A heartbeat later...

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

2006-12-15T19:38:00.000+11:00

It is now only 9 more days until we fly out of Australia on the trip of a lifetime. For me, it is a lifetime that I have waited to take this trip and the reality of it actually happening sometimes blows my mind.
Ever since I was young, I remember hearing stories of my Dad's life in England and seeing all the photos of my parents on their travels of Europe. I've always known I would go, I just never knew when.

For me, seeing all the places and sights in Europe that I have dreamt of for so long is really a dream come true, but what makes it all that more special is that I will be sharing these sights, these experiences and these memories with my best friend, my husband, Ben.

On Christmas Eve, we fly out of Tullamarine on a direct course for Heathrow. 24 hours later, 5am Christmas Morning, we arrive in London for my first white Christmas.
From London we join our tour and head to France. Spending New Years Eve in Paris, watching the Eiffel tower, will be a far cry from our normal nye at Falls Festival in Lorne. An experience that I am sure will be with me forever.

Over the following 4 and a half weeks, we trek our way through Spain, Monaco, Italy, Vatican City, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium, staying in many different cities in each country. I still have to pinch myself to believe that it is really about to happen.

I belive that to really find yourself, you need to first lose yourself. One of the best ways to do that is away from friends and family, out of your comfort zone and become an unknown entity in an unknown place. This is what I can't wait to do. I have waited a long time now and before I can properly "settle" in life, this is an experience that I know I must have.

This is my final blog for the year, so I wish you all a safe and happy Christmas and may the New Year bring you exciting times ahead.

Love, Deborah

cross species relationships?

2006-11-17T15:32:00.000+11:00

You know that glade plug-in add? The one with that Elephant talking about keeping the house smelling nice after picking up hundreds of running shoes?
Surely you recall the original saying.. "One of the perils of being married to a centipede, i suppose" Remember that?
Well, if you remember that, then surely you would have noticed that for some bizarre reason, they have gone to the bother of rerecording the add, to now say, "One of the perils of being MOTHER to a centipede, i suppose" WTF?

I must know the reason they changed it. Ive thrown around all sorts of conspiracy theorys but none that truely answers my question... why?

It plagues me each time the add comes on. Please answer my plea. WHY? WHY? WHY?

Mushroom Cloud

2006-11-11T15:54:00.000+11:00

This is a bit of strange post, because I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to write it. So lets see how it turns out, hey?

This story begins back in 1998 on the 14th of November, almost exactly 8 years ago. It was on this date that myself, Susanne and prehaps a few others (my memory gets cloudy around this time) attend the Mushroom Records "Concert of the Century" at the MCG. Despite the amusing antics that occured on that day, including the inside bladder of a cask of wine being discovered in my rolled up sleeping bag in front of a rather long queue of punters; Claudia (who i've now remembered as being there), pashing some random feral guy in the middle of the stands surrounded by inoccent, young bystanders who couldnt escape the almost orgy and the infamous scouraging through a massive wheelie bin, tipping out the entire contents, finding our wine bag and running away before security discovered the mess; there is one incident that I've always remembered and have talked about for years since that is the motivation for this post.

Being a rather huge Home and Away fan, I was completely star struck, when there, right in front of me, outside of the G was Rebecca Fisher/Nash herself, aka, Miss Belinda Emmett! What to do? What to say? I was in awe. She was even prettier in real life.
Summoning up all my courage, I called out, "Hi Belinda!" I remember she turned to look at me, greased me off without saying a word and then turned away!
I still remember the first thought that entered my head. "What a bitch! I hope her tits rot off and she dies!"
A little harsh? Yes, but the freakiest thing that happened after that was not long after, discovering that she had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer. eeep.

Over the years I remember following her battle and then when she married Rove McManus. I thought all was fine. Until I heard that this morning, on the 11th November, she died.
It turns out that in 2001, while working on "All Saints" she was diagnosed with secondary bone cancer and has been fighting it ever since. Today, that fight ended.

I guess that today my list of Top Ten Most Hated Celebrities becomes 9 and I begin to think to myself... be careful what you wish for. (source)

Congratulations Jeni!

2006-10-03T15:16:00.000+10:00

My brother-in-law's fabulous fiance has just gotten a job at my work!!

Its all very exciting and the staff even know now of the connection and they think it's great!

Next year at work is going to be a hell of a lot of fun!

YAY!!!!

Glamour Puss

2006-09-14T16:30:00.000+10:00

This is a portrait of me drawn by my extremely talented brother-in-law.
I had to put it up because the miniture version as my profile picture just doesnt do the picture justice.

Memememememememe ?

2006-09-06T10:51:00.000+10:00

1. Three things that scare me:

-Being alone for long periods of time.
-Spiders.
-B-grade Horror movies with that cliffhangery music.

2. Three people that make me laugh:

only three... awww, ok then
-Dylan Moran.
-Bill Hicks.
-Myself. Im the funniest person I know aside from the 2 above mentioned people.

3. Three things I hate the most:

- Arrogant fucks. Those people who think that their shit don't stink.
- Being cut off and driving behind people going well under the speed limit when there is no where to pass.
- People who are skinny and complain about being fat.

4. Three things I don't understand:

- Polititians
- Why fat tastes so good but celery is crap
- Why this thing is called a meme

5. Three things I'm doing right now:

- Watching kids during wet day timetable
- Drinking a mug of freezing cold english breakfast tea
- Feeling shitty that im not supposed to be on yard duty now but because of the rain i have to watch my class
and.... typing this thing. duh

6. Three things I want to do before I die:

- Explore as much of the world as I can
- Have children
- Get skinny

7. Three things I can do:

- Play the piano and various other musical things
- Teach children
- Paint

8. Three ways to describe my personality:

- Up
- Down
- All around

9. Three things I can't do:

- Remember band names, song names, movie names, people in movies and pretty much anything that requires taking up space in my brain.
- Because of this... I also can't contribute to some conversations as well as i know i can, because i cant remember the names of things to back up my point.
- and for something random...I can't change a head gasket. Can you?

