PrincesseEmma

It happened in Paris...

2009-05-03T14:31:00.006+10:00

So sorry I've been so slack with my posts. There's obviously a few things I need to catch you up with...

Chris took me to Paris to celebrate our 6 year anniversary on the 18th February and while we were there he proposed!

Here's our proposal story...

Emma and Chris were about to celebrate their six year anniversary and Chris had organised a holiday in Paris for the occasion.

For the night of their anniversary, 18th February 2009, Chris had booked into the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, Le Jules Verne, for a romantic dinner.

That night, after a decadant French meal Chris took Emma to the top of the Eiffel Tower to enjoy the view. As February is wintertime in Paris it was quite cold on the top level and while Emma was dressed nicely for dinner she wasn't dressed warmly enough for the temperature up there.

While Chris was looking at the amazing view, Emma stayed away from the edge because of her fear of heights as the top level is 276 metres high.

Chris persuaded Emma to walk around the top level to see the whole view and while Emma complained about the cold Chris reminded her that they wouldn't be going to the top again so taking some time to enjoy the view would be a good idea.

While Chris took some photos at the edge Emma found the warmest spot to stand and looked out over Paris.

Chris came back to stand with Emma and told her that he thought this might be a good time to give her his anniversary present. Emma was confused as she had thought the trip to Paris was the present. Chris told her that he had gotten her something else and handed Emma a bag from Tiffany and Co.

Inside the bag was a bracelet and on the bracelet was a charm on which Chris had engraved "For 6 Years 18-2-09". Emma was reading this when Chris asked

"Have you seen it?"

"Well I'm looking at it!" Emma replied.

Then Chris showed Emma the second charm on the bracelet on which he had engraved "Will you marry me?"

As Emma read this Chris got down on one knee and held out the ring you see in the photo above. He said

"I love you, will you marry me?"

Emma replied with an excited "Yes!"

And as Chris slipped the ring on Emma's finger the small crowd that had formed cheered!

Apparently everyone we knew thought that Chris was going to propose, I however was clueless. Sure, I had thought Paris would be a romantic place for it and yes I know it was our anniversary but I was convinced that the trip to Paris was all Chris had organised (and all he could afford to do!). Let's just say I underestimated him!

Our wedding will be on our anniversary as well. We will be getting married on Saturday 18th February 2012, which will be our ninth anniversary!

Looking forward to sharing the wedding planning with you...

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T22:00:00.001+11:00

So how did you celebrate New Year’s?

I finished work at 6pm and at midnight I was at my friend's new house with sparklers and cocktails. I had a New Year's kiss with my wonderful boyfriend and got home in the early hours of the morning.

New Years Day Chris and I relaxed at home and that night we went to dinner with my Mum and sister and spent some time with our gorgeous pets!

I don't really make New Year’s resolutions... I just continue trying to complete the goals I had last year and add new goals when it's appropriate. For example, I want to finish my university studies, which will take a few more years, so I'll continue to chip away at that goal.

Although maybe my New Year's resolution should be to post more regularly...

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? What were they this year?

Here's hoping 2009 is a great year for us all!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-24T22:33:00.001+11:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

How are you spending the day? I'll be with my family, Christmas is all about family for me. That includes my pets, of course! Although they'll probably be more excited about the wrapping paper than the presents!

So Merry Christmas to you!

This Is Where I'll Be Tomorrow Evening. At Twilight...

2008-10-20T20:47:00.006+11:00

Please cross your fingers for a sunny day!

My sister and I got our Mum a Sydney Harbour BridgeClimb gift certificate for her 50th birthday. Her birthday was last November so we're off tomorrow to use her certificate before it expires!

I'll tell you all about it soon, I promise.

Here's PrincesseEmma as a Simpson's Character...

2008-10-10T12:24:00.001+11:00

What do you think of her? I like her purple top and shoes! (I guess that's obvious because I picked them!)

And here's my boyfriend Chris in Simpson's form. He's a big fan of The Simpsons, that's why I made these characters. He looks a bit young but there's a limit to how you can customise the character so he'll do!

And here's a picture of us in real life so you can judge any likeness. What do you think?

Make your own Simpson's character here.

Grand Final Excitement? Or Not...

2008-10-05T16:45:00.014+11:00

I'm an NRL fan. A Broncos fan to be exact. And today is NRL Grand Final day. I'm at my Mum's house watching the footy with Chris, my Mum and my sister, Kat and I'm not very excited.

I often find that the final game of the season is rather anti-climatic. After weeks, well months actually, of games to get here the last game of the season, months of build up for a game that isn't very exciting or suspenseful.

And this year is supposed to be a big year for Rugby League because it's the centenary. Something tells me this means the final game will be even more disappointing than usual. (Gee I sound negative don't I? Maybe I'm bitter because my team isn't playing and their coach, Wayne Bennett - who I think is the best coach in the game, won't be with them next season).

But we're watching the game anyway, it's tradition. And we've ordered pizzas for the occasion (we rarely get pizzas). Kat's interest in the game is mainly for the players; her only comments are things like "He's hot! What's his name?!" she was more interested in footy when Ryan Girdler was playing. Here's why:

Girdler's in the middle. Now what was I talking about?

That's right, footy... As I said I'm a Broncos supporter and the Broncos aren't in the Grand Final this year so already the game lost some of my interest. Plus the two teams that are in the game, well let's just say the words "who cares?" come to mind...

Firstly, the Manly Sea Eagles:

Arguably the game's most hated team. Funny, I don't know why!

And then there's the Melbourne Storm:

From the state where no-one even supports NRL. I'm not really sure why Melbourne has a team.

I'm so disinterested that when there was a raffle at work to win tickets to the game I didn't buy a single ticket.

So who to support? A Sydney team with a lot of loyal followers? Or a team from Victoria who may need the support?

I don't really care who wins, probably because I don't have a stake in the game emotionally. But part of me would like to see Manly win for their supporters. I'm not sure how long Manly have been in the competition, but I know it's longer than Melbourne, and they have a loyal fan base.

But then again Melbourne is my favourite city, so maybe I should support their team? Plus there colour is purple, also my favourite colour... (In some ways it would be so much easier if Brisbane were playing, but then it would also be more stressful).

I think I'll try to enjoy just the game with my family. I hope it's a good one.

How did you spend Grand Final Sunday? (Or did you celebrate Grand Final Saturday last week? (For the AFL).

UPDATE : It wasn't a good game. Not at all. Manly won 40 - 0. That's right, Melbourne scored ZERO!!! Not an exciting game by any means. What a let down. At least the pizza was yummy.

They're free, so I'll take five...

2008-08-16T10:27:00.000+10:00

Recently while catching up on posts at one of my fave blogs, Dooce, I was directed to one of her archived posts from 2002. Read it here.

In her post she was talking about what she calls her “Five Fame Fuckers List”, something you may remember from Friends as the “Freebie List”. It was in “The One With Frank Jr.” (Season 3, Episode 5) – this might refresh your memory:

Chandler: Well, we have a deal where we each get to pick five different celebrities that we can sleep with, and the other one can't get mad.
Ross: Ah, the heart of every healthy relationship: Honesty, respect, and sex with celebrities.
Monica: So, Chandler... who's on your list?
Chandler: Uh, Kim Basinger, Cindy Crawford, Halle Berry, Yasmine Bleeth, and, ah, Jessica Rabbit.
Rachel: Now, you do realize that she's a cartoon... and way out of your league?
Chandler: I know, I know, I just always wondered if I could get her eyes to pop out of her head.

