Steph's awesome wavy blue hair inspired me to post. She is holding a contest right now at her blog - http://naturalartificial.blogspot.com/ - which I will enter, considering there's a book named "Scrambled Eggs at Midnight", and it's a testament to how tired I am right now that I think I could EAT that. And then maybe douse it in my sleep drool. I always wanted to get a blue streak in my hair, kind of like Rogue but bluer.

Anyway I just got back from my work Wollongong trip and it was very good but I contracted the flu, which is a funny way of saying it because THERE IS NO WAY I signed up for this. I am NOT calling in sick for tomorrow's tax law exam so I deserve it I guess.

I will not be defeated by this!!

Also my favourite four movies ever, for no reason... the Big Four:
+ The Swan Princess
+ Robin Hood: Men in Tights (Mel Brooks... Somehow snuck into my early childood development. I didn't even watch the Kevin Costner movie this parodied until I was like, 16!)
+ The Last Mimzy (the sibling dynamics just sold this to me, plus the mid 20th century sci-fi short story 'Mimzy Were the Borogroves' it's based on was so ahead of it's time, I love it!)
+ Matilda (no comment, just humming that 'Send me on my way' song... Also this started my American cereal quest...)

sorry I'm a little rambly. Is there a sick smiley face?!!

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This season is bursting with possibilities, Optus is trying to sell to me.

Don't I know it!!!!!!!

I've had the awesomest time these past few weeks keeping in touch with my most favourite people in the world, buying even MORE books, buying cute shoes to boost my low spirits, having long talks...

and two days ago at work we had an Amazing Race-styled event that involved us running around the CBD taking pictures next to historical sites, acting like doofuses in public...

Then I rushed to get dressed and walked in my fluttery dress down Kent St and stumpy heels with my HUGE, stuffed work backpack but it didn't matter.

Spanish food was awesome and I even nibbled on some salad. But being the carnivore I am the waiter dude knew where to direct the spiced meatballs, the chorizo, the chicken... ohhhh yeah.

I couldn't figure out why I was feeling so unsettled and jumpy, then I remembered.

I gave Starbucks another shot today (short white chocolate mocha, if coffee-speak means anything to you).
I have first-hand evidence that I am not a coffee person since I kind of feel like someone's injected fizzy soda water into my veins. Or as I put it on FB "jumpier than a paranoid kleptomaniac".

So. Since I feel like I SHOULD be burning off this energy and not watching Law and Order: SVU... I bring you commentary and some pictures from my adventures...

1) The view from the starting line of my very first long walk... 8ks MS Walk, North Sydney



2) The lemonade stand set up by some cute kids about 4ks into the City2Surf. Best lemonade I've ever had.



3) Bondi Beach - i.e. what you see after 14ks of City2Surf-ness... the finish line was so. good. to. cross. And then I shuffled off into a bus line for 2 hours. Next year? I'm STAYING PUT on the beach and messing in the surf.



4) Two Sundays ago, celebrating with a cut out of my favourite NRL player for the 10k Run4Fun (Sydney Olympic Park)... part of the walk was in the rain so at the end I grabbed my smoothie and ran under a fountain. :)



5) TODAY. Walked 10 blocks to Circular Quay to sip at my first mocha and read with the seagulls and ferries.



<3 Off to find other ways to dissolve dissolve these jitters!!!!!!!

Things that happened recently that maybe shouldn't have:

1. Was off sick for a few days.

2. Despite this, I took my sister to the State Library for her Modern History study group.

3. The library was too quiet, so I walked from Martin Place to Town Hall. Went in 3/4 bookstores and 3/3 music stores. Walked back and read for two hours, then climbed up the marble staircase to look at displays on guns and Mary Poppins.

4. At work today, I almost got crushed by a rolling compactus. Apparently I gotta speak up when I'm trawling through the records because they were pushing the shelves together while I was still in there! Oops.

5. I can't stop laughing about a suburb named Duckenfield. Like, I don't know why I find it so funny my fingers are shaking as I'm typing. I mean, my Rugby League team are the Parramatta Eels. But... DUCKENFIELD!!! I love how it rolls...