10. Three things I think you should listen to:

- Panic! At the Disco- Build God, Then We'll Talk (track 13 on A Fever you Can't Sweat Out)
- Anthing by the Fun Lovin Criminals
- Bloodhound Gang

11. Three things you should never listen to:

- Anyone who calls you fat (is there a recurring theme amongst my answers? Oh hell, just shoot me now)
- Celine Dion
- John Howard

12. Three things I'd like to learn: (or learn more about)

- How to dance better (am taking hiphop lessons currently)
- Anything involving specific early years education
- The proper timing of when to put everything on to make a roast where everything is done at the same fucking time!

13. Three favourite foods:

- Pizza
- Olives
- Cheese platters with salami and yummy dips and cucumber and sundried tomatos etc

14. Three beverages I drink regularly:

- Tea (English Breakfast)
- Tea (Green- both iced and hot)
- Wine (sparkling and non)

15. Three shows I watched as a kid:

- Press Gang
Man i loved that show. Anyone remember Lynda and Spike? The Junior Gazette?
ahh, memories

- Pinky and the Brain
"What are we going to do tonight"
"The same thing we do everynight Pinky... try, to take over the world!"

- Heartbreak High. hehe

Pretty much anything on the abc i'd watch.

Fuck George

2006-09-05T15:25:00.000+10:00

Ok, monday is over... and what a truely tragic day it turned out to be as well. An aussie icon, gone for the ages. Kinda makes you question your own mortality doesnt it?

There are worse terrors out there than stingrays though.. eg. George
If youd like a bit of a laugh, here is the link to the most popular screensaver in America at the moment.
You can manipulate him with ur mouse as well.

Interactive good.

http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/georgie.htm

Enjoy and stay safe

Monday, Fucking Monday

2006-09-04T15:17:00.000+10:00

I hate Monday, Fucking Monday.

On Mondays i always accidently sleep in and then im late. The clothes have usually all been washed but arnt hanging up so I have to scour (sp?) the pool table to find something to wear and its never there. Extra late.
Why does my petrol always run out on a Monday. Is it coz I always fill it up on the same day... Fucking Monday?
No specialists on a Monday, Fucking Monday. This means I have not a single break from the kids all day.
Lunch time yard duty on a Monday, Fucking Monday. Well, hello kiddies, goodbye eating lunch. Fucking monday.
I have to change readers on a monday, always the most amount of readers for the whole week, Fucking Monday.

And on Monday i have to see the grad again who ive had a nice break from and i see his pointy face and stupid nose and rediculous curly girl hair and it make me want to throw up. Did I mention that he is also annoying and unprofessional and immature and I dont like him? Yes, its not just the pysical attributes so you can get down off your high horse.

Monday, Fucking Monday. Im the furthest point from next weekend and it sux.

blog da bitch

2006-07-10T21:32:00.000+10:00

Yes, yes. I know that I have not posted in like, forever, and I also know that no one will actually end up reading this, but perhaps that's how I like it for now. I've actually found that what I originally started this blog for, changing, due to people reading. I think I found myself writing more towards an audience (be it a very small audience, but an audience none-the-less) instead of just writing for myself. A way of catalouging my feelings, adventures, mis-adventures, trials and tribulations.

So, what on earth have I been up to? Meh, who cares really.

School (work) has been going well. I find myself a rather large influence in my workplace, probably because we have a fairly small staff as it is, but also because as my confidence in my abilities has increased, I have found myself adding alot more to conversations and decisions. I'm also mentoring a graduate this year (I know, seems rediculous considering i've only got a years experience on him) so i'm having to be pretty reflective and constructive which is probably enhancing my own practice. *shrugs*
The grad is getting on my nerves a bit. Whilst he is just over a month older than me, he is really immature. He works full time, has no girlfriend, still lives at home with his mum, only talks about his precious car and suggested taking his friends to the airport to run around playing tiggy to see how long they can do it before a security guard stops them in celebration of his 24th birthday. I was like, "how ma-ture bradley" (quote from this funny little show that used to be on the ABC). Just about every time he speaks i feel like rolling my eyes. This is making me a feel a bit snobbish coz he's a nice guy, don't get me wrong, but I guess I just don't respect him as a professional. I also don't think he'd fit into my group of friends, so that puts him a bit on the outer with me.
What is weird is that he actually has a very similar personality to me. He often says little quotes or jokes that i swear could have just come out of my mouth. But no, he had to say it. He's also the type of person that I might say something funny to, and then a few moments later I hear him repeating that same thing to someone else, as though he thought of it! How rude.

Perhaps I should change the title from A heartbeat later... to, A bitch later... haha.

Ben and I had our one year wedding anniversary over the school holidays. We had a debaucherous weekend in the city, staying at the Rendevous Hotel just opposite Flinders St Station. It was great. Its been so long that we've been out on the town, just the 2 of us and both able to drink! We spent soooo much money in alcohol that night. haha, but it was worth it.
We checked out the casino for a bit, but after losing $20 in coinage, we decided that money would be better spent on alcohol.. oh, and pizza.

Sigh, talking about pizza makes me remember that Im on a diet again. Ben and I are doing it together this time so its easier than preparing 2 seperate meals and stuff, but it is still difficult.
I generally really good during the week. I cook low-fat meals in small portions and we dont snack or anything. I think its just our weekends that is pushing it over the edge. It must be something, coz playing tennis once a week and doing a hip hop dance lesson once a week just isnt cutting it.

Well, im pretty tired of writing for now. Have I mentioned that I'm a bridesmaid (matron of honour, seeing as im married) in my brother-in-law's (Paul's) wedding? Man, it is going to be so much fun, i cant wait!
Okies, I wont get started on all that for now.
You didnt read this. Good

Still Alive

2006-03-14T09:56:00.000+11:00

It has been a rather long time since I have had either the time or inclination to sit down and write a proper blog. I have considered it at times, but I didnt really have anything much to write about.

The first school term (although it was a short one) has come to an end. My new class of preps have settled in really well and I am throughly enjoying them as a grade.
Its great still seeing all my kids from last year around the place. Quite different from having only been one grade's teacher last year, to this year, having a new class plus children from last year in 2 different classes. Its like my wings are spread over 3 classes instead of one. Ok, that sounds really weird but perhaps any teachers out there might understand.

The weeks are slipping by quite quickly and the weekends even more so. They tend to do that when you have plans for something like 5-6 weekends in a row.

