Insane Ramblings of the Student

JJ: the fatty mc fat fat nephew - Part Deux

2007-06-20T14:41:00.000+10:00

Yes, by popular demand, my gorgeous nephew is back for his second post! Moreover, he's cubbier than ever:

And the happy little vegemite family unit:

In other news, I will be in Sydney next for week for some (much needed) holidaying. Unfortunetly, I have just realised I have virtually no money until pay day next week so if you want to get together it will have to be after thursday!

Bye for now gorgeous girls,

Mellie Pellie xx

Holy CRAAAAAPPPP!

2007-06-06T20:03:00.000+10:00

It just hit me about 20 seconds ago that as of the 5/6/8 I'll have run out of my scholarship money. Please ignore the next part if you are easily offended by swearing...

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FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!FUCK!!!

FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!!!

I'm seriously hyperventilating now (only in my head, not in reality!)

JJ: the fatty mc fat fat nephew

2007-05-10T16:52:00.000+10:00

Far be it for me to deny the only reader I have left, I decided to update my blog.

I have been waiting until I had loaded some photos onto my computer, which required other things that I won't bore you with the details of.

Anyway, on to the post:

As of March 16th at 2:42pm I am an aunty (Aunty Maney to be specific). Jayden Kristofer was born a big boy (can't remember the details of his weight anymore) especially considering he was a week early. The following picture was taken at Easter, and before you ask, no that hairy leg is not my leg in need of some wax, it is JJ's poppy holding him like a pro. The really funny thing is that JJ has these long hypermobile fingers and really loves the stick his middle finger up by itself whenever he can hear his dad's voice (seriously funny!).

Naturally, he was handed a musical instrument very early to become accustomed to an object that will no doubt become permanently attached by the age of 13 years.

Anyway, that is it for now...I'm just working and other things at present which I will not mention here but hopefully we'll all see each other soon and I'll tell you all then!

Love, Mellie

By the way: Join Facebook... I've only got 5 friends right now!!!! Hate to sound desperate but there you go! xx

Epiphany

2007-03-02T09:37:00.000+11:00

Epiphany is such an amazing word - it is so descriptive to me, in a similar fashion to 'aneurysm'. What other word would be able to describe a mind-blowing awakening (ok, so I could go a little dirty here but I will just let everyone keep a little innocence!).
The word aside, I recently experienced one (epiphany, not aneurysm). I won't elaborate via a public blog but it was something that I should have realised a very long time ago (at least since graduation day from undergrad).
So there you go, I will keep you posted on everything as it happens (how very BBC news of me)

I also just wanted to say a VERY VERY VERY BIG CONGRATULATIONS to VIDYA & SUDARSHAN on your marriage!!! I am soooooo happy for you both. I also want to CONGRATULATE ANIKA & KASUN on getting engaged!!!
You all make me feel EXTREMELY inadequate with your happiness and for that I hope you all feel very ashamed!

2006-11-06T17:46:00.000+11:00

I feel a panic attack coming on... paper bags a-standby.

Shocked?...Why, yes!

2006-10-19T13:17:00.000+10:00

This week has been filled with some rather shocking things. Professionally, my supervisor did not get any funding for next year - meaning we'll be in famine mode for a year and hopefully get some money come next round. The response from some individuals in our connected group (who did get funding) also completely floored me - which leads me to this statement - sometimes you think you are friends with a person (or people) when in fact they are coniving or gutlessly not so much ... its sad, very sad and not a little disappointing.
That said, I am a flawed individual and not someone to forgive stuff like that - so, the end is near for many a friendship. I appreciated what I had but don't think it is worth months of sleepless nights. In other news, I regretably won't participate in the travelling journal anymore...I will correspond to those who want me in their lives...
Fini

Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope

2006-09-24T12:20:00.000+10:00

Ok, I have very little to say that doesn't invlove me complaining some more so I thought I woiuld give a mini music review on a new find of mine:

