I would say sorry but I'm not. It's actually has some pretty good story lines.
Though I do, unfortunately admit that I like Twilight, the books, not much of a fan of the movies though!
Vampires have been around in history for a very long time, whether it be your attraction for the undead, the seduction of a pretty face or your love of authority, which ever your reason for liking vampires, it's your own, even if you don't like vampires.
My reason for liking vampires is that they live forever, and imagine how much history you could see.
My reason is because you can see all the history first hand.
History is funny, though because at the time history is being made, most of the time we are unaware.
I'm sure that when Germany elected Hitler to lead their country they wouldn't have foreseen the history it was making.
Or that an assassination would lead to the great world war.
Or what an icon the Beatles would be when they started playing pubs in Liverpool.
But even so, it would still be pretty cool to say that you witnessed it.
There a those moments in history that you can remember where you were when it happened. Like September 11 2001, I remember being woken up by mum to come look at the tv, it was a school day, I was almost 11 and really didn't know the significance of the event that was unfolding, I just remember wishing the news would stop being on so I could watch 'home and away'. Two things I'm not very proud of.
I don't remember when Princess Diana died I wasn't yet 7 then.
Though I remember where I was when I heard of Heath Ledgers and Michael Jackson's death.
My love affair of history wont stop any time soon, just knowing something was made over 100 years ago amazes me!
I hope one day I'm able to go to England and see the rich history there, and most especially Rome, a place with over 2000 years of rich history. I would like to visit Egypt but for now I might put that destination off.
Do you remember any significant history making events in your life time? I'd love to hear them!
But for now, I'm going to watch some more Vampire Diaries and live vicariously through the history of the characters.
It has been 1 whole year since it was a blistering 40 degrees and 90% humidity.
I can't believe it has been a whole year since our wedding, since feeling so nervous and tired on that day, it was such an experience and I wish I could relive it to remember it more clearly but I'm also glad its over, no more of those nerves!
This time round, it was a beautiful 30 degrees spent in Melbourne.
My first trip in Melbourne, on Sunday we got up around 9 and went shopping all over Melbourne CBD. Lots of shopping and buying clothes with christmas in mind.
We walked around the whole day, clothes shopping all morning, had lunch at Nando's and then went to the Queen Victoria Markets, where I bought an awesome pair of aviators, which S thinks are too big and silly but I like them :)
What do you think?
For dinner we took a walk down to the river and tried to look for a restaurant to eat dinner at. After looking at about 10 restaurants, umming and ahhing over where to eat, we just chose the next restaurant because we were over looking, turned out to be the best restaurant.
The food was crazy and weird, way more fancy then what I usually eat, I didn't understand a word on the menu but just found the first thing that had chicken in the title.
While we were waiting for dinner a band started setting up outside the restaurant. And as the drummer and piano player were setting up the guitarists did a few acoustic songs.
The first song he played just so happened to be the song S and I danced to at our wedding!!!
We couldn't believe it, when the first few strings were played we knew exactly what song it was, we just laughed hilariously, it was the perfect night, simple and to add the song being randomly played, awesome!
As I sit here typing I am counting down the minutes until I have to get ready for my last university class for 2013. I have... 1 essay 1 laboratory class 2 exams 1 week - 40 hour placement left before I can say I've finished my first year of uni. And tell you how fast it's gone! Mind you I probably have spent more hours on holidays then at uni, but thats uni life. I've always wanted to do something in medicine, and I think it's because it's always fascinated me! The smarts, the confidence, the ability to help people. Initially I wanted to be a doctor, this probably came from watching too many episodes of ER and Grey's Anatomy, but I thought I'd never cope and wasn't smart enough. This usually arose from being in the higher classes which I shouldn't have been in. I was in class with kids who had been studying since primary school, I didn't even know what study was. They got 90% in every test, in every subject. I got a few good results on a few tests so they thought, alright, we will chuck her in with the smarty pants. Probably the worst thing ever. I did not flourish, instead I just compared my 80% to their 90% and decided I wasn't capable and didn't want to try. It's amazing the environment in which you are, can determine your attitude and mindset. Next year's nursing subjects will be a bit more in line with what I always thought nursing was, working in a hospital, dealing with life and death situations. Next year I will be going on placement in a hospital in Sydney, on a medical/surgery rotation and I will be given my own patient load... If that doesn't sound scary I don't know what does!!! I mean, taking a BGL on a person this year was hard enough and it was only drawing a little bit of blood, I'm not sure how I'll cope next year honestly. It's such a huge task, but since the course is only 3 years it has to happen sooner or later. S commented last night that they will teach me everything I need to know before I'm let out on placement. And yes sure enough they will teach me and tell me everything I'll need to know before I go, but the difference is the setting. I don't have a supportive teacher telling me what I'm doing wrong nor do I have a dummy to practice on who wont go ouch. I will be dealing with real people, real problems, and real emergency's that I will need to react to without fault. Which frightens me. I'm not quite sure if my natural response is flight or fight yet, usually my brain just shuts down when trauma happens and I can't think things through when high adrenaline situations happen. Hopefully I will move past that with experience and learn how to keep a cool head in extreme situations! Anyway. As I sad, I still have an essay to finish, which is due tonight and a lab class to get ready for, and a big scary arse science test on tuesday!!! Hope all is well and I shall see you after exams!!! P.S. This is a photo I took at the start of the year when I got my nursing uniform.
