fleeing the country. White Christmas time in Japan

Only one sleep to go!!!!
A dream come true. I will spending some quality pow pow times in Japan to go snowboarding this Christmas!

I'm saving the planet- one leftover at a time...

According to this article... i'm not alone when it comes to eating leftovers with a post-war grandma and rationing! Mamma Fung has it all!

That and i just saw there are tickets to the backstreet boys. reminds me of skins!


and sidenote...I think my time of freakout and high anxiety has passed. I have been feeling lost and tired and overwhelmed by the effects and changes of the past 3-6 months.

i'm looking forward to chilling out and chilling on down snowboarding in Japan!!! This has only transpired in the past week. and Ive realised that being single and young is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!

weekend shenanigans

speaking of people i love...
the sal tan was in town over the weekend and i tell you what-- she was a site for sore eyes!
i miss the tanner lots and wish she was still in sydney...
but GOOD TIMES>
we went to MACAS at about 10pm... went to our favourite 'romance' spot at cremorne point and it was just like old times! I love that about friends.... real friends you can relax around-- not have a care in the world... and then we went back to the drive-thru again 1/2 an hour later for choc sundaes with flakes in them!! hehe

love it...

or is it... 'i'm loving it'.

ps. i'm in a way better mood today from work. i'm a lot less stressed. and a lot less tired and i think i might just make it til the end of the year... and maybe even longer now... i think i've made it through the fire!

i got an email from jo today

I love jo. she is one of my most favouritest bestest friends in the whole wide world.
she is in mexico at the moment and has been updating her blog
i love it!
http://jo.footboot.net/

27.com

it was my bday yesterday.
i dont know why i'm publishing this on my blog... but i definately think it sounded worse than i thought.

yes. its still under 30 and yes, i have been told its still young.

but crap. its just that little bit closer to 30 than i thought!

breathe van breathe. its all ok!!!

ps. people believe me when i tell them i turned 21.
pps. its them asian genes!

Happier note! Babies are born!!

Hey...
just thought i'd lighten up my very lame and depressing self reflecting-- tortured soul of a blog (whatever happened to the minivanmegaFUN bit?)
ok. so my mood has picked up strangely enough...

good onya 'peppermint crisp' (gotta love mint & chocolate... my favourite!)

anyhoo.. wanted to share photos of dear family friends of ours... Leo and Cecelia's baby :D Lachlan. Aint he CUTE?!

coping with life

hmm...
i've decided that the word 'coping' sounds like you're barely scraping it.

thats how i've felt.

have i ever announced on my blog that i've had/got/hate having depression?

now... thats an announcement and a half!

who that is reading my blog (or cares) actually know that i suffer from the pains of the illness? and no, you cant just 'snap' out of it... its not just 'i felt blue today'and e.thing is backto normal next day.

depression is a drawn out process that sucks the living life out of you... for me, it is triggered by a series of stressful life events.

when/ if / hopefully you wont have to bear the carnage of stressful events that have occurred in my life these past 3-6+ months!

quitting job... no job.... searching job... new job.... relationship starting & ending.... stressful outcomes to events i have no control of (will not bore or divulge here)... moving house... moving back 'home'.... going to AFRICA for the first time...
ok. that within 3-6 months has been more than i could bear.
i've been pretty darn sick...

anyways... i think i'm on the mend.

i'm on a strict regimen of walking at 7am for 1/2 hour everyday... its a habit i must form to get me 'out' of this blueness... exercise stimulates the lower doses of dopamine in the brain which makes you 'feel good'... hence why you usually feel good after a session at the gym or physical activity!

anyhoo... thats a good start. lets hope i can make it!

having supportive friends help and i recommend going to www.livinglifetothefull.com for some useful/ helpful life strategies and tips...

i wonder if my announcement has surprised anybody.

oh well.. i dont even know who reads my blog these days, so depending on how quickly i churn out these entries, if you dont read this particular entry, then you wont know about it!

tired again. my back clicked like the hokey spokeys on a bike!

dudes.
is it me? or is it work? or the stress of having to move house?
im thankful i can have my mum's place to move to, however, not looking forward to having to physically move the contents from my apt and sell off all the various goods i dont need... (ugh)

i went to my chinese doctor today. yes he speaks chinese and no, he doesnt include free yum cha!
jokes.

well. he said my back must have been 'this bad' for quite some time. when he did his usual remedial massage-- which by the way, is one of the most physically painful but necessary forms of back manipulation... the twisting and back pressure and stretching... made my back... when it cracked, sound like a freakin fire cracker! it was pretty bad..... my spine is meant to be realigned now.

i'm still stiff, sore and tired though. so no points there.

moving house? :( boo....i think i'll just need to get on with it once my body recovers. i think thats where all the energy has been sapped from.... lack of oxygen to one's brain due to bad back has caused me to suffer all kinds of weird and wonderful pains!

not happy jan! procrastination doesnt help...

ps. gee- thanks for your comment. i think my happyness 'mood' is fleeting. i'm just tired and grumpy again!!

pps. trying to 'choose joy'... whatever that means!!!

ppps. missing all my furry friends that are living far away-- or have moved overseas in recent times or will be!!!!!! not naming names... i'm quite sad& upset!

happy again

ok.
where did my 'black dog' 'grey clouds' go?

i dont know. but i'm glad its gone.

its not that my situation right now is necessarily any different to my life previously.

its just that i've gained some new perspective that i have been waiting for.

i think going to Africa will do that to a person.

its reframed my life.

i dont want to forget what i have seen. nor do i want to ponder on the affects of the pain it causes me when i do.

i have a renewed sense of purpose. of peace, of determination and of thankfulness.

absolute thankfulness that i am blessed beyond even more than i have ever imagined before.

i am still human... i still hurt, i still bleed, and i can still find joy amongst the ashes.

there is beauty in ashes... in the painful places... in the hurting places.

i discovered today... that indeed, the Joy of the Lord is my strength.

it is not 'the joy of my job' or the 'joy of my posessions'... maybe even the 'joy of my friends/family' is my strength, although my friends & family do give me strength- i think God blesses us through our relationships/community.

through and through however.. above all else...
the Joy of the Lord is my strength.
i think i know what that means now. i didnt realise it before. i like it. i have peace.

ps. meditating on scripture that reminds us to focus on things that are pure and godly are very helpful. reading tom's blog or any of the commie bloggers (found on my links on the left) help to make me laugh. that helps. lots. community rocks!