Her name is Regina Spektor and she is a New Yorker. I first heard about her while listening to 'Jay and the Doctor' on Triple J in the morning. They have a weekly segment where 'Library Spice' comes on and plays some new stuff that most JJJ listeners would have never heard. They have played Hawksley Worman in the past (who you may remember I mentioned in a post in April). Anyway, a few weeks ago they played a song by a lady recommended to Library spice by the Dresden Dolls (another great burlesque-esque band). This lady, Regina Spektor, was supposedly The Dresden Dolls favourite singer.
So the song JJJ played was called 'Fidelity' off her album 'Begin to Hope' (2006). I was driving in my car when they played this song and I truly lost concentration enough to start wandering close to the gutter! It was a beautiful song, but what struck me most about Regina Spektor was her incredible voice. It is hard to explain, but it was the most clear and perfect-pitched voice I have ever heard and her music was absolutely perfect for such a voice. A couple of days later I worked out how to download music through itunes and downloaded her album.
'Begin to Hope' is her third album and apparently her first album after her signing to a big record label. Listening to her record - it is hard to pigeon hole her sound into a specific genre. She has overlap with this other amazing singer-song writer Cat Powers, also undefinable in many ways. Officially Regina Spektor is 'anti-folk', which is a genre I have never heard of, but I would say that she'll likely never be truly main-stream, so could just be classified as alternative.

There are some beautiful songs on 'Begin to Hope', with my favourites being Fidelity, Better, On the Radio and Samson. I also elected to buy the bonus addition that also has a favourite song 'Baobabs'. Her album in its entirety is a little chop-and-change from catchy head-bobbing music to a little Jazzy song like 'Lady'. But all-round it really satisfies and is something I think alot of people could really appreciate.

Rating: ****1/2

Trouble afoot...

2006-09-13T08:15:00.000+10:00

Oh dear, work has become a bit of a spectacle and is at the stage where I am going to ask my supervisor for constructive criticism (i.e. for him to actually have the guts to tell me what exactly he is displeased with about my work). It is likely to give him a stroke that I am addressing the matter so bluntly, but it is at the point now where he basically wants alot of the stuff I could do and put in my thesis to be done by collaborators. He argues I could still put it in my thesis but I feel very uncomfortable about that and want to know why he doesn't trust my work enough to let me do it! The only other thing I can think is troubling him is that if collaborators do it, then he doesn't have to pay for it. However, that is really selfish, as it means he is reducing the quality and legitimacy of my PhD thesis!
Any thoughts and/or tips on what I could do would be appreciated!

We'll see how this goes!

2006-08-28T18:38:00.000+10:00

Two posts in quick succession!?! I can almost hear the gasps, the sputtered words of disbelief, the chocking on milo (which, by the way, really hurts!!). Yes, I am posting another one to let you know that my move went fine. I am sitting at my friend’s place typing away on my computer to the sound of her brand-spanking new fridge. Everything is new in this place and it is kind of like staying in a hotel, without the paying or knowledge that 3000 people have slept on the same sheets you are currently lying on!
Ok, so I have moved out and boy that was fun (detect sarcasm!). I realize that I have too much crap! WAY too much crap! It occurred to me sometime between my brother humming the tetris tune as he tightly packed about half my stuff into storage and the surveying the left over crap that I was supposedly keeping with me as I travel from my friend’s place to no-mans landville that I go to next!
I therefore vow to chuck out and/or sell all unnecessary horded stuff when I move on campus! If I don’t I am likely to get trapped under it all and need David Koch to organize a benefit concert for me. On the plus side, I may get $1,000,000 if my book deal gets signed. I imagine the title would be something along the lines of:
“Help me if you can, I’m feeling weighed down by all this useless crap!"

Hehe… til next time! Bye!

Moving Out...gypsy girl for a couple of months!

2006-08-25T14:40:00.000+10:00

Its official. As of tomorrow afternoon (well, really tuesday 5pm) I will be a wandering gypsy until I have my on campus apartment. Tomorrow, my parents and wonderful, ever-reliable older brother will be helping me move most of my stuff down the road to a storage place. When I say "helping", what I mean is actually doing the entire lot because I am currently still unable to walk without crutches! I could bore one and all about how frustrated and impatient I am not being able to go out, and particularly not being able to work my insane hours. I really miss being at work, in the lab, in my own little world!
Anyway, I will be staying at my friends place for three weeks while she is away and then will likely move into temporary accommodation near the centre of the city for another month or so! It has been a crazy scramble on my part to find a place that won't make me sign a lease or pay more than my entire weekly wage, but I think I have found somewhere that is reasonable nice. That said, I was not impartial to sleeping in my car in the parking lot at work - it would certainly save alot of money on petrol!

