The Final Report

Well Happy New Year… Merry Christmas and all that…it seems that once again I have abandoned my blog, but here I am trying to redeem myself by providing perhaps the last list update ever…the final count…I was just going to add the ones I have now achieved, but I thought that I might just go through the lot and we can all reminisce together…the the ones that are done deals are all in bold and there are links to the ones that I have blogged about, info on the new ones and perhaps I can give even give some lame excuses as to why I couldn’t do everything!

1. Exercise regularly…

Well to put it bluntly no…there were times that I tried, but nothing lasted, no excuses, just laziness

2. Keep up to date with things I have due at uni
Done…nothing was handed in late, and everything passed Woo Hoo

3. Keep up to date with things I have due at ChurchThis one was not so good…the poor pursuit mag died and I missed my grade 6 transition day coz I was in china…opps, sorry grade six kids.

4. Be on time (well at least more often then I am late)

Well I think that I did quite well at this there was only one lecture that I was never on time to, but most other things I was defiantly more on time than I was late, so I think it can be crossed off.

5. Control the amount of chocolate that I eat

I am pretty sure I failed this…I am a chocaholic…can anyone help?

6. Learn Guitar

Well I started…I didn’t get far, but I started and that’s good enough for me.

7. Sing with a Big Band

8. Wash my car (by myself)

9. Sleep in the backyard

I don’t really have a reason for not doing this other than I forgot.

10. Stop pushing the snooze button, and just get up, surely its not that hard

As if it was ever going to happen…this one remains undone

11. Stay with Mick and Helen in Bright

Not this year…Dave did, but not me…Curse you overseas holidays and fun things filling my holiday time!

12. Meet the rest of Dave’s rellies from the big NZ

ahh…not this year…China and Queensland were enough for me, maybe 08?

13. Not let Dave get sick

Well he had his tonsils out in January, but that wasn’t my fault and other than that he remained relatively healthy

14. Have my car valet parked

Still waiting for some one to valet my car

15. Clean out my wardrobe and actually throw stuff out

I did it and the Salvos now have it…woo hoo, oh and now my room has also been cleaned out and thanks to Dave as well coz it looks amazing.

16. Don’t owe anyone money

Sorry Mum, Dad and Dave…it is coming

17. Visit my great grandma at least 4 times

Done, done, done and done…

1. Just a visit.

2. Her 100th birthday party.

3. Her 100th birthday day.
4. Unfortunately in hospital

18. Say no to a job I don’t have time to do, even if I want to do the job

Well this year as much as it hurt I had to let my cell girls go so that they could have someone that could give all the time they needed not just dribs and drabs

19. Allow Dave not to be my slave

20. Have Indian food
21. Be more gracious and tolerant

Well I don’t know about this one, I think I am, but I guess its up to you guys…if you don’t think I am…speak now or forever hold your peace (just on the side…is that peace correct or is it speak now and forever hold your piece of information or is it both and should it be piace)!

22. Try real sushi, you know raw fish and all

23. Order something other than pasta, stir-fry or pizza from a restaurant

Well seeing as I have had had Indian and Japanese this one gets crossed over but I have also had lots of other different dishes, including burgers, steaks and prawns

24. Shell a prawn

Once again done in China…but this one was at a friend of Dad’s house where it was sprung on me, in order to make a good first impression I chose to struggle away at shelling my own prawns rather than getting Dad to do them for me and looking like a bit of a fool

25. Go on holidays with my mum

Well we didn’t travel together, but we were both overseas at the same time and because Dad worked during the Day we got to hang out together a lot so it was a holiday together.

26. Get a CD stacker

It can’t be done, I tried but it can’t be done. Instead I got karen…my GPS

27. Go to a state or country I have never been to

28. Be less judgemental

I am a girl…this one could take time.

29. Save some money

Well considering I still owe money, its pretty hard to save while in debt, so unfortunately this one remains undone

30. Lose a bit of weight

Lets just say with the lack of exercise and the addiction to chocolate I am in big trouble

31. Wear something other than jeans for a whole week

I don’t think I did this, I can’t really remember though…I am pretty sure I didn’t I just can’t seem to get by without my jeans.

32. Drive to one of Dave’s gigs in the city

With the help of Karen I made it all the way to the Rising sun hotel in South Melbourne to hear Dave play.

