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Dec. 25th, 2007

10:27 am

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Tags: holidays

Current Mood: happy

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Jun. 24th, 2007

Dec. 11th, 2006

08:38 am - nightmares and religion

Still have the flu. Thanks to at least four (count 'em) separate nightmares last night, I slept very badly. I am now hungry but there is no milk in the fridge. Chris has no yoghurt either, but I have informed him that it is one of his Christmas presents and therefore he can't have any until Christmas, which he accepted with equanimity. (I was kidding.)

One of my nightmares involved Chris's parents' house where we were apparently staying, and I arrived late evening to find all doors and windows smashed in, books and papers strewn everywhere and paint splashed across the walls. And in the dream, WA had become an Islamic state, and Islamic militants had trashed our house because they knew Christians lived there, and were possibly going to come back later to arrest or kill us. I was very scared, and I called Chris, in between walking around with a policewoman who was half on my side (checking the results of the break in) and half on their side (checking boxes of my stuff for bombs etc). Chris was at uni relaxing on a computer, and refused to come to my aid, despite me begging him, because he was having some time out and there was "nothing he could do anyway." After I woke up trembling, my poor husband had to sleepily assure me at least 3 times that he would of course rush to the aid of his distressed wife at any time of the day or night.

I am really, really glad I live in a country where we are free to choose our religion, and where it isn't a crime punishable by death to convert to another religion or to believe in another God. I, as most of you know, am a Christian, but I firmly believe in and support the right of every person to make up their own mind about God and what they believe, and to choose for themselves, even if they make what I believe to be the wrong choice as a consequence.

Current Mood: thoughtful

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Dec. 9th, 2006

11:21 am - finito el schoolio

So I am finally on holidays, after a most exhausting and intense year. I am quite happy, but it hasn't really sunk in yet, possibly due to a long last week, a long last day yesterday and the fact that I'm quite ill with the flu. Despite all that, I went out to dinner last night at our favourite restaurant with the incomparably handsome, wonderful, generous and loving man that is my husband. He was also very tired due to staying up working all night on Thursday night (after a full day on Thursday) and then working most of the day on Friday, but a 3-hour nap for us both on Friday afternoon was enough to revive us for the usual delicious fare we ate together last night.
So it was quite lovely, relaxing with my husband, enjoying lovely food and only a little very fine wine (due to our excessive tiredness and my illness), and taking photos of each other across the table, until a lovely lady dining with her husband at the next table came over and asked if we would by any chance like a photo together? Quite the lovely evening, and we were in bed shortly before 10pm.

Feeling quite stiff and sore; possibly due partly to illness, partly to the usual neck and spine alignment issues, and partly due to the stupid push-up bra I wore all day and night yesterday which made my shoulder muscles feel like steel cords when Chris was trying to massage the stiffness and pain away. I looked great, but :P

So I'm going to visit Mr and Mrs H in hospital today - they had their little baby boy last Friday but due to complications Mrs H was in intensive care for 4 days after the birth and is only now well enough to see non-family today. I hope she likes tulips - they are bright, pretty and don't drop pollen everywhere like those big flowers I don't know the names of. And baby! Whee!

Quite impressed with all of velithya's efforts to finish all her costumes, weapons etc for the cosplay thing she's doing at the convention she's going to this weekend. We have been catching up every fortnight or so and it has been lovely. Not so impressed with _shana, who has deserted me for 3 weeks to go on a silly bus trip, and will only be back the week before Christmas, BUT has then organised another trip away instead and will only be back 2 days before Christmas!! How am I supposed to hang out with her and do Christmas shopping together and chat and catch up now that I'm on holidays, when she selfishly goes and disappears for weeks on end? /end rant

If anyone finds a small Christmas tree for sale, suitable for putting on a low table in a loungeroom, which is NOT a set of three and does NOT come in tinsel colours or with fibreoptic lights or already decorated, but simply a plain, green, moderately-authentic-looking, smallish (1-1.5m) Christmas tree, could they PLEASE let me know immediately. Because Chris and I spent hours looking last year, and I don't /really/ want to put up the spare branches + coatrack = scraggly-but-ingenious-tree that I made last year unless I have to.

