Category Archives: Books I read

Another First Day of School – and I’m a cougar??

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Today started shortly after midnight.  (yeah yeah – I know.)  But you see I had gone to bed on time!  BEFORE midnight – for once!!!  But little good that did me because I was awoken shorty after the time when I should have turned into a pumpkin.  It was my toe.  Something bit me and my toe was burning.  Probably something that looked like this!

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And NoooOoooOooo this is not a wikipedia picture – I took this one all by myself – TODAY. :) I didn’t die (yeah yeah – I know) and I finally fell back asleep, only to be woken by a buzzing.  Bzzzz.  Killer spiders and now killer moths AGAIN!  Apparently announcing my woes last night in my blog resulted in their recurrence.  (Wait – Daisy – do moths actually buzz? – I don’t know – but what else could be buzzing in my ear in the middle of the pitch black night?  Don’t answer that – I may be less scared of moths than whatever your answer is.)

Ok so I was up and at it by 6:30 this morning and you can imagine just how chipper I was after a night of almost no sleep.  Superduperchipper.  Though my mood lightened a bit when I caught the early bus which ended up being slow; HOWEVER it was filled with hotties.  Superduperhotties.  Man oh man – if only I had understood that correct train/bus time is critical for superduperhottie stalking I could have filled up my name page with like 40 more boys!!!

My first class was through this door.

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Did I mention that I’ve switched from the Uni of Syd to the Ghetto Jungle?  I just hope they have hip hop inside.  Hip hop makes everything better.  :) No seriously – it makes everything better.  Even ice cream.  And pancakes.

Ok – that was weird.  Moving on!  I liked class number 1, I also liked class number 2 and I thoroughly enjoyed these local hang outs:

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I noticed a couple interesting things on campus today.

  1. My skirt was too short – but not as short as everyone else’s dresses and shorts.
  2. I look as young or younger than many of the undergraduate students.
  3. I’m about to turn 27 and there are 19-22 year old men/boys eying me.  I think this makes me a cougar?  Hmm … I suppose I’m ok with that.  FM’s GF and I discussed (outrageously!) that maybe to celebrate my entrance into the late twenties that I should date someone from every age between 19 to 26 before 2010.   That’s quite a lofty goal – 8 men in one year – but considering I went on 7 dates with 7 different men in only 6 days back in January 2009 (yes – it’s true) – I may be able to swing it.  ;) AGH!  I’m a shocka!!!  The only difficulty with this “aspiration” is that I still have a stupid crush on CC+4 even though I know I’m being ridiculous by still having it – and since I’ve decided to look for substance I just don’t see how I can look for substance AND date hot boys based on their age.  Darn it – there goes that fab idea out the window!
  4. Spicy Salmon rolls are NOT as good as Salmon and Avocado rolls.
  5. And if I swing it correctly – lunch time could become my new networking/social endeavor.

Ok so this post is already outrageously long!  So I’ll sum up the rest of the day with a couple pics:

First Day of School Picture – I’m not sure what I’m listening to – probably one of the kick-A songs that CC+4 sent.  The “Hot Thing” one was sweet – but “Pop the Glock” was even better.  There’s also a chance I was listening to some Meiko – I love her songs “Reasons to Love you” and “Piano Song.”

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What a crappy pic eh?  Oh well – on to the next.  First semester I met Bruce -  he is a kindred spirit and a life saver!!!!  Pic from Semester 1:

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Pic from semester 2: Bruce says I look younger … but I’m pretty sure my name isn’t Benjamin Button.

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It was amazing to catch up with Bruce – he is like a wise fortune teller.  Except he doesn’t predict the future.    He just has an uncanny knack for really understanding the HERE and NOW.

Next I saw the following sign – wteff?  and I learned another latin dance.

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So there you have it.  A VERY long day.  Very very long.  I didn’t get home until midnight and feel like I haven’t slept for days.  I am SOOOOOO crashing tomorrow – and maybe doing some reading on the beach.  Which btw – I have some great points to make on the book “How To Win Friends and Influence People” – so maybe I’ll get to that this week.  Oh and I haven’t forgotten – I need to post my cricket video!  YAY!!!

Does anyone else salsa dance?  How long did it take you to learn?  I seriously suck.

