Chillin in the Maldives with MWSRP

Hey Chia!

Love the photo of you mixing music! What a dj!

It must have been great to catch up with friends over good food!

Things here in the Maldives have been pretty awesome, I've been slowly getting used to sea sickness which is a big plus. I can now ride the Dhoni without needing to fight off the urge to purge. However, I still feel nauseous at times and still get land sickness (swaying).

I've been learning heaps about whale sharks, the ocean, people in the industry and about myself too. I really enjoy chatting about the importance of conservation with the MWSRP team and they have wonderful ideas and experiences around this area. I also enjoy hearing their active lives. They all have been well travelled and live each day on the basis of living simply and sustainably.  I feel my mind expanding each day.

Time out on the boat for hours on end is great thinking time. It really has made me appreciate living and being in the moment and not being caught up on things like money and material things. I didn't think I was too materialistic before (except for my passion for gadgets) as I really paid attention to the small things in life, but I think that now, living out of a suitcase, wearing the same icebreaker shirt every day and being able to wash it every night, as made me really reconsider all the stuff I have. Like really, do I need 30-50 different tops etc?

I have 4 quick dry button down tops from mountain designs, however, I still find myself just washing my icebreaker top at night to wear it for the next day. I love the feel of the fine merino wool, it's stretchy, and I like the colour. No one judges here. :) I'm considering sending 2 of those tops back home so I just have 3 tops when we go to Europe.

You were so right about packing light. The guys at MWSRP were impressed at how light Kev and I had packed, however, I wanna make myself lighter. I think I did pretty well except for the shirt and for the toiletries department. I packed my Biotherm face washes, and they at so much weight. I never use them here too... Hrmmm

Anywho, here's a photo to leave with you. It was taken by Alissa and is of Chris, Kev and I (volunteers) and Neal (another MWSRP team member) on the staff beach at the Conrad Rangali.

Surprise award!

Hi Chia!
Oh my god! So something awesome has happened! I've been dying to tell you, but I was waiting till it was announced officially.

On Monday or Tuesday night (my days are blurring now) I received an email from the Directr team. I've been getting emails from them because I had issues with uploading films so I didn't think much about it. However, I was overwhelmingly surprised when I saw the subject line:

'Congratulations! You are Directr of the week!'

I had no idea what this was about, but as I read the email I realised that it was a pretty awesome thing. They have a blog on their website and they interviewed me so that they could write about my films and include some fun and interesting facts about me.

I was and am still so very stoked! I started making the films because it was just so fun seeing things that I imagine in my head come to life! I also thought it would be a great way to keep my creativity up and keep my mind thinking of film ideas/acting approaches/possible scripts to write.

I also loved that I could choose the songs to play over the films. I spend a lot of time listening to songs to find the right mood and lyrics to match the overall emotion and impression in the film.

I guess I am so very chuffed that my efforts were recognized! I didn't expect that! It was more of a personal thing :)

Any who the link to my interview is here:
http://blog.directr.co/directr_highlight/directr-of-the-week-anna-sasson/

Also, while in transit in Singapore, I made another film:
http://directr.co/m/4vv6k3

Kev and I are now in KL airport. It's 5.21pm and we have been here since 2pm. Our flight to Male is at 8.45pm. Aaaaaahhh! A few more hours to go!!!

Inspiration

Hi Chia!

I'm going nuts with the posts!

As I am doing my last minute clean up before I leave, I found this quote in my notebook that I wrote earlier this year when I was at work. I was so in awe at past Anna's insight of what was to come, that I wrote it out again today to reaffirm its positivity in my mind:




Some people may think I'm a failure for resigning and walking away from law . Some may think I'm irresponsible for not using my money for a deposit on a house but on a 6 months trip. Others may think I'm nuts for starting acting and seeing where it takes me, with no real end goal or idea on how it's going to turn out. For all I know I may just end up as a marine biologist or do something in marketing or communications.

Whatever it is; whatever choice I make, it's going to be mine. If it's a choice that leads me down an unexplored route, so long as it's going to be one that makes me feel happy, I will put on my trekking boots and damn well make sure I leave a trail. :)

Wheels in motion

Hi Chia!

It's been a while for both of us. But I am so happy to see you back blogging!

Your big breakfast looks amazingly delicious! Today it has been raining non stop and the dampness has chilled me down to the bone. My toes are clammy and cold as we speak! So your breakfast looks so good right now (at 3.20pm!).

I've had a quick look over the last few posts and realised that there as been a lot that has happened on my side which I haven't written about.

