Got up after a great sleep and seem to be more or less over jeltag. Then again I'm still a bit tired now. I got out on a one hour 30 min run. Felt like all I could manage just for now but I hope to build up a bit. Gran has come over so great to see her for the first time in 4.5 years so just relaxing, talking etc. I'm really glad and surprised she liked my Vegan curry. I thought we would've had to have got out the emergency pie for her. I'm glad it didn't come to that.
I ordered Die Hard 3 and 4 from amazon for 1p each plus delivery, not bad. I was tempted to order a video game then realised that would've been a negative and was showing my feeling a bit trapped etc. I feel bad to say I do miss NZ a bit, like I did when I was in OZ. I guess it's cool that I feel so happy ultimately that I live in NZ. I can't say exactly what I miss, I just love being there. I'm so happy I moved and being here as much as it's nice being back does just re-affirm that.
I was thinking of a dictaphone I thought could help my vegan sanity more. Just having something to talk into then get together ideas from it afterwards I thought could help me to stay well and balanced. Couldn't decide today though. I am more money conscious now and don't want to throw cash away if I won't use it properly but it could be worth a go.
I enjoyed connecting with Auckland vegan people on facebook and it's good I'll be going to a vegan event here before too long. will go a week tomorrow if not tomorrow. I enjoyed actually cooking tonight. That does help keep my vegan sanity. Having my Mum cook for me is nice but cooking is something I really want to keep up.
It was really great to speak to Kelly on the phone and feel that Counselling connection. She's a really cool person and has been a great friend. A fellow highly sensitive person. I look forward to getting together on Tuesday. I'm thinking now I can take something over to her place to eat.
It's strange as I do really feel I grow more somehow in NZ. Here it has that quite trapped feeling almost. As I ran around today I enjoyed remembering Club 29 where I used to rent video games when I was a kid and running by where my girlfriend lived when I was 15. So long ago. It is like just remembering an old life though that I genuinely have no ongoing attachment to now.
I was thinking though how it is nice to come back like this and check in. I plan to use the ideas from the cool money management book and look at the enjoyment and purpose I get from visiting then how I want to manage time and money to come back here again. Right now that's a bit unclear.
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Saturday, 3 August 2013
lots of vegan esque talking, dvds and lots more great vegan food. Day 3
Had another cool day of just relaxing around my home and outside. It's so so cool how much more openminded my folks seem to be thesedays. It seems they're really enjoying their older semi retired years. They are so much more compassionate in the way they talk about life, health, animals etc. I guess before they just weren't conscious.
My Dad was saying how he lost 20 pounds over the last couple of years through a more plant based diet. He was showing me a thing he got from a more enlightened doctor 8 years ago pointing out to move towards more plant based eating and regrets that he was quite dismissive at the time. He's in the living room right now reading 'Thrive' by Brendan Brazier which I bought for my sister's birthday.
My sister talks about animal rights lots. I have to stop her sometimes as she started talking about horrible animal conditions. She's pretty much vegan now I think. Today I was just recommending she get a b12 supplement which she hasn't done as yet.
My sister and me watched forks over knives which was pretty cool and those same themes. I wasn't sure if it goes a bit too far maybe. I am a strong vegan but some stuff concerns me and seems a bit less than concrete.
I do personally advocate veganism as the optimum diet for physical and mental health and that there is no need to harm an animal (to do so is a psychopathic act as some Psychologists hold). Nonetheless I felt the film clumped fish with meat etc. I feel fish in non polluted waters wouldnt be so bad on a pure physical level but best not from an ethical angle first and foremost. Also it talked about being vegan as maybe being the same as plant based but being vegan is a lifestyle incorporating more than just what we eat.
It quotes the China study a lot which does seem to have good work in it but nonetheless in some ways seems a lot of stats which are interpreted in a certain way and could potentially be seen slightly differently. It concerns me sometimes as I strongly advocate people to become vegan as a whole physical and mental health optimum lifestyle however I don't want things to become distorted and lack substance for movements towards credibly making animals as food and clothing illegal. We don't need to do that I don't think.
I do still think however the very main principles of the film are fundamentally correct. The depressing reality of a brainwashed culture and pretty much showing eating animals is bad for us... eating plants is good etc etc... eating animals causes this this and this.. eating plants reverses. Such a simple depressing truth. Shame everyone can't get it.
My Dad was saying how he lost 20 pounds over the last couple of years through a more plant based diet. He was showing me a thing he got from a more enlightened doctor 8 years ago pointing out to move towards more plant based eating and regrets that he was quite dismissive at the time. He's in the living room right now reading 'Thrive' by Brendan Brazier which I bought for my sister's birthday.
