It's called PASSION.

Honey, can you leave your work AT HOME?!

LOL, I can already envisage this scenario 10 years from now...family vacation and me having to secretly smuggle the latest TCM offerings into my baggage...

I'm such a TCM nerd - it is always, always on my brain and seems to all pervade my life. Today I went for a job interview at an acupuncturist, and there are two other jobs in the pipeline...also TCM related...and then it occurred to me...hmmm maybe it's not healthy to be so one-eyed- perhaps I should do something OUT OF THE FIELD just for more...balance?

Even in my bag I had a copy of the journal of complementary medicine. I bumped into my friend at the gym while we're both on the bikes

her: "whatcha reading?" "are you doing uni work?"
me: oh no, I'm just reading the latest herbal research on cancer. it's my leisure time I don't have time to read it otherwise.
her: (points out) That's still work!!

Oh really?
LOL

even on my latest holiday...okay so I took some needles, a small selection of raw herbs and patent pills and a tiny TCM reference book up for personal use. Just in case I needed to self medicate...whaddya know- within 1 hour of the plane landing I'm sitting in a hare krishna cafe in a strange town having an in-depth 1 hour conversation over dinner with a total random stranger local about alternative therapies and TCM researching the local scene and making contacts. Sheesh I even impressed myself!

A couple of days later, there turns out to be a documentary on the history of TCM which intrigues my fellow travellers- I get into an animated discussion about my trade. Then I find myself taking pulses, inspecting tongues, palpating acupoints, asking some rather personal but standard questions, giving lifestyle and dietary advice, prescribing liniments and advocating to needlephobes that there's nothing to be scared of complete with passing around samples to prove my point! *LOL

G points out that it's kinda weird...but I'm fully in my element. Somehow all sense of shy reservation or that I'm supposed to be on holiday is gone. I'm in another world...my professional world...MY PASSION :-)

But Leprachauns don't exist!

I have to disagree...cos I met a real live one!

And I'm still going on about it! Haha G used to my "enthusiastic phases" just replied with a knowing:

Haha I see, and and I guess I understand your interest with leprachauns:

"In most tales and stories leprechauns are depicted as generally harmless creatures who enjoy solitude and live in remote locations, although opinion is divided as to if they ever enjoy the company of other spirits. Although rarely seen in social situations, leprechauns are supposedly very well spoken and, if ever spoken to, could make good conversation." (Source: Wikipedia)

Lol when you put it like that I can see why I think leprachauns are the coolest things ever! ;)

I've stopped surprising myself...I've just learnt to not try and pre-empt how I'll be when I wake up tomorrow. I don't understand people who say their lives are boring...I can honestly say for me every day turns up some new and surprising leaf...Life is a never-ending adventure!

I can't decide whether I'm a grandma or a 40 year old man...

Okay, so I copped out. Right now I should be schmoozing amongst fresh faces and getting more practice interacting with people my own age. But honestly by 8pm already having attended a function prior, I was pooped and given the option of a quick fuss free 10minute ride home or having a real arse of a time trying to commute home late at night with the inevitable beer goggled drongos that harangue you and security issues with not being able to get a cab and not being able to get a lift cos everybody's too pissed to give you a lift, well I thought it was a justified cop out.

Next time, I promise. I just don't think I can do more than one event per night- I'm just not cut out for it!

A shame, cos I'm sure it would have been...interesting.

This reminder of what a GRANDMA I am is just an echo of what I felt on my trip. I honestly felt like I was about 40 relative to the twenty somethings. And the people I got talking to or rather, bothered to talk to me...as always...40 year old men! I swear, for some strange reason, since about the age of 18, men 10-20 years older are the easiest subsector of society to talk to! With younger people, well they're just so young! With women, well I'm just not that girly: most of the time I really don't get them! It is the late thirties-forty year old men who are the easiest to talk to and the most interesting by far as well as the most stress free- I don't have to make a concerted or contrived effort - somehow conversation just comes very naturally, topics and all- I guess somewhere within me must lie a 4o year old man LOL!

The only problem is that...it looks kinda bad. I remember the first time my sister noticed this strange trend of mine- she was quick to accuse "which 36 year old man hangs out with an 18 year old - he must be a paedophile!" And what's worse is that when you're asian you look 10 years younger than your true age and all non-asians look about 10 years older than their true age- hence, I am intensely aware of the fact that this kind of association can very easily be misconstrued as something really quite unsavoury....

