I have something to share with you. Yes it has been quite some time since I went into Melbourne CBD to offer some Free Hugs inspired by Juan Mann who founded this campaign on the simple principle of giving a stranger a hug… and I have to tell you that I have had some real fun and challenges editing the footage, however… it is here!

If you are thinking of joining the Free Hugs worldwide campaign, I have recently learned that there is an illustrated Free Hugs guide available and it is filled with descriptions, anecdotes and iconic illustrations of over 30 different styles of hugs that leave the reader with a lasting impression.

So firstly, let me introduce you to State of Man (SOM). They are an awesome band based in Atlanta who totally RAWK and have a reputation for being “One of the East coasts premier acts” (XM Satellite Radio). They kindly agreed and gave me permission to use their inspiring song Swallow Your Fears to accompany the footage. Yay!! Thank you SOM.

This song was chosen by me because it was written to inspire you to move beyond fears caused by past disappointments in life. A song about living, trusting and loving again. A song that made me feel like I was alive and free. It made me want to hug the closest person to me when I first heard it so I thought it apt for adding to this footage.

If you like the music, please consider becoming a fan of State of Man in Facebook or click the banner to join the club and support them.

Feel free to share this post with your friends and family and get SOM love for this wonderful band State of Man. I have also given you the download link for the movie and it does require a Flash Embed plugin for Wordpress blogs.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the hugs that brought smiles to the faces of many people including my own

Free Hugs

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“Hugging is healthy. It helps the immune system, cures depression,
reduces stress and induces sleep. It’s invigorating, rejuvenating and
has no unpleasant side effects. Hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.

Hugging is all natural. It is organic, naturally sweet, no artificial
ingredients, nonpolluting, environmentally friendly and 100 percent wholesome.

Hugging is the ideal gift. Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive,
shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, is fully returnable.”
Author Unknown

It seems only fitting that my 100th post on Buzzing with Ange is to share with you my greatest personal challenge to date. Seeing as this blog is about personal development, it is important that I let you in on how my journey is progressing and some of the challenges that I take on. I am involved with a fitness group who have organised to trek the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea in June of this year.

For Australians, this is the setting of an extremely difficult time during World War II where we lost the most number of diggers - 6000, in the shortest space of time - 7 months. The Aussie soldiers held the Japanese back from taking Port Moresby by land, retreating many times and firing back to exhaust the Japanese soldiers into re-thinking their strategy which saw them file back to the Northern part of the Island.

The Kokada Trail is a single file footpath that stretches for 96 kilometres (about 60 miles) in a north/south direction, straight across the Owen Stanley ranges in Papua New Guinea. My good Aussie mate Allan and I will be combining our efforts to bring you some history of the Kokoda Trail, along with the training I am undertaking and most importantly, the mindset behind taking on such a feat.

This is not a decision I made lightly and for those that know me on a personal level would know that I am not the kind of girl to get my hands dirty, camping and hiking in the outback is not something I do on a regular basis as I am a creature of comforts and I really, really like hot showers, clean toilets, meals cooked in a clean kitchen and a comfy bed with a cozy doona/comforter to snuggle into. So, do you think I am going to have to have a paradigm shift in order to get through this challenge and change my mindset around creature comforts? I think it will open up new possibilities for me in the way I perceive things, and I will definitely be in need of a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel on this trip.


Kokoda Memorial 1000 Steps

Saturday just gone was our first official training day as a group and I was whisked off to the Dandenong Ranges here in Melbourne to climb the 1000 steps which are part of the Kokoda memorial. I didn’t count them as I was too busy trying to catch my breath. I have plenty of work to do on my fitness level in preparation for this adventure so stick with me and I will give updates on my progress.

I will leave you with a sample of what I am to expect once we land in Port Moresby… tell me your thoughts and if someone here has already taken this challenge on, please share your experience. There are many expeditions organised on regular basis through various companies.

It’s very late here now, but I could not go to bed without posting this. There was a list of the Top 100 Australian Blogs posted by Meg Tsiamis over at Dipping Into The Blogpond which is a blog with an Aussie focus, and I was thrilled to find out that I made that list! As far as I know, it is the first time I have made it and at number 81, it is a great start for me. The top three blogs are Problogger, Entrepreneurs Journey, and lifehack.org.

Meg uses three variables which are the Alexa ranking for Australia, the Alexa ranking for the US, and the Technorati ranking of a blog to determine the numbers. To learn more of how she does this, read it here.

Aside from this successful blog, Meg also facilitates the BUMPzee Australian Blogs Community and owns and runs dlook which is an Australian Online Business Directory, and from what I saw, there is also a dlook dating site if anyone is interested! Kudos to Meg for running such successful businesses.

Blogging is quite a community affair. I remember when I first started Buzzing with Ange and I used to wonder how to get people to read it. Twelve months later, I have made it into a Top 100 list. Not bad for a stay at home mother of two who has had quite a varied number of roles in her lifetime to date.

The social media has been a worthwhile area to be involved in with building a blogging community and learning how to drive traffic to my site. I must say that it has all been a very fun way of getting to know people too and the reasons why they blog.

Now it is really getting late here.

I will go to sleep smiling and grateful.

Dedicated to Success