Yadda Yadda Yadda

I get so mad at our pathetically self absorbed western culture! I know I am a part of the problem, so I am highly hypocritical, but sometimes when I just take a step back, I get so mad! As you all probably know, I live in Melbourne. Don't get me wrong, I adore Melbourne, I love living here! As I'm sure you are aware, we are about to host the XVIIIth Commonwealth Games, which our wonderful city is all excited about. We've seen Melbourne 2006 ad campaigns for a long, long time now. What a waste!!! I mean, come on!



There are people starving in countries all over the world, just look at Africa, just look at one country in Africa, look at Ghana. There are children starving to death who are orphans beacuse their parents are dead from AIDS and we are spending millions and millions of dollars on fireworks and exciting light shows! Where are our priorities?! Do we care so little for our fellow human beings that we we would prefer to look at pretty fleeting lights than save lives? What is wrong with us?!
I was thinking mainly of the opening and closing ceremonies. They are so expensive and flashy, and what do they bring us? Do you think anyone will remember this opening ceremony in 5 years? NO! I'm not saying that we should do away with the commonwealth games, but come on! Why are we spening billions of dollars on our momentary entertainment when people are dying! DYING!!! We don't care beacuse we are not personally affected. I wish I cared more. I wish I did more. I wish we were all less self-absorbed and did something about this atrocity. People needlessly die! It does not have to be this way! This problem extends far beyond just this particular example. It's a lifestyle for us in the western world. Why can't we just forget about ourselves for a while and help those who actually need it?

Well, I have finally joined the world of video blogging! This is just a dodgy one from my phone, so that's why the quality is so crappy. Guru filmed this one, and it feautures the delightful me! :) Enjoy!
*bows dramatically*



Ah crap. I just watched it and it's all jerky and the colours are all weird. oh well, I'll have to do a proper one with a real video camera soon then. But for now, this'll do. Oh, and excuse my total lack of attractiveness. I was lazing around on my couch looking kinda crap.

By the way, only 10 days til my brithday!!! :) Everyone get excited! Tink is about to enter into her 24th year!

Just got back from 'walks', a bar/cafe in Eltham. They have a great accoustic duo there on a Wednesday night. Lots of fun! Great company too! You guys rock! You know who you are!

So I plan to be feuding with other families soon! Guru & I are going to be in the audience for the tv game show 'Family Feud' this Friday afternoon (not sure when it goes to air). They'll be taping 2 episodes, and we're going with the view of being a family on the show eventually. Whoo! We'll be famous and win many prizes! That's the plan anyway. Bring on the free stuff!!!

On Friday night I headed off to the zoo with some people from my Church. Was heaps of fun! They have twilight music there over the summer, so we saw a 60's cover band who were kinda ordinary, but the animals were very fun. See? I am keeping my new years resolution of going out to see all the things that Melbourne has to offer! Here is a pretty peecock that was just wandering around, I was chasing it with the camera and freaking it out. How fun!


Here is Brent (aka Wire) looking lovely as always. Don't you just want to pinch his cheeks?! :)







Here is a lion looking particularly laazy. They hardly moved the whole time we were there. Pfft, scarey creatures. Sure... We were going to throw one of the boys in there to make it more interesting, but couldnt' be bothered hoisting them over the fences.








Aren't Meercats just cool? I don't know why, but they're just so interesting!










This is Simone & I











This is some of the group who came along checking out some sleeping seals. Man animals are lazy! Aren't they there to entertain us! We should have thrown things at them or something. Or not... Anyway, from L-R this is, Simone, Nick, Brent, Mike, Neale



Once again, a lazy kangaroo.











And this is Nick (Left) & Brent (Right) sitting in upright kiddy carts that were locked up. Just because sometimes we all want to do that! All in all it was a fun night! Gotta love the zoo!

Well I had my first week of classes for the year this week @ Kingsley. Was really fantastic! I'm really enjoying getting back into it. Thankfully I like all my subjects. So yay! I'm doing:

Intro to human behaviour
Issues in social construction (a sociology subject)
Intro to Theology
Discipleship foundations


I just got back from an overnight retreat for my 'discipleship foundations' subject. Was great! Was a great time of getting to know my lecturers and fellow students a bit better and spending some quality time with God. This is a picture of the campsite we stayed at.


I'm really excited about this semester, taking more counselling subjects, and just generally learning more about myself, God, and the world, and how all those things interact. I have some of my classmates from last year, and some new ones, which is awesome. This is a pic of some of the girls who went on the retreat.



This is Dan, he's one of my classmates from last year, and I'm in 3 classes with him this year. Yay!













This is Jule & I looking suprisingly chirpy after having hardly slept last night. Most of us hardly slept. It was kinda stuffy and humid in our rooms. Not a good night. I think I need a nap... Oh how I love naps...


Also forgot to say earlier in the week that I had a great night out on Wednedsay night @ walks. It's become a regular hang out for a few of us. It was a great time of hanging out with some of the gang and listening to some great music. Everyone should come!

Click If you appreciate amazing art work
Click If you love Chuck Norris
Click If you're a little weird and are a night owl
Click If you like crazy/fun/annoying games
Click To chat to 'God'
Click To see the latest addition to the blogging world

I'm going away overnight tonight on a retreat for one of my subjects. Should be awesome. See ya tomorrow! I'm going here. Looks pretty.

So tell me what romantic things you got and did on this romantic day! I did and got nothing. I need to live vicariously through others. No one loves me... *sniff sniff*

Well here are lots of photos from Anna & Rob's wedding yesterday. It was just so beautiful. They got married at a Winery in the Yarra Valley. It was stunning! The ceremony and the reception and photos were all in the same place. How handy! Anna & Rob have been together for 4 years now and they've finally tied the knot. Good on you guys! This is a photo of the stunning Rob (left) and his best man Grant before the ceremony.