Have almost finished Chris's Christmas shopping, and I'm quite stoked, as usually he is impossible to buy for. But thanks to a few good suggestions from him, a great idea from my sister-in-law and some clever thoughts from me, I am nearly done, but I am not allowed to be too smug about it because it's panicking him a little. But nearly done - wheee!

Must go and buy a memory card for our digital camera, so I can start taking millions of photos of things. Then I'll get velithya to write down the instructions for posting pictures for me once more, and then you will be spammed with photos! Spammed! Ahahahahaha! Ha!

I'm getting quite rambly now - yes, get used to it, I'm on holidays! Hope you are all having fun and feeling festive. Might be time for some breakfast for sick girls on holiday.

Current Mood: sick but happy

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Dec. 2nd, 2006

09:09 am - hit me baby one more time

So yesterday I finished my final piece of marking. The only work-related thing I have left to do is to write my tutorial reports next week, which shouldn't take too long at all. I am extremely happy to be almost finished for the year!!!

So, today I am going shopping with my faithful husband, and I need to complete a Britney Spears Baby-One-More-Time costume for a Pop-Princess-themed hens night tonight, as well as buy Christmas presents for the teachers I work with.

I need to get (or borrow!!) the following items quickly and cheaply. Suggestions very welcome:

- fluffy pink feathery stuff (on an elastic or not) to put around pigtails - where does one get this stuff from?
- thin grey cardigan (school issue, not a big thick grandma knitted one)
- just above knee length grey socks or stockings (stay-ups) - I think this will be the hardest to find
- short black skirt
- white collared blouse
- black bra
- black baby-doll-style school shoes

Once Chris has finished waiting for and then watching his Very Important online basketball game final, we shall depart. Please post suggestions before then!!

Current Mood: bouncy

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Nov. 28th, 2006

05:05 am - hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work we go

Dreamt I was auditioning for Idol last night... so weird. And I got a call-back, but I couldn't go because of school. Typical - school ruins everything.

Time to start marking!

Current Mood: sleepy

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Nov. 27th, 2006

10:25 pm - troubled times ahead

I have 6 more assignments times 15 students to mark, and then 15 reports to write, by Wednesday.

Wish me luck! Going to bed now, getting up early early early.

Current Mood: tired and apprehensive

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Nov. 22nd, 2006

12:49 am - reports are

FINISHED!!!

Current Mood: jubilant

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Nov. 18th, 2006

12:59 pm - hmmmm

breakfast + more sleep in darkened room + long hot shower + lunch = feeling so much better.

Still have to write speech - eep!

Current Mood: anxious

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09:47 am - ohhh so stupid

So, getting quite quite tipsy at staff drinks yesterday afternoon, followed by a glass of wine for dinner, followed by two cruisers at Pot Black followed by a shooter at a club was probably not such a good idea, considering I am sick, needing to speak at a school function this afternoon (speech still to be written) and have a billion reports to write this weekend (that's once I've finished all the marking).

So stupid.

I feel so ill.

Current Mood: nauseated

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Nov. 11th, 2006

12:47 pm - swimming and social events and scorcese

Just swam half a kilometre - in the 50m pool! That's right, I have overcome my fear from when I nearly drowned the first time I tried to swim in the 50m pool - since then I stuck to the indoor 25m pool. But today I ventured outdoors to the more chilly 50m pool and swam my 400m coolly and calmly. Got a bit puffed, but had shorter breathers than I usually do, and contrary to my fears, found it less daunting with less and longer laps to do. So yay for me.

Updating coz Olly is late to pick me up for lunch. Looking forward to it though, followed by catching up with _shana, who should be much less stressed post-audition! Lots of work to do this weekend as well as social activities, plus church and a baby shower tomorrow.

Saw 'The Departed' last night - good movie but not my sort of movie - I was horribly upset by the ending. (I won't say in what way because I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but those of you who have seen it and know me will probably guess why.) Was nice to pick up Chris from work and have him whisk me off to dinner and the movies unexpectedly though :)

Ok off to lunch - ciao!

Current Mood: cheerful

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Nov. 4th, 2006

10:02 am - busy busy busy

So now that I have a nifty digital camera, just have to figure out how to post pictures on my LJ from it and we'll be away. You will be showered with photos!