Rachel: Oh, I don't know. I guess... Chris O'Donnel, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Daniel Day Lewis, Sting, and Parker Stevenson.

Ross: Okay, I'm done with my choices. These are final.
Rachel: Well, it's about time.
Joey: Ooh, very official.
Ross: Oh, yeah, well, ya know, Chandler printed it up on his computer.
Monica: And who laminated it?
Ross: That was me.
Rachel: Alright, let me see. Uma Thurman, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Hurely, Michelle Pfieffer, and... Dorothy Hammill?
Ross: Hey, it's my list.
Rachel: Okay, honey, you do realize she only spins like that on ice?

And Dooce explained it like this:

Let me just take a moment to explain the Five Fame Fuckers list for those of you who don't already have one: if you're in a committed relationship, you're allowed to compile a list of five people you'd like to sleep with, but the people on the list not only have to be celebrities, they also have to be celebrities you don't know or wouldn't ever happen to bump into, even in the most remote social situation. To make things fair, the person you're in the committed relationship with gets to compile his/her own list. So, if you don't have one, please do us all a favor and get one.

At that time this was Dooce’s List:

1. Jake Gyllenhaal
2. Ed O'Brien
3. Clive Owen
4. Benecio Del Toro
5. Brad Pitt

And her husband Jon’s list was:

1. Charlize Theron
2. Katie Holmes
3. Rene Russo
4. Tea Leone
5. Cameron Diaz

Recently Dooce updated her list, she says it’s due to “recent international events” a.k.a the Olympic Games...*

1. Chris Martin
2. Ed O'Brien
3. Brad Pitt
4. Michael Phelps
5. Michael Phelps

I’m not sure, but this may mean she is allowed to sleep with Michael Phelps twice. Someone described Michael Phelps like this “This is what I call a Prawn. Tasty body, discard the head!!” and I can’t help but agree.

Anyway, I think it’s obvious where this post is going – who are my five? No, Michael Phelps would not take a place on my list. But who would? That got me thinking. And I think a list like this one deserves some serious thought; a cue I took from Ross who was so serious he laminated his final list.

The names that popped into my head are the names of celebrities I have had crushes on over the years, so let me tell you about them...

My main celebrity crushes are men from TV shows I loved at the time. Basically from my favourite shows over the years I have had a crush on one character from each show...

Starting with Full House and Uncle Jesse (a.k.a John Stamos) I had a big crush on the character of Uncle Jesse (But I didn’t like him this much) maybe becuase he was the only desirable man from Full House but more likely because he was my type. I guess even at a young age I knew my type and I haven't actually changed alot (purple has always been my favourite colour too) and you'll see from each of my crushes who fit my type (looks-wise anyway).

Anyway, this was John Stamos in Full House.

Sooo my type - older than me with dark eyes, olive skin, full head of dark hair and a sexy voice (hear him sing here, he toured with The Beach Boys!).

This is what he looks like now twenty years later in E.R.

Still looks good if you ask me! Especially for 45!

Next there was Dylan McKay from Beverly Hills 90210.

I think I had a crush on Dylan because I wanted to be Brenda Walsh. I thought they were a great couple and I hated Kelly Taylor for breaking them up. I also hated my father for not letting me watch 90210...

So Dylan was played by Luke Perry and I haven't seen him in anything since the 90210 Reunion Special, which may be because he now looks like this:

And because of that picture Luke Perry is now out of contention for my top five. I guess he is 42 and looks his age (somehow that makes John Stamos look even better...). But if I could turn back time he’d be in my top five for sure!

Next there was Clark Kent from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Once again I wanted to be the female lead character, Lois. It was while watching this show that I had dreams of becoming a journalist... and meeting my own Clark:

That was Clark, played be Dean Cain and last time I saw him he was on Las Vegas, giving Josh Duhamel a run for his money looking like this.

And he is also 42, but looking alot better than Luke Perry. Some men age so damn well!

Next was Dawson's Creek and Pacey Witter. I was in high school when Dawson's Creek was on and all my friends and I thought Pacey was wonderful.

He was played by Joshua Jackson and I remember for my 16th birthday we all went to see Josh in The Skulls. At sleepovers we used to watch little Josh in The Mighty Ducks movies. My crush on Pacey/Josh was probably the most intense one because of my age at that time. As usual I had more of a crush on the character than the actor; because I felt I knew the character and I think it felt safer to have a crush on someone who wasn't real.

Josh was most recently in the movie Shutter with Aussie Rachel Taylor, looking like this:

He is 30 now and still looks good. But I wonder if he'll look better than John Stamos at 45?

So here is what you've been waiting for, I'm sure -

My Five Freebies (in no particular order):

1. Joshua Jackson

2. John Stamos

3. Dean Cain

4. Hugh Jackman

5. Brad Pitt

You know, just off the top of my head...

So the last two were a surprise but I've loved Hugh Jackman since Paperback Hero and he's been in my favourite musical ever, Oklahoma! (and I was so excited after seeing him in real life and up close as Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz) and now I can't wait to see Australia.

And I picked Brad Pitt because, even though he's not my type, who would turn down the chance to sleep with Brad Pitt? Seriously? You could brag about it forever! I bet Jennifer Aniston does! Plus he does look pretty good in this pic (except I don't like too much facial hair, my father has a beard).

But if my list were of Five TV Show Characters it would be:

1. Dylan McKay (if I could turn back time)

2. Clark Kent (only the Dean Cain version)

3. Pacey Witter (after the first season)

4. Denny Duquette

5. Kirby Atwood

Ahh, Denny Duquette**. Who didn't love him?

And have you seen Lipstick Jungle? This photo will show you what you've been missing: Kirby Atwood***

So what do you think of my list? Who would be on your list? Do you know who would be on your partner's list? And what's your type? Do you even have a type? Let me know in the comments!

I've asked Chris (who is most definetely my type) who his five famous freebies are, just to add a male perspective:

1. Cindy Crawford

2. Alyssa Milano

3. Milla Jovovich

4. Keira Knightley

5. Halle Berry

* Read about Dooce's updated list here. My list is in the comments.

** Denny Duquette was played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

*** Kirby Atwood is played by Robert Buckley. He doesn't look like a 'Robert' to me though, he suits Kirby much better. In real life his middle name is Earl too...

Congratulations Ellen & Portia!

2008-08-14T23:13:00.002+10:00

Who could look at the picture above and deem it wrong? Lots of people apparently. But not me.

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi began dating in 2004 and last week they got married.

The couple joined thousands of others in California taking advantage of the state's landmark court ruling in May allowing gay marriage.

This law, however, may soon be overturned because groups in California opposing gay marriage have successfully applied to have the issue decided by the state's voters when they go to the polls for the November 4th presidential election.

You can see the couple during their wedding ceremony above. They are sitting down on the floor for it - how relaxed is that?!

Ellen's mum, Betty, said of her daughter's wedding:

"It was a magical evening. My daughter and the love of her life are married. They have the legal civil rights that every other loving couple has. And what's wrong with that?"

