Another Year Over.
It's been a quiet but good year overall and 2011 promises to be even better. I've gotten a great new job, fallen preggers, got some awesome new curtains in the front room (which are keeping the house nice and cool in this summer heat BTW), got a pet possum in the backyard, and been shown how lucky I am to have so many amazing and beautiful people in my life. Next year I'll have a little son or daughter, get to catch up with some special friends in Tassie and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to fit in enough school to finish my degree. We'll have to see.
So it's about 32 degrees outside & they've forecast 34 for tomorrow. We've gone through a lot of ice blocks over the last couple of days!
Our dishwasher packed it in this week so we bought a cool new Bosch one & it got delivered yesterday. It has a cutlery tray in the top. I love it!
I think my morning sickness is over too, I get twinges of nausea from time to time but as long as I eat regularly I'm fine. I'm starting to get a little bit of energy back too yay! Just hanging out for a big belly.. I know I might take that back in a few months but at the moment I can't wait to show a bit more.
Moda got eaten alive by mozzies the night before last poor thing, they've come up into massive hives; I've never seen anything like it. I think he must be allergic - it looks like an allergic reaction to me. We went to a little asian grocer yesterday & got a tiny pot of dragon & tiger balm which seems to be helping a bit. He's struggling to get any sleep though.
We'll dose up on the "Rid" tonight before we head out to the music factory's BBQ. Can't wait!

Happy New Year all!

PS don't forget to slip slop slap!

Midwife
We had our 1st midwife appointment yesterday - she came to the house & gave me a showbag full of nappies and rash creams and fun things like that. She was lovely :) and she brought a little machine that allowed Moda & I to listen to the baby's heartbeat for the first time! Cool. It was like a little helicopter blade. We haven't yet done the test drive to the hospital to find out how long it takes to get there. Depending of the time of day, I think it's usually about 15 mins so that's not too bad.

I think my morning sickness is officially over at week 14! YAY! I haven't been sick in over a week, so hopefully that's it. Now I need to start exercising again so I'm not a fat lump of playdough for the labour. I think I'll need to be fairly fit to make it as smooth as possible. And apparently you have a much quicker recovery afterwards.

Moda just finished building his beautiful letterbox and is now going to start work on a possum box. We have one living in our garage roller door and I think we give the poor little thing concussion every time we open the door! He took a photo of it on his phone. Very cute, poor little guy.

All day sickness..
Have had morning sickness a lot this week. In fact, I was pretty unwell until about 5:00 this afternoon. But I've since had a lovely dinner of steak with mustard & a roast potato & am now feeling much, much better. I honestly thought I'd finish my first trimester & the nausea would be over but no such luck. Hopefully it won't last too much longer.
The little girl has a vet's appointment tomorrow. I can't believe she's 7 and a 1/2 (see pic). After that I'll be going to see the new Harry Potter movie with my sisters & my mum. I'm really looking forward to it! Moda will be doing a beer tour with some friends so I'll bet he's looking forward to that too!

Hormonal..?
Feeling a bit sorry for myself lately - still tired a lot of the time, was so sick on the weekend (I'm starting to think maybe it's stress that makes me sick because I was sick after karate, sick after the exam and really sick after the scan). It's not too bad the next day if I can get my bum out of bed at 2am and eat something, but who wants to leave a warm comfy bed in the middle of the night & fool around in the kitchen in the dark? It's Moda's birthday. I bought him a cool internet toy after a friend at work got one & raved about it. Ever heard of a Chumby? I think he's having fun setting it up. We'll head to dinner tonight for a nice quiet one with a few friends. I want to spend as much quality time with him as I can before our new little person comes, because as wonderful as that's going to be, it's never really going to be just "us two" again.

Hooked on a feeling.

Had the 12 week scan today & our little baby is lovely. It sucked its thumb a few times and jiggled around in there like the Ally McBeal baby. At one point it looked like it had the hiccups.

I must say I am relieved. Until today I wasn't really sure that there'd actually be a little person in there. For all I knew, I've just had gastro for the last 2 months.

So it all seems a bit more real now. I did notice that when they prodded it, the baby moved around much more so I hope they didn't make it too uncomfortable. Poor little blighter! It did look pretty squashed in there. What a spin out.