6. I didn't enjoy watching the one game of the English Premier League I saw. And it was Arsenal vs the Tottenham Hotspurs! :'( I mean, as far as I could tell they were ambling around on an abnormally green field and the goalies were awesome but... I didn't feel like pumping my hands in the air and screaming at the screen.

7. Watched a 5:30am Four Nations Rugby League game live from France. Totally worth it. TOTALLY. Australia (Kangaroos) vs New Zealand (Kiwis) - 20 ALL. SO GOOD, I almost skipped church. The tackles were spectacular and both sides' defence were super intimidating. <3<3

8. I have ridiculous '90s-style jelly sandals. The shouldn't-have-happened-factor? I'm wearing them in public. I predict my summer foot tan to increase by 150% from last year. ;) Starting.... NOW!



Conclusion?
The events listed above maybe shouldn't have happened, but I can say I acted honestly. Right now, that's enough for me :)

This is either gonna be a book review or a whole lot of rambling on my part.

I just finished Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdoch, and I really really liked it. As in, it's going on my shelf of comfort with Journey to the River Sea, my Taylor Swift CDs and my desert-island-with-DVD-player selections (Speed, The Last Mimzy, S.P.D.)... See what I mean about rambling? Oops.

I loved 'Dairy Queen' because it showed me the tough reality, humour and dedication involved in farm work, family life and (American) football. Now this might sound like the pitch for a wholesome family movie but let me tell you, just yesterday I was watching American football at lunch with the guys from work, and I'm ashamed to say I was laughing at how foreign all the scrambling and stopping-and-starting was. But reading Dairy Queen has given me a new perspective.

The narration is very clever - it's first person, really direct and kinda pummels you with its immediacy. There's a gradual build up of facts about the protagonist, little quirks that shape her character, which I liked immensely. But importantly, the author breathes life into her main character by really letting DJ act, stumble, evaluate (but not overly much thank goodness) and react to all the real things happening to her.

When I really think about it, there are lots of books I've read that you need to read imaginatively. As in, the prose or description is a little too sparse and you are forced to build the characters around the events of the story. Which, provided the events are awesome, I don't mind all that much. Then again, if we are given a clumsy 'plain'-but-brings-all-the-boys-to-the-yard protagonist who angiushes over her stalker boyfriend I really don't enjoy slogging through a bunch of paragraphs on trees when clearly the author should be exploring exactly what the heck is wrong with the main character.

But anyway, Dairy Queen's DJ is so full of life (and hard work, it's nutty!) that you can really just sit back and cheer her on. All the details are taken care of. I loved the way the story unfolded and characters developed. Considering I was sick (still am) and managed to crack up and race through it, much entertained, I think this book is a winner. :)

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To help me remember what's on my to-be-bought-and-devoured pile...

Candor - Pam Bachorz
Guy's dad methodically brainwashing town, guy quietly deprogramming himself, new (hot) girl moves to town... ;) spells trouble!

Dairy Queen - Catherine Murdock - BOUGHT ♥
"When you don’t talk, there’s a lot of stuff that ends up not getting said."
Wishes get buried under the silence and secrets.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan
Mary lives in a fenced village and wants to go exploring. But there are zombies afoot!!

The Expressologist - Kristina Springer - BOUGHT ♥
Jane works in a Chicago coffeehouse and is really good at matching up people based on analysis of their lattes and mochas. ;)

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Shiny. Steampunk (i.e. retro back-to-basics future).

Lipstick Apology - Jennifer Jabaley
Typical good girl Em throws party- her parents die that night... in the aftermath she gets help from people in the fame biz.

Rampant - Diana Peterfreund
Killer unicorns.

Shadowed Summer - Saundra Mitchell
Iris is trying to figure out the mystery of Elijah. Things you should know: Elijah is dead. His girlfriend kinda thought it was murder. Iris might chill out in some graveyards.

Shrinking Violet - Danielle Joseph
Teresa: I'm so shy I'm gonna secretly reinvent myself as radio DJ. But I might need a really sweet cute musically-talented guy to get me out of my shell...