Firstly, I've kick started in the direction of...this is so random - acting!

It's always been something that has been making appearances in my journals since high school. Once in a while, there would be some entry saying 'I know this sound so silly and so irresponsible, but I dream of getting into the character of someone else and act.' After realising this, I decided that since I had all this free time and I was going to make an effort to be kind to myself, I decided to give 'the foolish dream' a go. It has been a fast, fun and exciting period of my life. I was so surprised that the people that I've met along the way were exactly like me! And the more and more I chat to them and others in the industry, the more I realised that I had always felt like an outsider in the legal field.

If you wanna check out my progress in the acting thing, I've set up an acting page on Facebook, as recommended to me by an actor. You can find it here.

Secondly, and this one is a biggie. I don't think I've mentioned it on here yet, but Kev and I are soon leaving on a six months trip away! We bought one way tickets to Male in the Maldives and we jet set on 30 September 2013!

The big trip was also something I've been writing about to myself in my journals since early university days - just after my first trip to Europe in early 2005. I dreamed about doing it after uni. The plan was to go travelling before getting articles in a law firm. However, that didn't happen. I was offered the opportunity to do my articles at a national insurance law firm, and as such, I put my dreams on hold.

And when the money came in, and life threw me a spanner in the works with relationships breaking down, finding my birth family, starting a new relationship, making new friends and settling into the routine of a young professional, I found that I started losing control of my life. I was a slave to the schedule, to the parties, to the group trips being organised etc. Eventually, after becoming more and more discontent with my life, I started to pull myself out of the fast lane, and tried to focus my goal.  For a while, I wasn't even sure about my goal. I was being torn between getting a house, or going on that trip I've been dreaming about.

I then came to a realisation that would change my direction, and shock Kev. It meant so much to me that I wrote it down, as a promise to myself:

I told Kev this, and at first he was shocked and then sad. He said he would miss me. I was scared about telling him about this, but I knew I had to or I'd be unhappy for the rest of my life; regretting that I never did it; angry at the world for the mistake that I made. He supported my dream, and then after a few months of telling him what I planned on doing, Kev then asked me 'Can I come too?'.

And there we have it. I like to think that I would have still gone ahead and planned the trip. But to be honest, I think it is an accumulation of the dream, Kev's support and the quick decline in my job satisfaction at my workplace, that has made this possible. In between the day that I made the promise to myself till today, there were definitely times where I was very close to almost letting the dream go. Having Kev there was like having a running buddy. Someone to help keep you on track. It also made things more exciting for the both of us. We both started to share the anticipation and the planning.

In the next few days, I'll try an blog more about our plans! :)

Hope to hear from you soon!!!! 

Finish This Book (FTB)

Heya Chia!

Happy birthday for yesterday!

I am so glad you liked your present! I love the dinosaur! I had looked around my place to find something that I could put in there, but had nothing. I even considered getting you a kinder surprise in hopes that when you open it, something cool would be in there, small enough to fit in your terrarium.  The T-Rex definitely fits! It looks like it's raging and hunting for food!

Me, I've been chilling at home and working on my creativity. As you would know, one of the presents I got you was a copy of the mysterious and intriguing book called "Finish This Book" by Keri Smith. I too have a copy, and have started my missions.  For all those who are wondering what the hell I am talking about, here are some snaps of the book:

Finish This Book is one that invokes imagination and creativity through exploring!
I knew that you and I would love it!

One of the preliminary activities

Definition of a sleuth, trusty Google!

 I completed the above yesterday while chatting on the phone to you... Tee hee! Nothing like colouring in while having a good chat about life!

Today I was feeling a bit tired, and so I kept a low profile. I stayed indoors, drank my hot water, snacked on a few choc chip cookies and then started looking up Moleskine notebooks because I had just finished the one that I was using.

And as you would normally do when Googling up things, I came across this video where a guy draws in his pocket Moleskin daily; and WOW - he is amazing.

After that, when I came across the warm up exercise in Finish This Book (lets call it FTB from now on yea?) I had the drawing style of Maykel Nunes in my head and I just stared out in front of me. Eventually, my new bamboo plant came into focus, and inspiration grew:

My lucky bamboo 

I now can't imagine how this page looked when it was empty.

My aim was to follow the instructions and fill the empty page with something interesting while trying something new.  I also wanted to be daring and draw outside of the designated lines. OOOH... risk taker! Haha, it may seem petty, but psychologically, for ages I just could not do that. I had to keep within the lines.

