You can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:

a rainy day,

the elderly,

lost luggage,

and tangled Christmas tree lights.

breaking out of quarantine

Finally! I'm up to the final two capsules of Codral.

It's been a pretty feral seven days - in bed with three blankets, knee-high socks, and about five layers of clothing. On the first three days, the stupid virus had me in a beanie, fingerless gloves and a scarf.

Two boxes of Kleenex and a sandpaper-dry nose later, I think I might be ready to face the world again. Work tomorrow... 9am sharp. Yeehah!

I'll admit the good thing about being sick is having an excuse to do absolutely nothing... which is pretty much what I did during my five days of sick leave. A strange pandemic hit my household... everyone was walking around coughing their lungs out, and I probably juiced about 30 oranges (no exaggeration).

Right now (this is gonna sound really weird), I'm listening to Regurgitator. Yeah, remember those guys? Back in the 90s. I made a mix CD of old-school music last year and it's currently spinning tracks like "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (Beach Boys), "Peaches" (Presidents of the USA), "Boom boom boom boom" (Vengaboys), and "How Bizarre" (OMC).

"How Bizarre" is definitely one of those feel-good songs - no matter where or when I hear it, it'll make me laugh. That and singing "my heart goes shalalalala..." and Breakfast at Tiffany's while I dance around in my room in my undies. *blush* Ehp... I seriously need to get outta here.

I managed to get through a record number of DVDs this week... 50 First Dates, Hitch, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tranformers Generation 1 - 1.2, and (hanging head in shame here), a few episodes of season 1 of Beverly Hills 90210. Hahaha... that's what happens when I'm the youngest of 5 girls.

Edwin got me out of the house yesterday to watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix with Nereus, Jason and Carl (a strange reminder that I haven't seen Sarah in ages, and may be in need of estrogen-filled company).

I feel somewhat refreshed after this week... even though much of it felt like hell (try waking up at 4am for five days straight and throwing up a heap of phlegm for about 2 hours straight).

I hope I don't forget last night... two mugs of hot soup, a bag full of bagel crisps, and an understanding friend, joking around, and allowing me to see the brighter side of life. Prior to this polaroid moment, I'd been blowing snot into tissue after tissue, with tears streaming down my face - feeling extremely worthless and like my life was falling apart. It's nice having a person who lives up the road who knows how to stitch me up again after my fear makes me burst at the seams. Plus he made me soup.

So... we're gonna start reading the Bible again. We attempted this during Lent this year, but gave up because our phonecalls got really late and we got lazy... but hopefully we'll keep at it this time...

Having said that it's past 11pm and as I said... I've got work tomorrow.

A make-me-smile-list for the past 7days:

- Doctor gave me an extra two days off after I told him about my vomit experience.
- Got to see Caitlyn at church today after a whole week of absense. Her fatness makes her hugs the best hugs ever!
- Tenderheart CareBear tshirt
- Dr Annabelle says I can have chocolate any time - doesn't matter if I'm sick. :)
- Choc-chip cookies + Milo on the couch while watching Fantastic 4.
- Hugs
- Hot soup
- My Dad likes it when I make fresh orange & apple juice
- Harry Potter book 7 is finally out! Yay!
- 4 weeks until Italy baby!!
- Read the book I made Edwin for his birthday last year... which reminded me of many happy moments.. and all the ones we have yet to experience
- Hand-me-downs from sisters = new clothes that I don't have to pay for. Yeah!
- I can smile without it hurting now!
- Things to look forward to: Jonna's wedding, Italy, Love talk @ Discovery Camp on Saturday, life in general... tomorrow! Yay!

July 1 - 8 in pictures

July 1: Started off with an early morning for Eddoes and I... driving into the chill towards Clovelly where we had breakfast @ Vincent's place (he does a good bacon & eggs... mmm...)

We drove towards Domestic airport, and found our way to the Qantas Hangar, where the NZ delegates did a touching hand-over to the Australian youth representatives. There, a number of Bishops and civil dignitaries made some moving comments about the meaning of the WYD Cross & Icon, and the excitement of its journey throughout the country in the lead up to WYD. To view one of the few moments where the PM John Howard has inspired me, click here: http://www.saltandlighttv.org/prog_special_wyd_2008_special_video.html

As the above link tells you, eventually the Cross made its way from the airport, to North Sydney, then across the Harbour Bridge where it was met by thousands of people at Darling Harbour.