Sliding on the Edge - C. Lee Mackenzie
Suicidal girl rethinks her plan A when she and her distant grandmother decide to take care of a horse.

Books I should've read when people told me the first twelve times:

The series concerning hot magical creatures by HOLLY BLACK

Neil Gaiman - EVERYTHING HE HAS EVER WRITTEN, but Stardust and Neverwhere and The Graveyard Book (BOUGHT ♥) in particular!!

Matthew Reilly - something other than that absorbing alien book debut I found in the garage

The Time-Traveller's Wife Lady - you know she's written about twins, too?

In my future I see ... a dwindling savings account

Feed - Mira Grant
Not a YA book. Out May 2010. Cover art intriguing. There might be zombies. Promised it would be deadly and character-driven.

Heist Society (February 2010) + 4th GG book (2010) - Ally Carter
Art thief family + girl who's got SPY in her blood.

Scarlett Fever - Maureen Johnson
... Maureen Johnson. The Hopewell Hotel. SPENCER MARTIN. Anything else is superfluous.

Please Note: This is how I remember the books 'speaking' to me. It may not reflect the seriousness of the content. Also it's late and I just reminded myself how much I miss Sarah Cross' craziness. You can buy a piece of her awesomeness, it's called DULL BOY.

I feel supremely ridiculous right about now, because I just spent a good half-hour dancing around our kitchen. Putting away groceries and drying dishes. This may have involved swinging around a papaya and stuffing plastic bags rhythmically.

1. I'm so happy that I got to spend some Quality Time with my pals and books recently. I hit up a crafty mccraft store with Elyse & Holly last weekend. :) :)

2. I got seriously, seriously hooked on rugby league. (Now I'm just waiting for someone to ask me what my favourite colours are... GO EELS!!)

3. My favourite thriller/crime fiction writer, Tess Gerritsen, shot me a short email. :)

4. I was highly amused when I discovered that my current client failed to mention in their accounting records that they owned a boat. Needless to say I had the song "I'M ON A BOAT!" stuck in my head all day...

5. I'm thinking about following the English Premier League this summer, to fill up my NRL off-season. I'm torn between adopting either Liverpool FC (Liam Neeson's boys, plus Alan's ManU's biggest rival... it would be so fun taunting him haha) or the Tottenham Spurs from North London (awesome, awesome name. Try saying THAT out loud, people!).

6. Parramatta Library with Holly today. :D The serious study tables were taken so we ended up sitting on the floor in the children's section. And yet, the most obnoxious conversations we overheard today were from people old enough to know better. Potentially awkward situation diffused by gales of laughter. :) :D

7. Have plans, will travel. The promise of tomorrow lingers like the smoke of Kimmy's honey potato dish... I'm gonna eat now, 'bye!

affectionately,
Sharms

I blame Shane West. I cried at work today, thankfully after the floor was emptied of just me, Josephine and Noel, but maybe it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't stayed up all night to document my prepayments work while watching A Walk To Remember.

But discussing stress sucks. So, this is what motivated me to wipe my puffy eyes and type this on the train home...

1. I purchased a bunch of random items from a lovely lady in regional Victoria (really random- CD, jean shorts, borderline antique books)... Basically she emailed me today to say thank you for the "note" I wrapped my money order in; and she totally surprised me by complimenting my handwriting and thoughtfulness and then said her grandmother would be smiling from heaven... Believe me, this is not the usual response you get from online sellers. I wish I remember what I'd written but I only know it ended with "and thank you for the cute shorts!"

2. Had Japanese (tempura) with Analyn and Josephine for lunch at the Queen Victoria Building.

3. Found a post-it note from my sister in my workpapers. It is full of light, and scribbly purple pen!

... Well, there are lots of happy reasons to be!!! Now I need to get my scrunched up face past the Kim Patrol!! Haha

worriedly,
Sharms

Haven't posted recently. Was this due to...

a) Being ambushed by cupcakes?
b) An abduction by Twitter zombies?
c) ... Studying?!?
d) ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! It's the cliiiiiimb!

