Thank you God for Rain!

For those of you who don't know, we here in Australia are in the midst of a really dreadful drought. I was up in Rural NSW about a month ago and was just shocked at how bad it really is up there. In my old town where we lived for a time everything looked kind of like this:

Everyone's been praying for rain and we've had a little bit here and there, but today in Melbourne it's been pouring with rain...and hail. It's also been absolutely freezing, and it's meant to be summer in two and a half weeks! Anyway, please God it has got to places that need it.

Well FINALLY!

Ok so I know I'm posting this a bit late but, after living in this fair city of Melbourne for eight years, I have finally attended the Melbourne Cup. I've been wanting too for so long but because of the fact that universities across Melbourne have colluded together to prevent as many students from going as they possible can by placing exams in that Spring Carnival Week, it has been impossible...until now.

Ok so it was FREEZING but I've become very savvy in dressing for Melbourne weather (literally four seasons in one day - except that on this particular day it was predominantly winter) and I brought a cardi with me so it wasn't so bad. It was interesting watching the poor girls who really weren't as prepared. I mean seriously girls some modesty is actually PRACTICAL!

I forgot to take photos, which is a shame for all of you 'cause you won't seem how very fabulous I looked! I got to wear a little red fascinator and everything! I posted at picture of what my fascinator kind of looked like!

I didn't win on the race but I did come second. Not that I got anything for it as I had tipped to win. I just thought that it was kind of cheating to bet both ways on "the" race. It's much more exciting to just go for a horse to win and to just miss out! Well I think so anyway.

People were warning me about the crowds, but I didn't find them all that terrible. I think that once you've been to a World Youth Day or two, your perspective is somewhat broadened in the way of crowds.

The upshot... did I have a fun day? Yes, even though the weather was not the greatest. Would I go again. Certainly...but on a warmer day.

Because I haven't put one up for AGES.....

The Bane of My Existence ....

My ankles!!! Sigh. I've sprained my ankle for the third time this year. So highly overrated.

Someone asked me this morning how many times I had sprained my ankle and seriously (pausing for deep contemplation) I have NO idea! I can't believe that I have sprained, rolled, crunched, torn, bruised both of my ankles so much over the past 12 years that I can't even remember them all. My most memorable one was when I did it on the very first day I arrived in Toronto for World Youth Day. Now THAT was a drama and a half...wasn't it oh Acolytus!

Well, THIS time I did it in the family room and I triped up over a toy. I am so vertically challenged!

Note to self #3

Have attained purpose of "Note to self #2" in said post. Good girl!

Note to self # 2

Perhaps try to write a post without a single parenthesis or exclamation mark.

Fishers of Men

I know that most people have already seen this. I first saw it ages ago myself, but I just want to put up a link to it because I LOVE it so much and want to make sure that as many people as possible can see it. It just makes me cry (almost) every time I see it. (And that says something. Trust me I'm not usually the soppy kind) It is one of the best example of the Catholic Church using new technologies/media to impart its message of truth. It also is a beautiful depiction of the Priesthood and what it really is. A priest is Alter Christi for us, in our everyday, and I love them for it!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1289350721

I'm all Official!

Ok so last time I posted I said that I was going to be graduating. Well that happened yesterday and so now I am officially Miss Monification BA, BComm (Deakin). Woooo!! Mum, Dad and I had to go to Geelong (where one of Deakin's campus' are) yesterday morning. I had to be there by 9.30 (even though the ceremony didn't start til 11) and trying to get to Geelong from the other side of Melbourne in the morning is a bit of a chore. We got there however and I got my buttercup yellow.

Ok so graduations are not exactly the MOST exciting thing you could go to (except that you get to wear the most fantastic clothes. I mean seriously, why can't we go around in capes and hats like that all the time!? So cool.) But I was lucky 'cause I had the midyear one so there wasn't as many as usual. There was 250-300 ish but that's better than 500.

To pass the time way I graded the "doffs" of the trencher that everyone does. (Hey, it's pretty boring otherwise) Some people really have no idea. I'm sorry, but tapping the side of your trencher just doesn't cut it! It just looks like you are keeping it from falling off your head. Those people got a score of 2/10. Why not a 1 you ask? Well because some people miss it all together and "doff" the side of their head. Now THAT got a 1/10. (I'm too nice of a person to give someone a 0)

Well I now have two pieces of paper for which I (for the main part) worked very hard for. We are very well pleased!

