Xing + Jamie 

Jamie Cullum + Elise 

Jamie Cullum and me!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D 

What an amazing concert

As i rush to devour my noodle-lunch before heading to the airport....
I'll give a quick rview of the concert

So, Elise, Xing n i headed down to the tram stop. we think we have a fail-proof plan, after last friday's tram stresses! We figure we'll give ourselves a buffer of half and hour, which was good, because we missed the tram we thought we were going to catch. But never fear, the next one wasn't far away. Elise had her sister's digi cam, which she'd never used before. So, she's experiementing, and i'm doing some weird pose....and this random old guy comes over and puts his arm aroun dme and asks "Are you taking photos of beautiful people?"

Omg. I was so surprised. elise thougth i migth have known him, but i slowly turned my head to look at this very random guy.....friendly, but weird at the same time. we made small talk and i started to fear when he got on the same tram as us. that's ok. he came over and said "ladies, I'm sorry, i can't be your boyfriend....I'm too old". Hehe. it was really cute.So, that was my tram story. I crossed my threshold for furthest been on tram! Yay! Made it down to St Kilda!! (Finally...but not during the day, so my mentor-mentee date is still on! hehe :P )

Ok, so we get to the Palais theatre, and get our tickets.
talk about strict entry conditions...checking bags for alcohol and cameras...we were allowed small cameras. elise had this debacle concerning her supposedly professional looking camera. finally, got over it.
gosh, the theatre is soo nice! it's all old and grand and stuff....very suited to (larger) acoustic acts. So so beautiful...[see below for photos]

Mark Sholtez opened the concert. He is soo awesome! He is a brisbane jazz/pop-infused pianist/guitarist/singer/songwriter. what an act. he is seriously such a rising star. He's playign about 3 times at bennett's lane on fridays in may, so we should def. head down, becuase he's really awesome! ok, and he's hot too.... hehe :P (it's all about the suit man! hahaha). anyway, he's got a really awesome sound.....really really good. i'm gonna have to get his album, Real Street.

so then jamie cullum comes out to this amazing audience!!!
he started off pretty much how i expected from a concert....but things livened up when his band were drinking on stage...hehe. and he started talking to the audience....started taking off layers (as one should wear in melbourne).........got really excited......stomping on piano, using everything on the piano, using piano stool on piano...!

he played stuff from his entire repertoire, not just Catching tales, which was really aweomse....TwentySomething songs featured a bit! The band was soo awesome, made up of a bassist (playing electric bass as well as electirc double bass...totally aweosme!), a HOT drummer (i use the term 'hot' to denote how aweosme he is!), a trumpeter/guitarist and a saxophonist/percussionist/mixer. ALL TOTALLY AWESOME!!! they are an aweosme band...i don't think he could ask for a better band behind him! man, if i had a band like that..!

there was lots of fun during the concert....
* Jamie stepping up on the piano
* Jamie jumping from piano
* Notting Hill carnival sounds infused to the end of a song....complete with street drums, whistles and shrieks! Talk about the party atmosphere!
* Jamie on guitar
* Jamie on drums
* Cool piano things...ok, they probably hurt the piano.....stopped strings, percussive noises (banging the lid against the piano)
* Jamie percussion-ing....on the piano
* Jamie beat-boxing
*The sax solo.....amazing!!!!
* The drum solo........whifch went for a good five minutes...like, he was drumming EVERYTHIGN on stage.....including the piano...and its strings...shoulda seen jamie's face....of almost horror at the piano being treated like that hehe! :P
* the party atmosphere
* Jamie yelling out "Everybody come down the front! You pay as much for the ticket already!"
* Interactive concert....everybody singing a simple harmony thingo whikle jamie did his thing.
* jamie telling everybody to get up and on the count of 4, to jump. Yes, the whole theatre was jumping in time. like a mosh pit. totally aweomse
* all the girls yelling out "I love you jamie!!" in high pitched squeals.....then a low growl going "I love you jamie". Haha. jamie was playing piano at the time and totaly pakced it. haha.
*jamie coming down to the audience (the bassist following him). he sang this awesome version of Nature Boy.
* Jamie coming right by me. yes, he walked RIGHT BY ME. yes, i stuck out my hand to have a high-five or whatever. and yes, HE GRABBED MY HAND. now i'm sounding like an obsessive fan (you woulnd't be far..) yes, he actually grabbed it. he walked RIGHT past me a number of times. he sang so close to me. i could have hugged the bassist from my seat. (i almost did..! haha)

totally awesome.
so manyextra songs at the end...i'll find the time later to list more things, maybe...?

MY GOODNESS ME, WHAT A NIGHT!!!!! WHAT A CONCERT!!!

at the end, we were RAVING for ages!!!! xing wanted macca's, so we were like, "let's go there!" but i spotted a rather large crowd round the corner..
so we decided to join the obsessive fans to wait for him to come out. it was freezing. we waited about an hour with 60 other fans....

we were going to leave at 12 for fear of missing the tram, but soon after (we're really indecisive, so we stood there tyring to decide whether to stay or go), we heard screams and jamie had come out. yes....
and he said "I'm not leaving until i've met all you guys and you've all got your autographs and photos". he obliged to meet EVERY SINGLE person. we were last.
we got autographed tickets..(xing..programme..), a photo with him (see below) and a HUG AND A KISS! heheh :P
he is a real shorty (for a guy...) but still taller than me...pity!
haha. my camera didn't work, so it's in digital format thanks to xing's camera. as a friend fumbled for the next camera, i just kinda stood there next to jamei with his arm aroun dme. hahahaha. totally aweosme. i'm sure the grin on my face was sheer ecstasy.

so, we got to meet him. i told him i was from perth. hah.
we tol dhim he was totally awesome. we watched him get into his car, we waved to him...and blew the kisses (obsessive fans we are..!)

HECK, IT WAS DEF. ONE OF THE BEST NIGHTS FOR A LONG TIME!!
wow wow wow wow.

see below forphotos...

gotta chuck out the trash, go get ready to leave for the airport to head to perth!!!!!!!!
see u all either at home...0or back in mebourne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(sorry so messy and crazy!)

The best week in a while....

Ok, so having sufficiently blabbed on about The Idea of North concert, I am about to embark on an amazingly long Jamie Cullum blab. Maybe tomorrow, but yeah, I will. Let's just say that it was SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully tomorrow....I'll try post some photos....and the whole review. I've been on a high all day! Having gotten 62 of Elise's photos, I'm about to get a whole stack more from Xing...I will write a review soon, photos will go up soon.

There were many highlights, the one most people heard about the most was Jamie Cullum actually grabbing my hand as he strolled about the audience. (Don't worry, I have washed my hand since..!) Standing outside the stage door for a good hour waiting for him to appear. Then him subsequently annoucning that he wouldn't leave until everybody had gotten an autograph/photo etc. So, we did. We got autograph, photo with him......hug and a kiss. :D :D He's short for a guy. hehe. that' s ok....

now to nab those photos....!

City

Your city style match is New York City

The Big Apple. It's the city that never sleeps. And like New York City, you're a gal on the go who's got lots going on. Motivated and driven, you're not afraid to work hard and put in the long hours to reach your goals.

You have an edge that can go from uptown to downtown, 5th Avenue to the West Village, and anywhere in between. Whether you're in work attire, party clothes, or weekend wear, you make a stylish statement that's sophisticated, elegant, and all your own. As they say — if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere!


Which City Matches Your Style?

Brought to you by Tickle

Celebrity.... :P

Your celebrity soul mate is someone who's Indie

You're probably not one to take the path most traveled. In fact, an independent spirit like you would much rather carve out your own special niche. So it's only natural that your romantic match would be required to do the same.

Someone who's unique, intelligent, maybe a bit serious and brooding is right for the part. An indie actor like Johnny Depp seems best suited for that role. And it only makes sense that you'd rather have your rendezvous at places that are under the radar — just like you! So, keep making your own waves in the world. The awards and accolades are sure to follow for you and your celeb soul mate! And even if you don't live in the same reality as your celebrity soul mate, you can still meet someone who's indie close to home. So get moving!





