flight radar.

My uncle Andrew, came over this evening just before going to the airport to pick up Mum and my aunt, Susan from their trip to Melbourne (very jealous!).  Whilst he was here, he gave me the web address to an online flight tracker so that I could track their flight home.  I am absolutely fascinated by this website and thought I would post the link in case anybody out there could appreciate my nerdiness and love of planes.  Click the flight tracker link above to get to the website.



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come as you are.

The Birdcage (1996).

IMDb Synopsis:  "A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancé's right-wing moralistic parents."


IMDb Rating:  6.6/10


My Rating:  7/10


My Thoughts:  I thought the movie was hilarious with it's witty one liners, which Andrew and I have found ourselves using in everyday conversation.  I would have given it a higher score but I could not stand any of the characters apart from those played by Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Hank Azaria.  Although it was meant to be portrayed in a comedic sense, I could not appreciate the level of small mindedness exhibited by the other characters, somewhat tarnishing my opinion of the film.

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cry baby.

I hate to admit it, but I cry on a regular basis.  I cry at least once a day and it can be over absolutely anything. 


If you refer to what upsets me you will find a few things that will make me cry every time I come across them, without fail.

The easiest way to answer this question is probably what I've cried over in the last week (and it's still ends up being a rather long list!).

Fighting with Mum.

Hurting my knee after I kicked Josh.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding.

Rolling onto what is possibly the most painful, yet smallest pimple I've ever had on the side of my nose.

 Rhylea laughing at my blog.

Anzac Day ceremony.

(500) Days of Summer ending.


Yeah, I'm a cry baby.






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i feel so untouched and i want you so much.

The Veronicas are one of my favourite bands.  I found it hard to pick my favourite song of theirs, but "Untouched" comes pretty close, with the violins kicking off a feel good tune.  The song is the first on their second album "Hook Me Up", which was released in 2007.

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the wedding of kate and william.

I am loving the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton and absolutely adore Kate's Alexander McQueen dress.  As I sit here with Andrew watching history being made, I think about this moment and wonder if it will be remembered in years to come, like the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles back in 1981.  I wonder if it will be like one of those moments in history where our children will ask what we were doing the moment the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got married, similarly to events like Charles and Diana's wedding, the Kennedy assassination or September 11.  Although I'd love to be able to tell them that I was part of the crowd outside Westminster Abbey on the 29th of April, 2011 at 11am, I will be proud to tell them that I was watching history unfold on television back in Brisbane and thinking about our future wedding with their dad...over a couple of beers and the best Thai food I've had in a long time.

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explosive.

"Explosive" is an instrumental piece by the band, Bond.  It's not a particularly soothing piece, but the amazing sounds produced by the violin inspire happy thoughts, always sending me to sleep with the nicest of dreams ahead.

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how do i loathe thee? let me count the ways.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999).

IMDb Synopsis:  "A film inspired by the classic Shakespeare play "The Taming of the Shrew.", set in a modern day high school."

IMDb Rating:  6.9/10

My Rating:  8/10

My Thoughts:  I love this film for it's witty screenplay, hopelessly romantic gestures and the typical American high school setting.  As sad as it is to admit, I love looking back and seeing style of the late nineties, with the midriff tops and tightly pulled back hair.  A great film to enjoy on a rainy day.

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my home.

So this is my beautiful home.  I live with my Mum and Dad, Rhylea, Mickey and unofficially, Andrew and Ben.

This is the pathway to the front door.  The circle on the ground is a beautiful mosaic that my Mum and Dad completed together.

This is my front door and part of the path.  We have a sweet donkey statue beside the fairy garden, which once belonged to my Nanny.

When you first walk in, there is a big mirror and our mini library, with a table and chair set to use when relaxing with a good book and a cup of tea.

This is the rumpus room, where you will usually find Dad every night watching sport on the big screen.  He has in fact claimed this room, tainting it with the hideous flag above the television!

