She Has Something To Say

Facial Expressions Often Speak Louder Than Words

2007-02-27T23:01:00.000+11:00

Hi All (if there is indeed an 'all' who read my blog)

I apologise for not having been around the last month, life as I know it has been a little hectic!

Lots of stuff to post, but too damn tired.

That said, I could not let the moon set this evening on this little gem of a picture ... vay interesting (perhaps amusing is a better word) if I do say so myself ...

Source: Reuters

Squealing Is Just Fine... During Business Hours!

2007-01-25T22:53:00.000+11:00

Lately, HRH has developed the most jarring squeal! She likes the sound of her own voice. Nine times out of ten, it's a happy squeal (is there such a thing???) not a stroppy, whingy tantrum-type squeal like the kid in the supermarket when I was pregnant and at my pre-pregnancy know-it-all best. Happy or not though, it pierces your eardrum and an acute headache sets in after about four hours of it, making you wonder how much worse US torture in an illegal prison camp somewhere not on a map could really be.

Anyway, I digress from the reason for this post. It is currently 11.01pm and the 4 little charmers next door are only just now going to bed!! I can appreciate that it is a public holiday tomorrow and all that jazz, but seriously! My child's a squealer, I realise that, it's annoying, a tad mind-numbing, a little embarassing for the other new neighbours with whom we share a common wall, BUT AT LEAST SHE ONLY DOES IT DURING BUSINESS HOURS!! These kids have been at it until just now. Their Mum has only now decided to shut all of the windows. How freaking considerate of you! It only took my daughter 3 hours and 46 minutes to fall asleep!! For that, I really must thank you. Especially after such a splendidly shithouse day!

I'm easing into the idea of having a boisterous toddler who makes it her mission in life to mow down the poor bloody dog with her wooden wagon at every opportunity.

I'm making peace with the reality of her growing obsession with emptying my grocery cupboard.

I'm even marvelling at her brilliance in taking only half a day to work out how to bypass the childproof locks to get into the cupboard in the first place.

But for the love of God, PLEASE don't make me beg you to soundproof your home on account of my impending insanity!! You guys are really quite cool. I (mostly) dig your music taste and your kids are positively angelic compared to the last pack of ferals that lived there before you. But I wanted us to be like the proper neighbours, you know? I mean, we don't have to partner-swap or anything ala Melrose Place, we don't even need to frequent each other's houses too often and live in each others pockets and have coffee dates and shit.

All I want is recognition of the fact that regretably, housing estates in Sydney these days are laid out such that you cannot help but hear everything going on next door. I try to be considerate of this fact when I'm yelling inventive threats at the dog/cat/bird/Huz/Baby. What say, in return for you restricting your little nightmares to daytime squealing competitions, I promise to stop muttering under my breath to the Huz about your morally questionable practice of letting your little cherub daughters sing Papa Don't Preach on Karaoke at the tops of their underdeveloped, innocent lungs EVERY SECOND FREAKING DAY! Deal? GOOD.

JT Ain't Got Nothin On Me!! (Unfortunately .. giggle)

2007-01-24T22:34:00.000+11:00

I just cannot get enough of Justin Timberlake! He is just sex on legs, dontcha think?

Mmmmm ... yummy!

The Rain's Making Me Mellow

2007-01-24T10:26:00.000+11:00

I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You
- by Colin Hay

I drink good coffee every morning
Comes from a place that's far away
And when I'm done I feel like talking
Without you here there is less to say

I don't want you thinking I'm unhappy
What is closer to the truth
That if I lived till I was 102
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

I'm no longer moved to drink strong whiskey
'Cause I shook the hand of time and I knew
That if i lived till I could no longer climb my stairs
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

Your face it dances and it haunts me
Your laughter's still ringing in my ears
I still find pieces of your presence here
Even after all these years

But I don't want you thinking I don't get asked to dinner
'Cause I'm here to say that I sometimes do
Even though I may soon feel the touch of love
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

If I lived till I was 102
I just don't think I'll ever get over you

Mufti's madness is true-blue larrikinism!

2007-01-15T12:11:00.000+11:00

At last! The voice of reason, resonating not-surprisingly from The Australian newspaper. They're churning out a lot of common-sense these days ...

I can add no words to this brilliant article on the colourful Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali except to say I am in total agreement with the writer John Heard. Telling it like it is, that's my mantra!

John Heard: Mufti's madness is true-blue larrikinism

Do: take the time to read this if you like to mouth off about Muslims in Australia whilst understanding nothing of the reasons why your forefathers settled in this country!