Who's Your Celebrity Soul Mate?

Brought to you by Tickle

Movie...

If you were a movie, you'd be a Groundbreaking Documentary
If you think documentaries are boring, think again. Like your movie match, you're an intelligent individual who makes people think. Documentaries span all sorts of topics, from the trivial to the profound. Perhaps your interests do the same, but one thing's clear — you're a smarty and you like to learn.

We'd guess you're the person at the dinner table or the water cooler who stirs up lively debates about the latest news or tidbits from the Discovery Channel. Part of you probably gets a kick out of creating controversy and getting people fired up about their beliefs. Another part probably likes opening people's eyes and sharing your thoughts. And for that, you get two thumbs up for trying to get to the bottom of things and making waves!


What Kind of Movie Are You?

Brought to you by Tickle

What else did I do?

Saturday signalled my first big adventure in the big city of Melbourne. I went shopping by myself to Myer and Allan's and stuff. I unfortunately didn't find too much that I wanted to buy. That's ok...I did manage to get lost in Myer....that place is humungous! Heck, I even got lost in The Basement! I couldn't manage to find the Miss Shop section until I exited, found the shoe department, went back downstairs to find the chick's fashion and eventually found the girls bit of The Basement.

The chapel service last night was amazing. We sang everything unaccompanied...it was a very sombre service, but the music was just divine. Included were hymns that were harmonised by Bach and a couple of Tallis works.

The service at Jude's was really good. :)
We saw Tim (yay!), gave Sam our nametags and I met this guy who randomly asked me,
"Were you at The Idea of North concert on Friday night?"

Wow.
Yeah, turns out he was too, he must have recognised me (how on earth did he do that? He's either seen me before, or he's got this FANTASTIC memory! I, on the other hand, have never seen him, met him, nor remember him!) We raved on about the concert for a little while, then agreed that we'd see each other in October, at their next concert, and hopefully around before then, at church! Hehe :P

so, that was my oh-so-exciting weekend. Should be going to class soon.....!

The Review

So, having slept on it, I think I may be able to write a coherant review of last night.

We were lucky for so many reasons.
Firstly, we caught a much later tram, and as I sat there, stressing about not making the concert, I wondered whether they would start without us and whether we'd be able to get in.
Luckily, we were almost the last people there, but they let us in, right before they were to start! So lucky.
And our seats were at tables. There were about 18 small (read: 4 people each) tables and then behind that were stall seats. The venue is very intimate, about 100-150 capacity. It was just beautiful.

The vibe was very intimate, but electric. From the outset, Idea just had such class, such ensemble. They were in the zone before they came out. Songs they performed were drawn from their previous albums, as well as some from their upcoming gospel album, to be released later this year (I will definitely have to get my hands on that!). Also in the mix were some other songs (unreleased) and definitely show pieces. Nick went among the crowd to find the "new people" and serenaded a lady by the name of Donna (who incidentally was sitting very near me!). Lucky woman, I tell you! There was a song that "asks and answers all the big questions of life" (What is the meat that is really in spam? Chicken, lamb, pork, beef, dolphin...?). "An Ugly Woman Told Me No" was just amusing (poor Nick! :P )

I could go through every song and tell you that I loved every aspect of it....! There was an ABBA song that was redone as a ballad, Eleanor Rigby, a setting of some of Michael Lunig's poems. They did "Just Kidding", a number of Jobim hits, some awesome jazz tracks that other people had written for voice (including one stunner which included 'solos' in pure jazz style and oh-so-complex!), Fragile, No More Blues (so amazing to see performed after hearing it many times, especially on the Aural Studies cd!), Sister Sadie and so much more! I love all the songs, but there are a few I really love...it was great to hear the Idea version of Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" (which Andrew dedicated to his two little girls awww..! And there was audience participation involving us singing in parts!!!! Talk about interactive concert!), We Will Find a Way (complete with those cool electronica guitar sounds from Nick) and as an encore performance, "Man In the Mirror". It was also great to hear "His Eye is on the Sparrow" which brought back the memory of my first time I ever heard this group (on the radio. Incidentally, I only got interested in them when I heard this song - it was at a time a little while after we had to sing the hymn version of this song for House Singing!)

So, we all piled to buy CDs and get them signed and have a little chat to our new-found favourite stars! It was great to talk to them, even if it was a little while! I told Trish that we'd been to the Musica Viva concert last year (that's when we first started going!), we talked to Naomi and found out that she studied Classical Piano at the Elder Conservatory (there is still hope for me!!!!), talked to Andrew and especially Nick at length about....stuff. We asked them about their touring schedules (when they're heading to Perth...!!!! And I was even talking to them about doing gigs at Busselton, and as part of the Hale Visiting Artist's Programme! We agreed to go to their Perth concert and say hi!). We talked to Nick about how they met, what kind of things make the group, their experimentation with different keys, and Naomi's perfect pitch (see? It just gets freakier and freakier!!). We got photos with them (especially a big group one with Nick) and he promised that we'd get a big group one with all of them next time (in October).

So, we are definitely on the trail of following Idea. A concert that I greatly enjoyed - I am still buzzing and telling everybody what an awesome time I had!

So, here is a photo...more to follow when I get mine developed!





Rach B, Lauren, Gowri (at the back), Nick, Sam, me, Gina (in front). Courtesy of Gina. Thank you! :)

Good music!

I just went to see The Idea of North at Chapel off Chapel tonight.
Oh My Gosh.

So, I know they're good. I keep telling all you guys that! And their music on their CDs is totally awesome!

But when it comes to live performances, these guys are the most amazing thing I've seen in a while. The visual performance is just as engaging. And the way their show runs is just classy as. I can't even begin to describe what an awesome night I had - the vibe was just electric!

So, of course I had to buy Evidence (Nat, I know you gave me a copy, but I seem to have lost it...and it's definitely one of my faves.....so I had to have it.....! *sheepish look now...* But it is signed again!)

We also got to meet Trish, Naomi, Nick and Andrew....talked to them all, got some photos (yay! Gina, you happy-snapper!) and talked heaps especially to Nick, who talked a lot! So, if they're in Perth (which they will be....check out their website at www.idea.com.au) please please please go see them. You will not regret it, I promise! Their shows are just the most amazing thing to watch. You have to trust me on this one! I think I'd take mum to go see them!

Right.....I rave on for too long.

Week involved handing in two assignments, and the realisation that my next assignment is only due after Easter. However, I will of course will be working on it very soon and over the holidays. Really looking forward to the holidays, where my agenda is as such:
Sleep, eat, piano practice, writing essay and general bumming! Definitely rest alternated with frantic fits of work!

Okay, as I listen to Evidence, I shall continue my tute work....

Stuff.

I approach my 19th Birthday. That's scary. Almost two decades. Anyway, if anybody knows any funky bars/restaurants in Melbourne that can fit a significant number of people in (especially if we can have a section...) please let me know.

Wanted: "A nice, charming boy" to take with me to help me stake out places. The rationale is that schmoozing to get a good deal requires one of each sex so that it makes the gender thing balanced. Or something like that.

I initiated my nice new white bowl last night with noodles. While I completed my Global assignment. I said I'd go to bed by midnight. Of course, I'm always out of whack, so it was a 1am bedtime for me. Why am I not surprised?

Have finished two assignments, I think...
Have not practiced for three days and feel HORRIBLE!!!

Want to go to Planetarium at ScienceWorks. Just to see those stars :)
Got invited to another 21st! Yay!!!

Anyway.....
back to my soup and global textbook... :S

Things

Push-ups.

Connect. Mentors. Brownies. Jude's. Ringing people I don't know up.
The effects of that.

Salsa class. Lunch appointments.

My 800-word limit essay (which is wayy too little...I seriously need about 2000).