My thoughts exactly; what is wrong with that?

And my question to the groups in California opposing gay marriage: why are you doing this? Who are Ellen, Portia and others hurting?!

I don't believe the couples are trying to push their lifestyle on others. I don't think they're trying to force anyone to be gay or force anyone to be ok with them being gay. I think what they are doing is living their lives and wanting to celebrate their love for someone and share that with those closest to them. They are trying to legalise the union they have with someone; become a family.

Something most people probably take for granted.

I am not gay. So I have the right to marry the person I love. My relationship is recognised by society and the law. But why shouldn't more people enjoy that right?

There are so many horrible things happening in the world - war, famine, death, suffering. Why don't these people focus their energy on fixing those things instead?

I think maybe we need a little more love in the world. Who cares if that love is between two women, two men or a man and a woman; as long as it allowed to exist maybe it will make the world a better place?

Like the Beatles said: All you need is love...

And Ellen said: "You've chosen right if you marry in white" and "You'll forever be blessed if you marry in a vest"!

Congratulations Ellen and Portia, I hope you had a wonderful day.

You can see more pics here.
And video here and here.

I've been tagged... *

2008-07-13T11:16:00.020+10:00

Dataceptionist has asked me - What are 5 things in your handbag that say you?

I thought this would be fun and interesting to look at objects and their relationship to their owner. I think it is interesting to think about the things we keep with us and why we do so. Why are we attracted to the objects we buy? Is there a sentimental reason we keep things? Are we even aware of the reasons?

So here are 5 things from my handbag that speak about my life (or are just quirky and interesting)

- My tiny umbrella

It's the purple one on the bottom left, naturally.

- Deodorant & Travel Toothbrush

Specifically Rexona Crystal Clear Aqua (the kind that doesn't leave white marks)

- Painkillers, Migraine Stick & Other Drugs (LEGAL Drugs!)

- So Many Hair Bands...

- & Prescriptions

I also have lipglosses, keys, make-up, mobile phone, a brush, my wallet, many pens, and sooo many receipts and misc. pieces of paper etc, etc...

Also, if I'm out somewhere with Chris you might find his wallet, mobile phone and keys in there too. I spoke to a single friend about this recently, the conversation started when I noticed her very cute, very tiny little handbag. I mentioned that I had to have a practical sized handbag because it has to be able to contain all my stuff and Chris' stuff and she said she understood as she had bought the cute little handbag after comming out of a relationship...

And why do I need to keep all these things with me?

- Umbrella - obviously incase it rains. But also because it's purple and little and cute and I love it.

- Rexona & Toothbrush - so I can freshen up, if need be. I hate the thought that I might be getting smelly, so I never let it happen! Not that I think I'm a smelly person, but that idea that you can't smell your own odours freaks me out! I only buy the kind that don't leave white marks too. And the toothbrush comes from when I had braces in High School (not that it's the same toothbrush as I hd then, yuck!). Basically, when you've got braces it's easy to get food caught in them and I was always paranoid about that. When the braces came off the paranoia didn't go away so I still carry a travel toothbrush with me just incase I need it...
-
Painkillers, Migraine Stick & Other Legal Drugs - I almost have a pharmacy in my purse! I have the painkillers (ibuprofen and panadol) as I have a bad back (disc bulges on my spine & neck) and I get alot of headaches, hence the migraine stick! I find it helps to get rid of my headaches or migraines (often I have to combine it with the drugs for the full effect though). I also have The Pill, antacids and sometimes cold & flu tablets and nasal spray in there.

- The Hairbands (or hair elastics) - I just had my hair cut short so these might not get as much use, but I often wear my hair out that get hot, or annoyed with it and throw it into a ponytail to get it out of my way and off my neck. At the moment I have this little tube of hairbands, which is really cool 'cause they're not scattered all through my bag or around the handle of my brush. I always get black hairbands 'cause they go with anything and I like the kind with no metal parts 'cause they're better for your hair (which is great for me 'cause when it's long I keep it in a ponytail constantly).

- Prescriptions - (see above for Legal Drugs!). I'm always losing my prescriptions so I keep them with me in my bag (in one of those handy side compartments). Then when I need to get something I don' have to search all around the house for the prescription. Although I might want to rethink this 'cause when I get to the chemist I pull them all out to find the right one and the girl at the counter looks at me like I have a drug problem... (which I don't!).

So... Who will I tag? (in no particular order)

- Heather from Dooce

- Danielle from Three Girls and a Boy

- Michelle from JustImagine

- Zoë from FruityBeauty

- And Sparsely Kate

Let me know when you've posted yours!

So here's how it works - Of course there's rules, there's always rules.

~ Link to the person who tagged you.
~ Post the rules on your blog.
~ Write 5 Things in your handbag that say YOU .
~ Tag three people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
~ Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
~ Let your tagger know when your entry is up.
(~ For the sake of brevity we'll allow multiples)
Obviously this can be extended to blokes if you know a man with a man-bag/backpack.
And it all started here.

* This post is driving me crazy. Not the content, being tagged hasn't driven me crazy, but the formatting of this post. I'm a bit of a perfectionist with my posts sometimes and I can't get this one to do what I want and I've had enough! So it can stay like this. The End.

Good Mornin', Good Mornin'...

2008-07-05T07:53:00.003+10:00

Well after seven weeks of training a my new job where I worked 8am 'til 4pm Monday 'til Friday, today I have my first weekend shift.

My morning ritual each day has included morning television, namely Sunrise. Each morning I get up, turn the kettle on, put the heater on and then put Sunrise on. I find it helps me wake up, plus I get the news of the day, and the weather plus the all important celebrity gossip.

Today, being Saturday, I got up, turned the kettle on, put the heater on and then put the television on to find cartoons and kiddies shows on every channel! Every channel! (And no, I don't have Foxtel).

Now, if I were someone who had kiddies I might find this helpful, but I don't have kiddies and I need my morning television! It's part of my morning ritual, don't the networks understand that?!

Now, without telling me that you all have the weekend off and are sleeping in, don't you think it would be nice to have something worth watching for adults on a Saturday morning? Especially with so many people working on weekends in retail, hospitality, customer service, etc, etc...

Or is it just me?

We Won!!! Go Queensland!

2008-07-02T23:05:00.006+10:00

WoooooHooooo Queensland won!!!!!!!!

Here's a picture of me with Lola & Mimi at halftime.

We're all proudly wearing maroon, as you can see.

Great to see my alltime fave player, Wally Lewis, there too. So pleased he is feeling better after being ill.

Showing My True Colours...

2008-07-02T19:42:00.007+10:00

I love my Rugby League and I am a Brisbane Broncos supporter, I have been ever since I was a little girl. Yes, I know I grew up and still live in Newcastle and I know Newcastle has a football team. But I don't follow them and I never have. The only times I've ever been to the Newcastle Knights' stadium to watch a game is when the Broncos have been visiting. And I wear my Broncos jersey to these games proudly.

Growing up no-one in my family supported the Knights. My Dad is a Roosters supporter and my Mum and sister are Dragons supporters. And when I was growing up Wally Lewis was playing for the Broncos. Wally Lewis - the King!

And, obviously, Wally Lewis played for the Queensland State of Origin Team too.