Amazing News.

Here we go.. I was going to wait a few more days to announce this, but we've been so excited we've kind of already told most people anyway. We're having a 12 week scan of our baby this Friday. It's due next June. I've been lucky enough to get into the only birthing clinic in town; only 20 women a month can get in so we are very lucky indeed. I haven't been too sick - only a few days where I was actually sick & mostly it's just been waves of nausea & fatigue. I did have to postpone my karate grading & I've decided against going to the Neil Diamond concert next Feb. John Farnham really took it out of me a few weeks ago & I don't want to put that much pressure on little "Rex" again. We're already going to Tasmania in Feb so that'll probably be enough of an adventure for me.

So Moda & I will be parents. I'm still a little blown away. Very exciting also; my brother & sister in law are also expecting their 1st next year. So the new little cousins will only be a couple of months apart. Awesome.

Do I miss being able to eat anything? Not really - I haven't felt like alcohol at all & I'm still enjoying lovely hard cheeses. I think the only thing I've really missed is mayonnaise which is weird because I don't often have it anyway. I've been eating a lot of fruit juice iceblocks. I'm looking forward to actually looking pregnant, because even though I have a tiny potbelly it's not very noticeable yet. I also had a girlfriend drop off a heap of maternity clothes including corporate wear so I don't think I'll have to spend a penny on that either :)

I shall keep you posted on Rex's progress.

History repeating itself
The last few weeks have been a blur. A quick work trip to Perth was awesome, but mostly because I got to see my Nana. She seems very happy and timid and a bit clingy. It could be because she's losing her sight I suppose. It's a pretty cool story: we suspect her mother may not have been her biological mother. She seems to be older than she claims and her official records don't appear to add up. This "step" mother was really horrible to her actually and her little brother often stepped between them during fights. This mean lady who raised her was also unfaithful to her husband (my great-grandfather I suppose) with a farmhand and one day the husband came home to find his wife and the farmhand in a compromising position.. There was understandably a huge fight and my great-grandfather smashed a hurricane lamp over his employee's head, resulting in the whole farm house being burned to the ground. He went to court and was sentenced to some years in prison, but he asked the judge for a stay of two weeks so he could get his two children organised as he couldn't leave them with his wife. The judge agreed and my grandmother and great uncle were placed into a catholic orphanage near subiaco. My grandmother was a teenager, but she was put into the same class as the kindergartners because she couldn't yet read or write. After a few years she wrote to her father in prison, thanking him for sending her there and advising that she was so well looked after and loved that she decided she wanted to become a nun. He received her letter and packed her straight up to basically be a mail-order bride for a mining community (think "paint your wagon" at 16 years old! Poor little girl. She married my grandfather and had 6 boys and a masectomy by about 25 years of age. Apparently they just used to lop them off in those days if there were any lumps or difficulties with them. Now as a 90 year old, she's living in a retirement home and guess what - it's the SAME old orphanage that she grew up in and loved!! I'll stick a pic of it up here. Pretty amazing story. I'll get it all down more accurately from my father one of these days.

Also have one more essay and one exam and then the school year is over. Come on 3rd of December - can't wait for it to come around! How exciting!

Forget You





I hope this clip works. Just the best song - I heard it on Video Hits (or whatever they call it these days) over the weekend. Loved it so much I took the details down so I could youtube it for Moda. Well! Turns out there's a "sanitised" version, which is the one I saw first. There's also a rude version but I think I like the G-rated one best.
Love it. I'm so going to get this as a ringtone : D

Food Matters - The Raw Food Diet
Moda & I watched an awesome doco on the weekend called Food Matters. I've already started eating vego (only for about 4 days tho) and after seeing that, I think I want to start a raw food diet now too. Even if it's only for a couple of weeks to "de-tox". Totally made sense. They said there's a myth that you should be careful about taking too many vitamins but most people don't hesitate to take drugs (contraceptives, pain meds etc). Many many people die all the time from drug overdoses or adverse reactions to drugs, but the number of deaths from too many vitamins is something like 10 in 20 years. Seriously - it's hard to overdose on vitamins. Makes sense, doesn't it?? They also said many people are cynical about taking vitamins because of the wild claims that they fix so many things. They only fix lots of health problems because a vitamin deficiency will cause lots of health problems. Also - they said that our daily intake of food should be at least 51% raw food. 51%!! I can't believe how little raw food I actually eat. So here's to good heath, here's to sustainable living and here's to raw food. I'll let you know how I go. Totally recommend the doco.