Our laundry, Mum's work space and DVD collection are just around the corner from the rumpus room.  The fridge is our over sized bar fridge.

These stairs come from where the front door is to the second level of our house.  The big window at the top has a ledge where Mum keeps some of her plants and country style ornaments.

The stairs lead to a section where there is a window box and a cabinet with all our precious glassware and books.

This is our living area and dining room.  Andrew is watching the sport after a long day at work.  Mum painted Patrick, our butler.

This is our kitchen.  I love the old bottles that Mum has scattered around and the lanterns strung along the windows are so beautiful at night.

This is the view outside the front of the house from the kitchen.

This is the view of the bridge and the airport from the side kitchen window.

This is our hallway.  Mum did the painting on the left for my Poppy.  The door beside it is the closet.  On the right hand side is a trail of photos of Rhylea and I from our school days, leading towards Rhylea's room.  At the end of the hall is my room, the bathroom and Mum and Dad's room.

This is our toilet and bathroom.  Mum and Dad tried to create a beach scene, with sandy floor tiles and wall tiles that set the illusion that we're under the sea.  

Next is my bedroom.  I'm trying to start organising everything for when I move out so it's pretty messy at the moment.  Although it's usually is pretty messy anyway.

This is my Mum and Dad's room.  This is where Mickey tends to rest and today is no exception.  He's watching me closely, making sure I don't come and steal his treat, hidden behind one of the pillows.

This is our back deck, which is a great spot to have barbecues and drinking sessions in the summer, as we get the breeze from the bay suburbs and have a stunning view of the airport, bridge, mountains, bayside and some city buildings.

These are the two sides of the house.

This is our backyard, which has seen many happy times, with pets, sports and parties.

Finally, this is the back of the house.  Andrew is in the middle of telling me a story.  I think he just secretly wanted to get into as many photos as he could.

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ben and rhylea.

This is just to announce that my lovely sister Rhylea and my dearest friend Ben, are officially together!  All Ben's stalking and corny presents have finally paid off and I'm so happy for both of them! 

...now we just have to get some photos where you are both behaving, hee hee!

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you know i'm on tonight and i'm starting to feel it's right.

"Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean is the one song that will always get me to dance without fail.  I remember practicing every single day trying to perfect Shakira's dance moves, particularly the "figure eight" and actually thought I was doing it, only to do it in front of the mirror one time and realise I was sadly mistaken.  It's still one of my favourite songs to dance to though, so whenever I hear it I embarrassingly try and perfect the moves like I did all those years ago.

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are you the exception...or the rule?

He's Just Not That Into You (2009).

IMDb Synopsis:  "The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behavior."

IMDb Rating:  6.4/10

My Rating:  9/10

My Thoughts:  This is one of my favourite movies of all time.  I love how the different stories revolve around the different stages in relationships, revealing the issues that many couples experience and the psychology behind it. Besides enjoying this film for the comedic value, it was actually very interesting to see the different perspectives of males and females and how the world of relationships can be a tricky thing.

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how to upset me.

To be entirely honest, I'm an overly sensitive person and too many things upset me.  I can get easily upset over the tiniest things but when it comes to things that truly are upsetting, I'm not very good at handling it.

Cruelty towards any person, animal or thing in any form makes me upset more than anything.  I hate the thought of anything suffering because of somebody else because there is no excuse for it and nobody gains anything from it.

Like everybody, death upsets me.  It upsets me for the obvious reasons, but also because it is a very personal thing yet everybody experiences the loss of somebody throughout their lifetime.  Everybody's experiences are unique and their grieving process mirrors that, making it difficult to offer the comfort needed to those who have lost somebody and in turn, it is difficult for the griever to express what it is that they emotionally require.

Horrors, thrillers and action films upset me.  Rhylea absolutely loves the scary films but I find them too upsetting to watch.  I find it difficult to watch a lot of dramas too but can sit through them if I am with someone, whereas I can't even bear to watch these types of films in a cinema surrounded by hundreds of people.

