Wednesday, October 21

Where for art thou, o motivation??

Yeh, so I guess the title says it all, I'm really struggling to find the motivation to finish the last of my uni assignments. It doesn't help when your gorgeous sisters are sick and miserable, so they decide to pass the misery around because we all know that misery loves company!

It's some sort of fever/flue/bug thing and I 'ates it.... :P

In other news; it takes a lot more work to plan a wedding than I ever really thought about.... Yup, you'll never believe it but because Facebook says so - "It must be true!" (yuh-huh, sure...) someone who actually popped up in this blog at one point popped the question. And now that the FB status is finally changed (from 'single' to 'engaged' no less) I can finally blog about it. No, I'm not going to tell you who it is - if you really want to know you might be able to guess, but it'll take a bit of back-reading!

So anyways, joke of the century, but somehow I'm learning to be domestic! *gaspshockhorror* It's really quite laughable, but at least once I put my mind to it I don't seem to be doing all that badly(So far..... But there is one incident that has been struck from the record book and will never be mentioned on pain of death!!!).

Funnily enough, it's the after wedding stuff which is occupying my mind rather than the actual wedding plans. After all, it's not the day that makes the marriage, it's the years that follow. I'd rather just rock up and get married than do all the fuss, but you know I do have to make some decisions.

My Dad is already over the 'wedding chatter' as he dubs it - but I hate to tell you, it's going to be occurring for a lot longer yet(okay - five months, one week and a half - yes, I'm counting - have too to get everything done!)...

No wonder I can't concentrate on uni though!!

Social commentary time - (I get so bored writing about life, sometimes it's so much more amusing to ramble about the world instead).

It's strange to me how brides will spend thousands and thousands, hours and hours and hours on the wedding, yet never seem to have a thought in their head about what they are going to do with their life after the 'big event' (and I don't mean the honeymoon part either....!)

So much more is required than making the day perfect. It's one day. You have at least 18,250 days after that which are far more important to make perfect. Especially if you actually want to make it to your 50th wedding anniversary!

I suppose it's not like the brides don't think about all of that, but it seems to me that too much emphasis and way too much importance is put on the day rather than the rest of them. And, sure there are always exceptions, and I'm not saying that there aren't. I'm just talking generally here.

My little rant is over - I've officially had my say, and like usual, probably said too much! ; )

In other pointless news and ranting, isn't interesting how the weather has been crazy-phsyco (and apparently I can't spell phsyco.) lately? What is with that btw?? I mean seriously, it is totally annoying how we've been going from mid-winter and I'm back in four layers of winter clothing to 27 degrees of mid-summer in a week!! Well, if that's not global warming I don't know what is... We are all going to die peoples! Die I tell yoooouu!

But anywho.

b. out. It's dinner time.

Thursday, October 1

Wowee...

Can your whole life change and spin in the space of a few weeks? Apparently!

Not only am I graduating in five weeks time - four if you count this week as almost over - but when unexpected surprises drop out of the sky a lot can happen!

I can't believe after five years of long hard slog the journey of the university degree is almost complete. Looking back it's really been a unremarkable trip by all accounts - I haven't had amazing grades, but nor have they been that bad. I've had some good laughs (and some good commiserations over assignments!) with class mates, but not that much to tell of. Most of the exciting stuff has happened outside of uni life really, like going overseas and meeting new people and all the fun times and good banter that happens with friends.

But I do think that asides from the obvious usefulness of the A4 square of paper and curly writing which proclaims me to have a BA Degree in Journalism, the way you learn to absorb and sort information; to classify and retain facts; to investigate and research the material in front of you is rather a life-long skill.

It's not so much the actual words from textbooks and lectures that stick in your head (as anyone who asks me about anything I learnt last semester and receives a blank stare will testify to!) but rather the impression of ideas and theories... Shadow memories that shape your world view and how you construct your own thoughts.

It's rather like the exercises of university (assignments, exams and tutorials included) create a conduit for you to pour ideas through, and like a sieve, then sifts out the ones that don't suit.

Not all ideas are helpful, nor are all ideas useful. I think half the problem with uni thinking is that if there is an idea that is widely supported it must be good, if not useful. I don't agree with this, and I think that a lot of the ideas floating around a campus are definitely not good!

University students are taught to question, to be sure, but there is also an attitude that you only question so far, because clearly your lecturers know what that it is right as they have already been through the 'sifting' process and you just take their words for it.

This is another attitude I'm not keen on, but as a general rule I think at least graduates can use their critical thinking. Too bad they don't apply that to everything rather than just the popular ideas that everyone loves to criticize. But woe to the person who dares to stand up and criticize the accepted view....

It's just another subtle version of group thinking. They pride themselves on being individuals and having their own minds, but I wonder if they really have any idea what it means to be different?

Anyways, that's just my little rant on uni life. I can hardly believe it, but truly enough it will soon be another world past to me.


............................ Awesome.


Saynara,

b.

Friday, September 4

ALMOST THERE

Okay - nine weeks, four assignments, three in class exams and I'm done. Done, dusted and so completely finished with uni. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

Um. Other then that, not much else. I'm trying to think of an interesting blog topic, but it's not really coming to me. Oh! Did you know that Clint Eastwood was allergic to horses? Go figure!

b.

Thursday, August 20

b. answers more random questions.