I guess some people were just never meant to fit into societal norms...*sigh*

*Magic*

This colourful picture encompasses the magical nature of where I was, and where I wish I still were...

(photo courtesy of G)

p.s M....yes you...you said you would bring me back a lantern from Phils...reminder: I'm holding you to it - still!!! :P

Uncouth

Having travelled many places here, I've always maintained that the further North you go in this country the less couth people tend to be...

so far, this theory has not been proven wrong yet....

I was walking on the beach when I heard "dogs" barking behind me. Was just some local larrikins who ran past and turned around faces plastered with cheeky grins.

Later on not at the beach we actually heard local "pigs" grunting between themselves. *sigh*

Is a bit of refinement and the ability to communicate in grammatically correct sentences too much to ask?

haha maybe we're just snobs...Aussies, you just gotta love 'em.

p.s I'm loving these holidays-finally having recreation time etc...funnily enough though, I still can't get enough great nights in. I guess I'm still really tired.

New favourite leisure activity: watching The Chaser's War on Everything sipping a glass of red warm and snug in my PJs on the couch- love it...I'm also cooking and reading...the protagonist in the book I'm reading says that we should do all the things we hate and dread and fear- character building- I tend to agree...so I'm making myself go to parties full of unfamiliar people for the next month...starting tomorrow...eeek.

I am NOT a Hippie!

So today with child-like zealousness I set out to a particular part of the city I rarely frequent with sole mission to join an organic wholefood co-operative, inspired by my recent trip and the fact that my parents keep going on about the huge spike in the costs of food.

I was pretty disappointed with what I found. Although it seems "cool" to be part of a cooperative... with this particular one at least, the freshness of the produce was lacking, the knowledge of the produce was lacking, the prices were surprisingly high...so I'm sticking to the bi-monthly organic produce delivery service :)

So anyway having been ensconced in Hippie-ness far more than usual lately, I've realised all the labels I've always refuted are just that-PLAIN WRONG: I am SO NOT a Hippie!

Okay, so maybe I'm into alternative therapies, herbs, crystals, organic food, nature, the environment, astrology, tarot, foreign cultures, progressive ideas and I listen to world music...avoid certain conventions and support certain socialist ideals...HOWEVER That doesn't make me a Hippie!

Here is my case:

1) I always wear shoes- especially on the street.
2) I bathe EVERYDAY without fail. I can't stand dirt and generally don't smell bad!
3) I'm generally quite with it and articulate- none of that glazed eyes phenomenon and dopey expression for me!
4) I dress boring and prefer a classic black to a rainbow palette and exotic accessorising.
5) I like bourgeoisie things like glasses of red wine, imported chocolate, Italian leather, swiss watches, diamonds...LOL

Adventure to the Hippie Heartland
So during my trip we did manage to venture to what would probably be classified as THE Hippie Heartland of this country. It was really grotty and there were quite a few deros indiscreetly trying to make sales: do you want ganja, mushroom, cookie? In any case, I thought it was amusing that I was the only one of our party to not get asked.

So anyway, one of our party couldn't resist giving a cookie a go - from a herbalist's point of view, observing the after effects was utterly fascinating(except for the puking part)...yup the raw stuff ingested directly is pretty potent! Moral of this story: ALWAYS follow dosage instructions from your "pharmacist"-better yet don't take *stuff* unless you need it! LOL

Of course being the herbalist I am, I had to undertake a little "investigation"...on recounting the whole story my mum was rather concerned, however I reasoned with her that if I was gonna turn into a druggie surely it would have happened already during my artsy fartsy digital media days? And in any case, honestly,I have access to waaaaay more consequential chemical compounds via my Chinese herbs if that was my calling! Who would be so stupid to spend exorbitant amounts on illegal western stuff when you can can get such easy and valid access to much more potent and legal stuff?

Haha yes it has occurred to me that being a Chinese herbalist could actually make for quite a good underground money spinner...except for the fact that I am into it for therapeutic purposes...LOL I think The Hippocratic Oath is binding on ALL healers not just conventional ones!

?

I think some kind of "shift" happened up there along with plenty of other strange things. It's mind-boggling what can happen when one allows oneself to not be limited by logic or reason.

