Dunc bawling his eyes out.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Update...
And now for a spot of news. "spot" I say - not likely.
Well, work at the moment has been a little slow. Starting a new big job at a firm in town on Tuesday, ongoing full-time position, waiting until they find someone permanent to fill the possie. In the meantime, I'll be there doing nothing but 9 to 5 and loving it! Have been hanging to get back to do some work. Have felt a little like a couch potato, not that I've been lounging on the couch... Bank balance is beginning to look a little scary too, but hey, what do you expect when you keep living and not working??
Music has been a little slow to evolve. Have worked on a couple of new pieces, none of the originals yet though. They require a little more fine-tuning before I will be remotely happy. Sometimes I get the feeling that I'd be better off just screwing them up and forgetting about them... Who knows, maybe I will yet. And I feel as though I have been kind of putting it off, but I know I shouldn't. I need something fresh...
And yes, the overseas plans are still current. Estimated date of departure is 2005. Ha! Kidding... The plan is sometime late August - early September. I haven't booked anything yet, though - I was wanting to have some kind of semi-regular income before I started throwing money 'round and committing myself to more than I could possibly handle. Hence another incentive to be working...
The current itinerary:
Fly out Melbourne - Amsterdam
3 days Amsterdam
3 days Berlin
3 days Prague
3 days Vienna
3 days Salzburg
Munich I'll be playing by ear - either o/night or 3 days, depends on how much I love it, if at all
3 days Venice
3 days Nice (possibly more - would love to do the south of France)
3 days Lauterbrunnen, and possibly kind of detouring to Geneva to catch up with a friend
back to Lauterbrunnen or Bern, then through to Paris for 3 to 5 days
So there you have it. Just went to have a look for my sketchy itinerary and couldn't find it. I think I have some length of time wrong. I think I'm spending 5 days in Prague... Oh, I forgot Cesky Krumlov! I'm spending a few days there, too. Plus, I might spend some more time somewhere in the middle of the trip just to avoid the whole monotonous movement, relax a little, breathe the air, meet the people, abuse the tourists. :P
And now to yesterday - had a photo shoot. :P brother and sister-in-law gave me a voucher for Christmas 2004 and i used it yesterday. very amusing. felt like a model. and whoa, the photos! :P very funny. :P i thought they were hilarious, some of the expressions weren't very me at all, but then some of them were so me!! anyway, the mother, sister-in-law and a mate came along for the ride and laughed along with me. i should get the photos in about 3-4 weeks, so hopefully i'll be able to scan some in or something and put them up. no digitals, sorry!!
leaving now. speak soon.
Well, work at the moment has been a little slow. Starting a new big job at a firm in town on Tuesday, ongoing full-time position, waiting until they find someone permanent to fill the possie. In the meantime, I'll be there doing nothing but 9 to 5 and loving it! Have been hanging to get back to do some work. Have felt a little like a couch potato, not that I've been lounging on the couch... Bank balance is beginning to look a little scary too, but hey, what do you expect when you keep living and not working??
Music has been a little slow to evolve. Have worked on a couple of new pieces, none of the originals yet though. They require a little more fine-tuning before I will be remotely happy. Sometimes I get the feeling that I'd be better off just screwing them up and forgetting about them... Who knows, maybe I will yet. And I feel as though I have been kind of putting it off, but I know I shouldn't. I need something fresh...
And yes, the overseas plans are still current. Estimated date of departure is 2005. Ha! Kidding... The plan is sometime late August - early September. I haven't booked anything yet, though - I was wanting to have some kind of semi-regular income before I started throwing money 'round and committing myself to more than I could possibly handle. Hence another incentive to be working...
The current itinerary:
Fly out Melbourne - Amsterdam
3 days Amsterdam
3 days Berlin
3 days Prague
3 days Vienna
3 days Salzburg
Munich I'll be playing by ear - either o/night or 3 days, depends on how much I love it, if at all
3 days Venice
3 days Nice (possibly more - would love to do the south of France)
3 days Lauterbrunnen, and possibly kind of detouring to Geneva to catch up with a friend
back to Lauterbrunnen or Bern, then through to Paris for 3 to 5 days
So there you have it. Just went to have a look for my sketchy itinerary and couldn't find it. I think I have some length of time wrong. I think I'm spending 5 days in Prague... Oh, I forgot Cesky Krumlov! I'm spending a few days there, too. Plus, I might spend some more time somewhere in the middle of the trip just to avoid the whole monotonous movement, relax a little, breathe the air, meet the people, abuse the tourists. :P
And now to yesterday - had a photo shoot. :P brother and sister-in-law gave me a voucher for Christmas 2004 and i used it yesterday. very amusing. felt like a model. and whoa, the photos! :P very funny. :P i thought they were hilarious, some of the expressions weren't very me at all, but then some of them were so me!! anyway, the mother, sister-in-law and a mate came along for the ride and laughed along with me. i should get the photos in about 3-4 weeks, so hopefully i'll be able to scan some in or something and put them up. no digitals, sorry!!