I had my dad's 60th B'day Party at my place. All the relatives came around which was quite daunting. For some reason you have this innate desire to impress them (although, who really cares?). So, of course, the house was cleaned to within an each of its life and we found ourselves with a new $400 BBQ for some reason. Yes, im sure a measure of ones sucess is the size and shinyness of ones bbq. We can't have them thinking we cook our meat on a sub-par hand-me-down, now can we?

After that weekend was over, and I was thanking the lord that the next one won't have to be for another 10 years when dad is 70, we had a variety of B'day parties and Housewarmings to attend. At least 1-2 per weekend in fact. Aiyiyi

What has been getting me through this tyriad of engagements and popularity you ask? Well, it is the overseas trip that we are planning for the end of the year.

For about 5 and a half weeks (pretty much the whole summer holidays coz thats all i can have), Ben and I are going to be jetsetting around Europe. It has been my lifelong ambition and its come to the point where we either do it now, while we're still young, or pretty much wait until we're retired and our kids have all moved out of home. I choose, NOW!

So, new kitchen and bathroom have been put on hold for another year, and Europe awaits.
Our plans thus far are to go over just before xmas. Spend a white christmas in England and then do the UK on our own for a bit, checking out all the major sights, that kinda thing.
We are then planning on doing a 24 day Contiki Tour which visits 11 different countries around Europe, including France, Monaco, Spain, Italy, Vatican City, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Netherlands and Belgium. It is going to be the most amazing journey of our lives and it is the thought of that, that is keeping me going this year.

i have become a geography nut ever since deciding we were going to go. I cant stop looking at all the countries and reading up all the history on them. My lonely planets guide to Europe is my favourite book at the moment. I just can't get enough!!!

Until then, we will be working hard, saving hard and hopefully the year will just melt by and I will be on my way! Just thinking about it now gives me tingles.

These school holidays, Ben and I are going to Phillip Island for a bit under a week in celebration of our 4 year anniversary. It feels like a hell of a lot longer than that, considering we've been living together for almost all that time and we now have a wedding anniversary to celebrate, but 4 years since the first time i kissed my georgous husband is worth celebrating... with lots of kissing! ewww hehe

Am about to go "running" with my brother-in-laws gf in a minute and considering im supposed to be there in about 10 mins and I'm still in my pj's does pose a slight problem.
Gotta dash.

Love and kisses
xxx

A little bit of R&R

2006-01-24T09:42:00.000+11:00

Ok, so its been a while. What have I been up to?

New Years @ Falls Festival. I had a really fun time. Most of it was just chillin' round the campsite, hangin' with Mary Jane, playing cards, drinking and talking and laughing an aweful lot.The weather was pretty hot which always makes me lazy but it cooled down in the evenings and I really enjoyed sitting out on the hill watching the bands. We only went in the middle of the mosh for Cat Empire but I couldnt see a thing and people kept stepping on me, shoving me and all those regular things that happen in the mosh. I guess thats what happens when you grow up. You trade in your mosh pit for a spot on the hill.
One of the funniest things was my brother and his girlfriend forgetting their tent poles! haha
We rigged it up as best we could, but it was still a crackup
Their tent:

After we got back from Falls it wasn't long before we went up to Queensland. We decided to drive because there is something about getting out on the open road, comming and going when you please, stopping and starting when it suits you, kickin back to some cool music, staring out into the huge expanses of nothingness most of the way along the Newell.

We stayed at the Gold Coast International in Surfers Paradise. It was georgeous! This is our room and the view from the balcony:

We had such an awesome time just hanging out. We did alot of swimming and reading and eating. A real relaxing holiday.

Some of the highlights:

-Eating at Yamagen, one of the Gold Coast's finest Japanese Teppanyaki Restaurants. The food was really good and the chefs were excellent. They cook both styles, the traditional Japanese way which doesnt have all the hooplah people assume is japanese but does involve rediculously sharp and expensive knives that they are very skilled with; and they also do the American Teppanyaki version on request which is actually where all the throwing of food and la-di-da came from. Our meal was prepared the traditional way but then a family came and sat next to us and they wanted all the tricks and throwing so we got to experience all of that as well. Overall it was an extremely enjoyable night out.

- Eating at Lygon Street Restaurant (we found that amusing considering we are Melbournites). The special thing about this restaurant was their signature dish, the beef hot rock. They bring out an amazing slab of eye fillet, raw, on a volcanic hot rock and you cook it yourself at your table and their are dipping sauces and stuff to go with it. The fillet was unbeliveable. We were cutting through it with butter knives and i can honestly say it was the best steak I have ever eaten.

- The morning buffet breakfast. This was HUGE! We were literaly eating steak every morning. That and pancakes, eggs, bacon, bagels, smoked salmon, cheese platters, pancakes, croissants, pastrys, muffins, fruit etc all washed down with about a litre of freshly squeezed orange juice. We literally had to go back up to our room and lye on the bed for a few hours each morning after breakfast to recover. There were many days where lunch just wasnt an option and if we did get peckish again, it wasnt until at least 4pm. I dont know how i survive with just my bowl of musli or vegemite toast back at home. hehe

ok, something that wasnt food you ask?

- Wet and Wild was pretty fun. It was the last of the themeparks that we hadnt done before so we thought we'd check that out. All i can say is. DONT GO IN THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS! We waited on average 45 minutes per ride which lasted a whole of 30 seconds. As they are all waterslides as well, it actually begins to seem all the same because when ur going at high speeds, you really dont notice the different twists or turns that each ride has. Hey, it was entertaining at least but i wouldnt go back unless the place was practically empty and i could just walk up to each ride as i pleased.

- We went on a drive up to the springbrook mountains and then did a 4km walk to see this waterfall. It was beautiful!

The walk you go on takes you from one side of the waterfall all the way down to its base where you walk behind the water, out to the other side and then back up so that you could end up taking the exact shot i took here, but from the opposite side. It was really incredible and the walk through the tropical rainforest (bar the brown snakes) was just beautiful.

- General things such as playing in the surf, walking along the beach at night, drinking cocktails in the pool, watching cartoons on the cable television in our room.

