Traveling

Last night I went to my beautiful Auntie's house for dinner. I had been invited to dinner to look at her travel photos from 1982-1983, when she completed a gap year having finished university.

This was quite timely, given I am about to do the same in 26 days (but who's counting?).

It was interesting to see how many countries my Aunt managed to cover during her year away. She started in LA, then moved through Canada, then through Austria, Italy, Brussels, Germany, France, Amsterdam, Israel, Egypt, Singapore... I was so impressed by the vast distances and experiences she managed to achieve in such a short amount of time.

And what was amazing was that, even though 28 years had passed, nothing about her trip seemed dated or old-fashioned. Seeing my Aunt as a 23 year-old young woman was also fascinating. I'd never seen photos of her when she was younger, nor my other Aunt or my Dad, who accompanied her on her trip. The fashions were brilliant and the mannerisms and expressions I still see today were imprinted on their mid-20s faces.

What I gained from last night, poring over the photos, was how life-changing traveling can be, and how momentous a gap year is in one's life. Anything is possible.

I am ridiculously excited to begin my adventure, but can't help noticing the pressure that, in 25 years time, I better have good photos and stories to tell my nieces/ nephews.

Photo courtesy of: http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/greal/llc/spanishwq/Span101_El_Puente/index/backpacker.jpg

They're called Bogans: this is their story.

So I was reading The Sydney Morning Herald on the 18th October and stumbled upon an article titled How to spot a bogan which, after reading, I posted to my FB without much thought. Within no time at all I received a fair bit of feedback. Some friends found it hilarious. They said it was brilliant and made them laugh. Others thought it was rubbish - one friend even suggested I could do a much better job and urged me to make my own version.

So I have. And, before you ask why I would have the faintest idea about what makes a bogan a bogan, remember I lived in Bathurst. For three years no less. The home of the Bathurst 1000 and it's best friend, the rat's tail.

This is my list, feel free to comment/ add your thoughts:

1. Bogans either don't understand or don't appreciate good grammar and verb tenses. Examples include: "I seen 'em", "I been there" or, even better, a combination of multiple tenses in one sentence; "I been walking down the street and he come up and he said."
2. Bogans love utes. Now this one is a bit obvious, perhaps, but the signature of a bogan lies in what's ON the ute. Common ute accessories include mud-flaps, massive f**k-off aerials, bull-bars and seat covers. Sheepskin is always nice. Bogans also insist on having personalised ute stickers fixed to their ute cabin windows. That way, when four red Holden utes drive by in convoy, you know that the first one belongs to Gazza, the second belongs to Bazza, the third belongs to Dazza, and the fourth to Shazza. It's logical.
3. Ratties. What's not to love about a stray clump of really long, dirty hair down the back of a guy who doesn't shower unless it's raining? Yummm.
4. The southern-cross tattoo. Or an Australian flag if the bogan is feeling really adventurous. Come on - it's patriotic.
5. An acquired taste in alcohol. It's like a status symbol. If you're a bogan, you won't be seen dead drinking anything but VB, XXXX and Tooheys New. Once you're suitably maggot, you've gotta move onto the hard stuff. Jim Beam or Bundy Rum, and it's better if it's on tap.
6. Bogans love B and S balls. (That's bachelor and spinsters balls) for those who don't know. They consist of all-inclusive alcohol and food, where everyone drinks all night, finds a swag with the opposite sex (well not necessarily) and mimics the bull in the paddock nearby.
7. Again, probably quite obvious, but it's a crucial part of the image of a bogan. Bogans wear stubbie shorts (usually navy blue). They wear a wife-beater singlet - either navy or white- and top it off with steel-capped Blundstone boots and a flanno (that's a flannelette shirt if you didn't know).
8. Aussie pub rock is always a favourite with bogans. Personally I'm a massive fan too, but classic bogan tunes include: Big N' Rich, anything Jimmy Barnes or Johnnie Farnham, Acca Dacca... you get the picture.
9. The Bathurst 1000. This is also known as Bogan Mecca. V8 Supercars are attractive, but the opportunity for thousands of blokes to gather on a mountain (more like a medium-sized hill) in blue or maroon (depending on whether you're a Ford of a Holden supporter) with a case per day of booze, a tent-city or two, and hundreds of caravans full of dagwood dogs, deep-fried donuts, meat pies and hot chips is heaven. Mmmmm... deep fried food.
10. Quite often, the source of a bogan's news starts with Channel Ten and finishes with A Current Affair or Today Tonight. SBS World News? They've never even heard of it. And following on from that, Pauline Hanson's One Nation and other xenophobic political groups can often find their niche with the bogans of Australia.

