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Bigger than Jemma's pot of lip gloss |
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Bigger than Jemma's pot of lip gloss |
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June 200126 June - Warning:
All is quiet on the homefront |
You're vaulting with Aussie pole vaulter, Dmitri Markov. |
Tuesday, 26 June***Warning: All is quiet on the home frontIt is the last week of the 2000-2001 financial year. I'm gonna be busy this week. I've been doing a bit of overtime lately, with more to come. So, I apologise in advance if I don't post any entries until the weekend or early next week. I'm just watching a tape of the European Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Mika Hakkinen has just fallen to 10th place. In my (less-than-expert) opinion, Mika is falling apart. He's losing the motivation that got him two world championships. Vote him out! Heheheh. That would make the F1 world championship more interesting! If you could vote out your least favourite driver, it would make the entire championship a whole lot more exciting. I think the "Reality TV" idea for F1 is up there with the reverse grid for V8's idea. Cool. Speaking of voting, the nominees for this week are Christina, Jemma and Blair. Vote Jemma out - she's so vain.Get her out of the house!!!Ring 1902 555 011Ring 1902 555 011 Ring 1902 555 011 |
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Friday, 22 June***Seachanges and new beginnings,...Don't
wanna live in the city You
probably think I'm mad I
don't know why I'm going for a Seachange If
life begins at 40 well I can't be bothered waiting You
probably think I'm mad I
don't know why I'm going for a Seachange I
had a dream about a far off town Seachange
theme song New beginnings. Is there anything better than the joy and optimism of a new beginning? Every time I hear this song I think of new beginnings and Barwon Heads. How can a silly but nice TV show have such an impact on me? And did you know there is a real Pearl Bay in northern Queensland? It even has a magistrates office and a "Court House Hotel". There's even a real place called "Aurukun". Until I found this out recently, I thought it was all fiction. Now it's just fiction based on reality. In my opinion, that's the best kind of fiction. For some reason my mind can not make the quantum leap required to appreciate fiction based on fiction eg. most sci-fi, historical stuff. Seachange was commissioned by Sue Masters, the then Head of Drama at ABC. It has been one of the ABC's most successful productions with both series 2 & 3 making the top 10 Australian made programs for 2000**. I have seen Sue Masters' name on the credits for a variety of shows over the years. Her commissioning of Seachange and Raw-RM gave me faith in the continuing production of new Australian TV. As hideous as it is, she even commissioned "Something in the Air". When the Howard Government decided to review the ABC, I wrote a heartfelt plea to the review panel. Without the ABC we have no-one willing to take a risk on relatively unknown Australian talent - from writers to production teams to actors. It will kill the new growth of the industry. So many big names in Australian entertainment have the ABC to thank for their debuts. It is practically the only avenue for television comedy development in Australia. Sue Masters left the ABC in June last year to work for Channel 10. She wasn't alone with five out of 12 ABC directors leaving as a result of Shier's reforms**. I've noticed an improvement in the quality of new shows on channel 10. There are myriad which compete well with those on 7 & 9 eg. Rove, Ed. There's Big Brother, an easy way for the network to increase its Australian content. Perhaps Masters even had a hand in securing the Pacific Film & Television Commission grant for Big Brother to film in Queensland. The writing / production team that brought us Seachange, Andrew Knight and Deb Cox, have taken their latest project away from the ABC after problems with Sheir's financial / legal requirements. The project, a mini-series called "After the Deluge", will be developed under Masters at Channel 10**. It's good to see Channel 10 working to develop new Australian content. Meanwhile, the ABC stumbles forward to a new millennium, featuring prime-time reruns from the last. And I'm left to wonder if Aunty needs to drop everything and head to Pearl Bay so she can find out what's important in life. **Source: The Australian, Media section, pages 6 & 7, June 7, 2001 |
Something in the Air is a soapie that has more cliches in the script than you can poke a stick at. It's a great idea for a soapie, and they have great actors but they really need some help with the writing. It's truly cringeworthy. |
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Thursday, 21 June****Pop that bubblewrap,...Hey Alli,....Go here to the Virtual Bubblewrap site and click away to your heart's content. The only catch is that you can't stick it in your mouth and make those funny noises. :D I'm missing you and all my Melbourne friends. Give them my best wishes. |