It was my birthday yesterday. I am now 23. It was a great day. Spend the morning at a nursing home singing songs and a devotion. Then worked from 12-5, not so much fun but its only 5 hours and my only shift all week so yeah. Came home to a clean house, thanks to my sis E. Had lasagne and garlic bread for dinner while we watched Star Trek 2, that my hubby bought for me. He also bought me season 6, 7 and 8 of F.R.I.E.N.D.S dvd in the same style cover as the dvds of friends I already had. I am so lucky to have my husband!!! I almost forgot it was my birthday a few times yesterday, how uneventful birthdays are nowadays. Ahh to be a kid again. Going to school with anticipation of going home and opening presents with the whole family there and going out to dinner. Looking forward to spoiling my kids the same way too, one day eventually haha. I got lots of other presents from my in-laws, who are amazing! Very lucky. An outdoor setting for our newly paved patio, and pot plants with some very nice plants! So stoked to drive in the driveway to see them!!! I will take some photos next week and post them up. It has been a very hectic week with family visiting, and heading up to Sydney tonight for my dads 60th birthday party tomorrow. Also as I type my assignment is due at midnight tonight... And I've barely done any of it, so I'm off to finish my powerpoint presentation and hopefully submit it before lunchtime! Wish me luck. Hope you have a fantastic weekend? What are you up to on this fine school holiday weekend? I am flogging my blog over with WithSome Grace for FYBF
How did I do it last time? I lost a lot of weight leading up to the wedding. I didn't touch chocolate or fast food in almost 5 months. And when they wedding was over, I pretty much packed all the weight back on, and then some. I'm not saying I'm obese or anything, but I know this isn't the size I want to be. Especially coming into summer, when last summer I bought new clothes, and this summer I can't fit into them! But I just can't stop eating chocolate. Its frustrating me. I think, I'm doing really well, when for a 5 k run yesterday, haven't eaten too much bad food today. Then I get into the chocolate and before I know it, the whole block is gone. What is wrong with me. I know the only person who can stop me is me. But really, it's my own fault for letting myself go after the wedding. I really hate myself for doing that! But alas, there are people worse off then me. So I will savour this last piece of chocolate for the day. And go for a run tomorrow and try and start again. How on earth did I do it last year!
I haven't exactly 'grown up'. You honestly are only as old as you feel.
When I was a teenager I wanted to be a doctor, and now I'm studying to be a nurse!
Same difference haha. I just like learning about the human body!
The only thing I don't like is the assignments for the other subjects, like this psychosocial nursing assignment I need to do, like now, but am writing this instead, and crocheting.
I also didn't think I'd be married but I am, or that I would want kids, which I really do!
So when I grow up, I'd like to be a registered nurse and working full-time, I'd like to have some children, and I'd like to be more organised then I am now! With a clean house!!!
