2013

This year has been quite a whirlwind of emotions. Since September of 2012, Personal issues have been like ocean waves, hitting a beautiful high and then crashing into rocks, obliterating anything only to recede and start all over again:

End of July- August- Drove with Mum and Bro from Denver to Seattle, stopping through Yellowstone and then back to Denver. Drove home on my birthday. Wasn't really acknowledged nor celebrated. boo.

September- I ended up going on a beautiful trip to my ancestor's homeland, Ukraine (with stops to the Netherlands and Belgium). It was inspiring to see Kiev and then the memorial/grave of one of the greatest Ukraine writers and poets, Taras Shevchenko. Meeting and speaking with the locals was soul-enriching and being able to speak in the true native tongue did not keep a dry eye with anyone we came into contact. I enjoyed catching up with one of my mum's friend in Amsterdam, someone who held me when I was a youngster. We stopped into Bruges. That place was absolutely amazing. Seeing Mr. Fidel in the windowsill overlooking the canal was definitely a highlight (pic Above). The chocolates, food, wine, atmosphere in Europe is something I cannot define. It's pretentious, but by the same token, definitely not. Everything is within walking distance or a train trip. Feel like a "holiday", why not go to another country? Don't mind if I do?!

October- Had to euthanize our 8.5 year old Beagle, Max, poor bugger wasn't doing well. At the end of the month, found out my Nan has advanced Neuroendocrine cancer. It's just been shite.
November- Slipped Disc (6 weeks of therapy)
December- found out I have a ruptured Ovarian Cyst and a bicornuate uterus. It put things into perspective, I never really wanted to have children, there were moments I wanted a ton and then none. Having the chances of conceiving reduced to practically nil is pretty earth-shattering. The privilege being taken away just leaves nothing more than a cynic. How can people who eat Mickey D's every bloody day, every meal of the day, conceive multiple children but someone who does not abuse their temple can't? The dichotomy of this world... I swear. Oh and we won't go into the whole being-given-empty-promises-and-then-losing-your-job-because-place-is-doing-bad-financially.

We went to our fave French Restaurant in downtown Denver for New Year's Eve and had a wonderful meal: Eggplant wellington with sweet potato ragout and raspberry-espresso sauce, poached pear and goat cheese salad, followed by chocolate, almond, caramel, coffee dessert. The europeans make brill desserts, don't know how to explain it. Nevertheless, stuffed to the brim and only to receive a rude awakening. We paid our bloody $10 for parking and the person saw us put in our money but we got a ticket. Word to the wise- do NOT park in the lot next to Le Central. Bunch of cons if you ask me.

So far 2013 is shaping up to be quite a year. I can only hope that the storm can settle and that I can fight for what I want in this life. I wish nothing but the best for you all :)

New Year's resolution:

Going Vegan
Meeting the love of my life in Spain
Losing the 15 I put on during the holidays

Maturation and emotional saturation

Where to start?! 

Well for about 10 days I was home, by myself, trying to juggle my 3 jobs (technically, 1 paying job and 2 volunteering) as well as take care of all the pets and grandma, as well as maintain the house. It was the first time I have ever been by myself for an extended period of time in the house without my parents and brother. At first it took a while to adjust but by the third day things were in full swing. I created time sheets for the week allocating how much time I would have in the day to do x, y, and z. It was empowering to be able to do things even though I barely had a second to myself. Hence, Maturation. I feel like I can conquer just about anything after this challenge of balancing 60 hour work weeks and my furry and scaled children. It was almost like being a single mother. 

The one thing that sucked was communicating with people, I felt alone. There's only so much that you can do on twitter or texting etc. However, it does give leeway to explore thyself and understanding what pleases you and displeases you, how to run the house, how you like to do things, what makes you tick, etc. Anyway, I learned a lot about my own personal trends:

* Eat local, eat at hole-in-the-wall places, eat ethnic foods (maybe once every two weeks or once a month). 

My faves: Yak and Yeti Indian and Nepalese food, Le Central, Queen of Sheba Ethiopian Food, Thai House, and Empanada Grill. 