I'm feeling strangely wistful- plagued by an inexplicably intense niggly sad almost mushy and sentimental kind of feeling, perhaps like a part of me was left there or rather, I left something up there. I'm hoping it's just the initial 'let-down' reaction you get after going on holidays and nothing more...

Or maybe it's the moon...or the reiki...Tuesday was a really strange day. A real eye opening day for "rational" G- a day of healing. It started with astrology and tarot, progressed to reiki and culminated in a really slow but effective style of yoga.

We went to some small dinky town where we stumbled across some reiki healers who operated by donation. So after harping at her for ages, G finally took her second dive into the unknown, and since I've been attuned they invited me to join in to effect the healing-it was quite beautiful...and it ended with all 3 of us grinning at each other as we gazed upon our subject who rested peaceful as an angel.

Something definitely happened...on the plane back she suddenly turned to me and said
"I think the reiki's kicked in- suddenly I can see possibilities."

Reiki's amazing like that but having experienced it first-hand I wasn't at all surprised.

Later they gave old grandma with her perenially sore muscles and joints an express treatment and I got "gonged" for the first time ie: they sounded a tibetan bell which apparently has a sound which resonates with the body's healing processes.

I'm not sure what it is with that region that attracts so many natural healers- perhaps it is the sheer beauty of the natural environment- I mean where else in the world can you so easily spot whales and dolphins frolicking in the wild? In any case I don't think it's a coincidence.

The sheer open-mindedness of the people up there, their tolerance and how they embrace everything unique, different and individual is very attractive to me.

I wasn't left unaffected. Today I decided to:
1. join a food co-operative
2. reconnect with my long-lost childhood ability to create beautiful (or at least artistic) things
3. join a reiki healing circle
4. study astrology

All I really feel like right now is hopping on a plane and going back there permanently, however I've still too many commitments down here which I needed to get back for so I'll have to learn to cultivate patience over my impulsive desires and work steadily towards making my dreams a reality.

One GLORIOUS Week :-)

Got back. It was incredibly hard prying myself off that golden sand and out of that hammock- I must have glanced back at the spectrum blue water and rolling waves over 5 times before I could finally get myself to leave...and even then, it was very grudgingly ;)

One week is just the minimum amount of time to escape- I realise it took me 2-3 days just to fully unwind and lose the tension that had gathered in my body. About 2 days before the end of my holiday I started getting tense again at the thought of having to return to the city...

But at least I was completely at ease and able to relax 100% for 2-3 days :)

It was a pretty *interesting* and thoroughly *enjoyable* escape...

Actually, I don't feel any need to blog LOL: Holiday was THAT Sanity restoring ^^! Somehow, as long as I have beautiful fresh clean air and am near the water, life just becomes instant perfection and content : )

*Completely Rejuvenated*

No time to elucidate details though...after indulging in the luxury of a zero modern communications week, just sorted through what accumulated and realised I'm kinda busy - it's pretty well right back to half throttle at least- with quite a menagerie of things happening starting later today...

So maybe I'll backblog bits and pieces later...after I've had a chance to sort the photos!

BIG CONCLUSION: I really have to do these getaways more often!

:-D

I can't believe the day finally arrived...

JE SUIS EN VACANCE?!!

JE SUIS EN VACANCE!?!!?!

maybe it'll only sink in when i get off the plane...

Hippie Boy

"Do you mind if we walk on the grass?

It's more Grounding."

LOL.

Tip of the Day: Tricking your Brain with positive affirmation

If you really HAVE to get something done but you REALLY dislike it and it bores you to death you just need to delude yourself and say:

"I love it! I love it! I love it!"

The task instantly gets more enjoyable and time goes by quicker...somehow you get more productive too...

p.s I'm so sick of city life, not only do I have markedly increased elevated levels of personal stress from the smokers and intense no-life study but then there's all the prevailing atmosphere of other stressed out people all around...and they do stupid things like think of suicide and o.d....and are permanently DEPRESSED- arghhhh...sometimes you just wanna swear and need to go to the gym LOL

I really NEED and DESERVE this holiday :P

Smokers should live in Smoker Compounds...

I was gonna say a follow on something but I'll exercise some restraint...Negative vibes can only generate more...

The ridiculous shared ventilation with chainsmokers on all sides who mysteriously only ever seem to leave the house for food or more smokos and who don't feel the need to sleep at 330am on a weeknight is still driving me insane. Insane and desperate enough to start considering all manner of only-someone-Desperate-would-do options. Notably moving back to the island permanently and others too embarrassing to openly admit publically...