O__O Yeh. I'm tired. w00t for because-I-can-randomness.

1. What is your favourite wooden object?
My paintbrushes.

2. What’s the topmost object in the garbage bin nearest to you?
A sushi take-away container. Lunch today - yummy!

3. What is your favourite coloured highlighter?
Black. As in permanent-marker-black. I don't do highlighters.

4. If you could, what name would you choose for the firstborn of the person who made your life hell in primary school?
Well, even if I could, I can't. Another advantage to being home schooled - no bullies! :D

5. What kind of boat would you like to be?
A clipper - one of the fastest ships to sail the wide, wide ocean blue. None of this modern, falling apart trash for me thank you very much.

6. What is your favourite fungus?
Oyster mushrooms - or button. Mmm. Mushrooms...

7. What colour would you paint your dream house?
Technically, I wouldn't paint it. I'd render it. And probably a nice earthy red or something. I want it to be oriental styled, so it'd have black trim everywhere.

8. What is your least favourite beverage?
Orange Fanta. Never did like orange flavoured anything really!

9. What’s the best way to eat chicken?
In an invisible noodle soup.

10. Name something you wouldn’t mind being trapped inside.
A library. I would spend the whole time reading! Or a hot, hot car. I'd spend the whole time driving. Sweeet.

11. What’s something you could teach another person?
Mmm, I think there are a lot of things I could show another person, but something I think I can teach is horse riding. And anything connected to horses.

12. What’s the best thing you’ve ever put on your head?
Wow, I really can't think of anything. Maybe my trilby because I get so many compliments (from random strangers too!) on it.

13. What life form would you eradicate from the earth, if you had the power?
The red tide. Toxic algae like that doesn't deserve to exist. And if you are going to argue over the definition of 'life form' - algae counts. A life form is any living system (such as animal, plant, fungus, or micro-organisim), therefore algae is a life form.

14. What’s the oldest thing you own?
My Great-grandmother's engagement ring.

15. What was your most recent reason for travelling more than 50km from your home?
Youth leadership planning meeting. YAY!

16. What was the last thing you cut?
A stamp out of an envelope.

17. Where did you like to play as a child?
Outside! Preferably up a really tall tree.

18. Do you have anything sentimental in your wallet?
Not really - a small snap of my besties. (EmJ and Hans, love ya lots. :D)

19. What’s the best thing with a battery?
A CAR!

20. What was the best thing you ever lost?
The best thing? My way. Because it is only through loosing your way and leaving self behind you that you can find true life.

Eh. Sorry - mini philosophical rant. But hey, the question asked for it! So; random much? Yes, but like always, great for distracting yourself from actually doing any work. Yay Facebook!

b. xXx

Thursday, August 6

Murphette's Laws for the Ladies

I was just randomly walking along and "whoosh!" this gust of wind blows my hair and it gets stuck all over my lip gloss. World shattering? I think not. But it did get me thinking about all the things that are just bound to happen when you are a chick - whether you like it or not.

It's the female version of Murphy's laws I swear, and in all probability ever female on the planet has fallen victim to these laws at least once in her life... So these are the things that I think happen to every lady. Brandish those neatly manicured hands together ladies - we need to stick together against the fates.


1. Put on a fresh coat of lipstick or gloss and a gust of wind will blow your hair and it will get stuck to your lips. Or it'll be a fine coat of dust, or grit - anything that spoils the gloss.

2. The day you wear your cutest, hottest outfit you will NOT meet the guy of your dreams. Guaranteed the one day out of 365 days of the year that you wear your trackies/bag lady outfit he'll come along. And you'll kick yourself for days afterwards.

3. Speaking of guys, you will never have a deep and meaningful conversation with any guy when you look good - oh no. It'll be right after you've spent the day running around, or when you've been drenched in the rain (but not in the good way). You'll be really pleased with how everything went, and then you'll walk into the bathroom and freak.

4. If you don't buy that cute bag/dress/pair of shoes when you see them, they will sell out and you'll kick yourself.

5. After getting your hair styled and set you will never be able to create that exact cute look that your hairdresser assured you would be easy as; leaving your head looking like something the cat coughed up until the cut grows out.

6. The one time you desperately need a guy around to help you carry that heavy bag/tyre/bookcase there won't be one to be found.

7. The one time you sincerely wish all guys would disappear forever due to the fact that you are sick to death of them, they will be everywhere for the taking but you won't want them....

8. You will always ladder your new pair of nylons, but the ones with the massive holes in the them will remain annoyingly intact.

9. You will get ice/chocolate/crumbs down the front of your top at the most inconvenient times - ie, in front of the boy.

10. That embarrassing story/photo will come out when you least expect it...

11. You will spend ages on a manicure but you are guaranteed to either break a nail/chip your polish the very next day.

12. Bra straps break at the worst possible moment.

And finally 13. No matter where you are - us ladies always stick together against the greater enemy - Murphette's laws!

That's all I can think of at the moment, although I am sure there are more.

Ciao girls, b. x

Tuesday, July 28

SNOWBOARDING!

So I did it. Snowboarding! I chucked myself down the side of an icey/rock/tree/people covered mountain slope with a board that stood up to my shoulder strapped to my feet and held my breath.

