Aussie Adventures

The Last Survivor: Genelle Guzman-McMillan

2012-01-17T09:30:00.000+11:00

Published in Signs of the Times, January-February 2012.

pdf available.

And if you're interested, my (almost) complete writing portfolio can be found here.

First knitting pattern

2012-01-15T17:58:00.000+11:00

I wrote up my very first knitting pattern! It's for the Gnomeo Beanie that I made for D a few months back.

I'm starting to venture into making my own creations territory and hopefully this will signify many more new patterns and designs to come!

If you would like to download the pattern, you can do so at my MelT Creations website or from Ravelry.

And if you spot any mistakes, please let me know!

Onward cowl!

2012-01-13T10:53:00.000+11:00

Yippees! This arrived in the mail for me today which means I can finally continue working on my cowl!

This has been one of my longest "easy" project. In theory, it shouldn't have taken me this long (and I'm not finished yet!), but between everything that was going on in my life, this project fell by the wayside, particularly after I ran out of yarn. I just never attempted to purchase a new ball.

However, I'm really looking forward to the finished product (oh when will that be?). Made from WOOLganic Knitter’s Yarn, it is 100% certified organic Australian merino wool, which means it's soft, cosy, non-scratchy, warm and nasty chemicals-free. So it's going to be so nice around my neck, which is a rather sensitive spot.

At the moment, I'm really hoping I'll finish it in time for when I move to where the maximum temperature is a chilly -7 degrees (celcius) today!

And if you would like to get yourself some of this scrumptious yarn, I got mine from Little Sparrow. It seems like a nice little shop (have never been there) that is owned by a real creative lady. Fair prices, low postage (I hate paying postage) and quick service! Very happy.

RIP Mouse

2012-01-11T23:01:00.000+11:00

I suppose I should have given it a better name after being my faithful companion for seven years. It spent at least eight hours a day, four days a week (and four hours every Friday) with me and the best I can come up with is "Mouse" - and that only thought of a few minutes ago.

It followed me when I moved first into a new office building a few hundred metres away and then into two different offices during that time. First it helped me write media releases. Then it helped me write news articles and television scripts. The last thing it did was help me edit articles and write my own.

But today, Mouse gave up the ghost.

Mouse now sits at the bottom of its paper-filled grave called my bin, because it finally realised it deserved a much-needed rest. Maybe it was because I didn't give it a break over the Christmas holidays.

It bears the scars of its long service. The silver varnish on the left mouse button has been rubbed down, revealing its white plastic after all the caressing done by my index finger. The right mouse button fared better, only turning a slightly light grey-green colour, but only because it's not a very well-used button. And where my palm rests . . . let's just say it's kind of gleaming.

No longer does the left mouse button work, unless under much duress. But when using it gives my index finger an incredible sore, I thought it time to move on with my life and acquire a new one.

Bye bye Mouse. You have been a good and faithful servant.

And in case you're wondering what Mouse is resting on, I found this weird picture of a coffin couch here.

Space Invaders (from Slate.com)

2012-01-09T16:08:00.000+11:00

As an editor, receiving manuscripts with a double space after a full-stop (period) is a personal pet peeve. So I am so grateful for articles like this from slate.com that explains why we should never do it.

Relax already

2012-01-08T15:57:00.000+11:00

I have an extremely bad habit that I've recognised and have been trying to shake for years. I succeeded for a few years, but I'm beginning to discover that it's coming back with a vengeance.

I can't seem to relax.

By that I mean I need to be in a constant state of doing something "productive". I feel like I'm wasting my time if I'm relaxing, doing nothing, watching TV . . . I think it's why I took up knitting so enthusiastically. So that I'm actually doing something I feel is productive, instead of simply sitting on a couch, watching TV.

It's also probably why I decided to take up post-graduate studies. So that when work's over, I don't just have the opportunity to relax and chill out in the evenings/weekends, I actually have something I deem productive to do.