I have to admit, I've got writers block. It's really frustrating me, because I love the creativity of blogs. The design, the content, the community. So I've been looking around for ways to try and reinvigorate my blog and in a sense me. It has been a hard, tough, and pretty long year. Starting so many new things, losing family members, welcoming new family members. A new town, new marriage, new work and new study. I came across Fat Mum Slim's article on 50 things to blog about so I'm going to steal one and write about it. No. 14 -- The day you started blogging, what were you thinking? I started a blog back in 2010 with a friend of mine. It was great, we were going to post about fashion, food, knitting, books, movies and music. We would each post in a different colour and end our posts with a -K or an -R. It lasted about a month or two. My sister Kylez over at A Study in Contradictions had been blogging for a few years and I really enjoyed reading her posts and looking at her photos. And found that I wanted to join in on the fun. I'm not really sure what my intentions for starting a blog really were. I used to write little poems or short stories when I was younger, writing seems to be a family thing that goes back to my grandmother. She wrote stories upon stories about the encounters she had with random strangers on the street in bankstown or about one of her 4 children or 15 grandchildren. I was quite young when she past away so she only wrote one story about me. It was something to do with me wanting to eat lots of chips and chocolate. Not much has changed!!! I find it hilarious that even at a 3 year old I had an infinity for consuming copious amounts of chocolate and hot chips. But hey, if this is my legacy I s'pose I should just accept it, if I tried to change it, I wouldn't really be my most natural self. I think I tried to get to much into the 'popularity' of blogging, getting excited that I had people following. I started trying to get into the 'popular' group but in year 6, and by the time I was in year 7 realised that I did not want to pretend to be a different person every time I went to school. These girls just weren't like me and I shouldn't be trying to change myself. Just causes more embarrassing moments for myself. Also, I have no children, so really my days are pretty boring without a little cuteness to talk about during my days. So from now on, I will endeavour to write for myself, write about things I love the most, watching movies, reading books, knitting and crocheting, and learning to be a nurse. (Hopefully I can start reading and watching more movies and books because I've been sorely lacking in those areas for the last 6 months!) Hope your tuesday is going well. Today is hubby's 23rd birthday, our first birthday celebrations together, I keep singing 'nobody likes you when you 23' (blink-182, in case you were unsure). I shall be making a lasagne from scratch (except the lasagne sheets, I buy those), but the white sauce and meat I got! And trying to find the recipe for butterscotch pudding which S loves so much. Hope all turns out well, not a great cook. How did you spend you 23rd birthday? Linking up with Jess for IBOT
Thought I should write a post, considering I'm meant to be studying, seems like a great procrastination tool if you ask me. Today is my slightly less full on day, I only have one 2 hour class, my nursing lab class, where we pretend we are in a hospital doing nurse like stuff. Last session in these classes was really good at the start, we learnt how to take a manual blood pressure, with a sphygmomanometer, who came up with that word! Anyway we also learnt how to take BGL and do observations, and for the rest of session we basically just redid them every lesson. But this semester is a step up, we are learning how to do an ISBAR handover. Which stands for, Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendations. Every thing in nursing, whether it be writing nurses notes or how to hand over a patient to the next shift or calling a doctor to alert them to a situation with a patient can be daunting, so they create simply acronyms to help us do it. Basic way to make sure we provide all information and is relevant to a handover or writing notes. That was first lab class. Today we are learning how to wash people, so swimmers are needed, I'll let you know how that turns out. Also we are learning to feed and brush peoples teeth. So it should be an interesting class. This is really important, considering in three weeks time we are going on placement for two weeks in a nursing home where we will be doing a lot of showering and helping people eat and observations. And suddenly I feel like I've forgotten everything I've learnt! Well should get back to study. I'll try and write something more interesting next time, but I'm pretty boring so probably not. :)
So I've been absent for a few weeks, my apologies. It's been quite busy down in this small town. Clinical placement, university, study and just general life has been happening this last few weeks.
Clinical placement was, well, interesting is a good word to describe how that first week out in the life of a nurse. First day was nerve-wrecking, made the hour long trip out to Narrandera at 645 in the morning. All teary eyed because I didn't want to go!!! But I left and made my way, to my surprise it was not as bad as I had made it out to be, like always. What is it with me blowing things out of proportion inside my head, is it just me? I arrived about 20 minutes early and made my way inside to be orientated around the doctors surgery and meet everybody. The first few hours was just watching and listening. Then the fun happened. Well depending on your perspective. On the first day I watched the doctor remove a tumour from an elderly man's leg. The needle going in was fine, watching the doctors stick it in and move it around administering the anaesthetic, then the scalpel came out, watching him cut, I'm all good, calm fascinated. Then it came to removing the tumour and cutting underneath the tumour to remove it from the leg, still going fine. Removal of the tumour revealed the dermis layer of the skin, awesome, fascinated, white and weird all at once. Then came closing up time. This is where it all went down hill. I did not faint, luckily, I pretty much know when I'm going to be faint so I removed myself from the room and got some fresh air. Tried going in for a second time but the heat and the nerves were getting the best of me and I just had to sit out for the rest of the procedure. I think it was just the doctor trying to pull the two pieces of skin together and figuring out how to close it up and it just started bleeding massively when he was pulling and tugging on the skin. So that was my first day. On Tuesday was a completely different story! I watched the doctors remove another, wider tumour, even more pulling and tugging and I was completely fine! I watched a sebaceous cyst removed from the head, which was messy, also was a few moles removed and a wart burnt of throughout the week. And I was completely fine. So I'm just putting Monday faintness to the nerves and heat inside that room! The rest of the week was good, took BP's and BGL's and took histories and watched the nurse do a GP management plan, which tied in more with the primary health care subject in which I was on placement for.