leaving now. speak soon.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Mission for the future... Part III
And once again, apologies for the delay, but you know the deal, I'm sure - Christmas, New Year, and then beach mission! And then post-beach mission recovery, of course. So, beach mission...
Where was I? Oh, that's right... day 4? The first full day of program.
It's funny how the team rally on the morning of the first full day of program. They're quite perky, clothes are clean, everyone's smiling, ready to tackle the big day head-on. Any ignorant on-looker would be none the wiser that most (if not all!) had had less than 7 hours sleep the night before. People bearing trays of cooked, buttered toast are shouted down as they attempt to evenly dole out food to the apparent malnourished. There is no hope for anyone attempting to address the horde in order to say anything meaningful, not a word would be heard.
But then a shrill whistle is issued by one of the boys and everyone cranes to see who is seeking the attention - comments are made about "peanut butter knives", "strict 11pm curfew" and "locking away food from foraging wombats" before the holler for "water" is made and the clash and clatter continues. Large tubs probably more commonly associated with a well-endowed washer-woman are toted in so that dishes can be done as quickly as possible. Some discretely slink off to brush their teeth and wash their faces before turning up for the next team bonding session - team prayer and team study. Today's delegated duty group disappears into the cooks' tent to help with the peeling & cutting of the fruit and vegetables for the day's meals. They are obviously oblivious to the happenings outside of their potato bucket or chopping board - their distracting yet amusing and pleasant chatter and laughter can be heard in the main marquee.
Team prayer allows team members to share and learn more about people in their team that they may not ordinarily have any involvement with in any other sub-group within the team. There is something significant about a person sharing an intimate and personal detail of their life with a small group of people that they hardly know, if at all. For most it can be quite a challenge to make that step of trust and, well, lay their heart out on the table. Some of the most interesting insights into the lives of fellow team members can be found during team prayer. Some people also consider it a fabulous time to catch up on some much-needed sleep... Therefore, team prayer and team study can blur into one... The general "topic" for the day is covered in a mostly challenging way, provoking thoughts from an angle that may not have been considered before by an individual. As the team consists of people from many different churches, all with different backgrounds, upbringing and christian influences, the depth of discussion can vary greatly. When small groups are asked to discuss certain points of the topic, it can be quite intriguing to hear on which particular aspects each group got hung up on, or even if they made up their own tangent...
Once team study has been completed and prayers for the day have been said, everyone scurries off to their respective tents for preparation for the morning program. The younger age groups have less time to prepare, as their program starts at 10am, whereas the older age groups have until 10.30am to prepare. Leaders are frantically making sure that the ropes on the tents are secure, everything is in place, and that all the decorations for the tent theme are looking fabulous. Let the games begin!!!
There is nothing that compares to the moment when the first lot of kids start turning up. Familiar faces poke into the tent, exuberant greetings are exchanged. For some it has been a year since meeting, for others it has been shorter, for others, longer. All are welcome.
One particular age group, the Eldads (for kids who have just completed years 10, 11 and 12 at school), are an intriguing bunch of young people. They've mostly managed to get over the stage of attempting to impress anything that moves, and are generally fairly relaxed with who they are, and with meeting new people. Especially when those people are older than them and are keen to talk to them - like the leaders!! A small bunch of kids turn up, a few games are played to "break the ice", and conversations are encouraged. For the first day at least, the atmosphere is pretty relaxed, the leaders just want the kids to feel comfortable around them and feel as though they're gonna have a great time if they stick around. The kids all disappear at about 11.45am, off to their campsites, or to the beach to check out the waves and wonder if it's worth driving 'round to Squeaky to check it out.
The leaders, meanwhile, scurry to finish up conversations without making the kids feel as though they're being booted out, and then head off to team worship - a great time of relaxation, contemplation and thankfulness. The time is spent quite differently day to day, as different groups of people lead. Some days are more challenging than others, but then that can depend on the individual, as each day you are encouraged to "worship" in a way that you feel comfortable with.