Arrogant and dogmatic people upset me, particularly when they don't really understand the topic they are discussing and shove their ideas down peoples throats without any evidence to back themselves up. 

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this is not a love story, this is a story about love.

(500) Days of Summer (2009).

IMDb Synopsis:  "An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man who falls for her."

IMDb Rating:  8/10

My Rating:  8.5/10

My Thoughts:  I loved this movie!  Andrew has been badgering me to watch it since we first started dating and now I know why.  Such a fantastic film that sends you on an emotional rollercoaster, it really is a must see.  The only reasons I gave it an 8.5 instead of a perfect 10 was a) I hated Summer and Tom broke my heart to the point where I'm still crying and the film finished a good half hour ago and b) Summer is so ridiculously pretty that a lot of the time I was just wishing I was her instead of watching the movie.

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baby, you belong with me, you belong with me.

"You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift is the one song on the Wii game "Band Hero" that I can get 100% on when I sing.  I feel alive whenever I sing along to this song and feel it's the one song I can reasonably sing.

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bad side.

I believe I am a good person, but have plenty of flaws.  When I think of this question, I think everybody should answer it starting with this quote from Marilyn Monroe - "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." 

Everybody has flaws and nobody is perfect.  I think of a discussion Aidan was having with Carrie on "Sex and the City" about the wood he used to build the love seat he made for Charlotte and Trey for their wedding.  He said that he thought the flaws in the wood were beautiful because they made the piece unique, saying that the same theory can be applied to people.

My flaws include the following:

Moody.

Impatient.

Gossip too much.

Tells white lies.

Swears too much.

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who is that girl i see staring straight back at me?

My abstract piece is a photo of my reflection in a door knob in my bathroom.  I wanted to see how much of the reflection could be made out and was instantly drawn to the contrast of the dark lens, the bright blue walls in the background and the light tiles.  When I looked more closely at the photograph, I actually thought the image resembled an eyeball, which I believe adds to it's uniqueness.  

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fly away, breakaway.

"Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson reminds me of graduating from high school.  It was released just a few months before we graduated, so I remember it being played at the majority of our senior school ceremonies.  I absolutely loved the song and I associated it with the excitement I felt about leaving school and starting the next chapter of my life.

However, a couple of weeks after I finished, I went to see "The Princess Diaries 2" at the movies with my friend Zoe.  "Breakaway" was recorded as the main song for the film.  I remember when it played, Zoe and I turned to each other and burst into tears.  After we left the cinema, we had a huge conversation about leaving school, as it was only then that it occurred to us what it actually meant - more responsibilities, less time with friends, more uncertainty.  When I think of "Breakaway", I still only associate the excited feelings I originally experienced, as it was that conversation with Zoe that made me realise that the roller coaster of emotions we felt were normal and only added to the excitement.

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for harry and lloyd every day is a no-brainer.

Dumb and Dumber (1994).

IMDb Synopsis:  "The cross-country adventures of two good-hearted but incredibly stupid friends."

IMDb Rating:  7.2/10

My Rating:  8/10

My Thoughts:  This movie is hilarious and is a good film to watch if in need of a good laugh.  A cleverly written film about the most stupid characters you will ever come across.  Good to watch when you couldn't be bothered having to think about the plot and just looking for a bit of light hearted entertainment.   

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role models.

My role models are those who make the most out of life, respect themselves as well as others, set a good example and who make a contribution to society.  

Jess and Lisa Origliasso are the lead vocalists of my favourite band, The Veronicas.  I see them as role models because they have achieved so much and yet are so down to earth.  They have also appeared in several magazines promoting the importance of good self image and as I grew up loving The Veronicas and reading these magazines, I have appreciated their way of thinking.  Both Jess and Lisa have also served as ambassadors for a range of charities and organisations, including PETA, Wildlife Warriors and Redkite, as well as supporting the fight to legalise same-sex marriage in Australia.