Nerdy, Social Butterfly Pioneer Discovers Top 30 Novels in History

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First and foremost, thank you to everyone who left comments on my last post and for the emails and IMs!!! Everything said was soooo helpful!!  This is a BIG decision and I only have 6 days to decide so it was nice to get input.  THANK YOU!!!  :) One particular thing said by Emily really touched home with me, “Crying doesn’t make you weak; it makes you human.”  That’s something I need to remember.

Today, in an attempt to figure things out, I met with the Director of the Dig. Comm Dept.  It was encouraging AND discouraging all rolled up into one!  Oh boy – what a trip.  Ok so the bad news is apparently this is a brand new program and as such they have no support staff, no internships, and no clue. :) The good news is that BECAUSE this is a brand new program I can turn it into whatever I would like.  CC+4′s encouraging words were, “Sounds like you’re going to have to be your own Pioneer.  All the great ones are.  No worries.  You are the one who is going to make your career not the classes at school.” He’s right.  And I guess great minds think alike because I had already discussed with the Director which classes outside of the department I would like to take AND the possibility of my heading up a committee or club for the department.  lol.  A nerdy, social butterfly pioneer. Hmm … I guess it could be worse.

In social butterfly news – Captain Charisma wants to catch-up tomorrow.  And then I’m supposed to catch-up with the Ultimate D.B. on Friday (though FM says it doesn’t matter how much UDB tries – he shouldn’t get another chance – we’ll see…)  Sunday I’ve been invited to a couple parties.  Oh and today, besides playing Dr. Phil to some girl he had a crush on during a short cruise over a month ago, (poor CC+4 – he can’t seem to get rid of me)  CC+4 put me on to the song “Hot Thing” by Talib Kweli – it’s hot.

In nerdy news - tonight – instead of watching TV like normal people do – I took Modern Library’s Top 100 Novels in History and cross referenced it with Radcliffe’s Top 100 Novels in History.  By assigning numerical values to each list I discovered the Top 30 Great Novels in History (the lists only had 44 in common and the last 14 weren’t ranked particularly high.) SO – yeah – fascinating isn’t it?  Oh wait …

FYI – I plan on reading all 30 – or re-reading as the case will be with a few of them.  :) Here’s the list for my fellow readers – ordered  according to ranking:

  1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  2. Ulysses by James Joyce
  3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  4. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
  5. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
  6. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
  7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  8. 1984 by George Orwell
  9. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
  10. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  11. Native Son by Richard Wright
  12. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  13. Animal Farm by George Orwell
  14. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
  15. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
  16. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
  17. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  18. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
  19. All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
  20. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
  21. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
  22. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  23. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  24. Howards End by E.M. Forster
  25. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  26. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
  27. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
  28. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  29. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
  30. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Have a happy day!  I haven’t forgotten about pics for SYTYCD – I’ll try and get to that tomorrow.  :)

Housekeeping

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A loooong time ago I was given a couple blogging awards but I kept forgetting to add them to my blog!  This is not because I didn’t appreciate them btw – I really DID appreciate them!!  So thanks to The Recovering Lethargic from his self-titled blog and to Ashley from Writing To Reach You for the awards!  I love both of your blogs and it was super cool to be recognized by both of you on your own blogs.  )

My awards:

Arte Y Pico Award

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and:

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There aren’t really rules for these awards – something like post back to the giver and pass it on to 5 or something…

SO … I’d like to pass the “Rockin’ Girl Blogger” award to:

And the Arte Y Pico Award (creative blog award) goes to:

And in an additional bit of housekeeping ….

I think I’ve been a little slack about goal #9 from my 101 list.  So … here is a quick list of the goals I’ve accomplished since starting my 101 list so that I can keep goal number #9 – Blog about each of these tasks – under control.

