Upcoming Events!

Brisbane Irish Festival

Clear a space in your diary for the Brisbane Irish Festival, scheduled to take place from 9 to 17 March.

Tipped to be a week to remember, the Brisbane Irish Festival is a must for anyone with or 
without an ounce of Irish Blood. Enjoy and experience a packed schedule of events 
featuring culture, dance, sport, film, food and music.

Highlights from the Brisbane Irish Festival will include the St Patrick's Day Parade through The City, a Gaelic sports festival, an Irish Film Night, a Food Fair, the BIF Ball and plenty of music and dancing in venues across Brisbane. 

For further information visit: W: www.brisbaneirishfestival.com.au

2013 RACQ Insurance International Women's 

Day Fun Run/Walk

Brisbane's largest female orientated fun run is on again!

This event is about bringing together females of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels for a morning celebration to recognise International Women’s Day, fun & fitness and to raise awareness of women and women’s issues.

The 5km run/walk starts and finishes in the Cultural Forecourt, The Parklands, South Bank.

Entry categories include 5km Individual Walkers; 5km Individual Runners (nine age categories); and 5km Corporate Teams Challenge, as well as a School’s Team Trophy and Best Dressed Team prizes. 

DATE: 10 Mar 2013
VENUE: South Bank
SOUTH BANK
QLD 4101
W: www.womensdayfunrun.com.au

Australian Romance Readers Convention

Australian Romance Readers Convention, Brisbane, 1 March 2013 – 3 March 2013

The Australian Romance Readers Convention will bring together romance readers, authors and publishers and provide an opportunity to talk about all things related to romance fiction.

The convention is an international event and will feature award-winning authors Kristan Higgins, Anne Gracie and Rachel Vincent as keynote speakers. Panel members will include numerous bestselling Australian romance authors.

Where:Mercure Hotel, Brisbane, 85-87 North Quay, Brisbane

Visit their official website here.

International Women's Day with Gretel Killeen
International Women's Day with Gretel Killeen, Brisbane, 2 March 2013

Where:Victoria Park Golf Club, 223 Herston Road, Herston

International Women's Day  2013 is a wonderful celebration of the economic, social and political achievements of women worldwide. Come and share an afternoon of fashion, food and raffles and join us in expressing the promise, hope and potential of women -now and in the future.

Visit Website: www.coasit.asn.au for more information.

Redlands Healing Centre Launch Day Free Event 2nd March
Redlands Healing Centre Launch Day Free Event 2nd March, Brisbane, 2 March 2013

Redlands Healing Centre Launch Day Saturday March 2nd

This is an invitation to attend Redlands Healing Centre Launch Day
Saturday March 2nd 9am – 4 pm
Register online to receive free membership and great discounts
http://www.redlandshealingcentre.com.au/launch-day/

**Free Entry and a totally free event

This is a day of sharing information not selling about natural health and well-being. There will be over 35 healing modalities on display such as kiniesiology, naturopathy, iridology, allergy testing, traditional chinese massage, yoga, meditation, ,counselling, reiki, reflexology, hypnotherapy, crystal healing, spirit art, energy sheets, Doula,Acupuncture, medical intuitive, homeopathy, astrology and natal charts, Tai Chi,Women's circles, and vegetarian cooking.

There will also be performances by all girl band Love Like Hate and lots of free giveaways and demonstrations and speakers.

Register online for the launch day for your free membership to receive great specials on healing consultations, services and products.

http://www.redlandshealingcentre.com.au/launch-day/

Venue:
Redlands Healing Centre
557 Mt Cotton Road Sheldon
(10 minutes from Chandler Sports Centre)
www.redlandshealingcentre.com.au

Gem Show - Gem and Jewellery Festival
Gem Show - Gem and Jewellery Festival, Brisbane, 2 March 2013 – 3 March 2013

Over 30 dealers will have for sale a wide range of coloured gemstones like opals, sapphires, tourmalines, zircons, rubies, pearls and more. The range of gems available will be one of the largest seen in one site in south east Queensland. The festival will provide an ideal opportunity for visitors to purchase a unique Queensland gem. Jewellers in attendance will be selling a wide range of both set and unset jewellery. It will be possible to select a special gem and have it set in a setting of your choice at the show. Fossils, beads, crystals and pearls will also be featured.

Visitors to the show will be able to view displays of cut and polished gems and hand made jewellery completed by members of the club. Demonstrations of craftpersons faceting semi precious gemstones, cutting opals, and hand manufacturing jewellery will be ongoing over the weekend. 

Aviation High School, Widdop Street, Clayfield, Brisbane, Brisbane

Where:

For further information checkout their website at: www.nblc.com.au.

New Zealand in a Glass
New Zealand in a Glass, Brisbane, 4 March 2013

New Zealand is a land like no other. New Zealand wine is an experience like no other. In every glass of New Zealand wine is a world of Pure Discovery.

Join over 40 premium wineries at our exclusive tasting, featuring over 230 wines. Meet the representatives, hear their stories, taste their exceptional wines and make our discoveries your own.

Join the #nzwine conversation on Twitter at the event!

Ticket price includes your own Riedel glass to take home, valued at $20 (one glass per person).

Visit and win! Guests also have the chance to win a return trip for two to New Zealand.

Where:

     The Pullman, Cnr Ann and Roma Streets, Brisbane CBD

Website:

• www.newzealand.com/events
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http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

Accountability & weight loss!

So I'm fat.  It's time to take a stand! and I think if I make myself accountable it will work better.  Whether this gets read or not hopefully it will make me more accountable and help me lose weight.