My laundry - not done for two weeks.

Cool earrings. Totally cool.

QCWT!

The note on my door.

The books on my floor - the indication of getting stressed.

The Bulgarian playlist on my computer.

Safeway and its wonderful food!

My new crockery - a white plate and bowl.

Cooking (communal, of course). The communal washing of dishes. The toothbrush parties.

2hr practice sessions.

Late nights.

The Year

Maybe this is the year for putting ourselves out there. I certainly did last night. I did half-way a few weeks ago. It's time to really let go of some of those things that have been burdening us for a while now. Some things we can keep to ourselves.
But we have to think about what we want to impart when we let it all out. What good or bad will come of it? And if there's one thing I know, it's not worth risking a good friendship, because friendships are the things that have been cultivated over time, events, moments - all of them special.

Music

As heard on ABC Radio during the Classic 100 Opera Countdown (listen to it!), from Richard Divall (who also happens to be a fellow of QC!)....

Q: What's the difference between a soprano and a pit-bull terrier?
A: Jewellery.

Not meant to cause any ruffled feathers, but there is that stereotype....and it's pretty funny.

Things on the inside that make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside...

I am seriously taken aback and quite surprised when a musician I know, respect and admire (usually for their talent, among other things) tells me "You are an amazing musician. You are really good." I often don't believe them. While I understand their intentions are all good, I still find it amazing that they might actually think that I'm good. I know my friends tell me this and it's nice to hear it, but it's even more amazing when somebody far better tells me that. It definitely makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Speaking of other warm and fuzzy feelings, I find myself being attracted to people whom I share that something intangible with. Not that all my friends don't make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but there are some people outside normal friendship groups that I feel I have some sort of intangible, special relationship with. And this is what I base this friendship on. I suspect most of them don't know that I value this friendship immensely and that I feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside when they say Hi or do something nice. They should know, but that may take away from that very personal feeling that I have. It's nice to know, or at least think that these special little emotions can bring so much joy.

On a non-warm-and-fuzzy-feeling-on-the-inside, I ran into the VM a few times today who commented that I looked "glum" today. Not cool. Maybe the stress is really showing on my face. Maybe it's because of those two blasted assignments. Although I daresay it would have been more glum if I hadn't shopped for two pairs of earrings this morning, one being large silver treble clefs, which made me feel slightly nutty but very music-y!

Realisations of Today

1) I have a long bed. I have figured this out after four weeks in residence. And after my third fitted sheet didn't quite fit (the corners don't quite fit on the corners). And after asking two friends, one who lay on my bed to see if he fit on it (he is tall, so he dangles over the edge of a normal sized bed). I thought it might have just been my first two sheets. But alas! My sheets are normal, and my bed is extra long. Of all people to have a long bed....!

2) I have a grand total of about ten assignments, a major essay, a listening test and three exams over the course of this semester. What a load! So yeah, this semester is definitely not easy. I felt so good about myself, completing three assingments in one week, but it just starts again. I have two more due next week. Surely I have it bad.

3) I function very well between the hours of about 10pm-2am. Consequently, I have taken to doing piano practice at fairly late hours, such as about 10pm-12am. I tend to be quite productive at that time!

4) I had to look on Wikipedia to acertain what this myseterious "spooning" concept so frequently thrown around at Queen's was all about. Sure, I had a vague idea, but was enlightened when I looked it up on the all-trust Wikipedia. This was brought on by somebody suggesting it to me. Jokingly, of course. Or I would have slapped him. He's lucky he's a nice guy, or there'd be some serious anger and a jaw sitting on the floor (mine) that somebody would have to pick up....

5) I have less than two dollars credit on my mobile phone. So, don't expect a msg or a phone call. I'm not going to do it.

6) www.facebook.com is amazing. Go join, especially if you're at Melbourne (because then you can join the Facebookers of Melbourne University group), or if you're at UWA, or Westover, or Curtin or ECU. Or basically any North American institution. Also so I can expand my friends database. And I like getting wall messages.

Commencement Dinner: Sze, Xing, Wen, me 

QC on the morning of the Commonwealth Games marathon (Sunday 19 March 2006). It was such a beautiful morning. We all decked out in college/Australian colours to watch the women's and men's marathon go right past our front gate! 

The elegant banner which hung from the 2nd floor of the North building of Queen's. Pity it was quite obscured by the trees.....also how convenient that our college colours are green and gold! QC makes its TV debut!! 

Min & the goat... 

Me & Sze 

The women's race... 

Goat girl, Jac, and goat boy Min with the goat 

Judy, Adrienne, SpecK, me, Sze 

F-turn: 1J in all its glory and splendour of F! 

F-turn: part of 1J  

Sze (frame) and me (in the frame) 

Me :) 

Anne: Flag 

F-turn: Me (Fortune teller-turned-Fiddler) & Pete (Fool; that's my hat!!!) 

What Would Be Different If Men Really Ruled the World

Any fake phone number a girl gave you would automatically forward your call to her real number.

Nodding and looking at your watch would be deemed an acceptable response to "I love you."

Hallmark would make "Sorry, what was your name again" cards.

When your girlfriend really needed to talk to you during the game, she'd appear in a little box in the corner of the screen during a time-out.

Breaking up would be a lot easier. A smack to the ass and a "Nice hustle, you'll get 'em next time" would pretty much do it.

Birth control would come in ale or lager.

Each year, your raise would be pegged to the fortunes of the NFL team of your choice.

The funniest guy in the office would get to be CEO.

At the end of the workday, a whistle would blow and you'd jump out your window and slide down the tail of a brontosaurus and right into your car like Fred Flintstone.

Lifeguards could remove citizens from beaches for violating the "public ugliness" ordinance.

Tanks would be far easier to rent.

Garbage would take itself out.

Instead of beer belly, you'd get "beer biceps."

Instead of an expensive engagement ring, you could present your wife-to-be with a giant foam hand that said, "You're #1!"

Valentine's Day would be moved to February 29th so it would only occur in leap years.

On Groundhog Day, if you saw your shadow, you'd get the day off to go drinking. Mother's Day, too.

St. Patrick's Day, however, would remain exactly the same. But it would be celebrated every month.

Cops would be broadcast live, and you could phone in advice to the pursuing cops. Or to the crooks.

The victors in any athletic competition would get to kill and eat the losers.

The only show opposite Monday Night Football would be Monday Night Football from a Different Camera Angle.

It would be perfectly legal to steal a sports car, as long as you returned it the following day with a full tank of gas.

Every man would get four real Get Out of Jail Free cards per year.

When a cop gave you a ticket, every smart-aleck answer you responded with would actually reduce your fine. As in: Cop: "You know how fast you were going" You: "All I know is, I was spilling my beer all over the place." Cop: "Nice one. That's $10 off."

People would never talk about how fresh they felt.

Telephones would automatically cut off after 30 seconds of conversation.

So busy

Yep, been incredibly busy. But somehow, I still manage to talk too much and blog.....go figure!

So, finished the Global & Econometrics assignments on Tuesday night (due Wednesday and Thursday respectively). I felt so relieved that I took half and hour off before having to go do some piano practice. I've been practicing late at night this past week. It just seems like a good time. It works, so I'm pretty happy!

Mel n I went out with Chris and Erica to University Cafe (I think that's where it was!) last Saturday to catch up. It was really nice :) And of course, being out meant that we went and did that mandatory Safeway trip.

We watched the Comm Games marathon go right past the front gate of Queen's last Sunday morning. Right, so it meant having to get up fairly early (for a weekend) and shove some toast down and then heading out in the oh-so-convenient-college-colours-of-green-and-gold to support the runners :) Seriously, that is a fine effort....42km of blah. That's dedication, I say.

