yet another argument with one of my superiors at work. I hate to blindly follow orders and I like to question any set procedure or standard way of thinking.

This is both a blessing and a curse. Especially since my boss likes to give orders and expects everyone to follow them without question. This irritates me immensely but I have recently come to the realisation that the only reason it affects me so much is because I often tend to do the same thing.

I form opinions and make decisions on matters and I often expect people to act in a certain way because of my actions. So I have resolved to never try and manipulate anyone. Only encourage or voice my opinion to help others understand things from a different perspective.

In the context of failing to achieve a set goal, this can teach me either that I didn’t work hard enough, pay attention to the signs, or have set the wrong goals. I can relate this not getting that job I wanted or not being able to make a connection with that girl I am attracted to.

The skill however is knowing which one of those lessons this failure is actually teaching me. Was she simply not right for me and I should adjust nothing? Did I approach the situation with the wrong attitude? Or in my present frame of mind am I simply not able to add any sense happiness or sense of fulfilment to her life.

So this is my secret to living a carefree life, while still caring for other people: not worrying about the future or living in the past; staying alert enough to notice and act on opportunities when they appear; never manipulating or being manipulated myself; but also never becoming so arrogant as to think that other people and my environment don’t impact on every decision I make.

DISCLAIMER: This is a beta theory, still in testing. I will let you know in some years, when I am about to breathe my last breath and pondering life as I know it, whether this frame of mind is actually effective for me.

What do you think?

-Aj

I am not courageous or brave, despite what those Chinese symbols might say on my inner bicep; I am not an Australian although I am proudly born in this country; I am not Welsh, Irish, English or Kiwi despite my ancestral roots.

I do not belong to anyone or anything. I am not a product of my past but my view of the past helps shape my future. Whatever decisions I make in any present moment help define the person I become.

But please don’t identify with me with the things that I say or do because I have no idea what I am saying or doing.

I have made many mistakes but I have no regrets simply because it is counterproductive for me to think in those terms. I don’t discount my past because otherwise I would continually make the same mistakes over and over.

I have many hopes, goals, and dreams, but I have no clue where they will take me. I know exactly what I want but I constantly contradict myself and change my mind.

All that being said I am not confused with who I am or what I want to be. Understanding this has helped me to be myself more easily.

This doesn’t mean that I am always going to make all the correct decisions, or say the right things, but it does mean that I will always try to make the most of whatever situation or environment I find myself in.

Wish me luck.

I am a product of generation Y and I don’t like to wait for anyone or anything. I want to make things happen and reap the rewards straight away. This means I leave my assignments until the last minute, I rush to catch trains and planes when travelling (sorry Mum), and I try to take on too many projects at once.

I believe I am not the only one to do this, so why do we put ourselves under such pressure? I have come up with two theories, both of which have their upsides and downsides.

1^st Theory- To challenge myself to achieve something I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to learn.

2^nd Theory – To add a sense of excitement or drama to my life.

One such example would be when I was catching a train from Cardiff to London during my recent trip overseas. I left it until the last minute to get up which meant I literally had a 5 second shower, and no breakfast so we had some chance of catching the train we had booked the previous night. I did at least have the sense to print out directions to the train station but not to where the rental car return was located.

I handed the directions to my mum as we finished getting everything packed in the car and asked her to direct me. We made it to the Train Station with only 1 missed turn despite the complete lack of street signs anywhere. However the rental car return was nowhere to be seen. So we parked and I called the number of the office and I was placed on hold at 2^nd in the queue, the polite automated voice on the end of the phone told me.

After about 10 minutes and no movement in the queue I realised this wasn’t going anywhere fast. I decided to multitask and went to print out the express tickets from the machine and then ask whichever staff members I could find in the train station. I printed the tickets out fine but unfortunately not even the lady at the information desk knew where the rental car office was situated.

Cleverly I decided to ask the taxi drivers where it might be, the wealth of all useful city knowledge. However as useful as taxi drivers can be, they often have a tendency not to have much care for other road users. So by the time I had acquired the knowledge I now desperately needed another taxi driver and boxed me in my park so I couldn’t leave until he unloaded a minivan full of passengers and luggage.

As time is ticking by I am seriously pondering that this is finally going to be the time when I say ‘Ok, I missed the train. Don’t leave everything until the last minute. Lesson learnt.”