Look at us girls! Aren't we pretty! From L-R: Emma, Sarah, Alison, Me, Lisa, Kathryn



The boys don't scrub up too badly either! From Back L-R goign clockwise: Adam, Rob, Grant, Dale, Anesti, Aaron, Seb












You may now kiss the bride!





















Aren't they absolutely beautiful?!






















This is Grant & Kelly, they are getting married in December. They are great friends of mine, and were the wedding party in this wedding. And they have asked me to sing at their wedding while they are signing the register! I'm soooooo excited!!!









Some of us girls looking super hot.















This is the beautiful couple having their first dance as husband and wife. Anna was threatening to hit people for calling her wife. It was hilarious! Wifey Wife!







Some of the girls thought they were monkeys!






Me wearing the veil. We all had a turn. Well I did catch the bouquet! Maybe I'll get married one day! It was just such a beautiful and perfect day. Perfect weather, amazing company and a wonderful celebration for two of my best friends. What a great day!

I want to get married. I caught the bouquet tonight! And I took about 450 photos!

Well I fixed my violin today and I had a play. It felt so good! I'm definately going to keep playing. The violin is just such a beautiful instrument! I'm going to have to build up my calluses again, and get back up to the standard that I was, but it'll happen! I love my violin!!! Isn't it pretty?

All I want to say is LOST IS AWESOME!!! Such a great episode tonight! I'm so fully hooked! Is it wrong that i'm so attracted to Sawyer? Yay for Josh Holloway!

Life is good. Saw the MSO again tonight. Are they astounding or what?! The answer is yes. I am most definitely taking up the violin again. I would love to join an Orchestra, but as if I have the time to do that. After seeing the MSO I went to 'walks' (cafe/bar near me) to see a fantastic accoustic duo. What a great night of great music!

Going away tomorrow, just overnight. It's a retreat for one of my subjects before classes start on Monday. Should be great. Report later. With photos. Of course!

As a side note, I can't say I'm a huge fan of Dvorak. I like bits of his music, but never the songs in total. I don't feel like they take me anywhere, they transition too much and never go where they feel like they are headed.

Happy Birthdays to Alison (24) & Penny (21)! Have a great day girls!

Have I mentioned how much I love weddings?! And how much I'm looking forward to going to so many?! I get to go to one on Saturday! WHOO!!! Yay for Anna & Rob! I can't wait to wear my new dress!!!

Classes start again on Monday, and I have a 2 day retreat for one of my subjects this Thursday/Friday. Looking forward to studying again. Looking forward to catching up with lots of people from college too. Yay for Kingsley! Such an awesome plave to study!

Loving "Dragon's Song" by Harmony at the moment. One of my current favourite songs. It's in 5/4 time! How interesting!

Got the house to myself tonight, it'll be nice to have some 'downtime'. I like my space sometimes, even though I'm a very social person.

Going to see the MSO again tomorrow night. Should be awesome.

Did I just Ludicrow?

Oh I'm so excited! My friend Amy got engaged a little while ago, and she's getting married on May 13th. And she has asked me to be a bridesmaid! WHOO!!! I'm so excited!!! Here is me and Amy from when she visited last month.



I'm going to 5 weddings this year! One in February (on Saturday actually), one in March, one in May, one in September and one in December. Love is in the air!

Last night I had my first meeting for my new role in my Church. I go to Eltham Baptist Church and I have been asked to be involved in the youth ministry this year. At first I was asked to be a youth leader, and I was going to do that, but then I was asked to take on a different role. Along with Danny, Chrystal and Brent, I will be helping to look after the needs of the youth leaders themselves. The way it works is the youth stuff all happens between 5pm and 9pm on Sundays, and then the leaders get together on Tuesday nights for pastoral care, bible study, debrief, fellowship, fun, whatever they need. So the leaders will be split into two groups, one lead by Danny & Chrystal, and the other lead by Brent & myself.

I'm really looking forward to this new role. I haven't done anything quite like this before. I think it will be a very challenging time for me. It will help me grow in all sorts of ways! I also think it's going to be a great to time get to know a whole bunch of people from my church a whole lot better. Not to mention a whole lot of fun!

Judging by our meeting last night, we will be spending about 15 minutes all together, then spending the majority of our time on a Tuesday in our small groups. This is a big responsibility which I'm all up for! I'm sure that with God we can make it work the way He wants it to. It's all a bit up in the air at the moment, seeing as Tuesday nights have never taken this exact format before, but it's exciting. It looks like we will be doing all sorts of things from listening to each other, to praying, to bible study, to learning new skills, to just chatting, to getting to know each other better, to whatever you can think of that would be beneficial to everyone. I can't wait to see what God is going to do through us all this year!

One of my new years resolutions was to take advatage of the things that Melbourne has to offer. I think I've done pretty well for the month of January. And last night I went to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl to see the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The soloist that played with them last night was a pianist by the name of Hoang Pham, born in Vietnam now living in New York, via Australia, and the conductor was Pietari Inkinen from Finnland. They performed Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini. Oh how I love Rachmaninov! It was such a great night. The MSO played for about 2 hours. The rest of the pieces were other orchestral pieces from dvorak, vivaldi and I'm not sure about the last one. It wasn't the most pleasant weather for it, but I plan to go back next week, and hopefully it will be a bit nicer then. I just really enjoy good music, and the MSO are world class. It has inspired me to get my violin back out! This is Hoang Pham taking a bow after his dazzling performance. If only I could play like him...



And this is the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra after their performance, while we were all getting sore hands from clapping for so long. They even did an encore! I didn't realise orchestras did encores! What a night of amazing music!