Lunch is much the same as breakfast, although everyone doesn't look quite so perky, isn't quite as noisy, and their clothes are a little dirtier. As a side note, breakfast was 5 hours ago...
Where was I? Oh, that's right... day 4? The first full day of program.
It's funny how the team rally on the morning of the first full day of program. They're quite perky, clothes are clean, everyone's smiling, ready to tackle the big day head-on. Any ignorant on-looker would be none the wiser that most (if not all!) had had less than 7 hours sleep the night before. People bearing trays of cooked, buttered toast are shouted down as they attempt to evenly dole out food to the apparent malnourished. There is no hope for anyone attempting to address the horde in order to say anything meaningful, not a word would be heard.
But then a shrill whistle is issued by one of the boys and everyone cranes to see who is seeking the attention - comments are made about "peanut butter knives", "strict 11pm curfew" and "locking away food from foraging wombats" before the holler for "water" is made and the clash and clatter continues. Large tubs probably more commonly associated with a well-endowed washer-woman are toted in so that dishes can be done as quickly as possible. Some discretely slink off to brush their teeth and wash their faces before turning up for the next team bonding session - team prayer and team study. Today's delegated duty group disappears into the cooks' tent to help with the peeling & cutting of the fruit and vegetables for the day's meals. They are obviously oblivious to the happenings outside of their potato bucket or chopping board - their distracting yet amusing and pleasant chatter and laughter can be heard in the main marquee.
Team prayer allows team members to share and learn more about people in their team that they may not ordinarily have any involvement with in any other sub-group within the team. There is something significant about a person sharing an intimate and personal detail of their life with a small group of people that they hardly know, if at all. For most it can be quite a challenge to make that step of trust and, well, lay their heart out on the table. Some of the most interesting insights into the lives of fellow team members can be found during team prayer. Some people also consider it a fabulous time to catch up on some much-needed sleep... Therefore, team prayer and team study can blur into one... The general "topic" for the day is covered in a mostly challenging way, provoking thoughts from an angle that may not have been considered before by an individual. As the team consists of people from many different churches, all with different backgrounds, upbringing and christian influences, the depth of discussion can vary greatly. When small groups are asked to discuss certain points of the topic, it can be quite intriguing to hear on which particular aspects each group got hung up on, or even if they made up their own tangent...
Once team study has been completed and prayers for the day have been said, everyone scurries off to their respective tents for preparation for the morning program. The younger age groups have less time to prepare, as their program starts at 10am, whereas the older age groups have until 10.30am to prepare. Leaders are frantically making sure that the ropes on the tents are secure, everything is in place, and that all the decorations for the tent theme are looking fabulous. Let the games begin!!!
There is nothing that compares to the moment when the first lot of kids start turning up. Familiar faces poke into the tent, exuberant greetings are exchanged. For some it has been a year since meeting, for others it has been shorter, for others, longer. All are welcome.
One particular age group, the Eldads (for kids who have just completed years 10, 11 and 12 at school), are an intriguing bunch of young people. They've mostly managed to get over the stage of attempting to impress anything that moves, and are generally fairly relaxed with who they are, and with meeting new people. Especially when those people are older than them and are keen to talk to them - like the leaders!! A small bunch of kids turn up, a few games are played to "break the ice", and conversations are encouraged. For the first day at least, the atmosphere is pretty relaxed, the leaders just want the kids to feel comfortable around them and feel as though they're gonna have a great time if they stick around. The kids all disappear at about 11.45am, off to their campsites, or to the beach to check out the waves and wonder if it's worth driving 'round to Squeaky to check it out.
The leaders, meanwhile, scurry to finish up conversations without making the kids feel as though they're being booted out, and then head off to team worship - a great time of relaxation, contemplation and thankfulness. The time is spent quite differently day to day, as different groups of people lead. Some days are more challenging than others, but then that can depend on the individual, as each day you are encouraged to "worship" in a way that you feel comfortable with.
Lunch is much the same as breakfast, although everyone doesn't look quite so perky, isn't quite as noisy, and their clothes are a little dirtier. As a side note, breakfast was 5 hours ago...
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Post-resignation
Normality. That's what post-resignation feels like. Nothing has changed, I'm still working, and I have 6 working days to go... I still get in at (approx) the same time every day, still do my job, still organise stuff as though I'm coming back to work after Christmas. And still not feeling as though this is it. I am, however, looking forward to Monday morning being the last Monday morning!
Friday, December 10, 2004
End of an era
And today, it has happened. My first official resignation. What fun!
Resignations are weird. Why do you have to give notice? Does anyone do any work in their last two weeks?! The company know you want to leave, so why can’t you just leave when you want to leave?