So it makes sense that when State of Origin rolls around I stay on that side of the border. My Mum & Chris support Queensland too. And so tonight we'll be wearing Maroon and cheering for Queensland, as I have done every year.

In short - Go Queensland!!!*

* Before you all attack me for supporting QLD, just remember - this would be no fun if someone didn't support the other team!

Sweet Dreams...

2008-06-29T21:02:00.007+10:00

I consider myself to be quite the dreamer. Daytime or nighttime; I dream quite a lot. And I'm one of those people who, more often than not, remembers their dreams. I'm talking about the nighttime ones, although I remember the daydreams too...

And, again more often than not, my dreams are kinda weird. They don't always make a lot of sense. I can never interpret them with dream guides because there are too many things happening in my dreams. For example, in the dream guide you may be able to look up a dream where you're on a farm, but my dream couldn't be that simple, in my dream I'd be on a farm where I was growing scarecrows and selling them on eBay to French people who put them in their houses as art while my house is being robbed by my father.* How would I look that up?!
Sometimes I remember the dreams as soon as I wake up but there are other times I'll remember them randomly throughout the day.

This is what happened to me the other day at work. I was still in training at my new job last week. I was at my desk working and I could hear my trainers (there were three trainers for my training group) talking about their dogs and I joined the conversation because we were having a slow day at work and after seven weeks of training we had all gotten a bit familiar. Karen was talking about the dog she used to have called Emma.** That is when I remembered part of a dream I had the night before. I dreamt that I was coming back from my lunch break and walked past my trainer's desks, and one of my trainer's, Michelle, had bought a puppy in her lunchbreak. The puppy, a male beagle, was asleep in a doggie bed next to her desk.

Doesn't sound like such a weird dream, right? Well here's the weird part: I described the dream to Michelle and the other trainers. Then they all looked at each other. I was thinking maybe I had over-shared? Maybe they thought it was creepy I dreamt about them at work? But then Michelle said "I have a beagle at home" and Karen added "And she bought him in her lunchbreak from the pet shop!”

I didn't know any of this, so it kinda freaked me out. And it explained their weird looks.

Obviously I'm not psychic, but maybe reverse psychic?!

What do you think? Has anyone else ever had something like this happen?

Or maybe a dream that predicted something was going to happen? (As opposed to dreaming about something that already happened that you didn't know had happened...)

* This is not a dream I actually had. But often my dreams include my father. Things I repress in life come out in my dreams...

** Is Emma a dog name?! Would you call a dog Emma? There are some names that I hear that I think would be better for a puppy than a person, but is Emma one of them?!

The image is from here.

My First Post at DD Dilemmas...

2008-06-01T21:01:00.004+10:00

Sick of trying to find good bras for your ample bosom? This is the place for tried and tested bras from a D Cup+ in all price ranges - DD Dilemmas!

And here is my first post on DD Dilemmas, about one of my favourite bras; the Fine Lines Body Essentials Fuller Figure Strapless Contour Bra (it's name is a mouthful, but it's a really good bra).

Hope you Enjoy it!

Sorry I've Been So Slack...

2008-05-27T18:30:00.009+10:00

Well, I guess my true self is showing through. Keeping up with my blog was fine when I wasn't working much, but now I've started a full time job, you haven't heard from me. Sorry.

Honestly, I've started a number of posts and just haven't had time (or been organised enough?) to finish them.

Like when Mariah Carey, my all time fave singer got married to Nick Cannon. I was so excited, I started a post. And I started one about the Logies fashion. And some others. I promise I'll finish them all. Soon. I hope.

Also, Chris and I had our housewarming party this past weekend. The organisation of that was highly stressful and took up a lot of my precious non-working hours. Hours I would have normally loved to spend finishing the posts I mentioned. There was so much to do, the house still isn't finished! But it was worth it because it was a good party. A great party, if I do say so myself!Am glad it's over too, so life can get back to normal (whatever 'normal' is).

And I'm enjoying my job. Well I'm not actually doing the job yet; there's seven weeks of training first and I'm in week three. I've made some friends and they're all so funny and nice. I'm enjoying going to work, which has surprised me. A pleasant surprise. It is tiring though.

Reading back over this, it just sounds like I'm making a lot of excuses. And maybe I am, but I'm just being honest. Life got in the way of blogging. Which is weird because I'm supposed to be blogging about life...?

Also, Quickflix hasn't sent me any movies from my Best Picture Oscar winning list lately, but I'm hoping to get one soon. This month I got sent Brokeback Mountain and am looking forward to watching it.

Speaking of movies, I'm very sad to hear Sydney Pollack died today. I loved him as an actor and director. I just saw Made of Honor and thought he was very funny in it, as he was in most things (well, the comedies anyway). I'm looking forward to seeing Out of Africa, which won a Best Picture Oscar and he won Best Director for. I will miss his movies. I hope his family are ok.

And I'm looking forward to the Sex and the City Movie SOOOO MUCH. Seriously, all caps were really necessary there. I'm VERY EXCITED for it. It better not be a let down.

So look out for some more posts soon. I endeavour to finish them over the weekend when I have some real time off.

Thanks for your patience!

A Sad Day...

2008-05-02T19:00:00.012+10:00

My post has a different tone today. It has been a sad day for my family. We have said goodbye to our family cat, Tiddles. She was eleven.

You can see her above, before she got sick. It was cancer that took her life. Skin cancer, as she was a pure white cat, so her fur provided little sun protection. (We did put sunscreen on her, but being a cat she cleaned it off. And we did try to keep her out of the sun but it was quite difficult and the damage was done...)

Like all of our family pets, Tiddles was quite unique. There are so many stories I could tell you...

My great-grandmother picked her out of the litter and she named her Tiddles. My mum, sister and I all lived with my great-grandmother, Nanny, after my parents seperated. My Dad hates cats, so we were never allowed to have one until then.

Nanny was in her late 70s at the time and spent alot of time in bed, due to illness. Nanny was quite thin and didn't have alot of, um, junk in her trunk, so to speak (unlike me, I have junk to spare) and she often sat on an inflatible doughnut cushion. It looked like this one:

Except it was red...

Anyway, when Nanny would get up during the night (or even during the day actually) to go to the toilet Tiddles would come from wherever she was sleeping and curl up in the middle of the doughnut pillow. Because Nanny had obviously made it all warm and cosy, plus it was the perfect size for Tiddles to curl up in.

So Nanny would come back from the bathroom and see Tiddles curled up asleep in the doughnut pillow. Naturally, Nanny would want to move Tiddles so she could get back into bed. But Tiddles would have none of it! How dare Nanny want her bed back? She got up and left it for the taking! So Tiddles was... less than co-operative and would swipe at poor Nanny. And Nanny’s skin was paper thin, as happens as people get older, so Tiddles could do quite some damage. So Nanny would have to call Mum to come and save her from Tiddles. It was quite funny, really (even Nanny thought so, I think). And it happened so often.

Then, more recently, when my boyfriend, Chris, and I were flooded out of our (rented) house (after the Newcastle storms in June ’07) and went to stay at my Mum’s place with our two puppies and kitten; Tiddles was quite put out.