I'm a fiend when it comes to to-do lists. I love writing them and ticking them off. I'm always thinking of something else to add to it and get this immense sense of satisfaction when I am able to cross them out.

I don't believe myself when I look at my day and realise that perhaps, I don't really have anything else to do and I can spend some time reading a book or watching TV. Instead, I potter around the house looking for something to clean, rearrange or pack.

I feel like I need to be in this constant flux of activity, doing something, creating something.

Wanting to be productive is not a bad thing, but when you get to the point where you feel like you need to be doing something all the time, I think it's time to get some kind of help.

The lucky thing is that because of my religious beliefs, Saturday is a special day for me in which I try to connect with God, obeying his directives to take some time out to rest. So instead of buzzing with activity all the time, I manage to find one day a week to disconnect from it all. But come Sunday, I'm panicking again if I've got nothing to do.

What is it with life that we can't feel that we can relax anymore? That we actually feel guilty about simply enjoying being in the moment? We've been pushed too often to succeed, to achieve, to be productive that perhaps sometimes, we're wanting to attain too much, forgetting the need to step away and recharge.

I'm looking forward to the day when I can enjoy my Friday evening pamper sessions without feeling guilty. At the moment, it feels more like a task that I have to do, and not a special treat, which defeats the whole purpose!

Review: The Alchemist

2012-01-06T16:25:00.000+11:00

It's no wonder this book is an international bestseller. The little nuggets of wisdom, the amazing insights into life and the simplicity of style makes this book such a joy to read.

I know I've been rather late getting on to the bandwagon and in all honestly, I wouldn't even have read this book if I hadn't found it amongst D's pile of things.

The introduction of the book had my absorbed. This talk of fufilling one's Personal Legend intrigued me and spoke to something in my heart. I wanted to know more, because I could relate.

Too often, we lose our dreams, our deepest passions to a number of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, when at the core of it, we're simply afraid. Afraid of chasing our dreams. Afraid of the difficulties we may face. And sometimes, even afraid of achieving those dreams. We look around us and there are people everywhere who never get to achieve their dreams, so why should we?

Reading The Alchemist was an absolute pleasure. I felt like I needed a highlighter or a notepad and pen to jot down the thought-provoking and insightful quotes I come across. Quotes to inspire us. Quotes to spur us. Quotes to encourage us to go on. To go on searching for what makes us truly come alive.

It has all the elements of what life would be, if only we can overcome our fear and trust in God/fate/Soul of the World, or whoever we believe guides our lives. Because when we do so, "the universe conspires to help us achieve [our dreams]".

The only regret I have? Not picking this book up earlier.

And if you're interested, my (almost) complete writing portfolio can be found here.

Milestones

2012-01-05T22:36:00.000+11:00

Is there nothing to look forward to in life besides having a baby, once you've reached a certain age?

For the last month or so, I've been counting down the weeks on Facebook to a much anticipated trip coming up in February.

Every week without fail, I would have a different friend assume my "xx weeks" status update has something to do with me being pregnant.

Can't a girl look forward to . . . oh, a new car, a trip to the hairdressers, a holiday, the arrival of new shoes, a visit from a friend or simply practice her ability to count, without being mistaken for being pregnant?

It's funny how life seems to be marked by certain events that "matter" - graduation, finding a partner/spouse, babies, death (ok, I don't think too many people look forward to death . . . ) - and everything else just falls by the wayside. We live our lives hoping to achieve these milestones and fail to recognise or anticipate other events that excite us or bring us joy.

Having a baby is a wonderful thing, but perhaps it may not be the only thing we ought to look forward to with eagerness. We need to live our lives with more fun. Let us enjoy the little things, even if they may not be considered a milestone by society's standards.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Canadian New Year beanies

2012-01-02T16:33:00.001+11:00

It's been a while since I last posted about a knitting project. I did start on a new project - a really easy one - but was taking my time, largely because I was doing two subjects at uni this last semester and couldn't seem to find any free time.