Heeelllloooo! Are you in there? Don't hide!

At work I've been looking up pictures of BXVI for some promotional material I've been working on. I came across this one and saved it 'cause it's just great! If you feel so inclined you can leave a caption for me in my combox. If not and you think that mine really just sums it all up ... that's fine too!

Oooopppps!

Ok, sorry about the lack there of posting. You see my dog ate... Ok maybe that won't work. Haven't been able to keep up with my own life let alone tell other people what's happening.

Sigh.

“You can’t be Silent!”…..

…..or so they thought! I just spent my weekend on a (predominantly) silent retreat and the doubting Thomas’ around these parts just laughed and said I wouldn’t last an hour. WRONG!!!! I didn’t say a word (Talking to the priest doesn’t count). I did laugh…but for me not to laugh would require my voice-box to be removed, so laughing doesn’t count either.

I haven’t been on a retreat for quite a while. I’ve been too busy, which, as Fr Denton pointed out to me, was a reason to go in itself. He was right (as hard as it is for me to admit such things). It was really nice just to stop, refocus, and spend time with God, in the company of other women doing the same thing.

The retreat was run by the Vocations Office here in Melbourne and there was about 17 or so women who took up the opportunity. Although I had no blinding flash from God about my future ( I actually see this as a positive. No falling of horses and being blind for me!!), it was good to just sit and look at God, with Him looking back. I’m so thankful for the gift of adoration. I really don’t know what life would be like without it. Actually I do. It would be a whole lot more confusing!

Damn Straight!




I'm sorry for littering this blog with these pictures but they are one of my favouite things at the moment!

Awwwwwwww!

How cute. There is a little old man sitting on the grassy median strip outside my window having a lovely time in the sun. It’s such a nice day today. Lots of sun and blossoms and general cheeriness.

It’s Finally Over! There is Much Rejoicing.

Yes, after what seems like an eternity, I , Miss Monification, will finally become:
(clears throat)
Miss Monification B.Com, BA (Deakin).

I graduate on the 26th of October.

You can have no idea how much I wanted to cry with relief when I got that news. I finally get to wear my trencher, cape and colours. Well, one colour. I’m wearing my Commerce colour because that’s the degree I really wanted. Arts was like my sidedish. The colour is described as buttercup yellow. What a lovely name for a colour! It will suit my very happy mood perfectly!

OK ……The Five Things Meme (Damn you Shannon)



Things:


…in my Freezer
1. Mince
2. Almost finished tub of frozen yoghurt (you know when there is too much to throw out but not enough to have a decent serve??)
3. A heck of a lot of ice around the edges (Hey girls, we should really defrost this thing)
4. Packet of Frozen Vegetables
5. A bag of frozen chips that have been there since before I moved into this house ten months ago.

…in my Closet
1. A bag of green material for my bridesmaids dress
2. A lot of shoes
3. Well, my clothes
4. OH!!! THERE’S my walkman!!!
5. I’m a hoarder (much to my Mum’s chagrin) so there are boxes of stuff that I have saved from various events in my life from my Deb to my last day of school and piles of World Youth Day stuff.

…in my Car (which is sitting miserably in the driveway because it has not worked for AGES)
1. A broken Radiator
2. A potential blow head gasket
3. A sun-stained note book
4. Dust
5. More dust

…in my Backpack (I’m just going to say handbag here)
1. Lots of pens
2. Lipstick
3. Lip gloss
4. Phone
5. My Pope Benedict Rosary beads

DONE!!!! Hopefully I'll post something more meaningful later!

Just to keep things rolling a little....

My First Meme!

Shannon gave me my first meme. It's this bookish type one. Well...here I go!


1. One book that changed your life: Introduction to the Devout Life St Francis de Sales - See post I wrote on it for reasons. Keys of the Kingdom by A.J. Cronin had a huge impact on me as a kid as well. I think that it was this book that began my understand about what Priesthood really was.