Monday Evening Programme during the week was Helen playing the Sibelius violin concerto in preparation for this Monday's University of Melbourne Orchestra Concert at the Hawthorn Town Hall (if anybody is interested in going, that'd be really cool...so I don't have to go by myself!). She was amazing!!!! The choir also sang a couple of folk pieces, Riu, riu (a Spanish carol) as well as Evening Song, a Kodaly piece....the folk influences were so clear!

F-turn was on Wednesday night. Wow, some people went to so much effort. Some people had such amazing costumes....I originally was going to be a fortune teller (Bohemian look is cool, because you can sort of chuck anything together, and that's the intended effect!) but on the suggestion of a friend, and careful consideration that I wouldn't really have to change my clothing requirements, I decided to go as a Fiddler (a la fiddler on the roof). At least I was the only one of those around! Min's foot fetish was the most original, although slightly disturbing..(I made it twice into the book...) and about feet, some girl stabbed my heel with her high heel. I don't think she realised, but she left the blood oozing out. Ouch.

On Thursday, it was the first time I played in Concert Class. I tell you, this is a nerve-wracking experience. It's good to get student feedback, but the nerves kick in when you see the Head of Keyboard sitting in the front row, also making comments. (Especially nerve-wracking for a piano student). We figured, both Gina and I haven't played, so we'd do it together, and revive those 3 movements from Faure's Dolly Suite that we played last year for Piano Duet. So, we were completely freaked out, but I took advice from Anne, who said to think about how I was playing one of the nicest pianos around.....a Steinway D (one of those real expensive ones in Melba Hall that the average person does not touch). She was right, it is a beautiful piano. Just lovely. My gosh, I could go on for a while about how nice the piano is. But ok, moving along...Thursday was just a long day. Sigh.

So, today....I did manage to get some work done. I am going to start work in the library next week (about 3 hrs a week, which should be managable!) and I met a friend to collect some music. I agreed to play a Mozart Clarinet Trio...the violinist is a 2nd year friend, and apparently the clarinettist is a postgrad student. That's a bit freaky...but hopefully I'll live up to expectations!

So, now it is incredibly late (as it is with me and those late-night-yet-still-make-it-to-breakfast things...) My assignment and readings/tute preparation for next week shall have to wait till after my slumber......and I will be working my butt off.

Recent Revelations

Okay, so most of these have to do with music, but that's ok.

1) My friend plays the Chinese flute. Now how cool is that? She was telling me all about it, like how it's played, what kind of sounds are possible. I made her play a scale just to hear what kind of sounds/scales were possible and compared it to the Western transverse flute. Very interesting.

2) My other friend played this really random thing on his computer, and it sounded very much like there was an underlying track that sounded like one of the Set Listening Tracks from my music unit (FYI, the Tuvan example with sigit and igil). Although in this song (clearly some sort of remix or something like that...) the 'tonic' (I know, that's culturally specific) is different and it's played at almost twice the speed. But most interesting.

3) RE: My assignment about the hajduk songs of the Pirin region (Bulgaria/Macedonia). Now, what does that have to do with the Numa Numa song? Two totally random things, yes? But wait!
I was watching the 'original' (the American who lip-synched to it all) with the subtitles. And bear in mind that this song is originally from Moldovian Romania. Anyway, one of the lines contains the word haiduk, which it translated as "bandit". Now tell me, does "bandit" refer to "guerilla fighter"? I think there is something going on there....!!! It was amazing. Music & Ideas meshed with Queen's College random hit!

So, Music & Ideas has made all this sense. Amazingly. I even now talk about stuff with the knowledge and awareness that it is "culturally specific". Wow.

And I find it even funnier that the "New choir master" has made the "hot" list of the first QC Bulletin's "Hot or Not" list. hahahaha. He should know about it, do you think?

I think I had another revelation, but I can't remember it at the moment, so it can't be that important. Although if I remember, I will certainly make a mention of it!

it's been a while...

I apologise for the lack of posts. Purely because I have been HIDEOUSLY busy.
So, 1J is going really well. We haven't hung a Chinese lantern, but that's ok! CY has cooked for us and we've all enjoyed sitting around eating delights that Eakins does not offer! So, we eat communally, wash the dishes together, and have "Toothbrush Parties" (as A likes to put it..!)

It's nice having lots of friends around, where it's ok to leave my door open almost all the time...and to get my work done, I really have to shut myself up! However, it is also really nice to have friends living in other parts of the college, where I have to walk through a variety of places to get there! Mind you, anybody walking through 1J or peeking in when we are having a massive corridor sit (quite often, mind you!) is very welcome to join us in our very random conversations, or also tend to look at us very strangely and wonder where we have all this time!

So, uni is busy busy busy. I have assignments piling up. There is one each for three of my subjects - Music & Ideas (polyphonic folk singing of the Pirin region of Bulgaria/bordering on Macedonia - specifically, the hadjuk - guerilla fighter - songs. Which I had a revelation about yesterday in the Numa Numa song. For real, watch the American guy's video WITH subtitles); Intro Econometrics (assignment using eViews - yuk - and proving something - that's ok) and Business in the Global Economy (recommeding the top three market opportunities out of a given eleven for The Wiggles to expand to, based on a number of economic, demographic and other factors). And that's not even counting how little I've practiced! We're working forward very much, in preparation for a stellar programme for semester 2. I still have that Bach Prelude and Fugue plus and etude (I'm doing 2 Chopin etudes!?!?!?!) for this semester!

See? Busy. Argh!!!!!

We had a soiree on Monday night - it went well.....I played Massenet's Meditation as well as accompaniment for Jacquie's clarinet solo (Weber's Concerto in F - a very cool piece. Those of you who remember a SMAGS assembly with Luisa playing clarinet...that was also the Weber, although it was the 2nd & 3rd movts then).

Did I mention the events of a few weeks ago?

First week back, we had Commencement Dinner & Turn. A very successful night.....we all looked hot (photos still pending....must nick some from some friends..!) Scholarships were announced, we danced the night away at the turn afterwards to some....interesting.....music!

The 1st GM was last week....it went for a good FOUR HOURS. And it's compulsory to go, unless you have written an apology in rhyme (no kidding) or want to foot a fine. Anyway, lots of matters to be discussed, but 40 motions was pushing it too far...considering only about 5 of them were serious. A hideous waste of my time, interspersed with bouts of funny bits. Sigh.

We played at Jude's a while back....as the music team of course. We rocked :) Haha. It's QCWT again, with a few changes (most notably, the ring-ins. It's alright....we still love them)

So, I have spent enough time away from my dreaded assignments (which I'm not really sure HOW they are going....urgh).

Back to it...

p.s. anybody know how to put videos on blogs?

The Cost of Raising a Child

Thanks to Potter for this...

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.
But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:
$8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:
keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off a bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the: first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, So . . one day they will like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren!!!!!!!

One week down!

So, we've had a week of uni already!
It has been SOOO busy!!!
The end of O'Week was nice....when all the freshers went on camp and we kinda had most of the college to ourselves...it was the quiet before the storm! As all the seniors started moving back in on the weekend, my excitement levels started so climb as I anticipated seeing everybody again!

It is fantastic to be back and seeing old faces and lots of new ones too! On Sunday night, we all headed down to Pugg's to have a catch-up, which was really cool. Met lots of freshers, although I'm pretty sure that I have forgotten some of them and I'm sure it is the other way too!

Classes started....and this week I've had all my classes, none of that "first week no tutes" thing. Pity.....

Had a music lesson, where I have LOTS to prepare...like about 12 pages (1 pg each of each component) of 6 Bach Preludes & Fugues. And a number of etudes, of which I cannot find a few. I am going to be slaughtered on Monday. Oh well.

Missed out on lunch on Tuesday (ok, a sandwich...), which will be a recurring theme every week on Tuesdays AND Thursdays, which I am very disappointed about. Oh well. Some things just can't be helped, can they?