But the next few pics were some of the highlights of the week in Sydney Archdiocese:

July 2: Cabramatta. I got to the parish at 8am (late, since the event had started at 7am) and had to slow down when I saw this mother of a truck, which Van's family had made to transport the Cross & Icon around the Western deanery. Talk about dedicated!

Eventually the Cross made it's way to the different parishes, carried by different people. I didn't talk pictures on the day it was at Haberfield - but I'll always remember walking through the streets towards Leichhardt... it was awesome!

July 5: Earlwood parish was also really moving. Bishop Cremin has a cool sense of humour... and began Mass by greeting everyone in their native tongue. When it came time for the creed, I was pretty much in tears, because for the first time in a long time, I heard a church packed with people who were clearly, proudly and unashamedly professing their faith. It was a rare moment... and a moving one at that!

July 6: The Cross & Icon made its way through Sydney CBD. The sky was a brilliant blue, the girls singing at Botanical Gardens while people Venerated gave me goosebumps they were that good. All in all it was a pretty amazing day, with lots of friends:

(I've gotta give John & his sister Kiara some credit here: they faithfully followed the Cross & Icon around from about 8am that Friday as it made its way through Central Stn, Town Hall, the Polding Centre, Marting Place... they had their well-deserved Max Brennar chocolate at DJs not long after lunch. Good on ya guys!!)

July 7: WYD Cross & Icon makes its way to Bondi Beach. This was definitely a highlight for Edwin & I (both lovers of the beach) who, after a massive sugar dose at one of Bondi's nice lil' cafes, got to Venerate the Cross before Mass as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful sight to see...

July 8: The flag-bearers. After the entertaining 45minute drive in the back-seat of Nez's Nissan (with Dom & Suarez... hmmm), we eventually boarded the 1:30 ferry to Manly:

This was pretty amazing - the police escorted the ferry along the waters towards Manly, where we were greeted with over 600 delegates from Broken Bay.

Despite the weather, it was a pretty amazing day. All in all... just.. wow.

congested, unshowered, smelly, queezy, and wishing that Winter would be over already!

I keep logging onto my Blogger account and only get as far as the Dashboard... I never end up writing anything... because there really isn't much to write about these days. What, apart from work, there's not much happening in the life of joy (I could write about my relationship with Eddoes, but seeing as we're both somewhat keen to keep our personal lives personal, than I'll endeavour to keep as much of what goes on between us... between us).

I realised though, that it's been almost a month since my last entry, and that's pretty shocking for a girl like me, who has spent the majority of her 22 years of existence writing...

How did 4 weeks of my life slip by and I not register what was going on??

Hmmm... let's back track.

June 20 - after retrieving my handbag from the Bishop's PA (Bishop Anthony wasn't keen on actually walking around the building with a woman's black leather handbag in tow), I managed to get life in the office back on track.

As life usually goes after most WYDSAC meetings, more work appeared on my to-do list, but this month, it seemed less apparent to me what the point of all my work was.

So... came the next ten days of making sure every parish, community, group, movement, leader, and youth organisation that operates under the geographical parameters otherwise known as the Sydney Archdiocese was well aware that the WYD Cross & Icon were about to arrive in Sydney.

I shall digress for moment and report that on June 22:

I woke up at a God-forsaken early hour to drive a mate to the airport so he could fly to New Zealand for a SFC conference - a drive where I discovered to my dismay, that the friend I'd once thought would always be my friend.. could easily abandon our friendship for the safer shores of "closed-off and intraverted acquaintance." I pondered about our 9 year friendship after leaving him at the departure terminal, where he'd clearly rejected my offer to hang out for breakfast until his plane departed, wondering as I drove into the city why it hurt so much that I couldn't explain to him the status of my life, my heart, my mind.. when it had once been so easy years and years ago. Or perhaps the real issue was trying to figure out what hurt more: the fact that I can't articulate myself as clearly as I used to, or that he didn't want to try and understand my gibberish anymore because it's safer that way...

Eventually the day drifted into more phone calls, emails, more website updates, mail-outs... until I left the office to hang out with Jonna at VAIG photography studios. What I don't understand is why people would shell out over $1000 for hot photos of themselves. I'll admit that the photos we were presented looked pretty stunning (I envy Jonna for being photogenic - it's not a quality I possess); and if they cost $10 each, I'd purchase all of them in a snap... but $200 for ONE 6x4 inch print of myself in my own clothes, in simple make-up, and a bit of fancy-shmancy lighting? PAH-LEASE.