Thank you Maykel Nunes for your inspiration! I never knew I could draw something like this, free hand with no pencil work beforehand! Though it's a rookie start, I quite like it

A trek in the past

Hi Chia!

I've become super productive yesterday, today and very likely, tomorrow. I've been going on a cleaning spree, digging out all the stuff I have hidden away in my drawers, and stuffed in my bursting wardrobe.

I've been procrastinating this one task for a few years as I knew it would take more than one or two days to clean out and process the items that have been stored away for safe keeping.

So what started out as a 'throwing away' activity, turned out to be the opening of a time capsule. I've been finding special things here and there from my childhood through to teenage years. It's been a lot of fun!

Here's some of the things I've found in chronological order:

Circa 1996 -

My first yo yo. When Moose Yo yos became a huge hit.
I wasn't cool enough to get a 'brain' but me and my 'tornado' yo yo could do amazing things.

Circa 2000 -

A photo on a rainy day of my high school friends in and around year 10

Circa 2001 - 

A photo taken at a table tennis session during lunch time.
It was sometime in my upper school years.

2002 -

A note with the lyrics of Aerosmith's 'I don't wanna miss a thing'

Circa 2005 -

My diary from my first Europe trip. I was 19 years old

Last but not least; when I found this little memory in my drawer, I cracked up and knew that I had to wear it with pride.

Circa - 1997, worn today -

My baddass BAT TAT!

I'm still laughing when I see this on me. So hardcore. I feel 10x cooler now.

What do you think of my 'Bat Tat'?

Freeee!!

Hi Chia

So things have been a lot cruiser for me this week. I've been taking my time with things, slowing down life and really appreciating what I have - the gorgeous people who surround me, time and a healthier me. As I hear the loud click of the second hand of the clock above me, I relish in the feeling of not having to stress about wasting a second or minute that would normally be billed to a client. My days have been slowly unproductive and free. Deadlines are not mandatory and it just feels wonderful. Admittedly, I still have a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that tells me that I should get going with figuring things out. But I'm slowly hushing that nagging voice away. I'm telling it to give it a rest for the time being, as there will be plenty of times in the future when I'll be needing it; just not now.

Also, I'm allowing my mind to open up to the endless possibilities that lay before me. To start considering things that I've only been dreaming about in the past. These dreams are currently only half baked, and a little fragile in my mind, so I won't be describing them to you just yet. In time though, once the ideas become a real consideration, I'll let you know :)

The past few days have increased my overall well being. So much so, that I can see it in my face.

Kev took this photo of me this weekend. It really captures the the feeling I've lacked over the last few years - genuine happiness.

It's only the beginning.

I know that it is only going to get better!

Amazing strangers

Hi Chia!

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I've been both busy and unsure of what to write for our blog.

I hope you had a good Easter break! I loved catching up with you and having our girly dessert date! :)

One of the things that happened this weekend included meeting this wonderful couple at my beach on Friday morning.

I had gone for a run and went for a quick snorkel. The water wasn't the greatest as I was thrashed around the reef a bit and there was poor visibility. I pulled myself out of the water, camera and snorkel in one hand, and my other hand stabilizing myself from the insistent waves and the soft sand beneath me which sunk at each step.

I was a little sad that it wasn't a great session but I was happily buzzing from the adrenaline and chilled water.

I spoke to two fisherman who showed me their catch (3 whitings), a nice man in speedos who told me that the water should be better in the following days (he was an experienced diver), and a kayaker who had no luck in catching any fish and whose friend got stuck in his kayak in the middle of the ocean and threw the biggest tantrum on water that I've ever seen.

While I was talking to the Friendly Kayaker, the two fishermen called out to him saying that his friend may need some help. As we looked to the flat horizon, his friend was swiping and waving his arms up in the air, and angrily threw his paddle into the ocean on more than one occasion. The Friendly Kayaker just laughed and his good nature encouraged me to laugh too.

'Should you go help him?' I asked.

'Haha.... Nah. He should be fine out there,' he laughed as we looked on.

After a few minutes he sighed and said 'Yea, I better see what's going on,' and he laughed to himself as he pushed out his kayak.

It turned out that his friend ended up being caught on something, and resorted to cutting his anchor. When they returned to shore, the Angry Kayaker unintentionally caught a wave which tipped him over. We all laughed as we saw his angry head pop up from the water, hat soaked over his face and his fishing gear bobbing away out to sea. As the Angry Kayaker started swearing and shouting in frustration, the Friendly Kayaker kept laughing in good spirits as he swam out to help collect the escaping equipment.

It was a very humorous morning.

