Detroit, New York, and LA, but I'm stuck in the NT

Pimpin' All Over The World....

2007-07-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, not really!!!!

Hehehe, I knew that would get your attention. I will be going to Sri Lanka to plan my wedding (and Kasun's too) on the 7th Aug. I'm kind of looking forward to it, but I'm also a bit scared, because when I go it will be like "this is it!!!!" Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! I think I will be in for a big surprise and perhaps a few shocks as to what it takes to organise a wedding. So far, I have an exercise book which I have been slowly filling with my thoughts and ideas about what I want. I guess that's a start. It's a little hard when Kasun lives in Sydney too. My Dad will be coming with me and Kasun will be arriving a day after I do. So I will have support for when I start to stress/be unreasonable!!! Hehehe. I will accept any advice from anyone. Vids, do you have any tips?? I considered buying a book called 'How to Kill your Husband', but I guess you guys haven't got to that point yet!!! Hehehe, just kidding. Seriously, Vids, if you want to give me any tips that you found handy please do, I'm all ears!!!! How is everyone anyway?? I see that all is quiet on the blogging front. I have given up asking about the journal (BTW, where is it?????????????). I miss you all. Take good care.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm..........

2007-06-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Hey There,

Ever realise that you are getting older each day?? No?? Well, I have come to that realisation!!! I think it always hits me at work, when people say "so, what are you doing on your week off??" I usually reply with "no plans really, just see what comes up."

Back in the days when I was a uni student, on my vacation, I would be doing something almost every day. I would definitely be clubbing every weekend. I would be going to dinners, friends houses, movies, etc, etc. But it seems that I have slowed down. I acually enjoy just doing nothing on the weekend and not having to worry about what to wear, how much money you will need, whether you would see any cute guys.........

Seriously, I also have been getting right back into older songs, such as the title of the post (song by C&C Music Factory). I love listening to songs from the 80's and 90's. Some of my favourites include 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You' by Heart, 'Anything' by 3T, 'Hook Me Up' by CDB, 'We Didn't Start The Fire' by Billy Joel, 'Nothing Compares 2 U' by Sinead O'Connor, 'Joyride' by Roxette, etc, etc.

I'm loving my sentimental moments when I remember singing/grooving to these songs as a young child. Who could forget 'You Can't Touch This' by MC Hammer??

Though I love today's music, I guess it doesn't have the quirkiness of the music from the 80's and 90's. Needless to say, I feel old saying that some of my favourite songs at the moment are not being played on Rage on the weekends.

Have a lovely day where ever you are, what ever you are doing!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know.

"It Was All Yellow"

2007-05-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

Just imagine me in a fluoro yellow T.shirt...........

That's what I was wearing at work all swing. On the back of my shirt was printed "Sri Lanka, Cricket World Cup 2007 Losers" and in a love heart underneath read "I love Shane Warne".

Actually I didn't mind the writing as much as the awful colour of the shirt. Absolutely hideous!!!!!!!! According to a lot of people I was a good sport about it, but I guess if I made a fuss about it things would have been worse!!!! I have to wear it next swing too, due to Sri Lanka losing twice!!!!!!

I have one question for you girls, where is the travelling journal????????????

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: When I was a kid my favorite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school we'd all go play in his cave, and every once in a while he would eat one of us. It wasn't until later that I found out that Uncle Caveman was a bear.

The Land Of The Lions

2007-05-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?? My Mum got this picture sent to her and I thought it might be a good idea to draw your attention to Malinga's hair.

Have a nice weekend!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Laurie got offended that I used the word "puke." But to me, that's what her dinner tasted like.

The Sexiest Cricketer????

2007-05-02T23:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, so while I will be wearing an awful shirt in a couple of weeks, for a couple of weeks, I will go on to direct your interest to the following article I found. This was taken from 'The International News' website. You too, might have a raised eyebrow.

***************************************************************************

Malinga named the ‘sexiest cricketer’

COLOMBO: Though Sri Lanka ended up as the runners-up in the just-concluded World Cup but their young and fashionable pacer Lasith Malinga has been named the ‘The Sexiest Men In Cricket’. Players like former Windies ODI team skipper Brian Lara, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, Australian pacer Shaun Tait, Windies opener Chris Gayle, England batsman Kevin Petersen, Kiwi spinner Daniel Vettori and South Africa pacer Makhaya Ntini were the other players in the race. The Easy Magazine of the Sunday Sun newspaper of Barbados conducted the contest to pick the ‘Sexiest Men in Cricket’. The magazine’s panel described Malinga as — “With his eye-catching, blond-streaked curly hairdo, eyebrow ring and tattooed biceps, the unique 23-old strikes ‘Easy’ as the type who would be up for anything... and anywhere.” “The Sri Lankans have brought life to this World Cup with their exuberant, joyful cricket and none more so than the wild child, ‘Malinga the Slinga’,” it said. Malinga, with his unorthodox slinging action, was one of the few youngsters who shone in the World Cup claiming 18 wickets at an average of 15.77 in the eight matches that he played in the tournament. His best performance came in a Super Eights match against South Africa in which he had a hat-trick and ended with four wickets in four balls as Sri Lanka almost pulled off an improbable victory.

***************************************************************************

So, there you go!!! I was a little ashamed of Malinga's hair, but if other people like it, that's a-okay with me!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I'll go over to the persons house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I'm gone, but you know what I've left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it's head with a note that says "You." After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done.

Put Your T.shirt Where Your Mouth Is!!

2007-04-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I lost a bet I held with a guy from work when Sri Lanka lost to Australia in the cricket. He and I have a healthy rivalry between us as to who is the better team. So, when he started to give me sh#%^ about the Sri Lankan cricket team I said to him "I bet they will win when they play against Australia". He said something along the lines of "no, they won't".

Me: "I hope they get a chance to play against each other".

Him: "Yeah, Australia will win, let's bet".

Me (getting annoyed): "Yeah, let's".

Him: "What do you like to drink".

(There is a custom at work that every stuff up you make ensures that you owe a carton).

Me: "No, let's make it more interesting than that, I'll think about what we should bet and let you know".

Him: "Okay".

I thought about what would be good, and decided that if Sri Lanka won, he would have to wear a Sri Lanka cricket team T.shirt for a whole swing at work (morning, evening, and in the lunch room). We agreed to this and he decided that if Australia win I would wear a T.shirt (which he would have to make) which said "Murali's a chucker" (or something equally as horrible), ie. "I love Shane Warne".

So, I'm kinda dreading going back to work to see this T.shirt.

Please, feel sorry for me.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Why do people in ship mutinies always ask for "better treatment"? I'd ask for a pinball machine, because with all that rocking back and forth you'd probably be able to get a lot of free games.

Oh My Goodness!!!

2007-03-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Well, suffice to say, the title of my post expresses quite well how I'm feeling on the eve of my 24th birthday............

24!!!!! Where have the years gone??

Gone are the carefree days of my youth, check out what I did today:

Woke up early and went to the doctor regarding pain in my fingers which I sustained at work.
Went to the physio to shed some light on the matter. He told me he would need to see me tomorrow also. "But it's my birthday tomorrow!!!" I said. He told me that they would have a cake for me.
I met up with Holly after that and we discussed our friend Roxanne's upcoming wedding, and also Holly's almost five year old son's antics.
I then shopped for a present for Natasha who will be leaving for a trip around Europe in 2 weeks.
I came home and had lunch (to save some money).
I washed my clothes.

I don't know if any of this is interesting, but I guess 'boring' goes hand in hand with being 'old'. That's how I'm feeling at the moment, old and boring. Whoever thought I'd be trying to get worker's compensation??

I hope I haven't depressed anybody.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I remember how the other kids used to say that old Mister Swenson was the meanest man in town. But I said I thought he was nice, that he just didn't know how to show it. The meanest man in town, I said, was the mean old guy who lived in the big white house. "THAT'S MISTER SWENSON," they said. Oh, my mistake.

Living In Darwin

2007-02-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I got this emailed to me from "Laugh of the Day", it is pretty amusing. I can relate to a lot of these things.

Facts about living in Darwin Australia

a. The best parking space is determined by shade instead of distance.

b. Hot water comes out of both taps.

c. You learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron.

d. The temperature drops below 32c and you feel a little chilly.

e. You discover that in February it only takes two fingers to steer your car.

f. You discover that you can get sunburnt through your car window.

g. You develop a fear of metal car door handles.

h. You break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:00am.

i. Your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and get cooked to death?"

j. You realise that asphalt has a liquid state.

k. Farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to prevent them from laying hard-boiled eggs.

l. The trees are whistling for the dogs.

m. While walking back barefoot to your car from the beach, you do a tightrope act on the white lines in the carpark.

n. You catch a cold from having the aircon full blast while you sleep during the night.

o. You learn that Casuarina Square isn't a shopping centre, it's a temple to worship air-conditioning.

So there you go, no wonder I spend so much time at Casuarina!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Like jewels in a crown, the precious stones glittered in the queen's round metal hat.

He Popped The Question

2007-01-26T02:17:00.000-08:00

Hey There,

Yes, as you can guess from the title of my post, Kasun asked me to marry him on the 28th December 2006. It was sweet, and quite unexpected, and I said yes (ofcourse!!). I still can't believe we are engaged, but it feels pretty normal anyway. I don't actually know when we will have our wedding, but it will be in Sri Lanka. So, girls, I'm inviting you all now!!!!!! I feel old though!!! I will talk to you all about this soon. I miss us keeping in touch regularly, hopefully we can all make a concious effort this year!!!! Take care.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: You know what's probably a good thing to hang on your porch in the summertime, to keep mosquitoes away from you and your guests? Just a big bag of blood.

Funny Joke To Start 2007

2007-01-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the delay in posting. I have a joke for you that I got from a trashy 'Zoo' magazine. I love it. I hope you do too.

Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from uni. In the bush he came across a young elephant with one leg raised in the air. The animal was distressed, so Mkele approached carefully. He inspected its foot and found a large thorn in it. As carefully as he could, Mkele worked the thorn out. The elephant turned and stared at him. Mkele stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually, the beast trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away. Twenty years later he was walking through a zoo with his teenage son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures came over to Mkele. It stared at him and lifted its foot off the ground, then put it down, then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at Mkele. Remembering that earlier encounter, Mkele wondered if this was the same elephant. Summoning up his coourage, he climbed the railing, entered the enclosure, walked up to the elephant and stared back in absolute wonder. Suddenly, the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mkele's legs and swung him wildly back and fourth into the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

I know this is a little sick, but, my God, it's funny!!!!! Happy New Year everyone. Will talk to you soon.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you're a circus clown, and you have a dog that you use in your act, I don't think it's a good idea to also dress the dog up like a clown, because people see that and they think, "forgive me, but that's just too much."

R.I.P.

2006-11-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

My Darling Aunty Miriam,

I can't believe you are gone, but you will be in my heart and mind forever. We miss you terribly. I still can hear your voice and your laugh and see your beautiful face. What a treasure you were to us all, now all we have are the memories of our times together. I am greatful I had the chance to spend time with you and see you one last time whilst in Sri Lanka. We are sad you are no longer with us, but I guess we are being selfish, as I know now that you are truly happy with all who went before you. We will never understand what you went through whilst here, but I'm glad we had our chats and that I had the opportunity to be so close to you. You have truly blessed me. I'm so honoured to have you as my Aunt and I will never forget you.

We will meet again and I'll never stop loving you.

20 Days

2006-07-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hey There,

I will tell you about my time at work. My last stint at MRM was for 20 days..........if that sounds like a long time, IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just calculated that I worked 240 hours during that time. I actually used a calculator for that, which proves how sad I am not to be able to work that out in my head!!!! I thought it would be relatively easy to work for that long, and at the start it was. Then I think the whole fact that I wouldn't be going home in AGES hit me probably at the 9-10 day mark and I went a little crazy. Every morning I would wake up and count on my fingers how many days I had to go. I soon realised that this was NOT the way to go as I would get disheartened after doing this. Soon I felt like a machine and stopped having feelings (I don't mean this literally, but I did feel like I was slightly robotic). I also didn't really talk much. I feel the fact that the ICP (the machine that analyses all the samples) wasn't working properly also made me a little bit more on edge and a little angry. I refrained from kicking the damn thing, but only just. My boss was also not there the whole time which also left us with all the data entry and the responsibility of 'fixing' the ICP. However, I think I learnt a lot about my capabilities and also how to tell metallurgists (nicely and firmly) that their results would not be available that day.

I was talking to this one guy who said he had done 3 weeks at a mine before and that the hardest part was the middle which I totally agreed with. I would do it again, but only if the equipment was working properly and if my boss was there for at least SOME of the time.

However, my incentive for staying there for so long was great as I am now able to go to Melbourne and Sydney for an extended break. Woohoo!!!! I can't wait to see everyone again!!!!

Take care. I know this was boring, but I really don't care what you think!!! :D Hehe!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Love can sweep you off your feet and carry you along in a way you've never known before. But the ride always ends, and you end up feeling lonely and bitter. Wait. It's not love I'm describing. I'm thinking of a monorail.

Beautiful Day

2006-06-18T01:20:00.000-07:00

Today has been a lovely day so far.

I got up relatively early (not 4.45am or anything ridiculous like that!!) and was all set to go to the gym. However, I decided I didn't really feel like jumping around in a room full of sweaty people, so I went for a bike ride along the Nightcliff foreshore. I find this one of the most beautiful places in Darwin, especially when you look to your right (or left, depends which way you are going) and see the ocean very close up. So close you can smell the sea and feel the breeze on your face.

After getting home and having a shower (and marvelling at how jelly-like my legs felt), Amy came and picked me up and we went to the Rapid Creek markets. After a bit of a look around we decided to go to the Nightcliff markets and check them out. I had a banana shake which was nice and tried some of those rice paper rolls, they are really quite yummy with soy sauce and chillie. I'm trying to be healthy these days because I want to look good at Joanne's wedding in Melbourne.

After a little wandering around, I bought myself a bracelet (not that I need another one!!). Amy and I then relaxed with a coffee (my mocha wasn't actually very good). To kill a little more time, we went to the second hand book store where I bought......wait for it........six Mills and Boon double digests for $2.00!!! So yeah, I think I might start getting into the really serious stuff.

