For the love of science! (Or, why we need science communication)

Science in Australia is often referred to be being "under attack", not only because of the pressures of finding funding and establishing a career, but because there are so many issues where people don't understand the science behind a particular problem. Examples of current issues include genetic modification of food crops, vaccination against disease, and climate change. Despite strong scientific evidence, hundreds of studies, and a general scientific consensus on each of these issues, there are vocal opponents of each. Whilst questions and concerns surrounding each of these issues are valid, there is often strong evidence that can allay these concerns, if only we could communicate the science.

Science is a mystery to most people. Perhaps that is because it is never explained in terms that are easily understandable, because people have never learnt how to think scientifically, or because science in something that only super smart, lab-coated scientists do, a job as cloaked in secrets, mystery and bafflement as that of wizards or solicitors. Science never makes the headlines unless it is controversial, dangerous, or about to cure us of a disease. Of course, once you read past the headline, the message is usually less spectacular than first claimed, but people often don't know how much to believe, and take stories at face value. We can tell people that our work is important, but this means nothing if they do not understand how that work is important. I strongly believe that we need people that can reach out and fill that gap, retrieving science from complex, jargon-filled journals and hyperbolic news articles, and presenting it in a way that is accurate and easy to understand for everyone. We need to demystify the science.

By talking to school students about our science, we can begin to challenge those perceptions of science as being like some secret society. By showing students how science can relate to their day-to-day life, introducing them to science in a way that is interesting and approachable, we can begin to foster a higher level of scientific literacy in Australia. By taking the time to talk to our political representatives, explaining our projects and their implications for society, the effect of see-saw policies on the ability to conduct our research, we can begin to move toward sustainable, proactive science policy that will benefit not only Australia, but the international community. By engaging with the media, communicating with journalists about our work, learning to write for a broader audience, and changing the habit of portraying every scientist as wearing a labcoat whilst gazing meaningfully at vials, we can engage with our audience, and open dialogue with those that will eventually benefit from our work: the community.

The way we as scientists communicate with the public needs to evolve. Science for scientists is no longer a viable strategy, and simply causes more confusion in our already conflicted society. We need to learn to explain our science to anyone who has an interest, and attempt to encourage those who don't. We need to use whatever resources are open to us, be it newspaper, blog, Twitter, podcast, or the local pub. We need to write, we need to talk, but most importantly, we need to listen. 

We need to take science to the people.

Neysa xo

A letter to Apple

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Dear Apple,

I am writing to provide some feedback about how impressed I am with the durability Apple devices.

Not so bad, right? At Box Office, Corio St, where Stick
offered condolences and coffee

A month ago, while riding to university, a strap on my bag snapped, and caused it to fall on to the road. Before I was able to retrieve the bag, it unfortunately found itself beneath the back wheel of a school bus. No, he did not stop. Yes, I agree, that’s a bit rude. The bag contained, among the normal university commute items, my Macbook Pro, iPhone 4S, and two external backups being moved for ‘safe keeping’. Immediately, I resigned myself to the complete loss of everything in my bag, including my beloved Keep Cup, and of course the 4 years of cancer research notes, my library of 1200+ PDF papers, and the last 2 years of photos housed between my Macbook and backups. Whilst dodging sweary soccer mums in Landcruisers, I retrieved the contents of my rather flattened bag, and removing the unsurprisingly intact biology textbook, I proceeded to determine just how bad my losses were.

After being run over by a bus, which item survived:
A Macbook, an iPhone 4S, or a pair of reading glasses?

Yes, the back glass panel was shattered, the metal frame was slightly bent, and getting the charging jack connected required 15 minutes of patient manipulation, but my iPhone was otherwise intact, and in perfect working order. I have a notoriously bad history with mobile phones, and by some miracle avoided having to talk to my phone company about requiring a new phone less than a fortnight after receiving the new upgrade. It also allowed me to ring my boss to tell him I’d be late, organise new bank cards, and call my mother to throw a tantrum maturely discuss my bad luck. I would like to heartily congratulate Apple on the design of their iPhone 4S, the durability of which allowed it to survive being run over by a bus.