My sister talks about animal rights lots. I have to stop her sometimes as she started talking about horrible animal conditions. She's pretty much vegan now I think. Today I was just recommending she get a b12 supplement which she hasn't done as yet.
My sister and me watched forks over knives which was pretty cool and those same themes. I wasn't sure if it goes a bit too far maybe. I am a strong vegan but some stuff concerns me and seems a bit less than concrete.
I do personally advocate veganism as the optimum diet for physical and mental health and that there is no need to harm an animal (to do so is a psychopathic act as some Psychologists hold). Nonetheless I felt the film clumped fish with meat etc. I feel fish in non polluted waters wouldnt be so bad on a pure physical level but best not from an ethical angle first and foremost. Also it talked about being vegan as maybe being the same as plant based but being vegan is a lifestyle incorporating more than just what we eat.
It quotes the China study a lot which does seem to have good work in it but nonetheless in some ways seems a lot of stats which are interpreted in a certain way and could potentially be seen slightly differently. It concerns me sometimes as I strongly advocate people to become vegan as a whole physical and mental health optimum lifestyle however I don't want things to become distorted and lack substance for movements towards credibly making animals as food and clothing illegal. We don't need to do that I don't think.
I do still think however the very main principles of the film are fundamentally correct. The depressing reality of a brainwashed culture and pretty much showing eating animals is bad for us... eating plants is good etc etc... eating animals causes this this and this.. eating plants reverses. Such a simple depressing truth. Shame everyone can't get it.
Great recipe for Vegan chocolate cake
http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/4666/print-friendly.aspx
This was the recipe my Mum kindly made for me when I came over. Will definitely be making it when I return to NZ. Doesn't look so tricky. Maybe even I can make it !!!
This was the recipe my Mum kindly made for me when I came over. Will definitely be making it when I return to NZ. Doesn't look so tricky. Maybe even I can make it !!!
Aug 2nd. Sanity all good and getting over jet lag slowly. will be good to meet some other vegan peeps.
Ate all similar food yesterday and a great salad my Mum made for dinner which I'll get the recipe for when I return. Went into Stockport to get a phone. Had a good one hour run out so good to get back into training for the marathon. Was thinking how it would be good to meet more Vegan people here so will make contact with Manchester Vegans which should be good. At my folks house is cool and ideal but sometimes just having that actual vegan connection I find really invaluable somtimes. Enjoyed using Facebook a bit and commenting on all my forums I'm linked with. Feel a strange undercurrent of tiredness but am holding on to each evening before going to sleep.
I'm definitely going to be making the Vegan cake and the vegan salad from today when I get back to NZ :)
I'm definitely going to be making the Vegan cake and the vegan salad from today when I get back to NZ :)
Friday, 2 August 2013
Aug 1. Great relaxed first vegan day back in the UK. Completely veganly sane.
I arrived back and got picked up by my folks from the airport about 9 am. Was great to see them and they seemed really well in themselves. It was a great day and so cool how supportive they are of my veganism (see my other post) and how they have very much been evolving their diet to becoming iincreasingly plant based. I could see this on a health and also on an ethical level too as my Dad spoke about trying not to buy anything with palm oil in. Similarly they could really understand what I was saying about the new veganesque documentary Blackfish I'd seen. Well worth checking out by the way. During our brief discussion outside about factory farming by Dad gave a genuine 'awww' as I said about factory farmed pigs.
It was great to just really take it easy. I spent the day relaxing around the home, in the conservatory and outside. For lunch my Mum made a tomato soup which we had with cool grainy bread and some raw brocolli. For dinner we had a vegetable curry my Mum made with brown rice and also some potatoes with sweet chilli sauce (something from the Revive book 2 I bought for them). I love those books. They gratefully recieved the second one as a present so was great to share my story of how helpful I'd found the first then to pass on the second to help them further to become more vegatarian.
I didn't unpack anything and felt kind of weird all day with underlying jet lag but relaxing was just cool. Oh as an added great thing my Mum had made a vegan chocolate cake as a welcome back. Such a great idea I thought and so thoughtful. It tasted great with the soy ice cream. Do actually feel really greatful for how cool they've been. Obviously wouldn't stop me being vegan at all but would be increasingly more annoying.
In the evening we relaxed and watched Die hard I'd picked up from play.com for £1.80. So so cool. can't believe it's 25 years old.