All in all it was a very nice typical dry season day in Darwin. Very slow and relaxing. To top it all off, I'm going to watch the soccer match between Australia and Brazil later on tonight. It should be good.

I will let you all know how it goes!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I guess I kinda lost control, because in the middle of the play I ran up and lit the evil puppet villain on fire. No, I didn't. Just kidding. I just said that to help illustrate one of the human emotions, which is freaking out. Another emotion is greed, as when you kill someone for money, or something like that. Another emotion is generosity, as when you pay someone double what he paid for his stupid puppet.

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

2006-06-17T00:24:00.000-07:00

As you can see Kasun and I had some entertaining times whilst he visited Darwin. This particular masterpiece was taken at Berry Springs in May. I think it really highlights our different personalities and shows the world what a long tongue I have (all the better to lick you with my dear!!!).

P.S. The previous paragraph is dripping with sarcasm (almost as much as Yoomi and Mel spread on their toast each morning), so take no notice of it. I only posted this picture because I really have no idea what to say. I hope I have kept you entertained.

Take care.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: There's nothing so tragic as seeing a family pulled apart by something as simple as a pack of wolves.

A Long Time Coming

2006-06-02T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hi People,

Seeing as I have almost disappeared off the face of the planet, I thought I'd better update.

I have been relatively busy lately. Kasun came up to Darwin last time I was here which was fun. I know Yoomi found this out through Kasun when she met him near (wait for it) Starbucks in Parramatta. It was kind of a last minute decision for him to come so I was unable to spread the word. In fact quite a few of my friends in Darwin were a little shocked to see us together. "He only just came here!!" they said. I replied "that was three months ago!!" Just came here, my foot!!

I've gotten into music quite a lot lately. This is due to the fact that Natasha (my lab buddy) is into anything and everything. She has even kinda got me into "Korn", I was actually afraid of that kind of music. I like one song "twisted transistor", it's pretty cool.

I have a lot of people I need to ring this time, so stay near your phones because I'll be getting in touch!!! I can't believe it is the 3rd June already. Where has the time gone??

I went out last night with Natasha and Amy, it was fun and I haven't danced like that for AGES!!! I have a sore throat though.

By the way, it is FREEZING at McArthur River!!!!! A very chilly 7 degrees in the morning!!! Damn!! I console myself by looking at how cold it is in Canberra and thanking my lucky stars that I'm not there at the moment freezing my butt off!!

Lots more tourists in Darwin, so this is a hint for you guys, come to Darwin!!!!

My contract is due to expire soon, I'm pretty sure I will be either made permanent or have my contract extended, but I will believe it when I see something on paper. I can't believe that 6 months are almost up.

I also had a phone call from a good old buddy Xiang relatively recently. Nice to talk to you again!!! Leave a comment on my blog next time you have a look!!!

This is a strange post, I know, a little disjointed, but so am I at the moment!!!!

Take care!!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people, like I am now.

Survey

2006-04-23T17:57:00.001-07:00

Hi There,

I recently sent out a survey to all my friends via email. Melanie, who has too much time on her hands, composed the following answers (and pretended to be me). I want to share this with you, because I found them rather funny, and I get to plagerise her work!!!

Mel, I still need to call you and abuse you, but I find that "Doris" is a very funny middle name (I like it!!!).

1. What is your full name? Anika Doris Perera
2. What color pants are you wearing? No pants today just a kilt
3. What are you listening to right now? Yani - you remember him everyone, he was the greek looking guy on those CD covers in borders
4. What was the last thing you ate? Rocks...mmm rocks
5. Do you believe in love at first sight? Always...I am currently in love with 25 men that I met today (a maybe a few women)
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? brown
7. How is the weather right now? Its Darwin...the weather is shit! I hate Darwin!!!
8. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My self - I rang myself from my home phone as I wanted to see if there was a time difference between my right ear and my left ear
9. Do you like the person who sent this to you? YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES!
10. How old are you today? same age as I was yesterday - IDIOT!
11. Favorite drink? Passionpop
12. Favorite sport? Find the Snake
13. Hair color? Black
14. Do you wear contacts? Um...no although I once put some cling wrap in my eye to see what it would be like if I needed glasses
15. Siblings? 20 million...all sri lankans are me bros and sis'
16. Favorite month? March
17. Favorite food? Cabbage
18. What was the last movie you saw? Crossroads with Brittany Spears...YOU HAVE TO SEE IT ... IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!.
19. Favorite day of the year? Everyday is Anika day!
20. What do you do to vent anger? By swinging on the swings and then screaming like a walrus
22. Summer or winter? Whats the question?
24. Chocolate or vanilla? Is that a racist question?
25. Do you want your friends to e-mail you back? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get some response - I sent it to everyone I know
26. Who is most likely to respond? Probably myself...I have a very healthy inner-dialogue going on!.
27. Who is least likely to respond? Um...Me... I may have healthy inner dialogue but I also have self esteem issues
28. When was the last time you cried? I'm crying right now!
29. What is under your bed? Nothing my mum would care about...no I've got nothing under there that she'll want to confiscate
30. Who is the friend you have had the longest? I don't technically need friends...but there are really too many to count so I can't tell you...but I do HAVE friends
31. What did you do last night? Pretended I was a cat and helped my cat have a bath.
32. What are you afraid of? I'm afraid of nothing except being in enclosed space, being in wide open spaces and around people, near spiders or snakes or boys or the sea or old people that have false teeth...
33. Plain, buttered or salted popcorn? That sounds kind of dirty to me...
34. Favorite car? One that moves.
35. Favorite flower? cauli
36. Number of keys on your key ring? I'm not allowed to have keys...my mum says I'm too special
37. How many years at your current job? J-O-B? whats that?
38. Favorite day of the week? Dunno
39. What did you do on your last birthday? waited for my firends to arrive for my party - they didn't turn up. On the plus side...I got an entire birthday cake to myself!
40. How many states have you lived in? do you mean at once?
41. How many cities have you lived in? Dunno
42. What's the last thing you do before going to bed at night? skip

So, as you can see, she is quite amusing, with friends like Mel, who needs Jack Handy?? Am I right??

Anyways, this got me out of actually writing a post. BTW, Darwin is on Cyclone Warning at the moment. I'm going to go and stock up on the baked beans right now.

Bye Bye!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: When this girl at the art museum asked me whom I liked better, Monet or Manet, I said "I like mayonnaise". She just stared at me, so I said it again, louder. Then she left. I guess she went to try to find some mayonnaise for me.

My Birthday

2006-04-10T01:58:00.000-07:00

To my Dear Friends,

So, so, so sorry for not updating earlier. My excuse is: I WAS TOO SLACK!!!!!

I will tell you all about my 23rd birthday. First, I would like to thank everyone who came and also for all the people who got in touch with me. Thank you also for the beautiful presents!!!! I love them!!!!!

On the 25th March I decided to have a dinner at Hog's Breath Cafe for my friends and family. I obviously had the few annoying people who cancelled at the LAST MINUTE, but all in all, it was a good turn out and I'm sure a good time was had by all.

I had my make up done by my very OWN make up artist, Hollie. She seriously made me look half decent and I thank her profusely for that!!! What a champion!!! I wore my 21st birthday dress (which I haven't worn for a while as it is a little tighter than what it used to be!!! Amazing what a couple of years does to you!!!). BTW, I blame Kasun for the weight I gained (it's always his fault!!). I also attempted to straighten my hair for the event. I mean, I bought a straightener about one year ago, and I have used it about 5 times. I realised that I have much longer hair than I did the last time I straightened it and therefore I was unable to do such a good job. Anyway, I left my hair out for some of the time and it wasn't too annoying.

The meals were good and the waiter we had was great. He was easy to talk to and knew I was a little nervous about people's meals being on time and also when to bring out the cake. Everything went smoothly and everyone loved the cake. In fact, the hardest thing of the night was actually cutting the cake and serving it. It took AGES!!!!!!!!

Thanks to the following people who came:

Holly
Cam
Jasper
Amy
Bronte
Sharon
Donald
Liana
Brett
Catherine
Elmer
Sam
Sashani
Angela
Natasha
Hollie
Michael
Aunty Ruth
Mum
Dad

I love you all so much!!! (I also hope I didn't forget anyone................sorry if I did!!!!)

I hope everyone had a great time because I certainly did!!!!

I ended up going home at about 12.30am because I didn't want to TRY and have the BEST night of my life (I made this mistake on my 21st birthday - though I had a VERY, VERY good time). I had a wonderful night, but my feet hurt a little from my shoes and I thought it was better to go home while I was still enjoying myself.

Anyways, I think I'm babbling a little now.

To the Dream Team: the Travelling Journal is on it's way to Vids!!!!

Until next time, stay safe and keep it real my friend!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: It makes me mad when people say I turned and ran like a scared rabbit. Maybe it was like an angry rabbit, who was going to fight in another fight, away from the first fight.

A Special Visitor

2006-02-26T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well, most of you know that I had a special visitor last time I was in Darwin and he was the reason I failed to update my blog during that time. Yes, Kasun FINALLY came to Darwin, after much begging/sulking from myself.

We both had a lot of fun and it really was great to see him again after 4 months. Time didn't drag or go too fast, so we managed to do quite a few things. I will list what we did because it's easier for me.

What Kasun and I did when he was in Darwin:

I arrived back home from the airport after work, and had a quick dinner with my parents and did some last minute cleaning. I then went to bed and decided to wake up at 12.15am as his flight was due at 12.50am.
When I was backing out of my driveway at 12.30am my phone starts ringing and indeed it was Kasun asking me where I was. I expressed shock at him arriving so quickly and told him I'd be there in 5 mins.
Kasun knew which car was mine in the airport carpark which impressed me. We then went home.
On Thursday we mainly watched TV and Kasun had about 3 showers before 12 noon. I then took him to Casuarina Shopping Centre and watched as he marvelled over the fact that, yes, we have a pretty cool Shopping Centre!!!
On Friday we watched Sri Lanka kick Australia's ass in the cricket.
During the break we went for a walk on the beach - we also had a running race which I will speak no more about.
We then went to Alayne's birthday party.
Kasun got to meet my Darwin buddies and see how nice/strange they are.
We went to town for a bit and then went home.
On Saturday we went to Crocodylus Park with my parents and saw some of Darwin's wildlife. I also took this opportunity to threaten Kasun about being pushed into the croc pens if he annoyed me.
That night we all went to the wharf and had fish and chips.
The next day Kasun and I went to the Rapid Creek Market with my Mum and bought greasy spring rolls and chicken satays for breakfast.
We then watched Sri Lanka lose to Australia and went to Amy's and Adam's and watched a DVD. Kasun was attacked by her cat Blitz (which was funny).
On Monday I took Kasun to Holly's and watched him play with Jasper (which was really cute).
We then went to town and had lunch with my parents and Sashani.
After that we met Mira for coffee at the Deck bar.
Then we went to the museum and had a look around.
That night we went to the Casino with my parents for dinner and then we had a go on the pokies. I won $20.00!!!!!!
On Tuesday we went to Casuarina and did some last minute shopping. Kasun bought me a rose!!! Aww, how sweet!!!
We then went home and watched as Australia posted a record total.
That night we went to the 'Hanuman' restaraunt for dinner. We decided to order a glass each of champagne. However, we were presented with a bottle, which we still finished off. The food was great, but I felt a bit sick after eating so much butter chicken. It was VERY romantic though and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
We then went for a walk along the Esplanade (where I used to eat my lunch when I worked for DEET). That was nice. We both felt a bit sad there because Kasun was going back to Sydney that night and I was going back to McArthur River the next morning.

So, that's it in a nutshell. I was so tired on my first day back at work as I had been to the airport at 1am in the morning and then again at 4.45am for my flight, but it was honestly worth it.

Thanks for coming Kasun!!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: As the snow started to fall, he tugged his coat tighter around himself. Too tight, as it turned out. "This is the fourth coat crushing this year", said the seargent as he outlined the body with a special pencil that writes on snow.

Slightly Worried

2006-02-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, I have NO excuse (except pure slackness and also the fact that Kasun was in Darwin during my last time here!!).

There has recently been a lot of talk of McArthur River Mine being shut down so I have been a bit concerned about my job. I think something will work out, but it doesn't stop me from worrying (nothing usually does!!).

Please read the following articles - both taken from the Northern Territory News.

**************************************************************************************

We'll shut mine down

By NIGEL ADLAM 24feb06

AN INTERNATIONAL company last night vowed to close one of the Territory's biggest mines unless the NT Government changed its mind and allowed a $66million redevelopment plan to go ahead.

Swiss-based Xstrata said McArthur River mine would be uneconomical if it wasn't converted from an underground to an opencast operation.

Manager Brian Hearne said 270 jobs would be lost. He said the mine needed to mill 5000 tonnes of ore a day but was digging up only 800 tonnes.

"Open-cut is the only way to secure the mine's future,'' Mr Hearn said.

"I can't mine trees.''

Environment Minister Marion Scrymgour said the proposal to divert 5.5km of the McArthur River and build a huge bund wall was too risky.

"There is a compelling case for caution,'' she said.

"I'm not convinced this plan wouldn't cause significant long-term damage.''

Her recommendations were hailed as "far-sighted'' by conservationists.

Environment Centre campaigner Gary Scott said: "Moving rivers and mining their beds in the middle of a floodplain is not an acceptable practice in this day and age.''

But the Minerals Council described the Minister's stand as "appalling''.

Executive director Kezia Purich said the project's environmental impact statement had been drawn up by the same scientific team that worked on the Alcan expansion and Darwin Harbour LNG plant.

She said it was independently vetted by scientists. "What makes their findings better than that of independent scientists?''

Ms Purich said conservationist Lyn Allen, a founder of the Environment Centre and now head of the Office of Heritage and Environment, was involved in the finding.

"She has always been opposed to the McArthur River mine plan,'' Ms Purich said.

Ms Allen last night answered her mobile telephone and then broke off after saying it was faulty.
Mines Minister Kon Vatskalis will have the final say on the mine proposal.

************************************************************************************

The next article sounds a little more promising.........

************************************************************************************

NT Govt set for backflip on mine

25feb06

THE Territory Government may allow the McArthur River mine redevelopment to go ahead after all.

It is understood the Government is already doubting the validity of the Environmental Protection Agency report, which recommended the plan be rejected.

