Wednesday 27 July 2011

Adorableness

I came across the most adorable video the other day. It is located on the abc iview website under 'All Programs' and then click 'Drama'. It is called 'Ten Minute Tales; Deep and Crisp and Even'. Here is the link for ABC iView:

http://www.iinet.net.au/my/media/abc/index.html

It is the sweetest and most beautiful thing you ever did see. It only goes for about ten minutes, as the title suggests, so it doesn't take up too much time. But its definitely worth a watch!
Aalyn xx

Tuesday 26 July 2011

Sorrows, Plays and A Bickering Family

Dearest readers,
Well, that's it. I shall not see my father now until Christmas, maybe not even then, if things don't work out. I'm glad he's gone in one way, because now I can probably have a white Christmas, or at least a cold one, in a cottage in the Scottish countryside. But, on the other hand, my dad has just moved half way across the world and I will not be able to see him very often at all or talk face to face! Sigh, that moment when we said goodbye was not the happiest of times. He looked so incredibly sad. Almost as sad as when he told us that he and mum were seperating. His eyes looked as if they were going to roll off his face and onto the floor, they were so wet with tears. And his lips were trembling, he could hardly talk. But, then again, he did much better than either Mel or I could. We were hopeless. We couldn't utter a single word. We just stood there, tears rolling down our cheeks, lips trembling. I could hardly stop myself from bursting out with sobs. But I couldn't say anything. There were so many things I wanted to say, things that would have made the situation lighter and less awful, things that I would have been very glad to have said. But no, I couldn't even speak. I regret that now, not being able to say what I wanted to. I shall probably keep looking back on that moment and kicking myself for not being able to form the words. I just kept thinking 'Don't cry, don't cry, you silly girl! Do you want to make things harder for dad than they already are? Do you want his last memory of you to be a blubbery mess? How do you think he'll feel, leaving you like that?' But, anyhow, that moment has passed now and I shall just have to move on I suppose. Anyway, now I have someone to write letters to and I'll be able to use my wax seal and beautiful new pens and paper.
School is slowly droning on in the background of my life. I am glad of the subjects I have chosen to undertake, but that does not stop them from being incredibly 'schoolish' and uninteresting. Why can't they think of interesting things to do? Things we will actually enjoy doing? I mean, there are plenty of ways to make learning fun. School just doesn't seem to quite get that concept. For me anyway. I had drama today; a generally good subject. We are studying a play called 'Juice'. It is basically a fairly dated play about a group of teenagers in Grade 10 who are celebrating the 'end of childood and the beginning of adulthood' by having a party. It involves lots of alcohol, stupid dares and, strangely enough, a dead canary. Very strange indeed! I am not really looking forward to performing it, to be honest. I just couldn't think of anything more boring; a play about a stupid teeanage party! I hope I can get an interesting charactert to play. I think we can choose whether to video it or to play it live to the audience. I know which one I will choose! Most definetely the former. I hate performing! I know that's kind of strange, as I'm doing drama, but I really think I need to get over this fear and face up to it if I want to be successful in life. So that is one of the reasons I chose drama. But also because I do enjoy acting, just not performing for a live audience! Filming is fine, and so is voice recording. But actual live performing kind of freaks me out!
I am becoming incredibly snappy toward my close family. This is a horrible thing, and the feeling is also very unpleasant. I just can't seem to stop myself. It's strange, whenever they ask me about my day or something completely innocent and friendly, I just get really annoyed and I simply cannot talk. I eventually manage to mutter something very short and sharp, and that only succeeds in making them angry. It's so silly of me to get angry but, I can't describe it. It's like I'm angry at them for not knowing. Or that I'm angry at them for daring to ask. I'll quite happily just tell them things about my day, but if they just ask, the words refuse to form. Like, tonight, mum asked if I had had drama today. I said that I had and that we were studying 'juice'. She politely asked me questions about it but I could only answer in short, very unexplanatory sentences. And when she continued to ask questions, I got angrier and angrier. She began to get angry too, until we were both bickering away like old ladies. This has begun to happen more and more, but I can't seem to stop it. Another example; I will be on my way to go and do the dishwasher or tidy my room, and mum will ask me to go and do them. Suddenly, I don't feel like doing them at all. It's like I'm angry at her for not knowing that I was just about to do them. It's utterly stupid. Or when I will be thinking something and almost say it out loud but decide not to, and then Mel says it, I get really angry. It's like she stole my idea or my thought and made it her own. Urghh, I cannot stand how annoying I am sometimes! I must be a nightmare to live with!
Goodness, this is getting very long. So I shall say goodbye.
Ta-ta!
Miss Aalyn xx