Alive & Kicking in Africa!

Email from me:

Hiyas- im Alive in Africa!

i am now in Kampala, Uganda Africa!
I have survived a 14hr flight to dubai, 2hour stopover and another 6 hour journey to Entebbe airport Uganda, via Ethiopia!
I was tempted to try the 'McArabia' meal but decided against, it, but i will admit, i couldnt help but eat a cheeseburger in Dubai airport- ok, i was bored and buying 'Arabia Dance Hot100' really was not my thing...
I worked at the Watoto 'Bulrushes' Baby's home today, got puked on- projectile vomit style, but loved seeing these beautiful orphaned, abandoned babies get a 2nd chance at life... there are over 56 kids in this centre-- and funnily enough, all very well behaved! there are some fighting for their lives (either being thrown out of a window after childbirth, or left out in the bush to die...)... so sad! But these kids are adorable.. ranging from premature/ newborns to 2 year olds.
Will be heading to the 'Suubi' Watoto school village tomorrow to build/ paint the kitchen facility for the school. Should be an amazing experience.

Uganda is an interesting place to say the least... and of course of its 'developing nature'... has so much potential. Funny story though-- the Queen (Elizabeth II) is meant to be visiting Uganda in Nov for a commonwealth conference. They only just started building the special 'hotel' facility a month ago apparently? drove past it today... looks like a construction site!!

ok. missing you all and enjoying this interesting experience. Going on a safari this weekend for 3 days... i hope to see a hippo-- or a giraffe or two? and will be building for the next few days and back at the babies home on friday... next week will be a mix of other community activities with Watoto programs (btw, Watoto means Children in Ugandan)

ok. and if for some strange reason you have no idea why you have received this email from me... woops! Dudes, if you've gotten this far in reading this email-- Van is in AFRICA! visit www.watoto.com to find out more about the program i am participating in here!

ciao for now!
xo Van :D
ps. staying here. its pretty darn good for Africa i say! http://www.emmausguesthouse.com/

Interesting article about a photojournalist. I like the quote from Oscar Wilde near the bottom.

Dispatches from the front
By Beryl Wajsman, Editor, The Suburban
Robert J. Galbraith

Montrealer Robert J. Galbraith is one of the leading war photojournalists of this generation. Galbraith’s career in journalism spans 20 years. He has written and/or photographed for numerous publications in North America and Europe including The New York Times. His reputation reached new heights when he published Iraq: Eyewitness to War — A$">Photojournalist’s Diary. $">$">Galbraith refused to be an embedded reporter with the American forces and he did not want to sit through orchestrated press conferences at the press centre. He wanted total freedom to cover the war. At great personal peril, he managed to cover the war in a way that has rarely been seen.$">$">Unlike many in the media, despite the human toll and tragedy he documented, his is a compelling and authentic voice on the importance of a heightened Canadian military and diplomatic engagement in democratic development and nation-building worldwide.$">$">Iraq was not his first tour in a war zone. That came in Israel during the scud missle attacks. Then Galbraith covered the rest of the first Gulf War. He returned to Iraq to cover the current war and then he went to Afghanistan in 2005. He has been in the process of planning a new mission to Afghanistan for the better part of the year. Robert feels it is vital to record the critical role Canadian troops are playing in the Kandahar operation. There are untold stories of heroism and valour amidst the service and sacrifice that have literally saved the allied mission. Robert means to tell those stories. He left yesterday for his latest rendezvous with destiny.$">$">We at The Suburban are honoured that many of the freelance reports and photos that Robert will be filing will be published in our pages. $">$">Robert’s decision to include this newspaper among the recipients of his dispatches attests to the success of the broader scope we have taken and the heightened relevance of our impact. $">$">During a conference on Iraq organized by my Institute for Public Affairs of Montreal, Robert told me this about his work: “During the compilation of my book, many of my friends said that the cover was too shocking, and might turn off prospective buyers. But to me it was perhaps the most powerful image to come out of my journey, and the symbolism it reflected. Photojournalism is not just documentation. It is also about advancing art.

Oscar Wilde said that art should affront, should repulse, otherwise it will never advance.

There are many war books out there with neutral or boring covers. I wanted people to have a finger stuck in their eye when they saw my book, and to realize that this is the real thing, this is the real account of the misery of war. “

“ This is the kind of hard-hitting journalism you can expect from Robert Galbraith’s dispatches from the front”

In our talks over the past few weeks I asked what motivated him to pursue this latest adventure. Hadn’t he proven his courage? Hadn’t he done enough to raise conscience and consciousness? His answer was poignant and instructive for us all.

“We should always be willing and fearless to challenge the darkness,” he said. “Whatever that darkness is. Be it subjugation of another people or the ghosts in our own closets. You are never more alive as when you challenge your worst fears. This is why I am a war photojournalist, and will ever continue to be.”

To learn more about this extraordinary man and his remarkable work, visit his website at www.robertgalbraith.com and look for his stories and pictures in the weeks to come.