Tiddles was not at all happy that we had invaded her home with three little animals. And she showed us this quite clearly. She would chase the puppies away from her favourite places and then claw the carpet to show her disgust. And she would stare at them menacingly. As they are miniature Maltese puppies; they are quite small. They were around one and a half kilos of white fluff, where Tiddles was quite a large cat at around seven kilos. My Mum would say to the puppies “watch out for the big white tiger” as we imagined that’s what she seemed like to them.

During the month we stayed there, Tiddles spent a lot of time upstairs in my sister’s room enjoying the solitude she used to have in the whole house. My sister had just gotten her first queen sized bed (upgraded from a single bed) and had some stuffed animals on the bed. One was a little puppy that looked a lot like my puppies, Lola and Mimi. When I had been in my sister’s room, checking out her new bed, I had commented that the toy was the spitting image of Lola and Mimi, our Mum thought so too.

You see, the toy looked something like this one...

While Lola and Mimi looked just like this...

(Ok, Lola (wearing the purple collar, on your right) looks a little dopey because I woke her up to take this photo...)

One night we came home to find the little puppy toy at the bottom of the stairs. My three animals had been in the lounge room while we were gone and Tiddles was asleep upstairs on my sister’s bed.

My sister thought Mum or I had put the puppy there as a joke. We hadn’t. My sister put it back in her room.

The next morning the toy puppy was back at the bottom of the stairs. All the humans in the house swore they hadn’t moved it. That only left..... Tiddles.

We’re not sure why she kept doing it. (She did it many times). My Mum thinks it was some kind of warning to the puppies like: “Don’t invade my space further by coming up the stairs” or “I hate you being in my house, leave now” or something like that (it’s difficult to interpret the message she was sending).

Even after we moved out, when I would visit Mum with Lola and Mimi, Tiddles would bring the toy puppy down and leave it on the stairs. Warning us. The white tiger has spoken...

She will be missed. Very much. But I am pleased we have so many fond memories of her. I don’t know how to grieve. I definitely don’t do it well, but knowing she will never be forgotten makes me feel just a little bit better.

As a friend said "I'm sure she's in a better place now, but she'll always be in your hearts". So true.

In my mind; Tiddles is now in Heaven with Nanny, waiting for Nanny to get up so she can curl up in the doughnut pillow again.

Thankyou Tiddles for being such a special part of our lives xxx

I really cannot believe I am posting about this idiot...*

2008-05-01T17:43:00.010+10:00

I just read something that pretty much sums it up - "whether you like him or not, party boy Corey Worthington just won't go away".

Unfortunately, no he won't.

If you want to read more about this go here or here. Because I don't have much to say about this idiot. I certainly won't be promoting anything he is doing.

I feel he has given people my age (and younger) a bad name for making a complete idiot of himself and then being proud of what he has done. Then people continue the stupidity by publicising what he has done and is doing. I am ashamed that he is a young Australian. I hope I never see him in person because I might not be able to resist the urge to slap him silly.**

But I must say I understand why he continued to wear the stupid outfit he considers some kind of trademark.

Because he actually looks like this.
So he is stupid, annoying and unattractive. The trifecta, really. His parents must be so proud.

* I have used the words idiot and stupid where I wanted to use much stronger words. Swear words. But I am a lady...

** I do not condone, support or encourage physical violence in any way. I don't believe it solves anything. I wouldn't actually slap him. But I might want to. For all the good it would do...

If you don't think they're cute, well there just might be something wrong with you...

2008-04-30T12:35:00.012+10:00

So our 5 month old kitten Pixie is totally gorgeous. Even when she is being annoying she is cute. Like at 4am when she meows at our bedroom door because she is awake so why aren't we? Or when we are trying to tie our laces on our joggers an she thinks it's a game. Or when she eats all the dog food because she is just such a little pig. It's annoying, but cute. She's just that cute. See, here she is napping on her Hello Kitty blanket...

And it got my thinking about when our other three pets and how gorgeous they were when they were babies. Of course they're still totally gorgeous, but there's nothing as cute as a puppy or kitten, have a look for yourself...

This is baby Sassy outside on her lead...

This is baby Lola lying on the cool floor (on a hot day)...

This is baby Mimi under the coffee table after she had destroyed one of Sassy's toys (that's the bit of red in her mouth)...

And this is a great shot of baby Sassy enjoying her scratching post before the puppies destroyed it...

The puppies loved to play with the scratching post and the next photo explains how they destroyed Sassy's favourite thing about the it (because she has never actually used the scratching post to scratch; just to play and sit on, or in). Also notice how the other puppy is rolling around inside the scratching post...

So tell me honestly; do you think they're cute?

THIS JUST IN : We had a traumatic pet incident today involving Lola. She was having trouble breathing and naturally I wasn't home at the time. My boyfriend rang me to say he was rushing her down to the vet and to meet him there. As soon as we got to the vet's she was so nervous that her breathing difficulty seemed forgotten. But then the wheezing started again. Plus she had a temperature, poor baby. She looked so scared; her eyes are really expressive. The vet checked her out and gave her a needle to make her feel better. We still don’t know exactly what was wrong, but the main thing is that she is ok. Phew. Crisis over.

At least this was slightly better than the traumatic pet incident on Christmas Day involving Mimi. That involved the emergency vet and was much more co$tly.

This is another reason I feel pets are a good warm-up to having children. They prepare you for the stress. And the co$t. Read more about my theory here.

Some Things That Define Me...

2008-04-29T23:25:00.006+10:00

So I’m a huge fan of Facebook. I blame Mia Freedman for getting me hooked on it. Read how Mia did it here.

Well it was Mia and my friends who had MySpace, before I had worked out what it was and how to join it, abandoned MySpace and that decided Facebook was now cooler and that I HAD to get on there. And get on there I did...

I added applications like crazy, joint way too many groups and causes and annoyed all my Facebook friends by sending them endless invites to the applications I had added. (Admittedly I just cleaned out my applications because my profile page was taking too long to load, annoying! And, in my defence, I had to invite a minimum amount of people (it used to be 20) so that an application will work.)

I even made my boyfriend join Facebook so my ‘relationship status’ had his name there. You know, so people would know I’m not single and looking to mingle (although I did get in trouble from my boyfriend when he first saw my profile page (before I made him join; before he really knew what Facebook was) and saw that I had on there that I’m “interested in men”. He thought that meant I was telling people I was looking for a man or something. Funnily enough, a close friend had the exact same conversation with her fiancé; when she made him join Facebook so her ‘relationship status’ would show him as engaged to him).

Anyway, I am a member of quite a few groups on Facebook... 50 to be, well that would be lying; my is Emma and I am a member of 102 different groups on Facebook. Yes, I’m serious.
At first I would just join any group I was invited to join. Unless it was offensive to me in some way. Like a group for killing puppies or something horrible; I would not join that.

But I have actually left quite a few groups. I know, hard to believe I’ve left any, but I have. And I found that the groups I stayed in sort of illustrated a part of my personality, or represented a life experience I’ve had, or support something I believe in, or unite people who are fans of something I love, or connect people who share an opinion I have ... I liked the idea that the groups I’m a part of sort of defined me.

Oh and in my frenzy to join groups that express part of who I am I was frustrated to see that there were not enough groups to cover all of what makes me, me. So now I am the proud creator of 6 groups. Yes, I said proud. But more about that another time.