Had an awesome time in Brissie; we went to Australia Zoo with my Dad, stepmum & two of my sisters. I couldn't recommend it highly enough. The animals are in great condition, all look very healthy and happy. There are gorgeous little water dragons all over the place, it's almost as if they want to be involved in your holiday!



We saw all the Irwins, the kids are very cute but it's almost scary how talented & successful Bindi is. Moda made lots of friends, as per the pics :)
My favourite part of the day was the otters I think - they put on a show just for us. Beautiful.

FAR OUT! Sooo lucky I have a great study partner for this sucky Media Research unit. I'm probably 70% of the way through an assignment due this week, and 40% of the way through an assignment due next week. Then there's just the regular weekly exercises, one more essay and an exam and I'm done for the year. Thursday morning Moda & I are flying to sunny Brissie for a few days YAY where I can hopefully shake off this cold that's been hanging around for a week and a half. My lovely niece will be watching the house & the princess; once again I've been visited by the lucky fairy. Work is good, but I haven't been this busy for months. It will be fantastic when they actually appoint someone in my old role since I'm still helping out with that.
What else? I have a good idea for a new song too - it's been so long since I've written one. I think I need to spend some creative energy along with all this other "busy" energy.

Trying to get my head down for some study.
It's hard to get motivated, there are so many other things to think about, analyse and obsess over. But this has always been a favourite for me at the end of an era, when I really need to move on.

After a while you learn
The subtle difference
Between holding a hand
And chaining a soul
And you learn that love
Doesn't mean leaning
And company doesn't
Always mean security.
And you begin to learn
That kisses aren't contracts
And presents aren't promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up
And your eyes ahead
With the grace of a woman
Not the grief of a child
And you learn to build
All your roads on today
Because tomorrow's ground is
Too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of
Falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns
If you get too much
So you plant your own garden
And decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting for someone
To bring you flowers
And you learn that
You really can endure
That you really are strong
That you really do have worth.
And you learn and you learn.
With every goodbye you learn.
- Veronica A Shoffstall.

Good Times!

Whew! What a crazy few weeks - I've landed a fantastic new job, been skiing in the snowy mountains, had a lovely dinner with mates at Ellacure (currently vying with Rubicon for fave restaurant here), started my 7th & 6th last units of my program at UC, got a quote for solar panels, met my friend's lovely new bloke, had a near miss when a crazy 4WD lady tried to drive through my driver's side window (..while I was driving!) and also found out I'm going to be an auntie! No wonder I haven't found time to write! 1st anniversary is coming up this weekend too; I cannot believe how quickly this year has flown by. At least this next month should be fairly quiet (except for the engagement party in Sydney and the quick trip to Brissie). Will need to study tonight, get some of that pesky school work out of the way.

Hope all is going as well for you!

Finished.
I've read all 4 Twilight books now and seen the first two movies. I'm a bit sad that it's all over, to be honest. The first two movies haven't been great, but they do appear to be getting better as they go so maybe Breaking Dawn (my fav of the quadrilogy) will actually be good :)
Thank goodness the obsession happened right at the end of the trimester - I almost didn't get that last assessment piece handed in! My next two units are about to start, then next year will be my last one. Can't Wait 'till uni is over!
I'm getting my passport renewed tomorrow, with my new name and then that's it; everything will be done.

Sucked in.

I initially refused to read Twilight or watch the movie, because it just sounded like a bad teenage romance but after a lot of pressure from my sisters, I caved and started reading it this week. I've since found out that it IS a bad teenage romance and I love it! I can't believe it! As soon as I opened the book I was immediately transported back to year 10 (before I dropped out of school) as a moody, hormonal and rebellious misfit. It's been a really fun read. I'm even starting to look forward to watching the movie. Who would've thought it?? It seems kids haven't changed all that much over the last couple of decades after all...