Toyboy: if I get my filthy rich father to buy me a place by the beach with unlimited fresh air, will you be my "girlfriend"?

Far out, even had to hesitate in answering that one: sheesh, once I start getting that desperate and one-eyed for fresh breathable air, who knows what I'm capable of?!

In any case, I was just wondering...

Why is WEED illegal when cigarettes aren't?

I just don't get it.

With the 5000 or so chemicals and additives and CRAP in processed cigarettes these days and well evidenced addiction and adverse health effects costing society zillions in healthcare costs...it just doesn't make sense!

In any case besides feeling sincere pity for me and my plight, Toyboy and Co think this panda-eyed desperate-driven-to-insane me is an incredibly funny experience to witness.

Mainly because I become brash, assertive, irrational and fearsomely uninhibited...kinda like some people when they get sloshed...well I AM really pissed...Off!!! (And incredibly sleep deprived)

Hopefully will be able to crash quarterly executive committee meeting of the building this week to add my 5c...don't worry I'll aim to take my respectable, reasonable, rational, hopefully articulate and diplomatic but FIRM self along to that...after that will reassess and see the outcome of my blood tests etc.

This constant passive smoking is making me SICK, and health along with a fully functioning body is one thing you just cannot take for granted, cos often once it's lost, you either can't get it back or it requires a God-given miracle and efforts akin to climbing Mt Everest, along with a very fat bank balance and LOTS of time :P

this hellish and insidious nicotine business is making me really 1) stuffed body clock, sleep-deprived and dysfunctional and 2) really, really edgy...I imagine it's like being an addict going cold turkey or something! only a few more days...maybe I can get a job while I'm there and not come back until next semester?? daydreaming as usual...i need to stop procrastinating :P 50% prac exam to prepare which I'll need to pull out of my ass before tuesday...

I Believe in Destiny

So, I was out getting some last minute stuff for my trip - yay - how exciting! This grandma had no idea powerpoint IPOD chargers and no-battery-required LED torches existed- cool stuff!

Anyway...I bumped into Someone. A really long lost Someone...WOW!

How much happens in 10+ years?

SO MUCH!

It was so nice to see her-almost like a blessing! If I hadn't had a hole in my trolley, and I hadn't gone to the security desk to ask for some keys that escaped through that hole, our paths would never have crossed!

I am so glad they did.

She'd obviously been through ALOT. Just like me. We quickly exchanged life stories. Wow, between the two of us we're probably one hundred years old!!

Destiny had unmistakably intervened in her life and shaped it into something completely unexpected just as it did me...forcing us both to grow up very, very fast, and thus unable to relate to our same age peers.

Some people like to say "Destiny doesn't exist - we make our own destiny." I could hardly disagree more...I call that "You've been lucky in life so far!" There are so many things in this world we humans have no control over...just look around!

Once you start to accept this fact, you get liberated in a way :)

Cooking Experimentation with Z: Chicken Risoni Paella :)

So...with a mini reprieve until the BIG REPRIEVE I decided to cook myself a proper nutritious healthy meal...well aware of the fact that I need to clear out my fridge before my impending trip :)

So...I had 4 large organic tomatoes I needed to use up.

No method to the madness-pure creative inspiration took hold...

I fried a bit of garlic in good quality extra virgin olive oil, dumped in the chopped tomatoes, seasalt, sugar, a can of organic lentils (important: rinse out bubbles!) and a big squish of basil from a tube.

Then in went a handful of green olives, once it started to simmer I added some chunks of organic chicken, then a splash of balsamic vinegar and the finishing touch...my favourite staple right now...RISONI!

And I ended up with this.

Verdict? YUM!!!

I think I'll call this dish "Z's Serendipitous Accident" LOL ;)

Tricky

Eccentric_Heart_Nature_Impulse

Conventional_Head_Logic_Restraint

Maintaining Equilibrium = Tricky

Conversation with Toyboy

Hehe, exam time you tend to bump into ppl cause everyone actually turns up! In any case a familiar face is always nice in this big, wide vacuous city...

Bumped into Toyboy who outlined his latest tale of woe in his failed Casanova conquest...

Him: It's all your Fault!!

Me: Uh...Why?