The holidays started and I returned to the project, but then I ran out of yarn. I haven't bought any yet and it's funny, but once you get out of the habit of doing something, it's hard to find the motivation to start again.

However, after getting my free spinning wheel for Christmas, I decided I better get back to knitting, in order to use up all the yarn currently sitting under my bed. This makes sense once you realise it's so that I can justify buying roving to spin more yarn.

Little did I realise that once I started, I would finish not one, but two projects in a day! I felt like a knitting machine!

Don't think I'm a super-fast knitter though. The yarn was rather bulky, I was using large needles and the pattern is super-easy. So I started 2012 watching We of the Never Never and Going Postal (both excellent films) and finishing these two projects, pom-poms and all!

I'm really pleased with the super-soft, super-squishy, super-warm merino yarn that I used because it was purchased at a super-cheap price from eBay. There weren't quite enough to make a full beanie in one colour (story of my life. I never seem to have enough yarn to finish a project in one colour), but I think I improvised to make it work because now I have matching beanies for D and myself!

These will hopefully keep our heads warm in the freezing Canadian winter.

Pattern here (from one of my favourite designers).

New Year, new kettle

2012-01-01T10:24:00.000+11:00

What better way to start a new year than with a "new" kettle? Ok, there are a million other better things you could do than start it with a new kettle, but I'm just really excited about this thing that I just discovered.

You know how your electric cordless kettle gets really black and gross after a few months'/years' worth of use? And no matter how much you scrub, it seems impossible to get rid of the gunk? And you don't really want to use harsh chemicals because you'd be drinking from the same container after?

Have I got a solution for you! And the best part is that it's non-toxic and completely safe for you.

It only requires one ingredient - a lemon. Oh, and water of course.

First you fill your kettle up to its maximum. Then you cut a lemon into about four pieces, squeeze the juice into the kettle and then drop the rest of the squeezed lemon in (yes, rind and all).

Boil the water, then let it cool for about an hour or so (more is fine). Boil again.

And viola! Amazingly clean kettle!

SorryI forgot to take before photos, but trust me, it was black and dark and looked like a cesspit before I gave it the lemon treatment. And the electric element thing at the bottom of the kettle is actually gleaming!

Dreams

2011-12-31T21:33:00.000+11:00

Whenever we do something that fills us with enthusiasm, we are following our legend. However, we don't all have the courage to confront our own dream.

Why?

We are told from childhood onward the everything we want to do is impossible. We grow up with this idea, and as the years accumulate, so too do the layers of prejudice, fear and guilt. There comes a time when our personal calling is so deeply buried in our soul as to be invisible. But it's still there.

~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

As 2011 draws to a close and we head towards a new year, may we all have the courage to chase our personal calling, digging up what we may have buried for far too long.

Freecycle . . . revisited

2011-12-27T09:30:00.000+11:00

I have on several occasions extolled about the virtues of Freecycle (see here and here too) but I think today, I got the most exciting and amazing Freecycle item yet.

And if you're wondering what it is? It's an Ashford spinning wheel, used to make yarn (yes, the knitting kind) out of fibres.

I had been thinking of learning how to spin in a while now but have never gotten around to starting or purchasing a spinning wheel. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it on offer on Freecycle this morning, and nearly passed out from excitement when I was told it was still available, and at a place only about 30 minutes drive away!

The spinning wheel is rather dusty (the lady bought it in 1989 - 1989! - used it for a while and then kept in storage ever since) and it needs to be put together like an Ikea furniture, with an allen key and everything. I have been assured that even though it is in pieces, it still works and isn't broken. But hey, I got myself a spinning wheel.

I am so excited! Best Christmas present ever! Ok, maybe not ever, but it's certainly at the top of the list! And look how stylish I'll be spinning yarn in the future!

Review: The Day the Earth Stood Still

2011-12-26T12:07:00.001+11:00

Managed to catch The Day the Earth Stood Still last night and while it wasn't the best movie in the world, it still kept my attention and got me thinking. Enough to actually write about it.