2007-10-03 10:14:41

going to Africa in 4 sleeps!

ok. so i've been slack with the blogging.
i've gone a bit MIA for a bit.
sorting out my life. worrying too much.
thinking i worry too little.
i think its better to worry little. whats to worry about?

ok. been stressed, but heck. i need to take a chill pill.
aside from the landladee sal-meist selling the epic mortgage sucking life device that is the wonderful rangies...
jokes!
i have been mourning the loss... or the potential loss... and the impending move out of here!
life will be different... and life wont be the same... but i am embarking on a journey in the meantime to Africa..

a trip that i committed to wanting to go 2 years ago when they announced at church that they were planning to take a team to UGANDA for a project called watoto childcare ministries! www.watoto.com (support them! they are well worth the cause!)

what sparked the interest was the fact that my dear sponsor child Christine is a local Ugandan young lass herself and i've always wanted to go visit her... and i've been doing that since the beginning of 2003.
thats been a humbling and great committment to think that my little self can help transform the life of a young woman who in many circumstances did not choose where she was born, but into a large loving family that is impoverished! it makes me feel very overindulgent indeed... the life in the western world... and completely unjust... how the heck did i get born into the family i did... with the opportunities that i've had... and well... you know where i'm heading with that...

so... off i go... Friday yonder... into a foreign land.

I am excited, anxious... ever so anticipating ... wondering how the heck i will cope with the sites and sounds... i think the 'thought' of it is often more tormenting than perhaps what i may actually experience.

the 'world vision' ads will no longer be just a thing i can switch off the television. These people are real, they have real needs and major social problems that CAN be helped!

I feel so humbled and priveledged that i can, in my own way... contribute towards a better life for these young kids at watoto...

life is so different there... and yes, 'blood diamond' and 'the last king of scotland' will scarily reflect a life that so few of us will ever want or have to experience, but elements of which are a reality for fellow human beings.

i think i need to write in my blog more often. it helps me clarify my thoughts.

i've been stressed. i've even had the blues. but i'm OK. and i'm on ON MY WAY!!!! bring it ON!!!!!!!!!!

The Coming Home blues- from Travel Blog on SMH

Hi Peeps,
this blog has made me feel better already that there are others that feel exactly the same way i do after travelling... I havent even gone to Africa yet, but i'm anticipating some kinda rude shock when i get back to 'reality' and work for me in the western world!
Pray for me!! Its going to be pretty mind blowing...

23 Sleeps to go!

xo

http://blogs.smh.com.au/travel/archives/2007/09/the_coming_home_blues.html
Every person, dedicated traveller or not, has had a case of the coming home blues.

It could be only mild - like when you find yourself back at the desk after a weekend away - or it could be more extreme - after a few years on the road - but there's always the realisation that things at home aren't as fun as they are on holidays.

I've had the coming home blues a few times, and they seem to be getting worse. And, as far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be any remedy, no quick fix for your travel-related downer, no sports panel show to rush home to and discuss the ills of your life.

Worst of all, it's pretty hard to get sympathy from people when you've just spent a few months/years having the time of your life ...

In my experience, the longer the trip away, the worse the coming home blues are. They're like Monday-itis times about 100 - you become a shadow of your former care-free, holidaying self.

For those who are yet to experience this affliction, here are the common steps leading to coming home blues:

Step 1
Make the decision to come home. This is usually accompanied by a feeling of excitement at seeing your family and old buddies again, coupled with a slight sense of foreboding.

Step 2
Arrive home. Experience the initial joy of seeing everyone and having them at least feign interest in your adventures. Eat whatever it is you've been craving for the last six months (a sausage roll for me).

Step 3
Realise you're broke, and, most probably, don't have a job. Start mournfully flipping through the employment sections trying to decide what best you can fake experience in. Discovery Travel and Living is now your favourite TV channel.

Step 4
Realise no one really cares about all the crazy/exciting things you got up to overseas. Worse still, realise you're no longer getting up to them.

Step 5
Begin to remember why you went overseas in the first place - everything at home was boring. Realise everything at home is still boring. Continue flipping through employment sections.

Step 6
Your friends, realising that every single one of your stories from now on will begin with the phrase, "This one time when I was in ..." have stopped calling. You've begun morosely checking your hotmail each morning, catching up on what your friends who are still overseas are doing. Frighteningly, you're craving a full English breakfast from the greasy spoon down on the high street. No one knows what you're talking about.

Step 7
Forced to take the first job you're offered, you pretend to work whilst actually flitting in between researching new destinations on the Lonely Planet website, and looking at your own travel photos on Facebook. You've taken to eating lunch at Spanish/Italian/Vietnamese/Thai/Mexican/Indian/Nepalese restaurants so you can try and persuade yourself you're still there. Once again, you realise you're not.

About this stage, the coming home blues have firmly set in. You're moping around all day, mumbling things like, "Cabs wouldn't cost this much in India", and wondering why the hell you decided to come home in the first place.

So what do you do to alleviate your symptoms?

First, stop looking at your damn photos - it's just going to make you more miserable. Countless times I've thought to myself, "I'm feeling a bit blue ... I know what will cheer me up: looking at pictures of myself when I was really happy!"

Doesn't work.

Second, surround yourself with fellow travellers. Nothing eases pain more than sharing it. This may involve becoming the seedy guy surreptitiously hanging out in the hostel bar, but, you know, desperate times ...

Even better is to come home when someone else you know who is coming home - that way you can share the whole experience, and that's one less person who'll be emailling you about their latest adventures from some far-off land.

However, those bitten by the travel bug will know that these are all band-aid treatments. The only way to truly beat the blues is to knuckle down, get saving, and bugger off overseas again at the first opportunity.