I visited the podiatrist in the first day, and the physiotherapist, chemist and pathologist and the primary health care nurse. It was a great week and saw so much, and enjoyed just experiencing the everyday working of a nurse in a doctors surgery setting. Second semester will be full on, it already it, into the second week now, and in three weeks have another 4 weeks of placement which is exciting and daunting at the same time, but having gotten the first time out of my system, I'm sure I can handle it.
Also finishing off some crocheting projects has been a high so declutter my spare room. If you haven't noticed from previous posts, I have been waiting patiently for the new arrival of a royal baby, now just have to wait for another baby to be born and I'll be super excited! Now pressure Kylie!
This post is being written in the last 15 minutes of the 26 of June. This day has particular significance as it is exactly 3 months till my 23rd birthday. Now I'm not afraid of numbers or growing old. Fear is not the word I would use to describe my emotions about turning another year older, or that I will be a full licensed driver in just under those 3 months, or that I'll be finished my 1st year of nursing in a few months, or that fact that I'm married and living 5 hours away from my first home. The emotions I'm feeling about this day have more to do with astonishment, amazement, and bewilderment. Words that barely describe how I'm feeling about turning another year older, and this is because all of my expectations of being a 23 year old, well, they just aren't true. I didn't have the most fun as a teenager, my weekend consisted of reading books on a saturday night and watching movies, ignoring homework. I barely had a social life, and this was a result of my shyness, insecurities and low self-esteem, bunched with all those other emotions you go through as a teenager, like self pity, oh good ol' self pity, kept me company during those early years to teenagehood. What got me through those years was, besides having an amazing family, was the knowledge that I would be different when I'm older and I'd be more confident. When I was 15, I used to believe and picture myself as a 23 year old, living life, independent, confident woman, in charge of her career, ready to take on the world. Little resemblance to the girl I was at 15, this was my hope. As the years have gone by and I slowly be digging my nails into my 20s I've realised that I am still that shy, worried teenager I was, just in a different way. I still have anxiety over everything, I can't make a speech with feeling like I'll faint. I can't do something knew unless I've asked someone about every aspect of the situation as to not be uninformed and stand around and look like an idiot, I did this a lot in high school, fear of speaking up I'd just be quiet. My defence mechanism was to avoid, or get out of any occasion that caused me grief and do it as quickly as possible. This anxiety made me physically ill, not that I let on, but it was very obvious on my wedding day when I wasn't behaving like myself. Turning the olden age of 23, (I know I'm still so young!) I've come to realise that I'm still the same person, you don't magically become someone else when you turn a different number, you just have more years under your belt, more perspective. I'm a bit over myself with regards to my anxiety over new situations, both social, uni, or work wise. But I'm pushing through it, doesn't help the anticipation though. This post purely came out of the fact that I'm beginning to feel very anxious about clinical placement next monday for a week an hour away from wagga. Worried I'll do or say the wrong thing, won't understand something, the list goes on, honestly, I wrote one! I'd like to know what you were doing when you were 23? Were you married with kids? Were you starting a successful career? Were you doing something else? I'd love to hear!!! Hope your week has been great and I'll speak with you soon!
I have no undies... I have no socks... There are dishes in the sink... And I'm on the couch knitting and looking up youtube videos of the royals families of europe... WHAT! I know I know, I'm terribly childish, I just love history, in particular, royal history. I am NOT one of those people who have a whole wall in my house dedicated to royal memorabilia, but if that's your thing then don't let me hold you back.
Can't wait for their baby! What will it be?! I understand this may be misconstrued as obsessive *cough* ... But it's not like that, I promise. I'm just at the stage in my life that I really love babies, and want one BUT I know I'm not prepared for one, I'm still too selfish, after uni maybe!