  • #15 – Blurb book of family memories (gave it to M&D for Christmas – they LOVED it. yay!)
  • #17 – Read Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin – life changing book for me – definitely recommend it!
  • #22 – Finish writing the 101 list
  • #24 – Gratitude Journal for 30 days (ooh – I did this when I had a BAD attitude about AUS and I made myself come up with things I was grateful for in AUS ONLY – not an easy task.  Now I could do it without batting an eye!)
  • #26 – Set up 101 list on blog with countdown
  • #27 – Prioritize the 101 list with time frames
  • #29 – Write a list of my worst fears
  • #30 – Analyze how these fears prevent me from reaching my goals. (I think doing this helped me let them go – yay!)
  • #38 – Get an “HD” or “High Distinction” on at least one essay.
  • #39 – Get a “D” or “Distinction” in at least one class.
  • #44 – lose 10 lbs
  • #46 – Take a multivitamin every day for one month without missing a day!
  • #52 – Herbal Detox
  • #56 – Plant and grow a vegetable
  • #62 – Finish decorating my bed in Australia
  • #65 – Watch an entire sunrise with someone else
  • #66 – Learn to play 2 new games
  • #67 – Change attitude and be open to falling in love
  • #79 – Build a snowman
  • #90 – Visit Torronga Zoo
  • #92 – Go to church 8 times in one year
  • #109 – Send Christmas Cards
  • #110 – Do a holiday picture for Christmas Cards (wait why are there 110 goals?  Because I’m an OVER-ACHIEVER! ) )

Ok – so that’s not so shabby.  I’ve done 23 of my 101 goals and I have until June 29, 2011 to do the rest.  )

Dorothy needed courage, a heart AND a brain!!!

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The Wizard of Oz – A Critical Review

Before I go off on this book – true to form – you can find the few decent quotes I discovered at the end of this post.

So – The Wizard of Oz.  Yep.  Being that I currently live in the land of Oz and have had a gray to color transformation myself, I was most interested in this written novel.  Thankfully it didn’t take long to read the 189 pages of – umm – wonder?? Oh it’s a wonder alright. And I’ll tell you what, after reading L. Frank Baum’s “masterpiece” I do not wonder at ALL why some libraries in the early 1900s banned the book for poor quality writing! But I DO wonder why this book is considered a classic. Sure the movie helped make it famous – but the book itself – apart from Hollywood – hmm – yeah – not impressed.

There is a “Things to Consider” section at the end of this Penguin Classic (which is different from Popular Penguins mind you) and I’ve decided to consider what they suggest.

1. “Dorothy is considered by many to have all the best character traits a girl could hope to have. What do you think these are?”

Omgoodness. No, no, no, no, no. Dorothy is the absolute WORST example of what a girl or a human being should be. Dorothy is as gray and plain as the Kansas she left behind!! Not only does she have ZERO personality but she lacks courage, cries instead of finding solutions, depends on everyone else to do EVERYTHING for her, has no imagination, no curiosity, and is NOT a team player.

How about the time she was just going to walk away from her friends because oh gee that’s too bad you’re about to die but I’ve got to get to Oz so good luck!

Or how about how she kept rubbing it in to her friends “Oh that’s too bad you don’t have a heart.”  “Sucks you’re not smart” or “Your new name is the COWARDly Lion – how does THAT make you feel?” Maybe if she had a heart or a brain herself she would have noticed how her friends already had that which they were seeking.

Once last point to mention, I wanted to flippin shake Dorothy and tell her to grow up! I couldn’t stand her constant crying and whining about wanting to go back to Kansas “she cried bitterly for hours and hours.”  She didn’t even cry when she saw the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow destroyed!  Oh but she has tears all day long about Kansas.  Ever heard of just being HAPPY where you’re at? I want to go home too – but while I’m in Oz myself I’m going to make the absolute best of it. :)

2. What are the lessons this story taught?

Hmm … I think this story teaches that if you’re an idiot you will always be one. :(

Baum could have taught a powerful lesson about self-esteem and seeing yourself clearly but in the end when the wizard attempts to show the 3 characters that they already have what they desire (a brain, a heart, and courage) the characters refuse to accept it. Instead they get angry with the Wizard for not giving them what they sought. Hmm – yeah anger is definitely the right answer. And then Baum takes the easy road out and has them receive ridiculous gifts to assuage their temper and they live happily ever after – never knowing that they had it in them all along.

