When I get tired I sleep one of two ways. Either I sleep like a log and dont wake up until morning, or I wake up constantly after having very bizarre dreams. These last couple of nights have been those with very weird dreams.
But not just any kind of weird dreams. These dreams have all been about one thing. Yep, you guessed it. Chocolate!
One was just about me smelling a chocolate marble and then I woke up (why it was a marble Im not too sure). However, the one I do completely remember was just the other night.
I was in a shop. It wasnt any specific shop, just one that my brain had made up. It was a chemist that sold food and served sandwiches. During this dream I did also apply for a job but was told I wasnt old enough to make sandwiches for the workers because they wanted someone who was elderly. Anyways, the chocolate came into this already bizarre dream when my mum put on the big freezer a bag of Clinkers. Now these werent any clinkers. These had a new orange flavour inside. They also were a reject packet because some of the clinkers inside had no chocolate on them.
That was why I began eating them. I didnt get to guess the colour, but I could still taste them. That's when it began to get really weird. I had only eaten the non chocolate ones when all of a sudden I had chocolate in my mouth!! I had to spit all my clinkers out of course, except I then realised that I had chocolate covering the whole inside of my mouth. Wanting so desperately to get rid of it I began scraping it out from my mouth. It felt like it does when you get peanut butter stuck in your mouth. It was awful!! Eventually I ended up just waking up and I realised that there really was no chocolate or clinkers or elderly lady sandwiches.
It was bizarre!!
My dad also had a dream that one day I came to them and said "I cant keep this any longer. I broke!! I did it! I ATE CHOCOLATE!!"
Hope none of them come true...
Blog again soon!
God Bless :D
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Deadly Chocolate Dealings
Ok, so I havent written in ages due to the very busy time of year most often referred to as Christmas!!! But in this very busy and dis-organised time of year chocolate has still managed to find me and successfully torture me. I shall explain...
Just before the end of the year I had my formal. The way that your meals were given to you was, rather than taking 200+ orders from my year, the two options of the dish were alternated from person to person. This was quite an efficient way of presenting us with options and allowing us to swap amongst ourselves as we pleased, while making the whole process a whole lot eaiser for the cooks.
This way of eating was rather well received and no one had any real difficulty with the meal they had placed in front of them. At least no one did until dessert...
I had heard that the two options for our dessert were to be some kind of pavlova and some other kind of cake. I was pretty pleased with both options and as the plates were presented to other tables I saw the rumours of the pavlova were confirmed as well as that of the other option being a cake.
However, when I saw what the other cake was my stomach dropped. It was the most delicious looking, 3 layered chocolate cake I have ever seen!! When our table was being served all I was thinking was 'Please let me have the pavlova!! I dont want to have the cake!! Please pavlova, please!!'. It wasnt that i didnt like the cake or i couldnt swap it (I had infact had several people offer their pavlovas to me if i got the cake). No, it was more a matter of I didnt want to have to say no to the cake and I knew I would have immense cravings for it as it came around.
Of course, what dessert did I end up with?? The cake! I immediately swapped it with a friend for the pavlova which was quite nice, but didnt quite mend my broken heart.
Since then, and especially around Christmas, the season of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, I have come into much contact wih chocolate. I have constantly had chocolate in my home, sitting open on my bench for the world to see as gifts from other people who either didnt think about me or dont know the sacrifice Im making.
I do admit that some of the torture has been self inflicted. I did offer to melt chocolate the other night for my sisters cooking. I didnt think about the pain it would cause me...Stupid thing to do!
Well, i have to go before chocolate can find me again as it is about to do. I shall see you when I have stopped trying to escape its deadly clutches :D Lol. Ill be back soon enough with more exaggerated drama of this year long event!
Blog again soon friends...
God bless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Just before the end of the year I had my formal. The way that your meals were given to you was, rather than taking 200+ orders from my year, the two options of the dish were alternated from person to person. This was quite an efficient way of presenting us with options and allowing us to swap amongst ourselves as we pleased, while making the whole process a whole lot eaiser for the cooks.