Doesn't stop me for being excited for everyone else having a baby. Particularly big sis Kylez!!! So excited!
Now getting back to my undies. I did have a load sitting in the machine since Saturday, when I was being proactive about this washing fiasco.
How do we make so much washing! We need to stop wearing so many clothes and in particular undies and socks. Or I should just start buying new ones... What do you think?
So the load is rewashing, I'm listening to the tree blokes take out all the tree stumps from the back yard and counting down the minutes till I need to leave to get my car checked for a pink slip.
I feel so grown up, and even though as a teenager I felt like I wanted to be older so my age would reflect my personality, and that I was seen was a responsible person.
I take it back. Please take it back!! I don't want no responsibility no more!
Alright, whinge is over.
Off to clinical placement next week, where I wont be telling you anything I do because I'm under strict confidentiality agreements. No seriously, I can't.
But I can tell you all the things I got to practice, such as taking blood pressures and temperatures and BGL's.
Pray for me that I have a good time!!!
Hope you enjoy your tuesday and have a great rest of the week.
Wow, I haven't posted in a few weeks. I apologise!!! I have been super busy with uni and work! Uni just finished and I think I went really well!!! I know that for one class I received a High Distinction overall in one class (thats before scaling so it may not be the grade on my transcript). I feel confident about my classes but I wont know final marks for about 3 weeks or so. Once they have marked the exams and scaled and so on. Fingers crossed!!! One of the requirements for CSU B nursing is that we have to do LOTS of placements. I mean a LOT. The requirements of a registered nurse to meet the board certification or something like that, is 800 hours of clinical placement, CSU does 1200 hours of clinical placement. Each semester basically we will be on placement for at least four weeks, then 8 weeks at a time, which is a long time to be away from home! Unfortunately be Measles, Mumps and Rubella immunity wasn't high enough that I was allowed to go on prac when I was meant to. I had to post pone it so that I could finish my dose of Chicken pox vaccine and also finish my MMR vaccine. I am the most vaccinated adult around! Anyway, 1st of July I go on Clinical Placement. I'm trying not to think to much about it otherwise I'll get to nervous and have breakdown and become catatonic... Finishing uni was a relief, I bought myself the movie Pitch Perfect to watch as a treat after I'd finished exams, for studying so hard and so on. It was pretty good, a few laughs. Have you seen it? Did you like it? Off to Sydney tomorrow to visit with family for a few days, squeezing in a visit in the middle of work and my break, and S is also away for this week so it's nice to not be home alone for all those days. I've also made huge progress in my knitting squares. What I've been doing is knitting these squares, crocheting black edging on them, then crocheting them together into a huge blanket. I had a problem with the edges puckering with the crocheting but I finally figured out how to stop it, whooo me! Alright I'm sure I've bored everyone enough, I know I can't believe how boring I am sometimes!!! Just a few goals for the next few months. Lose the 10kgs I put on since the wedding is on the top of it, and finishing the cardigan that I started knitting! Have you set any goals for yourself in the next few months? I'd love to hear about them!!!
It's almost exam time, and I'm flipping out!!! I haven't done much study in my life before this, well hardly any, and all the time I studied it was kinda unhelpful, I never remembered it afterwards and didn't help my nerves when it came to test time. I learn a lot through repetition, and recall for me builds confidence to know I've got it down pat, oh and teaching some one else, except S can get a bit tired of me talking, he's even started doing a dad and saying his listening but actually hasn't heard a word I've just said. Very annoying. This is a short post because I should actually be hanging out the washing, cleaning the lounge room, cleaning the kitchen, making dinner (trying a meat free dinner tonight, veggie lasagne with left of lasagne sheets I have, may post about whether its an epic fail or good, never cooked with eggplant before!) oh and studying for the massive exam I have coming up!!! I would like to ask for any study tips you have used that helped you prepare for tests. Any little tips that you used in high school or to get you through university! I would really appreciate it if you had any tips!!! Anyway, I hope you are having a great week!
So S and I have been married for almost 6 months now. It has gone super fast!!!
I've learnt that I hate cooking and cleaning up, slow cookers were made just for people like me. I've become very conscious of the cleanliness of the house, but really, only when people come over do I do an actual clean. Oh and I hate doing washing, hanging it out, bringing it in, and this is usually as far as I get, S comes home and doesn't understand why I can't do the last part and fold it and put it away. So I've started folding, but I haven't put any of it away, which means there is little piles of folded clothes around the house :)
It's safe to say I am not the steadfast housewife, and don't think it's going to change any time soon.