Thursday 21 July 2011

Poems and Wax Seals

For the past few days, as you know, I have spent my time at home. I have mainly spent it on the computer recording things into the microphone or watching Upstairs Downstairs (which I am now absolutely obsessed with). But I have been doing something particularly special for my cousin Rueben. I have been recording A.A Milne poems through the microphone and onto the computer. I did around 30 of them, it took me quite a while to perfect them all. Once I thought I had done one correctly, I would listen through it again and realise that there was a noise in the background like a plate clinking or something like that; very annoying! But, anyhow, it's all done now and we dropped the finished CD off tonight and listened to a few with him. I think he enjoyed it very much. I even did up a cover and a list of the tracks on the back. Hopefully he listens to it. I think he will. He's having an operation tomorrow to pull his tooth out and put a fake one in its place. I'm not entirely sure why, but hopefully the CD will cheer him up.
Today I received a parcel in the mail. I had been expecting it, but that didn't stop me from being absolutely thrilled when it arrived. It was a wax seal with the letter 'A' on it. You see, my father is going away to Scotland to live and we thought it would be nice if we could write to him whilst he was there, every month or so. Letters are so much nicer to receive than emails, don't you think? And, yesterday, he took us out to 'The Pen Shoppe' to buy some letter paper, envelopes, two fountain pens (each), a wax seal and red wax. We did want to buy a letter opener also, but they didn't have any particularly nice ones. But dad says that he will send us each one over from Edinburgh, which will be very lovely indeed to receive in the mail. Anyhow, they didn't have any 'A' wax seals left, so the lovely lady at the counter promised she would send me one in the mail, express style. And it has arrived, just as she said it would. It is beautiful. I couldn't have asked for anything nicer! To think, my own wax seal. Ahhh, its just too lovely for words!
I had better be popping off now, though, as mum is calling me up to bed.
Farewell, faithful readers.
Miss Aalyn xx

Monday 18 July 2011

Man Hands

Today I enjoy nearly a full week off school. Not because I am sick or because I am on holidays, but because my whole grade is going away to camp. Many people have asked me "Why didn't you go?" and I reply simply "Well, I guess it's because of the people. If I were going with a really close group of friends or with my family, then I may enjoy it, but not with a bunch of strangers and a couple of friends dotted here and there". So, this week, I am spending my time cleaning, cooking, reading, singing, writing and listening to music, maybe watching a few movies in between. I shall rather enjoy it. And my father might be dropping around to take me shopping. No, not clothes shopping. Shopping for a quill, ink, letter writing paper, envelopes, stamps, wax seal (eeeeeeeee!!!!) and wax. Maybe also a few 'drippy' candles for my wine bottles.
Although I do love and relish the time spent away from school and on holidays, I can't help feeling rather 'fat'. You see, most of the time I spend on the computer or reading or watching a movie (which are, as you can guess, all done sitting/lying down) and I begin to feel very tired, lazy and fat. It's really not a very nice feeling. But then, when I'm asked to get out of the house to walk the dogs, I don't want to go. I don't know, I guess being cooped up all day makes you tired and so you don't feel like exercising. But I'm very glad and grateful of the break, school can be very grueling and tiresome.