This way of eating was rather well received and no one had any real difficulty with the meal they had placed in front of them. At least no one did until dessert...
I had heard that the two options for our dessert were to be some kind of pavlova and some other kind of cake. I was pretty pleased with both options and as the plates were presented to other tables I saw the rumours of the pavlova were confirmed as well as that of the other option being a cake.
However, when I saw what the other cake was my stomach dropped. It was the most delicious looking, 3 layered chocolate cake I have ever seen!! When our table was being served all I was thinking was 'Please let me have the pavlova!! I dont want to have the cake!! Please pavlova, please!!'. It wasnt that i didnt like the cake or i couldnt swap it (I had infact had several people offer their pavlovas to me if i got the cake). No, it was more a matter of I didnt want to have to say no to the cake and I knew I would have immense cravings for it as it came around.
Of course, what dessert did I end up with?? The cake! I immediately swapped it with a friend for the pavlova which was quite nice, but didnt quite mend my broken heart.
Since then, and especially around Christmas, the season of the year when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, I have come into much contact wih chocolate. I have constantly had chocolate in my home, sitting open on my bench for the world to see as gifts from other people who either didnt think about me or dont know the sacrifice Im making.
I do admit that some of the torture has been self inflicted. I did offer to melt chocolate the other night for my sisters cooking. I didnt think about the pain it would cause me...Stupid thing to do!
Well, i have to go before chocolate can find me again as it is about to do. I shall see you when I have stopped trying to escape its deadly clutches :D Lol. Ill be back soon enough with more exaggerated drama of this year long event!
Blog again soon friends...
God bless, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Great Debate - Have I Lost Any Weight Or Not??
This has been the 2nd most frequently asked question of this past month. First its, "How's it going for you?" then " So, have you lost any weight?"
And the answer to that is...
I actually dont know!
Honest! I dont know if my giving up of chocolate has caused me to lose any weight what so ever. I do know that just before I started I did put on about 1 kg or so because I had the mind-set of "Oh, I wont be able to eat it after November 1 so why not?". I also was given a HUGE stack of chocolate for my birthday so I ate that just before I started too. I actually had to palm some off to other people because there was just so much of it.
I have still been going to the gym and eating healthy both before and after my set date so I cant actually tell whether its the ceasing of chocolate or just healthy eating and exercising which has just meant that I am slowly losing a little weight like I have been.
So in absolute answer to the great debate question, yes I have lost weight, but whether it is because of my no-chocolateness, Im not sure.
There you have it!
Blog again soon
God bless
And the answer to that is...
I actually dont know!
Honest! I dont know if my giving up of chocolate has caused me to lose any weight what so ever. I do know that just before I started I did put on about 1 kg or so because I had the mind-set of "Oh, I wont be able to eat it after November 1 so why not?". I also was given a HUGE stack of chocolate for my birthday so I ate that just before I started too. I actually had to palm some off to other people because there was just so much of it.
I have still been going to the gym and eating healthy both before and after my set date so I cant actually tell whether its the ceasing of chocolate or just healthy eating and exercising which has just meant that I am slowly losing a little weight like I have been.
So in absolute answer to the great debate question, yes I have lost weight, but whether it is because of my no-chocolateness, Im not sure.
There you have it!
Blog again soon
God bless
Saturday, November 20, 2010
This Is Definitely Harder Than I Thought...
So I have just spent the last two days shopping and I have come to realise just how much chocolate I actually cant eat. Usually if I was out and I wanted something to drink I would have gotten a chocolate thickshake or some other kind of chocolatey-milky drink. When I was shopping on Friday, I went past Gloria Jeans and got a mango fruit chiller because that was one of the very few cold drinks I could actually get from there unless I went to Boost Juice which was down the other end of the shopping centre. And then getting something to eat, I would have usually gotten something with chocolate in it again. This time I only got a cinnamon donut.This wasnt a bad thing, dont get me wrong about that. Cinnamon donuts taste sooooooooooo good. I had forgotten how much I love them.