Don't believe me?
- The lovely assistants at Cupcakes on Pitt St know my colleagues. The store is on the same block as our client, so we've been marking off the flavours as we go!
- Been getting up ridiculously early to get to work, so instead of badgering y'all with messages at 5am, I check North American tweets. I'm going to turn into an '@' symbol soon!
- Went to the park last weekend to do homework. Really. But ended up scarfing wonderfully spicy Chinese BBQ, courtesy of someone else's family picnic!
- Had two meetups for group Statistics assignment with Holly!!!!!! The rundown involves cheesy elevator music, extreme lateness (mine of course -_-*), the race to conquer massive snow cones, "it's over!!" *jiggles Sprite can*, Facebook (lolololol), expressionless Normans ;), markets & the crazy merch they distribute, market FOOD...

... and then, joint-probability tables, ditching guys, Pokemon, browsing inappropriate t-shirts, and just being.

P(sleep|awesomedaywithBFF) = 0.000000000001

Long time no post! So I'll jot down the equivalent of post-it memories...

#1 Apples taste better free
I did the MS Australia and Sutherland2Surf walks, 8km (69 mins) & 11km (100 mins). These walks are my hopeless attempt to hang out with people from the office, y'know, before I realised how hard it'd be to maintain a conversation? It's been so much fun though!! I saw the most beautiful views of Sydney Harbour, crossed the Harbour Bridge on foot again, rode trains/buses at 6am to see the sunrise, checked out the really cute guys overtaking me... And I got free apples! I love apples. And the massive team breakfasts we have after the walks: salty bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, thick buttery toast... Do I have any takers for next year's walks?

#2 My t-shirt wishes it was spandex
I love the zany posts on Rangerboard. Today someone posted that they're deferring their last semester of college as they're saving up for the Power Morphicon convention, and because they can't maintain both karate lessons and school at the same time. This made me feel a lot better about the Red Ranger money box I've got sitting on my desk @ work. Hahaha. After tonight's classes, when my lecturer showed up 15mins late for a hour lecture, and the tutor didn't even show up(!!) - we left after waiting 1/2hr - I think karate doesn't sound so bad.

#3 Pronounciation has never been my strong suit
... and to make matters worse, I've got this Cindy Brady/ Tweety lisp to get over, thanks to my new retainers. Everyone in the audit room cracks up when I answer the phone: "Good morning, exthernal audit, Tharmaine thpeaking." At least my retainers have blue and red glitter. I'm totally patriotic for the Commonwealth/the Philippines/the USA... there's lots of red and blue in flags nowadays. ;D

#4
That about covers it, apart from my brief jaunt in a religious organisation that my aunt and various Internet forums think might be a cult. But I think I'm better for it. They took away our phones and watches for a weekend retreat, so we got woken up with songs and prayed into the night. But I had a blast getting grass stains on my jeans, learning the Hoedown Throwdown, having servers bring me juice, posing ridiculously for photos, random group hugs and candlelight dinner. To be honest, I dozed off during most of the super-serious reflection.

:)

My father and I are both alike. We can be very stubborn.

Which brings me to all those one-sided conversations I've had with my aunt about my father's archaic belief that women should stay at home and be provided for, unless they don't have some strapping smooth-talking guy to shield them from the horror of the world. (Which is why my mother's computer science degree's been wasting away for as long as I've been alive.)

Ignorance is bliss and all, but, seriously, what does he think I do Monday to Friday?
Disappear for nine hours to shake money off trees??!

*exhale*

Sometimes when I go to night classes and I walk past all the brightly-lit storefronts, I can feel my legs dragging against the ground, and my stuffed handbag weighing down on me. I think about how easy it would be to walk back to Central Station and catch a train home. Or find myself a quiet corner of the Basement Bookstore and sneak McDonald's fries.

But I remember how much I want this little piece of paper. I remember that I have plans to put it to good use. That I love walking into work and having my brain 'click' when I apply something I've learnt. I love funding my book and candy addictions (of course). And, I love having the means to give something to back to my family.

So... I'm going to keep doing this. I just gotta be more careful not to trip over my own ambitions this semester. I'm crawling back on the map, but I'll get there.