Just quietly, I love that Australia has its bogans. It gives the country character. Have I missed any instrinsically bogan traits/ characteristics? Feel free to add them below.

Image sourced from: http://www.smh.com.au/news/drought/you-beaut-ute-brings-hope-and-singlets-galore-to-struggling-town/2007/09/28/1190486569840.html

The Inbetweeners

I have just discovered The Inbetweeners and I love it.

The Inbetweeners is a British sit-com about four teenage boys living in England and attending the local comprehensive high-school.

Will has just moved from a private school and insists on wearing his blazer as well as carrying a briefcase with him. Unsurprisingly, he is bullied and therefore attracts the other mis-fits/ uncool kids, cue: Simon, Neil and Jay.

The Inbetweeners details the foursome's mis-adventures and attempts at picking up girls with a crass and politically incorrect approach, but one that you can't help but laughing at.

Jokes about Neil's dad being gay and Mum-jokes about Will's mother are recurrent and ingenious, and Jay's ability to bull-shit is astounding.

If you liked Summer Heights High or We Can be Heroes, or even Skins you will LOVE The Inbetweeners.

The music in the show is amazing - The Wombats, The Kooks, Calvin Harris, Vampire Weekend and Darwin Deez all feature throughout the series.

Have a look here to view one of the funny snippets from the show, which is currently in its third (and possibly final) season. However, a movie of the show is being filmed at the moment which will be about the boys going on holiday together.

Confession Time.

Okay, I have something to confess. You see, it all started off as an experiment. Online dating. There, I said it.

"How different can that be from social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter?" I wondered.

"Perhaps I should give it a go?," I thought.

Sitting with my little sister, watching television, an Oasis Active ad came onto the TV. "Why don't you make a profile, Missy?" she asked.

Good question.

"It's not like you have a boyfriend or anything," she said. Fair point, but ouch.

So after much giggling, many "I can't actually say THAT's" and lots of backspacing, I finally created a profile and waited for the requests to come in. And come in they did.

After about a million 'no thanks' rejections to the weird and disturbing profiles that kept asking me to add them, I stumbled across a few that were normal. They had jobs, they have passions and interests, and they looked pretty nice in their photos. So I decided I should give them a chance.

At this point I might add that the power that comes with a dating site like Oasis Active is huge. As a girl you can reject all the creeps and freaks and still have millions of requests. You feel so popular and sought-after. I should point out that for some of the guys on online dating sites, it's like buying a ticket in a raffle or making bets on horses; there are more chances of winning if you buy more tickets (or bet on more horses)- consequently they make requests to anything that selects the 'female' gender box.

So my online dating experience began with a few odd characters -which had slipped through my picky and highly selective net- who started asking dodgy questions, sending me their numbers, asking for me to add them on FB etc. I was really pretty uncomfortable with this - I wanted to separate my 'virtual' world from my reality. But then, I started getting asked out on dates. Real-life dates with real-life people. It wasn't just 'ilovetrucks69' or 'clawwarriorking' or 'mrdangle21' (yes, the names are just like that), but these people were real and they wanted to meet me. I freaked out. I didn't quite know how to deal with the idea of going on a date with someone who I hadn't met via a friend or a mutual-interest, or a job or at university. So I said no. No no no no no.