The Northern Territory News discovered yesterday the leading scientist behind the rejection did not visit the Territory before making his recommendations.

It is believed the Government will have the decision independently reviewed.

A well-informed source said: "The Government is going to take a long, hard look and ensure any decision is on science, not emotion."

Environment Minister Marion Scrymgour announced on Thursday the $66 million to convert the mine from an underground to an open-cut operation had not passed the "science test".
Her recommendation to reject it will now be reviewed by Mines Minister Kon Vatskalis. A final decision is expected within five weeks.

The Mines Department is known to be disturbed by the EPA report.

"They are obviously pro-mining but they think there are serious doubts about the way recommendations were reached," said the source.

Geomorphologist Wayne Erskine admitted he did not carry out a site inspection at Borroloola before recommending it be turned down.

"But I have visited McArthur River before," he said.

Dr Erskine, of the University of Newcastle, made his decision by checking whether the mine's environmental impact study met key criteria in a document detailing best practise for river diversions.

"It did not," he said.

Dr Erskine was particularly worried there was no plan to recreate an aquatic habitat.

************************************************************************************

So, there you go.

I'm sorry that this entry is nothing more than blatant plagerisation from the NT News, but I wanted you all to know about it and this was the only way I could present it impartially (though I really don't like Marion Scrymgour at the moment).

My life other than that is going well.

I will update again on Monday or Tuesday and tell all about Kasun's visit to the bush!!!! (No Mel, not THAT kind of bush!!!)

Take care and enjoy the rest of the weekend!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: He was the kind of man who was not ashamed to show affection. I guess that's what I hated about him.

A Little Close To Home

2006-01-26T21:43:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I'm not sure if you are all aware of the plane crash that occurred last week close to MRM. Here is an article taken from www.news.com.au

************************************************************************************
Two men killed in plane crash

By Karen Michelmoe January 19, 2006

TWO men have been killed in a light plane crash near Borroloola in a remote part of the Northern Territory.Police say the pilot and 47-year-old passenger, a field officer from Perth-based North Australian Diamonds, were on approach to the McArthur River Mine airstrip this morning, when their plane crashed.

Workers at the airstrip became concerned when the Hardy Aviation charter plane did not arrive as scheduled at 9.30am (CST) and called police.

An air search later found the overturned twin-engine Beechcraft Baron B58 2km from the airstrip.

"(There was) no sign of life," Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) spokesman Peter Gibson said.

North Australian Diamonds chief executive Alan Campbell said the Perth-based worker was enroute from Darwin to the airstrip, where another employee was to be collected.

The pair were then to fly on to the company's Merlin Diamond project, 80km south of Borroloola. "We are obviously shocked by the accident," Mr Campbell said.

"It's very sobering."

"Our condolences go out to the family involved."

Mr Campbell said the 47-year-old man had been an employee of the company since the early 1980s.

"He was based out of Perth but returned to Darwin just a couple of days ago," he said.
NT Police senior sergeant Garry Smith said police launched a search with McArthur River Mining employees after the aircraft failed to arrive at the airstrip.

"Police are still at the scene," he said.

The bodies of the two men were expected to be transported to Darwin for post mortem examinations.

Mr Gibson said the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) would investigate the crash, while CASA would review safety aspects.

He said it was too early to draw any conclusions about why the plane had crashed.

***********************************************************************************

I was told that there was no trouble with the plane at all, it had seemed that the plane just plummeted to the ground nose first. When I heard about it, I thought it was an AirNorth plane which flies MRM workers in and out of the site, it wasn't though. It's really sad as we actually fly over that area coming in and out. The weather was pretty bad that day so it took rescue workers about a day and a half to get the bodies out of the wreck. The two guys died on impact.

As you can imagine, my Mum freaked out and a few friends were concerned, but the planes we catch a lot bigger than that and are able to handle stormy conditions pretty well.

I never usually think of my plane ever crashing when I'm on board, but I did think of it when I came back to town on Wednesday. I suppose I do take things for granted sometimes.

Anyway, I will update you all more on what happened at work soon.

Take care.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you think a weakness can be turned into a strength, I hate to tell you this, but that's another weakness.

We Don't Like Cricket.........

2006-01-17T03:09:00.000-08:00

Oh no!!!!!

We LOVE IT!!!!! (ah!!!!)

*sings*

Ummm...........I'm rather excited that Sri Lanka just kicked some South African butt!!!!

Woohoo!!!!

Could this be like the summer of 1995-96?? I hope so!!!! This victory just proves that we (the Sri Lankan team) are not just a bunch of losers, but great sportsmen who deserve to be taken seriously!!! You go guys!!!!

I contemplated wearing my Sri Lanka cricket shirt back on the plane to MRM tomorrow but decided against it. I'm not sure how other people would take it (I was also a little afraid). Maybe I'll wear it if we get into the finals!!!!!

Okay, that's all!!! I'm leaving to the mine tomorrow morning!!!!

And to all a good night!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you go through a lot of hammers each month, I don't think it necessarily means you're a hard worker. It may just mean you have a lot to learn about proper hammer maintenance.

And So It Goes.........

2006-01-15T17:57:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

I would first like to apologise for being so slack updating this!!! I will try and update on the first or second day that I'm back from MRM in future!!!

I have actually started to settle down into the swing of things at the mine. The 12 hour days are not bad at all, and we did get a new chef who is great!!! He is French (oh yes Yumna!!!!). I have made a few more friends and have started playing a bit of pool and table tennis!!!! My weighing skills have improved dramatically and I am more confident in the laboratory.

However, I had my induction on Tuesday, let me tell you a bit about it. I WAS COMPLETELY BORED!!!!!!!!!! I started work at 6.00am like always. Then left for my induction at 11.00am. I went to the class room and listened to talks on safety, the environmental impact of the mine and also how to put out a fire using a fire extinguisher. The guy talking about fire asked everyone if they had a hard hat. I told him I had one in the lab and asked him whether I should go and quickly get it then. He replied "no, just get it before we go to start practicing putting out fires." The whole class then had to wait about 5 minutes for two other ladies who took too long in the break so I really could have gone and got my YMCA Village People hat then.

When it was time for everyone to go to the cars to get driven down to the fire fighting spot, I quickly went to the lab whilst everyone else pretty much ran to the cars. When I got back, there was NO ONE there!!!!! I looked around the back and front and realised they had left without me. I honestly felt like punching someone. Whilst I stood outside the office feeling a little sorry for myself, another presentor walked towards the office. I told him I had been left behind. He then drove me to the site. He was really nice!!! Thanks mate!!!

After putting out a fire, which was actually quite fun, we were driven back. The guy who forgot me said "sorry for leaving you behind". I was like "yeah, I survived" and thought no thanks to you!!!!

We then had lunch - this was at about 1.00pm and we went back to the classroom at about 1.40pm. We then had a series of presentors and occasional 10 minute breaks. Now, I sat at the front so I would have to pay attention and not be too bored. I almost fell asleep as soon as we got a new presentor. When we were supposed to be watching videos and the lights were dimmed, I took the opportunity to close my eyes and pretend I was in bed.

We ended up finishing our induction at 6.50pm!!!!!! So, all up, our induction took 8 hours to complete. I don't know what we gained out of it. It was just cruel and I don't think I'll remember much of what was talked about. Contrary to that, time in the lab goes very quickly and I'm so glad for that!!!!!!

I HATE INDUCTION!!!!

Thank you!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I think a good product would be "Baby Duck Hat". It's a fake baby duck, which you strap on top of your head. Then you go swimming under water until you find a mommy duck and her babies, and you join them. Then, all of a sudden, you stand up out of the water and roar like Godzilla. Man, those ducks really take off! Also, Baby Duck Hat is good for parties.

A New Beginning

2005-12-31T21:03:00.000-08:00

I would like to firstly wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! May 2006 be a great year for you. I can't believe we are starting a new year already, but as they say (I don' t know who 'they' is), time flies as you get older, and that's what has happened to me.

My new beginning started on the 26th Dec 2005. I flew down to McArthur River to start my new job as a laboratory technician at the mine. I was quite nervous and tired when I arrived. I was again picked up by John with the bushy beard and he mentioned once more to me that he'd never live it down for thinking I had blonde hair. Once I dropped my bag off in my room (which incidently had a tennis raquet, thongs and guys clothes in it) I was taken to the laboratory.

When I got to the lab, I met the other new girl Natasha. She is a lovely person and I'm glad I will be working with her quite a bit. She was thrilled to see me as she had been the only girl at the mine from the time she arrived!!!! I was shown how to prepare samples and also spent a lot of time weighing them out for the tests we conduct. I learned very quickly that I'm quite BAD at weighing things out accurately (to 4 decimal places). It really took me ages to weigh out a few samples (whereas, it takes other people about half an hour to 45 minutes). I will strive to improve. Everyone was very patient with me, which I really appreciated. Thanks guys!!!!

I found my first day to be incredibly long and I kept wishing in my head that I was back at DEET Financial Services (my incredibly comfy comfort zone). However, I told myself that I needed to get through the first day and get as much out of this job as possible. After work was over, I caught the bus back to camp, grabbed some dinner and went to my room. Natasha had told me that she was meeting a couple of guys for a game of pool later on and that I was welcome to join them. I decided to make a couple of phone calls (from the public phone) to my parents and Kasun and then check out the computer room before joining them.

After I talked to my dearly beloveds I asked around about how to get to the computer room. When I arrived there I saw a guy on a computer. I looked for another one I could use, but alas, there were no more to be found!!!! I was amazed, I had actually imagined there would be a minimum of at least three computers in a room known as a 'computer room'. The guy on the computer said he'd be finished soon and we soon started talking. I told him how funny it was that there was only ONE computer in the room and he kinda laughed and said yeah that it used to be even more dodgier because there used to be servers in there. He was pretty nice and he started giving me helpful hints about cheating in the random drug tests and things like that. I mean, I have no idea what kind of person he thought I was, but I was glad for his concern (BTW, I don't take drugs!!!!).

After he finished we swapped seats (kinda like musical chairs, but not, because I was initially sitting on one of those exercise balls) and I decided to check my email and also my blog. However, I was unable to access my blog due to some sort of screening of sites they do, I was totally depressed about that!!!! The guy (he's remaining nameless incase someone reads this and thinks he's a drug cheat) told me it used to be the case that ANY sites could be accessed and that when people used to walk into the room they wouldn't look at the screen incase it was anything 'like that'. Hehehe, I suppose it's a good thing that certain sites are banned!!!!

I went to meet up with Natasha and her friends after that at the bar and found that the bar is an INCREDIBLY COLD place, I stayed for five minutes and left because I was FREEZING. After going to bed too late, I woke up very tired in the morning the next day.

I'll just fill you in on some funny/strange things that have happened to me so far:

I got teased for waking up at 4.30am (as I fear not waking up at all) by some guy.
This same guy thought I was gay.
I dodge cane toads and frogs when I walk around camp in the evening and morning
I wear a fluro orange shirt with reflector panels on it to work. I also wear blue ill-fitting trousers with the same reflective panels.
My clothes have my name on them.
I wear 'workman' boots.
I aim to go to bed by at least 9.00pm each night.
I am paranoid that people are looking at me (I really am).
I don't really try to make many friends (I think this will take some time to get over).

That's pretty much it. I mean, I really am liking the place now. I'm sure I will make more friends and start being a bit more social soon. I just need to get a little more comfortable with this whole ratio thing, but so far, everyone I've met or smiled at have been VERY nice to me and I really am thankful for that!!!

And so the saga of the bush girl (AKA the Darwinian) continues.

Have a great day and a great year too!!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I wish I would have a real tragic love affair and get so bummed out that I'd just quit my job and become a bum for a few years, because I was thinking of doing that anyway.

Merry Christmas!!!

2005-12-23T20:37:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!!! I would like to wish you all the very best for Christmas and I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year!!!

I cannot believe 2005 is almost over and 2006 will dawn in a few days!!! I'll never forget the hype about the year 2000, I honestly never thought we would make it past then!!! I have been in Darwin for almost a full year but I feel close to all my good buddies in Sydney despite the distance between us. Thanks guys (you know who you are!!).

I will be embarking on my journey to McArthur River Mines on Monday (the 26th) and I'm looking forward to it. I finally feel I'm actually moving on with my life (even though I'm moving to a pretty isolated area!!!). I have copped a lot of flack from people at DEET Financial Services about the guys that are at the Mine, but to be completely honest, I'm sure things will go smoothly. I'll let you all know how everything goes.

I will be spending Christmas with my parents and we will go to my Mum's sister's place for lunch. It will be quiet, but I'm still happy that I'll actually be here for Christmas and not at the Mine. I was asked to start on the 20th December, but I asked meekly whether it would be possible to start after Christmas and I was able to push my start date a few days back. I would rather have a boring Christmas than a lonely one!!! I will also be able to fly out on the 29th December and have New Year in Darwin!! Hurrah!!! The recruitment lady, Stephanie was VERY NICE to me!!!!

I don't have much else to say as I just am gearing up for Christmas and starting work. My last day at DEET was good and I can honestly say that I will miss the place and it was nice having my Dad around (that's why everyone was probably so nice to me, hehe!!!).

I would like to remind everyone to stay safe during this holiday period, please do!!!!

Take care!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I hate it when people say someone has a 'speech impediment' even if he does, because it could hurt his feelings. So instead, I call it a 'speech improvement', and I go up to the guy and say "Hey Bob, I like your speech improvement". I think this makes him feel better.

Yoga In India Vs Yoga In Australia

2005-12-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

Yoga in India

Yoga In Australia

Hey All, I just HAD to post this up!!! The first time I saw this I almost died laughing at my work computer (I couldn't laugh as loud as I wanted, but I kinda just had to be content with swallowing my giggles and leaning forward a bit whilst I convulsed as quietly as I could!!!!)

ENJOY!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Here's a good trick: Get a job as a judge at the Olympics. Then, if some guy sets the world record, pretend you didn't see it and go, 'Okay, is everybody ready to start now?'

McArthur River

2005-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well, last Thursday afternoon I made the trip to McArthur River and spent the night for my tour on Friday. It was a pretty good experience, and I’m glad I had the chance to visit the site before being told whether I was successful or not for the position.