All in all it was a beautiful holiday and just what I needed to relax and refresh before this year's school year begins.

Monday (3oth), I go back to school. Tuesday the kids come back to school. Wednesday, my class, preps start school!

Should be a fun week but im going to kick back for the next couple of days with a good book and make the most of my time off.

This weekend: Friday night, party at friends place. You are supposed to come dressed as something "un-australian" but i dunno if i can be bothered. There will be other "un-australian" things there like Sangria, sushi, matzoh balls, chiroza etc. Should be a bit of a laugh.

Sat night we're going round to derek and kell's place to see all my god kids (its been too long since we saw them last!) and have a bbq and what not.

Looking forward to it, and looking forward to the year to come!

Cheers! : ) Saki!

Hallelujah for Holidays

2005-12-23T09:56:00.000+11:00

Well, that’s it. I’ve finished my very first year of teaching and full-time work. And what a year it has been.

I got a job, I planned a wedding, I went on a honeymoon, I worked hard, I played harder, I laughed, I cried.

On the home-front:
- Ben and I got married
- my Dad went into remission for cancer,
- my Mum got engaged,
- our tennis team (made up of Ben, Mum, Paul (mum’s fiancé) and myself) came second in the competition by making it to the grand final,
- my brother David finished year 11,
- my brother Mark finished 2nd year uni doing a Bachelor of Education (following in big sister’s footsteps)- (ironically enough, his girlfriend of 2 and a half years, Flic, is also becoming a primary teacher and finished her 2nd year of uni).
- My brother-in-law Paul got together with an amazing girl, Jeni, who not only is a primary school teacher as well, but she lives in the same suburb as Ben and I. They broke up not long after they got together, but got back together soon after and have been going very strong for at least 6 months now.
- My brother-in-law, Nick, started going out with Jeni’s best friend, Jenny, and they too have formed a very tight bond. The six of us hang out a lot together and it’s a bit like a fairy tale at the moment. Keep it in the family they say! J
- My auntie had a baby,
- my cousin is about to have a baby,
- another cousin got engaged.
- Ben’s mum went to Europe,
- Ben’s dad looked after their two new dogs.
- Our dogs, Josie and Ambrose have escaped from the backyard this year an un-countable amount but have always gotten home safely.
- Our cat, Huey, has developed a jealousy for the phone so every time I’m on it he attacks my ankles and finally
- we got a much bigger aquarium and extra fish to finish the family

After all that, all I can say is: “Hallelujah for Holidays”

My Holidays:

Christmas

Christmas Eve- We drive to Cathedral Mountain where my mum and Paul are camping to have lunch with them
Christmas Day- Ben’s big extended family Christmas lunch at one of his cousin’s houses in Hawthorn
Christmas Night- Dinner with dad and bothers

Boxing Day- BBQ at our house with best friends Derek & Kell, their kids, Derek’s sister and partner, their kids and Derek’s parents who’ve come down from Adelaide.

New Years

Falls Festival at Lorne

January

Ben and I drive up to sunny Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for 10 days of luxury and indulgence

A weekend away with Ben’s brothers and partners at either our holiday house in Phillip Island or perhaps a rented house in Torquey, Appolo Bay or somewhere.

The new year of School begins and I eagerly await my new grade of preps!

Me, dressed for Japanese Day at school

2005-12-14T13:35:00.000+11:00

Life slowly returning

2005-12-07T15:55:00.000+11:00

WOW, ive finally finished reports! That is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. As soon as that last word was typed, i felt an enourmous weight lift off my shoulders and I almost floated away. Luckily I'd just eaten a piece of christmas cake that a student's mum had given me so the weight of that kept me off the ceiling and on my seat.

The year is quickly coming to an end and im really excited about that. Turns out that we've had so many prep enrolments that not only will I get a straight prep class next year, but we are also having to hire another teacher for a prep/one class (like I had this year).

I held our annual prep welcome family bbq last night. Boy was it hectic. Im very glad that all my transitional stuff is finally over for the year. Now all thats left is the finishing up of work that my kids have started. A few jolly xmas activities that I have planned, and much partying and merriment!

I have the grade 6 graduation dinner next Tuesday night. Should be a good night. The grade 6's are sooo excited about it. After the dinner they are all going on a limo ride and then to the movies to see..... Harry Potter! (which by the way, ive seen for a second time now and appreciated it much more. Great film, can't wait to see it again!)

*yawn* pretty tired at the moment. Wanna know why? Well.... my darling dogs escaped last night, coincidently right before we were going to lock them in the shed coz they get spooked by thunder and lightning, anyways, so, Ambrose was on the front porch, as she always is, but our lovely Josie, kelpie, major runner, jumper and escape artist extrodinaire was no where in sight.
We wandered the streets in the rain for as long as we could bear it before giving up and going to bed.
*Ring ring*, a rather disturbed sleep was interrupted at 3am. It was emergncy services in Mount Waverly whod just had Josie handed in there, not a scratch on her thank goodness. Apparently she was found in Mooroolbark, which is the next suburb from us, and then the person drove her all the way to MOUNT WAVERLY. For those of you that dont know the melbourne area thats about half an hour away from where I live. So yeh, i was extremely relived of course, but had to get dressed and drive to Mount Waverly at like 3.30 in the morning so we didnt get home till around 4.30ish.
We were very lucky though coz they usually charge a $100 holding fee but because we came and got her straight away, they said they wouldnt charge us. That was nice of them, but who wants to do paperwork at 4am anyways. :)

So yeh, thats why im so tired. I called up work in the morning and told them what had happened and that id had barely any sleep so they just got in a crt. This is why my reports are finished! Coz ive had all day to work on them.

Life is a funny circle of events isnt it?

2005-12-02T09:54:00.000+11:00

It has been such a hectic week. I have been feeling really stressed lately. I am still writing reports, conducting early years assessments, finalising transition details whilst trying to finish all the odds and ends that we've started this term and need to finish.
Yesterday I had an interview infront of a panel of people from my school to determine whether I have fulfilled the requirements for full registration.
As a quick background, to teach in victoria you have to be registered. Graduate teachers are only given provision registration for one year in which they have to complete a portfolio demonstrating a huge range of competencies which is deliberated upon by a panel at the gradute's school who decide whether they should be granted full registration or have another period of provisional registration.
Thankfully I passed mine and so to celebrate, Ben and I went out for dinner and drinks and then saw the long awaited, Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire!