After that, I was getting a little cold and hungry so I turned around to walk back home. As I climbed the stairs I approached a couple enjoying breakfast with their dog on the look out. I smiled to them and the woman asked me if I saw anything out in the ocean during my snorkel.

'Nothing,' I sighed, 'It was just too murky out there.'

We then started talking about the stingrays, dolphins and sea lions that we all had seen out there. At some point in our lively conversation, Mr T pointed that he could hear a slight American accent in my voice. I then told him that my Dad was from the US, to which Mrs T excitedly claimed that she too was from the US.

We then went into our backgrounds and life journeys. It was an inspiring and exciting conversation. They both were such lovely and warm hearted people. So open and so engaging.

Mrs T then invited me to come visit them and meet their son who had a similar life journey as me and that it would be wonderful to exchange further experiences. I thanked them for their generous invitation as we exchanged contact details.

It was an amazing experience. I am truly in awe at the kindness of strangers. I find that the more I open up to people, the more I learn about other experiences, appreciate how there are so many different opportunities out there for the taking and I really feel the 'magic' of coincidences or things that 'happen for a reason'. It also helps me remember that there are people out there who genuinely do want to connect and help others. That desire for a genuine connection and finding it in the most random situations is what makes people and life amazing.

I ended up visiting Mr and Mrs T on Sunday and met their son who is an amazing musician.

I hope to find time to visit them another time in the future.

Before I leave

Good Sunday morning Anna :)

I should be doing many things like moving things into the car but I wanted to do a special post to congratulate Emily and Will as newlyweds! I would love to share some photos with you of the beautiful  couple but to respect their privacy I'll save them for FB once I sort through them.

I had a marvellous time and I told Alicia that it felt as if I was there for everyone's wedding that I missed whilst I was gone. I felt incredibly blessed to have these people in my life and the night ended on such a high that I woke up this morning wishing I could experience the love and joy all over again rather than pack for the move.

 I ADORED the flowers in the recycled jars, long seating arrangement and outdoor setting. All ideas I will keep in mind...

And how can I forget? The PHOTOBOOTH! I love the simplicity and effectiveness of black and white photos.

Making ourselves home with our little collection

 Fifi and I. My other single lady :)

My next post will be from Narrogin. Here's to the next chapter!

ColorRun!

Morning Chia!

I can't believe that yesterday and the ColorRun has already come and gone!

I was so amped and excited for this run!

Our team, 'Rainbows and Unicorns', which consisted of Kev, Clem, Drew, Katie, Amy, Shaz, Sas, Charlene, you and me, did so well in keeping together and walking, running and dancing our way through the different checkpoints and finishing the happiest 5km ever! Unfortunately, we were unable to meet up with Viv and Elvina, but they were there in spirit!

I don't know about you, but the whole day was so fun for me! I just got this little buzz and I was uncontrollably happy! Perhaps it was the mixture of awesome music, friends, exercise and lots and lots of bright colours!

The ColorRun is spelt without the 'u'. However, marketing was awesome and has said that you put the 'u' in ColorRun!

Anywho, here are some pics and videos of the day! Enjoy!

The first ones there! Thanks Chia for the awesome hats! Totes love theeeeem!

Drew & Katie!

Our group is exploding 

What animals do in the Savannah - they laze around under the shade of a tree

The fellas

The girls

What about dancers?

Yaaaayyyy!

And the Rainbows and Unicorns are off!

In the wind of Pink

At the Blue Checkpoint. They told us to roll, so we did.

Looking smurfy guys!!!

Our team being monkeys!

Orange Station Volunteer bent on OompaLumpafying me.

Color Ninjas... they were surprising and fun!

We so colorful!

Love Clem's face

Rainbows and Unicorns!

Hooray!

Jumping for Joy

So happy that the run makes you do cartwheels

Hooray we did it!

ColorFestival!

We love colour

Spotty Hair

Conga Line

Orange me please

Toss!

Getting sorta over-coloured now

Our mascot!

The Rainbows and Unicorns Team

The messy train ride home!

One of the funniest things was the after math of the ColorRun and ColorFestival! It took a lot of baby oil, body wash and a sturdy sponge to assist in washing all the beautiful colours off! We also spent the afternoon soaking our clothes in NappySan (except for our ColorRun shirts, which we soaked in Vinegar in hopes of preserving the colour on the shirt!)

There's a crazy amount of photos, and so I need to sort through them and post more on Facebook!

Sorry for such a short post! I gotta head off to work now!

Hope you had an awesome time Chia!