Author: Toni

A digital content consumer with a love for social media. Also a self-confessed geek, doggies fan, Harry Potter fan, and a tourist in her own city.

5 things that should stop when you are in your thirties

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When you are in your 30s (ahem, mid to late thirties in my case but I currently reside on the island of DE-NIAL) one thing becomes apparent. People you know like your friends and family tend to highlight the fact that this milestone means you will need to change in some way. You no longer have that ‘leave pass’ that you did in your twenties. Here are some of the things you will notice become a little less acceptable once you are a thirty-something.

Carrie in Sex and the city

1. Partying through the week.

In your twenties it becomes a lot easier to go out and drink more than once a week. School-night catch ups with friends over a cheeky wine or vodka is something you do Tuesday through to Friday and getting up for work the next morning is a breeze. Hangovers seem to disappear after a coffee, panadol and a few hours sleep. Now that I am well and truly in my thirties, going out on a Saturday night alone means an early night on Friday and a grooming/beauty schedule that starts Thursday night. And maybe a nap.

Turning 30

2. Using your phone, as a phone.

When I was at uni, a one hour phone call with friends was the norm. Now, I am so attached to the ‘smart’ bit of my ‘smart phone’, I do anything but talk on it. Goodbye voice calls – I don’t need to talk to people. Keeping in touch with friends means Whats App, FB chat and the odd SMS.

3. Eating whatever you want.

No more late night kebabs, happy meals or soft drink/chips combos. Hellooo to healthy smoothies and learning words like ‘LSA’ and ‘Quinoa’. If you want to indulge a couple of times a week though, go for it.

Getting older

4. Backpacking.

You could still carry your 14kg rucksack but you don’t need to. All the hotels you stay in have elevators right?

5. Ignoring your fitness. This whole fitness thing becomes more important.

Regular exercise turns from a bit of a hobby to being a fixture in your day. No longer can those midweek work and social events be an excuse to skip your morning run or gym session. The takeaway pizza can take a little longer to digest. Damn my no longer youthful digestive system. I love pizza. Scratch this – keep eating pizza, just run more.

Rookie at the gym

Five quotes from Dumbledore that make us wish he was our school principal

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“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

― Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling

Diagon Alley

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

— Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

IMG_5091

 

“Ah! Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit-flavored one, and since then I’m afraid I’ve rather lost my liking for them — but I think I’ll be safe with a nice toffee, don’t you?”
He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth.
“Alas! Ear wax!”

— Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

 

Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida. Copyright A Cocilovo 2013
Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida. Copyright A Cocilovo 2013

 

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

— Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Platform 9 3/4

Can I ask you something?”

“Obviously, you’ve just done so,” Dumbledore smiled. “You may ask me one more thing, however.”

“What do you see when you look in the mirror?”

“I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.” Harry stared.

“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.”

— Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

How the Lost finale made me lose my trust in TV

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Lost TV series has ruined me for all new TV since its finale aired on 23 May 2010.

i don’t mean that no other show has come close to matching its high octane suspense with a small dose of WTF. I mean that since spending 6 nail biting, hair pulling seasons of watching Lost, I had expected to be thorouhhly surprised and entertained for the finale. Instead, we got an episode that spilled the beans on why all those lost (pardon the pun) souls were on that forsaken island. And the answer could have been found based on one of the rumours that circulated back in season 2. What. A. Waste. Of. Time.

Since then, I give a new TV series 3 seasons to prove itself. If it doesn’t and continually strings its fans along with more answers than questions, I call it quits. This may sound a tad dramatic but Lost has caused me to lose my trust in long running series. It is like a girlfriend that has stood you up one too many times.

However now that there is a gaping hole in my TV viewing schedule (sniff no more Glee, Revenge or Parks and Recreation) I have since loosened this rule to give the following shows another chance: Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars and Supernatural. So a word of warning to TV execs – give your fans enough morsels of satisfaction and plot wind ups during seasons 1 – 3, or lose them forever. Or at least, until the next show comes along.