Then, one guy asked me and I said yes. We had only been chatting for about thirty minutes but the conversation flowed and he wasn't stupid. He was smart and interesting. And when he asked for my number because he preferred to speak rather than type from behind a screen, I obliged. We chatted and decided that we should meet and, that night, we did meet up. I'm not quite sure why I suddenly decided I was ready to bite the bullet, but I did it. I met with him and we had a glass of wine at a bar not far from my house, and it was nice. It was normal. No-one in the restaurant would have guessed we'd met on an online dating site. And I certainly wasn't about to scream it out.

So now I have deleted my account. I probably won't ever create another one or, if I did, I would go through a well-known company like E-Harmony, where they match your ideals and your traits, your hopes and aspirations with like-minded people.

I will say, though, that it was an interesting experience. I gave it a go. It didn't end in horror or in disaster, merely in a conclusion that I do not yet need to be on a website like Oasis Active. I still like going out and socialising and meeting people in bars, in clubs etc and not from behind my computer. But, if I do change my mind, at least I'll know how to weed out all the dodgy characters.

Images courtesy of: http://www.datingonline365.com/2009_01_01_archive.html

Not such a fair go.

As the Australian Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen, visits East Timor this week, with hopes of negotiating an offshore processing centre on the Pacific island, he is well aware of the mounting opposition to his government’s immigration policies.

Discussions about the establishment of a new offshore processing centre and overcrowded domestic detention facilities have saturated the media and have infiltrated question time in both the House of Representatives and the Senate since parliament returned in September. Quite rightly so, I might add.

The Australian people are angry that the Gillard government is failing to manage the rising levels of asylum seekers inhabiting domestic detention centres.

As a temporary solution to the situation, Minister Chris Bowen announced on September 17 he would be expanding the Curtin detention centre and adapting the Scherper Airforce Base to meet the growing demands for detention accommodation.

But I can’t help noticing the feeling of déjà vu that hits me as I follow the debate on asylum seekers.

Without too much exaggeration it could be said that our immigration policy has reverted back a decade to a time near the 2001 election (think John Howard and the hysteria that went with the Tampa Crisis).

As the Australian government formulates its proposal for an offshore processing centre in East Timor, now is the time for education about Australia’s responsibilities to asylum seekers, as outlined by the Refugee Convention to which we are a signatory.

The Australian public must understand that under international law, asylum seekers cannot be sent to a third country for processing.

The proposal – as it currently stands - by the Australian government for an East Timorese offshore processing centre is illegal.

The proposal contravenes Article 31 of the Refugee Convention.

According to Article 31, “refugees have the right to seek and enjoy asylum from persecution in another country without having their entry prevented and without being penalised.”

The view of Amnesty International is one with which I sympathise wholeheartedly; “as one of the few countries in the Asia Pacific region to have signed the Refugee Convention, Australia should be leading by example and providing a positive example of how best to protect refugees.”

As Aussies, we like to think of ourselves as a friendly, multicultural and tolerant bunch. We pride ourselves above all on giving everyone a “fair go”.

It should follow, then, that our government’s foreign policies reflect those intrinsic values.

Our nation has a responsibility to refugees.

With increasing levels of Sri Lankan and Afghan asylum seekers making their way to Australia’s shores, our country needs to ensure it is prepared to process asylum seekers efficiently.

In the last 10 months over 4,000 people have been placed in immigration detention; there are now approximately 4,699 people in detention.

According to the Australian Department of Immigration, more than 70 new refugees are entering detention centres each week.

And although the Labor government promised to limit the time spent in detention to less than ninety days, 65 per cent of detainees are currently kept in processing centre for over three months.