Wednesday night was Commencement Dinner & Turn. It was SUCH A GREAT NIGHT!!! Obviously being black tie was nice (as the dressing up goes!)....and as always, Eakins was dressed up. Everybody looked hot (as they do at these kind of functions!) and I got to meet a whole heap of freshers, whic was good. Scholarship winners were announced, we congratulated them with great gusto and went on to the JCR to enjoy fine conversation and then to the turn to dance the night away! Again, met heaps of really great freshers - I'm really excited about this year!

Had a Jude's muzak practice on Thursday night, after which we went out for pizza for 'group bonding'. Hahahhaa. I'm really looking forward to playing with everybody on Sunday...hopefully it'll all go well....!

Yesterday arvo we had a picnic for Gowri's 21st (ok, which was in February...!) What a plan!!! We finally managed to pull the entire thing off...without her knowing or suspecting! What a pleasant afternoon in the Systems Gardens, playing games, eating fine food and drinking "champagne"!

Went out for Judy's 21st last night. 13 of us headed down to Chinatown to help her celebrate (the actual day being Sunday). Seriously, it must be the case that when we go out, half of 1J goes out too! Ran into some freshers going out for another birthday on the same night! Most of 3N watched in amazement as we trickled out of Johnson wing as I thought "Yep, we're going out!" It was an awesome dinner....we ate as if we hadn't eaten real food in about a month. We headed down to Fed Sq to hang out for a while....it's a really nice place! I know many Melbournians are conservative and believe Fed Sq to be ugly, but I personally think it's very unique and definitely draws people to it. Anyway, we tried to go to Robot, this bar place thing in Flinders Lane but it was too packed so we decided to visit the bottle shop and head home to have a corridor sit.

What a corridor sit we had! Kenneth managed to polish off a quarter of a bottle of vodka, of which he is still feeling the effects. Min had priceless quotes. CY sang with great emotion. And we ate all them junky foods that college students eat. And managed to get in the way of a number of people trying to walk through our corridor. That's alright :)

Anyway...I should get back to work....
That is my week so far! I hopefully will put up pictures soon....(once I get them from other people!)
ciao!

some photos...

so, i've posted some photos. unfortunately, they didn't come out in the order that i put them. so, go figure them out yourself - pick between Meeting Audra for Waffles of My Brother's 21st with Family.
Wow, those titles sound like those pieces of art in a gallery. Anyway.
I have basically set myself up. I found a new light in my room last night - where did it come from?!?! Haha. oh well.
Got OTH soundtracks - they're really good :)
Jamie Cullum IS coming to melbourne, 12th april at the Palais Theatre, which I will prob. go see. Everybody is moving back today........had most people on my corridor by yesterday but college is def. gonna be pumping!
Anyway, I'm off.....catchas round!

The cake my aunt made for my brother - how nice :) 

My brother and his cake (His 21st) 

Audra & Me  

dad, ernest & li (with crab!) 

Yummm....waffles...! 

Audra, satisfied with Gelare waflles :) 

in melbourne

so, i hardly got any sleep the night before my flight - the max i was going to get was 3 hrs anyway. yeah, good luck. anyway, i did manage some shut-eye on the plane. the flight attendants were really cool. There has got to be some minimum attractiveness test for virgin blue flight attendants. seriously. they are all hot.

there were these french rowers on the plane too. even though i didn't understand what they were saying, it still sounded romantic. for all i know, they could have been saying i don't know what. oh well.

so, met mel at airport. was so excited.

moved into 1J. my room is dark, due to the lack of a lamp in my room. and my college isn't even giving me one. which sucks. the main light is very dim, it's YELLOW (so you know, you can't see much anyway....urgh) apart from that, it's incredibly messy, because my stuff is strewn everywhere. i def. like my room from last year much better - i actually have some hang-age space. pity about this year. urgh

went to uni, bumped into about 6 friends, which was exciting :) stayed and talked for WAYY too long, but you know how that happens. oh well..

there are freshers all over college. i think i'm still personally quite scared, but i'll get over it soon enough, i hope. except their shirts are sooo much cooler than ours. it's ok. i'll get over that soon enough too..

anyway, it must be really bad for my eyes to be doing this in such poor lighting. i must really move to the library to do some work. i gotta go to uni tomorrow to hopefully sort out the rest of my timetable etc. and go shopping so that my eyes don't frazzle.

i should get some sleep soon. after a shower, of course, to test them out!

right..i'm off. hope all is good :)

it is so hot!

for real.
i am dying in the heat. especially upstairs, which does not have air conditioning. My parents should have thought about this before they built the house.

liza, thanx for that comment :P haha. it wasn't a big PAR-TAY!!!

anyway.....
i leave for melbourne on thursday morning....yeah, dead early...like, 6am flight. not good.
so i am frantically trying to complete everything i set out to do this summer. and to pack/clean room/find all my lost items. and watch everything i can for this semester. For example, i only have 12 more episodes of scrubs, season 2 to go. pretty impressive, i say, having already watched season one as well. this is in less than a week, mind you...
i don't think i'm ready to go back to uni yet.....i was two weeks ago, but i'm starting to enjoy home and having nothing to do so much. i just got used to everything, and how comfortable it is. although i should get pumped for 2nd year.

i'm really freaked out. i saw some of those fresher mugshots. they look heaps old. or at least heaps taller than me (not that it's hard...) 2nd year, hey..? i was surfing around on QI (due to mel's reccomendation, thank you!) and saw all those things that made 1st year so awesome. then i was daunted at the prospect of going back. also because i keep myself up at night worrying and stressing about all those things i have to do when i get back to melbourne....so many things to do, so little time (ok, 4 days, but that is not much time at all when you have so many things to do/so many things to buy/so many things to sort out/so many people to see etc.)

i unfortunately haven't caught up with all my friends at home. for that, i apologise. it is partially my fault for being such a lazy bum and not using my summer holidays all that well. i hope to be in touch with you more this year. you should all come and visit me anyway :)

so, time to put aside my inhibitions about going back, and start getting pumped, because the year is what i make it. so here's to making it yet another fabulous year, one to remember and one full of fun, laughs, memories and great friends.

to all my friends, i love you all; physical distance does not and should not break the friendship. i look forward to seeing some of you soon, i'm sad to leave some of you, and to those i haven't seen for a while, i hope it will be soon.... :)

xoxo

How strange...

Okay, so I wrote a few days ago that it was stinking hot. And Perth pulls a Melbourne on me....and it RAINED today. It's actually cool. For real. What happened to this summer?

Anyway, I met up with Audra yesterday......Audra is a GAP student from Westover, at St Mary's. It was really awesome.....we hadn't seen each other for about 3 years and reminisced over half-price waffles :) I will put photos up hopefully next week or soon-ish. It made me all sad though, because I remember how much I miss my Stova friends and how beautiful that place was! We had a great time catching up :)

Then today, I met up with an old school teacher, who is off next week to HK to go teach! We chatted for a long time, caught up on what was happening in our lives and each other's.

Yep, catching up makes one remember times gone by.

[Nysh, not all a hot summer! And sorry I haven't got back on ur facebook wall.....we should catch up when you're back for the 'summer'!]

And so, looking forward...............
Can't wait to get back to Melbourne...it should be fantastic!!! :) (Ok, except for maybe the work..!) I'm glad I'm going back a few days early, although those four days are already filled up with soooo much catching up to do! If I haven't gotten in touch with you about meeting up, pls send me an email....otherwise it will totally pass me by.

[Gina&Mags, what do u think of rach's suggestion.....friday day instead...? That could work....but that would mean installment 4!]

And it is my brother's 21st party on saturday night. Okay, so it's not a part-ay per se, but rather...a gathering. It should be exciting...I'm supposed to be baking some culinary delights, but we'll see about how delightful they are..... :S

and....update!!!! To all my friends with blogs, that is your key word for this week! :)
See some of you real soon, others, keep in touch.....(email me your email or something like that!)

ciao! xoxo

It stinks.