Its really been an eye opener these last few days. I think its actually finally sinking in that I cant have chocolate for a whole year. A whole year!!! Its only been 20 days and already Im finding it really difficult. I know people keep saying 'oh it will get easier' and 'eventually you wont even miss it' and I know they are probably true, very true. But I cant help but think, why cant it just either be easier now or jst be over already?? It would make my life a little less...oh I dont know. I want to say stressful but its not stressing me out. I want to say happier but Im not sad without chocolate. I want to say annoying but that doesnt seen quite right either. Oh I really dont know what Im trying to say.
I guess what this blog is about is that it actually is harder than I thought. Its like losing a best friend. At first you really miss them and everything seems horrible without them. You then begin to find substitutes for them and you tell yourself 'Oh, its not really that bad'. Then reality sinks in. You realise nothing you substitute in is ever going to take their place. You just have to live without them and that the world's still spinning and you're still living. You still have the memories and there is now room for even more to be made. I know that giving up chocolate and losing a best friend are two very different things, but it is something that can be related to any loss. I am starting to see that this sacrifice of mine is impacting other areas of my life and that God is using this to teach me and help me grow in my understanding of the world.
Wow. I honestly did not expect any of that to come out. That just goes to show that this is a learning experience for me and that through my insane idea to give up chocolate for a year, I will grow more and more and Im sure I will come to know more about me and just exactly what I can do. I certainly hope that my analogy above helps you understand a little of what Im going through, even if it does seem a little dramatic. But hey, it is me telling this story. Of course its going to be dramatic. Thats just who I am, thats just the way my God made me, and I love it!!
blog again soon friends...
Its really been an eye opener these last few days. I think its actually finally sinking in that I cant have chocolate for a whole year. A whole year!!! Its only been 20 days and already Im finding it really difficult. I know people keep saying 'oh it will get easier' and 'eventually you wont even miss it' and I know they are probably true, very true. But I cant help but think, why cant it just either be easier now or jst be over already?? It would make my life a little less...oh I dont know. I want to say stressful but its not stressing me out. I want to say happier but Im not sad without chocolate. I want to say annoying but that doesnt seen quite right either. Oh I really dont know what Im trying to say.
I guess what this blog is about is that it actually is harder than I thought. Its like losing a best friend. At first you really miss them and everything seems horrible without them. You then begin to find substitutes for them and you tell yourself 'Oh, its not really that bad'. Then reality sinks in. You realise nothing you substitute in is ever going to take their place. You just have to live without them and that the world's still spinning and you're still living. You still have the memories and there is now room for even more to be made. I know that giving up chocolate and losing a best friend are two very different things, but it is something that can be related to any loss. I am starting to see that this sacrifice of mine is impacting other areas of my life and that God is using this to teach me and help me grow in my understanding of the world.
Wow. I honestly did not expect any of that to come out. That just goes to show that this is a learning experience for me and that through my insane idea to give up chocolate for a year, I will grow more and more and Im sure I will come to know more about me and just exactly what I can do. I certainly hope that my analogy above helps you understand a little of what Im going through, even if it does seem a little dramatic. But hey, it is me telling this story. Of course its going to be dramatic. Thats just who I am, thats just the way my God made me, and I love it!!
blog again soon friends...
Sunday, November 14, 2010
No I'm Not Insane
So I thought today I would share just a little about why I am actually giving up chocolate for a year (because I am not insane) and who STOP THE TRAFFIK actually are and what they do.
A few years ago, we were going on a mission trip to Mexico and we were selling chocolates to raise money. We had been selling them for a few weeks when my mum came home one day from a conference thing and told us about what she had just heard that day. That was the first time I had ever heard about human traffiking and child slave labour on cocoa farms. We decided there and then to stop selling our chocolates because Cadbury was one of the companies that bought their cocoa beans from Cote D'Ivoire in Africa.