Good morning, world!! Kimmy, Jase and I are waiting for the Sydney Terminal train. We were inside Toys 'R Us @ 9:15am like clockwork and split up to look for Power Ranger figurines for my brother's birthday cake. Not successful.

But I swear on the Morphing Grid and Zordon's energy tube that there was this gorgeous toddler (jet-black hair, squinty determination, powder blue top - thank you, Law and Order for making me pay attention) - this little guy was stumbling around calling out "Power Rangers! Power Rannngers!"

He came in at around 9:30 looking for the same figurines as us. He started to cry when he couldn't find any either, and his dad tried to convince him that the Dragonball Z dudes were Power Rangers and the poor kid got so frustrated. I don't know if he could say more but he kept shaking his head going, "No. POWER RANGERS!"

So. Disney/Bandai, if you're listening, I don't know how you can justify winding down on promotion and toy production. The franchise lives on in this grouchy kid, and my little brother who's going to have to settle for Bakugan on his cake instead.

Must buy box sets of series...

Jello, sympatico!
I have a couple of burning questions.

1. Why did the Hero Builder let my supernatural self near a blowtorch? Civilians, you're in trouble. I'm so keeping it, since it doubles my chances at marrying Johnny the Human Torch. (& two times zero is zilchorama!)



Build your own hero and you might soon be taunting me with a super duper copy of Dull Boy (by Sarah Cross, Pink Ninja).

2. If you were in possession of the world's best ringtone, does that mean you'd never answer your phone? I've been messing around with iRinger & it's hard to pick 30 seconds of my favourite songs.

3. Are brothers always so full of smart comments/monosyllable answers? *grin* Jason (I picked his name out back in 1995... coincidentally Jason is my favourite old school ranger. So I get a little kick when I get to yell 'Jason, what are you downloading now?!') anyway he's been coaching me in chess & minesweeper, since I suck at logic games. And prophecies haha. I'm older but he has proven that he can tickle like a sneeze machine!

"I hate professionals. I'm wiping them off the face of bubble wrap."

4. How have I been watching Power Rangers for so long without a legit excuse a little six year old?! The other little bro LOVES it. Von knows all the words to the Ninja Storm & Dino Thunder theme songs. He knew them before he got here, as my fambam tried to hide their secret stash of PR DVDs from me. Too bad they left them in Phils, but never fear! I am educating the little one with my videos and the best of DVD.

Oh. And just in case you THOUGHT I may have been exaggerating about my family's eccentric slant on the dramatic...


That's us @ Sydney Aquarium, in front of the shark jaws exhibit. What can I say but ...That's the way uh-huh uh-huh we like it.

Will people on my friends list please stop(.) being so awesome?!
The whole 'I'll just check for updates while I research intangibles' plan isn't going so well. Haha I love you guys.

I had my MPO assignment due yesterday, and my family were their usual amazing selves. My aunts rearranged my closet and fixed me up with food. Kim fully fluffed up my pillows and gave me her Nemo fish plushie to keep me company while I typed all night. While I was hyperventilating over the Turnitin software accepting my essay she gave me apple juice and braided my hair.

I'm overwhelmed. My parents and brothers are on their way. Haven't seen them in five years, and I haven't met Von yet. I'm flipping through some photos of this year to calm myself. Lots of complex crazy terrifying situations so far, but so many beautiful scenes and moments.


Park somewhere near Kuringai, tranquil, green and WET - March.


Work picnic at the beach - February. Wellington-Sydney flight - April.

(It's six and a half months to 2010! Scary.)

It's never a good idea to think about all the things you should be doing. So I spent today working really hard... to learn the lyrics to Forever the Sickest Kids' Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone). Time well spent, I say. Not won over? Watch Joey's Commercial.

Also, I found out that I got allocated a super-challenging account balance at our new big client. I'm so stoked that I'm using a un-Sharmaine word like STOKED. That is how happy I am!!! Or maybe it's the fried chicken I had for lunch.

My sister came back loaded with new work clothes for me. I swear, one of these days I'm gonna march into the client's place and overthrow management like Lucy Liu in Charlie's Angels. Secret dream of mine. Ssh.