Dang it - it HURT! I had stacks of fun, but not before I stacked it enough times to be covered from head to toe with bruises (the more prominent one coming from my mobile phone in my pocket. Incidentally, don't put phones in your pockets when you are learning to board. It didn't break, but I'm pretty sure I have a nice imprint of a key pad on my thigh thanks to that thing.).

Let's just put it this way - when you read up on learning to snowboard, the articles all say that the first two-three days are spent butt, back, face, fist, knee first in the snow. All the articles are right.

The first day was seriously hard. It's a good thing I'm so stubborn or I probably would have given up. There were a couple of falls where I seriously thought that I wasn't going to get up. After one particullarly nasty thump on to my conveniant backside (which did not thank me for all the abuse I can tell you!) I decided to christen my board "Wallace" as it was a total pain of a thing with a mind of it's own. I promised I'd upgrade it's title to "Sir Wallace" if it behaved... Well, let's just say that didn't happen.

So. First day. I felt like someone had ridden the calvery charge over my limp and lifeless body. You might as well have put a gravestone on my head and have it read "Killed by Saunter". >< (Who was my instructor with endless patiance
, but yeah.)

Second day - the sun was out, and it felt like the whole world was holding its breath as it waited to see what the day would bring. There wasn't a whisper of wind and the glistening cloak of shimmering snow stretched out endlessly under an ocean-blue sky. At the top of the hill, the top of the world, you could see the gum trees guarding the sides of inviting runs, and although I was quivering with apprehension, I knew that if I could do this, it would be. *can't find the words* Well cool.

So I did it. Mind you, I didn't reach my goal of getting down a run without falling over, but the difference between the first day and second day falling over was substantial. This time, I didn't stack it hardcore. When I knew I couldn't make the turn, or was heading the wrong direction, I could pull up and stop. I think the hardest thing at this stage of learning to board is when you loose momentum it's really, really hard to get going again. I didn't mind fast and faster (more of that later!), it was slow and stop that bothered me.

But I made part of a run without going down, in fact, I actually made most of it and it was fantastic. I had to stop towards the end coz my legs were about to up and quit on me, but yeh, I got a taste of what it could be like and that is enough for me.

When you are skimming over the snow, you can feel your board flexing and twisting, responding to the bumps and lumps of snow. Or the back edge of your board holds you up, cutting deep into a drift as you glide across the face of a hill. Soft powder shhhhsss away behind you as you swoop across fields untouched, tracking your own path down the shoulder of the mountain. As the trees rush by, you swerve around the bends with all the grace of a otter cutting through the waves. The cool air claws at you, trying to slow you down, but your feet are unfettered and gravity is your friend because you are there - controlling your board, working with your surrounds, but better than that; you are making your own way on your own terms. You take off and you fly.

And this was me after two days!! Push past the pain and it is worth it. I think it won't take much, and add another addiction to the list - it's just another way I can satisify my insatiable desire for speed, thrills and adventure. Push it hard and never give up. Life is far too much fun to roll over and say die!

So yeh. Plans to go back and do it again? Absolutely.

I can't wait.

b. >_<

Friday, July 17

Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Makinen ed. and other such stuff.


Well, like I promised previously I feel it is time to rave about my new favourite imagination-passing-time-coz-I'm-bored-day-dream. My next car, which will, pretty much guaranteed, look something like this:


but only before I've finished with it that is.....

Like all respectable car-mad, mod-mad and whatever other kind of octane-related diseases speed freaks can catch, I've well and truly gotten myself addicted to hot cars.

You know the kind - the ones that make you go *phwoar!* when they pass you on the street and no matter whether you are walking, riding a bike or driving you've just got to watch them streak by - even at the expense of that tree/baby-in-a-pram/pedestrian/dog/cat/etc...

Now don't get me wrong - I'm not a fan of illegal driving (much... o_O..... Joking alright?!), and I hate it when people risk other's peoples lives. (Sure, go break your own neck on a race track if you want - just leave the innocents out of it)

But the roar of a V8 - can you say "Hell yehs!" much?

Now, really, I'd love a Porche GT3 (if I'm dreaming - why not a Bugatti Veyron *drool*) or something, but let's face it. My chances of being able to afford any high-end super-sports car is zero to none.

So, if you're going to go mid-range, I thought I might as well get something with a bit of oompf, and more than it's far share of sticking power for whatever else may take my fancy. And if we are talking about 4 wheel drive for fun-sized affordability I really felt I couldn't go past an WRX or an Evo.

However, since every man and his dog (and the dog's fleas) have a Rexy in Canberra I went - thanks, but no thanks. I'm just not into driving what everyone else is.

Plus, according to Top Gear performance reviews - the WRX and the Evo are pretty well matched stride for stride with the exception of the Evo being a tad faster off the mark (as it is lighter) and the WRX having a bit more sticking power around the corners thanks to the extra weight.

I personally think that 4 wheel drive is enough to keep me grounded, so the lighter, faster Evo it is. And then you can't go past the Tommi Makinen edition of the Evo VI (pictured above) for sheer smexyness, so that was it. I've decided what car I'm going to get after BoB (Ford Laser KA that is 27 years old.) officially coughs his last cough and wheezes his way to the scrap heap. *tear* I will miss my BoB, despite needing four hands to drive him (he stalls something chronic at any given moment) and pouring silly amounts of money into him to keep him going - you never forget your first car.

