Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey

You might be wondering what the deal is about the title for this post, well even if you weren’t I will tell you anyway. Pabbi has just been diagnosed with the D word aka Diabetes Type II. Currently his blood sugar levels are in a bad way – high 20’s, low 30’s – the normal level is between 4 and 6. Hopefully though as his medicine and diet changes kick in, it will improve.

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The internet is well the internet.
This blog (I really hate that word but let us keep on moving) has reconnected my family to at least three people so far and I think that is pretty cool.
We have hooked back up with Neele who was our first German exchange student in 2001.
My older brother has hooked back up with one of his mates from around the time Matthew was born in 87.
And just the other day I received an email for Mum from a Kiwi lady who knew Mum from the fish factory she worked in Iceland many, many years ago.

All through the power of Google!

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We spent the most delightful time this morning on the phone to Karl, whilst he was wandering round the streets of Berlin at 1am in the morning, killing time between his flights as he heads to Munich/ München for Oktoberfest. Mum started telling Karl about the time she had spent in Berlin and the bullet holes in the buildings, when he asked where they were and Mum of course couldn’t remember. I quickly hopped on Flickr and Google to see what I could find. I found a couple of streets and then by the time I was back on the phone with Karl, he had actually started to walk down one of the streets I had found on the net. Then as we talked, as he walked and looked for bullet holes, he found what he thought could be bullet holes, well more to the point, there was little else they could be – lots of dimples on old stone buildings, which matched with what I saw in photos. The wonders of technology!

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I also just watched the season three opener of Veronica Mars which MSN is showing before it starts on TV in the states next week . Bonus! Play the episode in Windows Media

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I am also in the midst of finishing an essay on the Japanese camera industry and I have to say not only is this essay coming out faster than any other, it certainly rocks writing about something I really enjoy and have a decent knowledge on already. I certainly never thought at the start of this degree that I would be writing an essay on Canon, Nikon, Sony and the like. Certainly pretty cool.

What is a Friend?

I found a piece of paper today which has a piece of prose I wrote in year 12 (2002) or it might have been year 11 (2001) but I am pretty sure it was year 12.

What is a Friend?
Is it someone you can trust with your life?
Is it someone who knows you almost as well as you do?
Is it someone you likes you for who you are and not what society wants you to be?
Is it someone who would give his or her life, so you could live?
Is it someone who will be there for you at the darkest point of your life?
Is it someone who asks you to the party on Friday?
Is it someone who will pass notes to you in class, even though you really should be listening?
Is it someone who rings you just to say good luck before the big test?
Is it someone who will join you on the walk of life?
Will they join you if you choose the road less travelled?
Will they do all of the above and thousands more just because they are your friend?

Looking back at it now I find a few things interesting in it.
I have never been a party girl so I find that line interesting. I rarely passed notes in class because I was terrified that the teacher would see and it would get back to Mum (one way to ensure your child doesn’t mess up, be a teacher at the school they attend).

Looking at this, I wish I could find copies of some of my other writings from high school I remember writing a pretty kick ass short story about a teenage boy and his search for the truth about his mother who died in childbirth and his grandparents’ apparent hate for their daughter. It was all top stuff. However, after a computer blowing up and a hard drive failure I lost most of my school work.

heart attack

I gave Pabbi and myself a heart attack this morning when I looked at the results for an exam I had the other week.

I had looked at the table that was posted on the subject website early this morning and saw that I had gotten 8.6/20. I didn’t cry but I was distraught, how could I have gone so terribly wrong? Had I mixed up the letters for the multi choice? Were my two mini essays utter rubbish?

When I got to class the first thing he did was hand back the exam papers, I had a glance at the cover of mine to check my result and it said 15.8 not 8.6 like I was expecting. I flicked through the exam booklet checking the comments, they all correlated with the 15.8. All I could think was that he must have mistyped a result on the webpage.

I left class feeling extremely relieved about my mark.

When I got home a short while ago I went back to the website to double check what was posted and I noticed something very weird. I looked to see what the student number was for the person who received 15.8 and it was mine. I then looked to see what the student number was for the person who received 8.6 and saw that it contained the same seven numbers but two had their position switched! In my rush this morning to see what my mark was I had had a quick glance over the list and seemingly thought I had looked at the right result.

Moral of the Story: Even if there is only nineteen people in the subject still use the find button and type in your student number like you normally do in subjects with a hundred people!