Last night, my mum went to the hospital. Not because she was ill, but because of her 'man hand'. You see, a few days ago, she was in the park. Walking along. Minding her own business. When something drops onto her head. Thinking it a leaf, she brushes it carelessly away with her hand. Suddenly, there is a sharp pain in her right pinkie and she stops in her tracks. A bee falls to the ground, dead. She stares at her hand and nurses it as it starts to swell. She remembers that she is allergic to bees. Finishing up the walk, she calls the dogs and takes them home again. Reaching home, the swelling is spreading. In a day or so, her hand is puffed up like a balloon and she can barely move it. It is very painful. So she takes it to the doctors and she gives her some medication. She sternly recommends that, if the swelling does not die down within a few hours, she must go to the hospital, as she could have an infection that may worsen. The swelling increases steadily and she decides to call a friend to take her to the hospital. They wait ... and they wait. For hours they sit, bored stupid, in the waiting room. Finally, a nurse sees her. She takes her to a doctor. She is then put on a drip and advised to stay the night, until the swelling dies down. And so she is in hospital. Everyone is calling it her 'man hand', as that it exactly what it looks like. Although, if I ever met a guy with hands like that, I think I'd run for the hills without a moment's notice. Hopefully, she will be back again sometime today. Last night, we stayed with some family friends and now Mel and I are at home, as Mel took the day off.
Here is a picture of mum's hands. The one on the left is the swollen one (just in case you couldn't tell).
What a bore! I have an English analytical essay to write on 'nationality'. It's so incredibly tedious and boring that I cannot think how I shall survive it. I think I'm going to do the English nationality, but I'm not really sure what my points will be. Most people will likely do Australian and some American, but I think I shall be different and do English. We basically have to pick one picture, one literary source and one non literary source. We then have to talk about each of them and discuss what relevance they have to the nationality we've chosen and how they may be similar. Well, at least we don't have to write an essay on the government. I think I'd rather die. I don't really see how we will use essays in real life, except maybe if you're working for a magazine company or something, even then. Then again, there are many things we are taught in school which we will never need to actually use in real life, and there are things they don't teach which we will. I'm just glad I have such fabulous parents who teach me pretty much everything I need to know and more.

Well, chaps, toodle oo then, for now!
Fondest affections,
Miss Aalyn xx

Sunday 10 July 2011

More Names

I've decided that I don't much like the name Christopher anymore. The only real reason I liked it in the first place was because of Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh. But, as a whole, I don't really think I like it. And I think I shall call my first-born child Diana Mary rather than Charlotte and my last-born Edward Charles Benjamin rather than just Edward Benjamin, I do so love the name Charles (like Pa in Little House on the Prairie) or Charlie for short. But I think I prefer the name Edward, and Benjamin is such a charming name for a little boy, don't you think? Not Ben, oh no, Benjamin. And Edward could be shortened to Eddie and Diana to Diane or Di and Violetta (my second-born: Violetta Anne Rose) to Violet. Ahh, I shall have fun naming my children I'm sure. And for last names I also like; Wood, Snow, Rose and Willow. There are many more, I'm sure, but they are all I can at present name.
Much love,
Miss Aalyn xx

ps. My sister did cut her hair and it looks rather like this:

Saturday 9 July 2011

Names, Colours and Woes

I think that, if I somebody came up to me today and said 'you have to change your name', I would change it to Diana Rose or Diana Mary or something like that. I don't know why. I just really like the name Diana (Diane) and I think I might suit it. It just sounds so gentle and soothing. Can you imagine if your mother's name was Diana? Somehow, that would make her seem kinder and gentler. Well, to me at least. I guess I have only really heard of Diana's who were pleasant people. I also love the names; Charlotte, Amiella, Sophia, Violetta, Madeleine, Anne, Mary, Antoinette, Grace and Rose. For boy's names I like; Christopher, Edward, Benjamin, Charles (Charlie) and Daniel. Yes, I know, I love all those English old fashioned names and some of the romantic Italian and French names. I'm sure my children will be most horrified.
I think, when I have children, I want them to call me either mother or mamma (pronounced mu-mar). And, when my children have children, I want them to call me Grandmamma or maybe Grandmother.