So I thought I would write about one of the groups I am a member of and why it defines part of who I am. Because the title of the group doesn’t always explain it all. The group I’ve chosen to talk about is one I will soon be leaving, I’ll explain why soon, but it represents a significant period of my life and some of the frustrations I experienced in that time. The group is called – 'I'm a waitress, not a fucking mind reader!'

And the group description says this:
“For all of those waiters and waitresses out there sick to death of all those annoying customers who presume just because you wield an almighty pen and pad you also have the incredible mind reading skills of a psychic and know exactly what they mean when they order 'just a coffee' when actually they mean a triple shot latte with caramel syrup... Yes, of course I knew that what you really meant sir! Go fuck yourself.”

While I have been studying at university I have had to work in the hospitality industry. In other words, I have been a waitress for the past four years, so this group defines that part of my life, sort of.

To be honest, I didn’t hate waitressing. But I guess I didn’t love it either, that’s why I applied for jobs outside of the hospitality industry recently when I was looking for work. (Also, I have been offered a full time customer service job (which I have accepted) in an office environment (i.e. not in the hospitality industry!) which is why I said I will soon be leaving this group; I won’t be a waitress anymore!).

Firstly, I was good at my job when I was a waitress. I don’t say that to give myself a wrap or to big note myself in some way, but I do feel I did a good job and I think it’s ok for me to say that honestly. But I will also say that I don’t think it is very difficult to be a good waitress. It’s not really that hard. I wouldn’t compare it to being a doctor or a builder or a teacher or an animal tamer or a mechanic... There are skills that you need to be a good waitress – a certain amount of organisation, a good memory, being customer focused, being able to relate to people, some confidence, and you need to be able to read and write – but these aren’t skills that compare to the skills needed for the other jobs I listed, in my opinion anyway.

But, although I was good at my job, I did find, as the group description says, that some customers were quite rude and did expect their waitress to be a mind reader. Now there’s a difference to expecting someone to be competent enough to serve you in a restaurant and expecting them to read your mind. I am someone who expects a level of competence from a waitperson; but I do not expect them to read my mind.

For example;

It is a Saturday night (usually the busiest night of the week) and six people walk in at 6:30pm requesting a table (the busiest time is usually around 6:30-7:30pm).

They have no booking.

The waitstaff pull two tables together to accommodate them and seat the six people.
A drink order is taken.

When the waitress* brings their drinks back she asks if they are ready to order a starter.

They inform the waitress that they haven’t looked at the menu yet because they have been talking.

The group is made up of three couples that haven’t seen each other for awhile and are catching up, they say.

The waitress says she’ll give them a few minutes to have a look and then she’ll come back.

In about five minutes she comes back again to get the order for a starter.

The group have still not looked at the menu, they have continued to talk.

The waitress had realised this but had come over anyway, to prompt them to order as she knows that there are a number of bookings for 7pm (usually the most popular time for bookings) that will soon be arriving and she needs to put this groups’ order in before they come in order to ensure the flow of service for the whole restaurant (and to help the kitchen).

So to aid this group she goes through the starter options for their benefit, as they will obviously not be reading the menu too quickly.

Then one lady at the table declares she had a late lunch and doesn’t want a starter.

Another asks how big the mains are to determine if she wants a starter.

The waitress explains that the size of the mains does vary depending on what is ordered but she does indicate the average size of the meals.

The third lady declares that she doesn’t think they need starters.

As often happens, the men at the table are happy for the women to make the decisions so nothing is said; therefore no starters are ordered.

So the waitress asks if the group would like some time to have a look at the main meals on the menu.

The women of the group say, no, that they will decide while the waitress is there as they think they can decide quickly.

This is never the case.

Eventually all six people have ordered main meals and another round of drinks.

The orders are put into the kitchen and the kitchen gets started on making the meals.

The second round of drinks are delivered and the table is left to socialise while their meals are prepared.

About five minutes after the table had put in their order someone from the table signals for their waitress to come over.

The waitress approaches the table and asks if there’s anything they need (while she is thinking they shouldn’t need anything as their drinks are fresh and there food has been ordered and should be coming in a little while).

They ask how long their meals are going to be because

THEY HAVE TICKETS TO A SHOW THAT STARTS AT 7:30PM AND WILL NEED TO LEAVE BY 7:15PM AT THE LATEST!

And this is the first time they have mentioned it.

The waitress firstly has to hide her shock and annoyance and then has to rush into the kitchen to pass on this new information.

They kitchen staff are, of course, annoyed at the waitress for not passing this on earlier!

Of course, the table expect to get their meals quickly now and are annoyed if there is a slight hold up.

They may leave on time, after rushing to finish their meals, but don’t seem happy.

They believe it is the waitress' fault that they are not happy...

This kind of thing was not at all uncommon. It is just one example of customers expecting their waitperson to have read their mind. It is very frustrating to the wait staff, but the annoying thing is the customers are the ones that are allowed to show their frustration that the wait staff didn’t anticipate the situation and act accordingly. The wait staff, on the other hand, are required to remain professional and work harder to ensure the customers are satisfied after they have dropped their bombshell, all the while hiding their own frustration.

So that is how this group on Facebook applies to my life. Hope you found my little story (rant?) at least interesting, or slightly entertaining.

There is a book (that I haven’t read, but intend to) about this sort of thing called ‘Turning Tables'. Find out more here.

*The waitress in this story was actually me.

80 Years of Oscar Award Winning Best Pictures...

2008-04-26T00:42:00.003+10:00

And just so you can join in the fun, here is a montage of the 80 winners of the Best Picture Oscar...

(This is the very first time I've posted a video, so hope it works!)

How many have you seen?

I'm currently at thirty-four out of eighty...

It's 'All About Eve'...

2008-04-24T23:44:00.017+10:00

So my quest to watch all the Oscar winning Best Pictures has begun. You can read the post that started this here.

The first film Quickflix sent me is the winner for 1950, All About Eve. From what I’ve read it’s supposed to be pretty good. It wasn’t just nominated for the Best Picture Oscar; it was nominated for fourteen Oscars! And it won seven of them! Impressive, I think.

Also this movie is consistently listed among the best films of all time, so it has a lot to live up to.

Now, I’m well aware that I’m no Margaret Pomeranz or David Stratton but I will do a PrincesseEmma style review of the movie...

Firstly, what is it about?

I guess the title explains some of that but there’s more. All About Eve is the story the aging Broadway star, Margo Channing, who meets a star struck (and almost obsessed) fan, Eve Harrington, hanging around outside the theatre. Margo and her friend Karen sort of adopt Eve. Eve moves in with Margo and becomes her assistant, friend, and confidante. Eve seems modest, innocent, wide-eyed and loyal, but it is all an act. Eve is desperate to become an actress, and wants to learn all she can from Margo. Margo discovers Eve is an aspiring actress who wants to have Margo's stardom, roles, friends and life. Eve goes about worming her way into Margo’s circle and trying to basically become her...

The actors in this movie are wonderful. Bette Davis plays the bitchy, cigarette brandishing Margo Channing who throws tantrums, gets intoxicated, and pushes people away when she needs them the most, and she definitely makes Margo a memorable character! It is often said that this is one of the greatest performances of Davis' career. Now I know why. Margo is the epitome of the strong, independent women who is on the verge of a midlife crisis, and Davis handles her ups and downs quite well. It may be called All About Eve, but Bette Davis is the star of this film.