Hmmm… and how do you write a letter of resignation? Google, the ever-present fount of all cyberspace wisdom has the answer. Or answers, as the case may be. You can write blunt letters, you can write disgruntled letters, nice letters, soppy letters, and basically any kind of letter you want.
So that’s it. I googled, I typed, I resigned.
Holidays, here I come!
Resignations are weird. Why do you have to give notice? Does anyone do any work in their last two weeks?! The company know you want to leave, so why can’t you just leave when you want to leave?
Hmmm… and how do you write a letter of resignation? Google, the ever-present fount of all cyberspace wisdom has the answer. Or answers, as the case may be. You can write blunt letters, you can write disgruntled letters, nice letters, soppy letters, and basically any kind of letter you want.
So that’s it. I googled, I typed, I resigned.
Holidays, here I come!
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Abuse by neglect
And having realised that I have ignored my poor blog for nearly a month, I feel I must apologise to it.
Dear blog,
Please accept my sincerest apologies for ignoring you the past (nearly) month. I realise that no excuse is acceptable, but that our relationship can only be rectified by my being more attentive to your needs. Please forgive me - I hope that this will not hinder any ongoing friendship or future communication.
Sincerely,
Suz
Dear blog,
Please accept my sincerest apologies for ignoring you the past (nearly) month. I realise that no excuse is acceptable, but that our relationship can only be rectified by my being more attentive to your needs. Please forgive me - I hope that this will not hinder any ongoing friendship or future communication.
Sincerely,
Suz
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Off to see the librarian...
I'm about to head off to the State Library! Woo! I haven't been there for years... I love the domed room on the first floor - you can hear someone scratch their nose on the other side of the room. 'State Library of Victoria'
Today
Suz's quote for today is as follows:
It is never too late to give up your prejudices.
If you happen to know who wrote this, and the title of the book, I shall be very impressed. I shall also be very impressed if you own the book. Who pays $170 for a book?!
And I am currently listening to:
'Big Daddy Weave'
It is never too late to give up your prejudices.
If you happen to know who wrote this, and the title of the book, I shall be very impressed. I shall also be very impressed if you own the book. Who pays $170 for a book?!
And I am currently listening to:
'Big Daddy Weave'
Monday, November 15, 2004
Mission for the future... Part II
And day three, the fun begins... The morning is spent preparing our tents for the activities for the next week - decorating, tidying up, fixing tent poles and ropes that have loosened from the day before. Some of the more regular (and bolder!) kids pop around for a quick look to check out how it's all going, for a bit of a chat with some of the team, and just to watch us all in action. In the afternoon we start preparing for the GT (Get Together) concert that will be happening that night... The excitement builds as we all start gearing up for the inaugural concert - how will the turn-out be?! Some of the first-timers have no idea what to expect, but even the veterans still have the buzz of excitement coursing through them as 7.30 arrives and the "curtain" goes up... The music is bright, not to mention the clowns, the jokes are witty, as is the puppets script, the drama leaves you challenged and the serial (i.e. soapie) always leaves you asking for more... For many the evening has ended, but for some of the older age teens, the fun is just starting - hot milo and some friendly faces are more than happy to talk and/or listen to those who show... The first night is always the most interesting - the facade of being "cool" and not being too involved is clogging the air - but that soon breaks down as some of the regulars let down some walls and help the atmosphere to lighten a little... The night draws to a close, the team heave a sigh of relief, and mentally prepare themselves for the following day - the first full day of program.
Friday, November 12, 2004
Mission for the future...
Sweat gathering on the forehead, sunscreen-smeared dirt on every visible surface of the body, a team of 70-odd keen (generally) young-uns brave the elements to erect a campsite which will be their communal home for the next two weeks. This band of enthusiasts were mostly unknown to each other before joining the "mission for the future" that is team Tidal River SUFM.
Each year a team of people hike down to Tidal River in Wilson's Promontory (The Prom) to run 10 days of holidays programs for fellow campers. The first day is a hard slog, with trucks arriving burdened down with sleeping and camping gear, tents and poles. A truck arrives later in the day with equipment that has been stored in a shipping container on a benevolent farmer's block during the year. Appetites are voracious, the sun is no less so, and at the end they all feel as though they've done a good day's work. A large marquee is up, happily situated centrally on the camping site, comfortably settled amongst two sleeping tents (one for girls, one for boys), and a tent to protect the food from the sun, wind, rain and roaming night creatures... Wombats love getting into the fresh fruit and vegetables.