The Australian government’s decision to lift the freeze on the processing of Sri Lankan claims in July 2010, and most recently for Afghani refugees on October 1^st, 2010, has been warmly welcomed by some human rights groups and opposition political parties.

The Australian Human Rights Commission published a statement welcoming the action as a “positive step in the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia”.

Amnesty International, however, was quick to point out that “the current issues we are seeing in Australia’s detention facilities are problems of the government’s own making, and the results of short-sighted and ill-considered moves such as this policy”.

I urge the Australian government to look towards a regional framework within the Asia-Pacific region, rather than replicating the failed policies of the Howard government, under its ‘Pacific Solution’.

Now is the time for the Gillard government to step up, and to meet its commitments under the Refugee Convention.

The Australian people should not and must not tolerate our government passing on its responsibilities to smaller, less-equipped regional counterparts, such as East Timor.

Image: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200812/r321482_1433497.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/09/2441028.htm&usg=__VEybhYg--1HhIzvKrD3h5JdRAbk=&h=630&w=840&sz=97&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=aTnDYUtxMTnREM:&tbnh=144&tbnw=179&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dasylum%2Bseekers%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1267%26bih%3D626%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C342&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=329&vpy=91&dur=116&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=94&ty=112&ei=vsW2TIfXCMOycPvJmaYJ&oei=vsW2TIfXCMOycPvJmaYJ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1267&bih=626

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Uni is finito.

I cannot believe I am writing this, but I have officially finished university and have moved home from Bathurst. It's sad, that's true, but it's also very liberating.

I just finished a week of internship at WIN television in Orange, and managed to get several stories on the TV. I even did a golf story. Yes, that's right, a golf story... and I don't usually go anywhere near sports reporting, so that was a huge thing for me.

Next week it's off to Macquarie Bank for two weeks, then a week at SBS.

I then have five days off with some of my best friends in Noosa - cannot wait.

Don't really know what's in store after that - I've applied to a bejillion ski chalets in France and nothing is permanent yet (please universe, give me a job!)... so it's a waiting game. Who knows, maybe I'll end up working full-time in Sydney for a while?

Ciao for now.xx

City 2 Surf

Today my family and I ran the City 2 Surf, at 14km, it's the largest running event in the world.

This year marked the 40th anniversary of the famous city to Bondi race and, with wonderful weather, it was a fabulous day.

I set myself the goal of running the entire course and I ended up walking for a little bit up Heartbreak Hill, but apart from that, I did manage to accomplish my goal. I don't know my exact time yet, but it was between 80 and 90 minutes.

The blisters on my feet tonight are ridiculous. They are on both feet and hurt so much, but it was well worth it.

The best feeling of the race was sprinting between the 12 and 13km mark down the hill into Bondi, with beautiful views of the water and Calvin Harris blasting in my ears. So much fun! It was also brilliant hearing a rock band playing on the roof of the Sheaf Hotel in Double Bay, and it was very cute to see all the little kids on the sidelines wanting to slap your hand as you ran by.

I have always been a fan of fitness and exercise, so it was special today to know I was surrounded by similarly-minded individuals, not to mention everyone running by encouraged me to keep a quick pace.

I'd definitely recommend the race for next year to anyone and everyone. Even if you just walk it, it's an experience you can't afford to miss.

Plus, the feeling at the end, when you cross the finish line and your legs feel like jelly, the accomplishment is just indescribable.

Images courtesy of: http://cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

M@sterchef and the apathetic Australians.

I love Masterchef. A lot. To give you some idea of how much I love it, I make my Mum and Dad record it on TiVo while I'm away at uni and then, when I return home, I watch hours upon hours of the TV show and never get bored. I tweet #Masterchef while I watch and loved that #Masterchef was a trending topic worldwide on Twitter. I know the names of all the contestants, know their professions, their cooking specialities. Yep. Told you I was obsessed.

What I didn't realise was that the rest of Australia also felt the same way. Four million Australians - that's just under one fifth of the Aussie population - are set to tune in for the finale which will be screened at 7.30pm Sunday evening.