Now as it seems I've gone on long enough for one post, I guess the blurb about what I actually want to do to this car will have to wait. Part 2 will come later.

b. :3

P.s. - I think it's about time I got back to Wakefield. I'm getting speed withdrawals as I type. Aww....

Thursday, July 9

Privacy

Internet globalization is a creepy thing. See, I used to think that the Internet was a pretty private place.
(Let's not go into to illogicality of my thinking please; we'll be here forever. Just hear me out ok?)

I mean sure, pretty much anything you put on the net is available for public viewing and even if it isn't there's always the hackers and the crackers. But my thinking for the privacy came from the fact that even though the information is there you have got to know where to look for it to find it. Sure, Google has made this easier, but honestly, how many people WANT to look at all the random blogs out there, let alone mine...

SO you can see how I arrive at a conclusion of certain anonymity and privacy due to hiding in the masses per say.

But then I realized how the Internet has been very steadily (and quickly) stripping away that ability to hide amongst the masses when I realized I wanted to blog about a certain subject (and I can't even tell you the topic) and I couldn't. Because now my blog is hooked up to Facebook and all the other websites I frequent. Which in turn means that when you want to blog about something personal (which may or may not involve other people) you no longer have the sweet security that only one or two of your friends actually know about your blog and actually care to read it.

Now you have FB stalkers (who go through everything on your FB page - which sounds totally creepy when you put it like that even though it's really not when you think about it seeing as they are your friends and probably just want to get to know you better) and randoms who are bored and will look at anything for s&g*.

So thanks to the inter-connectivity of the Internet, we no longer have anonymity in the wide space of the web. Darn socializing websites!!

However, such is life and that is the reason after all why I keep a journal. You can never have too many outlets to rant in!

That's it from me for now. I think the next blog will cover the topic of my car (the next after BoB) as I have been pondering the mysterious ways of modding and have some very interesting ideas... No body will care, but then again, no body has to read this. So may be I will get some of my anonymity back!

Ciao, b. x


*If you don't know what s&g is - too bad, I ain't explaining it.

Sunday, June 28

O.O Snow!

Yay - guess what?!

I'm going to learn to snowboard. Sweetness! I've only been wanting to try this for the last four years. Unfortunately I've always been too broke to do anything about it. Not so this year, I'm going to trip down to Perisher for two days. So looking forwards to it.

BTW - have to put this in because it amuses me so much.

Question: How bored do nerds get?

Answer: Bored enough to turn Facebook into Pirate English!!! XDDDD


Mind you, I am a ninja and always have been, but I can still appreciate my enemey's talents. After all the golden rule is to "know thy enemey better than thy self".


Anyways, that's me.

Adios.

Thursday, May 28

May past away with the flying pigs....

So. May + Swine flu = b. doesn't know up from down.

I don't know if it's possible, but I reckon my family (and consequentially me) somehow ended up with Swine flu. If we didn't, than we got all the symptoms of it, which means either the Swine flu 'pandemic' isn't as widely spread as officials fear because there is another flu strain going around with the same symptoms OR adversely, IS more widely spread than officials think and we really did get it!

I was sick but after taking enough medicine and tablets to resemble a walking, rattling pharmacy I got over it. Funnily enough, and in keeping with my Swine flu theory, it was my two younger sisters that seemed to be hit hardest with the bug.... *spooky music* whooo-ewoo!

It's really good thing May is almost over though - uni was soooo stressful. Thankfully I'm now reduced to the stress of one major assessment piece and two minor in-class exams. I've been running around like crazy, but the only thing I seem to accomplish has mostly been for uni.

It's hard to believe how organized I've been this semester. I even handed an assignment in a week early which is just unheard of for Miss Procrastination! I think I was bitten by some radioactive spider or something with that one. Handing in an assignment early has got to be classified as a super-power - it's wayyyyy to unusual for me not to be!

Any other exciting news and developments besides the hither-to untold super-handing-in-assignments-early-power?

Not really.... I did discover in my hip-hop class the other night that I can balance on my toes. I am quietly impressed with myself. Of course, I discovered this move by accident, but the fact that I can do it on command and repeatedly is a most exciting development for me. No one else will care though!


What has got me rilled up (and hopefully people will care about this one) is what I'm doing for my assignment that's due (yes, uni is never far from my mind - 'specially as it's one week until class finishes!! Yay! I'm done for the semester in a week *has no exams*).

It's about ACT Land Planning and Development. I'm not going to go into all the details - far too complicated. But I did discover that only 5% of Canberra city land has been set aside for urban open space and recreation. All the gorgeous bushland scattered everywhere through Canberra? Good luck keeping that if Stanhope get his way!

And that just makes me hopping mad. (Reference to wildlife - i.e. kangaroos intended... :p )

Besides all the menial details I don't think May has been all that exciting - Oh! I did go paintballing the other weekend and that was well cool!

I got covered in bruises (the guys were WAY more aggressive than last time. Plus, I got totally stuck during the free-for-all in the worst position EVER which is why my legs are a mottled blacky-bluey-greeny-yellow sort of tinge! o.0) but it was so worth it.

I had great fun setting myself up in some beautifully devensive positions and snipering the guts out of any of the enemy team that dared to wander to close.

Most of the time I scared the living day lights out of whom ever I shot 'coz they never saw me until it was too late...