2. One book that you've read more than once: One?! Um The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe CS Lewis -Also the first book I ever read.

3. One book you'd want on a desert island: Desert Islands for Dummies

4. One book that made you laugh: My Family and Other Animals Gerald Durrell - Who knew that natural science could be this good?

5. One book that made you cry: Seven Little Australians Ethel Turner - How DARE Ethel kill off Judy. I've never been able to get over it.

6. One book that you wish had been written: Hard one. Have been thinking about this one for ages. Will get back to you 'cause I want to post this before I leave work!

7. One book that you wish had never been written: Any Jane Austin sequels. Why set yourself up for failure?

8. One book you're currently reading: Return to Modesty Wendy Shalit - Very good read!

9. One book you've been meaning to read: Well I've been meaning to read Return to Modesty but I'm actually reading that now, so .... CS Lewis' Sci-fi Trilogy. Have been meaning to read them for AGES.

10. Seriously, all the people I know have been tagged so if you haven't been tagged by this one ... consider it done! Also if Meg ever gets herself organised into the blogsphere she's tagged too.

Now how absolutely fabulous is this??? I thought that I would work out how to post pictures AND put up one of my most recent favourite ones! I got a magnet of this picture as a present and now it is stuck up on my door at work.

Busy Busy Busy

Things have been so busy today and I haven't had time to post anything too substantial. Two pieces of exciting news though:

1. My oldest, and one of my most dearest friends, is coming down to Melbourne tonight for a week or so. I'm so damn excited. I haven't seen her for two years and both of us are really ordinary at keeping in touch and so therefore we have a multitude of topics to catch up on. I credit myself with helping her to find her brilliance in the world of Science (She is 23 and doing her Doctorate in some kind of Biological Chemistry thingy) by doing all sorts of experiments with her has we were growing up. One being some kind of celery, water, food colouring thing which we kind of forgot about, only to find it in a most disgusting decaying state. I blame this rotting celery experience for my complete and utter rejection of both this vegetable and science. I do digress.

2. I have a computer! I know. Primitive. But for the last nine months I have been computerless at home and it has been a sad existence. True, I don't have internet connection, but at least I can write things for this blog at home and bring it in to upload, instead of cramming it into my lunch hour or some other break. How joyous.

Well, I have broken my record for posts in a week, it's Friday, nearly the end of the working day, so I think I'll celebrate with a pint or two tonight! :)

Note to self...

Learn how to post pictures and whatnot!

Our Lady of Fatima

In Melbourne at the moment the "traveling" Our Lady of Fatima statue is visiting various parishes. I went along to the first of these parishes last night in St Fidelis,Moorland . It was a blockbuster! Car parking was difficult to say the least and then you really had to look hard for a spare inch or two or pew to squeeze yourself into! I don't know when I last heard a packed parish church say a Rosary. It's really quite an amazing sound, try it yourself! See if you can fill a church one day, just for fun. The confession line was busy and people kept on coming and coming! All the while there, at the front, was the really lovely statue solemnly gazing over proceedings. (Just a note to random visitors...no I don't believe that the statue is actually Mary.)


I have a personal devotion to this particular, "version" I suppose, of Our Lady. It captured my imagination when I was very young and it stuck. Perhaps this was helped along by my very devoted grandmother, who would tell us the story of when she was carried the statue when she was in her 20s, around the age I am now.

When I heard this was going to be on I decided to make sure I could get along to one of the nights. As wonderful as it was, it really was quite an old crowd that was there which really quite saddened me. Does this mean that in say ten years the Fatima message will pretty much be forgotten? In our climate of war and violence, is this a time to forget that in order for peace to be even a blip on the horizon, prayer and even sacrifice (oooo extreem concept I know) perhaps might be a way to go. Just a thought.

Mea Culpa ect...

Shannon has chastised me for not writing properly. For writing the way I talk and for general “word vomit” (a phrase he is very proud of coining). I know he is right. You can do a lot more in this world if you write out your ideas, premises and whatnot, with a certain finesse – read here “literary structure”.

For my lack of style at present, I blame the years and years I have had to write ordered and coherent essays. Sometimes I just want to vent…without the confines of structure and without having marks deducted from me because of the lack there of. This is what I have been doing here, on the odd occasion when I do actually DO blog. Childish, I know.