I left work early and got to the airport on time. To my surprise, I was one of the few people there. I’m so used to seeing the airport packed (because I usually fly on the red-eye cheap flights), it felt strange to be able to walk up to a check in counter and be served straight away!!

I flew on a small plane (a 30 seater) with three other guys. The steward was also a man, along with the two pilots. So, there I was, one girl amongst six guys. It didn’t phase me; I just sat back, and enjoyed my peanuts (no pun intended – I really did consume a small pack of peanuts!!). My only complaint was that the plane was incredibly loud, my left ear hurt a little until I got used to the constant drone.

When we commenced our descent into McArthur River, I looked out the window to see what I could see – I actually couldn’t see much. After seeing tree upon tree, I felt a little nervous and thought to myself “what am I getting into??” Finally I saw what was the processing area of the mine and also a square piece of tarmac. I had arrived!!!

Once the plane touched down we sped past a windsock and stopped. I saw a few four-wheel drives and a demountable tin shed which was the airport. I knew the guy John who had interviewed me would be picking me up from the “airport” AKA Tin Shed. However, the only thing I remembered about John was that he had a beard (a long bushy one – kind of like the one Mel is growing!!). So, upon stepping off the plane I immediately focused on a guy with a long bushy beard and started walking towards him. Suddenly out of nowhere, another guy (also with a long bushy beard) stepped out in front of me and said “hi Anika, I’m John”. I immediately stopped looking at the other guy and greeted John with a firm handshake. I never made eye contact with the pseudo-John again!!! I was then introduced to another guy who is John’s boss (Steven I think) and he asked me a few questions. The real John then said to Steven “so much for observation” and I just smiled and nodded and thought “what the………” John and I then got into one of the cars and left Steven at the Tin Shed as he was flying back to civilisation, I mean Darwin.

Whilst driving to the mine site John said to me “did you notice I said to Steven ‘so much for observation’?” I said “yes”. He said “that’s because when Steven asked me what you looked like I said I think she’s blonde.” I just laughed and thought “hmmm”. When I think about it now, I just think it’s hilarious, the only reason he could have possibly thought that was because during the interview I think he looked at me about twice!!!

Anyway once we got to the site, I turned my mobile phone on and discovered to my horror, that there was NO COVERAGE!!!!!!!! I tried to calm myself down by thinking that at the camp there was sure to be coverage!! After watching the induction video and answering the questions that went along with it, I was given a brief tour of the lab and then John and I waited for the bus to take us to the camp. I asked John whether there was mobile coverage at McArthur River. “No” he replied. My heart sank, “so, how do you make a phone call??” To which he replied “oh, there are payphones at the camp.” So, Kasun was right!! He had almost convinced me that there wouldn’t be any coverage at McArthur River, but I had assured him that there would be. Oh man!!! I felt like such a city slicker and a bit of a yuppy.

Upon reaching the camp I saw a lot of wallabies hopping around. John gave me a quick tour and then I was left to fend for myself. I went to my room and discovered that there were some cool Pay TV Channels. I decided that I would have dinner and then call my parents and Kasun. I made my way to the mess (the dining area – I don’t know why they call it that, it’s not messy at all!!), and immediately felt like an outsider. I realised I wasn’t that hungry and I felt rather lonely so I served myself some food, which I didn’t wallop down like I would at uni and sat by myself, making as little eye contact with people as possible. There were a lot of blokes (I say blokes coz that’s what they were, I would hesitate to call them guys) there who seemed to be eating lots. I quickly exited after eating and went on to find the pay phones.

I walked through the bar area and picked up the handset of one of the phones. To my dismay, you required a phone card to make a call. My first thought was, “they can’t possibly sell something like a phone card here!!!” However, I overcame some of my shyness and asked a girl in the bar area whether there was any possibility of me being able to buy a phone card from somewhere. She told me I could get one at the bar (what a weird place to sell phone cards!!!). After a couple of quick conversations with my parents and Kasun, I went to bed.

The next day I had breakfast by myself, but I didn’t care coz I was kinda starving. I realised that the water there has a weird taste and it seems to be denser than ‘normal’ water, ewwwwwww!!! I was told to catch the bus just before 8am. So I had finished my breakky by 7.40am and then looked at the bus timetable and saw to my embarrassment that on Friday, the last bus to the mine site is at 7.30am!!!!

I rang John (with the beard) and left a message on his answering machine letting him know that I missed the bus and could he please come and pick me up. After that I met a guy doing some raking of leaves and explained my predicament to him, he told me to go to the office area and find another guy called John who would be able to drive me to the mine site. So, off I went. When I entered the office area, I met a young-ish guy and said to him “are you John??” He said “yeah, but do you want the other John?” I looked at him in disbelief and said “I don’t know!” How many John’s could there possibly be????

I then explained that I was visiting and had missed the bus and was told that a guy called John could drop me off at the mine site. He then said that he was the guy I was after!! Whilst I was waiting for him to get ready to drop me off, I met the other John, who also had a beard (not a bushy one though!!). I then rang up bearded John (bushy beard) and left a message with one of the guys at the lab saying not to worry about picking me up because I was getting a lift. Whilst, young John and I were driving to the mine site he told me that there are about 200 guys who work at the mine. He then added that there were about 20 girls who work there and that I was lucky, but he was not so lucky. I just laughed and imagined the guys I had actually seen (no, I was NOT lucky by any means).

When we reached the mine site, I saw bushy bearded John drive in after us. He hadn’t got my message in time and had gone to the camp to pick me up. I felt BAD!!!! After I apologised a few times, I was breathalysed for a check on my blood alcohol. Apparently that happens every day and there are also random drug tests every now and then. I was then ready to go to the lab and see exactly what goes on.

When we got to the lab, there was a lot of looking and standing and nodding. I found that I would be using a machine called and ICP (I don’t know what that stands for, $5.00 for the most creative answer!!). I was then given a run through on safety procedures and was shown a picture of the breathing apparatus that would need to be worn in the case of an emergency. I wanted to laugh out loud due to its similarity to one of those head/face-covering things people wear when dealing with bees. Ah yes, I have matured greatly!!

I was also shown the actual area where smelting occurs!!!! I got to actually go in there and have a look at all the machinery and let me tell you, it was COOL!!!! I was quite excited and this over took the fact that I was climbing to great heights on these stairs. I told myself “a man would be able to do this, why can’t I??” Hehe. In fact, it was only when we were half-way up the stairs did bearded John ask me whether I was afraid of heights. I said “no”. I’m not really, but it did get a little scary (I didn’t let on though!!). Seriously, it took me back to year 12 Chemistry when I read about smelting in textbooks. All up, I was quite impressed with the whole thing and I couldn’t help thinking that my year 12 Chemistry teacher, Mr Jenkinson (AKA ‘Jenko’) would be a little proud of me!!!

To be completely honest with you, I did have a good time. My second day there was better than the first as I had gotten over my apparent homesickness/communication-with-the-outside-world. I would love to work there and I hope I do get that chance!!! Will update you all on the outcome.

Have a great day.

P.S. I had my medical examinations on Monday and I felt like I was a candidate on ‘Celebrity Overhaul’.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Blow ye winds, like the trumpet blows; but without that noise.

Cop That!

2005-11-22T16:42:00.000-08:00

Hey All,

I thought this was an interesting article in today's Northern Territory News (23 November 2005). Enjoy!!!!!! I really think this deserves a semi-Darwin award!!!

**************************************************************************************
COP THAT!

By ERIC TLOZEK 23nov05

A DARWIN pizza delivery man has been fined for speeding while taking pizza to police officers.

Tony Winh Truong was delivering a pizza to officers at the Peter McAulay Centre, NT Police headquarters, in Berrimahwhen he was pulled over on Vanderlin Drive.

Traffic police booked Mr Truong for doing 100km/h in a 80km/h zone.

They told him he could not drive any more and had to leave the car on the side of the road a few hundred metres from the centre. Mr Truong told the Darwin Magistrates Court yesterday he still delivered the pizza -- by walking up the road to the headquarters.

Magistrate David Loadman joked that officers booked the man because they weren't getting any pizza.

"What a nasty thing to do," he said. "I hope you had time to do something to the pizza before you gave it to them."

Mr Loadman said he was surprised that Mr Truong, who was unlicensed, had been summonsed to appear in the court instead of receiving an infringement notice.

He said the matter was a minor one and ordered Mr Truong to pay a $150 fine and an $80 victim levy.

He said Mr Truong had done the right thing by pleading guilty and co-operating with police -- especially by still delivering the pizza.

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So, before you start to judge the poor delivery guy about the lateness of your pizza, think again, and remember the plight of Mr Truong!!!

Have a great day, and have a meat-lovers on me!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Do you know what happens when you slice a golf ball in half? Someone gets mad at you. I found this out the hard way.

Me?? Volleyball??

2005-11-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I don’t think I’ve told many people that I recently started playing indoor beach volleyball. Well, I have!!!! To be completely honest, I was quite shocked as to how much effort actually is required and I was disgustingly sweaty after my first games last Wednesday. When I say disgustingly, I really mean I looked quite gross, much like I’d had a shower in my clothes, or more accurately I looked like I had been hit really hard with spray from a garden hose on my back, butt, arms, legs, and face. It was horrible and I know no one would have really wanted to get a lift home with me THAT night!!

I am still to develop more coordination in actually getting to the ball quickly and judging how hard it’s going to hit the net, but I can honestly say last night, I actually felt I had improved significantly. I mean we still lost because of me, but I mean, it was only the second time I played!! I was more involved in the game last night and actually fell on the sand a couple of times. I have gotten over the fact that I hate the feel of sand on my face, neck, arms, legs and also in my eyes and mouth…….. It’s honestly great fun and I recommend it to everyone, even if you think you’d be bad at it. I mean, if I can do it, I think a lot of people would be able to!!!!!

In my first game I was called up so many times for carrying the ball that every time I got the ball over the net, my happiness soon turned bad when the ref would call ‘carry’ and look at me funny. Last night, I didn’t even carry once!! Not even once I repeat.

Next time I plan to help my team win at least one game. The people I play with are really nice to me; they have all had about 2 years experience compared to my 2 weeks. I keep apologising to them every time I do something stupid, but they are so nice and say “don’t worry Anika”. Awww, how sweet!!! Thanks guys!!!!

Anyway, that’s all for now, enjoy your day now!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If I was being executed by an injection, I’d clean up my cell real neat. Then, when they came to get me, I’d say “Injection? I thought you said inspection.” They’d probably feel real bad, and maybe I could get out of it.

Melbourne Cup

2005-10-31T22:52:00.000-08:00

Ah yes, it's the race that stops the nation and indeed, we in DEET Financial Services were stopped. I got fully involved with all the sweeps and ended up spending $24.00 on them!! I won $12.00 because I had Makybe Diva on the $1.00 sweep. Woohoo!!! We ended up having lunch at a place called Rorke's Drift (a pub just across the road) and watched the race there. I must say I got pretty excited as I had a lot of horses to cheer on!! I wanted Lachlan River to win, but that's because he was my $10.00 sweep horse!! Hehe. Well, I cheered along with everyone else and I can honestly say I was absolutely thrilled when I saw Makybe Diva gaining ground!! It was such a happy moment!!! I actually knew which horse she was without someone having to point her out to me!!! I tear almost came to the eye!!

I love the fact that the jockey was so caught up in the moment that he cried openly and then did a funny arm gestures!!! Hehe, I started laughing at him. I also loved the random ‘woohoos’ when he finished his interview!!

All in all, I had a nice and fun day and I can’t wait until next year when I will hopefully have more luck betting on the beautiful horses!! *sings Darryl Braitwaite’s song “horses”*

Have a good day and I hope the punters got lucky!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you’re ever stuck in some thick undergrowth, in your underwear, don’t stop and think of what other words have “under” in them, because that’s probably the first sign of jungle madness.

Concert

2005-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so about two week ago I went to my first concert after AGES!! Seriously, the last concert I remember going to was Tina Turner when I was about 10!!! (Let me hear you sing "Nutbush City Limits"!!!) So, as you might imagine, I was pretty stoked about going to see Missy Higgins with her special guest Ben Lee!! *sings “Gamble Everything For Love”* I got to the Amphitheatre early because I wanted to get a good seat. The concert was scheduled to start at 7.10pm and the gates opened at 6.30pm. I was there at about 6.10pm with my chair and a copy of ‘The Va Dinci Cod’. I stood in line for a while, got bitten by mosquitoes a little and talked on the phone to Kasun. I marvelled at the fact that I was by myself but was not concerned. I looked at the young ‘gothic’ girl standing in front of me talking cool to her friend and thought “what a loser!!” Seriously, she would have been really hot with one sock on her arm and red and jeans.

Once I entered the Amphitheatre (at about 7.00pm) I saw that I had heaps of places to choose to sit and talked to one of the girls selling Missy Higgins merchandise (she does dancing with me). She tried to convince me to buy something but I said ‘no, I want to spend my money on food!!’ Hehe, how mean am I?? I then set up my fold up chair and got a call from Alayne telling me that she and her boyfriend would be coming soon. I then called Amy who said that she had just gotten out of her Mum’s graduation and would be there soon too. After that I relaxed with my funny book and thought to myself “it’s not THAT crowded”. After that it got too dark to see the words on my page and so I sat and listened to some girl singing (not very well, but better than what I could do!!).

Once Alayne and her man arrived, they went off to get food whilst I minded our spot. I made friends with the girl sitting near me whose partner had gone off to get food for her too. We talked about how ridiculously long the lines were and other small talk. Soon after that Ben Lee came on and seriously, he was great!!! I managed to get a photo of him on stage before all these dumb teenagers stood up and blocked my view!!! He did his little dance around stage with his guitar and looked very happy indeed!!! The girl next to me would yell out occasionally to the people standing up to “f#$cin’ sit down!!” Hehe, I would laugh internally but secretly agree with her. Those people made my waiting in line at 6.10pm a waste of time.