Day 2 begins with the raising of the remaining tents. Teamwork is essential as people stand at all of the points of the tents, sledgehammers are flying through the air and ropes are being firmly tied. Finally, all the tents are up, and a subconscious sigh is emitted as everyone feels as though the "fun" can begin. Lunch is doled out, and everyone is given a little space in the afternoon to relax a little and tidy themselves up. Before you know it, they're all back together again, clean, slightly kissed from the sun, and wielding an innumerable amount of balloons, loud instruments, singing voices and cheery smiles. The Prom will never know what hit them... The team split up into smaller groups, tactically planning to somehow reach each and every campsite within walking distance. Kids come running out, familiar faces from earlier years are beaming as names are remembered, greetings are exchanged and promises of meeting later are made. That evening there is to be a great carnival for all the family to enjoy!
You'll find plenty of funny photos to be seen here!
Each year a team of people hike down to Tidal River in Wilson's Promontory (The Prom) to run 10 days of holidays programs for fellow campers. The first day is a hard slog, with trucks arriving burdened down with sleeping and camping gear, tents and poles. A truck arrives later in the day with equipment that has been stored in a shipping container on a benevolent farmer's block during the year. Appetites are voracious, the sun is no less so, and at the end they all feel as though they've done a good day's work. A large marquee is up, happily situated centrally on the camping site, comfortably settled amongst two sleeping tents (one for girls, one for boys), and a tent to protect the food from the sun, wind, rain and roaming night creatures... Wombats love getting into the fresh fruit and vegetables.
Day 2 begins with the raising of the remaining tents. Teamwork is essential as people stand at all of the points of the tents, sledgehammers are flying through the air and ropes are being firmly tied. Finally, all the tents are up, and a subconscious sigh is emitted as everyone feels as though the "fun" can begin. Lunch is doled out, and everyone is given a little space in the afternoon to relax a little and tidy themselves up. Before you know it, they're all back together again, clean, slightly kissed from the sun, and wielding an innumerable amount of balloons, loud instruments, singing voices and cheery smiles. The Prom will never know what hit them... The team split up into smaller groups, tactically planning to somehow reach each and every campsite within walking distance. Kids come running out, familiar faces from earlier years are beaming as names are remembered, greetings are exchanged and promises of meeting later are made. That evening there is to be a great carnival for all the family to enjoy!
You'll find plenty of funny photos to be seen here!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Style of Life
That's right, my style of life (not really my "lifestyle") is about to change quite dramatically. For many reasons, some of which may not exactly appeal to you, I have decided to quit my full-time job, take a bit of a break until about Feb 2005 and then hit the part-time working trail. All of this is in pursuit of the completely satisfying world of music composition. Hurrah!
Some would say this new venture is quite brave of me - venturing out into the unknown, no strings attached, burning my bridge(s)...
And the others (i.e. those who don't think it's brave) either think I am silly and will go running back to my job within a month, or are quite happy for me to do whatever it is that I want to do. "You're young..." they say, as though they had *expected* me to up and quit my job and run away with some foreigner...
But obviously those of you who know me (and are familiar with my innermost workings) know that I will only be happy if I have the time I need to do what it is I love... i.e. the universal language.
Some would say this new venture is quite brave of me - venturing out into the unknown, no strings attached, burning my bridge(s)...
And the others (i.e. those who don't think it's brave) either think I am silly and will go running back to my job within a month, or are quite happy for me to do whatever it is that I want to do. "You're young..." they say, as though they had *expected* me to up and quit my job and run away with some foreigner...
But obviously those of you who know me (and are familiar with my innermost workings) know that I will only be happy if I have the time I need to do what it is I love... i.e. the universal language.
Virgin blogger
Welcome to blog.
I, too, was a blogger virgin, until introduced to it inadvertently... And what a fascinating thing it is! I feel as though I can write whatever I wish (and thus release some of my creative urge to have an opinion about everything and simultaneously have a captive audience) and that people actually care about what I have to say!!!!
I hope you have as much fun reading as I do writing, and that you also manage to comment on how insightful I am, or how ridiculous I am, depending on the material of course. Happy blogging.
I, too, was a blogger virgin, until introduced to it inadvertently... And what a fascinating thing it is! I feel as though I can write whatever I wish (and thus release some of my creative urge to have an opinion about everything and simultaneously have a captive audience) and that people actually care about what I have to say!!!!
I hope you have as much fun reading as I do writing, and that you also manage to comment on how insightful I am, or how ridiculous I am, depending on the material of course. Happy blogging.
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