Cote D'Ivoire is responsible for nearly half of the worlds cocoa farms and on most of these, the workers are children under the age of 14. These children are either conned into working for the farmers or are abducted . They are taken under the false promises of money for their families, food, shelter and education, but rarely do they ever see any of these. They work for less that $1 US a day, and overall it adds up to around $120 US a year. None of this money they make actually goes to their families at all and often they never see their families again.
When these children are on these farms they are treated shockingly. They are forced to work incredibly ling hours under the overbearing sun and are constantly bent over picking these beans. If they dont pick their daily quota of beans they are severely beaten. Also, if they try to escape they are beaten as well. Many of the workers have lost limbs because of their beatings. The huts they live in are small and have no windows and the doors are guarded. There are so many kids in one hut that they hardly have enough room to lie down.
Cadbury, along with Nestle, Mars and Hersheys, the other big chocolate manufactures, all purchase their cocoa beans from farms with conditions such as the ones described above. They don't car about the injustice that is occurring so long as the get the best quality beans for the cheapest price.
STOP THE TRAFFIK is an organisation that works to stop human traffiking in our world. They have a chocolate campaign which is all about raising awareness of the issue and telling chocolate manufactures that we won't buy their chocolate unless it is fair trade (meaning they can guaruntee the farmers and the workers are paid their right amount). That is why I am doing this insane thing. I am raising money for STOP THE TRAFFIK to help stop human traffiking, child slave labour and to raise awareness about this issue. I can only hope my works will make a difference.
blog again soon...
A few years ago, we were going on a mission trip to Mexico and we were selling chocolates to raise money. We had been selling them for a few weeks when my mum came home one day from a conference thing and told us about what she had just heard that day. That was the first time I had ever heard about human traffiking and child slave labour on cocoa farms. We decided there and then to stop selling our chocolates because Cadbury was one of the companies that bought their cocoa beans from Cote D'Ivoire in Africa.
Cote D'Ivoire is responsible for nearly half of the worlds cocoa farms and on most of these, the workers are children under the age of 14. These children are either conned into working for the farmers or are abducted . They are taken under the false promises of money for their families, food, shelter and education, but rarely do they ever see any of these. They work for less that $1 US a day, and overall it adds up to around $120 US a year. None of this money they make actually goes to their families at all and often they never see their families again.
When these children are on these farms they are treated shockingly. They are forced to work incredibly ling hours under the overbearing sun and are constantly bent over picking these beans. If they dont pick their daily quota of beans they are severely beaten. Also, if they try to escape they are beaten as well. Many of the workers have lost limbs because of their beatings. The huts they live in are small and have no windows and the doors are guarded. There are so many kids in one hut that they hardly have enough room to lie down.
Cadbury, along with Nestle, Mars and Hersheys, the other big chocolate manufactures, all purchase their cocoa beans from farms with conditions such as the ones described above. They don't car about the injustice that is occurring so long as the get the best quality beans for the cheapest price.
STOP THE TRAFFIK is an organisation that works to stop human traffiking in our world. They have a chocolate campaign which is all about raising awareness of the issue and telling chocolate manufactures that we won't buy their chocolate unless it is fair trade (meaning they can guaruntee the farmers and the workers are paid their right amount). That is why I am doing this insane thing. I am raising money for STOP THE TRAFFIK to help stop human traffiking, child slave labour and to raise awareness about this issue. I can only hope my works will make a difference.
blog again soon...
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Oh How I Wish I Had a Shell Like a Turtle
Ok, so I have now been chocolate free for a week, and honestly, it hasnt been too bad. I have sometimes wished I was a turtle with a shell I could hide in though. Like Thursday when Carly was getting her 20 boxes of chocolates and then there was selling happening left, right and centre. Or when we were walking through Charlestown Square on saturday and there was chocolate in every single shop we entered. Or when we were at Singleton and bought snacks and the counter I stood at had about 8 boxes of chocolates right beneath my nose. Oh how I am waiting for the day I dont miss it anymore...