From what I can gather, the movie is actually a remake of of a 1951 film, which was an adaption from the 1940 short story, Farewell to the Master.

It started off as one of the natural calamities Armageddon-type show, but soon became a sci-fi Armageddon-type show. Unfortunately, while I didn't mind it, we immediately lost my housemate who didn't like sci-fi/alien shows (and felt thoroughly deceived).

You can read the plot here.

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT

What really struck me about the movie isn't the strong storyline (which there isn't much) or the fantastic acting (it was ok, and well, one can't fault it much when an eye-candy like Keanu Reeves is involved) but just how reminiscent it is to the story of Jesus.

I suppose you could argue that in the end, almost all stories are like the Christian story, Good versus bad. Redemption. Grace. Forgiveness. Sacrifice.

But it was still interesting how the alien Kiaatu is "born", somewhat immaculate and somewhat like another being taking on human form, so that he can communicate better with humans. (When Helen asks Kiaatu what his original form is like, he replies "it will only scare you", somewhat akin to how humans cannot "withstand" the glory of God.)

Humans are all too willing to conclude that because the alien is more powerful and unknown, it is therefore malevolent and must be destroyed (the first thing they do when he emerges from his "spaceship" is shoot him).

It's a great statement on human nature, of how we fear things we don't know and instead of seeking to understand it, decide to eliminate the perceived "threat". But it's also reminiscent of Jesus' life - misunderstood, persecuted, eventually killed.

Oh, and somewhere in the movie, Kiaatu walks on water and raises the dead to life as well.

I suppose the main difference between this movie and the Christian story is the reason why Kiaatu is here. Jesus came to save the human race. Kiaatu came to save the earth from the humans.

And yet, there is something that Kiaatu said that resonated with the environment lover in me:

If the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the Earth survives. There are only a handful of planets in the cosmos that are capable of supporting complex life. This one can't be allowed to perish. We've watched, we've waited and hoped that you *would* change. It's reached the tipping point. We have to act. We'll undo the damage you've done and give the Earth a chance to begin again.

This isn't about climate change (ok, maybe it is a little), but more about the fact that by our very actions, we are destroying the earth. If there really were guardians of Earth out there, how would they perceive us?

One last similarity between the movie and the Christian story? Kiaatu falls in love with the human race, realises they aren't so bad after all, and sacrifices himself to save them. In the hopes and belief that they will change for the better.

The movie implies that it is only Kiaatu's human body that "dies", but not Kiaatu himself. Instead, he rises above earth in his spaceship and returns home.

Somewhat like another guy I know, this one real and not fictional, whose human body was killed, but who was resurrected and whose reason for dying was to sacrifice himself for our sins, granting us a second chance at life and an amazing opportunity at life everlasting and filled with hope.

By the way, my all time favourite scene in the movie? When Helen had her back turned and an army guy swoops down behind her from a helicopter, engulfs her in this ginormous bear hug and both of them are winched back into the helicopter, way above the tree lines. The retrieved Helen ends up seated in the helicopter, a bewildered look on her face.

I'm not doing much justice describing it, you have to watch it to enjoy it. I loved it so much, I watched it about four times, and laughed out loud every time.

Christmas cupcakes

2011-12-25T09:30:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Recipe here.

She's perfect!

2011-12-24T18:13:00.002+11:00

I've just started using Facebook's Timeline and it has been interesting looking at posts I've made from way back in 2007.

Most of them are pretty mundane "I'm going to the gym", "I'm hungry" kind of stuff. But there were some not too pleasant whinging about people or life as well.

One of the thing that Timeline does when you start using it is give you a seven-day grace to go through your old posts and decide what you want to show and what you want to delete. So I ended up deleting all the negative not-so-nice posts.

But it got me thinking about our online persona. If you're anything like me, things that are online never accidentally land there. There is a specific reason why they're there. And the sad, nasty or truly private stuff will never see the light of day.