One things that been the most drastic change since moving out of home and being married isn't the house cleaning, or cooking, both of which I did back at home anyway, but it's getting up early!!!
Nine would be early for me, and ten was my regular get up time.
Now, the regular time I get up is 730. 630 if I have an eight o'clock class, but more often then not 730, latest is eight.
I know, you say, how crazy, you say, she gets up at 730, doesn't have kids, doesn't need to work (the paid kind of work) but she still gets up at 730. Don't worry, I say that to myself as well.
The reason for this change is that S leaves for work about 7:15, and he sets his alarm for six, he nice and lets me sleep till about seven then he must think that that's a good time to get up, so he comes in and asks if I'm going to make his lunch, and begs me to get out of bed.
I tell him to turn the heater on and all is good! (Just fyi, I don't make his lunch, and wont be until I have to make the kids lunch for school, another 15 years away).
That is the most drastic change for me, some of you may be early morning people and think its normal to get out of bed at 630 every morning, and all the mothers are probably thinking 730! Thats a sleep in. But if you know me in real life, this is getting up early.
As a teenagers I never even knew what saturday morning was, I never saw it!
Well thats it for today, just a little change but a big change in my life. May think of some other things to share about how married life has changed me and some more uni updates, which is going really well. I'm so happy with my results, bar one essay, but like my teacher said, it's a learning curve and I can only get better from here on out!!!
I started out linking with blog everyday in may (link in my side bar) which has some prompts, this one is to share a few links to some olds posts, to I'm going to link my most viewed post and my favourite post, hope you enjoy.
Oh and how can I forget the fantastic Jess over at Essentially Jess for I Blog On Tuesdays!
This is the piece of advice I got a few times before our wedding!
I've been applying it to basically all areas of my life right now. It really does help, it allows me to stop, take a breath, and really evaluate the reasons why I'm angry, annoyed, frustrated, worried, scared, you get the idea.
It's really given me perspective, I've been stressing so much lately over uni work, but I always remember what my mum told me in high school, "do as well as you can and that's all you can do".
I think sometimes we let all the crap in our lives rush in and take over and we get lost in all the unimportant stuff!!!
So my advice, remember what's important to you, remember that there is a tomorrow, and remember that it's never as bad as it seems, because thats life!
Linking up with "Story of my Life" for blogging everyday of the month of may! The link is in my side bar ---->
Married Wagga Wagga Uni Student Studying Nursing Graduate in 2015
Love Jesus He is my Lord and Saviour Family means everything to me Three sisters One brother One sister-in-law Three brother-in-laws Two beautiful Nieces
I love... Knitting
Crocheting
Reading
T.V. Shows
Craft
Rainy days Nursing
Lazy days
Self confessed Hermit Crab
Colouring-in
Sims3
Pretty much defines my life up until now.
Enjoying life the way its going.
Preparing myself for God's big plans.
The reason for this blog is I like to write.
And like sharing my thoughts, ideas, craft and faith with others! Please stay and have a look around!
So it's not unknown to many of you how much I enjoy knitting and crocheting. And it's not unknown that I am studying nursing and finding out some pretty awesome and mind-blowing things. While studying is enjoyable because I like what I'm learning about, I also need some time away from study, and essays and mini online tests. During this 'downtime' I like to watch T.V. shows, like I'm currently making my way through season 7 of House, I also have been busily finishing off a blanket I started yonks ago (last year) and finally finished it and wanted to share with you.
I've also been making a few things for my niece but I want them to be a surprise for my sis!! Linking up today with Jess for
So it's been over a year since I posted this list of 25 things to do by the time I'm 25 and I wanted to update it, so here is my updated version!
Pay off my car
Visit all the towns in the song "I've been Everywhere" (a photo with every town sign)
Finish my degree
Earn a living
Create my own pattern
Knit a jumper
Crochet a blanket
Overseas trips (to England; still working on it!)
Further my AUSLAN study
Learn a language (French or Russian)
Read 200 books
Write a story
Do a counselling course
Develop good eating habits Was going really well, but then I got married. So trying to fix it up again!
Get fitAgain was doing well... then I got married
Write a song, lyrically and musically
Read the OT and NT of the bible
Read all the novels on my shelf (doesn't equate to 200 books but it's a start)
Apply and get in to CSU
Own all the F.R.I.E.N.D.S dvds myself (moving away from home, need my own collection!)