BANG! Erm, best shot? I won't say the easiest; but rather my favourite was when someone was trying to sneak behind me and take me out. He dove behind some bushes which I 'strafed' with bullets - one long fire. But he didn't have a chance anyway. I got him first shot. >: D

Can't wait to play again, but that's b. out.

Ciao. :3


Monday, April 20

It's Better FASTER

I am sooo crazy to see Fast and Furious - I can't believe they've managed to get all the old crew together for another amazing movie. I've heard that it's even better than the first one which will be nice as they've just gone down hill since the original.

Okay, so F&F 2 had some nice scenes in it - I absolutely adored the 'scramble' scene, plus Paul Walker driving without watching the road is hot.... But there was no Dom (Vin Diesel) which totally sucked. He really completed the whole F&F feel and without him the movie was so-so, as proven by F&F Tokyo Drift which was REALLLY lame!!! Com'mon guys, we know you can CG just about anything these days, but the REAL stunts where what MADE F&F, and the CG drifting just didn't cut it... LAME!

Still, the directors/producers have finally realized the error of their ways (yes!) and figured it out. Vin Diesel is back and I can die happy (but only once I've seen the film!)..... Love Dom, love Dom, love Dom - but love the cars even more!!!

My first car 'crush' was the Mitsubishi Evo from F&F 2 - once I saw what that car could do, I was a gonner. Seriously, although it's not my dream car anymore (Well, after driving a Porche GT3 who can blame me??) - that's reserved for the Bugatti Veyron, and second place goes to the GT3 - the Evo still comes in a tidy 3rd place. That car is seriously hot. *drools* I can't wait to get my octane kick! Not quite the same as 'being there, doing that' but well, it's still pretty dang sweet.

No one could ever accuse me of being a slowpoke - it's just better faster!

Check ya,


b. x

Friday, March 27

Break it down y'all - Kulture Break rep!

Okay, so I went to the Australian National HipHop Championships last night (preliminary round) and it was 'off the hook'... Dude!

I was ssoooo excited to be there! Okay - it was different than I thought, but totally cool. The place was packed out and the audience sat patiently (but with a lot of noise) waiting for the show to start. Ugh. How can I impress how cool this showcase was? It's so hard to capture one moment in dance - it's just like music. If you play only one note - it might be a pretty note, or a cool one- angry, loud or scary; but you can't show the whole face of the music with one note. Just like you can't write about one move, or draw one action of dance. That will just show one piece of the puzzle. If you wanna see the big picture, you gotta see it happen right in front of you.

So I'm going to give up on trying to describe what happened, but I will say that the crowd was hyper, no one sat still for hardly a second. We where all dancing in our seats or screaming our lungs out at the sweetness on stage.

The crews were all really good (there was one that didn't do that well, but the rest were awesome) - I'm glad that my favourite crew won! The Juice Crew comprised of five guys (I'd met them on Tuesday night at dance class) that are affiliated(or maybe just friends? Dunno...) with Kulture Break (and my instructor, 'Gilly').

Those guys were reeeeeaaaallllllyyy good.... Lol. And pretty- O.o *stops herself* Well. Yeah. It was cool to see them do their thing. My fav. of the five are Solo (?) and Steve. EmJ thought Cap-guy was awesome too.

Erm, what else? Oh, well - I'm going to the workshop by Alvin de Costa(?) tonight and that's going to be super sweet. BTW, if you want to check out some of the awesomness that is hiphop dancing, check these videos out.


New Zealand Crew - Prestige
Phillipines Crew - Allstars
Some randoms - "No Money"
More randoms! - "Conduct this"
Catcha l8r,

b.

Monday, March 16

Countdown and a Twitter rant

It's funny. It seem that all I ever do these days is countdown.

I'll countdown the minutes until lunch time - or better yet until I'm out of work. I'm counting down the weeks until I graduate - the number of assignments I've got to do until the end of the semester - or hey, how about the number of weeks until mid-semester break?

I count down the chores I gotta do each day, hmm - maybe I should count the number of times I check my Facebook page - but naw...

That's count up, not down!



I count down the days of the week, the months and the seasons.


It's not hard to add to that the counting down of the minutes until bed - in fact I think the only thing I never want to count down are the minutes until I wake up!!

So why all the counting? I dunno; I'm just doing it at the moment. Although I have a sneaking suspicion it's got to do with how much I want to be finished uni and just graduate.

Can't wait until I'm done. I know with the credit crisis and the recession and all, it's not like I can actually count (there's that word again!) on getting the job that I hope for, but to be honest, anything is better than uni at this present time!


Owell. I'll get there. Then I'll wonder way I ever wanted to stop being a student... >o<


Okay - change of topic. Twitter. The latest craze; the latest target for ranters against it (read any so-called self-respecting journalist's blog on the web and I'll bet you find a post about it); the latest pain-in-my-a$$-website.

Yup, I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon only to hop off it so fast that I fell over and bruised my derriere. (Ok, metaphorically here peoples!)

It's stupid. It's like the Facebook status posts without the Facebook. And seriously? It's not amusing. Instead of random, once a day-ish sort of status updates about things that matter (okay, in my defence, I know the FB statuses can be pretty lame/stupid, but sometimes they are actually cool/serve a good purpose) you end up with endless 'tweets' about utter twaddle.