33. Pull off a parallel park

34. Blog at least once a week

Well it may not have been a new blog every week but for the whole year there were 122 in total for the whole year which makes and average of 2.35 a week.

35. Learn how to rip gaffa tape with my bare hands

36. Go to a concert of someone famous

37. See a musical

38. Go on a boat

Well on my trip to Queensland earlier in the year I went on a few boats, one to the Great Barrier Reef and one to Hamilton Island and Chance bay
39. Go to Luna Park

I only went for a little while, but I went, turns out its not as good as I remembered and there is a real chance you could die on the rides, they are looking very average.

40. Go Fishing

I don’t have a fishing rod…need I say more

41. Watch a V8 Car race in real life as in not on TV

I went to two and they was awesome… Sandown and a win for team Vodafone and then Philip Island for the grand final… I am a rev head and I love it!
42. See the penguins at Philip island

Not done… and it’s a shame, I do love the penguins

43. Meet Craig Lowndes

Well I didn’t meet Craig or Jamie, but I did meet Jason Bright, Mark Winterbottom, and John Bowe and that’s enough for one year.

44. Watch the Sunrise

If watching out the back of the car on the way to the V8s counts…its done

45. Die my hair a weird colour not all of it, but at least some

Not done…I am gutless

46. Drink a bottle of water everyday

This went great guns and then I missed one day and it was all over red rover… what a shame

47. Cook a 3 course meal for my family

Not yet…one day

48. Organise my photos properly

Well they are all in folders and ready to go…but not organised and the ones I wanted to put in albums are all still on the computer

49. Play dark zone

Well it wasn’t called Dark Zone but it’s the same thing and it was actually more fun than I thought it would be.

50. Have a fully non cola/red slurpee

51. Play a board game with Dave (and others to, but just getting Dave to play a board game is the tough bit)

52. Not crash a car

Done… 1 year lots of driving… 0 crashes… Woo Hoo

53. Ride an exercise bike (more than once)

Done I think only twice but its done

54. Ride a real bike (more than once)

Also done…again only twice but its done

55. Do karaoke

I am a karaoke convert…I love it seriously and my only taste of it was Chinese karaoke imagine how much I would love Australian karaoke.
56. Try sarsaparilla

Done and its disgusting!

57. Read 5 books from dad’s library

Done…
Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Angles Flight by Michael Connelly
City of Bones by Michael Connelly
Killing Floor by Lee Child
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

58. Learn to drive a manual

Well it’s a bit like the gitaur I have started but I am not quite there… I can do the gears and clutch just not together!

59. Try a radio controlled car

Thanks to Jess who gave Dusty one for his birthday, this is also done.

60. Go in one of those trampolines with the big nets all the way round

I still want to, but I have to find a friend with one.

61. Enter a radio competition

Not done I chickened out.

62. Try licorish ice cream/gelati

Also done and its disguisting
63. Go to the tip

I didn’t go in but I did drive through so I have been
64. Ride a skateboard

Any one got a skateboard?

65. Write a kids book

Done…its about a fly who just wants a friend and its great even if I say so myself…perhaps I can put it on my blog…or perhaps you will just have to wait till its released to the stores

66. Have a rainbow paddle pop

Done and it was just as good as I remembered

67. Get some tadpoles

I wish

68. Have a dancing lesson

It was a professional Dancing lesson, but I did get taught a dance…for RAWards

69. Score 10 points in a season of basketball

I wish I could score 2points in a season let alone 10

70. Use my Jurlique voucher

Thank you Jurligue voucher for my lovely facial and massage even if it was in the middle of a shopping center!
71. learn 10 songs on guitar

They are basic and pretty crap…but they are songs and I play them on guitar!

72. Go to the museum

Well it wasn’t Melbourne Museum, but it was a museum…it was the Palace museum in China better known as the Forbidden City!
73. Go to the snow

Thanks Lish, Adam and Kitty for a lovely snow trip to Lake mountain…but I think that I am too old to toboggan!
74. Be a parking attendant

I missed my chance at ACC…maybe this year

75. Beat Brad Dupuy at BUZZ (on PS2)

Done and now I have Buzz of my own so I guess I might be able to do it again!

