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!