When I looked at the mark sheet properly I also saw that I had topped the class with my 15.8/20! To say I was relieved was an understatement.

POTN in the City

I spent the better half of yesterday tramping round Brisbane with a tripod on my back and a camera bag on my side with nine other like minded people who I met through Photography on the Net, which is a Canon-centric message board. It was such a delightful day spent chatting, sharing tips and of course taking photos that I was sad to leave after lunch when the others were heading over to the Roma St Parklands but I had books to read, notes to make and granola muesli to cook.

We had arranged to meet at 5:30am at Kangaroo Point to take photographs of the cityscape in early morning light and we were all wishing for clearish skies and sun. We were not that lucky but at least we didn’t have rain like we had been having for the last couple of days.

#1

Once we had had our fill of the view from that area we boarded a cross-river ferry and headed to the Eagle St Pier/Riverside area to play along the boardwalk and between the buildings in the morning light.

Riverside Water Feature Riparian Plaza Water Feature Will it fall? Physical Activity

The Jogger
Running
Every morning she pounds the footpath,
Every morning she takes the same route.
She sees the same thing day in, day out,
Perhaps she notices the changes that appear,
Or maybe she doesn’t.

By now it was close to 8ish and we hopped on a CityCat to take us up to New Farm Park and the Powerhouse where we explored the industrial elements of the Powerhouse before sitting down for a warm beverage and hoping for the clouds to part again and give us some sun.

The Magnificent Seven walking through the park with the Rose Garden in their sights. Three of us were not in the shot.
The Magnificent Seven

In the Rose Garden I spent my time searching for fairies but yet again they let me down, I did find evidence of their life though in the following photos.

First we have some Fairy Tables.
Since the rains have finally started to come to Brisbane, the fairies have been praising the clouds as they bring mushrooms with the rain; growing in little clusters they are just perfect for a Fairy cocktail party.

Hello Fairy

Second is a newly opened Fairy Fabric Store. Have you ever seen a flower where a petal might be missing or a branch with a few missing leaves? This is prime evidence of Fairy life. Petals and leaves are excellent sources of high quality fairy cloth. This Rose store I believe might be a special occasion fabric store as the petals were all intact. Perhaps they are waiting for more mushrooms to pop up and then they will have a Fairy Ball.

Rose

After more chatting and photographing we hopped back on the CityCat and cruised the Brisbane River up to Bretts Wharf, pointing out good spots for photos along the way and then exploring the river bank at Bretts Wharf.

Then it was back on the CityCat to head back into the city for lunch and the Roma St Parklands. However, myself and three others started on the trip home after lunch instead of going to the parklands :(. As we walked through the city streets back to the ferry stop to take us back across the river to our cars I snapped this last one of the Brisbane buildingscape.

Brisbane

I cried

Nearing the end of four years at uni, yesterday I came home and cried for the first time about events that had happened at uni.

I didn’t cry because someone had said something mean to me or a friend.
I didn’t cry because I had fallen over or stubbed my toe.
I didn’t cry because someone had died.
Instead …
I cried for the students and teachers who will say that we are above the general public in our understanding of a topic but then we put ourselves below then them when we display our ignorance about a topic.
I cried for the people who use Arab and Muslim interchangeably.
I cried for the people who will talk about the Middle East but display no idea about the diversity that exists there or the history of the region.
I cried for the people who see a bias in media that is not Western but don’t see a bias in our media or don’t see anything wrong with our bias.
I cried for the future of the world and for humanity.

I know I am not perfect, I know I don’t know everything, I know I am not the most eloquent but I will be the first to say I don’t know enough about a topic to comment fully on it.

I was able to say a few things at the start of class before it turned but after that I sat there shell shocked about what was been said or perhaps more about what was not been said.
It was a very quiet class compared to our usual class discussion and I was glad that there were two people who were trying to voice views that are similar to mine but saddened that what they tried to add seemed to be largely ignored.

Every so often I will hear things in public life that may be factually wrong and you make a comment and try to move on but hearing those things in a university context just makes you cry and realise that the future of humanity is perhaps more shaky than I like to think.

Man In Black
Johhny Cash (1971)

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he’s a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you’d think He’s talking straight to you and me.

Well, we’re doin’ mighty fine, I do suppose,
In our streak of lightnin’ cars and fancy clothes,
But just so we’re reminded of the ones who are held back,
Up front there ought ‘a be a Man In Black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin’ for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen’ that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen’ that we all were on their side.