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Wednesday, 20 June*I've got the End of Financial year blues,...I've got the end-of-financial-year-blues and I'm clearing out all stock at ridiculous prices. Yes! Everything has to go. But seriously folks,... this is the bluest time of year for us finance folk. All you non-finance-workers would have no idea what we go through (with the notable exception of University Undergraduate Administration Officers during the first week of Semester - they KNOW how it feels!). [Raises glass and toasts to my old pal, Monique,...] When it comes to money, people suddenly become very anal. My current supervisor refers to it as risk management. You can stuff around with myriad other tasks in the office, but when money gets involved you can't make even one tiny error. There's a string of checks, double-checks, verifications, validations, audits and analyses all designed to pick up that one cent GST rounding error that I couldn't reconcile. Normally, this process suits the anal retentive types - which is just fine with me. My anus is as tight as the best of them. But, at the end of financial year, this is proving to be an ordeal. The upside to all of this??? I will be paid plenty of over-time. PS: I hope you dig the sexy new font. (-: |
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Tuesday, 19 June****More Big Brother discussionsFor those who don't watch Big Brother, you may as well have your eviction from the Destination Digest right now. Don't even bother scrolling down, just go straight to the back button on your browser. For the rest of you,... How about tonight's nominations? Johnnie and Ben are finally up there. I'm glad that Johnnie's finally been nominated. He is soooooooooo "outta there" on Sunday night. He's going to get a shock. He probably thinks it's Sarah-Marie's turn,... but it's not. Johnnie is out on his arse! Yeah. You can add to Johnnie's tally by ringing 1902 555 0111902 555 0111902 555 011 |
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Sunday, 17 June***Vote Anita out,...Anita, it's time to go. Vote her out! Ring1902 555 010 |
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Friday, 15 June***Going out on a limb,...Old habits die hard. I'm buying note books again. I'm sitting on a street bench outside the newsagent. Further to Tuesday's entry,... I flipped open the Bible last night to any old page. It just happened to be the story of Jonah. God called Jonah to preach a message of repentance to Nineveh, but Jonah buckled and ran the other way. I know it was God that lead me to read that story because I've been seriously seriously contemplating the safe 'day job' option. [sigh] 8 minutes of freedom left in my lunch break. The thought of running my own business is inherently scary - but I also know the Bible has 366 "Fear Not" scriptures. I'm gonna list them all one day. I was walking past a florist this afternoon and they always have a deep and meaningful sign in their window. Today's said: "Don't be afraid to go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is." Divine intervention or coincidence? |
To explain the note book thing: I used to carry a note book with me at all times. The muse strikes at the most in opportune times. I've been a bit slack about carrying my note book lately. When the muse strikes, and I don't have a notebook handy, I have to rush out and buy one. I have way too many notebooks at home! It's a bad habit which I'm determined to break. I will now carry a notebook with me at all times. |
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Destination Dictionary: BTW = By the way DH = Darling Husband Intro par = Introductory Paragraph PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Sarnie = Sandwich
DAILY RATINGS: ***** **** *** ** *
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Thursday, 14 June**Step 1: I am a foodaholic,...Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the Kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem. Ezra 9:9 I have a serious medical condition (PCOS / Diabetes Type 2) which I can take a huge roll in curing. I know God has given me the ability to rebuild this temple (ie. my body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit). But I am so desperate, so feeble. I don't have the strength in my arms to lift up a tool and work. My role in healing my body, is exercising and losing weight. The problem I have is that I have an addiction to food. Food is my comfort, my consolation. Work is so hard and life is so busy that I don't have much time for excess joy in my life. There's no time for hobbies or friends or sport. I'm too busy trudging back and forth to the office. The only thing that helps me through pain of eight hours in this crappy job is food. A steady supply of chocolates, cappucinos and hot chips is all that keeps me going. I know my health is at risk. I think about it with every mouthful. But in the short term, it is my sanity I need to preserve. And it is with this in mind that I dream of career change, of making the break from employee to freelancer. I need it for my own good. Step 1: I am a foodaholic. |
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Wednesday, 13 June*The Morning after,...Last night's turmoil took it's toll on this morning. Mind you,... every night's turmoil seems to spoil the following morning for me. 6:30am is a criminal time to get up. 8:30am is a criminal time to be required to start work. My office is full of sick individuals who start at 7:30am. Mornings and I have been on bad terms for some time now. |