Karate Kid 2010 Movie Mini Review:

Wil & Jada's little kid has it made (Gee, he's like his dad!). Jackie Chan is lovely. Parts of China are really beautiful. Good casting except for the mum, but only average screenwriting and sub-prime direction.

I think part of the reason the first Karate Kid series was so believable was because it was a slightly older boy and there weren't CGI effects available. This movie asks a lot from the viewer - there were lots of unnecessary bits clogging up the character development. Most important: The camera should not be a competitor in the fights - it should just be watching! Got motion sickness from the camera's flicks and spins while I should have been marvelling at Jackie Chan's kung fu! Show me the Kung Fu!!

I give it one happy face for the kids and one sad face for the rest.

: )

: (

I can make my own bread! How cool! It was a bit dry & crumbly but better than damper & looked great! I think this loaf cost me about a dollar to make. A couple more practice goes & we'll be able to use it for sandwiches I think! This lot should be fine for making french toast. Next time I'll get fancy & put some grains & seeds into it. Right now I'm making Beef Bourguinon instead of finishing my assignment that's due first thing Tuesday. Smells delicious.

Dreamworld

Went to Dreamworld today and had the BEST time, except for all the nausea from the thrill rides. I so don't remember having motion sickness as a teen. We tried two fairly tame rides first, then went on the Giant Drop which takes you up to the equivalent of 30 odd stories and then lets you free-fall for half the distance back down. It was cool fun, but freaky. Then we went on the Claw, which almost, almost made me chunder; I never fully recovered from that one. So glad it rained for most of the day though - there were hardly any line-ups. The best bits were definitely the animals. The tiger show was pretty amazing. There was also a baby wombat who was freaked out by the tourists and just wanted to be in his mum's (handler's) lap.
A few days ago we went to the Big Banana and saw real live honest to gd bats sleeping in the carpark! Um, what else? Spent a bomb on perfume at the local DFO, but it has been a while. Oh yeah! and met some lovely karate girls for all-you-can-eat Mongolian BBQ dinner. Was a fun night!

We're holidaying at my Dad's for a week - I love being here! He showed us how to use slings this morning (as in David & Goliath slings). I was pretty clumsy but I can see how lethal they could be if you had a lot of practice. We were aiming at a metal drum set up a few meters away and I only got the ball in once, in about 1/2 an hour of trying. Good fun though, I'll practice while we're up here and see if I'm any better by the end of the week. I would actually like to make one; just so I know how in case the zombies ever come. I have a few movies I'd like to watch while we're here and we want to go to a theme park at some stage too. Moda's got a bit of a cold; hopefully that won't last and we'll get back home "fighting fit" next weekend.
Moda suggested that we should indulge in little pleasures over our holiday. I told him I was feeling fat (I know it's just hormonal) and he said I should eat twice as much chocolate as I want this week. He's very good to me. Seeing you don't get a hangover from chocolate, I just might.

What a great weekend! First karate grading went smoothly, thanks to Moda getting up at 6am to train me most days for the last fortnight. Then a whole day at home on Saturday (I don't remember the last time we did that!), brekky and lake coffee with friends where I saw my first lake rat! A lovely dinner with old friends at Tarago pub, then a day trip to Sydney today to look for some new work clothes and catch up with some special adventurers. I'm very sleepy right now, but it was a lovely couple of days.

Today was a challenge.
I missed out on a good opportunity at work today, darnit. I understand that you need to roll with the punches and learn and keep getting back on your feet. But sometimes the focus changes from "speak your truth quietly and clearly and listen to others" to "listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story". Fair enough.
Sooo glad I had a backup plan in case today blew up in my face the way it did. Now is the time for taking a few risks. I have full support from Moda, for which I'm grateful. I'm going to take what I'm learning in karate about assertiveness and demonstrate it in the real world. My sensei asked tonight about a certain kata; he said "what do you think of when I say shi hin bun kai"? I replied "I think I'm frightened and I need to jump out of the way". He winced and said "...there is no frightened in karate".
Whoops....

SATC2

So I went along to the movie last night, expecting the very worst after reading all the reviews. I think Rotten Tomatoes gave it 17%. Well, for someone who never watched the TV show and was surprised when she really enjoyed the first one, I didn't think the sequel was all that bad. In fact as the credits were rolling, I thought to myself "were they really expecting it to be life-changing??" It's just another girlie movie. Great clothes, lots of indulgence, not the strongest storyline... but it that so surprising? The writers also could have been a little more sensitive in regards to their depiction of middle eastern culture, but I'd guess that plenty of American tourists behave pretty closely to what was portrayed. I only wish that they'd mentioned the comfort factor of the traditional clothing in those very hot climates (that bit always gets left out). I have a girlfriend who holidayed there and she told me the burka etc keeps you cooler. I'm glad I went. Could possibly have had something to do with the great company, but I did enjoy the night. Hot Tip: Only take a bloke to see it if he's into bronzed Aussie footballers in speedos.

The Grand Master Plan
I have developed a Brilliant Plan. I actually stole it from Moda but I won't tell if you don't. My Plan involves some waiting, (but not for long - only about a fortnight) and then a relaxing holiday and then some daring action and thrilling risk taking. Ooooh!
I have karate tonight & a grading coming up before too long. My Sydney girlfriend also has a grading coming up soon, how cool that we get to do this together!! Well, together in spirit at least.
I'm not such a fan of Flickr after all. I guess I'll have to find a tutor or something - it's not as easy as I had first thought. Hence my 3 lonely Michael Bolton pictures on there, not even in a gallery or an album & nothing new up there yet... But keep the faith - I will soon figure it out and delight the world with my picture taking and posting.
A few unintended things have popped out because of the extra pressures at work lately. I got a challenging email (which was CC'd into everyone btw) and while I was still fuming about it, a colleague popped his head into my personal space and asked me if I wanted to talk about it. I told him that I was in the process of taking aim and if he didn't give me some space he might become the target for my venom. Wouldn't you know; it worked? I think I ruffled a few feathers, but it was much better than if I'd screamed what I really wanted to scream.

Rained out.
African day pretty much got rained out today. We spent the morning driving around, looking at new window frames (so we can get rid of our old timber ones) and popped into the Narrabundah oval to see what was happening there. At least they had some hot food available - we had a black-eyed bean cake each and bought some yummy red beef casserole in a takeaway container that we'll have for tea. They only had light beer available there - no water or softdrink so we shared one of those too. As we were leaving some people started playing drums which was cool. Other than that, bit of a bust really. Shame. Nevermind! There's always next year. Yay for African Day anyway.

Yay for MB!
See my Photostream at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oonado/

How exciting - I'm that much closer to deleting all my stuff off Facebook & just using this account instead. First photo album on the photostream is Michael Bolton! He was terrific. He sang all the old hits (even some I'd completely forgotten about). The shaky recording I've made on my point'n'click doesn't do him justice at all. My two girlfriends and I had a really fun night, singing along with him & the rest of the crowd.

I do have to say though, that the promotional posters of him were False Advertising. He is not as tight and tanned and smooth as they suggest, and at nearly 60 I don't think he should have to be, poor bloke. He was absolutely lovely and very entertaining.

When some tool threw a pair of black undies at the stage he laughed and hung them on a mic stand. Ick; can't believe he picked them up! Two drunken "ladies" also tripped up the stairs in front of us when they were heading to their seats. It was an eventful concert! Shame they didn't sell more tickets. Shame also that they had it at the AIS and not at Tilley's cafe - he could have done 2 or 3 more intimate shows there instead. Moda might even have come along for that!

Memoirs
It's quite fun working on my memoirs. I should totally be working on school stuff, but that's nowhere near as much fun. Only 2 assignments to go and one of them is due next week. Woohoo! Can't wait. Also can't wait to go see Michael Bolton! I have to start organising those tickets soon. It'll be so much fun to be transported back to year 7 with "How am I supposed to live without you?" Oh yeah. There's a sale on at the moment, I might have to make a few calls tonight!