The movie is also very well written. I guess all good movies are! But this one builds and flows well and you don’t realise how long it’s been going for. It runs for 2 hrs 19 mins, I always think a good way to judge a movie is whether it drags on and for me, this one didn’t, so that was good.

But I think what makes All About Eve a great movie is the fact that it isn’t just entertaining, it also raises significant issues, and if you think that Eve Harrington and her acting ambitions are the focus of the film you may have missed the point entirely. The subject of this film is more of a feminist issue -conflict in the lives of working women, an issue that is still relevant today; relationships verses career. Each of the three main female characters, Margo, Eve, and Karen, have formed a different view of this issue through their experiences:

Margo’s competition with Eve forces her to realistically look at the direction her career and her life are going and she comes to realise that she may need more than just her career to satisfy her needs.

Eve, on the other hand, has the opposite feeling. She is young and ambitious and she fantasises about how the applause of an audience will soon be all she needs to be fulfilled. The irony is that Margo probably thought this herself once.

Lastly however, there is Karen, the housewife. Karen was content to be a playwright's wife. Margo, in the twilight of her career, sees Karen as having the domestic bliss she hopes to get before it's too late. But Karen also begins to reconsider her life choice when Eve moves in on her playwright husband, then Karen suddenly finds herself trying to hold onto her marriage and the source of her fulfilment.

This issue, that appears to be timeless, gives the movie the same relevance now as when it was made.

I love great quotes from movies, this one has some great quotes (they’re more relevant if you’ve seen the movie though) my favourite were:

Margo: “Funny business, a woman's career, the things you drop on the way up the ladder so you can move faster. You forget you'll need them again when you get back to being a woman. It's one career all females have in common - being a woman. Sooner or later we've got to work at it no matter how many other careers we've had or wanted. And in the last analysis nothing is any good unless you can look up just before dinner or turn around in bed and there he is. Without that you're not a woman.”

Margo: "Fasten your seatbelts; it's going to be a bumpy night!"

Margo: "I'll admit I may have seen better days, but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail, like a salted peanut."

Margo: "You bought the new girdles a size smaller, I can feel it."

Birdie (Margo's dresser): "Something maybe grew a size larger."

Margo: "When we get home you're going to get into one of those girdles and act for two and a half hours."

Birdie: "I couldn't get into the girdle in two and a half hours"

Margo: "Birdie, you don't like Eve, do you?"

Birdie: "You looking for an answer or an argument?"

Margo: An answer."

Birdie: "No."

Margo: "Why not?"

Birdie: "Now you want an argument."

Bill Sampson: (Margo’s boyfriend): "We have to go to City Hall for the marriage license and blood test."

Margo: "I'd marry you if it turned out you had no blood at all"

So it was a good film and I’m pleased to have seen it. Here is my rating*, if you’re interested...

I’ve now seen thirty-four of the eighty films that have won the Best Picture Oscar. Still lots to go!

* My rating key -

When Two Become One...

2008-04-23T10:11:00.008+10:00

So this is a girl called Evan Rachel Wood. She is an American actress who turns 21 this year. She was in ‘Practical Magic’ with Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock when she was 11. Apart from that she hasn’t been in any movies I’ve seen. Have a look for yourself here.

But now she is Marilyn Manson’s girlfriend. And now she looks like this...

Why has she done this? I couldn’t say. But what confuses me is this; Marilyn Manson must have found her attractive as she originally looked, or they wouldn’t have started going out, right? So why did she need to become more like him?

This is her full transformation. I found it here. (In the second picture below they may be wearing the same lipstick, but I can't be sure)

Anyway enough about them. If I think about Marilyn Manson for too long I start to feel ill. So I’ll talk about Brad Pitt instead...

So Brad Pitt has had at least three high profile serious relationships. Firstly he was engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow. This is when they were happily engaged, notice the matching haircuts and hair colour (not to mention the matching outfits and matching expressions)...

Then he married Jennifer Aniston. This is just before they got hitched, notice the matching fake dreds (hers all over, his just the fringe)...

And this is more recently when he started a family with Angelina Jolie, notice the matching hair colour...
It’s interesting isn’t it, how he changes his look to match that of his fiancée/wife/partner? Does this mean he allows each woman to change him? Does this make him insecure? Does it mean he doesn’t know who he is? Or maybe he changes hairdressers when he changes girlfriends? I’m not sure. What do you think?

Also, is Brad a serial monogamist? Maybe... this is the definition of serial monogamy from Wikipedia: “Serial monogamy is characterized by a series of long- or short-term, exclusive sexual relationships entered into consecutively over the lifespan. In common usage the two partners need not be married, but may be involved in a serious relationship. This behavior is a variant of monogamy, in which a given individual has only one sexual partner throughout life.”

He certainly fits the description anyway.

Reckless or Romantic?

2008-04-21T09:13:00.006+10:00

So we've all heard what Prince William did now. He flew his helicopter to visit his girlfriend, Kate Middleton at her parent’s house. Naughty, naughty William!

An ‘unnamed Royal insider’ has said he "obviously wanted to show off his skills to his girlfriend" because "there's nothing more macho than landing a helicopter in your girlfriend's back yard".

So was it just an impulsive romantic gesture? I couldn’t say.

But on The Morning Show today their UK correspondent said it’s not uncommon for the RAF to practice landing and taking off from the local farms. So maybe he was just practising and took the opportunity to visit his girlfriend, you know, two birds, one stone?

But then there’s the other news that Prince William had used another Royal Air Force helicopter to pick up his younger brother Prince Harry in London before flying to a buck's night on the Isle of Wight.

Not as romantic but is it a reckless use of RAF resources? In both cases Britain's Ministry of Defence has defended these flights as part of William’s training, like they said on The Morning Show.

But what sort of training requires going to a buck’s night in a helicopter? I’m thinking if William is ever required to serve he might be surprised at the sort of work he is required to do. Because I’m sure they wouldn’t send him to Iraq or Afghanistan to pick some blokes up for a night out or to take them to visit their girlfriends.

Oh well. I would guess that this will be used as another reason why Australia should become a republic. They'll say - why do we want a head of state that would do something so reckless with government resources? Because all the reasons are as sensible as that one is, really.

Read the story from my sources here and here. The image is from here.

Never Talk Politics or Religion...

2008-04-20T23:54:00.013+10:00

So when Kevin Rudd got voted in as Prime Minister I was excited. So excited I could have been channelling the other Kevin; Big Kev. And it wasn’t just because he was so cool with his slogan Kevin '07, but he was a breath of fresh air that I was happy to have.

Sure, he's another nerdy guy with glasses but he does seem to have his eyebrows under control and was brave enough to go on Rove. Plus with him came all these amazing women. And let’s face it, women should be running the world, right?*

I remember Robin Williams said - "Women are beautiful creatures... if we had woman presidents, there would never be any war... NEVER NEVER! Just every 28 days some severe negotiations" So true Robin. I just hope for your sake that it isn’t close to day 28 when your divorce is going through...