It's the mundane, the amusing or the "perfect" that we tend to see. How we treat our Facebook pages/blogs are exactly like how photos of models get airbrushed before they get published in magazines. It's not . . . real.

And yet, it has a tendency for us to feel inadequate or imperfect when we look at other people's lives, when we stalk their Facebook pages, to see them so happy, so content, having so much fun. But it's not real and all it does is give us this feeling of inaptness and dissatisfaction.

I'm not saying social media's bad. I still like stalking my Facebook friends (tee hee!). I'm just trying to remind myself that I really have no need to compare it to others or desire what I feel I don't have.

Help?

2011-12-21T12:09:00.001+11:00

How easy do you find it to offer help to someone?

What about asking someone for help?

When a friend calls me up for "a favour" or even when I see a perfect stranger struggling, I don't generally have a problem offering assistance. I don't see it as an issue, and one really does get some sort of warm fuzzies when you've done that good deed for the day.

But when it comes to asking for help, life isn't quite so rosy.

I hate asking friends for favours. I feel like I'm encroaching on their time. I feel like I'm being a burden. I feel like I'm being difficult. I feel like I'm inconveniencing them.

I just hate asking for help.

And yet, one cannot go through life without ever asking for help. And perhaps I need to give my friends the credit that when I do ask them for help, they don't think about the trouble they have to go through. Instead, they simply want to help because that's the kind of people they are.

The Bible says, "You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand" (Galatians 6:2).

If every one of us were self-sufficient, how in the world are we ever going to offer anyone a helping hand?

Alumni?

2011-12-20T15:46:00.000+11:00

This is an appeal to anyone who is in possession of the Macquarie Dictionary.

If you can find the definition for the word "alumni" or "alumnus", can you kindly tell me which page it is on?

For the life of me (and three others), I cannot find the word any where in my Mac Dictionary.

Does the word not exist? Is it not really a word? Considering I've graduated from uni and have always thought of myself as an alumni, what am I now?

Going through an identity crisis?

p/s: And don't be a smarty-pants by giving me the definition of "alumni". I know what it means. I just want to find it in my dictionary.

Tangerine Tango

2011-12-19T18:17:00.001+11:00

Pantone has announced their colour of the year for 2012. I actually find it worthy to blog about not because I'm a colour nerd, but simply because I'm partial to orange.

So I bring you Tangerine Tango, the 2012 Pantone Colour of the Year. "Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward."

I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to incorporate the colour into my life next year, or if it will even feature much. I'm just glad orange finally gets a mention. It's a colour that doesn't feature very much in everyday items (why isn't my favourite colour pink?!) and so I always get extremely pleased when it shows up some where.

And "spirited", "energy boost", "move forward" . . . these are all words I could use as this year draws to a close and we head towards 2012.

Always read before you publish

2011-12-08T14:06:00.001+11:00

Thank goodness I have an editor too. Otherwise, this might have gotten through:

"It is from Noah and his family that the entire human race has descended. Evidence for this global catastrophe can be seen in the geological strata . . ."

A reminder

2011-12-07T10:29:00.001+11:00

"Many of us are inundated with the Internet, whether or not we carry it around with us. It’s not all bad, of course. But even the good aspects of the Internet can lead us to unhealthy patterns. The gift of connection from sites like Facebook and Twitter can lead to comparisons, judgment and self-centeredness. At their worst, these phantoms of true connection makes us more lonely, not less.

Or, if you’re like me, you’re addicted to creative blogs and sites like Pinterest. But even these can lead me to discontent and greed, making me wish I had more stuff or money, or was a better mom, or wife, or cook, or could craft memorable Christmas gifts out of vintage lace tablecloths and tree bark.

The Internet gives us a lot: information, communication, entertainment and creativity. But it also robs us of the precious gift of time and true relationships. Real creativity and inspiration usually find us when we step out of the technological haze and engage with God, creation and those around us"

Taken from Relevant magazine's "When Everyday Habits Turn Deadly", by Bonnie McMaken

The art of levitating

2011-11-11T12:06:00.001+11:00

I'm still not quite sure how she does it but I'm duly impressed.