Then finally the taxi driver pulls away and all the other taxis now banked up behind also drive past so I can get my car out. I find the rental car office without much hassle, park the car, drop the keys, grab the paperwork and start running back to the station, which was probably about 5 kilometres away (actually more like 500 metres).

By this stage I am starting to feel like one of the contestants from the Amazing race. I find the first staff member I can find and ask them which platform we need to go to. He is surprisingly very helpful despite my slightly frantic demeanour while now panting heavily.

We lug our 3 suitcases and 2 backpacks, with a combined weight of about 200kg (another slight exaggeration), up to the platform and check to see if we made it. Yes and with 10 minutes to spare….

…That was even easier than I thought….

…Hmm, maybe I could have left this one even later.

In all seriousness though this did help validate several key lessons for me:

• I need to simplify some aspects of my life
• Not try to do everything at once
• Be prepared to do something without seeking reward or gratitude
• And try to be more patient

Hopefully then I will be more efficent and productive with the endeavours that are most important to me; I will be able to make the most of my opportunites; I will be free to find spontaneity and creativity in new challenges rather than creating chaos or excitement via trivial means.

One place that isn’t quite so hard to find but still was a new discovery for me was the Little Creatures Dining Hall on Brunswick Street. This place defines what I love about the city.

It had a fantastic atmosphere that just had this essence of being seemingly effortlessly cool. It’s not trying too hard to make money, be too sophisticated, or too alternative, it’s just unique and doesn’t have to pretend to be something it isn’t.

As you can see in the photos it is basically an old warehouse conversion with paint still peeling off the walls, exposedbeams, electrical leads above, and pipes running along the side. But it’s dressed up with bookcases displaying bottles of beer, small vases with flowers strapped to the walls where the paint is peeling off, and bright red paint to accentuate the pipes that run alongside the bar.

The food there is simple yet interesting and very tasty. The beer is delicious. And they also offer take away food and bike hire so you can go on a picnic with your friends. Such a novel and creative idea, I love it.

The staff that work their also embody, or in fact add to the atmosphere of the place. They seemed to have the ability to get the job done quickly and efficiently but still had the casual relaxed nature to be able to serve you as if you were friends rather than paying customers.

Thanks especially goes to two of the staff that were working on that Sunday afternoon. Firstly the guy that welcomed us in with old school flat cap and manicured beard, and the good looking bird with the waist coat that was working on the pass. You guys are special, you’re energy makes people smile and helps make this eatery what it is.

Thank you Melbourne and Little Creatures Dining Hall you’re an inspiration.

I think sometimes to achieve the peaks and goals that you set for yourself you have to climb the mountain starting from the valley beneath. The higher the mountain, also the deeper the valley below, and so I think this applies to many aspects of life.

I knew after leaving high school that I didn’t want to go directly to University then find a job, a house, a wife and two kids, and a life mapped out in stone. Although I will no doubt want all these things one day, I just want to find things out for myself to see if I can find a better way of doing things.

So I asked myself: who am I; what do I enjoy doing; what do I want to be? I want to be successful and have women throwing themselves at me. I know, I’ll become a famous AFL player, every young (Victorian’s) dream right.

I was going to the gym and training hard but unfortunately those supplements didn’t help me grow quite as much as the sales people told me they would. And to my surprise becoming a famous and successful athlete proved to be quite hard.

I think most of the male species greatest accomplishments are born of this mind set to impress the female population and in turn improve our stature in the male community as well.

This is certainly true around the age of leaving school when all that is generally occupying the male brain is ‘How can I best attract the attention of any woman I want without having to try too hard.

However what I have come to realise is that if you are constantly looking to impress other people then you will probably never be able to be truly happy because you aren’t doing what inherently gives you the most satisfaction.

Then in turn if you aren’t doing what you want to do then how can you expect to surround yourself with the kind of people that you want to be around. So the answer must be to just do what you feel and back me up on this please ladies, that what is truly attractive is just being yourself and not being afraid to show it.

For me this also heavily relates back to what I was talking about earlier in taking a risk. If you decide to make the leap of faith then you have the opportunity to reach your true potential rather than just playing it safe and thinking about what could have been.

I think in some aspects of my life it has come easy for me to just take the leap, and others I am only just learning to let go of the fear of failure. What makes this easier for me now is that fact that the scariest thing for me would be waking up one morning when I am 65+ years old and realising, I’ve made a mistake and I’ve wasted my entire life by not giving something a try.