Sure, you're setting yourself up for another battle with the blues - but it's worth it, isn't it?

i (heart) bircher muesli

love it.
soaked in apple juice
yoghurt.
bliss.

tiredness, recovery from the flu and joy

im tired.

i was meant to go to my 'mandarin' class. no, not to peel oranges, but the national language/ official mother tongue of china. the homeland.

yes, i'm pisstaking.

but no, i'm not joking about the china bit!

i didnt particularly feel like repeating ' this is a pen'... ' this is not my brother'... ' my school bag has 3 books inside'... in chinese.

boo hoo.

whinge whinge...

i think there are too many things going on in my life at the moment for one little minivan to process.

1) the salmeist is thinking of selling the rangies
2) i'm going to africa in just over 4 weeks (to build houses for watoto.com and to visit my sponsor child compassion.org)
3) some of my bestest friends are moving overseas... for at least 12 months
skins, frenchie, asha... in the next few months... and well... i shall focus on the dear friends that will be in the country... however, i cant help but think a piece of me will be left slightly emptier because of their abscence... but thank the Lord for the internet!?! which helps us all keep in touch, but still... i cant help but think the internet for me, is just a poor excuse for communicating sometimes... typing out thoughts just aint the same as a telephone call or a real hug, let alone a 'superpoke' or a 'give a beer to ____' hahahahah.

hmmmm....

anyhoo... so its monday, and i'll whinge that i have over-committed in my chinese class for mondays for the rest of the year...

i just thought it might help me order yum cha in mandarin instead of canto...

oh well!

the flu for me, is almost fully gone... today is the first monday i havent completely wanted to dry wretch at the thought of having to go to work.... (and yes, i am enjoying it, but boy was today boring!)

work is overrated to say the least...

but despite my whinginess, and missing my sister's overseas and my mother flying to hawaii for another holiday...

i will take hold of this time of uncertainty to be reminded of what's really important...

my appetite.

i still have my appetite.

thats got to be a good sign!!!!!!

thats all from me peeps.

God bless!

"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows." Isaiah 1:17

I am so excited!

Compassion International... the organisation that does awesome things... like organizes sponsor programs for children in need... has just announced to me that YES. I can visit my sponsor child! (this is an often arduous process that takes months to prepare and get approval and national security police checks that i have had to pay for... and you should have seen the relief on my face when the letter came back from the federal police that i am not a criminal!! which i knew was the case, but you know... you never know!!!!)

Relief is all around and i am happy once again and the good news (its an exciting proposition, but has been quite stressful...)

for those that are reading my blog or bothering (i havent posted in ages... which is a good and bad sign)..

a) i've been way preoccupied settling into my new job! Go AG!
b) i've been hibernating as a result of the cold and personal blogging at work is not always a good look and my internet connection (free wireless) is currently non- existent at home which is a good and bad thing... so something must be done about it!!
c) i just havent had anything too exhilirating or stupid enough to post!

For those that may read...
my sponsor Child Wanyana Christine lives south of Kampala, Uganda, Africa in a little town called Kipala.

She has just turned 14 years old and i've been sponsoring her since she was 11.

It is a humbling experience to say the least and one that I really value.

When this young girl writes to me and says things like ' Thank you for my birthday sponsor gift, i bought red shoes, school books a dress and a goat for my family'... these sorts of things just blow me away!!!'

a GOAT for goodness sakes!!! its amazing what a humble $50 a month will do in this little person's life.

i wish i could buy a Goat for $50?!

Anyhoo,... i found this quote on Nelson Mandela quite inspiring... we can all make a difference in our corners of the world...

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made, and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings." Nelson Mandela

Which by the way... i want to see the movie...Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, the film marking the 200-year anniversary of William Wilberforce’s hard-earned success in abolishing the British slave trade, was released last month to nation-wide acclaim. The film highlights the issues of slavery and human trafficking to a modern-day audience, inspiring the Amazing Change Campaign, a movement lobbying for the rights of an estimated 27 million men, women and children still enslaved today.

what a momentous occasion!

its been one year since:

1. i went to lake falls creek with the tanners
2. i've had someone called a 'boyfriend'
3. i've completely changed jobs and roles and industries!
4. i decided that i love gadgets and my nerdness is fully apparent ( i love electronics)
   
5. last winter... and boy, this winter has been freeeeeeeeakin freeezing!
6. i went to berry with jo :D
7. i realised i was going to really knuckle down and get fit (for real)
8. knowing that being single and happy is one the nicest seasons in ones life... and when one has the opportunity to pursue it... seize it!! cos when you may meet someone special... all this stuff goes (almost) completely out the window...

The greatest test of courage on the earth is to bear defeat without losing heart

what a great quote by Robert Green Ingersoll.

i have no idea who he is... but i got this from my 'jogging diary' for 2007.

what is with buying these things and realising that i really just cant keep up with myself??

i twisted my dear left ankle a couple of months back (not fun)... and well.. that has left me pretty much spewing from the fact that my jogging routine was severely cut short... and now... little ol me is struggling with getting back into the habit!!!

i miss jogging... and i miss feeling like jogging. i must get back into it!!!

feeling like throwing up....

whats with being sick and me being extremely irritable and hating being bed ridden?

no. its the 'forced' dvd watching that i despise the most.

really.

i love my dvd collection just as much as the next guy. but seriously... i cant stand being sick!!

there are very few things that i whinge about (aside from some $ahole breaking off my windscreen wiper... see previous post)....

and since this is my blog.... i'm going to rant and rave all i want!!

oh. and whats with this weather? ITS FRICKEN FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i think im upset because i missed out on seeing the watoto children's choir at my church again.

:( I'm going there in october to help build some houses for watoto. im meant to be excited...

i guess its cos i'm just sick and e.thing seems irritably hard and crap that i feel like throwing up.

ok. i'm going now. but if you're curious. go to www.watoto.com for more details.

sick at home with the lurgy and needing some love

not happy jan!