* Buy farmer's market produce. I prefer Boulder's because at least there's a lot of co-ops and not monocultures/ Earth Rapers.

* Cook your own food, put it in the freezer. Basically have your own personal lean cuisines and at least you know what's put into them versus things you can't pronounce, hormones, antibiotics, or, my favourite (sarcasm), HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup). 

* Don't give in. Not to men, not to politicians, not to women, not to corporations, don't give in to anyone. 

* Enjoy nature. I work at 3 places that save animals. 

* Have a passion ^^^^^ (I work at 3 places that save animals.)

* Enjoy loud music, bold colors, and clothing that represents you. Not what some CS at a magazine or mass media outlet will tell you. 

My faves: Gogol Bordello, 30 Seconds to Mars, Take to the Oars, Vices I Admire, Rolling Stones. Green, Orange, Purple. Snake print pants and gypsy-style shirt with converse sneakers and tiger face jewelry. 

* Don't give in. Not to men, not to politicians, not to women, not to corporations, don't give in to anyone. 

* Live simply. Live for the moments. Don't give in to materialism. Live minimally= Living happily. 

I've seen many cool things in this world. I've traveled to cool places in this world, hung with locals, speak different languages, opened my mind, touched cool animals, gone to concerts, met the artists. Stuff I'll take to the grave with me rather than the latest piece of technology or clothing accessory. 

* Lastly, say what's on your mind. Don't give into being prim and proper. That's passe. Have dignity and be yourself, a new kind of class will follow. 

Hence, 

Emotional Saturation :)

All my love and peace to you and yours.

P.s. You may view this post as liberal but actually i'm neither party affiliation so please do not go that route. Thank you :)

Trip of a lifetime

In July of 2011, we took a trip to Spain, Portugal, Morocco, France. Started driving in Madrid, then headed to Lisbon, all the way down to Tangiers (Spent a day there), back in Spain traveled to Barcelona, Spent the day in Perpignon, France, back to Madrid. Must say I give my dad major props for driving everywhere, passing through towns. Also, major kudos to my mum for planning a common sense route through the Iberian Peninsula.

Fave places:

Madrid
Segovia
Algave, Portugal
Cadiz
Gibraltar
Tangiers Marketplace
Valencia Biopark
Barcelona
Malaga
Perpignon, France

A few photos can be seen on twitter.com/aussiebohemian


Travel :) It does the soul wonders!

2012

Wow, so I have been a complete slacker with respect to blogging... updates: I graduated from college with two degrees in December, had two boyfriends (don't judge me, I wasn't serious about either), and working three unpaid jobs. How's that for multiples?! (it could be worse... like octo-mom worse... at least kids aren't involved!)

I went to so many concerts this year and to be fair the year hasn't really hit the half-way mark:

March 8th, Gogol Bordello/Mexican Institute of Sound
March 18th, Kelly Clarkson/Matt Nathanson
March 30th, Vices I Admire/Take To The Oars/ All Capitals/Lexigram
April 6th, Gotye/Kimbra
April 28th, Dave Mason

Anticipating:

June 9th, Gogol Bordello
September 27th, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Haven't had a disappointing show so far! Met a lot of the artists and got to express my deepest thanks for influence.

I went to my first Avs game April 7th! It was super fun being in the box suite having drinks and cheering on for the home team! Met some pretty nice people! It was funny because I didn't know that the mascot was my favourite breed of dog - the St. Bernard!

So that's just this year alone... Last year was a nightmare... my beloved Three Toed Box Turtle, Bindie Sue passed away September 23rd. She was the first pet I had in Colorado since moving here in 2000 and she was always there to greet me when I came home from school, listen to me cry, and be there for me. It was one of the worst events that has been in my life. My crush, that I had for more than a year, turned out to be gay... that was an utter waste of time and an utter blow to the system. It was also a week after my Bindie died... not to mention a week before she died my dad relocated for work. A feeling of abandonment and loss of faith really hit me hard. Out of all of this I gained a new perception of life and really found my true friends.