It was great to just really take it easy. I spent the day relaxing around the home, in the conservatory and outside. For lunch my Mum made a tomato soup which we had with cool grainy bread and some raw brocolli. For dinner we had a vegetable curry my Mum made with brown rice and also some potatoes with sweet chilli sauce (something from the Revive book 2 I bought for them). I love those books. They gratefully recieved the second one as a present so was great to share my story of how helpful I'd found the first then to pass on the second to help them further to become more vegatarian.
I didn't unpack anything and felt kind of weird all day with underlying jet lag but relaxing was just cool. Oh as an added great thing my Mum had made a vegan chocolate cake as a welcome back. Such a great idea I thought and so thoughtful. It tasted great with the soy ice cream. Do actually feel really greatful for how cool they've been. Obviously wouldn't stop me being vegan at all but would be increasingly more annoying.
In the evening we relaxed and watched Die hard I'd picked up from play.com for £1.80. So so cool. can't believe it's 25 years old.
Thursday, 1 August 2013
An unbelievably great day in Kuala Lumpar :)
I had practically a dream day in Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia during my 15 hour stop over. I met my friends the night before to take me to the airport in Auckland. I had an idea of how to spend my time then they mentioned that they had some friends in Kuala Lumpar who could potentially meet with me. I said that would be great.
I was met by Jacqueline and Johnson at the airport who showed me around the city... the twin towers and the main Kuala Lumpar tower (with a trip to the top). We also ate great Vegan meals together. Starting with Dim Sum for lunch and other random stor fries etc at a restaurant for dinner. Also a visit to China Town together.
I feel embarassed although very highly gratuitous that I did not pay for anything the whole of that time other than a DVD of the new superman movie I bought for equivalent of 5 NZ dollars from China Town.
Very very lovely people. Jacqueline and Johnson belong to the same spiritual development community I am bonded with in Auckland which inspired my decision to become Vegetarian then Vegan initially. Their diet even if just vegetarian always involves not eating allium vegetables (the onion family) for spiritual reasons that they cause unrest to the heart. I have to say I haven't gone there myself yet personally but for pure compassionate reasons just love being vegan and obviously my health being super too is great.
The journey to Kuala Lumpar I pretty much slept the whole way. I was just a little aggrieved that I wasn't on their list for a Vegan meal although had requested several weeks before. They managed to still get me some food and I just missed out on the breakfast whereas the vegetarian option involved scrambled egg. I settled for some fruit and a bread roll.
Jacqueline and Johnson called the airline for me to check if I could get the Vegan meal on the way back and just as unbelievable extra support bought me some fruit and a big vegan burger to take with just in case. Such great people. They may visit Auckland next year so I really hope I can repay the favour. The spiritual development group speaks a lot about affinity, possible past lives and being linked to others in that community. That was how I was treated which was very nice and I will repay that.
Overall my Vegan life on the trip has gone exceptionally well. I remain a sane vegan firmly. :)
I was met by Jacqueline and Johnson at the airport who showed me around the city... the twin towers and the main Kuala Lumpar tower (with a trip to the top). We also ate great Vegan meals together. Starting with Dim Sum for lunch and other random stor fries etc at a restaurant for dinner. Also a visit to China Town together.
I feel embarassed although very highly gratuitous that I did not pay for anything the whole of that time other than a DVD of the new superman movie I bought for equivalent of 5 NZ dollars from China Town.
Very very lovely people. Jacqueline and Johnson belong to the same spiritual development community I am bonded with in Auckland which inspired my decision to become Vegetarian then Vegan initially. Their diet even if just vegetarian always involves not eating allium vegetables (the onion family) for spiritual reasons that they cause unrest to the heart. I have to say I haven't gone there myself yet personally but for pure compassionate reasons just love being vegan and obviously my health being super too is great.
The journey to Kuala Lumpar I pretty much slept the whole way. I was just a little aggrieved that I wasn't on their list for a Vegan meal although had requested several weeks before. They managed to still get me some food and I just missed out on the breakfast whereas the vegetarian option involved scrambled egg. I settled for some fruit and a bread roll.
Jacqueline and Johnson called the airline for me to check if I could get the Vegan meal on the way back and just as unbelievable extra support bought me some fruit and a big vegan burger to take with just in case. Such great people. They may visit Auckland next year so I really hope I can repay the favour. The spiritual development group speaks a lot about affinity, possible past lives and being linked to others in that community. That was how I was treated which was very nice and I will repay that.
Overall my Vegan life on the trip has gone exceptionally well. I remain a sane vegan firmly. :)
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