Live Earth! 7.7.07

loved crowded house! and jack johnson...

Spice Girls are BACCCCCCCCCCCK!

From left to right-- Posh, Mel C, Ginger, Baby and Mel B

They're having a comeback tour.

and yes.

i'm sad.

yes.

... I WANT TO GO!

January 17 in SYDNEY! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!

I GOT A NEW JOB!!!

Ur looking at Australian Geographic's newest Recruit!!

YAY!!!!!

:D :D :D :D :D

i grabbed these Q's from Gee's blog :D

Time fillers...

Q1. Do you have a tattoo?

• Nope. but i got a tongue piercing once.

Q2. How old are you?

• i spoke to some 6year olds the other day. They said we looked 13.

Q3. Are you single or taken?

• depends on how you perceive this. what is the sound of a 'single person' clapping?

Q4. Eat with your hands or utensils?

• burger+ pizza = hands. pasta/rice= utensils. do i get extra points if i cross cultures between knife/fork/spoon/chopsticks?

Q5. Do you dream at night?

• yes definately.

Q6. Ever seen a corpse?

• yes. on a road and in a casket. NEXT!

Q8. Do you like Howard the PM?

• i like that his eyebrows have been plucked. and i like that our economy is going well.

Q9. What's your philosophy on life and death?

• Our life is but a mist... i do believe in heaven. there is life after death.

Q10. If you could do anything with me, and have no one know, what would it be?

• is this about GEE? i would pick you up with the world's largest sets of chopsticks. (thats an event management project challenge!)

Q11. Do you trust the police?

• its like saying do you trust in McD's?! Of course I do! but sometimes the nuggets are cold...

Q12. Do you like country music?

• ' dont tell my heart, my achey breaky heart... i just dont think she'd understand'...

Q13. What is your fondest memory of me?

• the Great wall of China. lunchroom.

Q14. If you could change anything about yourself what would it be?

• my innate ability to talk waaaaaaay too much.

Q15. Would you date me?

• to be honest. i dont date chongs. sorry.

Q16. What do you wear to sleep?

• thats just way too personal! ( if i told you i slept in the nude would you like me more or less? jokes)

Q17. Have you ever peed in a pool?

• no. but i have been a pool thats been peed in i'm sure (i used to be a swimming instructor. have a guess)

Q18. Would you hide evidence for me if I asked you to?

• depends what the evidence is for! if its a body part, i might wonder where you got it from! :P

Q19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?

• we'd spend it eating outdoors in the sun and enjoying sydney harbour.

Q20. Which do you prefer - Biker Skull Cap or Cowboy Hat?

• biker skull cap for when i'm feeling like an adventure/ Cowboy hat when i feel like riding a cow.

Q22. What's your favorite color?

• the rainbow (i know thats a crap answer)

Q23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?

• my dad

Q24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?

• there are so many! i am very odd... oh i got one-- ive got a 'beauty spot' on my face. please dont call me 'moley'... like in austin powers!!

Q25. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

• i have no idea what this question means. Who has time to fill these in other than govt working receptionists!!

ciao!

water. gas and greenhouse

dudes.
im dying here.

if you want to find out about:

• Solar power rebates from the govt.
• Sewerage
• wind power
• desalination
• greenpower
• nuclear power
• 3 eyed fish (from the simpsons! j/k)
• borewater
• something to do with generating energy by sending your pet mice around a spinning wheel in your home pet shop...

then come by and ask me!

i'm working at DWE! (dept of h2o & nrg)...

"just transferring your call through..."

Its a Wacky World

Who knew that it could be OK to cycle in the NUDE?

I just found this link to Wacky World through the Daily Telegraph.

Under 'normal' circumstances i rarely read the Tele, but this link is just about as random as my blog.

Thought id share it with you! Some stories are gross, hilarious, interesting, random, funny... you name it! Enjoy! :D

"Milk Eggs Vodka."

Interesting article about a book i found on Adage... Love it! Wouldnt mind getting my hands on a copy...

Paper Trail: What Grocery Lists Reveal About Shoppers
Old People Really Like Cookies
By Lenore Skenazy

Published: June 11, 2007

There's a new reference book out for anyone trying to sell anything at the grocery -- or understand America. It's called "Milk Eggs Vodka."

'Milk Eggs Vodka,' by Bill Keaggy, is an archive of shopping lists. It's a book of shopping lists. Yes, real shopping lists -- a couple hundred of them, reprinted in all their crumpled, stained and misspelled glory. They represent just a fraction of the thousands of lists collected over the past decade by oddball/genius Bill Keaggy, who hopes you'll send him any lists you find too.

He just loves them. So do I! So do untold legions! Keaggy's grocery-list website, grocerylists.org, gets a couple of thousand hits a day.

Why? "You really get a glimpse into people's lives," says Keaggy, a graphic designer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch when not stopping to pick up and preserve the detritus of modern life. A grocery list is like a diary, he says: utterly honest and not written for public consumption. Short and mysterious, it is the haiku of everyday life: "Squirt gun, hot peppers, strawberrys, bee trap, pie pans." Read it and you can feel the sun beating down on a birthday party (and some kid screaming).

"Buns, vodka, wine, chips, vanilla ice cream, kitty litter."

That one just made Keaggy laugh.

"Prozac, kid hair de-tangler, Ibuprofen, Fiber-All, Sensodyne."

As Keaggy notes in his unfailingly wonderful marginalia, "Wow, your life sucks, my friend. Constipation, headaches, aching gums, kids with knotted hair. No wonder you're depressed."

Aside from the lives revealed by these lists, there are also the demographics.