When ‘Disease’ came on, I got very excited and called Yoomi to let her listen to it. We sang along together and yeah, both got really into it, especially the ‘na na na na’ bit!!! (Man, I love that part!!). I then rang Kasun (coz I figured he’d like the song) and let him listen for a while too. Hehe, so basically I was bringing Ben Lee to people live!! *bows*

When Missy Higgins came on stage the teenagers went even more crazy!!! I was able to see her head occasionally which I was happy about. Alayne was lying down on a rug and couldn’t see past the people’s legs. Her voice was beautiful though!!! Really awesome and I’m so glad I got the chance to see her live!! I took a few pics of her but I haven’t developed them yet, I suppose if I start showing people photos of a crowd with a small white head amongst them, they will know I went to the Missy Higgins concert (and that I wasn’t one of those stupid people who stood up!!).

I’m so glad I went and the tickets were only $39.95!! I’m not sure what they would cost down south!! I ended up buying some ‘Missy Higgins’ badges which I have worn once. Absolutely useless but I guess I got caught up in the moment………….hehe!!

Sorry for taking so long to post, I honestly haven’t had much to say over the last week or so. Oh yes, by the way, my friend Maya is getting married on the 7th Jan 2006!! How cool is that??

Okay, it’s bye for now, but stay tuned for the next episode!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: It’s easy to sit and scoff at an old man’s folly. But also, check out his Adam’s apple!

On The Run

2005-10-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hello People. Well, you all know I live in Crocodile Country and this article in our newspaper today just about proves it............

Taken from The Northern Territory News 12 October 2005

************************************************************************************

Crocs on the run being rounded up

By NIGEL ADLAM12oct05

RUNAWAY crocodiles continued to be caught on properties in Darwin's rural region yesterday.

It was first thought about 18 salties escaped from the Darwin Crocodile Farm at Noonamah.

But after a more thorough head count, the figure was yesterday revised up to 40.

More than half the crocodiles have been recaptured. At least one has been shot by a startled homeowner. Parks and Wildlife Minister Marion Scrymgour said about 12 were still on the run.

Residents of the area have complained that they were not warned about the escaped crocodiles. Several of the 1.2m salties were caught yesterday. Barney Barton-Ancliffe, 36, was clearing trees at the home of friend Vanessa Cuttriss in Gulnare Rd, Bees Creek, when he found a crocodile in the garden. They caught the animal with a home-made noose. "It didn't put up much of a fight,'' said Mr Barton-Ancliffe, who owns Freestyle Concrete.

"It was probably tired after walking from the croc farm.''

He said there were three slide marks leading on to the property - but only one croc was found.

The salties escaped after a farm worker left open the lower part of a door to a pen.

Ms Scrymgour, questioned by Independent Member for Nelson Gerry Wood, told parliament the farm had promised to look at security.

The farm is understood to be considering erecting a barrier in front the pens.

************************************************************************************

So, err, as you can see, I am lucky that I have not had a leg bitten off as yet. Perhaps tomorrow my luck might not be so good. So, if I don't update my blog for a while, I guess you'll know why!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I bet it was pretty hard to pick up girls if you had the Black Death.

Sydney

2005-10-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I did write a really good post before...........but this damn blog maintenance was going on, so I lost the whole thing!!! Things that make you go 'ARGH'!!!! That aside, I will try and remember as much of my original post as possible!!

Anika Remembers.......... (imagine white clouds and pretty blue skies)

So, it seems like an eon ago (what on earth is an 'eon'??) but I was in Sydney last week!! I had a wonderful time and I owe a big round of thanks for everyone who made my parents and I welcome where ever we went. THANK YOU MUCHLY!!!

I managed to eat an absolutely scrum-diddily-umpcious Oporto Bondi burger on my first day in Sydney, and I'm glad. It was a good burger and I'm sure Vids, Yoomi and Kasun will agree that I enjoyed it!! (Rids and Mel are also well aware of how much I'm in love with the Bondi burger). It was fun catching up with my funny buddies and laughing about old times.

My graduation was incredibly interesting and not boring at all (maybe a little bit - there was a lot of clapping), but I was prepared to be yawning and honestly I don't think I yawned once (but who was counting huh??). I enjoyed the Chinese flute music and the most amusing thing was seeing the academics in their gowns walking/prancing to the music. The academics I recognised were Jenny Donald (she didn't recognise me!!), Ian and Joanne Jamie, and last but definitely not least, Peter Karuso!! Peter congratulated me and shook my hand after the Graduation ceremony and then tried to have a conversation with me. I almost had a heart attack and all in all, it was a stilted conversation with me asking him how Chem339 was going. He probably still thinks I'm an idiot. I still find him VERY intimidating and rather curt. What else, oh yeah, Kasun gave me a new mobile phone for my Graduation present!! What a sweetie!!! I felt rather ashamed when he gave it to me coz I had kept whining to him after my ceremony that he didn't get me flowers OR a Graduation bear. Hehe..........aren't I absolutely pathetic?? (I really wanted one of those bears though!!).

I had a great time in Canberra. The road trip there with Kasun and my parents wasn't as painful as I thought it would be so that was good. We did a quick tour of the new Parliament House and then met up with a couple of my Dad's friends who used to live in Darwin but now live in the Nation's Capital. The next day I had breakfast at Gus' with Mel, Rids and Kasun. That was one BIG breakfast let me tell you!!! I'm sure Rids felt like chucking one of his gardening tools at me from time to time. After breakky, we met up with my parents and decided that we should go to Questacom (as Rids said I would love it!!). My favourite exhibit was the giant kaleidoscope that you got to walk through and then feel dizzy afterwards!! Go the 'scope!! After that, as the weather had improved, we decided to make a mad dash for Floriade. After tiptoeing through the tulips a little a freak storm hit us and we ran for shelter into the cafe. By the time we sat down and ordered some comfort food the sun was shining again. We had more of a look around and then decided to drive back to Sydney.

We stayed in the city for a couple of nights and I had my fill of China Town, George Street and Myer. We also saw a movie at IMAX and went to Star City for the buffet dinner. YUM!!! Kasun also took me to Manly on Saturday for our 'anniversary' (and he still didn't buy me any flowers!!). Manly was nice and I wish I could have sat and watched the ocean for hours and hours.

All up, it was a very eventful week. I packed a lot in and I'm glad I got to meet up with a lot of my buddies. Thank you all so much for taking the time and effort to see me!!!

I can't wait to come back to Sydney and see the big smoke again!!!

Okay, so that was the end of my remembering............. the original post was probably more detailed and interesting, but all I can do is blame this damn maintenance people!! Damn them!!!

Have a nice day.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If life deals you lemons, why not go kill someone with the lemons (maybe by shoving them down his throat).

Soon...........Soon...........

2005-09-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

I will be in Sydney soon!!!!!!!!! Sunday morning!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!

If you can't all tell by now, I'm rather excited. I think I started getting very excited last night when it hit me that I will be spending all of next week in the Big Smoke!! Hurrah!!!

I will also be graduating at long last on Tuesday the 27th!!! I'm going to chuck my hat up in the air and I don't care if it falls on the ground and gets muddy................I'll do it anyway and then steal someone else's hat and give them my cruddy one!! Hehe. I am also looking foward to going to Canberra and tiptoeing through the tulips at Floriade. Hopefully Kasun will pick me some flowers and present them to me...............(this is a hint for you Kasun, if you are reading this!!).

Hmmm..........what else. I am going to be busy tomorrow so that's good, time will fly. I will be going to Sashani's birthday party tomorrow (an all you can eat seafood restaraunt..........they better have other stuff). I will be walking in our cancer Relay For Life tonight and perhaps tomorrow morning, so I will be a bit tired and will sleep on the plane.

I ALSO NEED TO PACK!!! Still haven't done that yet.

I have a joke for you, it's pretty pathetic/funny so I hope you enjoy it!!!

Q. What do you call an adolescent rabbit??

A. A pubic hare.

Hehe, that's courtesy of my cousin in Perth (Tammi). Her sense of humour is worse than mine.

Take care and I'll see my buddies in Sydney soon!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If I lived back in the wild west days, instead of carrying a six-gun in my holster, I'd carry a soldering iron. That way, if some smart-aleck cowboy said something like "Hey, look. He's carrying a soldering iron!" and started laughing, and everybody else started laughing, I could just say, "That's right, it's a soldering iron. The soldering iron of justice." Then everybody would get real quiet and ashamed, because they had made fun of the soldering iron of justice, and I could probably hit them up for a free drink.

Just Call It Disorganisation........

2005-09-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm sure you are all aware of the fact that I'll soon be heading off to Sydney. How soon is a rather ambiguous fact..........see, I was certain that I would be arriving on Monday the 26th Sept in the morning. However, last night as I was finalising the bookings of accommodation around various sites in Sydney, I decided to have a look once more at my e-ticket.

It clearly read: Departing Darwin Sunday 25th Sept 1:30 am. Arriving Sydney Sunday 25th Sept 6:05 am.

Dammit!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, infact, I'm leaving on Saturday night, not Sunday night, and I'm arriving in Sydney a whole day earlier than what I've been telling every body!!! Oh well, at least I'll get to see certain people sooner!! Yay!!

However, my Dad was like, 'what are we going to do about the accommodation??' So I rang up the Travelodge and booked in an extra day without drama.

However, my Mum was quick to point out that this was the second time I'd stuffed up the booking of tickets/accommodation. The first time was when I made a booking for them to come to Sydney last year and got confused about what day they wanted to arrive and booked it too early.............. I swear this whole red eye flight thing has kept me on my toes. Me being the good daughter that I am said 'yeah yeah, it's all my fault' and promptly went to bed.

I mean, how come it seems as if I'm the only organising this trip?? They are going along with me.............couldn't they do some ringing around instead of getting annoyed at me for getting the bookings wrong!!!! My Dad acknowledged this.............which I was happy about.

I'm starting to get excited about going now, only 9 days to go (instead of the original 10..........).

See you guys really soon!!!! Have a great day!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you're a horse, and someone gets on you, and falls off, and then gets right back on you, I think you should buck him off right away.

50 Ways To Freak Out Your Roommate

2005-09-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys,

I know I'm kinda plagiarising here, but I thought I would share with you one of my all time favourite lists.

Enjoy..........

50 Ways To Freak Out Your Roommate:

1. Insist that you are a vegetarian and protest anytime your roommate eats meat. Then leave"Slim Jim" wrappers on the floor and lie on the bed holding your stomach everytime your roommate walks in. If he/she asks about the wrappers, say you know nothing about them.

2. Get some hair. Disperse it around your roommate's head while he/she is asleep. Keep a pair of scissors by your bed. Snicker at your roommate every morning.

3. Every time your roommate walks in yell, "Hooray! You're back!" as loud as you can and dance around the room for five minutes. Afterwards, keep looking at your watch and saying,"Shouldn't you be going somewhere?"

4. Trash the room when your roommate's not around. Then leave and wait for your roommate to come back. When he/she does, walk in and act surprised. Say, "Uh-oh, it looks like THEY were here again."

5. Every time you see your roommate yell, "You son of a..." and kick him/her in the stomach.Then buy him/her some ice cream.

6. Set your roommate's bed on fire. Apologize and explain that you've been watching too much"Beavis & Butthead." Do it again. Tell him/her that you're not sorry because this time, they deserved it.

7. Put your glasses on before you go to bed. Take them off as soon as you wake up. If your roommate asks, explain that they are Magic Dream Glasses. Complain that you've been having terrible nightmares.

8. Eat lots of "Lucky Charms." Pick out all the yellow moons and stockpile them in the closet. If your roommate inquires, explain that visitors are coming, but you can't say anything more, or you'll have to face the consequences.

9. Set up meetings with your roommate's faculty advisor. Inquire about his/her academic potential. Take lots of notes, and then give your roommate a full report. Insist that he/she do the same.

10. "Drink" a raw egg for breakfast every morning. Explain that you are in training. Eat a dozen donuts every night.

11. Every Thursday, pack up everything you own and tell your roommate you're going home. Come back in an hour and explain that no one was home. Unpack everything and go to sleep.

12. Every time you wake up, start yelling, "Oh, my God! Where the hell am I?!" and run around the room for a few minutes. Then go back to bed. If your roommate asks, say you don't know what he/she is talking about.

13. Draw a tiny, black spot on your arm. Make it bigger every day. Look at it and say, "It's spreading, it's spreading."

14. Buy a McDonald's "Happy Meal" for lunch every day. Eat the straw and the napkin. Throw everything else away.

15. Buy a plant. Sleep with it at night. Talk to it. After a few weeks, start to argue with it loudly. Then yell, "I can't live in the same room with you," storm out of the room and slam the door. Get rid of the plant, but keep the pot. Refuse to discuss the plant ever again.

16. Buy a Jack-In-The-Box. Every day, turn the handle until the clown pops out. Scream continuously for twenty minutes.

17. Hang up pictures of chickens all over the room. If your roommate eats eggs, yell at him/her and call him/her a cannibal.

18. Buy some knives. Sharpen them every night. While you're doing so, look at your roommate and mutter, "Soon, soon...."

19. Lock the door while your roommate is out. When he/she comes back and tries to unlock it, yell, "Don't come in, I'm naked!" Keep this up for several hours. When you finally let your roommate in, immediately take off all of your clothes, and ignore your roommate.

20. Bring in potential "new" roommates from around campus. Give them tours of the room and the building. Have them ask about your roommate in front of him/her, and reply, "Oh,him/her? He/she won't be here much longer."

21. If your roommate comes home after midnight, hit him/her on the head with a rolling pin. Immediately go to bed, muttering, "Ungrateful little..."

22. Pile dirty dishes in your roommate's bed. Insist that you don't know how they got there.

23. Collect hundreds of pens and pile them on one side of the room. Keep one pencil on the other side of the room. Laugh at the pencil.

24. Feign a serious illness for two weeks. Have a priest come to your room and visit you. Write out a will, leaving everything to your roommate. One day, miraculously "recover." Insist that your roommate write out a will, leaving everything to you. Every time he/she coughs, excitedly say, "Oooh, are you dying?"

25. Live in the hallway for a month. Afterwards, bring all of your stuff back into the room and tell your roommate, "Okay, your turn."

26. Keep a tarantula in a jar for three days. Then get rid of the tarantula. If your roommate asks, say, "Oh, he's around here somewhere."

27. Tell your roommate, "I've got an important message for you." Then pretend to faint. When you recover, say you can't remember what the message was. Later on, say, "Oh, yeah, I remember!" Pretend to faint again. Keep this up for several weeks.

28. Bowl inside the room. Set up tournaments with other people in the building. Award someone a trophy. If your roommate wants to bowl too, explain that he/she needs bowling shoes.

