the more important things can wait

i've had a really great few days. really great. i've learnt lots. and things are going well. i really need to blog about some of the stuff i've been thinking about, but for today, seeing as it's sunny and i love my homeland, i stole the following from a facebook (yes i'm on it) group called 'you know you're Australian when...' (i had to edit a few here and there as i didn't entirely agree...)

1. You're familiar with Neighbours, Home and Away, Playschool, A Country Practice, Norman Gunston, Barry Humphries, Blue Heelers, Ray Martin, Bert Newton, Lisa McCune, Jon Burgess, Number 96, Molly Meldrum, Kerry O'Brien, and of course, Kerry Packer and Rupert Murdoch.

2. You know that Burger King doesn't exist. It's Hungry Jacks.

3. You know that snow is a memorable and freakish occurrence. Sometimes it's even fake.

4. You know the difference between thongs and a G-banger

5. You know that "stubbies" are either short shorts or small beer bottles, a "gimp", "bogan" or "geezer" is a random idiot, someone in trouble is in "strife" and you're liable to burst out laughing whenever you hear of Americans "rooting" for something.

4. You know how to abbreviate every word, all of which usually end in -o: arvo, combo, garbo, kero, lezzo, metho, milko, muso, rego, servo, smoko, speedo, righto etc.

5. You know that some ppl pronounce "Australia" like "Strayla" and that's ok.

6. You know that there is a universal place called "woop woop" located in the middle of nowhere... no matter where you actually are.

7. You know that while we call our friends 'mates', we don't use terms like 'sheila' and 'shrimp on the barbie', contrary to popular belief.

8. You know that none of us actually drink Fosters beer because it tastes like crap. But we let the world think we do. Because we can.

10. You resent people who succeed over others- everyone should do the same thing, so we all get a "fair go"; a kind of 'American-dream' in reverse. This is why we actively like not liking Americans.

11. You've seen Gallipoli, Crocodile Dundee, Young Einstein, Muriel's Wedding, The Castle, Beneath Clouds, Strictly Ballroom, 40,000 Horsemen, and maybe even Wolf Creek.

12. It makes you happy when someone in Hollywood is actually Australian... Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Russel Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Baz Luhrman, Elle MacPherson, Olivia Newton-John, Midnight Oil, ACDC, INXS, Greg Norman, Cathy Freeman, Dawn Fraser, Pat Rafter, Ian Thorpe...

13. One word: Skippy.

14. You know that Sydney 2000 was one of our proudest moments in history. We just rock.

16. You know our country has never been conquered by a foreign nation (you don't count 1788).

17. We know that the Metric system will always be better than anything inches, feet, pounds and farenheit will ever offer

18. You drive on the left-hand side of the road.

19. If you're a pedestrian and cars are stopped at a red light, you will fearlessly cross the street in front of them. 'Hit and runs' just aren't cricket. Because aussies stick together.

21. You know that New Zealanders are basically our naive country cousins, who have a weird fush-and-chups accent, and for some bizzare reason, think that they invented pavlova. Bastards. They are to be pitied and laughed at. They have no hope of gaining the upper hand in the endless sporting rivalry between our two nations.

22. You know that you can't eat Fantales alone... Otherwise who will you play the 'Who am I...' game with when you're reading the wrapper?

23. You know that Sydney (or Melbourne) should be the capital because Canberra is a hole.

24. You know that Americans think we're all Steve Irwin clones. And crickey, they couldn't be more wrong.

26. You have some time in your life slept with Aeroguard on in the summer. Maybe even as perfume.

27. You feel obliged to spread salty black stuff that looks like congealed motor oil on bread... and actually grow to like it. You've also squeeze Vegemite through Vita Wheats to make little Vegemite worms.

28. You believe that democracy means the freedom to draw charicatures of good ol' Johnny Howard

29. You think footballers dressing up in drag on TV is funny.

30. You have the ability to compress several words into one - ie 'g'day' and 'd'reckn?'.

31. You've ever used the words - tops, ripper, sick, mad, rad, sweet - to mean good. And then you place 'bloody' in front of it when you REALLY mean it.

32. You know that the barbeque is a political arena; the person holding the tongs is always the boss and usually a man. And the women make the salad.

33. The private lives of footy and cricket players become more important than local and national news stories.

34. You say 'no worries' quite often, whether you realise it or not.

35. You know what fairy bread tastes like, and you can't imagine your childhood without it.

36. You know the first verse to the national anthem, but still don't know what "girt" means. And you're ok with that.

37. You've drank your tea/coffee/milo through a tim tam.

38. You know that backyard cricket is a nice way to bond with family and the rubbish bin. And the 'one bounce, one hand' rule always applies.