The Trader Joe's shopper's list includes, as if by law, goat cheese, shallots and pastry crust. Quiche alert! But the list written in fat, pre-teen letters, with smiles in all the O's, says,

"Food -- Thanks Mom! Pizza Lunchable, Taco Lunchable, Gatorade Rapid Rush -- Blue, Cooler Ranch Doritos." "I'm not so sure this list should have been labeled 'food,'" Keaggy observes.

Maybe not.

But here you have a totally candid picture of what one girl -- possibly representing one entire generation -- wants for lunch.

A few years later will it be buns, wine and vodka? Or Prozac and Fiber-All?

While Keaggy didn't write this book as any kind of marketing study -- he laughs at the idea -- he has come to a couple of conclusions, including the fact that old people really like cookies. (He can tell an old person's list by the shakiness of the writing.)

After collecting at least one list from every state, he found that 41% included some sort of bread and 37% included milk, half had some sort of personal-care or cleaning product, and just 6% were looking for liquor. Adds Keaggy, "Yeah. Right."

The most fastidious shoppers write their lists on the back of envelopes and put coupons inside (and sometimes forget they're there).

The most frazzled write lists like: "Spaghetti. Sauce."

Or even shorter lists: "Celery!"

And the most honest write things like, "Bud Light, good beer." That's not commentary; those are two separate items.

And then there are the lists that can break your heart: "1 lb hamberger, cheeseburger mocornoi, bread, butter, lunch meat. If enough money -- chips." It's not just the spelling that hurts.

After years of loving all these lists, Keaggy gradually realized that shoppers were wasting time and possibly money by not being organized. They were returning for single items ("Celery!") and being vague about their needs ("Get supper things"), so he created a checklist to help them. It lists just a couple of hundred items by department -- simplicity itself. Yet it has been downloaded tens of thousands of times.

If you ever find one of these lists, kindly send it to grocerylists.org, P.O. Box 752, St. Louis, MO, 63188. Meantime, don't forget: BUY MILK!

Introducing... Helen Melon

I thought i was the only crazy on here!!!

Jack Jack Jackie has introduced a friend of hers she met travelling in NZ.

I think she's a pom too...

her name is... not kidding...

HELEN MELON

check out ' lookalikes'. she approaches randoms/strangers and compares their pic with celebrities! frickin hilarious!

you'll need a password to get into the site. ask me in the comments section if you want access!! :P

She is Freakin Funny!!

Put it this way. They created their own 'business cards' and started a group on facebook called

" I heart sweatbands"

HILARIOUS! (yet to join as i still dont have access to facebook at work. BOOHOO. apparently there is a group on facebook that is for people that cant get access to it at work!!?!)

living vicariously through ---British Touring Car Champions-

dudes.

i'm currently posted at the dept of water & nrg. ok. i'm writing in bad acronym/ txt talk because i dont want to be incriminated!!

anyhoo. all is not lost (aside from my brain)

but my dear 'job share' lass here. jack jack jackie, a lovely backpacker from (you guessed it) england... just revealed to me today that her best friend is married to none other than -- (no, you wouldnt have guessed, because i have no idea who he is...)

none other than a BTCC (british touring car champion) Jason Plato

apparently her friend sophie-- who she has known since she was 11 ... is only 24 and married old silverFox jason (36)... just last september....

jackie had originally changed her 'backpacking' adventures to accomodate the wedding which was meant to be early sept... but then... i guess with his private jet and his MILLIONS... they changed it to late sept... and jackie had already orge -anised her flights with her boyf etc etc... and well... she missed the wedding!!

crazy story. but heck. its a slow day here at the department! and even if the story is completely bogus...

which i doubt.

becos jackie says her friend sophie is on facebook- so SHE must exist!!!!!!!!

HA!

i (heart) chicken

Hi peeps!

i forgot to go to CHICKEN TREAT in PERTH!!!

talk about anticipation from previous post.

not to worry. we ended up going to far better places... on the last nite i was there with salmeister and her friend 'lennon'. yes. just like john. we went this really cool brewery called 'little creatures'. In pure vanny style i finished off ALL our meals...

which included. kangaroo meat skewers, a big bowl of yummy 'frittes' (chips), tiger prawns, nachos and pizza! + beer! yum yum

Perth was rockin! dont come a knockin...

Peeps.

i have just tried to survive the 'Red Eye' flight from Perth to sydney this morning.

It is officially t he CRAPPEST flight you can take from Perth.

it leaves at 12:50am Perth time = 2:50am Sydney time... and arrives promptly 4 hours later at 7:00am Sydney time.

I rushed home and went straight to work.

Who IS THIS CRAZY???
me.

again.

that and i'm at another govt posting temping. it sucks.

they just switched off my access to facebook.

better get off this thing they'll probably block this too.

this sucks!!! ARGH!!!!!!

my favourite cereal packet... or am i just a sucker for marketing?

SPIDERMAN- 'web' shaped cereal bits.
and I love Kelloggs Crunchy Nut cornflakes (with the bits)

But i must say... that i am probably one of the few 'over 25's' that actually got sucked into buying this cereal packaging... very strategically placed at the end of the supermarket aisle. I had neither any idea about a) the taste of it b) whether it would in fact, taste like spiders or c) figured it could be similar to cocoa pops, but because i actually love spiderman, i was secretly hoping there was a figurine inside.

either way. i bought it BECAUSE it was spiderman labelled. I really am a sucker for marketing. i should be paid for this kind of market research!!!! and i must add as well... the cereal wasnt bad!!!! ha!

my new best friends :D

Hi Guys. Meet my new best friends.

Oprah & Dr. Phil...