Goal weight = 65kg

Which means I have to lose almost 30kg.  It seems a lot but I've lost half this amount around 3 years ago - I think I can do it again.

Starting on Monday, 10 Dec I am going to start back at the gym and start eating sensibly (until Christmas brunch that is :-0)

On Monday morning I will report my stats here and then report my progress every Monday morning after that!  And just to make it interesting I'm going to trial a variety of different plans to determine which one is the most effective.  I will continue each plan for 6 weeks and at the end of each 6 week period I'm going to summaries the amount of weight lost, if any.

I'm going to start on Atkins, as I have already tried this one once and it was effective then and I hope it still is, plus I already have the book for this.

So from 10 Dec 2012 until 20 Jan 2013 I'm going to be doing the Atkins diet.

Then from 21 Jan 2013 until 3 Feb 2013 I'm going to try the CSIRO diet - I also have the book for this one.

This should take 12 weeks in total.  I'm going to do some research to find some other well known diets and put them to the test.  Any suggestions, let me know.

In conjunction with healthy eating, I also plan to go back to the gym 2-3 times per week.  2 of these sessions will be for weights and cardio and 1 session will be a class - alternating between Fitbox and Pump.  I just had a look at the gym timetable for over the summer and found that there are no classes, so 3 weights sessions until the 7th of Jan 2013.

Wish me luck and stay tuned for my progress!




http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

Mental Health Wellbeing

I know I said that this last 2 weeks in October were going to be dedicated to Zombies, but since I'm going through a tough time at the moment - I thought I would just share information which may assist some readers in Australia.

Also it was Mental Health Week last week - so better late than never!

What is mental health?

Good mental health is a sense of wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem. It enables us to fully enjoy and appreciate other people, day-to-day life and our environment. When we are mentally healthy we can:

• form positive relationships

• use our abilities to reach our potential

• deal with life’s challenges

What is mental illness?

• anxiety

• schizophrenia

• bipolar mood disorder

• personality disorders

• eating disorders

• depression

What causes mental illness?

• long-term and acute stress

• biological factors such as genetics, chemistry and hormones

• use of alcohol, drugs and other substances

• cognitive patterns such as constant negative thoughts and low self esteem

• social factors such as isolation, financial problems, family breakdown or violence

A mental illness is a health problem that significantly affects how a person thinks, behaves and interacts with other people. It is diagnosed according to standardised criteria.

One in 5 Australians will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives. 

A mental health problem also affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, but to a lesser extent than a mental illness.

Mental illnesses are of different types and degrees of severity.  Some of the major types are:

These illnesses may also be referred to as a mental disorder, mental impairment or psychiatric disability.

Mental illness results from complex interactions between the mind, body and environment.  Factors which can contribute to mental illness are:

These factors can be minimised by a strong and supportive community environment.

The following information was taken from the Beyond Blue website:

General information

Depression and anxiety - an information booklet

Depression is more than just feeling sad or low during tough times. People with depression can have intense negative feelings for weeks, months or even years, sometimes for no good reason. Depression is relatively common, affecting more than one million Australians each year. Unfortunately, many people with depression don’t recognise it or get help. But, it is treatable and most people with depression go on to lead happy, productive lives with the right treatment for them. Understanding depression - information for adults (fact sheet)              Understanding Depression and Anxiety (Flyer)  Depression symptom checklist              What causes depression? (fact sheet 3)   Practical ways to help someone with depression (information card)     How to organise a public forum on depression and anxiety

Treatment   A Guide to What Works for Depression (booklet) - a comprehensive review of all known treatments for depression, including medical, psychological, complementary and lifestyle interventions   A Guide to What Works for Anxiety Disorders  Types of help available (fact sheet 4)      Changing your thinking - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (fact sheet 10)     Antidepressant medication - Advice for adults (fact sheet 11)       Getting help - How much does it cost? (fact sheet 24)   Benzodiazepines (tranquillisers and sleeping pills) (fact sheet 44)   Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) (fact sheet 48)

Recovery   Reducing stress (fact sheet 6)    Sleeping well (fact sheet 7)    Keeping active (fact sheet 8)    Changing your thinking - Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (fact sheet 10)    Reducing alcohol and other drugs (including smoking) (fact sheet 9)    Recovery (fact sheet 15)    Healthy eating for people with depression, anxiety and related disorders (fact sheet 30)

Related disorders  Anxiety disorders (information card)       Anxiety Treatment Australia provides information about anxiety disorders and the treatment options available. You will also find information on psychologists around Australia who treat anxiety disorders and who offer group therapy and workshops. Anxiety disorders (fact sheet 21)      Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (fact sheet 31)   Generalised Anxiety Disorder (fact sheet 35)  Panic Disorder (fact sheet 36)  Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (fact sheet 37)  Specific Phobias (fact sheet 38)  Social Phobia (fact sheet 39)  Bipolar disorder (fact sheet 16)     The Black Dog Institute is a world leader in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mood disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder. Reducing alcohol and other drugs (including smoking) (fact sheet 9)    Eating disorders and depression (fact sheet 42)  SANE Australia is a national charity working for a better life for people affected by mental illness – through campaigning, education and research. Problem gambling and depression (fact sheet 45)  I know this is information overload, but I think it's important to have the information at hand all in the one place, especially when you really need it.  By the way, if any readers have any further information they would like to add, please feel free to post it on this blog. The following organisations are available to assist with people with mental illness and their families:

• Queensland Alliance for Mental Health

• ARAFMI

• GROW

• Carers Queensland

• Mental Health Association of Queensland

• Mental Health First Aid

Please check out these sites and consider assisting if you can :-)