It was really good. Action packed the whole way through. Id definately need to see it at least one or two more times to tell you what i really thought.

As i have read the books many times, its always hard seeing the movies because of all the parts that have to be left out to fit it into a moderate time, but yeh, i guess the job has to be done and i think they did a good job. The visuals were really good and the comic relief was done really well.

I didnt feel as touched by the ending as I thought i would. The book was a real tear jerker but this didnt capture the moment for me as well as my imagination and the words on the pages.

Overall, its a movie with much hype, which i generally try to avoid, but i love harry potter so i could never let it go by. At this point, 3.5 stars. After another couple of viewings, thatll probably increase.

Got dinner at mums on sat night. My cousin, Julie-Anne and her partner are comming over too so thatll be cool coz we havent actually seen each other since the wedding! Man how time flies.

I was figuring out that on Christmas Eve, it will be our 6 month wedding anniversary. Doesnt feel that long ago.

Tonight, im not sure what i will be doing. I shall see where the breeze blows me.

Still a' writin' reports. sigh

2005-11-25T14:35:00.000+11:00

Now isn't this just adorable?
The story goes, that the baby hippo lost it's mother in the tsunami and was swept up next to the giant ancient turtle. They "clicked" and turtle is now mummy. The baby hippo follows it everywhere. awww

Onto something else:

This is my kinda day!

Well, as the title suggests. Im still in the middle of writing reports. They are due in, in 2 weeks time so i'm going to be quite busy for the rest of that time.
On the up note. I have now: 3 weeks, and 3 days left of school for the year! Hip-hip-hooray!

Take care.

2005-11-15T16:27:00.000+11:00

Had a good weekend just past.
Friday night went to one of the teacher's houses from work for a "Crazy Whist Night". This was a big card game that had you moving between 4 tables, playing cards with different partners all night. Overall it was a good social occasion with good food, good wine and good company.
Got home about 2ish and then awoke to a lovely afternoon.
Had to go shopping for my god daughter's 2nd bday party which was that evening.
Pictures to follow.
Had a yummy tea of all those good party foods we love. mmm
And a lovely cake (with her very favourite character, sponge bob on top)
When the kiddies were in bed, the rest of us adults had a great night drinking up and playing cards (again).
Between myself, kell and lisa, we drank a 1 litre bottle of southern comfort! Man, i hadnt drunk that much in ages. All the boys piked about 3 hours before us girls did so that was cool coz now i can remind them of that everytime i need to pike early.

Sunday I got my car back. It went into the shop a week earlier with a blown head gasket. eeep. They found that the radiator was 75% blocked, aiyiyi, which was the cause and so now ive got my car back and working and a hefty bill to pay as a result. sigh. Thats life though. As soon as you get on top of everything, something else comes along to push you back down.

I had work off today. Not directly coz of the strike action taking place because of the work place reforms, though i probably would have had it off anyways, but because I took carers leave to go with my dad to the hospital to get back some of his results.
As a background, he is in remission for prostate cancer at the moment and they are continually doing tests and stuff to monitor his condition and it was nice to be able to be a bit of a support for him.

For the past few hours ive been doing reports. *yawn*. Gee it gets difficult to write something new for each child and to put a positive spin on every negative issue you want to raise., Oh well, the joys of teaching.
Ive done one section out of 4 sections, though it was the easiest part so yeh, still a long way to go.

I'll leave you with a thought:
Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?

ciao

Values hey?

2005-11-09T17:42:00.000+11:00

So, this was a discussion started by chai. In order to understand it you must complete the Values Clarification Exercise .

When first doing this exercise I found it harder then I had initially thought. I ended up going, eh, stuff it and just locking in an answer. This is what my result was.

"Your philosophy of life is a sad hotchpotch of the conventions of society, your own convic-tions and romanticism. You are not unkind, only staid andunimaginative. (Men) You see a woman as weak but desirable.(Women) Your resent the arrogance of men."

So i though, "hmm, this really doesnt sound like me, (though i do agree with the resentment of arrogance of men, though for me, its arrogance in anyone that i despise, not just men) lets give this some more thought".

Being the analytical person that I am, I have thought more indepth about each character.
Here is my opinion: (if you have not done the test yet then you should do it yourself before reading my analysis).

Sheriff:
Morality- i would not rate this as very high. He used a situation to his advantage, preying on someone who was desperate and willing to do anything. He got what he wanted through means that are not socially acceptable. The short word would be extortion or blackmail. naughty!
Honesty: Well, i guess on the plus side for him, he was honest about what he wanted and he got it. He also made a deal and he stuck to it. He could have just gotten what he wanted and then said "haha, sucked in, my fingers were crossed."

Marion:
Morality- Marion's heart was in the right place. We belive that she would not otherwise have betrayed robin had it not been to save him from the evil sheriff. When we speak of someones morals, we generally speak about what they belive to be right or wrong and how they conduct themselves because of this. If this is the case, we need to consider in this example, 'does the end, justify the means?' She obviously belived so and I guess I can see where she is comming from.
Honesty: She was honest from the start. She declared her intentions. She acted upon her decision (be it right or wrong) and she told the truth when confronted. I believe her to be very honest. However, she did give up on robin pretty quickly and moved to the next man that offered her a free ride. hmmm. fuck this is hard

Robin:
Morality- From his reaction, it is obvious that he belives that what Marion did was wrong. She betrayed him and his love (in his opinion). His morals dictate the way that he felt and he reacted because of them. Is it right to abuse someone you 'love'. Be they right or wrong? He did, which shows where his morals lye in those regards. Minus one point Robin.
Honesty- Well, the guy felt the way he did, and he certainly didnt hold back. There is only this to judge his honesty upon and I guess he was pretty honest.