They're consistent. Give sound advice. Always well presented. Are American-- not such a bad thing! :P Care alot about how i spend my time. And furthermore... if i dont feel like listening to them anymore... i can just 'switch them off!'

have we aged??

l-r (kath, mammafungster, ivan, me & mich)

this is a funny pic my sister kath dug up... it was taken when the fams and i went to do a bridgeclimb... circa 2001... when my sister shaz & matt got married. ( i sound so bogan!)
anyhoo... according to my 2yearold nephew (soon to be 2-- going on 20!)... he recognised kath and called out 'yee yee'! (chinese term for 'younger aunty')... awww...

so has us chongs aged at all??

scary thought. i dont think i look much different! perhaps my hair has grown?? :P ha!

Perhaps mum's 'shady' shades is indicative of the era... she has alot 'groovier' glasses of late! ha! and she's not wearing her 'like a tiger' t-shirt! :P

compare with previous post with pic taken with my sisters

brain freeze and favourite icecream

i've decided that this is my new hobbie.

Eating ICECREAM!!!!!

icecream + daytime tv + no job = lifelongdream!

Vans Random Quiz

If YOU are bored... lets see how well you know me!!!!!

Click Here to take VANS RANDOM QUIZ (on facebook!

blogthings. life seems to pass by on this website!

You Are 60% Weird

You're so weird, you think you're *totally* normal. Right? But you wig out even the biggest of circus freaks!

How Weird Are You?

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Your Japanese Name Is...

Naoko Kawashi

What's your Japanese Name?

Your Elf Name Is...

Booty Helper

What's Your Elf Name?

Your Hillbilly Name Is...

Molly Sue Hill

Hillbilly Name Generator

is this blogthing going to help me get a job?

***Your Career Type: Artistic***


You are expressive, original, and independent.
Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art.

You would make an excellent:

Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer Dancer - DJ - Graphic Designer Illustrator - Musician - Sculptor

The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary.




What's Your Ideal Career?

***You Have A Type B+ Personality***

due to boredom and all round 'holiday-ness'...
I have succombed to trying out 'blogthings' quizzes-- as inspired by Gee-banger (dude!)

I think for me... i used to be a Type A personality.

Can a person 'change' personalities? cos according to this... Im a B+!?! HA!

I think its called... 'chilling out'....

***You Have A Type B+ Personality***


You're a pro at going with the flow
You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer
A total joy to be around, people crave your stability.

While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity.
Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done
You're passionate - just selective about your passions


Do You Have a Type A Personality?

hanging with the golden oldies...

Hiya Peeps.

I have a funny story to tell:

No, I have not had the priveledge of being offered a 'senior's' card...
although i did feel a significant ' generational gap' yesterday, when in fact my dear mother bought me a a ticket to none other than the:

Louis Armstrong Tribute- at the Cremorne Orpheum. (Matinee of course!)

With the movie 'High Society' following a very awesome 5 piece jazz band playing all Louis' hits and even some Gershwin snuck in!

Put it this way, Aunty Iris said to me during the interval... 'Vanora... are you the only young person here in the cinema?'.... which indeed in all truth, i answered 'Yes'... I was the only person in practically the whole room without either a) a blue rinse b) a walking stick c) a seniors card!

although i wouldnt scoff at having any of those if the need ever arose!!!! hahah

I must say I do love the Golden Oldies, to the surprise of Aunty Iris and Mum proudly persisting that 'Yes, Vanora loves the old songs and she plays the piano and the saxophone'! (my secret wish in the past was to become KennyG... ok... i think i 'over' shared this time!) ha!

Considering the majority of Louis' hits were from the 1950s... I do know that I have a love for anything 'Golden' and 'Oldie'.

I am not ashamed!!!!!

Plus, who doesnt think that Grace Kelly is one of the most beautiful women to have ever graced the big screen? She is immaculately beautiful!!! No wonder she was so famous!!!


Anyhoo-- that is my 2cents now...

I am going to go do some painting now.

Such is the life of the unemployed!!

Anyone got a dollar? $$?!!

(so sad!!)

bitchin & moanin.

ok peeps.
the vanster doesnt ordinarily bitch & moan about much... life is TOO short for THAT!
however...

WHO THE F$%^ snapped and broke off my LEFT sided WINDSCREEN WIPER today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was having a very pleasant meal with my favourite people (see facebook-- my new obsession!) at Bills in Woolhara.

Some JACKASS decided to SNAP OFF MY WINDSCREEN WIPER!?! WOT THE F!?!

lets just say. Van is NOT HAPPY JAN. and this definately is the windscreen wiper that has broken the camels back!!!!!!!!!

ps. photo inset is not of actual car! (it is NOT snowing in Sydney-- altho sometimes i wish it did!)

sydney ferries. eh hmm...

...... HELP!

What Rad Pool Tricks!

im just one step closer...

ok dudes. so i am on a journey.

the tides are turning and the sun is shining right back at me!

its been about 6 weeks since I have worked fulltime in a 'permie' (no, not my hair... a permanent job!)

Its been interesting....

hmmm....

this chit-chatting with the van-nee has become somewhat much more serious of late...

as i contemplate life, where i'm at... what to do... how to pay bills, how to find bills! (my house has looked like a BOMB has exploded-- well, not my loungeroom, but its getting there!)---

so where is God in all this?

As a devoted God 'botherer' (as i have been called at somepoint).... hehe.... i tend to pray lots in times of joy and even more during the 'down' times.

but my question is... how do you handle the 'down' times?

what is a 'down' time anyways? (not to be confused with 'downtown'... a bad 70's hit)

because you can see it one of 2 ways...

1) a time to rest, re-couperate... regroup, re-focus, re-energise... re-hope?!

or
2) whinge, whine, get pissed off (majorly) at how badly life has 'turned out'... and think that the world somehow owes you something when things dont go 'your way'... whatever the heck that means!?

i'd like to say that its easier to choose 2. and most often, this is the gut/ knee jerk reaction to life's battles and difficulties.

