Shirley MacLaine

The real simple thought of the day.

Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.
Ò€” Shirley MacLaine

We have to think positively otherwise we let the negative get us down again and again.

soccer

On Saturday, Sean and I went to watch a soccer game of one of his mates, I had borrowed a telephoto zoom lens off Barb before we went so I would have some extra versability in the kit. Had a great time, still discovering what my focus is with sports photos – movement or moment? As well as exploring exposure control.

After Phil came off and sat down beside us to talk I took a moment to take this one. I just love it.
Phil

Today, was ANZAC day, which for us meant listening to the various parades on the radio and cleaning, lots of cleaning. This afternoon Sean and I went to the movies and saw In Good Company, we both quite liked though the ending was a bit wierd. I wanted Alex and Carter to get back together (the eternal optimist in me).

a good night out and 24″ of subway

Just did my favourite thing to do on a Sunday arvo; watching the latest OC, now going through the photos I took at a soccer game yesterday and trying to decide how to decorate the paper mache briefcase I got at Scrap That yesterday after seeing Rach’s then plain one on her blog.

All the whilst, wondering where on earth my parents are since no note was on the table saying where they went when I got home.

Went out last night and had an absolute ball. Sean and his Thursday night netball team had planned to go out, so we had organised Sean’s dad to take us in (such a legend, always prepared to take any of the kids into the city) and then Michael arrives home from work with Brooke in tow. Seems they were also planning a night out. Sweet now I had a girl to chat to as well as the guys.

First stop of the night was the Port Office, always a good place on Saturday nights; it is so much more popular now then it was a little less than year ago when I first went.
As the night progressed more and more and more people turned up until we decided that it was full enough and we headed down to Fridays.

Had hoped to met Emma there but she was still partying down at The Normanby after the Reds made us proud and won their match against the Sharks 30-25. Good on ya boys!

Spent the rest of the night drinking, dancing and chatting with the guys and Brooke as well as the rest of Phil’s soccer team(Sean and I had gone to their game in the arvo and they had a win), Erin and her friend Renee.
Some of the guys recognised Brisbane Bronco’s player Karmichael Hunt at the bar so went up and had a “chat” with him.

As the night wore on, some of us grew weary, so Michael, Brooke, Sean and I started the walk up to the Casino for a taxi, stopping in a the Vic for the boys to have a game of pool and subway for us all to fuel the hunger with foot long. (The second foot long Sean and I had both had in less then 10hrs!)

At the end of the night it was a fantastic night out, great people, great atmosphere, great drinks and heaps of fun.

running

I scribbled this down just after I had got on the connecting bus this arvo.

My life is about running, running between buses, to buses, running to meet someone, to make a deadline, to get somewhere, running always running.

Running to the bus and then sitting simply, quietly in my seat, waiting again to get somewhere at some time.

Breathing fast, heart pumping, bag swinging, getting to the bus, weaing in and out of people, getting to the bus, getting to a commitment.

Always running to something. The final stage of getting home, the walk, is my single piece of simply free time, commitments are nil, time is mine, stopping to enjoy the ride. Walking.

giving blood

This evening, Mum and I popped into the Red Cross Blood Service in the city and gave blood for our second time together. Mum has donated whole blood heaps of times before and 3 months ago, I had my first donation with Mum and Karl.

My haemoglobin level the first time I gave blood was 121g/L(the min for females is 120g/L – I just scrape in) and in the allocated 15 mins I was not able to donate the 470mls, I think I was round 100mls short. I fainted the next morning and was unable to go to work, I am told – I have little memory of this happening.

Tonight again my haemoglobin level was 121g/L and I only was able to produce 380ml in my 15 mins, even after my chair was raised to full height in the name of gravity. I have band-aids on both arms as the first arm was an unsuccessful attempt (lots of pain) but the second one was fine.

Mum said she was suprised that I came again but even though I can’t stand giving blood, I dislike the needle going in, I dislike the pipe coming out my arm, my only strength is watching the number raise closer to 470mls in a race with Mum. I gave blood again even though it is not a pleasant experience for me, is because the hour or so I spend in at the donor centre is helping others, my donation can save up to three lives or contribute to 15 different forms of life saving or life improving blood products.

I am making a difference.

When was the last time you gave blood?

exams, post and fun

Well I now have two mid-semesters completed and one to do next friday, now I can focus on my semester essays all that are now round the 3000 word mark and require extensive research.

My heart broke for a stranger in my mid-semester today for a class called Approaches to Asia’s History, we only have about 15 students in the subject, so when this girl rocked up today for the exam, we were suprised, she had not been to any of the workshops, so I watched her periodically during the exam and when she got up to leave and hand in her paper, the lecturer advised her to come to workshops when she can and then when she left, started to read her paper, like he had for the others who had already left, I could see that she had left most of the questions unanswered. I could not understand why, if she knew she could not attend the workshops, why she even enrolled in the class.

I struggled with one question, where I was not able to recall enough information on the events in Pangkor during the 1870’s.

I had a good mail day today, an ebay parcel containing a new memory card for my forthcoming camera, a 2peas order arrived at Barb’s ( πŸ™‚ heaps of fun stuff to play with), and a package arrived from Fiskars with the tools I will be needing when I work for them at the upcoming Craft Show with the extraordinary Helen Williams. Heaps of fun πŸ™‚

Also spent time completing the Virdian Room and Crimson Room, heaps of fun and I got some scrapping in too πŸ™‚

Tommorow I have two 18th birthday parties to attend and photograph, going to be a busy night, I wish my 350D would have arrived for the events but that is not so.