Lil' John:
Morality- oh johnny boy. Well, this was a tough one for me and as far as i see it, it can be taken one of 2 ways. To decide upon this one I guess you need to figure out whether you are supposed to think of Robin and John as the faithful friends that we knew in the story, or otherwise as 2 people, unknown to one another. If they are the 'faithful friends' we knew them as, I belive that Little John does not have extremly high morals when it comes to friendship. From a women's perspective, you do not, ever, cross that line with a best mate's significant other. I've got a friend who broke up with his long term girlfriend and was very unhappy about it. Imagine how much more unhappy he was when he discovered his best friend, for many more years than he had known the chick, was now dating his ex-woman. It was a very hard situation and many people were hurt. It is suffice to say that the 2 guys do not speak anymore.
If i were to break up with Ben, and one of my friends decided this was their opportunity, i tells ya... Watch out biatch!!!!!!!!!
Ok, so, pretty obviously, this is a cardinal sin to me, so yeh, from that perspective, Little John would be in my bad books morally.
If, they are not to be taken as loyal companions, and just 2 guys who've been named so, then moraly speaking, John did nothing wrong.
Despite the friendship or lack their of, in his credit, John appears to have high morals on the way he belives a woman should be treated, and offers to do just that. Props for that boy.
Honesty: Well, johnno didnt exactly beat around the bush. He didnt hesitate to stand up for what he belives. He did not sneak around and he made his intentions clear right away. He appears (from this very very short story), to be quite honest.

Ok, analysis over. So, where does that leave me.

Based on my analysis, I would like to hear where you think i am heading. I think i know, but id like to see what others have to say before i reveal that.

What opinions do you have to add?
How do you rank them?
Take it away!

PS: Would you belive I just spent 45 minutes writing that post. Don't i have other things I should be doing?

Rate your life

2005-11-07T21:11:00.000+11:00

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	8
Mind:	6
Body:	6.4
Spirit:	5.6
Friends/Family:	7.3
Love:	9.1
Finance:	8.8
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Happy bout the love part. Unsure why the mind and spirit part are lower but I guess if i think about it, I dont take alot of time out just for myself or to really consider my needs.
I consider myself a person of great spirit, but i guess thats up to an individual's definition.

How do you rate?

Miaow!

2005-11-07T08:38:00.000+11:00

Heehee

Beware the tomato that kills

2005-11-04T15:06:00.000+11:00

Well, just in case you, (out there in blogger land) were thinking to yourself, "hmm, i wonder what I could be celebrating this week", then look no further!
This week, is "Food Safety Week" and so, in celebration of this wonderful week, before each meal or snack, I would like you to consider to yourself, "Is this food that i am set to consume, safe?" If you find that the food you are about to eat is not safe, my recommendation would be to ditch it immediately, otherwise, feed it to your arch enemy.

I hope that this has been a beneficial post to you all. *coff*

btw: As a responsible teacher, I should be telling you that if you are concerned about food safety, please go here. As a childish imp, I could, however, tell you to go here.

20 things: Part 2

2005-11-03T12:09:00.000+11:00

ok, all the deep stuff out of the way... onto the superficial.

10.
Im scared of spiders. Very scared.
I was once an hour late for work because on going to my car I discovered a huge spider on the drivers door and i wasnt going to touch it and I couldnt leave where I was standing to get a hose or something coz it could have dissapeared and then i could never have got into my car again.

9.
Once upon a time, I was a very good speller and writer. Something happened. I now need to spell check the simplist of words, and often go to write down a slightly more 'educated' (shall we say) word and then change it in favour of a word that is easier to spell.
Its either laziness or lack of practice that has condemed me to a life of dull, thoughtless words.

8.
My claims to fame:
- Ever heard the popular Christmas Carol, 'Silent Night'? Well, my relative, Sir Joseph Mohr, wrote that song. There you go!

- Another relative of mine was Roy Rogers. Yep, that singing, cowboy dude.
<-----Roy Rogers Thats about it unless you count getting a photo taken with Mark Waugh at Eastland or getting snubbed by that bitch Belinda Emmett at the Mushroom Concert of the Century back in 1999. (May her tits rot off in some bizarre fault of nature... whoops)

7.
My favourite food is Pizza and Nachos (the kind with gucamole and the rest). My favourite drinks are Ribena, Gin and Tonics and a Dancing Gecko.
My favourite meal of the day is Brunch. (Not that i often get to have brunch, but if i did, it would definately be my favourite)

6.
One day i hope to have children. These are the names i like at this present second (they change a fair bit). Girls: Madeline, Willow, Mikayla. Boys: Harrison, Deacon, Dylan (ben hates this name).
As a primary school teacher you can imagine how every second a name gets ruined for me. Though occasionally the cutest little kid will come along and a name I never liked or thought of before can suddenly become a fave. Each to their own.

5.
Sleep is one of my most favourite things in the world. Partly because I have such awesome dreams. I can often remember in great detail what went on in a dream and I get quite annoyed if I cant remember it.

4.
I should be writing reports right about now, but no, im writing this crap instead. Im a 'leave-it-to-the-last-minute' type of girl. Always worked for me in the past, no use changing now :)

3.
I hate politics. I know its a neccesity (sp?) but man, it just urks me so. I hate it when people get up on their high horse about this and that. blah blah. I love being a teacher right, but the politics behind the job, and the government schools and the education system and all that, really puts a strain on the job. Its pretty much the one bad thing there is.
Ben's family are so anti-liberal its not funny. My family are pretty non-political so i notice quite a difference. Well, certainly between conversations round the dinner table.
Perhaps the main reason i hate politics so is my general ignorance on the subject. To lessen my hate I am considering getting out some light (yeh right!) reading material from the library. Considering.

2.
I wish that I could be a character in the Harry Potter books. I would want to be in Gryffindor coz i am brave (except see #10) and I think that i could commentate the Quiddich Matches pretty well. I would of course want to be in Harry's group coz they are the ones that have all the cool adventures and I would be the kind of friend that would tell Harry to stop winging and get over it. Actually, thinking about it a bit more, i dont think id like to have a friend that was that famous so perhaps I could be the main character, Harriett. But then Id have to be an orphan, oh. Look, i didnt think this one out to well.
I love Harry Potter.

1.
If i wasnt a teacher, I would like to be a news reader, a hairdresser or an artist.

Hooray. Its over.

I tag anyone who hasnt done this yet.

The spin starts here

2005-10-31T16:27:00.000+11:00

I love this site!