Last year, one of my goals was to quit twitter and I DID... but then deactivated facebook only to return to twitter... when will this dependency on social media fade? Darn it... if you like what you have read, please continue on this endeavor with me, explore pictures, read up-to-date concert posts, etc. on twitter.com/aussiebohemian

Here are a few pictures to recap this blog:

Concerts 2011 so far

Alright well I have been slacking on my blogging. I'm sorry =( Well anyway so I saw 30 Seconds to Mars, Rooney, and U2. Here is a little review of each show so far:

30 Seconds to Mars: January 21st, 2011

Opening Act: Middle Class Rut

A wonderful show, was a little bored at Middle Class Rut but seeing Thirty Seconds made up for it all. Jared, Shannon, and Tomo came out in preppy/yuppie clothes (theme night) which was amazing even though I had people pushing me from the back (was about 6 feet away from the stage huddled up like sardines, it didn't help i wore pleather leggings).

Anyway was able to enjoy the show, hear songs such as From Yesterday (acoustically- score!), The Kill, Kings and Queens, etc. Didn't know some of the other stuff but overall a high energy show and really worthwhile. The only bad thing was it was the first time I ever moshed and that was quite an experience. Ended up with a few bruises. Also had a short guy grind up on my rump which was quite unappealing. The last negative of the night was after the show a male in a car pulled up next to me and asked me "How much do you charge?" What a pig! Oh well the show was amazing nonetheless. It was a chance to better understand the music and understand the background of the people! Must say I made a few friends that night too =)

Rooney - February 25th, 2011

Opening Acts: Take to the Oars, Eisley

Firstly I have been a fan of Rooney's for 11 years and it finally came to full circle that this would be the last time I see them in the States. The biggest part of this whole concert was being introduced to Take to the Oars (Definitely worth checking out, local Colorado band, really awesome deep songs). Eisley came up next and it was the first time I ever heard of them, was not impressed at all. Could not hear them at all and the lead singer looked like she was in pain while singing (or a cat not sure which). Rooney came on next and it was a high energy night although it didn't make any sense the fact that people were moshing. I mean moshing to laid-back music? Anyway it was quite an awesome show and got to hang out a little with the band members afterwards. It was a little weird saying goodbye and it was nice to receive hugs from the band members that meant the most to me and influenced me when I was younger. (Read below blogs).

U2 - May 21st, 2011

Opening Act- The Fray

This show was my favourite this year (no disrespect to the others). It was a profound statement of using your status as a positive influence to better the rest of society. Listening to Bono speak and hear the written songs about social issues like the Miss Sarajevo as well as Burma and being oppressed for the right of democracy. It was beautiful to hear "Beautiful Day" as well as "Where the Streets Have No Name" I absolutely adore those songs. There was so much energy in the arena as U2 was playing. What really drew the show down though was the lack of energy when The Fray was playing I felt as though I was the only one screaming and applauding them as well as singing along with the band. Everything was beautiful though!

2011 Beginning

Wow, so where does time go? "Another year over and a new one just begun". A decade of the millennium finished. How did I ring in the new year? So on the 31st of December my family and I went to a wonderful French restaurant. I had French Onion soup (just had to), bread, butter, tea, wild mushroom risotto with butternut squash, pear, and brie, as well as, a chocolate dessert with gold leaf. Enjoyed the company of my family and watched fireworks in the city of Denver. Call it cliche, but I was playing Katy Perry's "Firework" in my mind. This year promises too much hope and bliss, I can only wish nothing but these two things to everyone in this world. As for resolutions this year:

"I, Cassandra, intend to not let anything get in my way. I also intend to put my whole heart into everything rather than dividing pieces and putting them in meaningless things. I intend to start on my new project, Bastard Postman, as a time-filler after studying. I intend to minimize facebook time and/or deactivate twitter. I intend to swim everyday in the summer regardless. Intend to actually spend more time on campus and actually be in theatre productions, spend more time at the zoo, and also travel. I would also like to spend as much time with the people who have inspired me as possible. Two last wishes for this year: To meet Ian Thorpe and to invest more in my spiritually and not continuously feel perpetually lost."