So, when the travelling journal is ready to use its stubby little legs to be with me I thought it might be useful for you all to know that I probably wouldn't receive it or anything else for that matter (which would be a nice excuse to use when the bill collectors try and get their money out of me).

Ok, I hope all is good for you all! I am really sorry about the major lack of communication on my part - my leg and living situation have absorbed my thoughts alot of late!
Bye!

Back...well, sort of!

2006-08-02T17:09:00.000+10:00

This is a short post to let everyone know I am currently at work and that I am *sigh* still in my non-walking cast! I'm not particularly happy but at least my leg is still attached to the rest of me!

I hope to talk to you all soon,
Love Mel xoxo

I'm not thinking about it so don't ask me to!

2006-06-12T15:24:00.000+10:00

"So, tomorrows the big day!" said the girl from my lab

"Um...yep, I guess" said I

"Wow! If I were you I'd be flipping out right now! I HATE hospitals with all the people dying and giving birth and coughing everywhere. I hope you don't get a coughing patient next to you because I'll probably have to stand outside the room when I visit you!"

"Oh! Don't worry about visiting, its only an ankle operation"

"BUT, sometimes ankle operations turn into, like, finding a tumour in your leg!"

"Um, yeah, gotta go and finish that packing!"

So, basically, I am banning people from talking to me about D-day from now on. I will be fine and don't need people who know I usually stress trying to break my calm with stuff about tumours! Idiots!

Anyway, I didn't get a chance to talk to a few people I wanted to talk to so SORRY (Vids: Really, REALLY Sorry!). I will message you all when I become lucid (in between lovely bouts of morphine sleep!).

See you all soon with my leg in plaster (AHHHH!). hehe

Songs from the city, songs from the sea...

2006-06-04T13:17:00.000+10:00

It is windy today - not that different from other Canberra winter days. What was different was the smell of the wind. As I walked out to my car this morning I was caught up in what I thought was a day dream of windy afternoons at the beach when I was younger. The smell was intoxicating! I felt a little home-sick and comforted at the same time. I stood (like an idiot!) at my front door, closed my eyes and breathed deeply. The traffic became the waves hitting the shore, the rustling leaves became the plants on the sand dunes hitting against each other, the chirps of birds became the annoying squawks of sea gulls wanting some hot chips, the slight noise of my feet moving on the cement became the crunching of sand under my toes.

It is ever the way that we take for granted what we have until it is whisked away - today I felt that in Dolby surround sound! I can't wait for my next trip to Sydney so that I can see, smell, touch and (probably - hehe) taste the sea!

Flu, fun facts and the fur-teenth

2006-05-18T17:51:00.000+10:00

The title is almost grammatically correct so please, dear Yoomi, forgive me for the rest!

I thought I should update considering its been a little while since I put Lior's picture up! I thought it needed to stay up as long as possible!

Anyway, this post has to do with three (or free - to fit with the title) things.
Fistly, I have the flu! I need to complain to people because if I complain to my family they'll tell me I brought it on myself with working til crazy hours. If I tell my work buddies two things will happen: 1) Dave(*remember who this is people?) will start complaining he's sick which he always does as he is a HYPOCHONDRIAC!!! 2) I will be labelled a cryer baby! Actually, they'd probably send me home in case I infect them!
Anyway, I needed to sookie to you all so this is what I'm doing right now!!!

Secondly, I had planned to dazzle you with a long list of weird facts that I've happened to pick up in the last week but all I can remember is this one fact: Most beers and Wines and I guess spirits are Not vegetarian, let alone vegan!!! WTF! So this entire vegan thing is a little harder that I anticipated!

Thirdly, my bloody fibular lengthening osteotemy, bone graft, syndesmosis reconstruction and deltoid ligament reconstruction (AHHHH!!!) operation has been post poned till the thir(fur-)teenth of june! Damn it to hell, I just want to get it over with and now its back a week.

Anyway, Dave* is here sookying so I've gotta go!
Bye bye,
Love ya's all!
Mellie from Canberra

We'll grow old together!