Anyway, so Kevin ’07 brought with him lots of great women. First of which was Julia Gillard. I was so excited when Kevvy went on holidays and she became Australia’s first female acting Prime Minister that I sent her an email. I was even more excited when she wrote back! Have a look at it below (sorry for the big black smudges I put on it to preserve my anonymity, they’re ugly but necessary; also sorry for the size I can't seem to make it bigger). Then there’s Nicola Roxon, the Minister for Health and Aging. Jenny Macklin, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water. Tanya Plibersek, Minister for Housing; Minister for the Status of Women. And Kate Ellis, Minister for Youth and Sport. The list goes on!

And now we’re going to have a female Governor General! It’s taken 107 years to get one, but she’s coming!

As everyone knows by now her name is Ms. Quentin Bryce. I checked her out in her role as Governor or Qld here and Kevvy would be pleased to know I approve. But not just because she’s a woman. More because she seems like the best person for the job.

I liked this about her;

"She has made choices throughout her professional and community life that reflect her strong sense of responsibility to the community; her commitment to advancing human rights and equality, the rights of women and children, and the welfare of the family; and her willingness to share her skills and experiences to improve the lives of many. As a mother of five children, and now as a grandmother, these things rest close and dear to her heart."

Read more here. I know this is from her website so it’s probably supposed to be complimentary, but I do like her values.
I also liked reading this**:

"Monarchists say the appointment of a new Governor General is proof Australia doesn't need to become a republic...
Professor David Flint from Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy says our system is one of the best in the world. “I think it demonstrates that an outstanding Australian can become head of state under the existing system, there is no need to go through a major constitutional change to achieve something which can be achieved so simply under the present system.”

Well said Professor Flint! I would have just said ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!’ but he did explain it much better than that.

Speaking of the British monarchy I also read that they might be making some changes. I read...

“A British law forcing the daughter of a monarch to make way for a younger brother in the succession to the crown could be scrapped under new equality rules.”

I feel this is a case of ‘it is broken so fix it!’ The original law was made in 1701 and they are only now deciding that they might change it. It’s pretty lucky there’s a Queen anyway with the law as it stands, if she had any brothers at all they would have been promoted over her. I think it’s about time they changed that silly law, especially because the Queen has been doing such a good job for so long. Obviously a woman is capable so she should be able to take the job even if she has a younger brother. I know it won’t even be an issue until William has kiddies (changing in the law won’t change the current line of succession) but it’s still about time it was changed.

But what I wanted to say was this; as a woman it is very exciting to see so many other women appointed to such powerful positions, it’s good to see that the ‘glass ceiling’ is being broken through or being lifted or whatever. But what will be more exciting is seeing these women do their jobs well. And I do hope that is what happens. Because the fact that they are female does not guarantee that they will be great at it. I may sound disloyal to my sex by saying that, but I think I’m being sensible. I think the reason it’s illegal to advertise for a specific sex for a job is because it shouldn’t matter. What should matter is how well the person can do the job. I think we have to remember that sometimes it might be discriminatory to suggest there should be more women filling the roles that men currently are. Because, in reality, the man might be the best person for the job. Not just because he is a male, but because he has more experience or is more qualified or something crazy like that. Just like there are women who are the best person for the job because of their qualifications and experience. Not because they have more oestrogen in their system.

I think it could be more dangerous to have a token woman in a role than to have men doing everything. Having said that, I don’t believe the women I’ve listed above are ‘token women’.

But I am pleased that society is now accepting women in powerful roles; when they are the best person for the job.

Like Ms. Bryce said "what this day says to Australian women and Australian girls is that you can do anything, you can be anything, and it makes my heart sing to see women in so many diverse roles across our country in Australia."

* I think it's best if the people running the world are doing the right thing, whether they are men or women. I'm just pleased to see women are being considered for such roles.

** I wouldn't call myself a monarchist; nor would I call myself a republican. But just because I don’t want to be labelled either way doesn’t mean I’m a fence sitter. I don’t see any sensible reason for Australia to become a republic and if I were to pick a reason for being more pro monarchy (apart from the 'if it’s not broken, don’t fix it!’ reasoning) it would be because I don’t want Australia to have a new flag which would surely come with a republic.

What’s in a name?

2008-04-17T18:46:00.010+10:00

Here are my thoughts on why I don��t intend to change my name when I get married.

My main reason is that my name is part of my identity, as I see it.

I don��t plan to get divorced, as I��m sure no-one does before they are married, but I would like to keep my name to keep my identity intact. I have spent 24 years with this name and I quite like it! I like my signature, I like my initials and I love my name and the connection it has to history. My family history and the history of Newcastle, where I live.

I don��t feel like sharing my full name on here at this time but I will say that I am proud of my family name and what it represents. It is not a really common name, but it is somewhat a well known name, in my area anyway.

Also, my grandmother has been married twice and because of that is known by three different names �� her maiden name, her first married name and her current married name. I have been out with her for the day when she has seen three different people she knows and has been called by three different names!

Friends of her parents or her childhood friends know her by her maiden name, friends of her son know her by her first married name (which is also her son��s last name) and people that have met her in the last 30 years know her by her current married name! It��s crazy!*

Having said all of that, I have no problem with a woman who wants to take her husband��s name. I also have no problem with a man who wants to take his wife��s name (It may not be very common but I do know a man that did this).

People who make these choices do so for their own reasons. They may feel like it confirms their commitment, they may not like the surname they were born with, or they may just think tradition demands it. That is fine. That is their choice and I think it is a wonderful thing for them to do. In the same way, this is my choice.

It��s not about me making a feminist statement. Although part of me does feel if my husband doesn��t want to change his name, why do I have to? Plus, like Mia Freedman says, feminism is all about choices. The choice for a woman to change or keep her last name is hers alone.

Something else that I was thinking about because of a recent news story** (also see here) is that I don��t wish to be referred to as someone��s partner. Unless we are in business together. My boyfriend and I have been together for over five years and I will be his girlfriend until I become his fianc��e. Then I will be his fianc��e until the day I am his bride.

Then I want to use the word bride to describe myself for as long as I can until I get used to the word ��wife��. This may only last until the end of the honeymoon, but that��s ok. I��ll get used to it.
It��s not that I have a problem with being someone��s wife. I don��t. It��s just the word ��wife�� that I haven��t grown to love. Yet.

I��m comfortable with being a girlfriend. I��ve been one for five years, as I mentioned. I��m looking forward to being a fianc��e. Because that will mean wedding planning. But also I think the word is pretty. It��s French, I love French words. Probably because I have loved learning French.

I did like the French word for wife. That was until my high school French teacher corrected my pronunciation of it like this - ��It��s ��femme��, �� She said, ��Sounds a bit like ��thumb��. Just remember it like this; French women are a bit under the thumb!��

You can probably see where she lost me. I may not be a complete feminist but I still don��t want to be referred to anything resembling being ��under the thumb��. I did, however, remember how to pronounce femme.

*My grandmother is worried that when she dies two thirds of the people that know her won't be able to find her grave because it will have her current name on it!

** I have absolutely no problem with anything to do with homosexuality, bisexuality or anything in that area. Even though I am heterosexual, I support the rights of same sex couples to be recognised as a legal unit, much like a de-facto couple is. In the same way, I have no problem with same sex marriage. I will refer to anyone as the 'partner' of their significant other if this is the word they would like me to use. In the same way, I would like the choice to NOT be referred to as the 'partner' of my significant other. I think that's fair?