My favourite eye colour is either blue or grey but I want my husband to have hazel eyes. I don't know, just something about a guy's eyes being brown is very appealing to me. If they had blues eyes, they would seem too 'pretty', if you know what I mean, rather than handsome. I also want my husband to have big hands, to hold mine in or to wrap around my waist or lift up my child with. Very strange, I know, but true.
Back to school in two days. I can't believe my holidays are already pretty much over. Time really does fly when you're having fun. But, at the same time, it feels as if I have been on holidays for ages and school seems like a distant memory. It's as if school was decades ago. Do you ever get that when you go on holidays? Especially when you travel to another town, city or country.

Well then, as I have so little time left, I had better go and make the most of it while I can hey?
Much love,
Miss Aalyn xx

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Sydney Highlights; from Indian sweet to crazy gorillas ...

Dearest readers,
I have just returned from a trip to Sydney with my sister and father. Funny, a few months ago I had never been to Sydney. Now, I have been twice. Once with my mother and sister and once with my father and sister. It does make a pleasant change. Although it is a modern city, it has a certain feel about it that's hard to describe. Sometimes I feel I am in Europe, especially when in Hyde Park next to the fountain. Although our stay was short, again, we managed to squeeze in a number of activities over our three days and I am now convinced that we have done everything you can possibly do as far as sightseeing goes in Sydney. We saw the Opera House, went up Centrepoint Tower, caught the ferry over to Toronga Zoo and had a look at the Powerhouse Museum. It was a pretty exhausting few days but we all enjoyed it immensely. The hotel we stayed in was a bit of a let-down but, as we were only there to sleep, it did not really affect us too dreadfully. We mostly just got into the room and flopped down onto the beds, utterly exhausted anyway!

Whilst in Sydney, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant. The food was fairly good, if a little spicy, and afterwards we bought some Indian sweets to take away with us. Reaching Hyde Park, we decided to sit down and try them. We were unsure whether we would actually like them, in fact, we were pretty certain we would HATE them! We even videoed our reactions. First, we tried the orange twisty sweets. Mel and dad tasted them first. They both screwed up their faces immediately and remarked "urgghhh!". Then, I tried one. It tasted like frying oil inside a tube of hardened toffy which had all been deep-fried! It was utterly HORRIBLE! And the lady in the shop had recommended them to us! She said they were an 'Indian delicacy'. More like an Indian 'yuckicacy' as Dad put it. Next came the pale rectangular block with pistachios on top. This time, I went first, then dad and Mel. We all agreed that it tasted that cheese which had been stripped of flavour and left a tasteless lump which looked life tofu and didn't taste much different I would imagine. Next came the round toffy-like ball. I went first again, followed swiftly by Dad and Mel. It was by far the best, tasting like a watery doughnut dipped in maple syrup, still not very tasty however. Last of all came the other ball-shaped sweet. Mel went first this time, followed by Dad and I. Mel's face when she bit into it said it all. She almost spit it out, remarking 'oh, gross! It tastes like cous-cous dipped in syrup!'. We all agreed, throwing out the remains of the 'Indian yuckicasies' into the bin.
That was on the first day. The final day in Sydney, we took a trip to the zoo. We had a look at the red panda's and the lemurs and otters and the zebras and giraffes and chimpanzees. The funniest bunch, however, was definitely the gorilla's. One in particular evoked hysterical laughter and chortling whoops from on-lookers, as well as much camera action as people hurriedly took out their camera's to video this hilarious scene. One of the younger gorilla's, who was evidently the trouble maker of the bunch, decided it would be fun to dance around in excited circles and wave his gangly arms in the air above him. Oh, he did make a funny sight! His large grin took over his entire face and he went on and on in circles for quite some time until he flopped down, dizzy and exhausted in a lazy heap. Everybody was laughing, it drew quite a crowd!
Ahhh, anyway, we're back in Brisbane now and are spending quiet days at home. I must confess, I do get a little grumpy when I spend entire days indoors, doing nothing in particular. My sister is having her hair cut today, really short! I cannot wait to see what she looks like and how short it will be. It will be quite a change from her usual shoulder-length curtain. She is thinking of something like this:
Au revoir!
Miss Aalyn xx