2006-05-10T16:49:00.000+10:00

Thanks for the suggestions for ways to enrich my work life by killing little self centred queen...things are going ok in that department (for now!).

This post I am dedicating to the most important man in my life at the moment. He's sexy, beautiful to look at and listen to and he's from Sydney. Unfortunately, he is married with two kids but I don't care!

Yes, I guess only Yoomi may know who I'm talking about, having possibly fallen in love with this man herself while at the great escape. His name is Lior! Beautiful, gorgeous, sexy, amazing Lior! Here's a picture of him to oggle all day instead of working:

Ah, so beautiful! I don't want to rub it in Yoomi, but I'm so happy to be witnessing my fourth Lior performance in late May! That is all for now, I hope you all have amazing days dreaming of Lior - play some of his music right now if you can and just stare at his picture!

Mellie from canberra ... signing out :D

Little Self-Centred Queen...

2006-04-27T20:00:00.000+10:00

This 3 minute post is dedicated to the new phd student in my lab refered to (by moi and a few select people) as "Little Self-Centred Queen". A truly annoying girl/woman/female that a) doesn't write stuff on our black board when they need ordering, b) doesn't fill any of the lab supplies like we are all supposed to do c) doesn't greet anyone in the morning or say goodbye to them, d) leaves her office chair in the middle of the office when she's going home, e) leaves her folders over the floor and complains when they get stepped on, f) doesn't offer anyone coffee except the other phd student that started at the same time and g) only talks to me and others when she wants something like for me to take her agar plates out of their incubation on the weekends (never get a thanks by the way!!)!
I really don't like her and always make a point to greet her in an over the top friendly way to make the point that she never says hello or goodbye.
B.I.T.C.H.!!! Here's what came up in google images when I searched for "self-centered queen":

Bye!

What the???

2006-04-16T11:47:00.000+10:00

Hi Everyone,
This is a shorty to say HAPPY EASTER! Did you know the average aussie eats 20 easter eggs per year?? Facinating hey? I hope you are all eating your share, plus a few extra of my share as well!
Yesterday I went to the great escape with Yoomi and we had a great time filled with musis, mayhem, and Yoomi screaming alot. We saw many wonderful acts including the gorgeous Lior and the awesome Hawksley Workman. Yoomi spent 15 minutes talking me into going over to say hi to Hawksley and get him to sign something for me. I really didn't want to at first but I'm glad I did because he was really nice! A memory I'll have with me for a long time!
The day ended not particularly nice with a friend flipping out in a very drama queen way! She won't read this blog so I can say she was a complete crazy bitch and will have to apologise BIG time for it to get back to the way it was!
But, spending the day with Yomzeroni (or Yumzeroni!) was great and I hope it can be repeated in the future (with us seeing LIOR!!! Live!).

Have a great Easter and talk to you all soon.

Wishin' and a hopin'

2006-04-10T17:11:00.000+10:00

I wish...
I knew how to stress less
I liked going to bars and being in crowded smoky places
I knew how to talk to the opposite sex without acting so moronic - I'm 23 I should know how to do this stuff already!!
I could occassionally take the easy road
I wasn't afraid to sing more and in front of more people
I could tell people what I'm feeling when it would help
I wasn't a middle child with all my middle child woes!
I was on prozac (sometimes!!!)
I was Natalie Portman in Garden State
I got more results in my PhD - or that my supervisor gave more of a crap about my project!
I was less afraid of life
I had longer hair so I could cut it all off! (Does that make sense??)
I could see my wonderful friends, family and cat more!

Here's Johnny:

Yes...Johnny is truly lovely!

2006-04-01T18:18:00.000+11:00

Ah yes, Johnny Depp:

I love Chocolat! A fav movie of mine. This picture makes me think of Lior's song Gypsy girl...Johnny is my Gypsy boy is the not-so-obscure reference here!

By Popular Demand...Orlando: the musical!

2006-03-13T08:20:00.000+11:00

Thanks for the birthday wishes last thursday - it was a pretty good day considering I had to sit through a very long lab meeting and an even longer demonstrating class!
Here's what you're all here for:

Oh well, back to work I guess!

Sydney this weekend...thank bloody god!

2006-03-02T11:47:00.000+11:00

I HATE my flatmate!

Enough said really!