Its a lot easier to get angry, its a lot easier to get the temperature rising on your forehead as you look to puff yourself up at all the indignancies that have 'come against you'... when you fact... perhaps the crap just comes...

and we just have to learn to 'deal with it'.

so what does it mean to 'deal with it?'...

id like to think that dealing with 'stuff'... when life gets severely crapazoidal (not to be confused with trapezoidal-- which i think has something to do with pythagoras (hehe)

WHAT DO WE FREAKIN DO THEN?

There has to be a better way.

Ok. I pray.

For real.

For most however, that answer isnt 'good enough'.

But what does 'praying' actually try to achieve anyways?

Does it point to
1) A God that seeks to have a personal relationship with his creation...
2) A God that wants us to talk to him
3) A God that desires to see his creation seek him first
4) to recognise that we are human and that we need God
5) to understand that the dynamics of a world that is seemingly destroying itself... and that there must be a higher power involved in all this... and that he can hopefully make it better

These are just some really basic ideas on what i have learned and perceive as praying...

i have found a great website that has some really inspiring quotes that may help you on your journey should you start considering 'chatting' to God. And yes, you may feel like you're talking to yourself initially, but he is there. Really. He is!


He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and happy life.

William Law

I always wanted a STARWARS profile...

***Your Star Wars Name And Title***


Your Star Wars Name: Vanfu Yehon

Your Star Wars Title: Gnucho of Rehtse


What Is Your Star Wars Name and Title?
http://www.blogthings.com/starwarsnameandtitlegenerator/


I found these pics on my computer the other day. They were never meant to be seen in public... but i think time has lapsed enough now that its safe to presume that the Tanmeister and Bailey will be O.K. with seeing themselves (and with me) in this light!

Just a bit of background... Salee and I pre-planned to dress as Chewy and Darth to welcome Bailey to Sydney (her first visit)... a couple of years ago. We should have charged some tourists that asked to take pictures of us as we rocked up to the Virgin Blue domestic Airport terminal... but heck. We had fun getting ready... it was HILARIOUS. Memories!!!!! I miss both the Tanster AND Bailey! We will see eachother again soon.... xoxo :D

Happy Mother's Day... now what planet am i from?

.... Someone shorter than me? Minime?

Hey dudes.
Meet Speedy.
She loves what i love... and well... she's the new HOT flatmate!
Come and say Hello Nurse!

Connection Group- I miss you Gooses'! :P

"Where there is no belief in the soul, there is very little drama… Either one is serious about salvation or one is not. And it is well to realise that the maximum amount of seriousness admits the maximum amount of comedy. Only if we are secure in our beliefs can we see the comical side of the universe." ~Flannery O'Connor

Speedy & Van-s Hats!

i love my sisters :D

this was taken at darling harbour december 2006.
(l-r- Kath, Mich, Shaz, me)

ALF... Whatever happened to the 80's alien?

Did he just shrink back with all the other 80's styled bad perms, oversized tshirts and belts… fluoro coloured socks with flat shoes and the mainstreaming of the 'mullet'?

I actually HATED the show ALF. I thought he was just creepy…… I mean. Its one thing to LOVE sesame street muppets ( a dream of mine was to become a muppeteer at one stage)… however.. Alf's insatiable desire to eat cats… and bad table manners… it made a whole generation of tv sitcoms think twice about introducing a puppet into the real world…. Imagine life for Gary Coleman if he was a puppet instead of a legalised midget? (ahem, I'm not being very politically correct)… ' WHATCHA talkin' about WILLIS?'….

Crazy.

Did I mention other 80's faux pas that should not have been allowed into society? It included… skinny jeans and high waisted grey stonewash (ew)…. Plus… mismatching bright coloured tshirts…. Oversized perms or shortened hair for chicks… anything stilletto-ee with patent leather (ahem….)

Well. If the ladiez havent already noticed, the fashions have turned that direction…

I mean, I am not an exception to reviving the patent leather… I did buy a pair of cool black patent leather shoes in New York… but they're not stilleto… so I think I'm ok for not trying to look like a hooker… or the glamourising of prostitution ala Julia Roberts in 'Pretty Woman'…

Speaking of Pretty women… I watched ' Bring it On' dvd (or 'deeweedee' if you are trying chinglish for the first time!) last nite with Kat and Esther… I liked the lines about ' Big Red'… " she puts the ITCH in B**&^!"… too funny.

…
Anyhoo...
Other 80's movies that I do have time for though… although not her final prom dress… Molly Ringwald starring in 'Pretty in Pink.'… you do know that the only reason I actually really love that film is my big crush on 'Andrew McCarthy'. He appears to be a dag at first… but if you watch the movie, he's actually a really good guy in the end! He doesn’t care so much that despite the fact that she's from the 'wrong side' of the tracks… as opposed to his 'pedigree'… that she's actually not all that attractive?

But goes to show even James Spader couldn’t have her… and he plays a real A** in the film…. Ok.

I think I'm getting way too into these 80's movies review…

Other favourite films I must highlight are these:

Girls just want to have fun
The Breakfast Club
Back to the Future
Sixteen Candles
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure… ( I have a funny story about watching this a few years ago with some year 7-8 kids on a ski camp… boy did this movie look CHEAP. They HATED it!!!)

Weekend at Bernies
(not to mention Terminator haha- Linda hamilton with a perm!--)'
Superman Episode 24
Not to mention Star Wars...

Any other cheeze ball spoofs you guys are into? What's your favourite cheezy movie? I've had a mental blank for further 80's movies.. Refresh my memory!!!