Yep, it stinks. Because it's really hot and humid today. And I'm not at work, which means I can't take advantage of air-conditioning. My family has this policy of telling me that it's a waste for only one person to be in the house at one time, so it's not very efficient to switch the air-conditioning on. I understand the point, but it's SOOO HOT!!!

Anyway.....
"Walk the Line" was awesome. Phoenix & Witherspoon can really sing, and their acting was very convincing. And it wasn't one of those typical romantic comedies (however much I like them!) but it was a touching story. Tyler Hilton was an awesome Elvis...I mean, I don't like Elvis all that much, but it was really amusing - and he could sing :) The hair just was the icing on the cake! After that, my friend and I had food, talking for and hour and a half. We came home, talked for another two hours. Yep, I don't think I could ever stop with her! Haha.

Oh!!! And I have my drivers lisence! I'm on my P's now, haven't got the actual card YET, but will sometime this week or next week, so that shall be my ID! :) (finally!) All I'm hoping now is that the photo isn't bad! The day after I passed, I went for my firstt drive by myself to visit a friend who had just gotten her wisdom teeth out. Seriously, this is the season for wisdom teeth removal through surgical operation. I counted how many friends were told that they had to have them out this holidays, or had them out over the holidays and it came to about 8 or 9 people! We should form a society!

Anyway.......it's gotten to that time in my holidays (usually 2 or so weeks before I have to head back) where I realise "Oh my gosh! I haven't caught up with (insert multiple names here)!" and where I have to rush to organise my social engagements as such! So, I have to catch up with so many people I haven't seen AT ALL these holidays!!!! And, I must say that it's been nice to hear from some people I haven't heard from in ages - most from school (both primary and secondary) as well as reminisce on old times!

Anyway, I should be off....CIAO! xoxo

A recurring theme...

Yeah, I finished work. Like, the job was supposed to take two days, but it's over in 1.5 days. I keep getting told by mum to "Work slower" (translated to "be less efficient!") but fast is the only way I know how to do it! It's a pity, because my pay is based on how many hours I do. Oh well.

Checking in on my driving status: I've finished my 25 hrs of supervised driving (I've actually done 27!) and I think I'm going to take my test tomorrow. It's this silly Hazard Perception Test, where I have to watch this simulation on a screen and click when it is safe to complete a task, such as turn, overtake, slow down etc. It's incredibly unrealistic, because as soon as you click, the video stops. Now, in real life, as you'd no doubt be aware of, when one drives and turns/overtakes/slows down etc, one completes the manouvere in a gradual manner - the world around the driver does not stop. Now tell me how unrealistic that is!

And other exciting news in my life...

I have been writing emails to a whole heap of old friends and stuff, and it's exciting to get replies! Like from the German exchange student who came to our music class in Yr 12 - what an AWESOME clarinet player! Pity I was such a bad emailler!
Or like the two girls from Westover who are in Australia for a GAP year - one of them is at St Mary's and I'm meeting up with her soon-ish! The other is in Bathurst, but hopefully I'll be able to go to Sydney, or she'll come down to Melbourne!

There are girls from St Mary's heading to Melbourne next year - one is heading to Medley Hall (she's taking Music-voice, at the Con), there are two who are studying Law/Commerce at Melbourne as well: one is living with her sister in an apartment, and one is at St Hilda's (should be interested for her...! I called the college some not-so-endearing terms...!) Even so, it's quite exciting to be building quite a cohort of Old Girls up in Melbourne, especially nice because it's girls within what, 4 years of each other? It's cool.

Anyway, I'm off to go home now......I definitely think I deserve a sleep-in tomorrow; it's the first day in about 3 weeks that I haven't gone to work, so that should be good. Going to catch 'Walk the Line' tomorrow night...should be good! (Ok, Tyler Hilton is in it as Elvis. I actually don't like Elvis all that much. And that - Tyler Hilton - is not why I'm seeing the movie. The lead actors got Golden Globes. It must mean it's good. And the movie is about music. And I like Reese Witherspoon. And I'm interested in their singing, on film. But, I'll see how good the music from the film is - determines whether or not I buy the soundtrack, as Mel tells me, Tyler Hilton has 2 songs on there.....!!)

Right...
Adios!
Ciao!
Sayonara!

more work...

so, i have officially run out of work at this job. AGAIN. that's ok. i managed to finish all this data entry, then had to go online to find all these articles, you know from journals and stuff. nice to know that the stuff i learn at uni isn't going to complete waste, you know....i managed to navigate JSTOR, Ingenta and other article search engines, it was quite nice to know that i knew how to do all this!

and so, i've just got this new job. it's only for like, 2 days, but that's ok. typing work and more data entry. so, pretty boring as well, but i'm ok at it, so it should go ok. plus, i just keep thinking about what work i'm doing and how much i'm getting paid...hopefully i'll be paid casual rate so that i get 23% extra... :P you know, no holiday or leave pay etc. ok
i should be off, get some lunch, then start this new job!

reminiscing...

Kudos to wen for this...i thought it was interesting!

10 years ago: I was in Year 4. I went on my first school camp to Rottnest Island. I sang in the Junior School Choir and we got our incredibly starched uniforms! Year 4 was a great year... we had Kinder Surprise swap days, the fazes of yo-yos and collector cards from chip packets were oh-so-cool. Oh, and the Kinder man came to our school and we all got free toys :)

8 years ago:I was in year 6. I listened to all groups of violin students playing the same song (arranged by our teacher!) of varying quality every Wednesday. We got elected for council positions at school. I remember our class only had about 3 of us (the other class got the majority of the positions! Lucky they mixed up the classes in yr 7!)

6 years ago: I started high school at St Mary's. It was scary, considering I knew about 2 people there (who weren't even really close friends.) Luckily St Mary's turned out well! I remember my first day, meeting a girl who was in most of my classes, who conveniently had her locker above mine. I remember her helping me getting my combination lock open! I met lots of new people, some who became close friends, some I haven't kept in contact with...

4 years ago: Right in the middle of my high school career. This was one of the best years of my life. I headed to the USA, to go on exchange to Westover School, Middlebury CT. There I met some of the most amazing people I have ever known. I lived in boarding school, which was an experience that I had readily dismissed at St Mary's and one that I will cherish for a long time. I visited the country where anything and everything happens, went to some of the most amazing tourist destinations (of my life so far..! It's not yet over though...!) I made some amazing friends, some of which I hold dear to my heart to this day.

2 years ago: Year 12 was the most amazing year at school. (All things considered). There was the Ball (yay!!), the power of the back seat of the bus, so many meetings to go to, so many people to see, so many things to do, concerts which were always followed by "That was our last (insert concert here) concert forever!", valedictory, oh, and the TEE exams. Ergh. It was an amazing year - I made so many more friends in year 12, did so much extra-curricular stuff I wonder how I even made it through school!

1 year ago: What a new beginning after tough decisions were made. Finally a year to really spread my wings...it was time to pack up shop and move across the country! I settled comfortably into uni life, had the most amazing first year - met so many new people, made so many new friends, hardly explored what the amazing city has to offer, had so many fun times laughing, eating, getting dressed up, talking till the wee hours of the morning. It only gives me so much to look forward to this year...!

Yesterday: Had lunch with my cuz. Not that you know, having spent the last one-and-a-half days with her was enough..!

5 songs I know all the words to: (only 5???)

1. Ok, I know this is cheating, but I will anyway.....a number of Switchfoot songs. There are definitely more than 5. And a number of songs that other people have done that are Switchfoot songs (eg. Only Hope) and a few songs that Switchfoot man Jon Foreman have done (eg. Someday We'll Know, originally a New Radicals song)

2. St Mary's school hymn. You would too if you'd gone there for 5 years. And had to learn it in choir to make sure you didn't make a fool of yourself in front of the rest of the school. Ditto reason especially as prefects had to sit on stage.....!