On the flip side, this view could also be crippling and end up leaving me constantly assessing, evaluating and reflecting without actually taking any action. So what is the answer? How do I maintain a balance between these two mind sets to achieve my goals without planning everything so rigidly that I can’t be creative or enjoy some sense of spontaneity?

Ultimately I want to stop wasting time, while still making all the correct decisions, without being afraid of doing whatever I want, to make me the happiest I could ever possibly be. That’s not too much to ask is it?

Welcome to Everest Base Camp, enjoy the climb.

The perfect event for this bookmark was my cousin’s wedding in Belgium. I hopped on the plane on the 17^th of August to travel with my family through France, Belgium and Great Britain.

This sign towards one of Paris' top tourist spots, looks like it was written on a piece of cardboard with a Sharpie. Very French.

Geuze, can only be brewed in a specific region of Belgium where the yeast is naturally occurring in the air, delicious.

The not so perfect hotel

I have managed to say no to the famous French wine and no to vast range of Belgium beers for several days, but I have made the decision that I will finish my challenge on the 20^th of August, the day before the wedding and approximately 1 week before the end of my 3 month period.

The night before the wedding involved going out with my mother’s side of the family for dinner with a few drinks, then a few more after dinner drinks. I haven’t seen most of this side of the family for about 4 years and may well not see them for another 4 after these few days.

Some of my family members are quite big drinkers, namely my brother and grandmother, and this does make it easy to get caught up drinking along with them as I have done in the past. So I felt that it would be a bigger challenge to allow myself to drink and be able to keep it in moderation rather than see out the week while still abstaining from drinking at all. Not to mention I didn’t want to totally miss out on drinking some of the delicious and free Belgian beer.

I’m not sure yet whether I should have waited until the actual wedding day and kept the day before as my final hurdle. I don’t think it makes a huge difference to the outcome, but I will leave it up to you to make your own assessment.

Cotes du Rhone, quality French wine.

Still not drinking at this stage

The legend that is my Grandmother

I was able to have a few drinks and not go overboard. This is something I don’t think I could have done before taking part in this challenge and I can now clearly see when the next glass would be one too many. It has definitely helped me change my views of alcohol and also given me the power to say, ‘No’, at the point where I would be doing it for the wrong reasons.

While travelling through France and Belgium and only allowing myself to smell the various delights of these countries really helped reinforce why I want to return to drinking alcohol. These few days were tough to say the least.

Now begins the next stage of my relationship with alcohol and the challenge to enjoy these luxuries without over indulging or giving in to temptation or peer pressure. Wish me luck.

Cheers,

Alex

Music festivals help bring me just that little bit closer to achieving this goal. Every time I go I feel a little more free, a little more in touch with everyone around me, a little more confident, and a lot more happy.

At a music festival I think you have the freedom to be a unique individual but at the same time you’re a part of huge collective that all feels the same as you do. We are united by the fact that for those brief few days we are all free, happy, and unique.

I would like to echo what Chris has mentioned in regards to slipping into this imaginary world. I too have found it easier to do with the aid of drugs or alcohol, but I am gradually learning to do it without. I also think that by doing it without alcohol or drugs makes it that much more rewarding because it makes it more real.

This where I differ from Chris’ point of view in that I don’t see these festivals as not being a reality, I see them as a reminder that this is the way I need to live my life everyday.

It’s time to stop getting annoyed by the old lady that is driving 20km below the speed limit and will not pull into the left lane, stop stressing about next weeks report deadline, stop worrying about whether your new jeans are going to portray a true image of yourself. It doesn’t matter!

While I still want to strive to achieve great things it is also important for me to not get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Each day I try to get closer to that elusive pinnacle of perfection and try to remember Elbert Hubbard’s famous words ‘Don’t take life too seriously, you’ll never get out of it alive’.

Thank you Splendour.

As I touched on in my previous post, I don’t want to let life pass me by without noticing. I know for me this can easily happen if I get caught in a rut of going out every weekend, then working for the rest of the week just to pay the bills and to cover the weekend habit. This challenge has been a huge step forward in ensuring that I do get the most out of every day and keep making steps towards achieving my dreams.

I will complete my 3 month HSM to finish what I started, but I think I have already achieved what I needed to. I will return to drinking to enjoy the sweet taste of that beautiful Pepperjack beer, but it will be with a totally different attitude.