Yes, 'Tweets'. The random sentences you produce are called tweets, and I've got to say that's the only redeeming feature about this whole set up. 'Tweets' is cute. Ie - I'm gonna go read so-and-so' latest tweet(s). Too bad that that 'tweet' is just like - "I'm bored. I'm gonna go play the PlayStation."

Just go already!!! It's not like the whole entire world (or the whole entire Internet rather) needs to know that! Or that you decided to walk your dog today even though you've got the sniffles! Who cares? I mean really??

So that brings me to my second point. Even though the name 'Twitter' and the thing 'Tweet'ing(?) is super cute, (even the website is cute) it builds up your expectations for something a lot better than what you get. Gee, thanks John Bloggs, I really needed to know that you crashed your car last night because you were pissed....

As the website self-proclaims:

"Twitter is on its way to becoming the next killer app." - TIME Magazine

You got that right TIME - I'll bet someones gonna go on a killing spree just 'coz they got over-tweeted with random crap!


Anyways, that's my rant for the while. Just joining another bandwagon - Those who hate Twitter.

Adios amigos! b. :3

Friday, February 20

Going nuke.

So, I know it's not a popular subject. But still, with the lack of forward progress on reducing carbon emissions - what do we do for alternative power sources?

Go nuclear.

Yeh, I know, I know. Not a good idea - or is it?

"Australians are against carbon emission reductions. Well they must be, and anyone who disagrees, please point out to me where all our nuclear power plants are? For those who reject the idea of nuclear power in Australia, consider this - Fact - if every country in the world had the same attitude as you to nuclear power then the planet would be totally screwed by now. In my opinion, we should have been building nuclear power plants that double as desalination plants all along, ever since safe Nuclear technology has been around."

Not my words, but I definitely agree with that statement. I just think that we are holding on to too many prejudices and fears - the same mistakes we make over and over again, and where do we end up? No further reductions, still following the same paths we've been walking for the last twenty years while our streams dry up and Australia suffers from the worst droughts it's ever had. Does it take the entire country to run out of water before we do something?

And what about recent developments in the nuclear physics fields? China have been making enormous break-throughs in nuclear reactor designs, but still the Australian people (and thus, the government) choose not to look at the options available to us via nuclear power.

I think if we really want to help the environment we need to start looking at all available avenues. And demanding more action! Just as I predicted, the whole 'concern for the environment' cards dealt out by Rudd during his election campaign just haven't been fulfilled. I know we're in the middle of an economic crisis, but that doesn't change the fact that we are also in the middle of an environmental crisis - one that has greater ramifications than the economic one (as unbelievable as that might sound) and one that had been going on for longer, with far less concern from the powers that be.

If my ranting offends you, apologises. But please people, let's get our act together before it's too late. What the point of saving the world from the credit crunch if there is no earth to support business full stop?! Guess that would throw the spanner in the works, but no one thinks of that now do they...

Ciao, b.


Wednesday, February 18

BBC Top 100 Reads - how many have you done?



Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read.
2) Tally your total at the bottom.
2) Put in a note with your total in the subject




1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x (Love it - so many re-reads over)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien x (Good book once you get past all the walking. Seriously - too much walking!)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte x (*shudders* Creepy. Sorry, but I don't like the Bronte sisters at all.)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x (Started it - wanted to finish, but it wasn't my book and I couldn't borrow it. :p *Edit - did finish it, I'd just forgotten. It's a powerful read. Not something I'd read over and over again, but still good. )
6 The Bible x (I think it goes without saying that this one's my favorite... :D )
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte x (Stupid. And creepy.)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x (Love it and who wouldn't - I've read all four in the little woman series, and I love Teddy. But the last one "Jo's Boys" is reallly sad.. *sniff* )
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thoms Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (Not quite - does Terry Prachett's versions count? I do love The Tempest however, hilarious, and The Merchant of Venice and a Midsummer Night's Dream)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien x (So funny, I found this one really hilarious after the slog of LoTR times 3!)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams x (Yes, better than the movie too.)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll x (As if anyone hasn't?)
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame x (I adore Ratty and Mole and Badger. Toad was always a silly fool to me - even when I was, like, eight!)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens x (Sad, sad, sad!)
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis x (Sooo good, no matter your age!)
34 Emma - Jane Austen x
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen x (I've read all of Jane Austen's stuff. She's just so brilliant!)
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis x
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x (Love it - movie and the book)
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne x (Winne-the-Pooh - yay!)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell x (I personally thought this book was silly, although I did see the point he was making)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown 
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery x (Read them all ~ timeless and so good; I love Anne spelt with an 'e'!)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (Think I started that, but I was twelve or something, so I never finished it. Will have to try again.)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tart
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas x (This is such an awesome, truely EPIC novel!)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding x (One and Two.)
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville x
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens x
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett x (Did a book report on it - probably didn't get any of the symbolism either!)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (I saw the movie and I really do not want to read this book.)
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens x
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x (One of my childhood favorites)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle x
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton x (Ooooo - I loved Enid Blyton as a kid!)
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupéry x 
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams x (Best book with animals I can think of. Besides Redwall.)
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas x
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x (One and two!)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (I want to read this very badly...)

Thursday, February 12

25 Random Things About Me... (Like anyone wants to know...)

Whether anyone cares or not - here's the latest FB craze. Write down 25 random things about yourself and bore people to death... Fun!


Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. (To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click post.)


There will be one difference to mine though - I'm not going to torture any of my friends and tag them.... Okay - maybe one or two just for the heck of it!




1. I can't stand it when people are late - appointments, meetings, even just for casual hang outs... But for all of my problem with it; I am continuously doing the whole "Kiyyyaaa - I'm-so-late!!" dash. Go figure.




2. There are three things in life that I can not do to save myself:



~Bowling (I always come dead last and break at least one nail...)



~ Navigation (Anyone who rides in my car when I'm driving will experience the fun of reversing from traffic lights 'coz I'm in the wrong lane, or squealing around a corner 'coz I just about missed the turn off - or on the likely hood that I actually DID miss the turn off {this happens much more than I would like it too!} random U-turns whenever and where ever I can. Yup. I'm a crazy driver.)



~ Math (Do not ask me to do it, because without a calculator or my fingers and toes it just will NOT happen. Seriously.)




3. One of the things that I MUST do before I die is ride a cow. I've ridden horses of all descriptions and sizes, I want to ride an elephant when I go to Thailand, and I've ridden in cars, trailers, tractor scoops and on boats (speed and a ship), ferries, trains, aeroplanes, a motorbike and a quad bike. And merry-go-rounds and rollacoasters! I've even been in a hot air balloon (but didn't go any where) and basically, besides all of that list: I just want to!




4. I'm going to get my rally car drivers licence. Probably not that soon, around my 25th bday I think, so when I get my super-sweet car I'll be able to thrash it. Sweeeeet!




5. And, on that note - I hate Volvos. (The cars, not the biscuit). They suck hardcore.




6. And country/western music... Ick!




7. And wasps - they are seriously creepy! I think it's because they can fly, so you can never be sure if they are stalking you, or even if they are around half the time, so basically they freak me out.




8. On the other hand, I love spiders (particularly Huntsmans 'coz they are really pretty close up) except when they are on me. Then they have to get off.




9. I'm addicted to music and tea. (Particularly Jasmine tea, but I'm not fussy) I can't live with out one or the other or both at least once a day. Mmmm... Tea....




10. Animation/Cartoon and Dance/Musical are my favourite genres of movies. Put them together (like in Happy Feet) and you've got me - hook, line and sinker!




11. I get cold really, really easily. Apparently I have shocking circulation.




12. I'm a closet Aqua fan...




13. My "Most-shameful-tv-program-that-you-can't-help-but-be-addicted-too"? Er... ANTM. Nope, I won't decipher the acronym. If you really want to know, find out yourself! I told you it was shameful... =^.^=




14. I get blisters from like, ninety percent of my footwear, but I wear my shoes anyways because I am addicted to shoes. I guess that makes me a bit masochistic though...




15. I hate shark fin harvesting. Yes, I also care about the whales, but if someone was to ask me what regular act of cruelty conducted for money/as business really gets my goat - it would be that. I just can't stand the fact that hundreds and thousands of sharks have their fins cut off and then get chucked back in the sea to either drown (sharks swim to breathe) or get eaten alive. I think it's disgusting.




16. I have stayed up all night on many an occasion just to finish my book, or a series of books.... I can't help myself! I'm addicted to books. Someone check me into rehab - I have way too many addictions to be healthy!



17. I once cartwheeled down a church aisle for the sheer sake of it. I did the same in the Attorney-Generals Department of Defence building. Yep, the AGD. For the sheer sake of it.




18. I love haute couture and bargains. So yes, if I was a squillionare, I'd be saving half my money and spending half of the rest (exaggeration - maybe just one eighth or something) on Jimmy Choos, Chanel, D&G and the other part of that eighth on Valley Girl camis, JayJay's t-shirts and sale rack shorts!




19. It is my goal to go to as many museums and art galleries around the world as I can. I will drag my unsuspecting fellow travelers along for the ride, so beware!




20. I get paranoid whenever I pack up and go (from home, work - even a bus stop) that I've left something behind! I guess that paranoia has stopped me from loosing all my stuff when I was overseas though, so I'd call it a bit of a blessing in disguise.




21. I have insanely sensitive skin so you can tickle me absolutely anywhere - but don't touch my neck if you want to live.... I can't stand people touching my neck - just thinking about it gives me the heebeejeebies.... *shudders* Yuck.




22. Someone once thought my name was Barbie. -______- I wasn't impressed.




23. I have never had an imaginary friend. I think with three sisters I probably had more than enough playmates not to bother!




24. I'm an avid collector - stamps, coins, jewelry, shoes, hats, books, teapots - random bits of junk. I have the best excuse too - I'm an artist and I need all that stuff for reference! :D




25. If I'm away from home - I miss the stars. Funny, but true. When I was in the Northern Hemisphere, I hated looking at the night sky because I'd get homesick. The Southern Cross, the Milky Way, Orion and Scorpio - and other constellations that I love but don't know; I really miss them when I can't see them.


So there you go - twenty five strange and random facts about me that I'm sure you didn't want/didn't need to know, but whevah*....



It's strange how different we human beings are. I mean I just listed 25 things about me, and there are hundreds more things that make me; me and not someone else. (Duh) I think that's the great thing about meeting new people, or even just D&M-ing* with friends. There is always more than what meets the eye. ...