39. You know that we are home to the just about all of the world's deadliest of animals. That's why if anybody messes with us we'll get some funnel webs on their asses.

40. You see people walking bare-foot on the sidewalk and don't scorn.... because you're doing it too.

42. Sausage rolls and meat pies. End of story.

43. You firmly believe that in the end, everything will be ok and have offered advice that included the words, "she'll be right, mate".

45. You own a Bond's chesty. In several different colours.

46. You've ordered a steak the size as your head and only paid $5 at your local RSL

47. You know that Italy should never have been granted that fateful kick in the 2006 Soccer World Cup.

48. You know how to slip, slop, slap like it's nobody's business.

49. You've heard the Prime Minister dismiss anyone who disagrees with him simply as 'un-Australian', and that's enough to make us sit down and shut up.


And right now you feel bloody awesome.

funny things

i have laughed so much over the last few days. so many weird, as in funny weird, things have happened to me.
they include:
- having a whole set of blinds fall down on me while i was trying to dust
- getting stuck in a lift when following my brother and mother out, and instead having to go back up and down 14 floors because i was holding a box and couldn't hold the doors open or press the button
- losing it when my brother scored an all time record high in phase 10, after thinking he was going to win so easily when he picked up three wild cards, instead he went down like a ton of bricks. it was magic

the common element in all these stories is that in most of the situations, you had to be there. don't you hate it when you are in hysterics laughing at what had happened, but then you try and tell someone and they look at you like you are the least funny person in the world. oh well. it was a laugh for me (and in each case, mum and daz too).

i guess this sense of feeling dumb (when trying to relay the stories) is how some people feel when trying to communicate sometimes. i clearly remember being in italy on the amalfi coast with michelle and not being able to communicate with some guy who was telling us, we think, that we couldn't park our car where we parked it. and we couldn't get the message across that we were looking for our hotel.

it reminds me that at times, we don't understand each other at all. when speaking of things that are deep in our hearts, like our faith, we can't always just tell people about it in the same way. we have to think about how we communicate. how to make it so people who don't understand you, do. anyway, that's just my little ramble.

oh, and i just randomly met the general of the whole salvation army. shaw clifton. he and his wife and canada's national leader just popped into the office. crazy.

Remembering

Today in my homeland we celebrate ANZAC day. It's a day of national pride and rememberance. Anzacs in our eyes are heroes.

Here's the info (thanks to wikipedia)

ANZAC Day - 25 April - marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as Anzacs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.
When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a federal commonwealth for only thirteen years, and the new national government was eager to establish its reputation among the nations of the world. In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The plan was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which Australians remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war. Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity of both nations. This shaped the ways they viewed both their past and their future.

Here is some of an article that appeared in the Herald Sun today.

AUSTRALIANS at the Gallipoli dawn service were urged to use the Anzac values of endurance and courage to "shine light into the dark corners of the world".About 9000 people attended the solemn ceremony at Anzac Cove to mark the 92nd anniversary of the landing of troops for the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign of 1915.
There was heavy security, with Turkish commandos patrolling Gallipoli's World War I memorials following warnings of possible terrorist attacks.
But the warnings did little to deter the thousands of Australians who gathered in the pre-dawn gloom, many swathed in Australian flags or wearing green and gold T-shirts and beanies.
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson called on Australians to use the inherited legacy of the Anzacs. "The sun will soon pierce the night sky," Dr Nelson said.
"Let us as Australians shine that light into dark corners of the world as an outward-looking, compassionate and confident people imbued with the Anzac spirit of endurance, courage and selfless determination to help others." Dr Nelson was choked with emotion at the end of his speech. "Robert 'Mac' Calder, of the 14th Battalion, heard a voice calling from no man's land, 'Have you forgotten me, cobbers?'
"He didn't . . . We won't . . . We never will.
"We are young and -- we are free. Lest we forget."
For first-time pilgrims, it was an overwhelming experience.
"You look at the terrain up there, right?" said Dan Freeman, from Bendigo. "Then you just imagine coming up from here, out of the water and . . .
"I'm no good at this," he said, unable to go on.
Peter Robb has made the trip to Gallipoli every year since 2001, but still becomes emotional.
"You think of what those poor bastards had to put up with . . ." he said.
In the hours before the service, crowds gathered on the slopes around the ceremonial area to watch documentaries about the battlefield that gave birth to the Anzac legend.
Hours before the service began, Turkish air force fighter jets could be heard patrolling the Dardanelles in a show of force. And Turkish blue beret commandos armed with automatic weapons began taking up hidden positions in the ridges overlooking Anzac Cove and North Beach as a security screen was thrown up to protect the visitors.
The Turkish troops were occupying the same positions as their ancestors when they began repelling the Anzacs nearly a century ago.
It was just after 4.30am on April 25, 1915, that the first of 16,000 Anzacs splashed ashore on the first day of the disastrous 8 1/2 month campaign in which 8700 Australians were killed.