Busy week just gone - the last 2 weeks have both involved at least two full evenings spent at school in addition to teaching etc during the day and rehearsals before and after school. But this term is still the best so far - partly because it is short and I can feel the Christmas holidays looming in a most pleasant fashion, and mostly because office relationships are doing great, and I did heaps of preparation during the holidays for this term. So that's quite the nice feeling.

Had my favourite day of the school year yesterday - an arts festival where the girls compete in everything arty (debating, photography, art and craft, cooking, music, dance, drama, languages etc) and then finish the day with a massive concert of all the best entries from the different sections. I always entered a cake in the Creative Food Piece (insert theme here) section when I was a student there, usually winning or getting a place, and so it was only natural for me to make a cake this time round as a teacher! And I got highly commended, which was nice (photos to come) :) And my students were impressed at my school and house spirit, which is more important. Not enough teachers get involved in school activities not directly related to teaching in my opinion, which is a bad thing. And the staff item at the concert was very popular, which was lots of fun too. Then Chris and I had people over for dinner, which was lovely, but we were both very tired and quite relieved when they left at the early hour of 9.45pm, when we collapsed into bed and had a lovely long sleep, including a nice lie-in this morning. I love not having to get up at the crack of dawn!

This weekend is moderately busy: today isn't, but tomorrow is! So I will wander into school and do some work when Chris gets back from the chiro, as at the moment school is too hectic during the week to get much work done! And since the work is winding down, the more I do now the less I'll need to do towards the end of the term. Yay for end of term coming up - it's only seven weeks long and we're already up to week four next week! Woooo!

Olly - catching up would be nice. When and where? Is this the weekend you are away?
Nif - are we still on for Monday night?
Li - when are we going to catch up?

*looks in diary* - hmm three late afternoon commitments next week til 5.30/6pm, yuck.

Oh - I almost forgot! The most important news of all! I have been offered an on-going, full-time position at my current school from Jan 1 2007!!! Wheee! No more one-year contracts for me! (Now just have to clarify the probation thing: as far as I am concerned, if I hadn't passed my 12 month probation this year they wouldn't be offering me a full-time ongoing job, therefore I don't need and shouldn't have to be under another 12-month probation period. Especially since that will increase the amount of time I will need to work there before I can qualify for maternity leave, which may be too long as it is.)

Ok time for breakfast!

Current Mood: happy

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Oct. 26th, 2006

06:33 pm - success stories

Success One: I just swam my 400m in under the required 13 minutes. In ELEVEN minutes, actually. And then swam a further 100m, because I could.

*bounces*

Success Two: I finally finished ALL my Year 7 marking today. FOR THE YEAR!

*bounces*

Success Three: I have managed to get up 20 minutes earlier than usual every day since Monday a week and a half ago, and spent that time with God. The difference it has made to my attitude, happiness levels, peace levels and relationships at work is incredible.

*bounces*

Last ever music rehearsal for church worship team tonight before I have a (well-deserved) three month break. Missing a hens night which sucks (usually I'd excuse myself from rehearsal but it's my last one), but too happy to be really, really down about it.

Last day for the Year 12s tomorrow... uh-oh Satirical Assembly (they take off the teachers)...

Current Mood: bouncy

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Oct. 22nd, 2006

05:22 pm - OH NOES

All of a sudden our mixed basketball hopes were dashed with the sudden revelation that there IS no Thursday night mixed basketball where we want to play; only Tuesdays, which rules out _shana and Matt. Which means only 4 ppl committed, which means no team.

*cries*

In other news, I just marked a set of Yr 7 tests.

Current Mood: sad

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01:36 pm - i'm fat, i'm fat, you know it

Don't panic, dear reader! The Subject line is not the result of an eating disorder, it's the result of my husband's current obsession with YouTube and in particular Weird Al takeoffs of popular songs. We've just watched Michael Jackson's Bad followed by the I'm Fat takeoff (when I say 'we', I watched a little before getting bored, Chris avidly watched it all).

Have had a fairly busy weekend - Friday night after my rehearsal til 5pm, we went to catch up with Chris's old workmates at a pub not too far from our place. I ate about a million spring rolls and about 3 vodka & lemonades in fairly short order (I was happy to see the weekend, okay?), and we ended up getting home just after 7pm. My wonderful husband gave me a foot and back massage, and given my slightly inebriated and quite tired state (long week), I had just enough energy to climb under the covers. Chris decided early bedtime wasn't such a bad idea either, so we both got 11-12 hours sleep (sweeeeeet).