Him: Because...You made me Forget How To Be A SLEAZE!!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!...I should have...[this part I choose to censor LOL] her.

Me: Don't blame me for your Ineptitude with Women!

Him: I'm Not! I'm just trying to make you mad.

Me: *roll eyes*

BOYS.

* the failed Casanova Conquest had that typical young girl dilemma- the chick had to choose between two guys- so Toyboy (un)fortunately lost out but the chick even had the nerve to let him down with: "Hey, stick around...I might still need you as a rebound!" unbelievable! he should be grateful for friends like me :P

** FURTHER NOTE: he labelled himself Toyboy...the label just stuck...therefore, no further insinuations should be made.

What's with the Mass Efflux??!

I think, somehow I jinxed myself this week when I outed myself as a dedicated introvert.

This week P flew out, M announced he is flying out shortly(Congrats Mate!), G decided she needs to leave :(

In the past 2 months, S, J left, as did A, C(G). Will they ever come back? Somehow me thinks the glamour and glitz of Europe and the States is too strong a pull!

Soon, M and T will leave too(albeit only interstate but multiple years). Then there's the folks who already deserted some time ago!

It's sad...

On the upside, R is back this month (Welcome Back^^!), not sure how long his itchy feet can stick it here though LOL

it's so weird, if you'd asked me 5 years ago I would have predicted most people to be more settled by now - thankfully there are still a small minority who aren't likely to be leaving soon- hehe nothing quite like marriage, mortgage, babies, 6 day a week jobs and did I mention multi-year study commitments to root oneself to a place! Weird, I would have expected more mortgages too- I guess it's a sign of the changing times....also the price of real estate here is ridiculous! I'm happy though that I got into the market when I could- nothing quite like having a piece (or part piece) of property to your name :)

Any case, now I can almost taste the first of my 4 months off each year where I actually have time for a life besides study...who is left to actually do stuff with?! eeeek!

And the worst part is, I still haven't even worked up to flying again yet so it makes no difference that there are people to visit, places to see and places to crash A ZILLION MILES AWAY!

I think someone is gonna have to make herself some new friends :-P

p.s I'm giving myself a 1-2 year time frame to work out the (longer-haul) flying issue but I'm seriously plotting to join the efflux if only for a few months (I love Oz too much!) with some clinical internship...with a White Christmas or Red Papayas ;)...so...watch out! hehe

Organic Decaf

I'm not really supposed to drink coffee but with all the necessary late nights this year I sort of delved back into it after a 6 or 7 year hiatus.

In any case I do fairtrade organic decaf. The package says on it "swiss water method". It tastes surprisingly good. I happened across the way caffeine is extracted by water and thought it was kinda interesting so in true blogaholic fashion I add it here...

Coffee beans are soaked in water. The water, which contains not only caffeine but also many other compounds which contribute to the flavor of coffee, is then passed through activated charcoal, which removes the caffeine. The water can then be put back with the beans and evaporated dry, leaving decaffeinated coffee with a good flavor.[96] Coffee manufacturers recover the caffeine and resell it for use in soft drinks and over-the-counter caffeine tablets.

(Source: Wikipedia- I LOVE this- how can anybody ever get bored?!!)

Drugs, Drugs and More Drugs!

Just when I thought I'd had enough after spending the last few days absorbed in the pharmacology of Chinese herbs, it seems I just can't get enough-now it's the turn for the western stuff!

And WOW. It's amazing the things you learn...it's certainly surprising how much detail they put in textbooks about illegal drugs and all those intriguing combinations that get concocted in those dodgy home basement labs-it's enough to encourage more drug taking and experimentation!

Forgive my innocence but before today I had No Idea the difference between crack and cocaine, and I had no idea what an A-bomb, an H-bomb, an 'illy', ozone, octane or sextasy was- although the last one I probably could have guessed!

It's so corrupting this "modern" TCM business...I guess if I wanna be a herbalist, it's inevitable that I get educated in ALL drugs!

But after contracting an arbovirus and being randomly doped up on all kinds of legal crap like a poor experimental lab rat by orthodox gps and specialists and getting so much sicker, I can honestly say I've never had any curiosity about illegal drugs whatsoever-who wants even more health problems?!

I must say though, now that I'm dabbling in potions and learning which herbs are like what drugs and what drugs are used for what disease and about the fascinating world of neurotransmitters- wow, maybe chemistry's not so dull after all!