Talking of rememberance, it was one year ago on Monday that Nana died. It was really good to be around my family this last week. One numerous occassions we quoted and talked about Nana, and laughed at some of our manerisms that are they same. It wasn't intentional, it just happened. We all loved her so much, and still, though she's not physically with us any more, is very much a part of our lives.

Both what that Anzacs and my Nana did in their lives have had profound effects on my life. The Anzacs affected a nation, my Nana affected everyone who knew her.

Thanks. You will never be forgotten.

stomach flu...again - the bad and the good

i am very thankful that i have always been a healthy kind of person. granted - i do try and look after myself, but that doesn't guarantee against everything. so, it's been very frustrating these last three months since i've been back from Aus - i've never been as sick so many times in such a short space of time in my entire life as i have been in the last 3 months. yesterday i woke up in the middle of the night to find i had come down with the stomach flu again. that's the second time since jan. and i've also had the regular cold flu as well. man. it sucks. to feel so crappy. and let me tell you, when i get the stomach flu, i get it good. in all ways - if you know what i mean. fortunately, these bouts have only lasted a few days at the most. so, while i am complaining about my bad health, i am thankful at the same time that i have been blessed with a pretty healthy life. but man, it does suck when all you do is spew, poo and are bed ridden. on the plus side, i have a fiancee who doesn't mind sitting down and watching numerous episodes of friends with me when i can't do anything else. i love you matt. what a wonderful guy.

LOVED IT

last night matt and i went to the movies and we saw 'Blades of Glory'. it was absolutely hilarious. i haven't laughed so much in a movie in a long time! i'm not going to say anything about it coz i'd hater to ruin the movie. but it was so funny. i can't wait to see it again.
i love movies where you laugh out loud and i did laugh out loud, over and over and over again.
my recommendation - get your butt to the cinema right now and see it!

oh yeah, and so i rang cath (last night) as she got married today. i looked at the clock here and thought it said 8pm, so i rang her thinking it was 10am on her wedding day, turns out half way through the phone call i realise it was 7pm not 8pm so i rang her at 9am instead of 10am. whoops. oh well. they were all sleeping in. luckily she was already awake. goodbye cath daniels and hello cath shanks.

can someone email me some photos of my best friends wedding...

too much self esteem? selfishness?

i taught the ignite class this morning, they always have class on friday mornings. it was good - i think. we talked about transferable principles from what they've been doing this year to what they may do in the future. we also looked at goal setting. we had class at home today. grace hasn't been all that well, so we switched locations for her.
i had a quick chat to beth last night. sometimes i really miss being home and the friends and the culture of Aus. over the last few days i have also been reminiscing about my teaching days. i look forward to teaching again, i am sure i will at least for a little while. i think mainly of the kids i taught rather than the subjects or the classes. the relationships that you build and what you can teach a kids through those. there were a lot of fun times and the bad times, well, those disappear over time.
relationships are really what it's all about as far as i am concerned. programs, admin, blah blah blah, sure they are all necessary, but it's just not my favourite bit. but it's also the hardest. what do you do when you think there's no way you can help someone anymore but you know you can't give up?
so here's my rant. i know that i am naturally a selfish person. if i am not careful, all i can become concerned about is me, me, me. how this affects me, what i want to do, what i think is right or best, who i want to do things, how i want things done. this is dangerous. i have seen some examples over the last few days of people who think they are all that matters and who think the world should revolve around them. their words and behaviours made me both mad and sad. i've heard it said before that the kids today have been almost too empowered. problem is, they believe what they've been told - that they can do anything they want - and so they do do anything they want, just in all the wrong ways. what's wrong with teaching self discipline? what's wrong with teaching self control? what's wrong with teaching delayed gratification? what's wrong with teaching about realistic goals? nothing. so why does it seem that we don't do this anymore. yes, yes, i am making sweeping generalisations and of course this isn't always the case. but in some ways, this almost seems to be the path we are heading down. i'm all for children knowing how to express themselves and being in touch with their emotional sides, but i'm also all for children who can figure out how much change they should get at mcdonalds when they had over a $10 note.
well that's probably about all i can hold your attention for. so i am going to go and have a nap now. (erin and i did go for a walk this morning - in the freezing rain, which i would just call snow). have a great friday...or saturday if you are in Oz.

