Technology

Got to love technology. :)

PS- John taught me how to take screenshots. Now he's probably thinking it wasn't such a good idea... hehhehheh.. no webcam session is safe!

No drama

*beam* All's good. Went to the doc this morning and she said its nothing major.

Something to do with a combination of poor blood circulation, arteries constricting in cold weather and low blood pressure. 

So basically all I need to do is keep myself warm and toasty and exercise to get my blood circulation going. Oh, and maybe take it as an excuse to become an alcoholic! Alcohol = better blood circulation. Hahahah... kidding!!

John also went to the doc today. He's on antibiotics and he sounds heaps better. Was so glad to hear his voice and see his grin on the webcam. Highlight of my day. :)

Fingers

My fingers are swollen. They have been for about a month. Not sure why. It might have to do with the cold.

Ordinarily in winter my fingernails turn blue and my fingers are always cold. Sometimes they go numb.

This is the first time they've swelled up though.

Strange. 

I've got to work tomorrow so I'm heading to the doctor's on Tuesday. Oddly enough, John is going to the doctor on the same day too. He has a terrible cold, the poor thing. Our sense of humour is still thriving though. We were laughing about reporting back to each other on Tuesday night about what our respective doctors have to say. :) 

On marriage and surnames

I had a very heated debate with an Aussie colleague the other day.

He said that all women should take on their husband's surnames when they marry.

When I disagreed, he said that I should conform to the Australian culture and traditions since I'm in Australia. He also argued that I would make things less confusing for society if I took on my husband's surname. He stated de facto relationships as an example.

When I get married, people are going to refer to me as Mrs so-and-so. That's fine. 

But I absolutely refuse to change my name on all my legal paperwork (e.g passport, driving license, bank documentation, Medicare, tax and superannuation details, etc). I don't want to have to provide documentation to prove that I am me as well as Mrs so-and-so. It's a pain in the gluteus maximus. I like my name the way it is and I will keep it.

Chinese culture does not require the woman to legally change her name when she gets married. Why should I bow to an antiquated Anglo-Saxon tradition that doesn't apply to me?

Here is how I see it. If this society can accept an astronomically high divorce rate, casual sex, and de facto and gay and lesbian relationships as the norm, it can very well get used to the idea of me keeping my name.

Oh, and another thing. This person I was arguing with says that the Stolen Generation is a lie.

I never thought I'd hear anyone I know say that.

The Stolen Generation was cultural genocide. It was the forceful removal of Aboriginal children from their parents to be placed into white Australian homes. It not only tore families apart. It wiped out entire dialects, customs and beliefs that were integral to the Aboriginal culture. Saying that it didn't exist is like disputing the Holocaust ever happened. 

Gawd. 

And you know what? Despite his strange notions, this colleague of mine is actually quite a nice guy.

Totally Wicked!

Wicked was fabulous!!! It is the best musical I've watched to date. The performance was awesome! I loved every bit of it. The brilliant cast, the catchy songs, the talented orchestra, the incredibly elaborate set, the colourfully unique costumes and the lighting... it was all so perfect!

It was everything I hoped it would be. *huge grin*

Oh! And I just discovered that Wicked will still be playing in September when John comes to visit. *beam* Yay! Hopefully we can watch it together. 

141.10

That’s the amount of money I have to last me till the end of the month, after having paid the electricity and the gas bills.

Minus the usual $50 for my phone bill, I’m left with $91.10. That means I will survive on a grand sum of $8.28 a day till August.

That means no more eating out.

Not till August, anyway.

-___-


Update (22/7/2008): Oh drat. I forgot that I need to make allowance for transport. Okay a 5 x Daily Metcard costs $28.00. So that really means that I have $6.31 to live on every day till the end of July.

Wicked!

Guess who is going to see Wicked next week?

*beam*

Its been ages since I've seen a musical and I'm absolutely craving the thrill of live performance. The last musical I saw was Cats, which was ages ago.

I love live performance! It is so much more entertaining than just going to the cinema.


YAY! I'm off to see the witches~ the wonderful witches of OZ!

Just because

Since most people seem to know, anyway.

:)



On a random note, I find the button title "Add John As Your Boyfriend" very amusing.

What not to do

If a girl is alone happily nibbling on her sushi while waiting for the train, don't try to pick her up.  

Don't talk to her for thirty minutes straight when she is clearly more interested in her food than patronising conversation.

Don't tell her about how bored you get in the suburbs and how you'd like company.

*shudder*

And don't ask her for her number.

Oh, and please don't try to offer her yours either.

DRAGON!

*GRIN*

Aren't they cute?!

I've been eyeing the blue dragon for a few months now and today, I bought it for my baby nephew as a full moon present!

He's the latest, gorgeous little addition to our family and all his doting uncles, aunts, granduncles and grandaunts are happily shopping for baby clothes and toys before Saturday.

I can so picture the dragon in his cosy nursery. *beam*


On a random note, nowadays when I'm talking to someone and want to say 'dragon', the word 'dinosaur' elbows its way out instead. My boyfriend would know. It happened thrice in the same conversation! I theorise it has to do with the abundance of dinosaur characters' presence in the media during my childhood. i.e.

• Denver The Last Dinosaur (who can forget that theme song?)
• Land Before Time
  
• Dinosaurs (the American sitcom)
  
• the Power Rangers' robots that transformed into dinosaurs
  
• the Transformers dinobots
• the Flintstones (with their dinosaur-operated technology)

Even the Doraemon series had a book about a dinosaur adventure.

I'm trying to think of cartoons that had dragons in them. Good, nice, friendly dragons. Not the Dungeons and Dragons type.

Let me know if you think of any. 

:)

Crossroads

I envy people who are sure about what they want to do career-wise.

It's a wonderful thing to be passionate and absolutely certain about what you want to do... to find your niche in this world, know where you belong and have a sense of purpose.

Things were easier as a student because my objectives were simple; Do well academically and graduate.

Now that I've completed the student phase of my life, I'm thinking "What now? Where to from here?"

Baffled

I am baffled.

I accidentally pressed a few keys on my computer this morning and now everything on the screen looks stretched.

Drat.

Now everyone in the photos I view look like they need to diet.


Update: Yay!!! Everything is back to normal!!! :D Apparently it had something to do with screen resolution. Thanks, PT!! *GRIN*

Beauty

There is beauty in words. They capture the essence of emotion and truth.


Haiku.

I never thought much about it until Connex started putting up people's haiku entries in trains. It is a project by the Committee for Melbourne. 

They call it 'Moving Melbourne Through Art'.

I love reading the posters and whenever I'm on the train, I take a stealthy look around to see if there are any.

Most of the time, they make me smile while others are poignant and food for thought. Here are a couple of the nice ones. :)

bonfire at the party
people wave away smoke
holding cigarettes
[Emilie Zoey Baker]



a sign
at the Melbourne Cemetery:

Beware of Wildlife
[Anon]



2050
nursing home full of senior citizens
with eyebrow piercings
[Andrew Bromage]



occasional furniture -
what are you
the rest of the time?
[Ian McBryde]



busker -
your talent is too big
for that little street corner
[Lauren Dalman]



And my favourite is this. :)



Athenaeum Library
I shelve romance
& turn to crime
[Mary Hind]


If you like this poetry project, check out Moving Galleries.

Milestone

We're past the halfway mark!



In a year and a half, you won't just be a tourist. *happy grin*