I really should practice my writing. I actually need to work on explaining what I think. Therefore, I will, for the main part, make sure that I write properly and avoid my stream of conscience (word vomit) style. As long as I can be forgiven for every now and again, having a rantish type post in which I let my inner Miss Monification think straight onto the blogpage and in which I can make up as many words as I like.

Mass Preferences

Something that has become an increasingly asked question around the Catholic traps is “What is your Mass Preference?”, "What kind of Mass do you go to?" or some other varient.

I have a problem with this. It really doesn’t sit all that comfortably with me. Why? I’m not overly sure. However, I’ll try and give some kind of reason.

Firstly you are talking about MASS here. You know, Christ, transubstantiating Himself into the form of bread and wine, the most incredible and wondrous mystery that we have been given by God. So when asking what is your Mass preference it can seem a little like they are saying, “So how do YOU like YOUR Jesus?” Whether they mean to or not.

Secondly, whether it is meant or not, this kind of question seems to me to breed a kind of snobbery. A “My Mass is better then your Mass” kind of mentality. Now I have been accused myself of being a liturgical snob. In some of my most formative years I was lucky enough to have as a Parish Priest Fr William Fitzgerald, who is an incredible liturgist and who now resides in the States. Because of this kind of formation, I cringe every time I see a glass/wooden/clay/ “insert other obnoxious material here” chalice/pattern/ect. Or when women, who don’t understand their own feminine genius, get up and perform various roles and tasks of a priest. The other day I saw a women exposing the Blessed Sacrament while THE PRIEST WAS ON THE SANCTUARY Ahh!!!! It nearly killed me!

Yes liturgical abuses make me cry. But this is because the liturgy has been fomed in oder to link back to salvation history and to our faith. The Church has guidelines on it because if you do something wrong, then it can be like preaching a heresy in action rather than in words.

The snobbery I can’t stand is where if you say that you like the Novus Ordo, done well, and without a navel gazing focus, there is the danger that some will either see you as a liturgical fool who knows nothing, or as some kind of psycho-conservative who doesn’t understand the “ebb and flow of the spirit of Vatican II”.

Sheesh… I just can’t win!!!! You know what? I am not a “Traditional Catholic” but I don’t mind going to an Old Rite Mass every now and again. I am not a “Charismatic” by any stretch of the imagination, but I have been to “Charismatic Masses” which don’t abuse the liturgy. I am not a “Liberal Catholic”, I am not a “We are Church” Catholic, I am not a conservative Catholic, I am not a Feminist Catholic, or a “Neo-‘insert favourite phrase here’ Catholic”. Do you want to know what I am? I am a Catholic. That it! Just that. I have no Mass preference so long as it is in the truth, beauty, goodness and oneness of the Church.

Hmmm this is starting to sound like a rant. I might post part two of this later… hey!! At least it will mean that I have to post again! That will keep Shannon happy.

Awesome Book!

For a long time now I’ve been looking for someone or something to help me in a practical way in my prayer life. Any time I ask for some kind of ‘how to pray’ advice I pretty much get the ‘just do it and it will become easier’ kind of answer. But seriously, that just has never helped me at ALL. Where do you start to be able to ‘just do it’?

The other day I went to go to do an hour or so of Adoration for and was browsing through my bookshelves for some kind of book to take along with me. I found St Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life and though “Well, never read this one,” and then ran out of the house.

Ok, so now I’ve found the best book in the world! Big call I know… but sometimes God puts the right book in your hands at the right time and boy did I need this book. Seriously if you need a pick me up in your prayer life this one really helped me. I know that heaps of people have already discovered it but if you haven’t, discover it now!

It’s not just a why you should pray, it is more of a why wouldn’t you want to pray. If you want to become closer to Christ, then here are some prayers, things to think about and guidelines which can help you. Practicalorama!

One of the best things is that he is writing so that the normal person who is trying to live in the normal world can come closer to Christ.
Sigh… in case you hadn’t picked up on it: I. Love. It.

Hmmmm let’s try this AGAIN!