not much to report

not much to report this week. it's been pretty quiet - very nice for a change! the weather SUCKS. it's got cold again. man i have had enough of this. squads were ok. grace and i do a teen girls one on wednesday. i run a 8-9 year old girls one on thursday afternoon with two women from Verity (a women's club - they have it all and do everything). matt and i checked out wedding bands (as in rings) and also started the process of a gift registry. it's now a countdown till mum and dad arrive next week and also kez and daniel too. that will be fun. i have to get up and go on a walk with erin at 6.30 - this will be the second time we've gone this week - what good girls. so for the anonymous person who left the comment the other week about my health kick and how it wouldn't last - well it has. i've been running a bit again and my eating isn't too bad - it's definitely improved. that's all for today. sorry for the boring update. i'll make sure the next one is very exciting...stay tuned.

random thoughts on the last week

firstly, i want to welcome little josiah ian collinson into the world. ok, so he is nearly a week old now, but i haven't blogged since he's been born, so i think that's ok. hope all is well with dave, kylie and big brother noah.

complacency is a killer. it's comfortable, i won't argue you there. it's easy. it's nice. but it's a killer. to leave things the same, not to work on them, better them, improve them, test them, usually means they will die. but it's hard. it's not always easy, it's not always fun. sometimes it is. sometimes it's great. but you can't afford not to just because it may be hard, or not fun.

so this easter was a little weird for me. over the last few years, when i have spent Christmas and Easter away from my family and long time friends, its really been quite different. i haven't had the usual Christmas and Easter celebrations that go along with these times. in some way it's been good because it's forced to me to really think whats been going on during these times. but i have also really missed the celebrating with people who you really know and love, and who really know and love you back.

i got to speak with meredith yesterday and that was great. we haven't spoken since i have been back here, so it was so good to hear her voice. i will however maybe get to speak to her again later this week as CATH IS GETTING MARRIED ON SATURDAY!!!! i can't believe it. on of my long time best friends (see pic of me and cath below), who've i've had the pleasure of sharing many many single years with - ok, so we weren't always single, and there were some long time boyfriends in that mix, and i guess it would be more appropriate to say 'with whom i've had the pleasure of sharing many many years of dating experiences with - is getting married. and i'm not going to be there! DOH! and she's not even going to be at my wedding. DOH. i'm so glad we didn't jinx ourselves my last summer at home. we ended up starting to date matt and michael at about the same time, got engaged in the same week. but she sure got the jump on the marriage thing - i still have 5 and 1/2 months to go. but that's all good. it's so exciting. love you guys.

emma and chris

i got so carried away this week that i forgot to mention that a highlight of my weekend was having a 2 hour breakfast with Chris Lewis. Chris the husband of Shirl who got the birthday mention last week. So, if you aren't up to date with reading my blogs, you wouldn't know that i stayed in his house for a while just before i moved here to toronto. besides that, our families are great friends. i don't think chris and i have ever been out before, with just the two of us, but it was really grea tot see him and chat. he's a great man! (and he paid for my breakfast!). thanks chris. (shirl - can you tell him i blogged about him as he said he can't read blogs on his computer).

now, i also want to blog about emma (chris's daughter) as well. it's her birthday next week - so happy birthday em. early as it may be. but i've been talking about her a little this last week. emma made a list of 100 things she wants to do this year. check the list out at here.
it's really good and i have been discussing it with various people this week. we are all inspired em. i am going to do my list someday soon.

anyway, it's my day off today, so i am going to go into the eaton centre and walk around the shops. have a good one.

my rambling thoughts on the last year

i left home over a year ago now. i departed melbourne on march 31st. i didn't arrive in toronto until april17th, i spent inbetween time in seattle. so it's kind of weird now i have been gone from home for a year, but not yet been here a year. a lot has happened.

- i got engaged
- i am as white as i've ever been
- i've grown a lot closer to God
- nana passed away
- matt and beth got married
- cath got engaged (and will be married in less than two weeks)
- mills moved to sydney (i know i'm not there, but that's still weird for me to think about)
- i went to the grand canyon
- i went to newfoundland
- bec passed away
- i've lived in three different bedrooms in the same house

just to name a few.

my thoughts have been evolving and developing on lots of different issues and i'll never be the same again. all of this in a good way - as far as i'm concerned. there are lots of things i do miss about home. mostly still just the people. my friends, church family, school family (vermont that is) still enter my thoughts a lot. i desparately miss the weather. and the australian way of life. i miss the beach (including the house at mccrae and the caravan at safety beach), black forest chocolate and raspberry bullets and caramello koalas. i miss running in shorts in winter. i miss being able to swim in a 50 metre outside pool - year round.

i thank God for the experiences i've had over the last year. i thank Him for bringing matt and i together. yet again, i feel truly blessed.