Saturday was lots of washing in the morning while it was sunny and hot. I did laps in the afternoon at the local pool (see previous entry of jubilation) and then Chris filled in for the D grade guys at basketball. He hit a sweet three-pointer and played very well (I thought), although he wasn't satisfied. Then dinner and partying at a pub for grubbmr's 21st birthday, which went until 12.30am or so. I discovered I don't like Cointreau on the rocks (not sweet enough) and found that $5 Blue Lagoons are quite nice. Also, Bronwen cheats at pool when she's drunk! Chris and I both had such a good time that we decided to walk back to his parent's place and sleep there.

Had a good sleep and woke up feeling pretty good, which was a nice change. Made it to 9am church, which was impressive, and have since done the washing up and watched a basketball game on TV. Now I'm attempting to start marking, but I think lunch will need to happen first, and then maybe some tidying...

Oh yes, and mixed basketball is finally happening! Chris and me, _shana and Matt, and dunq and johjohjoh are all definitely in, with B & N, Chris's sister and her b/f, some friends of Joh's and a couple from Chris's work all happy to fill in and play semi-regularly. Sweet! Nearly didn't get off the ground, but happily we got it sorted just in time.

Bronwen's birthday drinks on Monday night, and then Tues night is another concert I have to conduct at. Emmy's hens night on Thurs night (same night as my last church music team rehearsal coz I'm taking 3 months off), followed by last day for Year 12s on Friday (uh-oh muckup day and satirical assembly), Emmy's wedding on Saturday, last church service on Sunday that I'm involved with the music for, and another music concert on Sunday afternoon. Yes, a busy week coming up, but at this stage they are all going to be busy until the term ends!

Ok, lunch time :)

Current Mood: la la laaa

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Oct. 21st, 2006

03:37 pm - joy to the fishies in the deep blue sea

I just swam laps! I think I swam 400m in 16 minutes, but it may only have been 300 or 350m. My tired brain stops counting after a while, and considering laps are pretty darn repetitive...

BUT - that's still heaps better than last time, and I am feeling great* now!

Bring on the Lifesaving course!



*with a still-elevated heart rate and tired muscles!

Current Mood: jubilant

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Oct. 14th, 2006

07:23 am - a mars a day helps you work, rest and play

After falling asleep at 9pm last night, I have been up since 5.30am!

Things are good - I have been working steadily at school for most of the holidays, and as a result I am feeling much more organised for this coming term. But with lots of marking still to do, plus heaps more coming in real soon now (Term 4 is only 7 weeks long and reports are due in 5 or 6 weeks, hence everything (old and new) has to be marked before then), it will still be a very busy term. Plus the usual concerts and performances to prepare for.

In more exciting news, Chris and I have our very first ever digital camera! I am very excited. And we got an extended warranty, for when/if we break it! Now we just have to figure out how to use it...

Oh yeah - I got my hair cut. I now have a fringe, a la my hairstyle 4 or 5 years ago when I came back from London. Comments have ranged from "Nice hair" to "You look like the girl from The Devil Wears Prada" to *silence*. The last person either didn't notice or care, which I was a bit miffed about. I can tell you one person who will hate it - my grandma. Everytime she saw me (the last time I had a fringe) she would tell me to grow it out, and then after I did she kept telling me how relieved she was. Now she'll be horrified!

What else... Chris and I are hoping to play mixed basketball together over summer, which will be great. dunq and johjohjoh are in, and we are hoping that tommmo and originalnilson will also join us. If only _shana and her extremely tall bf weren't busy on the night we're going to play...