Hope everyone has a brilliant week, and if you're feeling low, dance around to the Pussycat Dolls' version of Jai Ho. You have to include all the funny punching the air moves to get the best effect.

Off to watch crime shows with my aunt. :D

I am stunned that my brain hasn't turned to oatmeal mush. May I present to the court the following:

Sharmaine Goes Square-Eyed
Trashy but Fun: American Gladiators, Summer Heights High, MTV's Top 20 Songs to Strip To, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, American Idol
Higher Quality Entertainment: Footloose, Help Me Speak (documentary on selective mutism), How I Met Your Mother, Are We There Yet: World Adventure (a short travel show run by duos of adorable siblings), Law and Order: SVU

I Thought Food Groups Were A Term For Lunch Cliques
Mentos, 2 Minute Noodles, ice-cream, vegemite&butter toast, sausage rolls, party pies, kumquat tea, Kim's muesli bars

Your (Musical) Number Is Up!
Hilarious Profanity: "I'm On A Boat" (The Lonely Island/T-Pain), "Don't Trust Me" (3OH!3), Entering Bootytown (Haley Bennett)
They Don't Make Categories Like This No More: Holding Out for a Hero (Bonnie Tyler via namuanmu <3), 1234 (Feist)
4Shame: The Climb (Hannah Montana)

. . . . . . .

I've never been separated from my sister for longer than 5 days. THIS IS A COPING MECHANISM.

As I was hopping onto the late train for my last mid-semester exam this morning, I felt like a loose helium balloon drifting further away from where I need to be. Which is, strapped to my sister's wrist, keeping her happy. And then Kimmy called this afternoon to say "I'm kinda glad you're not here to interrupt the Twilight movie with your insults..."

To distract myself I've been watching Are We There Yet: World Adventure everyday. It is the cutest travel show ever and is technically aimed at preschoolers but you have to watch it before you knock it. Because it's awesome and has the "on the way, do do, on the way" mumbly bubbly whistling song from Matilda in it.

If you need some cheering up, here you go! Send Me On My Way. It's the happy song when Matilda is flinging her deck of cards across the room with her mind!

I made an impromptu trip to New Zealand over the weekend because my uncle passed away. As a result of everything, I'm bleary-eyed and my voice sounds artfully like those raspy soul singers. At least, I'm hoping that's what it sounds like. Darth Vader or not, I'm having my mint choc-chip ice cream.

I was only there for two nights, and then I jettisoned back this morning to take my finance exam. ( What's 2,233 km, really? )I tried to study on the plane by balancing my books on the fold down trays, but mysteriously there seemed to be lots of turbulence and Zac Efron in the way. (Kidding. Mostly.)

When we landed in mild sunny weather of 13 degrees, I got to stare blissfully outside the car window and soak up the beautiful landscape, and get whipped by the wind just walking down the street. I don't get homesick for Windy Wellington like Kimmy does, but when I'm there I feel like the past's colliding with me - in a good way. It's so surreal to stand outside on the terrace or swish down the winding road to the little city, and see almost the exact same things I remember. Even the guy from my favourite NZ kids videotape is still on t.v. (hosting Dancing With the Stars).

:DDD

Also, could not order McDonalds. Guy thought I was crazy for asking after a limited-ed burger I had back in 2005. (Oh sweet Chicken McCheese!). Plus I wanted two Cokes with no ice and ended up saying "No Coke" twice. Lucky I didn't start cracking up, because it reminded me of the secret code in that Animorphs episode. Four cheeseburgers... without the cheese.

Bet I'm gonna look back at so much of it and think: 'So shouldn't have humiliated myself.' But aren't they the best kinds of adventures, sometimes?