20 Things about moi. Part 1

2005-10-28T17:01:00.000+10:00

Right, lets see how this goes.

20.
Ive always been a rather motivated, driven type person. I can definatly be lazy, but when I put my mind to something, I usually achieve it. Perhaps I just land on my feet alot?
A couple of examples:
Through out high school I got every leadership position that I went for.
I partied very hard during year 12 yet still somehow got the grades to get into the uni course I
wanted
By age 21, I was engaged and I'd bought my own house (using money I saved whilst working
part time (30 hours per week) while doing full time uni).
By age 22, I was married and got an ongoing, full time teaching position on my first application
and job interview.

Perhaps Im just lucky.

19.
For as long as I can remember, people have always thought of me as an extremely outgoing and confident person. Many people did not know that I have struggled internally with my own self image my whole life and that my outwards confidence and class-clown type attitudes were just a cover for how I really felt inside. I still find it hard to believe people when they say that I am pretty or cute or something. I actually think I am quite ordinary looking and would sway on the ugly side, over the 'good looking' side.

18.
My parents split up a couple of years ago and are now divorced. This was probably the hardest time in my life that I had to go through. The devestation that rocked our family when my mum announced that she didn't love my dad and that she wanted out, is something that I will never forget.
I remember growing up thinking that I was one of the lucky ones whos parents loved each other. Maybe I was lucky that we were a family for all my childhood and adolecent years.
But it still hurts.
My mum is getting married again in April 2006. Things are better now, but it will still be a very long time, if ever, before any of us get completely over this upheaval.

17.
When I was in grade 3 or 4 (can't remember now), I was chosen to represent my primary school in a magazine called "Comet Magazine" (a popular educational publication which was distributed to all schools in Victoria). For the article, I got to drive a train around Melbourne's city loop.
From my understanding, I was the first 9-10 year old to ever drive a train! :)

16.
I have a secret blog that only 2 other people in the world have ever read. It is a recount of 2 events in my life that I feel changed who I was. It took me a long time to write the 2 posts and alot of courage to put it out there. Writing it down was something that I needed to do so that I could unberden myself.
Here is the link: Hidden song
Warning: These posts are written exactly as I recall them, so there are some adult themes in them. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom so that you read the first one first as the top (2nd post) is a follow up to the first.

15.
I have a large birthmark on my right bum cheek which very few people have actually laid eyes on. (Guys can be rather unobservant when they have one thing on their minds!) It was very annoying as a child (and even now) as it meant that I was unable to wear bikini bottoms. It was boylegs or board shorts all the way for me.

14.
I am a major saver. Perhaps it was my upbringing (we wernt exactly rich), but whatever it was, somehow I have always been very good at saving money. I'll go to a million shops looking for the same item to find where I can get it at the best bargain and ebay is a favourite shopping spot for me. Would you belive that I got my wedding veil, brand new from ebay, delivered for $12. hehe, bargain!
Im not into wasting money at all.
Its funny coz Ben is the opposite to me and was always a big spender who was terrible at saving so between the 2 of us we generally make a pretty good compromise. He helps me to spend a bit more and I help him to save a bit more.

>>>>>> Quick break. Man, these things are hard to write and take forever! I was going to write this all in one go but looks like i'll have to do it in 2 lots<<<<<<

13.
The one characteristic that I hate most in humans in arrogance. Man, i cant stand it!! If someone is being or even appears arrogant, I just wanna walk up to them, hit them round the head a few million times and tell them to get the F#*K over themselves. hehe, makes me mad just thinking about it.

12.
Youd think Id be (or have to be) a rather patient person to put up with 18+ winging, screaming, complaining, nagging little children each day. And at school, I really am quite patient, however, one place that I am a completely impatient person is behind the wheel. Man Ive cursed alot in my car. I dont think there is any time that I get more annoyed by people then when its on the road.
Look, i know that road rage is bad, and dont get me wrong, im not about to get out of my car and bash in someones windscreen with a club-lock (though im sure ive thought about it), but man, I really have to take a few good breaths and put a good cd on sometimes to calm down from some idiots actions on the roads.

11.
My favourite films are movies which make you think; Movies that I can put myself into and movies that evoke a particular feeling in me.
Such films include (in no particular order), Fight Club, The Machinest, The Royal Tenenbaums, Seven Years in Tibet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and a million billion gazillion more.
Oh yeh, my favourite television series of all time is Sex and the City. hehe (is this where my credibility goes? meh, love it, love it, love it!)

Wow, that took forever. 10 down, 10 to go.
Keep posted!
xxx

Weekend in review

2005-10-25T09:22:00.000+10:00

So, the weekend was pretty good.
Friday night was a blast as usual with me peeps. Would have been fun to be in on the drinking action with them all but hey, the liver needs a rest every now and again.
Bender really is a great bar. The people who run/own it are just so friendly.
Sometimes I feel a bit dumb in the company of those guys. Don't get me wrong, i love them all to bits, its just that their conversation is often so deep and they always have references and specific examples and names and titles and stuff to back up everything they say. I have so many valid opinions and ideas however I cant voice them because I have such a terrible memory. I can barely remember the names of the bands I like, and dont even ask me the names of their songs or the people in the bands. Some people just seem to retain and be able to recall this information so well and so their arguments seem more educated and valid then mine. It really bugs me.
Meh, i guess i have more important things to think about and remember, like the educational progress of the kids in my class, what reading levels they are all up to, what day we have art and music and library and japanese, why one little girl is so afraid of the whole world and why she is so far behind in her social and emotional skills. I have alot of important things to think about and I guess if people want to talk about education or child development then I could talk them into the ground, but it they wanna talk about movies or music (which i love, i truely do), then I guess they'll have to put up with my half arsed comments.
Ok, so I think i just had to vent for a bit. Back to the weekend.

Sat night was good. Always lovely to catch up with my girls. Grandma Funks on Swan St, Richmond, was a great little restaurant/bar. The setting was nice, the food was delicious and the prices were reasonable.
The club we went to after, hmm. Hubcap. Well, if you enjoy stifling hot/muggy venues, crowded with bodies everywhere, waiting for 15 mins at the bar for an overpriced drink and dancing to really bad dance music, then this is the venue for you!