Unfortunately I still suck at stuff unless it interests me...the day I get over that lack of discipline will be some day indeed!

Happy Queen's Birthday and Cool New Word : )

Happy Queen's Birthday!

Hope all the Aussies are enjoying your long weekend- I know I am :) Despite being holed up in study for all of it I'm strangely feeling rather HaPpY- must be from all the endorphins released from all that Petit Ecolier I've been ingesting to keep myself from falling asleep...LOL

Or maybe it's the thought of getting out - cos my study has gone surprisingly well, it's looking like I may even get out for some live music later today- Yay! :-)

Lots of interesting new discoveries today to keep my thirsty brain quenched :)

Discovery of a COOL NEW WORD :-) wait for it...

NOOTROPIC

this is an adjective encompassing all substances that have brain enhancing effects.

Cool huh?

In the Mind of a "Shy" Person

Actually I'm starting to realise this "shy" label isn't quite all that correct!

And neither is the "anti-social" label!

These are just what extroverts call people who they don't understand: ie introverts.

For me, shyness and introversion has always been somewhat conflated-related but I guess fuelled by being especially drowned in extroverts of late and completely misunderstood, I started to read up more on these mysterious introverts lately and the recognition was overwhelming...THAT'S ME TOO!!! AND, it's perfectly normal! :-)

So just in case you were just as clueless as I once was, here is a very rudimentary explanation based on how I understand it in a nutshell...

the introvert enjoys being alone- parties, unfamiliar people and social gatherings are usually quite draining...after something like this, they need to reenergise with time and space spent alone with their thoughts. they do like the company of a few close friends on occasion though :)

the extrovert is the opposite - they love social interaction and derive their energy from being with others-they're gregarious and talkative and often enjoy being the centre of attention. they love parties and get incredibly bored when left to their own devices LOL

Anyway here are some introversion associated things I like- Jonathan Raunch's article how to care for your introvert- a must read for all extroverts! (especially ones with introvert partners!)

And The Hermit's Hearth- a nice retreat after a long hard day in an extroverted world...how bizarre, that is the exact same picture I used to keep on my wall as a teenager! Such happy relief to find like-minded souls!

Fully Fledged NERD

My unenviable lifestyle of late necessitates so much wearing of glasses that when I saw my reflection without any it occurred to me that I look really weird...

I guess once you start looking weird and scary to yourself without glasses, that's the point of no return...I guess I've become a Fully Fledged NERD.

It's not as cool as I once imagined it would be...

Tall Poppy Syndrome

Tall Poppy Syndrome (TPS) is a pejorative term used in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand to describe what is seen as a levelling social attitude. Someone is said to be suffering from tall poppy syndrome when his or her assumption of a higher economic, social or political position attracts criticism, being perceived as presumptuous, attention seeking or without merit. Alternatively, it is seen as a societal trait in which people of genuine merit are criticized or resented because the attention given them elevates them above their peers.

Source: Wikipedia

The other day I heard disgusting tales of sabotage inflicted to a very talented bright woman I know who is hands down the best at everything in her field leaving all competition for dead. It reminded me that the 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' Australia is so famous for is definitely still alive and well...

This, in combination with the insatiable desire to conquer larger markets are the main factors in why we're being left with a void of talent here especially in certain fields...all the best and brightest end up fleeing to the US or Europe...

Arghhhh! Everybody, stop leaving!!! Or at least...once you've made your fame and fortune, promise to come back for retirement! I still need people to play Bingo and Scrabble with in old age ;) AND, I'll give you mates rates treatments for your arthritis and other old-age-related afflictions ;)

The Weather

It's a very British/English tradition to talk about the weather.

Lots of people here still do it but I don't. Firstly cos I'm not a big fan of small talk and I'm no good at it, especially when the small talk is that generic and uninteresting...

So here is a first- a comment about the weather ;)

It's been raining cats and dogs and the winds have been nothing short of sweep you off your feet and shear your umbrella off at its threads kind of Gusts.

While most moan and groan, it's been a sanity-restoring welcome change for me^^

This is cos it's bringing a lovely fresh breathable cleanliness to the polluted city air...and to my particularly cigarette smoke infused apartment :(

A friend was over the other night and he gestured to my completely wide open balcony door on a chilly rainy night saying "gee you don't say you REALLY like your fresh air"!