That's cool. Anyways ciao peeps;


b.




* 'Whatever' in shortened version.

* Deep & Meaningful coversation with friends.

Friday, January 30

On coming

Or should that be 'in' coming as in 'incoming traffic'? Maybe!

Uni starts all too soon, but thankfully before we go there - one more 'holiday' coming up! Fam. is going to the beach for a week or so, and I'm so looking forwards to my good book and whole bunch of swimming.

Speaking of books, can't believe I forgot to blog this, but for those who have insanely great memories for uberly boring details, you might remember that I've mentioned once or twice this novel I've been co-authouring with my sister over the last six or eight years.

Yep, it's finished! Of course, we have a gazillion miles of re-writing and polishing to do, but the final copy/draft has been completed!!! Yayz! The epic date was Saturday the 24th of January, 2:43pm in the year 2009.
It only took us three complete re-writes, dozens of false starts and aeons of plot-changes to get here, but we said we'd do it and we have... Next stop - the movie script! .... I ain't joking either....


On my way to Holliwood baby,

b.

Tuesday, January 6

Happy New Year!

Happy new year peeps! I did write up my new years activites (including the visit to SummerNats) and how drool-worthy all the cars were, but somehow the post was lost and I can't be @r$3d re-writing it, so this is as much as yer gonna get.

Have a good one! b.

P.S - Got an inkling of a feeling that this year might be evener crazier than the last. Stop the world I want to get off! :3

Tuesday, December 16

Post it - around the world

Wish I could post myself outta here - stamp me up and send me off!


Send me to Tokyo - did anyone besides me watch Clarkson spending through Japan in a gorgeous red number? Speaking of fast cars - can't believe SummerNats is on the New Years weekend this year!

I've been moaning about the fact that I'm gonna miss it this year. I'm away at the beach - which by itself is an awesome deal. I sure don't want to not hit the sand and surf, but at the same time I really want to see some major gut-thumpin', adrenalin-powered beauty on wheels - ie, the glorious spectacle that is the 'Nats.

My BFF's bf is thinking of going on the Sunday, but I've heard that's the worst time to visit 'coz by the end of a three-day drinking fest {which it is for most of the patrons that attend the show}, things can get more than a little out of hand. So I'm wondering - if he goes do I attend or not? Hmmm.

*shrugs* Will decide later I guess.


January and February are shaping up to be very busy months for me - but I love it in the summer time when you're rushing around having good banter and business. It just makes things so interesting and fun.

Somehow summer sun is infectious - I always end up doing so much over the summer holidays. Mind you, I'm generally a busy person no matter the season anyway.


Newest quote that I love?

"Your mood swings are giving me whiplash!" - Bella, Twilight. {the movie}

Honestly - I could quote that to more than one person at the moment. Forget car accidents - I should be suing over changes of mind and attitude - it's enough to make your head spin! Funnily enough it doesn't bother me that much any more. Sure it just adds to the craziness, but I've decided that I've got to make things work myself. I can't wait around for everyone else to get their act together, 'coz that just ain't happening.


Running away from the circus, b.

Friday, December 12

Smeh.

Smeh - a term meaning 'so meh'; pasted together like all good 1337, ie - Leetspeak.

Meh also being offically a term for disinterest or bordom. Basically I can't be bothered!

So if your smeh - you really really really can't be bothered I guess...


I really really really can't be bothered. Everything takes so much effort - but for what? At least work is good. I like work. You do the things that need to be done, and at the end of the day, you see the results of your 'blood, sweat and tears'. Ah... So satisfying.


Tea is also good! I've become so addicted to the stuff - nothing sooths the soul like a warm, fragrant cup of Jasmine tea. Heh - if anyone who reads this is familiar with Avatar: The Last Airbender show; let's just say that my level of addiction is up there with Uncle Irohs!

Those that aren't look it up on Wikipedia (something else I'm loving when I'm bored) and you'll hopefully get what I mean.


Random topics of subject, but I guess that's the way my brain is working at the moment. Hop, skip and jump around. It's easier than remembering that I haven't gotten any of my Christmas shopping done yet!! O! Fiddlesticks!! Guess that's my Saturday morning mapped out!


Adios mi amigos, I'll ttul - b. out.

Monday, December 1

~* The Three-Ringed Circus *~

Okay - you may be wondering what's up with the title - but seriously, it will take bit to explain.
There are many things that I feel like my life - or has been. An adventure, a trial, a chance - a journey of living. But, let's face it. I've been in the center of it - please don't think badly of me, but really, it is my life... Isn't it?
What if I pack up and move to the central point on the edge of everyone else's lives? Heh - I'll tell you what; I become the ringmaster in the middle of a three-ringed circus!
See I told you I'd explain... Hmmm, does it make any sense though?
I guess if you think of three circle overlapping - intertwined as it where, the point in the middle of those circles is on the edge of the circles, but still in the center... Centerfugal forces spinning around and I'm caught in the middle. It's pretty much certain that whatever ends up happening - it's still going to be a while off. In coming missile launch!
It's kinda good to feel, that although my world around may not yet be the stable, but things are firming up beneath my feet. I'm sick and tired of walking on quick sand!



Roll up, Roll up, Roll up - watch the greatest show. More entertaining than anything under my hat (ie, in my life) - behold the three-ringed circus!!


b.
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