29. Walk backwards all the time. Then pretend to trip and hurt yourself. Fake an injury and go through a long, painful recovery. Start walking backwards again.

30. While your roommate is out, glue your shoes to the ceiling. When your roommate walks in, sit on the floor, hold your head, and moan.

31. Explain to your roommate that you're going to be housing a prospective student in the near future. One day, bring in a pig. If your roommate protests, hug the pig and tell your roommate that he/she hurt its feelings. Watch T.V with the pig, eating lots of bacon.

32. Make a sandwich. Don't eat it, leave it on the floor. Ignore the sandwich. Wait until your roommate gets rid of it, and then say, "Hey, where the hell is my sandwich!?" Complain loudly that you are hungry.

33. Punch a hole in the T.V. Sit and watch it anyway, complaining about the poor picture quality.

34. Wear a cape. Stand in front of an open window for about an hour every day. Then, one day,when your roommate is gone, go outside and lie down underneath the window, pretending to be hurt, and wait for your roommate to return. The next day, start standing in front of the window again.

35. Collect potatoes. Paint faces on them and give them names. Name one after your roommate. Separate your roommate's potato from the others. Wait a few days, and then bake your roommate's potato and eat it. Explain to your roommate, "He just didn't belong."

36. Fill an empty shaving cream can with whipped cream. Use it to shave, and then spray someinto your mouth. Later on, complain that you feel sick. Continue this process for several weeks.

37. Cover your bed with a tent. Live inside it for a week. If your roommate asks, explain that "It's a jungle out there." Get your roommate to bring you food and water.

38. Keep a vacuum cleaner in the middle of the room. Look at it with fear for a few days. Then stay out of the room entirely, opening the door only a crack and whispering to your roommate, "Psst! Is it gone?"

39. Break the window with a rock. If your roommate protests, explain that you were hot. Open and close the broken window as you normally would.

40. Throw darts at a bare wall. All of a sudden, act excited, telling your roommate that you hit the bull's eye.

41. Send flowers to your roommate, with a card that says, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. "When you see them, start ripping up the flowers. Repeat the process for a few weeks.

42. Call your roommate "Clyde" by accident. Start doing so every so often. Increase the frequency over the next few weeks, until you are calling him "Clyde" all the time. If your roommate protests, say, "I'm sorry. I won't do that anymore, Murray."

43. Hire a night watchman to guard the room while you are sleeping.

44. Move everything to one side of the room. Ask your roommate if he knows how much an elephant weighs, and look at the floor on the empty side of the room with concern.

45. Practice needlepoint every night. At one point, grab your thumb and scream, "Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!" Cry hysterically for a few minutes, and then go to bed. Sob and sniff all night.

46. When your roommate comes in, pretend that you are on the phone, screaming angrily and shouting obscenities. After you hang up, say, "That was your mom. She said she'd call back."

47. Every time your roommate comes in, immediately turn off the lights and go to bed. When he/she leaves, get up and loudly yell, "Okay, guys, you can come out now."

48. Start wearing a crown, all the time. If your roommate tells you to take it off, say, "What the hell do you think you are? A king?"

49. Sit in front of a chess board for hours, saying nothing, doing nothing. Then, look up and say,"I think this game goes a lot faster with two players."

50. Talk back to your "Rice Krispies." All of a sudden, act offended, throw the bowl on the floorand kick it. Refuse to clean it up, explaining, "No, I want to watch them suffer."

Hehe, okay, so I hope that entertained you. For those who have seen the list before, I'm sorry, but please feel free to re-live the memories!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: To me, boxing is like ballet, except there's no music, no choreography, and the dancers hit each other.

How Embarrassment!!!!

2005-09-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so on Wednesday I had to perform at the launch of the National Youth Awards in Darwin. Not just me by myself, but me and the other girls in my dance class, you know what I mean!! So, as you do, we decided we would do the Can Can, coz we are just SO good at it you know. After a few days of practice, and remembering the routine we were ready to rumble!!! When we got to the venue, we saw how small the stage was and were thankful that there was only four of us in the routine (there was NO way more of us could have been on there!!). After a few quick run throughs, we were all good..............or so we thought!!!

We then went backstage and finalised our costumes/makeup and kept warming up and practicing lifts and things like that. We were supposed to be on at 10.27am (exactly). We were all so used to waiting around to go on stage that I was surprised that we would be on at such a time. My dance teacher was in the bathroom when we heard a frantic "You're on NOW!"

The three of us were like "what??"

"YOU"RE ON NOW!!!!!!!!!"

3 of us: "SHAUNA!!"

We couldn't find where she was, so one girl and myself went out on stage only to realise that the music had already started playing................we decided to just stand there and ruffle our skirts about and smile. Then Shauna and Madeline came up on stage and by that time, the music was halfway through the dance and none of us knew what part we were up to. We tried to do a few kicks and I tried to follow what Shauna was doing, but alas, it was unsuccessful. I looked at Madeline and she looked at me and we both had that look in your eyes that said "this is a joke!!"

Shauna realised we couldn't keep stuffing around and in fact, the audience were actually laughing at us, so she was like "Cut, we have to start again!!"

Then she was like "sorry, I was in the bathroom............" This created more laughter from the audience.

We then did the dance again, pretty well I must say for people who had just recently suffered severe embarrassment. Though there was this one woman in the audience who kept cracking up the whole time, so I don't know whether that was a good thing.

We were also on the news for two seconds (our stuff up was not though!!).

Well, that is my most recent embarrassing story, I'm glad I could share it with you!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: We used to laught at Grandpa when he'd head off and go fishing. But we wouldn't be laughing that evening when he'd come back with some whore he picked up in town.

Relay For Life

2005-08-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have told anyone that we, yes, DEET Financial Services are doing something called "Relay for Life". Basically we are raising money for the Cancer Council of the Northern Territory. We are doing fun things such as raffles, 50's clubs, selling drinks etc, and so on and so fourth. The 'Relay' we are participating in is pretty much an all night event where people from our 'team' walks around an oval continuously (taking it in turns ofcourse). I think it's for a pretty good cause, so I volunteered to do my rostered hour (or thereabouts) at 10am in the morning, as then I would only have to wait one hour until the relay was over (because it finishes at about 12noon!!). I don't particularly want to spend the night on an oval (yes, year 12 muck up day was enough for me!!! Damn those mozzies!!).

So, today we are having a lunch, where people have donated food and we are charging people who want to come to the lunch $10.00 to raise yet more money. The absolute great thing about this affair is that our team 'leader' had a great idea and now we are all wearing the VERY PURPLE relay shirts for the lunch. I can honestly say that the 'small' shirt is very BIG and I look like a purple people eater. I feel like an idiot wearing such a shirt and I can't wait to take it off. I think I bought a shirt this colour when I was about 14 and even then, I only wore it for a little while because I guess I realised what a mistake it was..............purple shirts guys, PURPLE shirts!!!

What on earth were they thinking??

Where they thinking??

We are going for a Hawaiian theme and we have those grass/plastic skirts (very colourful too) and mumus/lays to wear around our necks. Oh man, I can't wait!!!!

For this lunch today I donated 'fish balls' I know how popular they were with my uni buddies and also Kasun liked them. My dad made a 'funny' comment to our team leader by saying that he'd have to find some male fish, coz we need fish balls. Now, you guys can honestly see where I get my stupid sense of humour from!!!

Okay, I hope everyone enjoys dreaming about my fish balls (especially all those vegetarians out there).

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I'd like to see a nude opera, because when they hit those high notes, I bet you can really see it in those genitals.

I'm SO Full!!!

2005-08-18T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Guys,

You would think I would have gotten over stuffing my face everytime there was free food or a buffet, but alas, it seems I still haven't gotten over it!! In fact, I have just got back to work after a very yummy farewell lunch and am feeling like I'm going to pop (much like the guy off Comedy Inc getting acupuncture). Why I do this, I have NO idea!!! Anyway, I tell people it's because I come from a third world country and therefore ALWAYS get a doggy bag when ever I go to a restaraunt (I don't always do this, but I say I do - one of those stupid things you lie about!!). Anyway, my friend Alyane was telling me that she and one of her friends (who I met a while ago) went out to a restaraunt recently and couldn't eat all their food. Alayne's friend was like "where's Anika?? We should really call her coz she's from a third world country!!" Hehe, I thought that was quite funny.

Anyways, I've started going to the gym, well, I've been twice in two weeks, so that's like once a week, which will soon lead to twice a week and so on and so fourth. That should (hopefully) make me more concious as to what I put in my mouth (no smart comments there Mel - I know what you were thinking!!). Seriously though, when I see all that food, all I think is "Wow, how fast can I get into that!!!" I need to control my urges to get my money's worth like I'm controlling my urges to yell at people (and punch them too!!).

Well, at least I ate everything that was in front of me!!! I bagged people out for leaving stuff on their plates (well, one person anyway, there I go, lying again!!). Seriously though, if the food is good, I think, you're only young once, and while I don't have to consider blood pressure, cholesterol, etc, etc, I'll eat what I like!! Hehe.

Yeah, well, this was a weird post. I hope you all smiled and nodded and thought 'what an idiot!!' Hehe, seriously, I'm feeling quite ill now.

Happy Daffodil Day to everyone!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you ever teach a yodeling class, probably the hardest thing is to keep the students from just trying to yodel right off. You see, we build to that.

The Hardest Time Of Life

2005-07-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

What actually IS the hardest time of our lives?? I was told in year 12, that it was the hardest time in my life. Hmmm...........I don't agree with that. In fact, I found year 12 to be alright. Perhaps this is because I'm looking at it in hindsight. It was probably the hardest time I'd ever faced in my 17 years on earth, but probably not the hardest time I've ever faced in my 22 years on earth. In fact, I'm going through probably the hardest time of my life right now. I think I have too many choices, and options to choose from and I have people's feelings to take into consideration, and money to think about and who knows what else!!! "Welcome to adulthood" I hear you all say, and I say "yeah, thanks".

However, there are many hard times in people's lives, for example, being born is apparently the hardest thing you'll ever do because your body undergoes so much stress. My mother had me by Cesarean Section, so I guess I didn't really go through a hard time, though, she on the other hand, probably did.

Then you hear of people who's hearts break when they have to tell their kids they don't have enough money to buy them that fancy toy they wanted. Are they SERIOUS?? What about the people in third world countries who don't even have to tell their kids they are going to die soon because they don't have food to eat, because the kids know it themselves!! Is that particular point in time the hardest in their lives, or is it their WHOLE life that is hard, and one more thing like that isn't going to make it any harder??

Man, I'm really getting worked up about this. I think it stemmed from this guy from the "Save the Children Foundation" talking to me about sponsering a child through them even though I told him I already sponser one through World Vision. However, I would be able to help children in Australia through this fund, so I was told. This was yesterday and I stood there and listened to him for a while and said I would prefer if I could make a one off donation, however, he wouldn't hear of it and was even reluctant for me to check out their website, because I told him I wanted a bit more information. He then told me he was a walking talking brochure!!! Argh!!! Anyways, I told him I'd give it a bit more thought and went on my merry way.

Then, today, I saw him again. He asked me "did you think about it??" I said "yes, and I've decided not to do it because I already sponser a child through World Vision". He then asked me how much I pay per month and where my child was from. I told him "Africa" and then he said, "you could sponser a child from Asia or help a child in Australia for less than that". I got a bit peeved as it really seemed to me like he was trying to get me to choose between races, and we all know that is not acceptable. I then told him I would prefer to sponser a chlid in Africa because the Australian Government offers some support to Australian children, much more support than the African government. I think it was then that he realised that I was a hard sell, and it was NO DEAL!!!

I supported his cause, but honestly, he was too in-your-face for my liking!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: To me, it's always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says "Hey, can you give me a hand?" you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."

So It Figures.........

2005-07-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

I've gotten so old that the 'Candyman' movie I watched last night was not the version I watched as a child. In fact, this one was so pathetic, I felt rather embarrassed for getting Adam all excited about watching it............ It had the same cover as the original and I didn't bother to read the back of it, coz I mean, honestly, how many 'Candyman' movies can there be?? I know there are two, but this one didn't have part 2 written on it anywhere (or perhaps it did, now when I think of it, but I'm sure it didn't...........I'll check when I get home). Anyways, I was disappointed and I think Addy was too. Oh well, I'll just have to look for the original one I watched in my time.

I've been practicing hard for the Can Can performance we are doing at Bastille Day on Saturday night. I had a practice last night and I was so tired after it. I have been surviving on not much sleep this last week. I can't wait until our performance is over, I'm too busy to go to practices..........busy doing what?? I don't know!!!

Hmmm...........what else has been happening?? I have been moved to another location on the 12th floor. Ironically, I'm now sitting where my Dad used to sit (I think they did this on purpose!!). I have a great view of the ocean, which is quite delightful, but I feel isolated because I don't face anyone. In fact, I face a partition wall and a shelf of folders. How excitement!!! I now have a longer walk to the fax machine, printer, photocopier, toilet, kitchen, and exit door. I have a great view though (I keep telling myself this!!).

I'm actually going to miss all the hustle and bustle of having visitors when the leave. It makes life seem that little bit more exciting when you have to take people places. We are going to the Wharf for dinner tonight. Fish and chips!!! Yay!! For all you Kiwis, that was fush and chups!!! Ha ha!!

'Til next time, take it easy......

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny.

Katherine

2005-07-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

So now we are doing the 'Tourist Thing' and taking our visitors around the Territory. We went to Katherine on the weekend and had a pretty good time.

Now, Katherine is three hours drive south of Darwin and is well known for it's Gorges. A Gorge is a body of water between two bodies of rock (I think this is the definition of a Gorge - sue me if I'm wrong).

We arrived at about 3.30pm on Saturday after a 9am-ish start. It took us that long due to us stopping for rests and also detouring and having a look at Adelaide River's old Railway Station. As we were leaving the Station, we heard the sound of a train and lo-and-behold, it was the Ghan. It was quite spectacular and I'm sure we all went slightly mad taking photos.

When we reached Katherine we decided to go to Katherine Hot Springs for a little swim, which was nice and relaxing. Then we went to our hotel rooms and had lunch (a rather late one). After eating too much, we all decided to go for a walk around town and get some supplies, ie. chocolate!! When we got back, we realised we were so tired, and all went to bed.