Don't: waste time reading this if your preferred way to get the news is via rag-publications such as the illustrious Daily Telegraph (which even your average half-wit knows is little more than entertaining propagandistic rubbish!)

Can I Have a Mop & Bucket To Aisle Four PLEASE???

2007-01-12T22:20:00.000+11:00

Don't you just detest those children, you know, the kind who make you wonder why you don't grocery shop online, from the comfort of your own quiet, child-free sanctuary?

Yes. I detest those children, wondering what kind of nasty parentage leads to such devil-spawn, pondering as I push my trolley down the supermarket aisles, exactly what kind of love/reckless intoxication/blind stupidity/latex allergy could bring about such a little monster's existence. And the mother? Well clearly she ought to shop at online and never ever inflict her tantrum-chucking mongrel child on my local supermarket EVER again. Why should I have to suffer in the name of ensuring my family doesn't starve?

Folks, I owe you all an apology, especially if you shop where I do. The fruit of my loins, my darling daughter, is a freaking. shopping. mall. nightmare!!! I kid you not. This afternoon's performance whilst not necessarily her finest, was certainly her loudest and most productive.

In my infinite "mother wisdom", I decided to opt for sitting Her Royal Highness in the trolley rather than wrangle with her pram. This way, Mum and I could each have our own trolley and with any luck, we wouldn't have to listen to The Soundtrack From Whingy, Teething, I-Want-To-Be-Carried-Baby all the way through the shop. It was a brilliant idea until about, say, Aisle Two. By then, she'd established that she could reach out when I stopped the trolley and manhandle all kinds of items on the shelves. Joy.

After a while, in a feeble attempt to keep her whinging to a dull roar, I handed her seemingly harmless items to 'hold for Mummy' until her attention span waned and I could distract her and toss them into the trolley. Hmm ... turns out even plastic bottled Ranch dressing is breakable. *Oh the humiliation!*

I mean, really, what kind of mother gives their child grocery items to hold as they're wheeled through the shop? Perhaps if they parented their children, they wouldn't need to rely on ranch dressing to do it for them! *cringe*

In fairness to HRH, she probably could have done with her afternoon yoghurt and a nap before we left, or perhaps not even going out at all in 44 degree blistering hot weather, but I wasn't going to be long and it was nice and cool in the shops, which would be good and ...

By Aisle Seven, she was refusing the pacifier (which, for the record all you trendy mothers out there, I never use to shut her up, only to pacify her before a sleep! I was desperate today!) and flinging it all over the shop. Unfortunately, by Aisle Eight the trolley was full enough for her to reach back and just Frisbee items out of the trolley with a casual flick of her wrist and a raised eyebrow crossed with an evil smirk.

I should shop online. It would probably just be easier for everyone concerned, namely MYSELF. It's ironic that I had stood outside that same supermarket not 2 years earlier, watching a nasty little brat terrorising her frazzled family, and saying confidently to my mother "mark my words, that kind of ear piercing squealing will be a smackable offence when my child enters this world"(said in jest OK, for all you aforementioned trendies!!! When I was pregnant, I held the belief I'd raise a child that didn't require smacking/threatening/scolding in order to behave in a supermarket.) HRH isn't even walking yet, so who knows where my dwindling sanity may lead me in the future. I am certain she has every intention of making it her mission in life to challenge me in very way she can dream up, but I also figure she's been doing that from conception and I've kinda learnt to pre-empt her next move a lot of the time.

But I didn't see the ranch dressing falling until I felt the splat on my foot and saw her headbutt the trolley handle in an attempt to see where her bottle of dressing had 'all-gone'. Maybe, just maybe, I'm human after all. Although I'm not sure if I'm more concerned about being one of those parents, or with having one of those children. Ah well, I guess only time will tell.

Old Sins Cast Long Shadows

2007-01-09T22:27:00.000+11:00

An Open Letter To The Ignorant Masses:

Should you still be naive enough to think we're all up to our necks in Iraq for the humanitarian good of the Middle Eastern World - WAKE THE F**K UP!

The daily onslaught of devastation coming out of that country is really getting to be too much. Stop outsourcing a forced democracy on Iraq.

Enough is enough. Stop looking for an excuse to stop the madness, You. Dont. Need. One.

Surely there will eventually come a time when the cost to our future generations and their way of life will outweigh the profits to be had in bleeding a country dry... or will it??

And to the media that fertilises the ignorance I refer to, do not dare to assume we're all so bloody ignorant, stupid and apathetic.

The whole damn thing makes me so sick. And sad.