** So far I have successfully deactivated Twitter and spent a lot more time on campus and auditioned for a play in the theatre department in my university.

Just started my senior year in the university and it's an amazing start. Taking two physically intensive classes which have made me wonder why I stopped working out. Advil and Icyhot patches have become my 2 best friends. Still a Leo, despite the "changes" in the zodiac signs(depends on whether you follow eastern or western thought, regardless, I never changed). As far as music goes, I have maintained my favourite bands (read previous posts). Attending a few concerts this year that will be reviewed as they occur:

30 Seconds to Mars - January 21st

Rooney - February 25th

U2 - May 21st

(Haven't found information on the other bands I enjoy but hopefully they finalize dates soon =) )

Positivity is key this year! So to everyone, Thank you for reading and have a wonderful 2011!

Love, Peace, and Smiles,

Cassandra

Eureka! It's a Confession!

G'day,

Saw on Youtube a fan confession for Rooney and it got me thinking about why I'm a fan of Brandon, Louis, Ned, Taylor, and Robert. I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia and moved to America in the year 2000 (was almost 11 at the time). Was dealing with a bit of a culture shock, dealing with a different dialect of the English language, learning new slang, adjusting to the fact i don't have to wear uniforms to school anymore. Started feeling incredibly homesick and regretting even coming to America in the first place. In 2001, The Princess Diaries came out. Will admit, became smitten with Robert Schwartzman (blame those stupid tweenager fads) and imdb-ed him. Found out that he was in Rooney and ended up buying the album when it came out. See my parents allowed me into their perfect musical world and I grew up listening to Rooney's influences such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Everly Brothers, etc. It was immediately love at first hear with the self-titled album and was an integral part of my adjustment to the American lifestyle. The laid-back Californian attitude felt, in a sense, home. I grew up in a suburb of Sydney that had a complete beach bum ambience and this CD allowed me to hold on to that lifestyle instead of the new one I could be adjusting to: claustrophobic mountains, blistering cold, and the arrogant snow bunnies. The music of Rooney was my personal stepping stone to this huge transition and for that I have been and always will be thankful to the band. Of course, I've bought the other two CDs (Calling the World and Eureka) as well as the EP (Wild One) because the music continues its magic to this Land of Opportunity. Now you're probably wondering have I met the guys? Yes! In fact, twice! The first time was December of 2009 (You can read the review of the concert below), and it was inspiring. Was a tad starstruck but it subsided and it was nice to have a conversation with them. The second time I met them was about 2 weeks ago. I volunteered to help sell merchandise for them (with their merchandise personnel, Miranda) and even baked them a cake (Stars and Stripes Baby!). After all the help they've given me through their music, I felt it only right to give back (do NOT mistake this with the feeling of obligation, that wasn't it at all, pure appreciation). Each member of the band really impressed me with their approachability and how engrossed they are in their music. It's great to know that some artists still stand strongly behind their music instead of putting out a record and forgetting about it. Another fact about this band that is wonderful is that they write their own material and the music that accompanies the lyrics. It's not like the mainstream sh#t you can get nowadays where the "artist" has some washed up songwriter write their material for them and has the music producer tell them how it should sound in order to gain the most profit.... Anyway, just wanted to share my confession and to inspire other music lovers out there to seriously check out Rooney and their newest album, Eureka!

My favourite songs from each album:

Rooney: If It Were Up to Me, Popstars

Calling The World: Paralyzed, I Should've Been After You

Wild One: Suckceed, Wild One

Eureka: The Hunch, Not In My House, Go On, Into The Blue

Also loving their old-school stuff like: Hey, Misery, Meltdown, The Floor

Cheers for the music Ned, Louis, Taylor, Robert, and Brandon. You all will have my continuing support in Rooney and future projects!

Peace and Love.