I have come to realise that I need to view alcohol as a treat and a luxury not to be taken for granted. It’s something I need to earn to be able to really enjoy, instead of it just being another drinking session for instant gratification and over indulgence. This is another thing my father taught me, but it is a lesson that I hadn’t paid much attention to until now.

Next I’m off on a road trip back up North to the Sunshine Coast and then off to Splendour in the Grass. I can’t wait to see Yeasayer and The Temper Trap, not to mention so many other huge names. Thanks for listening, I’ll speak to you again soon, and I look forward to having a drink with you again soon as well.

Cheers,

Alex

PS. I can now see that the sign off line is very appropriate for me.

The past few days have seemed like a bad nightmare. I never thought that something like this could ever happen to our family. My father was an extremely caring, thoughtful and loving man. However he never wanted anything that he had to deal with to affect us adversely in any way.

You will notice that I haven’t put words to what has actually happened. This is because I would like to keep some things private and partly because I can barely bring myself to acknowledge that this has happened.

I started out these posts with the best intentions of writing something humorous and entertaining that everyone will enjoy reading. So I apologise if this is not the post you were hoping to be reading, but this one is for me.

It is not my intention to write this blog for you to feel sad for me. So please don’t tell me you’re sorry, instead send me only your love and happiness. Tell me a story about how you accidentally made a fool of yourself, tell me how you just met the most beautiful women/man in the world, tell me a dream, tell me how you’re going to conquer the globe, or even just the Futsal court.

Thank you Dad for teaching me that money is not everything, only to make sure I am happy in whatever path I choose.

Thank you for teaching me how to be myself and giving me the confidence to be proud of who I am.

Thank you for teaching me how to shake hands, look people in the eye and remember someone’s name.

Thank you for teaching me everything about the world, nurturing me, encouraging me, loving me, and caring for me.

And thank you for giving me everything a son could ever want and more.

I know you are in a better place now, I only wish you didn’t have to leave us so soon. But I know it would not honour your wishes for me to wallow in self pity, or start a personal crusade against anyone and everyone that has ever done you wrong. You only ever wanted me to feel fulfilled and happy. So I am going to make sure I honour one of your favourite quotes ‘Carpe Diem’ and make the most of every day. I am going to follow my dreams to achieve everything you have allowed me to dream of. I only hope I can make you proud.

Dad I love you so much forever and always.

Love from tuo figlio (your son).

I differ from some of the other bloggers in that I generally like the person I become when I drink. With some exceptions I am generally not overly loud or obnoxious. Alcohol just helped me lose my inhibitions and be more of the person I wanted to be.

I was quite shy as a young adolescent and one of the main turning points for me was when I was about 13 and overheard two girls gossiping about the fact that I could never looked people in the eye and had to repeatedly look away to avoid choking up. I developed a little trick to get me past this stage where I never looked in the eyes and just focused on the point of the nose in between the eyes to avoid the intimidation factor.

My confidence has grown considerably since this time and I no longer want to rely on alcohol to help me be the person I want to be. So as part of this blog I want to continue growing my confidence by putting myself regularly in situations where previously I would have only felt comfortable while drinking alcohol.

This has lead to some awkward situations, but they are definitely outweighed by the great experiences. I recently saw Steve Aoki at Winter Sound System who was absolutely amazing. I will post up some video footage on my next entry. The combination of the sound and lights was incredible standing metres from the front of the stage and it is definitely one of the best live performances I have seen. Being a part of the crowd there has the ability to take you to another world, with or without alcohol, and I am glad, even without the video footage, I can remember it so clearly.

During some of the awkward moments, and I’m not sure if this happens to anybody else, but I often find myself in a monotonous conversation and just start thinking about what the most inappropriate thing would be to do at that very moment. I saw this visualised on a UK show called Coupling, for those who haven’t seen it before, it’s like the British version of ‘Friends’, only funny.

Disclaimer: To know of the Giggle Loop is to become a part of the Giggle Loop.

I hope these last two posts have given you some more insight into what brings me to my current state of mind rather than just allowing me to talk about myself too much.

Talk to you soon. Cheers,

Alex

PS. I might have to change that sign off line, ‘cheers’ somehow doesn’t seem right

It may seem like this is a bit of a contradiction, being involved in this blog and organising events where people are often getting drunk, however I am certainly not promoting binge drinking. I look at it in terms of creating an atmosphere where drinking is not the main source of entertainment. My focus is on providing quality entertainment and specifically good quality music.

