To tie the knot or not?

Just give me a second to get over my self-satisfaction of coming up with a title that featured two words that sound phonetically identical but are spelt differently.

I think that second went when I typed that elaborately long sentence!

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Back on topic. I just read an article on Marie Claire that said 55% of Australians do not want to get married.  The article questions if marriage is still relevant (in fact that is the title of the article, fancy that!). This is a topic close to my own heart because I recently had the following conversation with a family member (no points for guessing which family member it probably is).

Mystery Family Member: So, has The BF indicated his intentions to you?
Me: Whatever on earth do you mean?
MFM: Well, his plans for the future... settling down...
Me: I don't know, we've joked about it sometimes but that's about it...
MFM: How long have you guys been together?
Me: Two years and a bit... why?
MFM: You know, I read somewhere (dramatic pause)... that if the man hasn't proposed after one year, he will probably not propose ever... 

I was half tempted to send that article link to her when I read it, because I always get slightly miffed when someone just assumes that your life's greatest goal is to get hitched. Anyway, personal predicaments aside, I just thought this would be an interesting can of worms to open.

Couples are getting married much later into courtship. Some after 5 years, others 10 years even. Some couples, potentially most couples, may never ever meet a celebrant. The marriage scene has changed quite a bit though... culturally with increasing divorce rates marring the sanctity of marriage (only 33% in Australia in 2002 according to the ABS, but still pretty high), society tending towards more liberated religious views, and the fact that legally, you could have the same rights as a married couple just by living together for 6 months.

So, where is the incentive to get married then?

I'm not an Insitution of Marriage basher... I would like to get married. Some day. Definitely not right now when I'm trying to get my finances in check, and not just after 2 years. And call me crazy, but I still feel like I'm too young. I feel like I'm too young to start a family. Maybe in the next 5 years or so, but definitely not now. And aside from the encounter with MFM, I really haven't felt any pressure. Sure, some Facebook photos and updates have popped up about white dresses and little bubs, but for the most part, most of my friends remain unmarried.

What do you think? If you're happily married (and have been so for awhile), would you do it again?
This question just brings to mind a conversation my high school teacher had with her daughter while we were out for coffee. She said that if she could do it all over again, she would never get married. Anddd conversation at the table immediately got slightly awkward for the poor student at the table...

If you're single/in a domestic partnership, do you want to get married? Or is marriage something you're writing off the cards?

/edit Just read this post by Whitney, and it echoes everything I want to say.

Hiatus

Last week, my computer got sent for some repairs so I was computerless, and in a way, internetless for a week. I could access the internet from my phone but it was so much hassle I preferred not to.

Shall I just call that brief period a moment of self-discovery?

I've mentioned a few times that I have an internet addiction. You may have thought it was a joke, but I truly do have an internet addiction, I spend almost all my waking hours on the internet, doing God only knows what. I took that time off from the computer to be my time off the internet.

That was when I had an epiphany.

I've always complained about how hard it is to head offline. But really, it's as hard as hitting the off button on my computer.

So, for an indefinite amount of time, that's what I'll be doing. Pulling the plug.

I'm not going to quit cold turkey, or take myself offline from the world forever... I'm not some kind of crazy extremist :P I do like to keep in contact with friends and I still love to reddit. It's really the only thing that's stopping me from becoming a full-blown hermit.

As a result, this blog will be unattended for awhile... while I pick up more offline hobbies, and attend to them a little more. I have some HP Lovecraft that needs attention, and I'm only up to book 3 of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series and I would like to finish that in my lifetime. The series, I mean.

So, there. I guess this is goodbye for now.

Challenge: Parkour Generations Shock Absorber Workout

I haven't been able to post much since returning from my holiday, because as these things go, I am now sick. I think I caught some stomach virus towards the end of my holiday, and now I have everything from chest pains to this wonderful blessed gift of eating-very-little-only-to-feel-sick-anyway-and-wished-I-hadn't-eaten-anything. 

I haven't been able to workout, except to do some gentle yoga every now and then. So I haven't been able to try out the challenge below, but it reminded me so much of Ryan Higa's Daily Life of a Ninjahinja.

My favourite part of that video is the "Art of Surprize". Hilarious.

Ok, back on topic. I have so much respect for people who do parkour, especially ninjas. Check out the challenge image below, or view the challenge on Tribesports.

Click for a larger image, or go here for the full article.

You can even do that workout to that Parkour song in that Ninjahinja video. Just a suggestion :P

Have a break, and a Kit Kat if you so wish

Right this minute, I should be lounging on a beach in Koh Samui. That's right, I even had the foresight to write this scheduled post so I could brag about it /cue evil laughter.

Jelly yet?
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It's been awhile since I've had a restful holiday. It's not that I don't take any leave, it's just that, being the Type-A girl that I am, I always need to be doing something during my holidays. The last holiday I had was a snowboarding holiday. It was great, but I didn't feel rejuvenated at all.

Apparently, Australians have a collective 70 million annual leave days stockpiled. This may make you out to sound like a better worker, but research has shown that not having a break actually decreases productivity.

Even if it's just a weekend away to the Peninsula Hot Springs, or a week retreat in Gwinganna  (this is my ultimate holiday...), give yourself that you time to rejuvenate, and the sweetness of doing nothing. Can you tell that Eat, Pray, Love has rubbed off on me? No idea what I'm talking about? Read all about the art of nothing here.

So, when was your last holiday? Any good holiday suggestions?