76. Try a strange food that I haven’t even heard of yet

Dragon Fruit and its great… a pink fruit with a white flesh with black seeds…tastes like a cantaloupe and kiwi fruit baby

77. Try to understand what “negative gearing” means for tax purposes

Negative gearing is when your business costs more than what it earns but you get money back in tax.

78. Build something from IKEA (something relatively elaborate)

Well it wasn’t that elaborate but I did build a few things including boxes, files and a lamp.

79. Try some Durian fruit (the one with the odour…)

Not yet…

80. Work out how to check my water and oil and top up my washer bottle

Can do…

81. Work out how to change a tyre

Not yet…but it is probably hindered by the fact that the bolts on my tires are done by machine and not even Dave can move them.

82. Bake some meringues (that actually taste good)

I would like to say I had at least tried but that would be a lie

83. Go to 24 hour K-mart between the hours of 1-3am

Thanks to Pheebs and Kirsten I went to K-mart at 1:00am to print some photos and it was actually really busy…how weird and it was early in the year it wasn’t even like there was a big event coming up
84. Get some boots that fit my mighty calves

85. Drive in a convertible with the roof down

I had a few opportunities but none actually happened

86. Write a letter to a friend I haven’t seen in years

Thanks the to the brilliance of Facebook I was able to chat with people that I haven’t seen or spoke to since primary school.

87. Bake a cake and take it to work

Just like the meringues…I would like to say I tried but that would be lying

88. Wear high-heels, well even just girlier shoes more often

I think I have done this so I am going to cross it off but you better check with Dave

89. Try beef-jerkie

I had some and I let it go to waste…Jake brought me some to try but it went passed its used by date and I wasn’t that game!

90. Go without TV for a week

I didn't plan ahead well enough

91. Drive Dustin’s car

92. Read/listen to my bible everyday

This went great guns just like the water and then I missed one day, coincidently the same day as the water and it was all over red rover… what a shame

93. Watch a sunset on the beach

Dave and I tried and just caught the end of it after racing into St Kilda to see it

94. Stand out in the rain

95. See some fireworks

96. Jump off a pier
Its dangerous you know

97. Not Shave my legs (just emjoi...you thought i was going bush, lol)
Well seeing as my emjoi died I couldn’t keep it up…but I did try

98. Go on a horse and cart ride
Dave?????

99. Visit all the "Emma" streets listed in the melways (part 1, part 2, part 3)

and here are the latest additions...

All except two, one in Leopold and one in Tarneit but they weren’t in Melbourne so I don’t think that they count…but it was fun fun fun

100. Win an award

So there you go that’s what I did in 2007…a total of 62! So heres the question though…there are 38 left…do I just keep going and finish the list even though 2007 is over or do I start a new list for 08? Let me know…vote on my poll!

DAY 5

Today was my first full day in Beijing. I started the morning with a Chinese lesson to refresh my memory, during which I found out just rusty my Chinese is, but hopefully it will get better the longer I stay. I had forgotten how complicated the language is. I know that I know lots of words, but at the moment they are still stuck in my head where I can't find them. My Chinese teacher is very lovely and patient and I really enjoyed just having her there to talk to and to practice with.

In the afternoon i decided that is was about time that I ventured out of Dad's apartment and went for a little explore, so that's what I did. I walked to a place called "the place" and then checked out the silk market as well. At the place, Jake had told me there was a giant TV screen, so after walking through the whole complex I couldn't find it, i turned around and saw what I thought was the TV, which was huge, but then later I found out that the whole roof of the complex is a giant TV, so I felt pretty stupid for not seeing it and Dad and Zhang Wei (Dad's Driver) thought it was very funny.

For dinner Dad and I went to a great Dumpling house where I ate this very strange fruit, in fact I don't even know what it is called which means I can cross number 76 of my list. If anyone know what its called I would really like to know, the fruit is white with lots if little black seeds and tastes like a bit like a cross between kiwi fruit and cantaloupe. Dad seems to think you can get it in Queensland, but I am lost...actually I just looked it up on Google and its called Dragon Fruit, so there you go.

Psalm 119:37 "Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word"

DAY 6

Today I woke up and it was raining in Beijing, which is very strange but kinda cool because it doesn't happen very often. Apparently it even snowed in the mountains which doesn't really surprise me because today it was also freezing cold.