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Tuesday, 12 June* All is not well with my soul,...There's been a lot of anxiety swirling around my head over the past few days. What'll I do? Where will I go? Why is this happening? Why is that happening? Will I ever become a mother? It would be an accurate description to say my soul is in turmoil. Isaiah 42:16 says: "He will bring blind Israel along a path they have not seen before. He will make the darkness bright before them and smooth and straighten out the road ahead. He will not forsake them." Verse 17 says: "But those who trust in idols and call them gods will be greatly disappointed; they will be turned away." Powerful words which penetrate deep into my heart. I am blind Israel. Blind and (for the most part) unwilling to see. I cry out to God and tell Him the way ahead is dark, crooked and uncertain. He knows that. He knew it would be. That's why he inspired Isaiah to write those words thousands of years ago. That's why he gave me those words, like a gift, at Christmas time. Every year at Christmas, each member of our family is given a promise from the Bible. It never ceases to amaze me how appropriate and how timely they are. It's like six months ago God knew what I would be going through this year. In preparation, He gave me Isaiah 42:16. I've been wondering whether to try and make some money, while studying, by running a small typing service delivering / collecting from UQ & QUT. All the logistics of the idea have been whirling around my head for days and giving me a headache. There are a few positives:
There are a few negatives:
I'm a person with a strong emotional need for security. If I don't feel secure in a given situation, then fear will soon emerge. The concept of running my own business,... while being something of a lifelong dream of mine, is also a threat to my emotional security. By deciding not to run a business I am deciding to stick with emotional security and the safe option. The thing that has recently struck me though, is that I could be making emotional security into an idol, and according to verse 17 that would only bring disappointment. I should be looking to God for emotional security - not some two day a week part-time job. A business positive that I did not elaborate on before is something along the lines of a training ground for a future career in freelancing. If I am to be a successful freelance writer, it would do me well to learn to be a successful business person now. Freelance writing would then become merely a variation to my business. What it would achieve is effectively a step-by-step approach, rather than a sink-or-swim at the deep end approach. God has always taught me things in a step-be-step pattern. He knows how much I can / can't handle in one hit. "Who has stirred up this one from the east, who victory meets at every step? Who, indeed, but the Lord? God has given him victory of many nations and permitted him to trample kings underfoot and to put entire armies to the sword. He chases them away and goes on safely, though the paths he treads are new. Who has done such mighty deeds, directing the affairs of generations of mankind as they march by? It is I, the Lord, the First and Last; I alone am he." Isaiah 41:2-4 Now it's my turn to be stirred up. There's so much that I don't know about being in business. There are a million regulations to comply with. It's all a bit daunting really.
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Sunday, 10 June*** Zine Distros, and getting rid of the rubbish on Big Brother,...I've just been checking out some cool on-line zine distros. For the uninitiated, that means a web-site that acts as a distributor for zines, small handmade magazines. Anyway, there's a cooleo and funny zine called 'Nice' by Holly Shortland. If you want it you can buy it through Smitten Kitten. I haven't checked many other zines - or more accurately, the ones I have checked out were utter crap and not worth a mention on my web-site. There was one more cool zine,... but it's hard to come by. It's called Mavis McKenzie. The premise is that it's author takes on the guise of Mavis McKenzie, elderly lady, and goes on letter writing campaigns. You know the kind of things that make elderly citizens complain - dodgy pens, sacked talk-show hosts, swearing on the radio etc. This zine is the results of all those letters. Replies from well-meaning companies are also published. She even wrote to Glen Ridge from Sale of the Century in one edition. Ah. I wish I could track that zine down. I have one copy, so one day, when I have permission, I'll publish a story or three from it's hallowed pages. Re: Big Brother Has some of the shine gone off this series? Is it that so many have been voted out? Is it that the utterly perfect Johnnie and Jemma have not yet even been nominated? I don't know. All I know is that Christina has relaxed significantly this week. She's had a little more air time. She's cracked a few jokes,... she deserves to be in there for a while longer. In fact, I think she deserves not to even be nominated next week. Vote Peter out, and see how Christina responds. I think she'll be impressive. Yes, there may be tears, but there will also be a stronger, solitary Christina. Housemates will get to know her for herself, instead of seeing her with Peter all the time. Christina deserves a while competing in the Big Brother game on her own merits, instead of in Peter's shadows. I hope all these pratts direct their nominating attention to the opinionated cow that is Anita. I mean, who does she think she is? God's gift to mankind? As if she can get what she wants on Big Brother. Vote her out. Oh, she's not nominated. Oh well,... do it next week. |