Alicia Silverstone's work with the animal rights organisation, PETA is absolutely heartwarming.  As well as campaigning against cruelty towards animals, she also lives in an environmentally friendly house and established a sanctuary for rescued animals in Los Angeles.  Like me, Alicia found it difficult to become a vegetarian, but eventually stopped integrating meat into her diet and even went one step further and became a vegan, one of my life goals.  Her ability to live a life of normality despite the pressures of constantly living in the public eye are also inspiring, proving that there really is no excuse for bad behaviour.

Rachel Bilson has been one of my role models since "The O.C." started.  What I love most about her is her background story.  As a teenager, she was quite rebellious, until she was involved in a car accident in which her friend hit another car head on.  This caused Rachel to be in an unconscious state for several days, an experience which scared her into changing her lifestyle choices completely.  Since this event, Rachel has said that she has stayed out of trouble, has decided what she wants out of life and has worked very hard in order to get to where she wants to be.  I find the way she took control of her life so inspiring and think of her when feeling unmotivated or lacking in confidence.

Reese Witherspoon is one of my role models because of her dedication to being a good role model.  Being a public figure, she has expressed her determination to be somebody who younger girls in particular, can look up to as a confident and motivated woman, stating “I’ve always been choosing roles knowing that I have a daughter and I have a responsibility to her and to the world to be representing women of strength.”  I also respect her for her work with various children's charities and the Avon Foundation, an organisation who supports victims of domestic violence and those who suffer with breast cancer.

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every moment, a new story begins.

New York, I Love You (2009).

IMDb Synopsis:  "An anthology film joining several love stories set in one of the most loved cities of the world, New York."

IMDb Rating:  6.5/10

My Rating:  7/10

My Thoughts:  The collection of short films about love and life in New York and the opportunity for the viewers to create their own conclusions is such a beautiful concept.  The only thing that I didn't like about the film was that I felt it was too open-ended and that too much time was dedicated to some stories and not enough to others.  Otherwise, a really good film that inspired some deep thinking.

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our love was lost, but now we've found it.

"Love Lost" by The Temper Trap reminds me of Andrew's house.  For the first six months of our relationship, this song was played every time I came over to visit.  This song seemed to follow us and it fast became "Andrew's house" song.  

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too many regrets.

I believe life is too short to have regrets, but there are a few things I wish I hadn't done.  I think the difference is that regrets are things we wish we hadn't done but dwell on them rather than learn from our mistakes.  Although there are a few things I wish I hadn't done, I feel like I have learnt from the mistakes, dealt with the bad feelings associated and have tried to make amends where applicable.

I regret my decision to smoke.  There was a period where I was feeling particularly low and seemed to be in self destruct mode, doing things that weren't good for me.  I never liked the idea of smoking and even when I started, I didn't like the idea of doing it.  I continued the habit for a while, when one day I just decided that it was not doing me any favours and I quit there and then.  Although I wish I had never done it, I am proud to say that I was smart enough to quit when I did.

I regret some of the relationships I've had, including certain unhealthy relationships with boys and friends.  However, the outcome of this is that they have taught me what I want and what I don't want in my relationships and these days I find myself only surrounded by wonderful friends and a very loving partner, so I don't regret my old acquaintances completely. 

I regret some of my behaviours, my moodiness, times that I lied instead of braving it and being upfront and honest and times that I was cruel to people.  I accept that nobody is perfect, but there is no excuse for things that I have done in my past and although I cannot change what happened, I make sure I make a conscious effort to rectify my behaviour.

I regret not continuing with my Japanese studies.  I loved studying the subject at school and continued for a couple of years at university, but stopped my Japanese studies as I didn't think I would ever use it within my profession.  I plan on recommencing my studies through the Japanese consulate once I've finished my degree and my goal is to become fluent in the language.

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