My day started with another Chinese lesson, which thankfully went better than yesterday, I think that my Chinese is slowly coming back which is good, because I have decided that I would really like to be much better at Chinese than I am currently. I think that it would be really great to have a second language that actually worked, rather than one the stops and stalls all the time. So when Zhang Wei and I went out this afternoon to get a guitars, i was able to practice my Chinese more with him, which was heaps of fun.

Then this evening I went across to the gym, which is also known as the Alexander club, and went for a swim. Little did I know that this particular gym is quite fancy so when I go tomorrow I will be a little more prepared so that I can soak up all its luxury. I guess today sounds pretty boring, but I actually had a great day, I really like being in china and being able to try new things and practice my Chinese, its also been really relaxing, which has been a nice way to wind down after such a busy semester!

Psalm 19:3 "There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."

Ocean Park, The Peak and Beijing

DAY 3

Well today we headed out to another theme park, this one not as well known as Disneyland, but still fantastic. Today’s theme park was called “Ocean Park” and was a theme park based around the ocean and all it has to offer, a little bit like Seaworld, but with more rides that weren’t quite in the in the same squeaky clean condition. The park was built on the side of one the mountains on Hong Kong Island, which meant that the whole park was on split levels with large out door escalators separating each level and to get there dad and I had to navigate our way through 3 different train lines (including the Disneyland line complete with Mickey mouse train) and a bus, which we managed to do quite well, even if I do say so myself.

At Ocean Park dad and I (as white tourists) were defiantly much more of a minority than we were at Disneyland, but it made it all the more exciting. We decided that we didn’t really need to do any of the animal stuff and that we would just stick to the rides. We went on everything from the flying swing (pretty much just a glorified park swing) to the Abyss (one of those giant drop/tower of terror type rides). And apart from being afraid that the rides might break underneath us, sending us plummeting into the South China Sea, all the rides were great, a little scary but not too bad, that was until the Abyss. I convinced myself that it would be fine, but as Dad and I climbed in the tower, I suddenly realised that I did not at all trust this Hong Kong workman ship and that I was going to die, so as I sat at the top repeating to no one “oh my goodness, oh my goodness” I was the most scared I had been, probably ever and as we started to free fall down over 20 storeys I screamed louder than I ever have and then broke into this hysterical laughter as I realised that I would be ok. Dad and the guy on the other side of me found it quite amusing though.

During the afternoon at the park we also went and saw some giant Panda’s which were very exciting! They are very cute, just liked the stuffed toys, but bigger, and slower. Just before we left the park we decided that we would go on one more ride, the raging river, which left me soaking wet and walking like I had wet my pants, probably not my best idea.

That night after a quick stop at a very fancy shopping centre for some starbucks and some books, Dad and I rode the peak train to the peak of the mountain on Hong Kong Island to see the city skyline, which was amazing. At the top we went outside to the terrace where there was a little jazz band, where the horn player wasn’t playing your regular kind of horn, but one of those ones that your see in the Swiss alps, and she was pretty good, but not quite as good as the view, that was amazing. Seriously Hong Kong is an amazing place, so much stuff in such a little area, it’s incredible and everything is so steep I am not really sure how it all stands so straight. Just before we headed back to the hotel Dad and I got a gelati from geno’s gelati just because we could.

On the trip back to the hotel, via all the trains, we got attacked by a giant piece of hair on the train floor which was soooooo gross, but very funny and by the time we got back to the hotel I was exhausted but very thankful for the amazing day that I had had.

Gensis 1:21 "So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good."

DAY 4

This morning Dad and I had to get up super early to get a 6:20am taxi out to the airport to catch a flight to Beijing. Once we got to the airport I must admit I looked pretty silly walking through the airport with my suitcase, laptop bag, backpack and giant Eeyore toy. Once we were all checked in we went and had breakfast and then went and sat in the Dragon Air lounge until our flight. The flight wasn’t too bad, but I was sitting next to a very grumpy and unfriendly British man, because the flight was full so Dad and I couldn’t sit together. However, some how (must be because I am so tall) I was sitting in the seat with the emergency exit so I had lots of leg room, which was nice.

Once we got to Beijing, we lined up for what felt like hours to get through immigration, and then met Zhang Wei, Dad’s driver, who took us back to Dad’s Appartment, where he got ready and went off to work, and I settled into my new home for the next two weeks. After a bit of TV I went for a little walt to the local supermarket were I made the most exciting food discovery ever…you can still get Pop Tarts in China, so naturally that’s what I had for lunch!