I thought it's a good thing to always Say what you mean ;)

Teenybopsters

I've never liked teenybopsters much cos a) can't relate.

But perhaps in the past it was also tinged with a bit of grief-association since I felt that my teenagerhood and early twenties was "stolen" from me via sickness and I missed out on pretty well all of that 'time of my life'.

Now though...I think it's more to do with the fact that I'm very much looking ahead- progress- and having to be surrounded by so many bopsters just makes me feel like at times I'm having to revert backwards ie. especially in terms of mental-emotional state and maturity.

Teenybopsters are still at the age where all their peers think it is 'kinda cool' to boast that your weekend ended up with you getting so pissed you ended up sprawled on the side of a gutter puking or over a toilet bowl with your friend having to hold your hair back.

So not cool.

The main topics and themes that are of concern to them are just completely disparate...

I reserve the right to retain maturity and act my mental age...it's bad looking young and being a student at my age- you get lumped in with the bopsters and people expect you to be one too.

Haha, Aussies have the best humour...

Courtesy of P...too good to not share! : )

These were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour...

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA )
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden )
A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane , Cairns ,Townsville and HerveyBay ? ( UK )
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? ( USA )
A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe . Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not ... oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is North in Australia ? ( USA )
A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is . oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK ) A: You are a British politician, right?

Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )
A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from.All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. ( USA )
A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? ( USA )
A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

Q: Can you tell me the regions in Tasmania where the female population is smaller than the male popula tion? ( Italy )
A: Yes, gay night clubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? ( France )
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: I was in Australia in 1969 on R+R, and I want to contact the Girl I dated while I was staying in Kings Cross*. Can you help? ( USA )
A: Yes, and you will still have to pay her by the hour..

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Men Talk, Women Listen...

is that how the saying goes? Well then I'm sick of it!

Maybe I "talk" or to use M's expression-verbal diarrhoea- to my blog alot cos in my real life I don't get to literally talk enough?! I guess also when you're surrounded by extroverts and loud types you don't end up saying much unless invited. Or maybe it's characteristic of introverts: with people who are practically strangers you keep to yourself and listen politely rather than talk.

Today bumped into D which was pretty funny- he was asking me how my exam went? I politely responded. Then a brief silence...but he couldn't contain himself and burst into: "aren't you gonna ask how IIIIIIIIIIIII went?"

haha and this was the clincher:"No! Cos I already asked you this morning and you already told me all about it!"

LOL- this just illustrates how I'm starting to really notice how most men love nothing more than to talk about themselves and half their purpose in talking with women is to try and get their egos stroked - actually I told him this arguably skewed perspective and he immediately agreed wholeheartedly! LOL

Actually this study debunks long held stereotypes and results are pretty interesting!

Memory

I find memory recall fascinating...what will be the trigger- an expression, a sound, a smell, music...?

I found myself travelling back in time today... Deja vu!

Walking through the park, the pathway was covered in wriggling earthworms! And just as I did 20 years ago, I found myself saying (and feeling) "Ewwww!", careful to tiptoe through them so as not to end up with any splattered guts beneath my shoes.

I was intensely aware of the fact that it probably looked quite ridiculous but I think...some things you just don't grow out of!!!

Day of Reckoning: Fortune Favours the Brave ;)

...PASSED :-))!

Thank God I no longer have that hanging over my head!

So when I got to the prac exam it was running late and there were still a multitude of people scheduled before me yet to go...The news from students on the inside was that a certain examiner was being really tough and grilling...so when the next door opened and it was that examiner...NOBODY (at least 10 people) dared to go in!! LOL

So I volunteered. (In retrospect I realise wow, how far have I come- life history wise I have tended to veer towards fearfulness/gutless wonder).

I rationalised it this way: Sheesh! if I have to rely on examiners being more lenient to pass my exam then I'm not worthy of being a practitioner anyway- I mean I need to know this stuff!

So anyway yeah it all went okay and somehow (because it is a professional context) I was easily able to remain detached and therefore unflustered despite the intimidating nature of it being you one-on-one vs. examiner and ticking time bomb! Perhaps it also came down to the fact I have a pretty good relationship with all the teachers as people so I felt more comfortable than others might have...

