Monthly Archives: September 2011

Footy and Meat Pies

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I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror –
The wide brown land for me!

Australia: the land of kangaroos, koalas and deadly spiders.  Back in 1904, just three years after the federation of Australia, poet Dorothea Mackellar wrote what became an iconic poem entitled “My Country” to describe her love for her home.  I’m a far cry from being a poet and am definitely not qualified to criticise such a legend, but I think there’s a little something missing from Mackellar’s tribute:  Aussie Rules and Aussie meat pies.

OK, we can forgive her for not mentioning the pies…according to Wikipedia (don’t we all get our facts from there?) the Aussie meat pie originated in the early 1900s, so maybe Mackellar had not had the privilege of trying one when she wrote her poem.  But Aussie Rules football has been around since the 1840s!

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September 11: A Decade of Pain, Faith and Healing

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Everyone has a story to tell of where they were when a significant news event happened: I was late to school the morning I watched the Challenger explode shortly after blast-off  in 1986; I was with my Dad and brother-in-law buying a new air-conditioner the afternoon news broke that Michael Hutchence (lead singer of Aussie band INXS) was found dead in his hotel room in 1997; I was with my parents driving into the city as news trickled in with reports of the car accident that eventually took the life of Diana, Princess of Wales that same year.

Of all the global tragedies during my lifetime so far, there is no doubt the attacks of September 11, 2001, will forever be ingrained in my mind.  I remember, as if it was only yesterday, that fateful day when the twin towers of the World Trade Centre (WTC) came down after two planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into those buildings in the heart of New York City.

It was late at night in Sydney when the first plane flew into the North Tower.  I had been working on an assignment in my study. My TV was on in the living room – I was waiting for The West Wing to start.  It was nothing unusual that programs regularly did not start on time.  I kept going out to the living room every couple of minutes to check if the program had started yet.  At first, I thought the TV station had changed its programming to some late-night disaster movie when I saw smoke billowing from an office tower.  Then I realised it was “Breaking News”.

Like everyone else, I was stunned and horrified at what I was seeing.  There was no real explanation as to what was going on.  Reports told of a tragic plane crash – everyone thought it was an accident.  It had to be.  How else could you explain what had happened?

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Forty Pearls of Wisdom And Assorted Observations

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In four weeks’ time, I will be celebrating my birthday, and there’s nothing like being reminded that you’re another year older to make you reflect on the little things in life.

Since I am not one to be backwards in coming forwards, so to speak, I thought I’d share with you some of my little “pearls of wisdom”, if you will.  You may not agree with them but that’s OK. I’ve learnt to accept that I can never please everyone 🙂

These are a mish-mash of things that came to mind but are in no particular order, and by no means an exhaustive list.  However, you can probably guess why I have chosen to list forty 🙂

So here goes nothing!

  1. My mother may not always be right, but she always has my interest at heart.
  2. Family always comes first and will always be.
  3. You can choose your friends but not your family, so it’s best to accept them as they are.
  4. Words are mightier than the sword, so choose yours wisely.  The saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” is rubbish.
  5. There will always be idiots doing and saying idiotic things. It’s better to ignore them and walk away. Don’t let them ruin your day.
  6. Choose your battles carefully. Some are just not worth the effort.
  7. Look at the big picture but don’t ignore the details
  8. Common sense is not common, otherwise there would be no such thing as planking or the Darwin Awards
  9. It’s not nice to call someone stupid, no matter how much you want to. People do stupid things. There’s a difference.
  10. I believe in God. Having Faith helps get me through the days – good and bad. Continue reading →