Other than that today has been a very quiet one, just kind of getting used to my new, quite foreign surrounds, but I am looking forward to my time here, hopefully I will improve my Chinese a little and get some confidence and go for a little explore.

So there you go, thats the journey so far. Now that I am in Beijing, I think that the blogs will probably be shorter but hopefully more regular so that I don't make you sit down and read for ages...thanks for listening so far...Oh and before I go, I should also just say Happy Birthday to Kirsten, sorry I am not there to party with you, but hope you had a great day!

Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Flying Solo

So for the next 3 weeks I am in China spending some time with my Dad, so my blogs will kinda be a travel blog for just a little while, because surely something funny is bound to happen if I talk for long enough, it will also let you know that I am still alive and I am hopefully having fun.

At the moment I am sitting in Hong Kong international airport in the dragon air lounge, using their free Internet so I thought I would take the opportunity to post my first two days....

DAY 1
Well this morning, bright and early, at 6am I left home and headed towards the airport and while I have travelled overseas before I was very nervous, excited and scared about what today might bring because I have never done anything like this on my own. Every other time I have travelled I have been with some one who knew exactly what they were doing, but not today because once I walked through the doors at Melbourne airport I was on my own until I met Dad in Hong Kong.

Everything went according to plan though which was nice, except for the fact that as we were booking in Dave happened to mention that I go to the toilet a lot so I should sit in the isle, which was fine, but not only did I have an isle seat but I was the seat right in front of the toilet, so I spent most of the flight trapped in my seat by the queue for the loo. I also had the security guard play a little trick on me as I walked through the doors at Melbourne airport, as he had me convinced that he needed to use my laptop to check his emails, so I felt like a bit of a twit while I waited to board my flight. Apart from the toilet line and the flight being 9hours, it went off with out a hitch, I sat next to the coach for an Australian TaiJing team (some kind of martial arts thing) but he was sick, and he had that sick person smell, and he kept passing wind, which did get a little disgusting, but what can you do? At least he was friendly!

Once I navigated my self through Hong Kong customs I waited to meet Dad, which after a little bit of confusion I did, then Dad and I headed out to our hotel, none other than the Disneyland Hollywood Hotel, which means I have now crossed no.27 off my list because I had never been outside Hong Kong's airport, so it’s a place I had never been. We had a lovely dinner, and explored some of the hotel grounds which were all very exciting because everything is just soooooo Disney. On our way back up to our room we meet goofy in the foyer which was very exciting! So there you go…that’s Day 1! I don’t think all my blogs will be this big, but we will see, it’s probably better reading if they aren’t! Tomorrow Dad and I are off to Disney land WOO HOO!

Mark 5:36 "Don't be afraid, just believe"

DAY 2

Wow Disneyland, what can I say it’s amazing, it’s perfectly Disney, everything about it, every last detail has something Disney on it, and I tell you what I love it! We started the day at a restaurant in the hotel were I enjoyed some pancakes, hash browns, and Mickey Mouse waffles. Once I was very full, Dad and I headed out to Disneyland.

The day was full of the good old Disney magic, we went on everything from space mountain (which was made so much better with Dad’s screaming before the ride had began) to the story of winnie the pooh. Being in Hong Kong I was convinced that all the characters in the streets of Disneyland would be Asian, but I was a little disappointed when all the characters around the park were the ones that required head pieces, like Mickey and Buzz, and the first few in the parade that didn’t have giant heads were just hired white people, but my wishes were finally answered when I saw Alice from Wonderland (yes the from was on purpose, because she wasn’t in wonderland she was in Disneyland), because it was an Asian women, and I must say it did look kind of funny.

Dad and I had a great time, and of course I did some very silly things too… I couldn't drive the little autopia Honda cars which are designed for 10year olds, I head butted the space mountain cart after getting my arms stuck in the safety bar when getting my sunglasses out of the little pocket at the end of the ride, almost falling out of my Mad Hatters tea cup as we span it ridiculously fast and running through “main street USA” to get a giant stuffed Eeyore.

After watching the fireworks show Dad and I walked back to the hotel and kicked off our shoes to rest our very tired feet. I must admit though I was very sad to leave the park behind, because who knows when I will be back again…and nothing beats the magic of Disney.

Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit"