I'm sad that I haven't had much time to write here lately, I've found I really miss it! But the up side is that my life is undergoing a positive massive upheaval and I am planning for a big overseas trip to boot! Woohoo!!!!
I finish my job tomorrow. I never thought I'd be able to write those words, I was so unhappy and down I thought I'd never get out of the vicious cycle. But behold, it is my penultimate day in my job and I couldn't be happier. Of course it has meant that I have to get everything wrapped up before I leave, which has been very stressful and time-consuming, but I'm concentrating on walking out that door and not worrying about it any more.
The reason I am leaving is because I am about to become a full time PhD student! YA! I feel like I am finally moving forward with my career and doing what I want to do for a change, doing something that benefits me and challenges me and rewards me. I guess you could say I have found my give a shit again. I'm looking forward to pursuing something I am passionate about. I'll write more about what I'll be studying soon, so watch this space!
And lastly, hubby and I get on a plane in less than 48 hours and fly to Europe to visit family and have a 'proper' honeymoon! We go via Dubai to visit family there, followed by the UK to visit my family there including my Nana and others I haven't seen for 12 years. Then on to Paris for 3 days and Venice for the 3 days - aaaahhhhhh!!!!!! This is the 'honeymoon' part, where it's just the two of us relaxing and being together in beautiful places and exploring and discovering. I've never been to either place, and I am seriously excited! I can see a few photo blogs appearing when we get back! And then we move on to Croatia to visit some of his family, spending a week on an island in the Adriatic followed by a few days in Zagreb. Then home via Dubai and Singapore.
This means a 4 week hiatus from blogging, which again I'm sad about, but I know that by the time I get back I'll be renwed and refreshed and reinvigorated. And because I'll be a full time student and master of my own calendar, I can spend a little more time doing the things I love!
In the mean time, have a wonderful 4 weeks, and I'll be back soon with lost of European stories to tell! Au revoir, Arrivederci, Dovidenja, Ma' Alsalam!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010
pretty as a posy
I recently had the honour of receiving two bunches of flowers. One was as a thank you and one was as a congratulations.
I've written before about how flowers make me feel, and the joy and colour and happy energy they bring to the house. So I'm just going to be brief and include a couple of pictures.
The first are tulips, one of my favourite flowers, and they lasted so long with that happy warm colour lighting up the dining room! The second are dhalias, which are a beautiful unsung flowers, and they have lasted even longer!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
election selection?
With the federal election only two weeks away, I've started taking much more notice of talk of politics around me. And the results make my heart heavy.
I confess I am a bit of a political tragic. I love curling up on the couch at 7.30 and watching Big Red interviewing politicians from all sides of politics, clashing with titans, asking the pressing questions, never giving up. Maybe it's the red hair. But I've also been glued to Gruen Nation, Yes We Canberra, and other bits and pieces popping up on the telly. I'm by no means an expert, but I want to be engaged by our poiticians, find out what makes them tick, find out what they want to do and why.
But it seems more and more that I'm in the minority in this. So many people I've been speaking to lately have been so apathetic about the election, so unaware of any of the policies of either of the major parties, let alone the minor parties, that I have to wonder what they will be basing their vote on.
There's been much made in the media recently about the gender split on the two main candidates, with women more likely to vote for the ginger ninja and men more likely to vote for the mad monk. I've heard comments such as 'women are so stupid, just voting for her because she's a woman" and "it's just because she's the first female PM/breaking the ultimate glass ceiling". Apart from the blatantly misogynist language that women are stupid, I think explanations like this are so over-simplified and reductionist that it seems there's no thought gone into why this gender division has occurred. Perhaps it's because women recognise that the mad monk is a threat to them and their autonomy? Perhaps it's because men gravitate more towards the 'action man'? Perhaps it's not women voting FOR the ginger ninja, but men NOT wanting to vote for her? Or perhaps I just know too many eedjits.
Call me a nerd, but I thought deciding on the government to decide the future direction of the country was a bit of a big deal. But people are basing thier votes on seemingly superficial reasons. Voting along gender lines just for the sake of it is a classic example. So is not voting for the PM because she's a redhead, or because she ousted the former PM (yes, people actually say that!). Or not voting for the mad monk because he was photographed hairy chested in red speedos (I agree, not a pretty sight at all, but at least he's healthy). Regardless of whether you're conservative or liberal (as in, small 'l') or somewhere in between, surely the future of the country shouldn't be decided on soemthing as shallow as hairy chests and a Kath & Kim accent?!?!
To be fair, this political apathy has not been helped by the two major parties' campaigns thus far. Both have been so controlled, so monotonous, so scared of putting a foot wrong, that it's all just so bland and boring, unengaging and uninspiring. Yawn, hand me another beer luv. I got excited when the ginger ninja finally declared she would reveal the 'real' Julia and stop being so controlled. But all for naught, there has been no significant change (though thankfully her real Kath & Kim accent is back). How can apathetic voters actually give a shit when what's on offer is so boring and contrived it's hard to tell one party from the other in their race to mediocrity and the lowest common denominator?!
Here's hoping most people come to their senses by polling day, actually engage their brains, ask questions about the policies, and vote according to how they want the future of the country to advance. And please, no more red budgie smugglers!
I confess I am a bit of a political tragic. I love curling up on the couch at 7.30 and watching Big Red interviewing politicians from all sides of politics, clashing with titans, asking the pressing questions, never giving up. Maybe it's the red hair. But I've also been glued to Gruen Nation, Yes We Canberra, and other bits and pieces popping up on the telly. I'm by no means an expert, but I want to be engaged by our poiticians, find out what makes them tick, find out what they want to do and why.
But it seems more and more that I'm in the minority in this. So many people I've been speaking to lately have been so apathetic about the election, so unaware of any of the policies of either of the major parties, let alone the minor parties, that I have to wonder what they will be basing their vote on.
There's been much made in the media recently about the gender split on the two main candidates, with women more likely to vote for the ginger ninja and men more likely to vote for the mad monk. I've heard comments such as 'women are so stupid, just voting for her because she's a woman" and "it's just because she's the first female PM/breaking the ultimate glass ceiling". Apart from the blatantly misogynist language that women are stupid, I think explanations like this are so over-simplified and reductionist that it seems there's no thought gone into why this gender division has occurred. Perhaps it's because women recognise that the mad monk is a threat to them and their autonomy? Perhaps it's because men gravitate more towards the 'action man'? Perhaps it's not women voting FOR the ginger ninja, but men NOT wanting to vote for her? Or perhaps I just know too many eedjits.
Call me a nerd, but I thought deciding on the government to decide the future direction of the country was a bit of a big deal. But people are basing thier votes on seemingly superficial reasons. Voting along gender lines just for the sake of it is a classic example. So is not voting for the PM because she's a redhead, or because she ousted the former PM (yes, people actually say that!). Or not voting for the mad monk because he was photographed hairy chested in red speedos (I agree, not a pretty sight at all, but at least he's healthy). Regardless of whether you're conservative or liberal (as in, small 'l') or somewhere in between, surely the future of the country shouldn't be decided on soemthing as shallow as hairy chests and a Kath & Kim accent?!?!
To be fair, this political apathy has not been helped by the two major parties' campaigns thus far. Both have been so controlled, so monotonous, so scared of putting a foot wrong, that it's all just so bland and boring, unengaging and uninspiring. Yawn, hand me another beer luv. I got excited when the ginger ninja finally declared she would reveal the 'real' Julia and stop being so controlled. But all for naught, there has been no significant change (though thankfully her real Kath & Kim accent is back). How can apathetic voters actually give a shit when what's on offer is so boring and contrived it's hard to tell one party from the other in their race to mediocrity and the lowest common denominator?!
Here's hoping most people come to their senses by polling day, actually engage their brains, ask questions about the policies, and vote according to how they want the future of the country to advance. And please, no more red budgie smugglers!
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