Other than that, it's been pretty easy. I've had fun joking around with how hard it has been. It really isnt as bad as I sometimes make out. I admit it. I am sometimes exaggerating how awful it is for me. Sometimes it is, like those explained above, but I am just joking most of the time :D
I am really looking forward to what God has planned for me over this year. I havent really spoken about Him much at all yet but tonight I will. God was a MAJOR reason I did this in the first place. Not only has he created me with a heart for social justice but He was the one who placed this idea in my mind in the first place. I had this idea for a while but God was the one who really set the idea on fire. So now I am looking forward to what He is going to show me through this sacrifice of mine.
For those of you reading this who arent Christian then I just want to tell you a little about my Saviour. I say a little because honestly, there is no way that in one reasonable size post I could say all I wanted to. Firstly, you are loved by someone who knows you inside out, even better than you know yourself, and he is just waiting for you to begin searching for him cause he wants to blow you away with his love for you. He sent his one and only son to die for you so that whenever you decide to live life your way instead of following him, you can still have eternal life through Jesus.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you how you are a sinner and you are a bad person and there is a big fuzzy wuzzy in the sky who will make you follow all these rules and say all these prayers at certain times of the day. I am going to tell you that the hole you have inside you (you know the one I'm talking about) that you can never seem to fill, can be made whole. That ache in your heart can be eased completely. You can be made whole. You can have that same peace and that same joy that you see in me. All you have to do is accept that you were created by the creator, he made you individual and unique and he loves you more than you can ever imagine.
Please think about this as you go to sleep tonight. If you have any questions, queries or anything, dont hesitate to ask me. I can promise you that when you begin to search for God with your whole heart, he will reveal himself to you.
Please also, if you feel at all compelled, please donate/sponsor me. You do have a year, but why not be the first!!
Blog again soon...
God Bless <3
Other than that, it's been pretty easy. I've had fun joking around with how hard it has been. It really isnt as bad as I sometimes make out. I admit it. I am sometimes exaggerating how awful it is for me. Sometimes it is, like those explained above, but I am just joking most of the time :D
I am really looking forward to what God has planned for me over this year. I havent really spoken about Him much at all yet but tonight I will. God was a MAJOR reason I did this in the first place. Not only has he created me with a heart for social justice but He was the one who placed this idea in my mind in the first place. I had this idea for a while but God was the one who really set the idea on fire. So now I am looking forward to what He is going to show me through this sacrifice of mine.
For those of you reading this who arent Christian then I just want to tell you a little about my Saviour. I say a little because honestly, there is no way that in one reasonable size post I could say all I wanted to. Firstly, you are loved by someone who knows you inside out, even better than you know yourself, and he is just waiting for you to begin searching for him cause he wants to blow you away with his love for you. He sent his one and only son to die for you so that whenever you decide to live life your way instead of following him, you can still have eternal life through Jesus.
I'm not going to sit here and tell you how you are a sinner and you are a bad person and there is a big fuzzy wuzzy in the sky who will make you follow all these rules and say all these prayers at certain times of the day. I am going to tell you that the hole you have inside you (you know the one I'm talking about) that you can never seem to fill, can be made whole. That ache in your heart can be eased completely. You can be made whole. You can have that same peace and that same joy that you see in me. All you have to do is accept that you were created by the creator, he made you individual and unique and he loves you more than you can ever imagine.
Please think about this as you go to sleep tonight. If you have any questions, queries or anything, dont hesitate to ask me. I can promise you that when you begin to search for God with your whole heart, he will reveal himself to you.
Please also, if you feel at all compelled, please donate/sponsor me. You do have a year, but why not be the first!!
Blog again soon...