Ok. So I am, perhaps, the most inconsistent blogger in the world, who also consistently breaks her blogging promises...I’m not going to make any more promises about this blog. I will blog when I want to and I make no apologies.

Ahem….sorry.

Anyway just in case you were wondering … yes I bought that suit. Minutes of trauma ended with me just saying “Eh! What the heck!” Besides it’s a very cool suit.

Ok lets see if I can come back later and blog again. The bets are ON.

Materialistic Dilemmas

To buy or not to buy.... this is a question that is haunting me today (apart from my work which of course I am doing will my utmost attention). It has also proven to me that I really should NOT get a credit card.

You see I am now working in the corporate world. A suit-wearing world. A childhood dream of mine actually. All I wanted was to work in the city, have a brief-case, and a suit. When I was little I didn't really care what it was that I was actually doing. Y0u see as long as I had those three things, I didn’t really care.

It seems that I was a very unambitious child and have now come to the brink of realising my dreams! I work in the city, I have a brief-case (type thing) and now...drum roll.... I am suit shopping.

Now suit shopping is great fun. I love it. But it has one most awful drawback. Cheap suits look cheap. Shocking in fact. Ergo anything worth buying costs me about a weeks wage.

Then, I found it. Exactly what I've been looking for. With a $700 price tag... jacket, skirt and pants... all just gorgeous! If I had had a credit card I BET I would have just bought it then and there on the spot. Luckily for me I don't and have had to think about it! Is it an investment or is it a waste of money?

So...to buy or not to buy!?

Knowledge

Have you ever met some one who knows everything? Now I don't mean that the person thinks they know everything. That is something different all together. Rather they actually seem like they do know everything.

Well I have and he is the most fascinating man I have ever met. He's a De La Salle brother in his eighties and seriously if you bring up a topic, he knows all about it and more.

My family had him over tea last night and I was wondering, while he was talking, whether or not, if I stared hard enough, some of his immense knowledge would seep its way into my empty chasms of brain space. Unfortunately this exercise was fruitless and probably looked somewhat scary to the poor man.

I am however resolved…I need to fill this very empty brain of mine with knowledge and though my own efforts and not by trying to steal excess brain from others.

Well that’s all very well, good, noble, ect ect but how on earth do you do it? Where in the sphere of knowledge (don’t know why I called it a sphere but it sounds good) do you begin? I do have my own interests. History, in particular the history of the Church, is incredibly fascinating to me. I have majored in linguistics at University (I have another bone to pick with education which deal with another day) which I just loved. And then there’s a myriad of other areas, literature, philosophy, anthropology, politics… I mean it’s just ridicules! There is just too much to know and too much to be interested in.

Perhaps it’s just my good Catholic upbringing but I don’t really see all of these things as separate ‘subjects’ as it were. I hate compartmentalising things. They are all interrelated and so, in order to really understand one area of study, you have to study everything else as well!
Yes, Miss Monification even Maths and Science (shudder).

Sigh, so perhaps you see my dilemma. Where do you start?

I’ve been thinking…perhaps the best way before you start looking at everything around you, maybe you should start by looking at you. Not you specifically but you, meaning, what are you. What is a human person? Hmmmm me thinks I might start there.

Next dilemma…..how to fit it all in between everything else that goes on in my life!

PROMISES AND FULL-TIME WORK

I do solemnly swear that I will update this blog much more often and to use paragraphs…. I promise, I really do. I also will ATTEMPT not to write massive, long posts…..attempt being the operative word here.

I have been so busy this week it’s incredible! I have just started a new job and am learning all the ropes and believe you me… there are a hell of a lot of ropes to learn. But I’m up for a challenge. The main one at the moment is learning to work 9 – 5. No one ever told me that you actually have to get USED to this! Who knew that it can completely drain you? Perhaps someone should write a short "Guide to Full Employment". Particularly for graduates I think. They have been taught the idea that one should only work in single hour chunks and that if you must work for two hours, you will be given a ten minute break in which you can stand up and release your massive desire for talking to someone, anyone, even that strange person in black makeup sitting two seats away. Now where in the real world does this occur? That's right ...NOWHERE!

Well such is life! My lunch break is nearly over so I must get this posted and attack the massive piles of work in my desk before they attack me!