When the manager finally knocked it down to $89 a print, I bought two (one of me and one of Jonna) for a keepsake of the hilarious night we spent with our down-to-earth photographer, who made us do funny poses against dimly lit walls, on kitchen bench tops, or poised against a painted backdrop.

I drove back to the city after signing off another addition on my credit card bill, and joined Amardeep and an entire flock of first year med students at a Spanish restaurant on Liverpool St. Talk about feeling overwhelmed! For the first time in my life, I witnessed a complete make-over in less than two minutes. The once timid, don't-you-ever-make-me-speak-in-public high school friend of mine, eternally confined to follow dos and don'ts from obsessively over-protective parents had donned a gorgeous dress, done up her hair, was wearing make-up, and laughing the night away at a table full of extraverted friends (who bought her an awesome dinner and really yummy cake).

We made our way to Burdekin bar for a few hours of dancing, drinking.. and all that jazz. Took the DJ about an hour to realise that people react best to songs that they actually know... and when Marvin managed to score me a couple of free drinks, life wasn't so bad by 9pm.

Eventually, the exhaustion began to feel heavy on the eyelids, and I was pretty much over Heineken beer. That and I was feeling somewhat guilty for enjoying myself so much dancing with people I'd just met... while my faithful boyfriend was at home, wondering if I'd really have the guts to get pissed and catch a cab home.

Lucky I didn't... because I got back to my car and found it tragically damaged by a bastard who probably hit it while trying to park, and decided they didn't have the integrity to leave me a note. (Marvin just laughed when he realised how crest-fallen I looked... luckily... because I would've probably broken something in anger had he not been so light-hearted about it)

So... the next couple of days I spent trying to find out whether or not my beautiful silver Corolla had comprehensive car insurance (much to my comfort, it does)...

Today I finally dropped it off at the repairers; which means I have no car for a week. :(

In between today and the day my car was hit, the following things have happened:

- Edwin and I celebrated the 6-month mark by devouring pots of all-you-can-eat muscles at King St Wharf;

- Amardeep and I did the girly thing of sitting on her bed pouring out the type of thoughts and verbal nonsence about issues that only girls can cry/whince/ponder/get pissed over;

- I realised, on the final page of my yellow journal, just how difficult the past year and a half has been for me....

- I started a fresh new journal the day the WYD Cross & Icon arrived in Sydney...

- John Howard give the first speech to ever make my eyes water with tears of inspiration and joy (who would've thought it possible?! Made sure Edwin & I grabbed a photo with him to make sure we'd remember the rare moment forever)

- A crowd of over 8,000 people gathered at Darling Harbour to welcome the WYD Cross & Icon into Sydney

- Guy Sebastian & Paulini sung the WYD08 theme song in front of those 8,000 people

- I followed the Cross & Icon across the Archdiocese of Sydney for 8 days...

- Nereus drove Luke, Suarez, Dom & I to the Circular Quay, where we were joined by Edwin and many other faithful Cross groupies, who accompanied the Cross & Icon onto a ferry, then sailed it over to Manly, where 600 people were waiting at the wharf to welcome it into the Broken Bay Diocese (wow)

- I stuffed my face with pancakes, smothered with ice cream, chocolate sauce, bananas and walnuts after what felt like the most amazing week in Sydney...

- I tried to teach Caitlyn how to play drums, watched her tap-dance on my living room tiles, fell asleep next to her a few times, laughed at her sillyness and let her play with my facial features with her tiny little hands...

- I did the most nerve-racking (and most unprepared for) testimony in front of about 1000 people at my local parish last night... (yikes) about how WYD affected me and why I'm so excited... I still regret talking so fast, mumbling so many times, saying "Umm..." a gazillion times and not wrapping up effectively. Oh well... life goes on I guess.

- I slept and slept and slept and woke up with a congested nose, an aching head, and lots of tissues in my bin...

- I fell in love with my boyfriend again... who gives me hugs, plays guitar for me, and washes the dishes when I'm sick.

- I blogged half a novel about 4 weeks of my life... with no pictures. Ha. (They'll come later.)