God Bless <3
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Beginnings
Well, I have officially given up chocolate for a whole year! I started on Monday and have been sober ever since. LOL :D I havent had any chocolate yet although I have said NO already...6 times to be exact. It hasnt been too bad yet. I did have a craving on Monday during Geography for peanut M&M's but everything else has been pretty sweet. I'll go through it for you:
MONDAY
Woke up and got ready. Opened the pantry for breakfast and saw the Milo sitting right there staring at me, screaming "EAT ME!!". That was the first contact I had with a chocolate item (yes I am counting Milo as chocolate!). At school I said no to Caitlin when she offered one of her brownies, but I did smell it. i can savor the smell at least if I cant savor the taste. Had cravings for peanut M&M's in Geo but was sweet there on until we stopped at maccas for supper Monday night on our way to Canberra. Usually I would have a chocolate sundae and if I was cold I would have a hot chocolate. However, when we walked in and had a look at the cakes at Mcafe, there was like 2 things that didnt have chocolate in the WHOLE display window thing. I ended up having a caramel sundae (which isnt as nice as chocolate) and a decaf caramel latte.
TUESDAY
Went to some little burger and chips shop for morning tea and had to say no to a hot chocolate yet again, but was able to substitute an ice coffee milk for it. After the funeral there were little caramel slices out. Now, I LOOOOOOOOOVE caramel slice so I was a little cut that I couldnt eat them, but then I figured out a way I could eat them. All I had to do was get rid of the chocolate slab on the top, then I could eat as many as I wanted.
WEDNESDAY
Again, opened up the pantry and had Milo stare me down, but I rejected him yet again, as I will have to do for the next 362 days. Oh well! Came into contact with chocolate at school but I didnt really have to say no, oh actually I did. Jess offered me some chocolate in the morning but I said no.
I have to say I havent really found it as hard as I thought. The worst part has been having to stop myself 'cleaning others crumbs' so to speak. I have had to stop just taking a sip of my sister's hot chocolate, or eating the crumbs that someone leaves on their plate. I'm sure soon it will get easier and I wont have to really think about it at all. Until that day though, its full concentration...
Blog again soon :D
MONDAY
Woke up and got ready. Opened the pantry for breakfast and saw the Milo sitting right there staring at me, screaming "EAT ME!!". That was the first contact I had with a chocolate item (yes I am counting Milo as chocolate!). At school I said no to Caitlin when she offered one of her brownies, but I did smell it. i can savor the smell at least if I cant savor the taste. Had cravings for peanut M&M's in Geo but was sweet there on until we stopped at maccas for supper Monday night on our way to Canberra. Usually I would have a chocolate sundae and if I was cold I would have a hot chocolate. However, when we walked in and had a look at the cakes at Mcafe, there was like 2 things that didnt have chocolate in the WHOLE display window thing. I ended up having a caramel sundae (which isnt as nice as chocolate) and a decaf caramel latte.
TUESDAY
Went to some little burger and chips shop for morning tea and had to say no to a hot chocolate yet again, but was able to substitute an ice coffee milk for it. After the funeral there were little caramel slices out. Now, I LOOOOOOOOOVE caramel slice so I was a little cut that I couldnt eat them, but then I figured out a way I could eat them. All I had to do was get rid of the chocolate slab on the top, then I could eat as many as I wanted.
WEDNESDAY
Again, opened up the pantry and had Milo stare me down, but I rejected him yet again, as I will have to do for the next 362 days. Oh well! Came into contact with chocolate at school but I didnt really have to say no, oh actually I did. Jess offered me some chocolate in the morning but I said no.
I have to say I havent really found it as hard as I thought. The worst part has been having to stop myself 'cleaning others crumbs' so to speak. I have had to stop just taking a sip of my sister's hot chocolate, or eating the crumbs that someone leaves on their plate. I'm sure soon it will get easier and I wont have to really think about it at all. Until that day though, its full concentration...
Blog again soon :D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)