Well, there’s things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin’ everywhere you go,
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything’s OK,

But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
‘Till things are brighter, I’m the Man In Black

Now for some lighter notes.
Carlton has just released their new Carlton Draught ad for the year following on the success of the Big Ad. This year the ad spoofs off that memorable dancing scene from Flashdance. It is not up on youtube yet so just go to the Flash Beer website to view it.

I have had the most delightful birthday week. Matthew gave me Bride and Prejudice on DVD (Bride, not Pride!) and then one of my dearest friends at uni gave me a Corban & Blair notebook as well as piece of cake! The cake was not just any ordinary cake but Date and Pecan in a Polenta Ricotta cake! Total yumness!

21 today :)

Sometime round 3:00pm this arvie I entered my twenty-first year of life.

Twenty-One years of been Helen Thura Palsson or Helen Þura Pálsdóttir depending on where you are in the world.
Twenty-One years of been the littlest sister to Karl, Anika, Herdis, Hafthor, Toti and Palli.
Nineteen and a half years of being the older sister to Matthew.
Almost at the end of seventeen years of schooling.
Three trips overseas.
Countless km’s spent on foot, bike, canoe or car exploring this Great Southern Land.
Friends made, friends lost and friends re-united.
At least one computer around for almost as long as I can remember.
Close to eleven years of orthodontics.
Four different musical instruments.
One broken arm, two broken toes, torn ligaments in my fingers and my ankle.
Countless trips to the library.
Four different jobs.
Three cameras of my own.
And countless other little bits and pieces that make me who I am.

I went to work as usual at 5am this morning and had the most delightful shift. When I rang the bell to be let in I was greeted with a big “Happy Birthday” from my closest friend at work so that was very nice and then as I moved through the store getting ready for work more people came up and wished me a good day. Then about 7:30am (30mins before the store opened) my line manager put a message over the PA system telling everyone it was my birthday and they should find me and wish me Happy Birthday.

Every Monday a lot of people start work at 5am, whereas on other days they would start between 7am and 9am, this is because of all the things that need to be done to set the shop for a new week of trading; display ends need to be built and tickets need to be changed (that is what I do). Because of this every Monday a group of us have morning tea together and we have a little roster set up so we all take turns brining in something to share. One of the other girls who I am also close to had her turn today so she made me a white chocolate mud cake with Happy 21st Helen on it as well as 22 little tiny cupcakes that spelt out Happy 21st Birthday Helen, it was so very nice! There was of course singing and chatting and people trying to remember how the tune to Happy Birthday Helen goes.

Yep, there is a song by the pretty classy Australian rock band Things of Stone and Wood called Happy Birthday Helen and every Aussie worth their salt knows the song. Of course the lyrics may not be totally relevant to my life but still it is Happy Birthday Helen.

Happy Birthday Helen
Things of Stone and Wood
[audio:Things of Stone and Wood – Happy birthday Helen.mp3]

Let’s not forget last night
Yeah, how we drove along the Yarra
How we sang harmonies
To Carole King

These three years now just gone
They are the legends of my mind
We both kneel at these rocks
To drink of the mem’ry

You are the tunes in my head, the fire in my ribs
You are the voice in my heart that whispers compassion
Happy birthday Helen
Oh-oh…, oh-oh…, oh-oh…

We kissed on that bridge that fell down
While we held hands at the Taj
We’ve been stuck in a cave
With that bloke who says Oi Am

And when I cried for my cruel heart
You rubbed my back ’til I felt better
We ate bread on the lake
And yearned for the seasons

You are the tunes in my head, the fire in my ribs
You are the voice in my heart that whispers compassion
Happy birthday Helen
Oh-oh…, oh-oh…, oh-oh…

You are the tunes in my head, the fire in my ribs
You are the voice in my heart that whispers compassion

You are the storm on the ocean, poems in the trees
The smell of the winter that haunts me each autumn
You’re my everything
You are my everything
You are my everything
Happy Birthday Helen
Oh-oh…, oh-oh…, oh-oh…
Shake

Oh-oh…, oh-oh…, oh-oh…
Oh-oh…, oh-oh…, oh-oh…
Happy birthday Helen

Tonight for dinner I made Roast Chicken with Sultana and Almond Cous Cous (from the Claudia Roden book) and Mum made Mulberry Crumble with the Mulberries I picked at the farm yesterday on our way home from having a birthday afternoon tea with Grandad. It was all just so very nice!