49 posts tagged “life in all it's fullness”
Sorry I haven't been updating this as often as I would like. I haven't had much internet access since I got here to Australia (but will soon). Also various life changes involved with emigrating have been incredibly stressful. I should be back online on a more regular basis in the near future. Watch this space.
Been battling the nastiest sinus pain and cold for the last week. First two days I was really feverish and weak - as I am a casual worker at my charity job here in Melbourne I didn't get paid for those days off either.
Took horseradish and garlic capsules today for the first time as boss suggested this might help and the symptoms do seem to havev reduced already. Difficult to tell if it's just a placebo, I was getting better anyway or whether they actually work.
Reading about Borderline Personality Disorder as part of preparation for the kind of work I do. I personally believe every single person in the world has these traits to a greater or lesser extent - it's just that some people seem to have them real bad and some people just get away with it (because of wealth or position or whatever). No doubt I will have further thoughts on this subject.
Thanks bookmole for sharing these amazing photographs from UNICEF - please take a look.
As Fred Dagg once sang: "We don't know how lucky we are."
....Twisties. Ah how I missed these delightful fluorescent orange corn maize based snacks. I could never find an snack to equal it during my last 9 years in the UK (the recently introduced Tangy Cheese flavoured Doritos came pretty damn close though!)
Every chance I can get I buy a packet from the vending machines when I am going through Flinders Street station (apparently Australia's most famous train station). I've also latched on to sushi as one of the few reasonably priced healthy eating options in Melbourne - sushi bars are everywhere - malls, railway stations. You can get 2 filling decently sized rolls for just under $5 Australian.
Was taken today to Melbourne's version of Chinatown by a fellow Voxer who lives in my newly adopted city. Couldn't believe that for the equivalent of a fiver (about $15 Australian) we got a meal for 2 and a drink - amazing. The lovely sweet and sour pork dish was 20 zillion nicer than the gluey deep fried sugary muck I have eaten in the past. Plus I had great company - you certainly get to connect with some quality people on this blogging platform! I talked the poor woman's ear off due to the fact that I am mostly locked up in the house all week looking for work online and don't really get out much due to the fact that I am trying to save what remains of my precious British pounds. Currently I'm like someone let out of an institution for their weekly visit into the real world with normal folk who have jobs and lives.
I'm looking forward to further culinary adventures....where I will no doubt put on the 4 kilos I just lost in the last 2 weeks.
Tonight I managed to watch finish watching a drama on ABC that I started watching the beginning of as a repeat about 6 months ago in Britain. In spite of the terrible reception I continued watching it until 1am. It was a very good drama - but there was really only one reason why I was glued to the telly - mainly a certain Mr John Simm. I know - it's so deeply sad and pathetic....
For a full sit-down dinner with several guests, would you rather be the one cooking or do you prefer to just show up and eat?
Show up and eat defnitely - I'm a shocker when it comes to organising things. Saying that I did catering on several occasions at my most recent job. I catered for about 50-100 for a couple of recent events - but everything was pre-prepared, so that makes life a lot easier.
I'm finally here and experiencing culture shock watching the finals of Australian Idol with my hosts. Really missing London and my friends right now. Lots of questions about the future.
Travelling from UK to Melbourne took about 3 days due to the appalling airline I used flying via Shanghai. Some friends said they were okay - maybe we just got them on a bad week. Because our travel experience was such a nightmare in terms of delays, due to technical difficulties, all the English speaking passengers bonded over shared misery.
Got to spend 8 hours, instead of the 2 originally planned, stopping over in Shanghai. We actually entered China which was an unexpected bonus. Because of all the inconvenience we experienced we had a hotel provided for a short amount of time where we could eat, freshen up and rest. When the 30 of us rocked up there on the coach sent by the airline - we could tell from the look on the hotel receptionists face that they weren't expecting us. Great communication on the part of the airline - not!
One thing that was hilarious was when I went to the hotel restaurant we met a group of older British fellow passengers - and they told us that they walked out of the restaurant. I said, fearing the worst: "Oh, is the food really bad?" And they replied: "Well, you will be fine if you like Chinese food." I had to hold back the retort of "Doh! We are in China after all." I think it's harder for the older people than it was for the younger ones.
The thing I noticed there was how all the jobs seemed to have 2, 3 or 4 people doing them - when one would have sufficed. I guess under communism you have to provide jobs for everyone.
Also everyone from the airline staff, to the police officers who looked at our passports to the restaurant staff seemed to take very little initiative and were very fearful to do so. This is a surprise to me as obviously China is booming in terms of business. But I would say this lack of initiative probably applies more to the poorer members of society than to the wealthy ones who get to travel outside the country.
Managed to finish off Ben Elton's novel Chart Throb, which takes the mickey out of X Factor, Pop Idol and reality telly shows of their ilk. Worth a read - I wonder if the guy has spies inside the production teams on these shows?
Facebook related fun: click here
Have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon or a helicopter? Where did you go?
As an 8 or 10 year old in the 1980s - I remember flying as a family in a helicopter over a big glacier called Franz Joseph Glacier in the South Island of New Zealand. My parents can't fly helicopters - just in case you thought that - it was a pilot.
...that I live in a fantasy world....
I walked to work yesterday through the buzzing, business-like heart of the City of London (where I am currently residing) while listening to the Essential Michael Jackson CD and started fantasising that all the 'suits' would suddenly stop scurrying around and start doing the 'Thriller' dance in the middle of the street.
The walk took 40 minutes and my endorphin levels were such that I was absolutely high as a kite by the time I arrived at work - definitely brightened a dull (northern) autumn day.
This highly entertaining book and film is all about music geeks and their relationships (romantic and otherwise). In fact it's about male/female relationships generally. It seems a similar scenario is currently playing itself out in my own life in that I have currently developed a minor crush on a cute, slightly older, northern English guy who works at the alternative record store which recently opened close to my current workplace.
Lurve how this place is open at 8.30am - just in case you really have an early morning urge to drop in an pick up some CD or vinyl by some group (with a name like the Rampant Frog Turds or Fred's Old Mum) you never heard of 'til you walk into the shop.
This guy is so helpful and sweet - but I clunked it up this morning. I asked him about Australian and Kiwi bands and he showed me the stand and started talking about how much he loved The Go Betweens and I said something stupid like "oh - they're okay" - when I really know nothing about them. I have a very bad habit of doing this when I find a bloke attractive - indulging in some kind of put down. Why, why, why do I do it?
Anyway - it's not worth indulging this frankly pointless infatuation when I am leaving the UK for Australia in just over 5 weeks. DOH!