From,
A Concerned Citizen of the 21st Century

PS: To the power-crazy decision makers, the real movers and shakers in this rapidly deteriorating world of ours, I don't care what religion you are - never forget 'The Golden Rule'. Wikipedia puts it far more eloquently than I am in the mood to do right now:

The ethic of reciprocity or "The Golden Rule" is a fundamental moral principle found in virtually all major religions and cultures, which simply means "treat others as you would like to be treated." It is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of human rights.

Principal philosophers and religious figures have stated it in different ways:
"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD." — Moses (ca. 1525-1405 BCE) in the Torah Leviticus 19:18 (pertaining here, however, strictly to "thy people", i.e., Jews)
"This is the sum of duty; do naught onto others what you would not have them do unto you." from the Mahabharata (5:15:17) (ca. 500BCE)
"What you do not wish upon yourself, extend not to others." — Confucius (ca. 551–479 BCE)
"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man." — Hillel (ca. 50 BCE-10 CE)
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." — Jesus (ca. 5 BCE—33 CE) in the Gospels, Matthew 7:12 (affirming Moses), Luke 6:31 (extending explicitly to non-Jews)
"Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you." — Muhammad (c. 571 – 632 CE) in The Farewell Sermon.

Stating The Obvious ...

2007-01-08T20:54:00.000+11:00

OK, so I've been guilty occasionally of stating the obvious, but methinks it may be time to update my wardrobe ... if you too could do with a dash of humour splashed across your chest, you absolutely MUST check this site out ..vay cool!

http://www.cafepress.com/tvtee/1296029

A Strong Woman vs. A Woman Of Strength

2007-01-07T17:04:00.000+11:00

A strong woman works out everyday to keep her body in shape…
But a woman of strength builds relationships to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything…
But a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the better of her…
But a woman of strength gives the best of herself to everyone.

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future…
A woman of strength realises life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings, and capitalises on them.

A strong woman wears a look of confidence on her face…
But a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey…
But a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

Author Unknown

33 Questions

2007-01-07T16:10:00.000+11:00

By way of an introduction, I've decided to post the answers to 33 Questions, hand-picked specifically by me (ie. cutting out all of the dumb questions like 'Can you juggle?' and replacing them with the slightly less-moronic ones, like 'What's you favourite kitchen appliance?')

The responses may go some way to telling you a little about myself, in a slightly more condensed version. My family say I could talk under water with marbles in my mouth, as you may discover via the rambling blog posts that could indeed wind up here!

So, here we go!

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
Ireland, absolutely no question about it.
2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?
Trackies
3. THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT?
Sountrack to The Last Kiss
4. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY?
Strong in mind.
5. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE?
Hah! My $500 Gaggia Coffee Machine that I never use but plan to daily!
6. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY?
Ignorance and apathy
7. FAVORITE COLOR?
Blue
8. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK?
Enid Blyton’s Famous Five Books
9. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
Summer, definitely
10. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Fix the planet and undo climate change
11. TATTOOS OR BODY-PIERCING?
Body piercing. I can remove my belly bar but tattoos are much harder to remove & awfully permanent!
12. THE ONE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO?
My Nana
13. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
Of the week? Um … Saturday.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CARTOON?
The Jetsons
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEAL?
Macaroni & Cheese, made by my Mum.
16. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
The Zahir, Paulo Coehlo … love books that make me think.
17. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Nothing except my mouse, but it does have a cool padded wrist thingy which I love!
18. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?
Way too hard to know. From experience, my indecision on this topic is infuriating! Hehehe...
19. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
Caramel
20. DO YOU LIKE THUNDERSTORMS?
Yes
21. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
1973 Ford Escort, Poo-Brown in colour. Fondly remembered as The Turdmobile
22. WHAT IS YOUR SIGN?
Cancer
23. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
Yep. Lurve Broccoli
24. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY?
Depends which day you ask me, but the majority of the time it’s Half Full
25. FAVOURITE PERFUME OR COLOGNE?
Red Door Revealed
26. FAVORITE MOVIE?
Top Gun
27. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Motorsport
28. THE BEST PLACE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN?
Venice
29. IF MONEY WERE NOT AN OBJECT, WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE?
Travel the world
30. COKE OR PEPSI?
Diet Coke
31. IS YOUR CALENDAR ALWAYS ON THE CORRECT MONTH?
Pfft! Rarely!
32. DESK: MESSY OR ORGANISED?
Messy, but I prefer to refer to it as ‘organised chaos’
33. WHO WOULD YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU IN THE MOVIE ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
Hmmm … this is a really hard one! Probably Lauren Graham, from the Gilmore Girls