The chick after me wasn't so lucky-she started getting all flustered and then started berating herself and then completely freaked out and got all muddled. I think in events like these you need to

a) KNOW YOUR STUFF REALLY WELL so as to protect yourself from having holes poked in you if they feel like grilling you.

b) Be confident-cos once you start to doubt yourself...oh no.

c) Be kind to yourself- scolding yourself for getting something wrong will just make you feel worse and unsettle you for the rest of the exam which is still being assessed.

Obviously it's taken me until now to be able to somewhat master this process... hehe - so different to last time round when I asked religious friends to pray for me...and it's not like I knew it better the last time!

I love it :) when I have tangible evidence that I have personally grown, evolved and developed in character...

okay happy interlude over- back to the grind :P

A Night to Remember...

There is a God! Or at least Knights in Shining Armour...

I can laugh about it now, but really the night could have turned out very, very badly...

So I'm glad that this story has a happy ending :)

So to start from the beginning...

Craving fresh air, I decided to crash the night at G's by the beach...the only problem is as I was half way there I realised...shite! I think I left my balcony door open...recalling the time I lived 5 levels up and had Spidermen thieves take off with my TV and VCR and remembering that just this week some thugs had broken into my neighbours garage just to steal his bike I thought hmmm...leaving my balcony door open? I'm So asking for it!

So I decided to go home...just to clarify it was not so much out of concern for my personal possessions getting nicked- my MAJOR concern was actually contemplating the loss of data on my laptop- specifically the 1.5 years of HARD SLOG in my study files which I will always need for future reference! LOL I am such a nerd!

So anyway after a late dinner, a bit of a yarn and some point location practice I got the last bus home figuring...Saturday night lots of people about should be okay right and besides I'll just get a cab for the bit to my door. WELL. Whaddya know? I spent about 5 minutes impatiently waiting in the freezing cold and then thought eh what the heck it's only a 10 minute walk I'll get home way before this cab queue will ever progress...

SO. Hmmm...it's been a loooooong while since I was right in the heart of the big city by myself reasonably late on a Saturday night...what really struck me was the incredible LACK of Decent people with any Class around(and how refreshing my friends are by comparison)...and wondering sheesh am I just a snob? then concluding, "No, Definitely not!!!"

The chicks all seemed to be wearing butt hugging skirts right up their ass and they actually had the bimbo nerve to complain about how cold it was(!) and the men were yelling at me out of cars and the ones propositioning me on the street stunk of booze and cigarette smoke :P

urgh...EXACTLY why I'm antisocial and reserve the right to STAY this way! I'd rather stay home by myself than have to put up with that kinda crap every time I go out!

In any case just as I thought the worst was over, another loser propositioned me but this time he wouldn't go away and realising this I was like oh shit what to do? I turned around and started walking from where I had come, the guy kept following me and was getting aggro that I was walking away...looking across the road I chanced to spot a hefty looking security guard so I decided that was my best option. I heard the loser guy hit the car at the junction and swear(sorry to whoever's car got dented cos of me)...then I apologised and explained to the security guard:

"Sorry I'm following you cos that guy was harrassing me and wouldn't leave me alone"...and how I was being stupid by not waiting for a cab and that I had forgotten the dangers of big city life after being in the country the past year...

He immediately offered to walk me home knowing full well what a target I was considering full grown men get bashed up!

So anyway we got chatting for the rest of the walk home and it turns out he was the very same security guard who was on the scene when my neighbour got bashed up a year ago: What a coincidence!

And what I learnt is that in Australia the security guards are not allowed by law to lay hands on thugs- they have to call the police. Being Leb, he said he'd already taken the law into his own hands and bashed about 6 guys up "on the job" but got off on "self-defence" LOL. He also told me that in Lebanon- by law you're allowed to KILL anybody if they try to break into your place etc-it's very much a civilian law where people take justice into their own hands...he told me a funny story of how he knows people that applied this "civilian justice" here to a would be thief...they got a spear fishing gun and shot the would be thief right through the leg! And not only that the guy also had to go to gaol!! LOL exactly like that saying, Crime doesn't pay!

Anyway...it was definitely a memorable night...it's so sad how dangerous the city has become- that I can't go out without requiring the services of a personal bodyguard and escort service right to my door every time! In any case, at least now I know where there is a good security headquarters with round the clock guards near my place so I know where to go if I ever get caught out again...but I think I learnt my lesson enough this time round to not be so blase and daring about my personal safety ever again!!