S.A.D.
My puppy has Seasonal Adjustment Disorder. I completely forgot until I complained to Moda this morning that she's been insane lately & he reminded me. She gets very sooky at this time of year, much more than usual. Always trying to climb into my lap regardless of whether I'm watching tv or standing in the kitchen cooking dinner. I suppose she could also be a bit down because we were away on the weekend, but she wasn't alone - she had two dog sitters so she should be fine. It's getting colder overnight; down to zero degrees the other day. She sleeps outside in a big warm (insulated) kennel that Moda built specially for her.
Funny girl. Last time I took her to the vet they told me I'd have to start feeding her senior's food this year. She's only 7! In fact she'll be 7 in about 2 months. There's a little male kelpie across the road that she's made friends with. He's out of his yard all the time and he comes up to our gate to visit her so we generally let him into the courtyard. He's only young - maybe 2 or 3 so he gets a bit excited and she can only handle him for 10 mins or so before she gets sick of him. When she's tired of playing she ignores him; turns her back and he starts barking. We let her in and tell him to go home.... Like sand through the hourglass and all that.

Karate Chick
I've started taking karate classes with one of Moda's friends. It's been good fun, but I am very uncoordinated - more than I ever thought. An interstate girlfriend of mine started lessons at almost the same time, so it's kind of a motivation for me to keep going. She said "I feel like an uncoordinated child" and I know exactly what she was talking about! When I become a brilliant black belt I'm going to buy a cool yellow tracksuit like Bea in Kill Bill. Yeah.
I'm usually the only girl in the class and last lesson a boy apologised to me for looking at my boobs. He said he just needed to focus where he was aiming his mock punches. Hmm. I need to buy a proper karate top so I'm not wearing little t-shirts anymore. Very awkward. A friend from work said she'd give it a punt with me tomorrow Yay!

Lovely countryside
Pondage
Dog jumping contest

My Facebook Protest:

Welcome to my new replacement for Facebook! I have a few blogs floating around in the ether and I think they're a great idea. Facebook was really good for sharing photos but the format was always changing and the privacy settings were always changing and I'm just going to do it this way now, so there. For the unfamiliar of you, don't panic. I try to use pseudonyms where I can.

This weekend, I had a Fantastic time with some good friends and my Moda. We went to the "Man From Snowy River Bush Festival" on the weekend - it was so much fun! The man from Snowy River is an Aussie bush legend - Banjo Patterson wrote a very famous poem about him: http://www.middlemiss.org/lit/authors/patersonab/poetry/snowy.html there was a rodeo (which freaked me out a bit with the raging bulls and the limping cowboys) and lots of buskers, poetry readings, markets and a bush idol concert with amazing talent! Most of the competitors sang original songs.
Moda had a "four pie day" on the Saturday since there was really only show food. The best part of the weekend was a campfire sing-along in the rain. An old bush whacker brought heaps of instruments, including a few homemade ones that he let us play. I'll try to figure out how to post photos up here. Next year I'll be dragging a few girlfriends out there and they will love it.

Hasty Hasty Oona.

The decisions we make in an emotional flurry. I need to cancel my FB account and start again, I think. It's great to have for photos, but so easy to misuse. Perhaps I'll just take all my photos off and make some photo books out of them. I love photo books. Mmmm gotta love a clean slate. Will consider what I can do.

Today's Haiku:

I am a faucet
My nose is dripping dripping
How to turn it off?

Playing in the crazy corner. OR, The Jerry Springer episode.

I've deleted a hurt and angry post from here. Venting is really good therapy, but I'm old fashioned and I still value my privacy a little bit. If I've learned anything from the last little while, it's to always consider anything that you put down in writing.
As the Soup Lady says:
"There are only two kinds of people in this world; those that learn from their mistakes and those that don't."

2010 is here and I've only got nine units to go until I complete my degree!

And I've just enrolled in two so at the end of the semester there'll only be 7 left! Which is just under a year full time. How exciting! Maybe I can look into taking a year's leave without pay & studying my butt off at the end of the fin year. I cannot wait until I'm finished. Maybe I can get into the public service as a graduate.. I'll have to look into that because I'm on a higher wicket than a 1st year grad would be, but I might be able to move up quickly...

Saw La Vie En Rose the other night & was inspired to learn French. I was so surprised that they didn't subtitle the lyrics of the songs! That's a very important part of the story! Anyway, I told my French friend that I already know lots of French so it shouldn't be too hard to pick up.

Well, I do!

- Croissant

- Oui

- Moi

- Excuse Moi

- Merci

- Chateau

- Bonjour

etc etc! .. How hard can the rest be??