I have been asked to get my Surf Rescue/Bronze Medallion for Choral Camp next year, as we are staying near the beach, and I blithely agreed, sure I would be able to swim the required distances. Which are:
Pool: 400m swim in 13 mins (first 200m in 5 mins)
Ocean: 100m run, 100m swim in surf, 100m run
Extra: lots of rescuing people with correct technique and tows etc. in pool and surf
Only problem is - I went swimming two days ago for the first time in AGES, and after the first 50m I was thinking "Gee, I'm a little bit out of shape" but pushed on for the second lap. Halfway through my second lap (we're talking 75m here) I had to stop and hang onto the lane rope because I was drowning due to lack of oxygen and spaghetti limbs. I made it to the end, had a rest, and then set off again. I managed two more laps, with copious rests and much switching to breaststroke so I could keep my head out and breathe, bringing my total for the day to 200m in about 15 minutes. Then I slugged out of the pool (it's when your arms fail to lift you out of the water and you have to flop on your stomach ungracefully on the side and crawl out) and managed to drive home with arms and legs literally trembling with exhaustion, and extremely depressed due to my lack of fitness.

[Yes, I'm naturally slim. No, I don't do any exercise or eat many vegetables. Yes, I'll probably stack it on later in life if I keep that up. No, I don't want to hear about how annoying skinny people who don't exercise or eat properly are.]

I am going to DROWN, people. So my options are a) pull out now and annoy people because the school has already paid for me; or b) start panicking and exercise frantically every day and hope that my fitness improves enough by the due date. Which is the end of November. What do you think??

Some marking to do this morning, followed by a BBQ lunch with friends (combined birthday and farewell), followed by a party this evening... assuming Chris's friend whose party it is gets back to us with details.

Time to start the day, I think!

Current Mood: hungry

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Oct. 13th, 2006

Oct. 8th, 2006

10:25 am - RIP Zefi

Just took the blanket off from Zefi's cage this morning, like we've done every morning, and he was lying on the floor of the cage, dead.

All those good intentions...

Current Mood: sad

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10:12 am - wineries and whinging

Went to Spring in the Valley yesterday - was underwhelmed a little, I think. I got incredibly dolled up (our theme was 'A Day At The Races'), with a little help from my fashionable sister-in-law, but by the end of the day I was heartily sick of walking around in my incredibly painful shoes, fiddling with my pearls, sitting sideways on the ground in a ladylike fashion, drinking wine, snagging my beautiful new pashmina on my pearls (*sob*) and enduring crowds and crowds of people. See, I thought Spring in the Valley was just the girl who was organising's name for 'let's get a bus and go round some wineries' - turns out it's a massive festival in the Swan Valley and there were millions of people there! So by the time we got to the last stop, I was incredibly sleepy (read: very tipsy) and decided to pike on drinking any more wine and stayed in the bus and had a nap on the back seat! Chris stayed to watch me sleep for a while (because he is incredibly caring) and then when he went to join the others about 4.10pm, security wouldn't let him in because they were already starting to close up, even though it didn't finish until 5pm! So he came back and did wonderful things like sprinkle his dehydrated wife with water, and rubbed her extremely sore feet for ages, while she snoozed.

Last night we were both pretty tired - ordered takeaway Italian from our favourite place down the road, and I watched a succession of bad movies on TV while Chris relaxed on the computer. 10 hours sleep later and I feel much better, although a nagging sore throat (mostly just dry but hasn't quite gone away with water) and slightly stuffy head (could also be from the wine yesterday) has me worried I'm going to get sick :(

Zefi is still alive and kicking (our newly-acquired but only temporary zebra finch) and makes plenty of noise, as well as scattering copious amounts of seed around the floor. We won't be shedding too many tears when he leaves, although he is still incredibly small and cute. Notice goes in the Lost and Found section of our local newspaper on Tues, so hopefully the family who owns Zefi will read it.

Went shopping on Friday with Mum for most of the day - acquired many clothes and some jewellery, including gorgeous sundress and sexy one-piece bathers which are totally unsuitable for swimming in. (All the best-looking bathers are!) Plus two pairs of shoes. I spent quite a bit, but given I only go shopping twice a year or so and have a very understanding husband, it should be ok :)

Definitely ready for some nice breakfast - was very disappointed yesterday that all the wineries only had an expensive set menu or else you had to line up for crappy burgers, chips and pizzas made in a tent on a BBQ. Not impressed. Chris and I decided we'd much rather go at a different time of year and have a lazy day with some close friends at just one winery, with a nice lunch etc.

Time to eat brekky and tidy the house, I think. Ciao!

Current Mood: possibly getting sick

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