3. What do you think of the Wizard? Was he wrong to trick the people of Oz? Does he make up for it in the end?

The Wizard is a coward. I don’t care that he tricked the people into thinking he was a Wizard (except that it further proves he’s a coward) but I DO care about the fact that he made everyone wear goggles so they couldn’t see life for what it really was. And it bothers me that Dorothy and her friends never questioned the goggles. And after the Wizard confessed that the goggles were a big farce – it bothers me that the girl and her friends continued to wear them anyway. And after the scarecrow became king – it bugs me that he didn’t have everyone take off the goggles. So no – I don’t think he made up for it in the end.

4. What is it about the Wizard of Oz that made it a classic?

The Wizard of Oz became a classic because it used small words that were easy to understand and featured a yes-girl with no personality – things that undoubtedly appealed to the mass public in the early 1900s. Ouch – that’s harsh isn’t it? But sadly I think it’s true. And why in the world did so many things have to die? The whole book is one murder after another!

“He seized his axe, which he had made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves came on the Tin Woodman swung his arm and chopped the wolf’s head from its body, so that it immediately died. As soon as he could raise his axe another wolf came up, and he also fell under the sharp edge of the Tin Woodman’s weapon. There were forty wolves, and forty times a wolf was killed, so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the Woodman.
“Then he put down his axe and sat beside the Scarecrow who said, ‘It was a good fight, friend.’
“They waited until Dorothy awoke the next morning. The little girl was quite frightened when she saw the great pile of shaggy wolves, but the tin Woodman told her all. She thanked him for saving them and sat down to breakfast, after which they started again upon their journey.”

Umm – ok. So she sees FORTY headless wolves in the morning but is just like, “Oh ok let’s eat some brekky and be on our way.” And a good fight? Yeah – a fight where 40 wolves died and didn’t have a chance is REALLY good.

The next page goes on to explain how the scarecrow twisted the necks of 40 crows until they died. Really uplifting stuff here isn’t it?

Well I considered what they asked and it made me hate the book even more. I hope the next “classic” I’m about to read is a little better than this one. I can’t imagine it could be much worse …

QUOTES:

“No matter how dreary and grey our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful.  There is no place like home.” – Dorothy

“…once I had brains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, I should much rather have a heart. … brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.” – Tin Woodman

“… a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he had one.” – Scarecrow

“As long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy.” – Lion

“Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge.” – Wizard

“There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger.  True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid.” – Wizardup!!

First Day of School

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OMGOSH!  I can’t believe I forgot to take the classic First Day of School Pic!!  How remiss of me!

So this morning started out at 6:30 am, and even though the sun was already well above the horizon, it was my flatmate and his GF who were my little rays of sunshine this morning.  Aw – that’s so cheesy – but true!  We had a good laugh about D.B. from last night and my flatmate decided that I should cut D.B. from any future episodes of what he likes to call “Daisy-s of our Lives.”  No worries there!  He didn’t have a chance at a leading role anyway.

Next on the agenda – COUNTERTERRORISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS.  Doesn’t it sound absolutely thrilling?  What?  It doesn’t?  Why ever not?  You mean not everyone wants to write essays on Western Liberal Democracies and the resulting changes in their domestic terrorism policies post Sept. 11? CC+4 (who I still think is adorable) says he thinks it sounds interesting and I suppose it DOES sound interesting but my background in the University of Sydney’s Peace and Conflict department makes me VERY WARY!!! Very.

Class started at 10:00 but guess what time I arrived?  25 minutes EARLY!  Oh yeah – that’s right.  I figured a little aberration to the norm would be good to help shake things up a bit.  ) And NO it doesn’t matter that it was completely accidental – it still counts (thank you magic express bus that I never knew existed before today!!)   And I would appreciate it if you please do not use this example of punctuality as a frame of reference in the future.  ;)

So my class has 9 students.  1 of them being American.  (me!)  And 2 of them being slackers.  Of the 9 students in class only 1 was 2 hours late and only 2 (including the tardy boy) didn’t read the text before class.  Guess which two boys are in my group of 3 for the rest of the semester?  I am SO lucky!  Hmm …

It’s ok.  I didn’t want to get a good grade in the class anyway.  And WOW do I sound like a very optimistic and pleasant peach today!?  lol.  For real though – the good news is that I’m actually kind of excited to read the textbook.  And wow I can’t believe I just wrote that – I think I just lost a few cool points.  Thank goodness this private diary/blog is public – now NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW what a nerd I really am … oh wait.