Yowayowa takes self-portraits of her levitating and while I'm pretty sure she doesn't actually know how to levitate, the technique she uses to show her doing ordinary things while levitating leaves me stumped.

It just looks so . . . effortless.

Am pretty sure a more knowledgeable camera person than myself would figure this out in seconds, but I continue to remain awed.

Also, I like what she says, "yowayowa is a Japanese term meaning "weak" or "feeble." Since I'm yowayowa, it's really heavy to carry SLR cameras around."

Depression: the Deadly Killer

2011-11-10T17:42:00.000+11:00

Published in Signs of the Times, November 2011.

And if you're interested, my (almost) complete writing portfolio can be found here.

Help fight depression!

Lateral thinking, people

2011-11-08T15:18:00.002+11:00

The saga of my name continues.

Phone operator: "What's your name again?"

Me: "Melody. Like in music?"

Operator: "How do you spell it?"

Me: "M-e-l-o-d-y"

Operator: "M-u . . . wait, what? How do you spell it?"

Me: "M-e-l-o-d-y"

Operator: "Oh, Melody! That's nothing like music!"

Me: *facepalm*

Grounded

2011-11-07T19:51:00.001+11:00

It's amazing how things work out for the best even when you first perceive it as somewhat of a disaster.

It all started when I was deemed less important than refreshments. We had organised a work function in New Zealand last week that I was meant to attend. However, our budget was such that we couldn't afford refreshments. It would have been fine because the function was such that refreshments weren't particularly necessary.

However, some of our NZ counterparts thought otherwise and believed they were crucial. So in order to make up for the shortfall, my budget was axed (I volunteered the idea) and I had to stay in Australia so that however much it might cost to fly me to NZ could make up for part of the costs of refreshments.

I wasn't particularly upset about it by any means. I didn't think my part in NZ was crucial, and if it meant saving a few bucks to help what was obviously an important thing, I was happy to not go. I just thought it funny to declare, "I was chosen over drinks."

Anyway, it turned out to be a bigger blessing than I could ever ask for. I was due to fly out on a Friday, but I started a series of event on Thursday that required me to be in Australia on Friday. If I had left that day, what I had started may not have been accomplished, which would not have been very pleasant.

Also, on Sunday, the day I was supposed to fly back from NZ, this happened. Qantas grounded all their flights. Who knows when I would have been able to return to Australia if I had gone to NZ. Who knows what would have happened to the project that I started on Thursday if I weren't back in Australia on Monday.

From my Christian point of view, I can only attribute it to God. I had prayed fervently about this project that I had started on Thursday. I was way out of my depth with it and had asked God for all His guidance and help.

I think he's answering my prayers.

My project hasn't finished and I've been rather stressed over the last two weeks, but while there is a sense of nervousness, there is the knowledge that in the end, it's all going to work out because He's in charge.

Mokies (mo-cookies)

2011-10-25T10:00:00.000+11:00

I found what I was looking for!

Made a test batch using a shortbread recipe and I'm really quite pleased with the result.

The main problem I had with the recipe was that the dough was a little too crumbly, making it a little difficult to ensure the mo stayed intact when you cut out the shapes. The instructions said to refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes before cutting them but I reckon while it was good advice, I probably should have waited a few minutes after taking it out of the fridge before I cut it. That would give it time to soften up a little, which made it just that tad easier to separate from the cutter without breaking.

The recipe also said to roll the batter out till about 3mm thick, but I reckon it worked a lot better when it was a bit thicker. The mo shape stayed more intact when cut and it was also easier to stamp the pattern on the dough.

However, all isn't lost even if the mo breaks into half. Simply try to smooth the break together, pop it into the oven and viola! The break disappears.

These will work out great for Movember fundraising efforts.

And now we're mo twins!

Help support the Movember cause - donate at http://mobro.co/DanielBell

Recipe here.