The reason I started this business was because I was sick of going out to socialise with friends on the coast and listening to the same music every night like someone had the radio playing just without the advertisements. I also want to help give some of my more musically gifted friends a leg up to help them gain a bit of a following. I believe if I can do this then I can help turn the focus away from going out to get inebriated and just provide a sociable environment which is enjoyable with or without alcohol.

I have always been a planner even from when I was in primary school. I remember starting a club at my school where I would organise what we would do each lunch time, whether it was playing group tiggy around the whole school, red rover up in the scrub by the tennis courts, or a lunch time cricket match. A select few friends were given necklaces to commemorate their membership and everything was kept very exclusive.

I have come a long way since then and now understand the importance of learning from situations that don’t initially go my way by accepting the fact that it wasn’t meant to be and there must be something more important that I need to focus on. Obviously you also need to be able to learn from your mistakes so you can then make the most of other opportunities in the future, but I digress.

Primo Maggio with 1 Million People

The point I was alluding to was that I basically had no idea where this venture would take me but it seems to be opening up a lot of doors and I am loving the new direction my life is moving. I loved the quote another blogger wrote in their post, sorry I forgot who it was, ‘If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans’. I seem to have found the most joy from experiences where I didn’t think too hard about how everything would unfold. Starting this business is one of those experiences and there is one other moment that really sticks out for me.

During 2006, just before my 21^st birthday I had the opportunity to go and travel around Europe including a 5 month period living in Italy. I have a lot to thank my parents for this trip and it is definitely not something every young 20 year old gets to do. This was perhaps the biggest eye opening experience of my life and for that I am extremely grateful.

I'm not sure if you can also spot the lone kayaker out there enjoying the tranquility of the morning.

I specifically remember opening the door out onto the street from the run down apartment block that I had just spent my first night in with my new host family. I turned around and noticed that this door was actually part of a much larger door, big enough for The Colossus statue to be wheeled out of, or so I thought at the time. I pulled my jacket tighter, breathed in the cool fresh air and set off on my way to find the language school armed only with my map, phrase book, and a huge smile on my face. Even now it makes me so happy just thinking about all the adventures I had there.

Unfortunately I am still stuck here in a dead end job here where I have to work through the night until 7 in the morning just to pay the bills. But I know if I stay positive and make the most of what is happening in this new stage of my life then it will definitely pay off down the track. Also if it wasn’t for my bad sleeping patterns then I wouldn’t have been able to witness this amazing sunrise early this morning.

Ok, 2.15am 2 cans of Red Bull down and a lot of soft drink after a night out on the coast. By my calculations I’ve got at least another 3 hours of sugar and caffeine enhanced energy to get this second blog scribbled dow…. Hmm maybe I’ll just go for a quick jog. No, c’mon, focus; I’m a little wired to say the least. I will probably need to start drinking more water, especially when it’s more expensive for a glass of lemonade than a pot of beer, surely that can’t be right.

Two weeks almost done and I don’t want to preach like I’ve found the promise land, but I am actually really enjoying being able to go out and not drink. This is becoming my new identity and has allowed me a new sense of individuality. I love the fact I don’t have to feel like I need to be constantly buying drinks and being loud to prove to everyone around me that I am having a good time. Having the freedom to drive wherever and whenever is also extremely convenient.

I haven’t got everything figured out quite yet though. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but this is still just the beginning of my journey. It’s still awkward in some situations and I am gradually learning the process of letting go mentally without the help of alcohol.

I use the tips of previous bloggers such as having a drink in my hand as a transition for my own psyche. What to do with my hands has now become a big challenge. It’s time to switch off the brain, nobody cares whether you decide to fold your arms or put your hands in your back pockets.

The best tip I think is to be able to dance without worrying about what anyone else thinks. I am hoping to take this to the next level as well because I think if I can manage this then surely no other situation will feel as awkward. My challenge is to be able to stand next to that group of good looking girls that no-one dares talk to and dance with the unco-ordination equivalent of Monty Python’s Silly Walk, see below. Then give them an awkward wave as they all silently and simultaneously agree with a group look of astonishment and disgust that this guy must be off his head. Stay posted for the video footage.