Got a new bookshelf on sat! Now we can finally fit all our books in, and it means I can actually buy more books coz i'll have somewhere to put them!

Bought new tennis rackets on sunday. I like the colour of ben's one better but I like the feel and shape of mine better.

Enough dribble. Ciao

On a bend

2005-10-21T15:49:00.000+10:00

So tonight I'm off to Bender Bar in Thornburn. Its my brother-in-law Nicks 29th Bday so we're going to one of his fave bars. Ive been there a few times before, its pretty new but its got a good vibe. A nice place to chill.
Last time i was there, Cam Baines, the lead singer of Bodyjar (great band!) was there just drinkin at the bar. I rekon the he must be friends with the owner or something coz i think he's there reguarly. He seemed pretty chatty with them anyways.
Hmm, i wonder if he'll be there tonight. Okies, im off the subject. So, tonight. Yeh, well a group of us are going to Bender but before hand we're going round to Nick's gf's place (Jen) for raspberry cheesecake. Mmmm, cheesecake.
So, should be a good night.
Tomorrow night its Nicola's bday dinner at Grandma Funks in Richmond then drinks to follow. Never been to Grandma Funks before so i'll let you know what its like.

Here is a cool website that i like. Check it out if you live in Melbourne.
http://www.cheapthrills.com.au/

OKies, im out.
Smell ya later!

The Wedding Post- part 3

2005-10-20T20:35:00.000+10:00

Can't get enough...

The Wedding Post- part 2

2005-10-19T10:30:00.000+10:00

Many people commented to us on the day and after, that it was the most emotional and heartfelt wedding they had ever been to.
We'd have to agree.....

Not our best looks, but it's heartfelt, and its real.

The Wedding Post- part 1

2005-10-18T20:30:00.000+10:00

Looking back on the 24th June, 2005, makes me feel warm inside.

People talk about their wedding being the 'best day of their life'. I knew that it was going to be special, but with the big lead up, all the work and preperation that goes into making a wedding come together, the stress, the last minute bits and pieces, the late nights....... I really could not have known what the actual day would be like.

A few nights before the wedding I asked Ben if he thought that he would cry. He shrugged. I started to think about it and although I was looking forward to it, and the excitement was building, I really didnt think I would get as emotional as I once would have thought when dreaming about that special day.

My wedding day, was the best emotional experience i have ever had. Ive had emotional days before, and as a general rule, my emotional days are usually not the happiest days. This was so completely different. I don't think that i can even begin to describe the amazing feelings that I felt on that day. It was honestly beyond anything that i had felt before. Such overwhelming happiness....
Being able to share the best emotional day with so many people that I love and care about made it all the more special.

In reflection, there is not a single thing that I would change about the day. It wouldnt have been everyones cup of tea, but for me, it was perfect.

The Cake
The Kiss

A Pose
Our Bridal Party

More to come...

Just Lovely

2005-10-14T17:25:00.000+10:00

You are a Great Girlfriend

When it comes to your guy, you're very thoughtfulBut you also haven't stopped thinking of yourselfYou're the perfect blend of independent and caringYou're a total catch - make sure your guy knows it too!

Are'>http://ynr.blogthings.com/goodgirlfriendquiz/">Are You a Good Girlfriend?

Hehe, well, if i was a great girlfriend, then i'm an even better wife. Can you belive that i prepare Ben a little container of carrot and celery sticks for him to take to work each day. Aww, aint i sweet?

Here are a couple of pictures of us on our honeymoon in Vanuatu.

I know i said the next post would be about the wedding but Ive gotta have a bit more time to write down what i want to for that one.

You'll just have to wait!

Begin Again

2005-10-13T01:13:00.000+10:00

Ok, well. Its been a while since Ive kept a blog, but reading others and reading over my old blog from years ago, has inspired me to start again.
I will try to write as reguarly as i can, however being a busy person ;) means that i dont have an aweful lot of time to sit down and write.
Knowing me, i'll write heaps to begin with, and then start to write more infrequently until no-one reads anymore and the whole blog becomes a slog.

OK. I guess a good way to start this fresh blog is to begin with a general introdution to myself.

I am a 23 year old female from Melbourne, Australia. This has been, probably the biggest year of my life to date and I owe it to myself to put down my experiences in detail, however for this first post i'll just touch on them.

This is my first year out as a primary school teacher. I have a full-time ongoing position at a beautiful little school surrounded by the Sherbrook Forrest where I teach prep/one.
My class has 18 little darlings and they energise me and make me enjoy comming to work everyday. Don't get me wrong, I relish a sleep-in like anyone, but if i have to get up to go to work, then i cant think of anything better.
Starting my career was a really daunting experience. Leaving the casual, laid back (occasionally stressful) uni life was pretty scary, but it was something that i couldnt wait to do! I was totally over the whole lecture attending, essay writing thing and it was definately time to start getting paid to do what i had studied to do for so long. I guess the most scary part about it was that i had worked for so long towards it, so what if i didnt succeed? What if i was a failure? What if i hated it? I guess everyone has to question their choices at some point in their life and it was probably the fear of the unknown that put my stomach in knots in the weeks leading up to the start of term.

Lucky for me, I loved it, I wasn't a failure and it wasnt long before the unknown became the known and my life really did seem to take on a new meaning. Its amazing how much of an involving job teaching is and how much it can take over your life. I guess people wont really understand unless they are teachers themselves, but thats like any job you're not in, you can never really understand everything that is involved.

Mid-way through my very busy year I got married! Yes, a pretty big thing in a 22 year olds life! Not only starting a new career but planning a wedding as well. Aiyiyi, not something that i would recommend, but certainly worth every stressful second.
My husband (still find that funny to say), Ben, is a 27 year old computer systems engineer who works for a major bank. His job is certainly not as rewarding or exciting as mine, however, his annual wage certainly was a major factor in us being able to purchase our first house early last year. He enjoys it, depending on the day, but yeh, I like that we have different careers coz it means that we can move out of our individual bubbles for a while and enter the world of others.
Next post I will go into more detail about one of the most amazing and emotional days of my life.

Anyways, this was meant to be a short introduction so i'll leave it at that and go into some more details at a later date.

Salutations and good wishes and all that.