The next day, we went to the Katherine Gorge and went on the 2-hour tour by boat/ferry (I don't know exactly what it was). It was honestly beautiful. I can't imagine how nature can be so spectacular (this sounds like a cliche), but it was...........

Darryl Somers went there to promote the Territory. Remember the advertisement "You'll never, never know, if you never, never go". Well, part of it was shot at Katherine Gorge. Also, the first Australian film "Jeddah" had scenes shot at the Gorge. This film also had Aboriginal actors in it, which was historical in itself. Anyways, I'm starting to sound like the guide, so I'll stop with all this talk.

In all honesty, Darwin is at it's most beautiful at the moment and now, is probably the best time to get over here!!! So, get over here and you can go and see all these cool places!!!

I feel like I'm missing out a lot being at work and all whilst my visitors and parents do other cool stuff. However, I'm connecting more with Adam, and I'm really going to miss him when he leaves.........we hired the movie 'Candy Man' last night, and I told him that I'll watch it with him. Yet another old school thing that he would have been too young to know about 10 years ago when I watched it for the first time!!!!

Miss you all!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: We tend to scoff at the beliefs of the ancients. But we can't scoff at them personally, to their faces, and this is what annoys me.

An Unlikely Feminist

2005-07-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my extended family, Sashani, and I went to see Madagascar. It was a pretty good movie, though it had taken ideas from 'The Lion King', and also the book 'Life of Pi'. However, the penguins, giraffe, and hippo were original, so all was not lost.

When I was dropping Sashani home, Adam (my cousin's son) was forced to come with me to protect me from all the evil's on the roads of Darwin. I knew he really didn't want to come, but I laughed at him and told him he had to do what he was told coz he was young (I actually enjoyed this part, and I'm sure he felt like punching me). On our way to Sashani's she talked continuously about dancing/clubbing/guys. On our way back, Adam said to me that he used to do dancing. I was obviously impressed (he is only 12) and asked him what kind of dancing etc. He used to do break dancing and crib-walking. I expressed my interest and said "my friend's brother can do crib-walking!" I told him he had to teach me to do it. Then I asked him how long his brother Andrew had been with his girlfriend, Sarah. "6 months" he replied. "6 months and they've already been on a holiday together!!" I exclaimed. I then said "you know, boys ALWAYS get to do what they want, you are really lucky you know!" I think I surprised him a little with my attitude and frustration. He didn't say anything to that (I don't know what he could have said that wouldn't have lead to a lecture, so I think he did the smartest thing by staying silent!!). I then asked him what kids do these days for fun. He said hanging out at the shops and occasionally the park where they might ride their bikes around. I bet they terrorise people at the shops (this is just a well informed guess, I'm sure he doesn't do that!!). We actually became pretty close last night, and I feel like I got to know him pretty well. When we got home he said to his dad “Anika knows what crib-walking is!” and actually sounded quite surprised. I then felt old because he just assumed I wouldn’t know what it was!!!! He’s a nice kid and I will continue to impose my thoughts on feminism on him till he gives in and just smiles and nods!!!

Yes, that’s a GREAT idea.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: When you go ice-skating, try not to swing your arms too much, because that really annoys me.

Full House And Other Things

2005-07-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, well, it's been a long time coming, but I've finally decided to update my blog. Woohoo!! I just returned from Sydney on Monday morning. My flight got in at about 12.40pm and by the time I collected my luggage it was about 1.20am, and by the time I got to sleep it was about 2.00am. I thought I'd set my alarm on my mobile for 6.45am so I could leave for work at 7.30am. When my alarm went off I dragged myself out of bed, and went to the bathroom, it was only then I realised my mobile was still on Sydney time, and it was actually 6.15am Darwin time!!! How annoying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways, I got over it, and things were all good.

I had a nice time in Sydney, it was freezing and rainy, but there were a couple of days of sunshine in there which cheered me up and made me feel like continuously saying "it's another BEEEUUUUTIFUL day!!!" Thanks to all my buds who made me feel welcome and those who made a big effort to cross over from the ACT into the real part of the country. I honestly had a blast with you all. I also enjoyed all the shopping I did!! Woohoo, go the Factory Outlets!!! Also, spending time with a certain 'someone' was fun and I'm glad to see that some things never change.

At the moment our house in Darwin is full. My cousin from Perth, her hubby, and one of her sons (the little one) are here for a holiday. So far, it's been so good. I played basket ball with Condi and Adam yesterday, and I think I almost passed out from running and jumping like I haven't done in a long time!!! It was a lot of fun though, and I realised I can still shoot hoops a little............

We are all going to see 'Madagascar' today. I've heard this isn't a GREAT movie, but I'll try not to go in there with too many expectations.

Take care and you have a BEEEUUUTIFUL day!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: For mad scientists who keep brains in jars, here's a tip: Why not add a slice of lemon to each jar, for freshness.

Tourist Season

2005-06-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Due to the fact that Darwin is so beautiful these days, we are having a lot of tourists coming over here. It's weird how you can spot a tourist a mile off. Perhaps it is their pasty white skin (these are usually the European tourists - mainly from England), or maybe the fact that they are the only people remotely interested in the many souvenier shops in Darwin. I remember being able to spot an American exchange student a mile away, probably because I could hear them, but if they weren't talking, it was due to the way they walked. I also remember at uni thinking I was able to tell the difference between Sri Lankans and Indians, but I was wrong at times (this has nothing to do with tourists, but I thought I'd just chuck it in there).

I have decided to compile a list of how to spot a tourist, so that if you see one, you can say "g'day mate, want to chuck another shrimp on the barbie?!?"

Traits of the Tourist:

The cool digital camera so small, it would fit in your pocket (if you decided to steal it)
The caps with FLAT peaks
Bumbags or money pouches hanging around their waists
Wearing socks with thongs (this usually happens in Canberra)
The confused looks and frequent looking up to the sky (I don't know why they do this, but I probably did it in Sydney too)
The facination with plaques scattered about the place
Trying to save money on food by shopping at Woolies
The longish denim shorts (these are especially popular with older American ladies)
The VERY short denim shorts (these are especially popular with younger American ladies)
The facination with koalas and kangaroos (get over it guys, we eat these animals - just not the koalas)
The trademark wooden beaded necklaces (these are popular amongst the younger men, even local Darwin guys have been known to wear these to appear more attractive to the ladies)
The 'chinos' worn by guys in clubs (remember, it's Darwin, stubbies all the way here!!)

Okay, that's the most comprehensive list on how to spot tourists. I would appreciate it if you would add more to the list in the comments section.

We need to be 'aware, and not alarmed' by these people.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Any man, in the right situation, is capable of murder. But not any man is capable of being a good camper. So, murder and camping are not as similar as you might think.

How Excitement!!!!

2005-06-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ha ha!!!! Only 18 days until I'm in SYDNEY!!!!!! Can I have a simultaneous 'Woohoo'?? Thank you people (I know at least one of you said it!!!). Now, I'm getting rather excited about seeing the place again. Sydney became a huge part of my life and ofcourse I didn't realise it until I moved back to Darwin. I wouldn't say I like Sydney more than Darwin, but I will say that both cities (yes, Darwin is a city) hold very special places in my heart.

I have no real liking of flying, but I can't wait to get on that plane and sleep (hopefully) and then wake up when there is only 10 minutes until we land. I'll then wipe the sleep from my eyes and drool off my chin, scrape my hair back into something known as presentable and try not to imagine myself getting off the plane and running into someone's arms, because if I do, I'll probably push everyone who is in front of me out of the way and disembark from the aircraft in an unorderly way. It's tempting though.

I need to take a deep breath and relax, but I can't and I know I'm going to get more and more excited as the days draw closer and closer...............

I can't wait to see my long lost buddies who will come from far and wide to meet me.....YAY!!!!! Thanks for your emails, messages, and phone calls and for just keeping in touch!!!! I suffered a while when I first came back due to you all not being here, thanks for making me feel missed (you don't know how much I appreciate that!!).

Hmmm.......what else?? This is turning into an insane rambling.........

Oh, I don't know...........

Hey, here's a joke:
Q. What's black and white and red all over??
A. A Newspaper!!!

Now there's one to tell your friends..............

See you later!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: A wise man can pick up a grain of sand and envision a whole universe. But the stupid man will just lay down on some seaweed and roll around until he is completely draped in it. Then he'll stand up and go "Hey, I'm Vine Man."

Wildlife

2005-06-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday during my lunch break I decided to go for a walk around town as I had eaten too much at morning tea. Yes, I still behave much like a starving College resident at places where copious amounts of food is just left on tables. By the time lunch time rolled around I felt like I could just roll around too. I wasn't hungry but needed to get out of the office.

So, during my walk I saw a baby possum bound down from a tree and run underneath a bench. I was facinated and bent down to have a closer look. It was adorable and I wanted to pat it. So I put my arm out and ofcourse it scampered away from me. After about a minute, it decided to go back under the bench and eat some food that had been left there. The bench was in the shade so I decided to sit down rather than stand in the sun and look rather ridiculous bending down looking at something that most people probably wouldn't be able to see if the drove past. I kept a close eye on the possum who kept running around but always came back to the area near the bench. I was scared it would get run over by a car, but it didn't cross the road, but stayed on the pavement. Everytime it came running back to near the bench it would come closer to my feet, then finally, it came so close it actually licked my toe!!! I think I must have moved slightly because I imagined it biting my toe and me having to get all sorts of injections afterwards, and it bounded off again.

Hehe, so, that was my experience with the Wildlife in Darwin yesterday.l

I also had an experience with another sort of Darwin Wildlife a few days ago. After coming back from doing the mail round for work. I was crossing the road and was confronted by a man who said in a VERY Australian accent: "Ah, another Sheila!!!" I wasn't sure if he was talking to me so I just kept walking towards him. He then asked me where I was from and told me his name was Dave and put his hand out as if to shake my hand. I didn't want to be a bad sport so I put my hand out too and he took it and kissed it!!! Hehe, I was shocked and walked off feeling VERY embarrassed.

Ah yes, there are many 'Wild' creatures in the NT.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist" because you could save money on tooth X-rays. But then I thought, if a patient said "How's my back tooth?" and you just looked at it with your X-ray vision and said, "Oh, it's okay", then the patient would probably say, "Aren't you going to take an X-ray, stupid?" and you'd say "Aw, screw you, get outta here," and then he probably wouldn't even pay his bill.

The 'Hood

2005-05-31T16:23:00.000-07:00

Some of my happiest childhood memories involve the children in my neighbourhood. There was a time when all we seemed to do was play in my yard..........a far cry from what 'kids these days' do!! In fact, there hardly seems to be many kids in the neighbourhood now. I guess my childhood buddies have all just moved on..........

It would usually start with my cousin and I playing outside on a Saturday afternoon. This was a common occurrence after we got home from gymnastics. Then the two boys from next door would come over and we might play a better game, like 4-square. Then, my other next door neighbour, Holly would come over, and we would all decide to do something else, like go on my see-saw. However, my see-saw could also spin around, and it was always much more fun when heaps of people pushed it round whilst two people sat on the ends. The guy who did this best was Daniel, my across the road neighbour, he was older than us and obviously stronger. The other boys across the road would also join in and pretty soon, we had a huge crowd. There was always little brothers who needed looking after when things got too rough. Often the see-saw would topple over because it was spun around too quickly and we would all fall off. The see-saw was quickly picked up and two new people would get on.

After we got tired of pushing people around and around, we would play different games, like red-rover, hide-and-seek (which we re-named hidey-go-tip, due to the tip-ish nature of the game), tip, and brandy. Red-rover would always get rough and was made even harder by the coconut tree in my front yard being in the way, we had to dodge around it and try not to step on the bull-ants which would bite us. During tip we had a 'barlese' place which was our tap outside where you could get a drink and were immune from getting tipped. The person who was 'in' had to give you 10 seconds to get away from them after getting a drink. I would often use the tap for my own convenience much to the others annoyance, and when the person who was 'it' was almost going to tip me, I would run to the tap and get a drink. Hehe, sneaky, wasn't I?? Brandy consisted of the person who was 'in' throwing a tennis ball (or something similar) at people, and if you got hit, you were 'in'. The boys would always chuck it really hard at us. I can't remember if my aim was accurate......

I really miss those days and I'm so glad for them. I don't think I'm very close with any of the kids I played with now, but we had so much fun together when we were young, weird how people grow apart..........

I'll leave you all now and bury myself in my nostalgia.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I think there should be something in science called the 'reindeer effect'. I don't know what it would be, but I think it'd be good to hear someone say, "Gentlemen, what we have here is a terrifying example of the reindeer effect".

Interview & The Eisteddfod

2005-05-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, yesterday was a pretty busy day for me. I had an interview for a part time phlebotomist and I also had to perform in the NT's Annual Eisteddfod.

The interview went well, I have applied for numerous positions at this location and I was happy to have FINALLY gotten an interview. I was interviewed for two positions simultaneously, I had also applied for a part time lab assistant position. I wasn't that nervous and I think I handled all questions well and didn't babble and croak too much. Anyway, the guy rang me this morning and advised me that I hadn't gotten the job, but that it had been down to me and someone else. The other person got the phlebotomist position because they had experience, whereas I had only done the pathology collecting course. He was very nice about it and said I was really good in the interview and that I performed better in the interview than the successful candidate, however due to my lack of experience they preferred the other person. However, I am still being considered for the lab assistant which I'm pretty happy about, though, it's a position that might not even be filled..........Oh well, there is always next time, and there are more positions I'm going to apply for.

My dance performance at the Eisteddfod was good. We didn't win, or come second. I actually don't know what our score was, but we had fun!!! (That's the main thing, right??) We honestly needed to have practiced with each other a LOT more to get the synchronized movements, but I had fun and smiled a lot. It's like a dream when you have to perform on stage. When you get off, you think 'did I really just do that??' Kind of like when you give a presentation, your mouth seems to have taken off all on it's own, and you don't even seem to control it. I miss the times when I would be backstage with my little dancing buddies talking and laughing about other people's costumes and dances and the feeling of nerves that made you want to go to the toilet. The only reason I needed to go to the toilet backstage last night was because I couldn't be bothered taking off my leotard beforehand, and so it was an Arafura Games Opening Ceremony-like affair.