Improve my photographer skills (maybe take a course)
Use up all the wool I've had since I was 15!
Paint our house (once we've moved in!)
Get Married
Move to Wagga Wagga
"A goal without a plan is just a wish" -Larry Elder
Not doing too bad, 6 out of 25 is getting there. Once I get closer to 25, which is still a couple years away, I may change it to 30byThirty, I already know of one that I could add to that list that isn't on this one!!! Any guesses what that is??? Hint: my sister's about to be one again!
So I’ve been learning a LOT in class so far, and one of the
things I’m starting to get the hang of it essay writing. I hate essay writing,
I hate looking for references and I hate trying to think of my own argument but
then to make it sound legitimate by backing it up with someone else’s quotes.
Fun stuff really.
But I digress, the point of this post isn’t to bore you on
all the details of my new adventures into academic writing, or to tell how well
I’ve been doing in my marks so far (except sociology, but really, it’s
sociology).
One of the main things that has been coming out of my
classes, sort of like a theme running, is the inequality of health around the
world and even in our backyards.
The life expectancy rate of an aboriginal is shockingly low
compared to that of a Caucasian, as well as that of rural dwellers to city
dwellers.
There is a 31 per cent increase in C-section births in 2007
than compared to 18 per cent from 1991.
Citizens of Africa can expect to live at least 40 years less
than that of Americans or Australia.
Russia’s life expectancy has decreased by 11 years since the
end of the USSR.
The question we are asked about this is why? Why are all
these things happening in society today where health is so well known about,
preventative measures are so well thought out.
About three-quarters of deaths under the age of 75 are
considered preventable!
And chlamydia rates are rising!!!
No seriously go look up that statistic. In this day and age,
where sex education is told throughout schools, safe sex is advocated
everywhere you look, adults aren’t pretending like there kids aren’t having
sex, so they give them the information for them to have safe sex. So why are STI’s
on the rise!!
Some things baffle me, but some things sadden and hurt me
deeply.
Blood minerals and phantom aid, has anyone heard of these?
If you’ve seen the movie blood diamond you already have a
glimpse of what blood minerals are, take for example the mines in the Congo,
have hundreds of workers being beaten and rapped on a daily basis, and all to
extract minerals from the earth and rocks.
I’m not naïve, the minerals they are finding, are the ones
they use in this here laptop and my mobile phone, minerals that I don’t even
realise are in my computer, and that someone somewhere half way across the
globe is beaten so that I can have my laptop.
It’s horrible and it makes me sick.
Phantom aid is another topic we learnt about today, in sociology
actually, what I thought would be a boring topic turns out to be pretty
interesting.
Now if you don’t know what Phantom Aid is, it is where the
countries that gives aid, such as America, Britain, Australia and Canada, give
aid to countries that are having difficulties, such as a natural disaster where
they are unable to help themselves, these countries give them money. But
there’s a catch. Like there always is with money.
If America gives money for aid assistance, they will
stipulate that they can only use food grown by American farmers, and only if
they use America shipping containers, to get them there. So in effect, what
America is doing by giving this money to poorer countries, putting these
restrictions on it, they are basically using their own money to fund their own
economy. These countries also then have to pay the higher pay rates for
American produce and carriers, so more of their aid money is taken up by this
when they could put this money in to their own economy, to create jobs in their
own country, save some money on the cost of food, and maybe be able to put some into medicine, education, better infrastructure, and all these types of things, but
they can’t because they are having to buy more expensive food.
Or for example, when a country pledges money to another
country and says, we will help you build this dam, only if you use our
consultants and our builders and constructors. So effectively, half the aid
money that is pledged never actually leaves the country.
This kind of aid needs to stop, and I’m quite happy to say
that Australia has become stipulation free in its aid giving. But it is still
very prevalent in other countries and I encourage you to go research it if you
don’t already know!
Why have I never heard of phantom aid? In a world with
fast news and thorough in depth investigations like all the advertisement says,
why do I not know about the people suffering for the things I use!
Here is a clip we watched at school today it is a bit sad
but what makes us sad, is what people are living through. I think we can take
the time out of our busy lives to pray, to think of, and maybe
even see what difference we can do on our side of the world. Because nothing
will change if someone doesn’t take the first step!
Congo: Blood, gold and mobile phones
I know it a bits late but I'm linking up with Jess for
