What Would You Do If I Sang Out a Tune

I guess here and now is as good a time and place as any to ponder the year past and profer a guess on things to come.

It occurs to me now, after having spent a lovely 3 days with high school friends, that I have been a terrible snob.


Not only have I been a snob but I have been doing exactly what I have been accusing other people of doing and I felt self-righteous doing it. I had a dream (me and MLK, huh?) and because it wasn't easy to justify and because I've still not been able to find the words to explain where it came from or what sustains it, I decided to create a world to which I couldn't return in order to feel not so-very-far-away. I've been unfair. To myself, to those who have loved and supported me, and those who didn't even know they ever made it into my musings. And I wonder what ramifications this ephiphany has for my dream.

Things haven't come to pass quite how I anticipated. I was better at diplomacy than I ever anticipated, and through that experience I found out that I was better at IR than I had realized.



Dara's visit was the icing on an already perfectly golden, over-iced cake. Exploring new parts of Australia together was amazing, but equally surprising was how wonderful it was to re-do some of the parts I've seen already.




Moving was beyond hard. And that intuitive gut-feeling did not betray.




The Gold Coast was a blot on 2007. Perhaps "blot" is too strong a word, it was an unexpected detour that cost a lot of money! I feel fortunate that I was given the chance to take such a detour at such an expense. I feel fortunate that this mis-step wasn't the end of my dream (though in moments it certainly felt like it could have been). I met some lovely people, was supported by them (as my far-away family seems to do!) and can look back on the time as my last hurrah with student life for a number of years. There are worse ways to have spent those last six months, indeed.



And upon returning from the GC I was greeted with extraordinary kindness. Some of it remote (as in Tara who was in Perth but generously lent me her apartment while she was gone) and some of it from right in front of my face including Ross picking me up at the airport upon my return, Lisa and Daniel's places over New Years, Lauren and Craig letting me crash their hostel room in Sydney, and Chen and Miki's spare bed room now.





2008 has begun with enormous generosity from others. And let us here put down in words, so as not to forget (as he asked me not to), Moh, the man on the bus to Sydney before I met up with Craig and Lauren on the 10th of January--jupiter is strong in my star-sign, a job is on the horizon. A generous assessment of my prospects.

What will come in 2008 I have very few answers. I seem to be developing a bit of supersition, as well, however, because it seems arrogant to speculate and a bit of a temptation to fate. Let it here suffice that 2008 will follow the saga of my latest dreams, the manifestation of them I cannot yet anticipate. Jobs, apartments, new friends, new scenery--where ever it shall take me I hope to move forward without letting go, growing up without growing old, reevaluating the judgements that lent my dream a necessity it does not objectively possess, and remaining open to the possibilites that through whatever cracks may appear, the light will stream on through.

The Dharini Leaving Do and Sydney Whirlwind

The lights at knights


Gathering outside the eatery

Turkey and Birthday antics in the territory of the capital

Nammers and me preparing for the feast!
Cody digging in to the tofu log with a knowing Laza looking on....
24 birthday candles...the WHOLE package!
something displeases young daniel???
coco and laz up close!

Birthday and Turkey-day antics in the States and Territories

Tara breaking it down with a little Bohemian Rhapsody and tequila!

Getting close to the 20 pound turkey
Veggo keeps his distance from the uncooked bird
table of desserts: birthday cake and pumpkin pies. mini pecan pies and apple pie
the fastest cooking tukey in the world!!

Birthday Antics in the states and territories

Taking a break from Fishos: birthday dinner at Saks. L-R: Amy, me, Liz

Anomolous (me and james)
Coogeee proposal?! Keeping Christine's ring safe from the ocean!
Home sweet home :) Jem, Sam, Seb: Knightsbridge closing

more photos from the GC

me and michael hoy on the GC

storm gathering over bond from my balconey
V-TAV L-R: Lance, Ryan, Meg, Liz
Surfer's Halloween: Liz and James
Sunset over bond from my balconey

Gold Coast living in photos

HALLOWEEN ON THE BEACH
L-R: Meghan, Yasmin, Rex, me, Liz

THE DRINK, Surfer's Paradise: bond students unite
The bee and the angle looking a little confrontational at the begining of the night
Our first weekend at Bond. Byron escape. L-R: Kyra, Amy, Liz, Meg,me, Lance
Dancing to the exotic beats in Byron. L-R: Meg, Lance, me

Diplomatic Function

After turning in our last paper the diplomacy students and their supporters went out for a banquet dinner followed by martinis clubbing and cocktails. This was dinner. Notice how we all still look presentable.

18 months, 2 Homes, 1 Car, TWO MASTERS DEGREES

To everyone who has joined me along the way:

you have been wednesday nights, too much alcohol, the labs, car trouble, car purchasing, australian travel, laughter, tears, drama, family. You have been editors, saviours, phone-conversations and text messages. You have been homemade dinners, too much money spent on food, burritos, debacle, hungover brunches (girlie and otherwise). You have been dancing til dawn, mombasa, mooseheads, knightsbridge, muddle bar, shooters (:-)P), university house. You have been moving house, dickson, turner, braddon, toad hall, grad house, bergman, queen-size beds. You have been themed parties, wigs, the 80s, footless tights, shopping buddies. You have been holidays, passover, easter, birthday parties, australia day, concerts, bbqs. You have been jobs, work, all-nighters, survivors, motivation, and ambition.

for all of you who have been part of this past 18 months in total or in part, you are part of me. You have characterized my life, given it shape, form, and texture. You have been my family when the time difference didn't permit me to call home, you have been my family even when I could have called home. I don't question for one moment that my life is better for having been touched by each of you. You all are the loves of my life...you know who you are.

WONTONS ala Ross

250gs prawn meat

1 clove garlic

1 clove chilli

half bunch of coriander including stalks

squeeze of lime

knob of ginger

2 tbsp hoi sin sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1/3 rd can water chestnuts

pinch of salt

Mine everything and combine. Sit in fridge if you have time

Sauce

½ cup of vinegar

1/3 cub of soy sauce

1 chilli

1 garlic

sugar to taste

bring vinegar soy and sugar to the boil

add diced chilli and garlic – remove from heat store in jar in fridge lasts about a week

Cooking

Fry the bottoms of the wonton’s for 1-11/2 minutes

Pour a cup/cup and a half of boiling water on top of the wontons and put lid over them to let the tops steam while the bottoms continue to sit on the frying pan.