It was a busy day, I had fun, but I'm happy it's over!!!!! I'm getting too old for things like this.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If you wear a toupee, why not let your friends try it on for a while? Come on, we're not going to hurt it.

Bargain Mate!!

2005-05-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hello There,

There is nothing BETTER (well, not much really) than getting a bargain!!! I see you all nodding away at your computer screens (make sure no one is watching you, or you will be accused of having the 'weird' gene). Well, my BARGAIN for the weekend was getting a cheap flight from Darwin to Sydney on the 26th June!!!! Yes, I was THRILLED, it only cost $99.00 plus tax which made it all up, $108.95. How good was that?? I kept checking the prices last week and the cheapest I could find was about $194.00, however, I kept putting off booking the ticket for some uknown reason (I now know this reason). I looked yesterday and found this little beauty and booked it straight away. I'm now waiting for the perfect time to book my ticket back from Sydney to Darwin. I consult the stars and moon each night, but to no avail, I guess I'll just have to keep looking on webjet.com.au Hehe. I'm VERY happy with my good buy.

On the other hand, I have had numerous experiences buying clothes and shoes full price only to find that next time I visit that same shop, they are selling for half price, and I still haven't had the opportunity to wear the item!!!!!!!!!!! Things that make you go ARGH!!!!

On the other hand (seeing as I now have 3), I am getting VERY EXCITED about coming to Sydney!!!!!!!!!!! Sure, my exam is on the 27th June, but after that, I get to see everyone!!!! I miss my dear Sydney friends heaps, you know who you are (yes, those who didn't FORGET my birthday). All the rest, well phuuh!!! *scoffs* I guess I'll see you guys as well.

Be sure to post comments about bargains you have all come across. Vidya, perhaps your Mum might like to add her 20Kg of potatoes for 20 cents??

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Just as irrigation is the lifeblood of the Southwest, lifeblood is the soup of cannibals.

The Real Thing

2005-05-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

I know all of you have been sitting on the edge of your seats just WAITING for me to put up my next post!! Well, here it is!!!!!!! *Bows (not Japanese style though!!)*

The Arafura Games Opening Ceremony went off really well. My sari was tied really tightly around my waist, cutting off the blood supply just the way I like it, and the make up I had to wear made me look pretty similar to a She-Devil (or a Drag Queen even). The dancers dressed me, did my hair, and put on my make up. I felt like I was getting married!! Hehe. We somehow managed to get on the bus on time (I don't know how, I can't remember the last time I saw so many females getting dressed so quickly). Once at the venue, I really needed to go to the bathroom, however, as my sari was pinned to my tights, I didn't really want to unpin it, for fear of the sari falling down in certain places. I was therefore kinda 'busting' for a few hours, it was okay though, I forgot about my bladder sometimes and would remember later on, it was like a vicious cycle. The timing was not a problem at all during the night, in fact, I think we kind of killed it!!! (Now, you can see how modest I really am). I mean, I personally didn't kill it, but the professional dancers were awsome. I don't know if any of you have seen Sri Lankan dancing, but the costumes are spectacular and the flips, jumps, barrel rolls, fire eating are great!! The men's costumes are MUCH nicer than the women's (why is that??), and I think honestly, the guys stole the show. We, as mere back up dancers did pretty well ourselves, there was only one bungle and as the crowd was probably not looking at us, it didn't matter at all. It's amazing what adrenaline does to you!! After the performance we were all involved in a fire spectacle which launched the fire works. I thought that was GREAT!! After that, I was teased mercilessly by the dancers (I think it was because I couldn't understand Sinhalese that well!!), and I remembered that I needed to go to the bathroom. After I came back, even though I pinned the sari back into my tights, it still managed to look incredibly daggy, so I congratulated myself on waiting till the end of the show to go to the toilet. Hehe. All in all, it was a very good production, apparently it was going to be shown sometime this week nationally on channel 7. I saw the show on Sunday in Darwin, and honestly, it was not very good, very budget like, and honestly quite embarrassing, not national material at all. Damn you Darwin!!!!!!

Okay people, take care, and tune in next time for the next update!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: Somebody told me how frightening it was how much topsoil we are losing each year, but I told that story around a campfire and nobody got scared.

Arafura Games

2005-05-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Now, I'm not sure how many of you know about the Arafura Games, but let me tell you, they are going to be spectacular. Yours truly is dancing in the Opening Ceremony so how could it NOT be good?? Actually, they are like a mini Commonwealth Games, with less participants. The participants come from places near the Arafura Sea (hence the name 'Arafura'), and they compete for one week. Anyways, I have been going to practices on the Marrara Oval (which is also incidently our cricket ground, don't talk to me about scores!!), the last one being yesterday after work. I got home at 9.30pm and was TIRED!!! I'm still TIRED!!! The funny thing about this dancing business is that the people teaching us the traditional Sri Lankan dancing are professional dancers from Sri Lanka (funny that). Anyway, one of the dance groups came to Darwin in about 1998 for Sri Lanka's 50 year Independence Celebrations, and I was infatuated with the drummer (me being 15 and all). I thought he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen (he was 26 at the time) and we hit it off right away (I don't know how, when I look back, I could hardly speak Sinhalese then!!!). Anyways, I didn't see him for what, 7 years and then I met him again last week. You know, it was a really weird situation, but I think we have both moved on. Hehe (I don't know why I'm sharing this with you all, I'm sure Mel will find a way to taunt me with it, but I say "Go ahead, do your worst!!"). There is absolutely no connection there, but he's a nice guy and a good dancer/drummer still. What can I say, time seems to have healed all wounds (what wounds??). I have no idea what the last part of this post had to do with the Arafura Games..........

Talk about a tangent!!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I think someone should have had the decency to tell me the luncheon was free. To make someone run out with potato salad in his hand, pretending he's throwing up, is not what I call hospitality.

Pathology Collecting

2005-05-05T21:05:00.000-07:00

You know you've learned something from a Pathology Collecting course when you see a man (probably a tourist) carrying heavy shopping bags, and think "he's got really good veins". These were my exact thoughts about 20 minutes ago, therefore, I MUST have learned something from my 3 day course!!! Hurrah!! It wasn't a waste of money after all!!! Actually, it was a lot of fun, and I did learn a lot. If I get a job as a Pathology Collector, I will be known as a 'Phlebotomist'!! Hehe, try saying that 10 times as fast as you can!! Go on, I know you want to!! After feeling scared the night before we started 'bleeding each other', I actually over came my fear of some person-off-the-street jabbing a needle in my arm, and felt scared about jabbing THEM in the arm. Talk about ironic. Apparently my technique is good, but the first time I performed 'venepuncture', I didn't go deep enough into the arm, and apparently I stuck the needle in too slowly. Well, excuse me for feeling apprehensive about jabbing a sharp object into someone's arm!!! Even though I was a little slow, I did manage to get blood the first time!! Yay!!! Meaning that I actually got the vein!!! The girl who bled me got blood too, and honestly, she was VERY good, it didn't hurt at all, though my heart was pounding out of my chest like in the cartoons, I probably wouldn't have felt a dog biting my leg while I waited for the needle to enter my arm. Apparently Doctors are the worst bleeders, ha ha, suckers!!! My second bleed the following day saw me behave more calmly, therefore there was less relieved laughter after the process (this was kinda embarrassing the first day). I didn't get blood the second day, but apparently my technique was better, I went faster and deeper into the skin, though I missed the vein. I was told not to worry, as the second girl had BAD veins.

So, guys, if you need a blood test, call your favourite Phlebotomist, you know my number!!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.

Gizmo

2005-04-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sure all those who read my blog know I have a cat named Gizmo (except random people like Elijah, who was that guy??). Now, Gizmo is getting on in age (he will be 12 in a few months!!), however, he still behaves as if he was about 6 months old. I don't know if he is having a mid-life-crisis, but lately he has been tearing around the house in the mornings. He did this last probably quite a few years ago. It amazes me that the same tricks still amuse him, and I love the fact that sometimes I'm quite afraid of him and have to tell my Dad to come to my aid. That cat has attitude. Anyways, after his recent mad dash down the corridoor, he whacked into the bathroom door (it was loud!! I was also in the bathroom at the time), later that night we noticed he was limping. Poor little thing!!!! After cuddling him and telling him not to run around the house so much we thought he had understood. However, the very next morning, he was at it again!!! Gizmo holds a very special place in my heart. I got him when I was 10 during my school holidays. He was a neighbourhood stray and since my cat had recently passed away, we adopted him, or maybe, he adopted us, we will never know. I have heaps of photos of him growing up, and there is one photo of me holding him. I showed my Dad this photo recently and commented on how little Gizmo was. My Dad then said, look at how little YOU are!! Which really got me thinking. Gizmo has been a part of my life for so long, I don't know what I'd do without him. Though I don't realise it, sometimes I take him for granted (however, I realised this when I was at Uni, when I wanted him to be in my unit so I could hug him to keep myself warm). He is a beautiful cat and I would marry him if I could!!!!! Hehe.

Things that make you go AWWWWW.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: When I found the skull in the woods, the first thing I did was call the police. But then I got curious about it. I picked it up, and started wandering who this person was, and why he had deer horns.

A Night Out With Bronte

2005-04-25T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Sorry for taking so long to post a new message, I told you this blog thing might not go so well!! Hehe, anways, I had a pretty eventful night with my buddy Bronte on Saturday.

As you do in Darwin, we visited 'Ducks Nuts' at the start of the night, had a drink (I had a coke), and checked out the more fashionable population. We then proceeded to the 'Lost Arc' where we grooved to older music, which we know and like, because, shock horror, we are kind 'old'. The song 'Mambo Number 5' came on by Lou Bega, and ofcourse we danced to that and put in our own 'trumpet' movement, which was VERY amusing. I requested 'Don't Stop Moving' by S Club 7 so we could do the 'robot' and crack up laughing. At about 12am we went to the 'Vic' and there proceeded to 'play' other instruments, these included the following:

bagpipes
piano/keyboard
guitar
harp
flute
drums
trumpet (again)
saxaphone
recorder
cello
violin
woogie board (Rolph Harris style)
our own mouths (making that popping sound with one finger)
our armpits (trying to make a fart sound)

I don't know what other people thought of us, but honestly I didn't care!! I had fun making Bronte almost fall over laughing, and I'm sure she had fun doing the same to me. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Our 'instrument playing' was interspersed with bouts of the 'robot'.

All in all, it was a really good night, even though I stunk like cigarettes afterwards.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: I bet when the neanderthal kids would make a snowman, someone would always end up saying "Don't forget the thick, heavy brows". Then they would get all embarrassed because they remembered they had the big hunky brows too, and they'd get mad and eat the snowman.

The Elevator

2005-04-20T16:06:00.000-07:00

Now, as most of you know, I am working with the Department of Employment, Education and Training. It is an okay job and I'm pretty happy here so to speak. However, there is one thing that really gets me down, yes, it is the elevator.

Now, I work on the 12th floor. My building has 14 floors (I like to think of myself as a 'top' person) *laughs at own stupid joke*, and most of the time people from the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 13th floors are in the lift that my Dad and I choose. 'Why is this a bad thing??' I hear you ask. Well, the uncomfortable silence that usually takes place is one thing. People being in your personal space is another. The looking up/down/not at people's faces is yet another. Not to mention people with strange fashion sense standing in front of you, leaving your mind to ponder what they were thinking when they woke up in the morning.

I often think of the forward email '25 things to do in an elevator', my favourite being "greet everyone with a warm handshake and ask them to call you admiral".

However, it is not bad say 5% of the time. I was in the elevator once with my Dad, this lady Sandra who works with us (who is really funny/loud), and some other randoms, one lady had a small suitcase with wheels. This lady got off at a floor that was not ours and my Dad made the comment "I don't think I'd like to stay here for the weekend" and Sandra, without missing a beat said "yeah, I don't think the room service would be any good". Now, that was really funny and everyone laughed.

I'm glad I could share one of my happier elevator stories with you. You have a good day now.

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If I could be a bird, I'd be a Flying Purple People Eater because then people would sing about me and I could fly down and eat them because I hate that song.

Missing Sydney

2005-04-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about the great city:

1. My boyfriend, Kasun (the 'long distance thing' really sucks!!)
2. My friends from Uni, MUV and randoms met along the way
3. My unit
4. My apparent independence
5. The HUGE bookstores
6. The Thursday nights out with Annique at Metropolis (and then getting Maccas on the way home)
7. The monorail (the views are gorgeous if you don't get into a carriage that gives a sardine tin a run for it's money!!)
8. The $6.00 roasts at the Ranch
9. Oporto's Bondai Burgers!!!!!
10. Kasun's car (c'mon, it was a nice car!!!)
11. Cooking with Shakti (then having him yell at me to get out of the kitchen!!)
12. Eating icecream at Darling Harbour
13. Buying cheap/expensive/useless things at Paddy's Markets
14. The long bus ride to the city

Ahh yes, Sydney does hold a VERY special place in my heart. One of the things I regret not having the opportunity to do is sliding down the sails of the Opera House

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: If they ever come up with a Swashbuckling School, I think one of the courses should be 'Laughing, Then Jumping Off Something'.

The Dream Team

2005-04-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes, now we all have one. The other members of the dream team (Yumna especially) convinced me that I too should start a blog. Let's see how long I can keep this up!! To all who read this, you may be wondering who the Dream Team are. Apart from playing fabulous basket ball, the dream team also attended Macquarie University together.

Star player and also center: Mel
Forward and offensive player: Vidya
Baseline and defensive player: Yumna
Last but not least, slam dunker (AKA Michael Jordan): Anika

So, as you can see, we were not just smart jocks, but also 'incredible goodlooking'. All one word (Zoolander Style).

This post is a tribute to my Dream Team Sisters. I miss you guys a whole lot and I can't think of better colleagues/friends I could have spent my University life with. Thanks for the great times and introducing me to sarcasm, the highest form of wit.

'Though we are far apart, our spirits share the same earth, and the same sky'

Yes, that is from the movie 'Cheetah', an all time favourite of mine (when I was a kid, ofcourse!!)

I will finish off with a nice sayonara and I hope to see everyone I don't see often, very soon.

Take care and say hi to your Mum for me!!

Jack Handy Thought For The Day: It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.