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Saturday, 9 June Part 2***** Destination Digest hits 3 figures, despite technical challenges!Online Journal Destination Digest celebrated a milestone today after 100 people visited the web site. Destination Digest started in March 2001 and since that time has had 107 visitors. The magic 100 was hit some time today. "I logged on this evening and saw that the hit counter was at 107. That means, not only did our site pass the big 100, but I also had 8 visitors in one day! That's got to be a record," said editor, Anna Harris. The journal was not always going to be a web page Mrs Harris said. She had planned to make a print zine. But during production of the print version, she was anxious and restless. "I prayed to God about the 'zine, and I believe the Holy Spirit told me he didn't want me to do it in that format," said Mrs Harris. "I prayed some more, and did some more waiting on God," she said. It didn't stop her doing the zine, however she did take some time out to consider her options. In the end, she felt that the web page was the right choice and it's paid off, with 100 visitors in two and a half months. |
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Saturday, 9 June Part 1Technical blunders are still haunting me,... ** Urk. I know,... life never seems to get above 3 stars or under 2. Today's just an average weekend day, it doesn't deserve more than two stars because I've been working on a Uni assignment for most of it. There is a mere half an assignment between me and eight weeks holiday between semesters. I can hardly wait! You may have noticed that the site has not been updated with it's usual regularity this week. That's because I've been having technical difficulties. I'm not sure whether my troubles lie with Tripod, or with Frontpage. In order to fix things up, I've completely reprogrammed my entire site. It no longer depends on themes and crap like that. I am no longer at the mercy of Frontpage. Take that, Mr Bill Gates! PS: Make sure you vote Peter out tonight!!! You can get the phone number at www.bigbrother.com.au.
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Tuesday, 5 June*** I'm coming to you today live from La Terraza, a B-Grade cafe nestled in between 111 George and The Chifley Hotel. It forms the basis of the Hotel's room service and is the supplier of all the hotel staff's free meals. The rest of us pay cash. $2.40 for a plate of well above average chips and gravy is just fine with me. It makes the KFC version seem heinously over priced. But, as Mike Meyers said in 'So I married an Axe Murder', they put something in it that makes you crave it fortnightly. Moving on,... I'm gradually allowing myself a little excitment about giving up work to study full-time. Part of me won't believe it till I see it. It's about 8 weeks away. We're hoping to make a dent in the car loan while I'm still working. When I enrolled in my degree 1.5 years ago, I chose Journalism, PR and Psychology as my majors. (The BA at USQ requires the completion of 3 majors or 2 majors and an option/elective stream.) In the subsequent few semesters I've changed that third major at least three times. I seriously contemplated personnel management because I wanted to help people write great job applications. When I looked into what's involved in helping people get jobs, I found a very close link with psychology. In fact, I found I would do better in this field with a psych background. I contemplated an option/elective of psych and personnel-related subjects. But now, I've come a full circle and I'm back to a full psych major. My pet peeve is being a jack of all trades, king of none. The journalistic term for this is generalist. I want to be a specialist. All my life I've wandered about searching for that one special thing that I'm good at. Now that I've finally found it, I'm not going to ruin it by being a half-baked generalist, hedging my bets. No-way. I'm gonna be a psych writer.
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Sunday, 3 June** I've been busy working on my last Uni assignment for this semester. I don't have any exams to study for because this subject is purely assignment based. The prospect of having about six weeks of not having to juggle full-time work and study is wonderful. I've got plans to do some cool stuff. One cool thing I want to do is get involved in a Women's AFL workshop at the Brisbane Lions/Bears' training ground on 7 July, 2001. This just happens to be the same day that my beloved St Kilda make the trip to Brisbane to take on the Lions/Bears. (I'm not sure what the Brisbane team are calling themselves these days.) BTW, did anyone besides my DH pick that the Brisbane Lions/Bears would beat Essendon at the 'Gabba last night!!! Another cool thing I'm going to do is read something besides text books on the train. I have the book "Lionheart" by Jesse Martin, which I'm really keen to read. Oh yeah,... I'll probably catch up with a little housework too. )-: I'm glad Big Brother will be all over before the start of next semester. It's got me hooked and I'll be glad when it's over. Vote Lisa out tonight! |
It's part of the Real Adventures for Women (RAW) program sponsored by the Brisbane City Council. If you want to be involved in the Women's AFL Workshop, you need to book. Details are: Bookings: Venue: Date: 7 July, 2001
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