I've been "meme" tagged by nell18-3, stacey79 and madchanny (you snooze and they just all creep up on you!!!)

Here are the rules for this tag.

1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1. I have a phobia of needles 
It's can be quite difficult at times.  How I react depends on a lot on how the person giving the needle reacts to me.  If they're sympathetic and understanding, I can usually get away with whimpering and few tears.  If they're belligerent and don't want to waste their time, it usually flips the switch in my brain and I just lose it.  I'll cry and scream and swear and pretty much do whatever I can to protect myself.  Which doesn't help but I don't seem to have a lot of control at that point.  Strange but true...

2. I have played the piano since was 10
I learned for 15 years and only stopped learning when I had my first daughter.  I don't have a piano anymore *pouty* but I have a keyboard which I play sometimes.

3. I am a big Muppets fan
I remember watching the Muppet Show on TV when I was only 4.  We also had the Muppet record album.  I've gotten into all the Muppet stuff since - Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Storyteller and the Muppets Tonight show that was on about 10 years ago.  Yep - I'm a freak.

4. I used to be the lead singer in a band called "Gypsy Ave"
We learned a lot of cover stuff but we wrote music too.  We had a guitar, a bass, drums and an electric banjo.  Sometimes I'd play keyboard as well.  We only did a few gigs, but then I got glandular fever, so I had to give it up.

5. I played Hunyak, the Hungarian murderess, in the musical Chicago when I was 18
The really funny thing about this is that Hunyak only speaks Hungarian, so I took the script to the Hungarian embassy to ask if they could tell me how to pronounce it and translate it for me.  The guy started reading it then he looked at me horrified and asked if I knew what it said. I said I didn't know.  He explained how it was a very graphic explanation of how this guy gets beheaded with a sword.  Oops!  I explained the play and he was really good about it.  Years later I found out that someone who'd come to seen it had thought I was Hungarian in real life.  So he did a good job teaching me the language.

6. I once wrote a music score for a play of Rumpelstiltskin my friend put on
We had a violin, a viola, two cellos, a clarinet and a celtic harp.  It was a pretty big challenge, but at the end we had a half hour production and later we recorded the music and narration in a recording studio.  We were pretty pleased with how professional it sounded on the recording.

Okay, I'm now going to tag: kathrynr1402, gypsie, deborahsc2203, emmysmum, arna and jenlemen.

I've not been on Minti much lately. Actually, I've not been on the computer at home much.  So I haven't been keeping myself honest!!!

My first week of weight loss was really good and I lost a kg.  The second week, I started cheating, but still managed to lose 0.4kg.  I'm trying really hard to get back on track, but I'm not quite there yet.  Got to start again with my exercising everyday.  That's what I did the first week, but when I had the kids last week, I got out of the habit. 

I'm feeling pretty disillusioned with work too.  I really want to get a new job - something that I'm appreciated for and which I can do really well at and which I would enjoy.

Other than that, I've just been planning the wedding.  It's been a lot of fun doing the planning.  All the options and possibilities.  Now I've just got to work out how to do it within a budget!!

Well the silly season is over for another year and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself.  And now for a confession...

As most of you know, I have lost a lot of weight in the past.  My avatar is one of my favourite photos cause that's when I was at my lowest weight since puberty.  But ever since I met my wonderful BF, I have been packing on the kilos.  As much fun as it is going out to dinner a lot, I haven't yet learnt the skill of preventing it going to my waistline.  I'm pretty annoyed at myself to be honest, but now we've set a date for the wedding (5 March 2009), I'm determined to get myself back to that weight before we get married.

So I've started my eating healthy and exercising everyday routine.  And to keep me honest, I thought I'd let you guys in on it all.  Took a "before" photo last night.  Its pretty embarassing, but as I said, it'll keep me honest.  I'm hoping in a few months I will be able to post a much more flattering "after" photo.  I'm aiming to lose about 16kg and get down from a size 14 to a size 10 (which is what I was before) by the end of August 2008. 

Wish me luck!!