3. People Get Ready. Plus harmonies. Because that's the only real way to do it :)

4. When the Stars Go Blue - Ryan Adams. or the Tyler Hilton & Bethany Joy Lenz version. Next idea coming right up...

5. A Quiet Place - Take 6. You would know it too it you'd have done it for your Aural exam.

There isn't enough space for more. It could go on for a while. Like Gavin De Graw's "I Don't Want To Be". From watching too many episodes of One Tree Hill. Or some Idea of North songs. With harmonies. Because they are too cool. 'Blackbird', originally by The Beatles. But the Sarah McLachlan version, with guitar. Now that's what I'm talking about! Or some MercyMe. Or 'Hallelujah', originally Leonard Cohen, but Rufus Wainwright does it nicely :) (I'm not a huge Jeff Buckley fan...). Or some Sinatra tunes. And other jazz stuff.

Yep, I love my music....I'm moving on now....

3 favourite toys: 1. Harry, my green teddy. You def. don't know me if you haven't met him at least once! :P 2. My laptop. Ok, so not a 'toy' unless you're thinking executive, but you know, it is imperative to my survival now! 3. Sure, my phone. Although it's kinda the sim card that's the main item. As long as the phone battery works...!

3 people I tag: Tag? What does that mean? Write bogger comments for?

erm, tom, xing, well, on facebook....hannah, zoe, liza, annie, pam, iris. ok, i'll shut up now.....

DONE!! :P

did you know?

1. nat, are you back yet? if so, give me a ring. so you can tell me ALL about it!

ok, although that's not the point of this email. whatever.
anyway, in my new-found obsession, i emailled tyler hilton & his management team. AND THEY REPLIED!!! what other celebrity does that? and it wasn't a generic one.

it went something like this:
ME - I really enjoyed the OTH dvd. It was awesome to watch all the extras with the music and stuff. Is tyler going to come to australia any time soon?

THEM - Hi Gladys
Glad you enjoyed the DVD. I thought they did a nice job with the music extras on it and included Tyler so much in it. We have gotten lots of requests to come to Australia. I'm sure that's something that will have to happen in the near future. Tyler is currently working on the next CD so he will resume touring in the spring and summer. Keep and eye on the websites for tour updates and hopefully we'll see you soon. Mgmt

CHECK IT OUT!!!! yep, a REAL reply. i was so chuffed.
so, the other day, i met up a friend for lunch at work (the uni....) and continued surfing the net due to lack of work! so, there was no 'back to work' that day. although i have now been dumped with a LOT more!

ok, because i am obsessed. i have to find the OTH soundtrack. it exists, on Maverick Records. keep your eyes out for me! As well as a few tyler hilton CDs, The Tracks Of & EP. you can listen to some songs on his website. Yep, i'm officially obsessed.

Oh!!! And everybody go and join www.facebook.com
Because it is cool. If u go to melbourne, put your school as melbourne, if you're at uwa, put it as that and whatever else, wherever else you go! it's largely an american thing, but there are a number of other schools that are on it. it's really cool. :) i can show you it if you like, give me a shout! it lets you put your profile on there, pictures, keep in contact with other friends on facebook and stuff. and a wall, where people write stuff. that is my highlight.
except for when i find a long lost friend.

serious. apart from all my westover buddies :) i have found a few more friends on there! of mention is this guy i went to primary school with. yep, it's like, 6 years!!!! and my dad met his dad AGES ago who said they were moving to the USA coz of some job and then i saw (this guy) doing the SATs as well (although i wasn't 100% sure so i didn't want to make a fool of myself and ask "Do I know you???"). then i looked him up and TA-DA!!! there he was!!! it was exciting, because i haven't really talked to many people from primary school for AGES. so it was exciting. we are def. going to have to meet up when he gets back to perth in the middle of the year! So, that is my exciting news for the week. it made me all happy! :D hehe.

ok, moving on...
i should get back to work.

although i should tell you that the Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack is awesome. and i think i want to be a film composer. add that to the list of things i'd like to be, including a Violin maker (after studying in Cremona!), a fighter pilot, an F1 driver, a chocolatier. Etc. those things being my goal if you know, uni doesn't work out or anything...!

ciao!

Uni 2006

thanx li! :P
What Our Lecturers REALLY Mean When They Say…

This essay needs some minor revision. = I never actually got around to reading this.
My office hours are by appointment only = I like to get out of here early.
Ten percent of your grade is based on class participation. = I'll be fudging your grades.
This won't be on the test. = Nap time!
Bring the text to class. = I don't have a clue how to lecture - we'll just kill time with group read-alongs.
I'm not fully up to speed on that. = I've got my head up my ass.
I don't have the latest department guidelines... = I've got my head up my ass.
Let's check with Dr. So-and-so on that before we proceed... = I've got my head up his/her ass.
Talk to the department secretary. = Piss off.
Talk to me in my office after class. = Get out of my face.
The tests will all be multiple-choice. = I take questions directly from the study guide, and have grad students do all my grading.
Don't come in late during my lecture. = I have the attention span of a fruit fly.
Save your questions until the end. = See above.
The final will be comprehensive. = I'll expect you to recapitulate in two hours everything I couldn't fully cover myself in 15 weeks.
Everyone will prepare in-class oral presentations. = This course is outside my specialty - I'll just bluff it and let you teach.
There are two Teaching Assistant’s available to help you. = I can't be bothered.
This year, I'll be scaling the grades. = I just passed tenure review.
Let's break up into quiet discussion groups. = I have a hangover.
Let's have class outdoors today! = I had beans for lunch.
You won't be able to sell the text back to the bookstore. = My contract wasn't picked up.
Please note the last day to withdraw. = The midterm's gonna suck.
The answer to #4 is "b", and just skip #17. = I only got around to making up the test last night.
The second list is optional reading. = I have a rich fantasy life.
I haven't had a chance to make up the syllabus for this course yet= The asshole department chair stuck me with teaching this course at the last possible minute.
Attendance is required and will be counted in your grade. = I'm so boring, no one would show up otherwise..
Read chapters 5 through 10. = I'm not coming in at all next week.
We'll have to cover this chapter quickly. = I screwed up on the lecture schedule.
Let's go over the exam. = Half of you failed.
It was in the textbook. = I pulled it out of my ass.
I'm postponing today's exam. = There's stuff on the exam I forgot to cover.
Don't write on the question sheet. = I'm so lazy I just use the same exams every semester

Have a great year at uni!

St Theresa's Prayer

Now, I was supposed to do one of those forward this to seven people things and stuff. But I don't think I did. And anyway, you should all see it here. Thanks to Flick for this one :)

Saint Theresa is known as the Saint of the Little Ways. Meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is also the patron Saint of flower growers and florists. She is represented by roses. May everyone be blessed who receives this message.

St. Theresa's Prayer: May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of you.

Love

Again, kudos to mel.

To My Friends Who Are...........SINGLE
Love is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. But if you just let it fly, it will come to you when you least expect it. Love can make you happy but often it hurts, but love's only special when you give it to someone who is really worth it. So take your time and choose the best.

To My Friends Who Are............NOT SO SINGLE
Love isn't about becoming somebody else's "perfect person." It's about finding someone who helps you become the best person you can be.

To My Friends Who Are............PLAYBOY/GIRL TYPE
Never say "I love you" if you don't care. Never talk about feelings if they aren't there. Never touch a life if you mean to break a heart. Never look in the eye when all you do is lie. The cruelest thing a guy can do to a girl is to let her fall in love when he doesn't intend to catch her fall and it works both ways...

To My Friends Who Are............MARRIED
Love is not about "it's your fault", but "I'm sorry." Not "where are you", but "I'm right here." Not "how could you", but "I understand." Not "I wish you were", but "I'm thankful you are."

To My Friends Who Are............ENGAGED
The true measure of compatibility is not the years spent together but how good you are for each other.

To My Friends Who Are............HEARTBROKEN
Heartbreaks last as long as you want and cut as deep as you allow them to go. The challenge is not how to survive heartbreaks but to learn from them.