Taylor Swift @ The Factory Theatre, Thursday 12th of March. Your best source would be fadedbluejeans, since she got there 4 hours before the doors opened and managed to get second row centre and hold Taylor's hand. Deep breath everybody, now THAT is dedication. And a most excellent memory!! Go Sarah!!! :D

Kim made friends with some hysterical girls from Bankstown, together we made an unbeatable team of screamers. (ROFL, judging by lung power alone, we were all ex-choirgirls). I tried not to laugh. Our crowd were the ones screaming "Sexy!/Have my babies/I'll be your wife" when Morgan Evans came on and when he brushed past us during the break it was hilarious. We all started gushing at how great they were and I think we freaked him out because he turned back and looked at us, bemused, and went "how ya going?". And then the lights dimmed and there was more of this awesome roar for Taylor.

( The Concert. The pure awesomeness. TAYLOR!!! )

I won't bore you guys with the details of how I got my aunt to agree with this crazy scheme, but I am so glad Sarah set me up with tickets (bought on the 30th of November! She works fast!), seriously she could start some kind of Taylor Swift Fan Communications company. Wowowowow. I just seriously had such a good time. Kim had to nudge me repeatedly throughout the night when she caught me staring up at Taylor in wonder (it was kind of embarrasing since the girls were shrieking and dancing. I just couldn't believe that she was ACTUALLY there, talking to US.)

Also, she was wearing a black number and then her dress got ripped off to show her gold sparkly sequined NYC New Years Eve dress. And she hammered out on some steel drums with her hair flying. IT WAS AMAZING!!!

I need more marshmallows!
Today I got forwarded an email from my big boss telling me that I need to hand in my wireless internet card. Apparently the running costs of each of the doobywhackers is $120 a month, which is crazy, and also means that the office is going to be cheap and take them away from people who are at my level and under.

I need the net for everything, like getting documents the client is too lazy to walk over, grabbing the office templates off the intranet and for quickly Googling accounting terms I should already know (my team likes to challenge me with technical questions). XD

I suspect that this is part of some absurd plot to get me to study this semester. Not that I wasn't working hard last year and through summer school, but apparently other people's definition of university study involves picking up their lecture notes off their bedroom floor.

Anyway, what with my sister finishing high school and my aunt looking for a job, trying to talk my way into internet time at home is going to be riskier than investing on the stock market. So I'll leave you guys with a meme - this should make up for my long absence.
I got tagged by the awesome itsbuttery!!

( I love buttered toast, too! )

Oh gosh, I'm going to miss my daily gossip blogs, news feeds, looking at slogan tees...

I think it's a pretty common childhood fantasy to run away. It's right up there with marrying the love of your life, being royalty... or a rock star, and I mean, how could you ever go on crazy magical adventures without stepping out for a while?

So. This morning, I packed my cute red backpack and stuffed in some of my most important things. My aunt yelled at me this morning and I actually managed to get a sentence in. Not that it counted for much, but for once I didn't let her completely bulldoze me down. Unfortunately, this means I can look forward to a "talk" tonight so to put it out of my mind I gave myself some visual stimulation and collected a whole bunch of Happy that I would take if a mysterious stranger stopped on my doorstep tonight and gave me an assignment to get the hell out. (If the mysterious stranger turns out to be a future version of myself with a rippled scar down the side of her face, a la Heroes, I am taking a kitchen knife as well.)

Anyway, here is what would fit in my little backpack:
* Wallet & iPod
* Antibacterial hand sanitiser
* Blue teddy bear with dead (X.X) expression
* Pink Nike cap
* Best of Power Rangers DVD
* Three green hair ribbons
* Pink whistle
* Battered copy of 'Journey to the River Sea' by Eva Ibbotson
* Polaroid of my sister and me (she's at a model UN camp thing this weekend)
* Red stress ball, stolen from work
* Strawberry lip balm I stole off Kim

I was going to go all sentimental and pack like a nine-year old would, and then I remembered that I wasn't totally normal at that age (read: afraid of communicable diseases, skin cancer and lunchtime). I packed pretty much the same stuff that I had listed in my diary all those years ago.

SO. I was wondering if any of you have any free time today to pack YOUR bags with what you'd take if you had to leave tonight. I really want to know what you guys would take. If mine is any indication, I might need to run away with someone more practical.

Bullet points, scribbled lists, photos and Excel spreadsheets welcome. Or you can just post it on LJ. I'll be watching my friends list this week, since I might not be allowed out of the house for a while. XD