The most important aspect for me at the moment is making sure I have something to talk about and not just taking the easy way out by asking the same questions “how’s uni going?”, “do you have many exams?”. I need to start forcing myself to attempt to control the conversation in a creative and entertaining manner.

One of my biggest goals is to really develop my social skills and to push myself out of my comfort zone. This means going out at any opportunity including continuing on after the races on my first day until 2am in the morning at a couple of different nightspots on the coast.

Having a great friend base has been a massive help in making this a fun challenge rather than something that is to be endured. However one thing I didn’t expect is the amount of compliments and best wishes I have had from various other people I know and have met while undertaking this challenge. So thank you everyone for your support thus far and yes I can give you a lift home next weekend.

Done, 4.30am and I am starting to get the caffeine shakes. Maybe I should wait till I’ve had some sleep before posting this one just to make sure it’s not the insomnia that is making me think that this is a great second post. Next day, 12pm, yes it was definitely the insomnia speaking, here is the slightly adjusted version.

I want to finish by leaving you with this slightly deeper query. Do you believe alcohol releases the person you really are inside by freeing you of your inhibitions; or does it completely change your persona; or then again does it simply depend on the individual person, the amount of alcohol consumed, and the individual situation as to how you act under the influence? Why do some people become angry and unsociable, while others become entertainers who are just out for a laugh?

Let me know what you think and I’ll speak to you soon. Cheers.

Alex

I had my first drink at the age of 12 when some friends and I skipped the underage gig we were suppose to be going to, got someone to buy us some alcohol and spent the night getting intoxicated on the beach. The night ended with me weaving my way along the footpath, the police squad car following behind, approaching a non to impressed mother standing arms folded in front of the doorway. As a result of this little escapade I earned the nickname ‘Iron Gut’ with my friends and that of ‘Disappointment’ with my parents, and so began my assumed alcohol identity.

Now at age 25, thankfully things have changed somewhat since then. I no longer have to worry about the scorn of my parents wrath, but I am still trying to live up to expectations as to how I should act as a ‘carefree’ young Australian. Alcohol enabled this attitude by allowing me to shrug off my inhibitions and interact in social situations without the fear of any negative repercussions. I believe this is the main reason why I was such a willing participant in the act of binge drinking from such an early age.

I now want to rid myself of this identity alcohol has created for me and take responsibility for my own individuality, to be ridiculed or admired depending on your own personal persuasion. My first act of the HSM challenge was to go through all my Facebook photos and un-tag any photos where I was looking totally wasted, or doing something where alcohol fuelled the reasoning behind the act. I ended up deleting over two thirds of my photos. What had I been doing with the rest of my life that didn’t involve alcohol? According to Facebook not very much.

One of the photos that didn't make the cut.

I have set myself some other personal challenges along this journey. As some other bloggers have also decided, I would like to:

• Improve my fitness and perhaps even my figure in front of the mirror.
• Save money.
• Challenge myself to socialise without the alcohol safety blanket, including attending Splendour in the Grass drug free.
• Learn how to write and blog in a manner that is interesting for anyone to read, drinkers and non drinkers alike.
• Improve my career through establishing my own promotions/events business.
• Complete my degree without failing any more subjects.

My first event I have organised with my business is an end of semester party held at the Buderim Tavern on the 4^th of June. No doubt there will be a lot drinking involved in the night. However this is not the main theme of the night and I am looking to differentiate the experience with some quality entertainment that will enable the patrons to enjoy themselves without the need to get plastered. I will also be putting together some video footage of the night to hopefully give some further insight into how people interact with each other, with and without the influence of alcohol, in a party/bar environment.

One thing I wanted to clarify and ensure in writing this and future entries is to not preach that everyone should live their lives without alcohol. I’m simply hoping to provide some insight into my reasons for taking on this challenge and describe an interesting account of the obstacles I am likely to encounter on this journey. If that serves to inspire other readers into taking on a similar challenge then I would be more than flattered.

In the interest of not letting this first blog get out of control I will end my first entry here. I will gradually try to fill in the gaps as to what experiences have brought me to this point in my life; expand on my goals and what I want to achieve as a result of undertaking the HSM challenge; along with any anecdotes I find myself involved in throughout my journey. For now I am looking forward to my first day alcohol free at Ladies Oaks Day in Caloundra. Thanks for reading and I’ll speak with you soon.