Here's something pretty to take away my pain...

Stricken, Stressed, Stirred and (Dis)Sturbed

2006-02-24T18:12:00.001+11:00

Being a grad student has some amazing perks. The free pens, the always brilliant excuse for stuffing up or contaminating something, and ofcourse the friendships and general bonding experiences that you have with any other student (or even a random sympathiser!). Most of the time being a phd student is great, love it, never want it to end. There are a few occassions, however, that tend to make the student life particularly hard. The one I'm experiencing right now is that day when all my bills and society/student memberships fees are due. I got paid yesterday and have already spent a very large portion of that money on my bloody bills. What makes it worse is that I haven't finished paying the bills, etc and I already don't have enough money to pay for my next two weeks of rent. Being a student sucks big time!

On top of all of that: birthdays! WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY FRIENDS AND FAMILY BORN IN LATE FEB, EARLY MARCH!!! I hate you all...I love you but I hate you all!

I'll leave you on that...time to find a corner and rock backwards and forwards in the dark, clutching my bills!

6-6-6...special prize for the person who can tell me its significance!!!

2006-02-18T10:29:00.000+11:00

On the 6th day of the 6th month of 2006 I will be having that ankle operation. Now, my previous post's title was "Title Pending" I would now like you to scroll down and look at the title again. That is also, apparently, the tile of my ankle operation. I guess the name itself was one thing that scares the bejesus out of me!!!

So think of me on the 6/6/6 and let me know if you know what such a day could signify to a girl raised catholic - Yoomi I think I already mentioned this to you, so you're probably idsqualified from the guessing competition!

On other news I have my first major divisional seminar to present on May 2nd and it really is a toss up for what freaks me more - the op or the talk! I may in fact be the first student to talk in the new JCSMR lecture theatre, which seats over 200 people (making the fact that I'll have about 20 people even more obvious than it would've in the older, smaller lecture theatre). Luckily, "Dave" has been persuaded by our supervisors to talk at the same session so at least we'll be going through some of the nerves together.

Thats about it, except that I think a Yoomi and Mellie Birthday lunch is a must when I'm up in Sydney on the 3rd-5th March. Best day would be the 4th (saturday)...let me know what you think.
Anikki: Hope everything is going well for you...I'm still not sure when you're in Darwin so let me know so I can call you!

Byyyyyeeee!

Fibula lengthening osteotemy, bone graft, syndesmosis reconstruction and deltoid ligament reconstruction!!! AHHHH!!!...

2006-02-11T16:44:00.000+11:00

I had initially written a VERY long post about this topic, but realised all that needs saying is that I need an operation on my ankle sometime in the next 6 months. Its a big operation, I'm a little (or very, very) worried. If I don't get it, I will mostly likely get arthritis. I tried to find a good ankle picture of this but the best I could do was this - so picture that on an ankle and you'll possibly feel what I feel. I keep repeating to my self that I'm 22, I shouldn't have to deal with this shit! I shouldn't be told that I may need my ankle fused in my early 40's! I want to be travelling and active!

Then I think that I'm not dying so who am I to complain! Either way, the good news is that I can choose when I want the surgery - probably the end of May or the start of June, depending on the experiments that need to be done...

To end this post on a better note here's my favourite quote by the amazing Dorothy Parker ... "I require three things in a man. He must be
handsome, ruthless, and stupid."

My recipe to a great saturday night (and a really lousy sunday!)

2006-01-23T08:17:00.000+11:00

Take one flatmates farewell party, add almost an entire bottle of gin, some tonic water and a beer. Shake in a human stomach till combined. To this add excess amounts of loud music to which you must have the control over. Leave for three hours.
By this time you would have a full-blown drunk (notice the slurred speech and squinting (due to the blurryness of the people around the drunk!)).
This is followed by mass amounts of unlady-like behaviour, frequently involving a bucket.
This recipe entails some sacrefices in the form of a sunday and some of monday. Be prepared to observe groaning, clammyness and all-round crappiness, with a side of remembering some of the things you said the night before!!

All I have to say to that is NEVER AGAIN!!! Did I not learn from the post-honour's incidence! Holy crap I feel like...well crap!

I'm yet to find a true hang-over treatment so if you have any tips let me know!!!