To My Friends Who Are............NAIVE
How to be in love: Fall but don't stumble, be consistent but not too persistent, share and never be unfair, understand and try not to demand, and get hurt but never keep the pain.

To My Friends Who Are............POSSESSIVE
It breaks your heart to see the one you love happy with someone else but it's more painful to know that the one you love is unhappy with you.

To My Friends Who Are............AFRAID TO CONFESS
Love hurts when you break up with someone. It hurts even more when someone breaks up with you. But love hurts the most when the person you love has no idea how you feel.

To My Friends Who Are............STILL HOLDING ON
A sad thing about life is when you meet someone and fall in love, only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and that you have wasted years on someone who wasn't worth it. If he isn't worth it now he's not going to be worth it a year or 10 years from now. Let go.....

TO ALL MY FRIENDS.......
My wish for you is a man/women whose love is honest, strong, mature, never-changing, uplifting, protective, encouraging, rewarding and unselfish.

Be Thankful

I don't know if I've already posted this. If so, here it is again; if not, enjoy. Kudos to Mel for this one :)

I am Thankful :
For the wife who says it's hot dogs tonight,
Because she is home with me, and not out with someone else.

For the husband who is on the sofa being a couch potato
Because he is home with me and not out at the bars.

For the teenager who is complaining about doing dishes
Because it means he is at home, not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay
Because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party
Because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug
Because it means I have enough to eat.

For a shadow that watches me work
Because it means I am out in the sunshine.

For a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, and gutters that need fixing
Because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining I hear about the government
Because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot
Because it means I am capable of walking and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill
Because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church who sings off key
Because it means I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing
Because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
Because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours
Because it means I am alive.

And finally, for too much email,
Because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.

time-wasting

so, i'm at work. with no work to do. because i've run out and i'm waiting for some more. who ever runs out of work?? weird....

anyway, happy chinese new year to all. may you have good luck (whatever that might be!), good health and prosperity for the coming year. and enjoy the lion dance :) although i've been afraid of it ever since i was little. whatever.

hey, if you're interested in new music and what not, check out Tyler Hilton, who appeared on Season 2 of One Tree Hill as Chris Keller. Although his character is annoyingly hate-able, he's an awesome musician. check out his website on www.tylerhiltom.net
He is my new find for this week! And also, the song "When The Stars Go Blue" (by Ryan Adams). good stuff. i like finding new stuff :)

so, i had about 5 days off work, since thursday :) (i'm not slack...!) don't worry, i managed to finsih all my work and i'm still waiting... it does feel good to be earning for some hard work!

so, in order to avoid getting in trouble at work, i think i'm going to pretend some more....!
ciao!

i found it!

yep, i found my blog.
I think the excitement is clearly stretching over two days!
i unfortunately aren't allowed to move back into Queen's on the 23rd...what a bummer. So, i started making a list of places that were possibilities at work today (really, i did do some work!). alison seriously wrecked my day :(

on the upside, i was looking at www.visitvictoria.com.au and checking out the commonwealth games schedules and so forth. I was looking at the queen's baton relay, and i think i shall have to go see some of it, in perth as well as in melbourne:

Day 18 (11 Feb) Perth - Guildford, from King's Park - Crawley - Nedlands - Dalkeith - Claremont - Leederville - North Perth - West Perth - Perth - Northbridge - Perth - Midvale - Midland - Woodbridge - Guildford

Day 49 (14 March) Box Hill - Melbourne, from Box Hill - Mont Albert - North Doncaster - Lower Tempelstowe - Tempelstowe - Lower Tempelstowe - Heidelberg - Heidelberg Heights - Heidelberg West - Preston - Thornbury - Brunswick East - Brunswick - Parkville (Yay!!!) - North Melbourne - Fitzroy - East Melbourne - Richmond - Burnley - Hawthorn - Hawthorn East - Camberwell - Hawthron East - Kooyong - Malvern - Armadale - Prahan - South Yarra - Melbourne - Southbank - Melbourne

Day 50 (15 March) Melbourne - MCG (Here I got sick of copying all the locations...) although I noted that the 4th 'stop' is in Carlton.

So we should all definitely check it out! (Uni will be on, so we'll all be in melbourne anyway!)

As well, I found out that the Athlete's Village is in Parkville, adjacent to Royal Park. Yes, you know what this means. We will have to stake out the athletes, saunter over to Royal Park (maybe we should go there for our runs! Ditch Princess Park! :P ), keep a lookout in Carlton as we do Lygon St (as I'm sure we'll have no problems doing anyway...!). Oh, and also some lookouts from as far high up we can go in the Queen's Tower. Just in case that provides an unparalleled view.....bring your binoculars! :P

Also, Festival Melbourne 2006 is happening in March. There are lots of free events (boasted as the largest free cultural event of the year!)
Interesting events include:
* 9 free concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl including South African diva Mirian Makeba & a 10-piece band, Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie with the MSO and 60 or so odd percussion students from around the country, and Top Brass, the Australian Defence Force Tri-Service Band
*The Big Top
*Alexandra Gardens (where is this guys...??) with roots and world music etc.
*the Urban Dream Capsule in Bourke St Mall at Myer, where four performance artists will be living in windows...for all to see! (hehe...we should go check that out!)
*The Arts Centre - many things!
*Exhibitions at ACMI, NGV, Melbourne Museum and the Ian Potter.

Ok, so I haven't been paid to advertise any of these, but I think i'm starting to feel the high vibe that melbourne is going to be on soon! So, if anybody is interested in going, let me know, because I'd really like to check out a few things!

Also, def. there will be summer clearance the look for a number of dresses! :) thanx wen :D

to my friends doing summer school: keep working hard!!! :)

ciao!

wow!

i thought i had lost my blog, but alas! i have found it again! turns out that i have been using a different username. sigh. my memory is so bad!!!
so, hola!!!!! i am most definitely back in perth, as most of you will know.
it's been relaxing, i've been on the couch, in front of the TV, eating really well (even having lost some weight...how that happens on much better food is totally beyond me, but oh well, I ain't complaining!) and sleeping soo much. (something I am sure we are all deprived of during semester..!)
my wisdom teeth have come out (i feel....so naked without them! not really haha) and my gums are in the process of recovering, which is good. i was determined to get back to eating normal food soon, so the other night, my brother and i had pizza! yay! okay, so i was also sick of mashed potato, mashed pumpkin, tofu (mashed in some weird way...) etc.
perth has been quiet...i haven't been out much (well, significantly less than i do in melbourne!) although i did go to the Llama Bar to see this jazz band play, and they were really awesome :D
apart from that, i have caught up on so much TV, including getting partway through Season 2 of One Tree Hill (*drool!*) as well as starting to watch Gilmore Girls again!

I've just started work today..it's a casual job, at mum's work and these lecturer people need data entry, so it's all numbers and stuff for me. which is kinda boring and hurting to the eyes, but hey! it's a job, which is really good (and i can therefore go out after I earn some money!) we did manage to hit the sales, mum's really excited about them (hehe! all good for me!) so I have acquired some new clothes, but I'm keeping some money for melbourne as i know there will always be sales there (wen, 7 angels here we come! and bridge rd...and city myers!!! hahaha)

so, do not fret. i am back!!! (after finding my blog, what a dilemma!) i am enjoying my hols, i think i could be on vacation for the rest of my life :) and i also made this realisation the other day. i think i might be doing the wrong course. ok, maybe not the WRONG one, but i think i should also be taking architecture or something like that, due to my interests. so my plan is to finish these 2 pesky degrees (haha...ok, not really pesky, but my decided ones...i don't want to start again!) and then work some, then go back to uni. Which means that i'm probably going to be in uni for the rest of my life, but hey!

and thankfully, re-offers have come out :) all is good :) although i'd really really like to know where i'm living this year! if anybody finds out, let me know! (did that fabulous albeit slightly devious plan go ahead?)

ok, so that's my life so far.....hope you're all good :)

ooh....and join facebook.com!