What I find incredible is that "the great debate" between Abbott and Gillard, which was scheduled to occur at, you guessed it, 7.30pm on Sunday night, has been rescheduled to the earlier 6.30pm timeslot because, when given the choice between the two, most would prefer to watch the Masterchef finale. This way, they can watch both pollies and amateur chefs battle for their lives... sounds like the perfect way to finish one's weekend.

At a deeper level, this shows that Australians are becoming politically apathetic. The future of our country and the discussion of policies which, let's face it, will affect us, just aren't as interesting as a cooking show.

I know I'll be interested to see the audience ratings following Sunday evening. I also know I'll be tuning in to both the Great Debate and to the Masterchef Finale. Which timeslot do you think will win the most viewers?

Oh and, as a side note, I hope Adam wins the finale. I love his delicious Japanese fusion cuisine and he just seems like such a nice guy. Then again, Callum is lovely and is incredibly talented! Really, the winner in all of this is Channel Ten. When other TV channels have to include Masterchef segments in their current affairs programs, you know they're getting desperate.

Photos courtesy of: http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2010/04/11/1225852/460526-masterchef.jpg and masterchef.com.au

Healthy Eating

I have been trying to eat healthily recently. Think lots of vegetables, brown rice, oats and poached eggs for protein.

This is a recipe I would definitely recommend - it is traditionally from provincial France - and it's something I've grown up with.

It has a movie named after it (which is very cute) and most people can't spell it, but it's called Ratatouille, and here's the recipe (serves 4):

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 1 yellow capsicum, diced
• 1 eggplant, diced
• 1 tbs tomato puree
  
• 2 stalks celery sliced
  
• 2 zuchinni sliced
• 2 carrotts diced
  
• 1/2 tbs chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tbs torn fresh basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Method:

• Score a cross in the base of each tomato and plunge into a bowl of boiling water for 20 seconds.
  
• Peel the skin from the tomatoes and discard.
  
• Chop the tomato flesh into medium dice.
  
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the celery, zucchini, carrots and capsicum and cook for a further 5 minutes. Transfer the onion and capsicum to a plate and set aside.
  
• Add the eggplant to the pan and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Return the onion and capsicum to the pan and stir in tomato puree. Add thyme and tomatoes.
  
• Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil and garlic.
  

Ratatouille is perfect for winter; it is delicious served hot on a bed of brown rice and you could poach some chicken (in a chicken stock) for protein too if you liked.

Photo courtesy of: http://progressives.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/ratatouille.jpg

Quelques films francais...

Over the winter holidays I decided to expose myself to some french films and was not disappointed.

In fact I am rarely disappointed by french films, with their originality, quirkiness and unpredictability.

These are the films I viewed and I'd really heavily recommend checking them out:

1. La Classe (2008)
I loved this movie, which happened to win the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and was also nominated for an Oscar. Having lived in France and attended a french school, I could certainly relate to the storyline; it provides an insight into a teacher and his class of 13-14 year olds who come from a plethora of cultures and backgrounds. It is at times humorous, at times heart-wrenching and always captivating.

2. À la folie... pas du tout (2002)
This title translates to He loves me, he loves me not and stars one of my favourite female actresses, Audrey Tatou. It plays in two parts, each developing an alternative point of view to a series of events. The film has a macabre twist to it, details erotomania, and really forces you to challenge your perceptions of truth.

3. I've Loved You So Long (2008)
Although this wasn't my favourite of the three movies, I still enjoyed it. It tells of a woman, who murdered her child and consequently served fifteen years of prison time, and once released, goes to live with her sister (who has two young children of her own). This is a dark film with heavy themes, but it does make you question the ability of murderers to be rehabilitated into society.

Image courtesy of: http://www.mymovies.it/cinemanews/2008/3607/la_classe_3.jpg