MacBook Pro Pancake

Unfortunately, the Macbook Pro was not so lucky. Since 2010, that Macbook had been the workhorse of my PhD, taking the all-nighters, conference presentations, 'Protect Research' campaigns, mass data analysis, movie marathons, and Twitter trawling in stride. Initially, I was excited by the fact that it appeared to be in one piece. The outer casing, whilst now decorated with a charming array of scratches, dents, and depressions, was still intact, as was the ‘clam’ hinge. The Apple logo hadn’t even sustained a mark! Sure, it wasn’t quite closing properly, and you could see exactly where every piece of internal hardware was located, but all the pieces were contained inside the hard casing! That much could not be said of the external hard-drive, which was so badly broken that it was unable to be picked up from the middle of that busy road, or the USB drive that was literally snapped in two. Unfortunately, the tinkling of glass indicated the screen was completely destroyed, and whilst making a gallant attempt to start up, the ominous knocking of hard drive components and loud, previously inaudible, whirring of fans shattered the last of my hopes. Admittedly, those hopes were minimal after discovering my insurance didn’t cover ‘transit damage’. A quick trip to my local Apple reseller confirmed my worst fears, with the device declared “unsalvageable”. The lovely lads did, however, whip out the hard drive for me, with murmured, half-hearted encouragements of “perhaps a professional recovery service can save something for you”. Alas, the $1,900+ recovery fees far outstrip the resources of a PhD student stipend, but I took home the priceless lesson of ensuring you have multiple back-ups, stored in water/fire/terrorism/bus-proof safes, that are never allowed within a 1km radius of each other under any circumstances.

Shattered, but functional

New ergonomic iPhone design

 The fact that the iPhone emerged with little more than cosmetic damage is a testament to the durability of the devices designed and built by Apple, and despite the damage it incurred, I remain very impressed about how intact the Macbook was, allowing it to be quickly and safely retrieved from the flow of irate peak hour traffic.

I fully intend to purchase a replacement Macbook Pro, once my savings account reaches Apple-supporting levels. Five years should just about do the trick.

Kind Regards,

Neysa

From one joint to the next

Don't let the laugh fool you, this was my hell for most of 2009

In January 2009, I injured my knee quite severely. I spent the best part of a year on crutches or wearing a brace, not able to bear weight. I went from 5 days a week at the gym, softball, baseball, triathalon and rockclimbing, to nothing, losing 10kg in 4 months, my thigh wasting to half its size within that time. Despite visiting naturopaths, physios and surgeons, having MRIs, CT scans and gods only know how many tests, no one was actually able to tell me what was wrong. There were plenty of theories, ligament damage, ruptured ACL, meniscus tear, cartilage damage, but none seemed to cover the complex range of problems I was experiencing. I iced, heated, strapped, massaged, drugged, herbalised, rested, exercised and stretched, with very little improvement for many months. Eventually, my body adapted, and the other parts of my leg took over from whatever the injury was. I went to the local community physio once a fortnight. Eventually I was able to walk without aids, and even run (very!) short distances, but I didn’t regain the strength or stability. Rather than helping me toward my old form, the community physio refused to see me once I regained function, i.e. I could walk. Things like rock-climbing or triathalon were, and still are, completely out of the question. I still have issues with pivoting, balance, loading, and couldn’t walk for 3-4 days a few months back because of jarring my knee on a wet floor.

This morning, I actually got a definitive answer.

I’ve been seeing a physiotherapist since dislocating my shoulder a month ago today, about 7 visits in that short time. Thanks to a highly intensive program, it’s back to 80%, which is great, as it hasn’t been 100% for years, and now it feels like it might actually get there. Basically, short of my doing more stabilization, endurance and strength exercises at home, there’s nothing more we can do for it. So, we moved on to the knee. He had read its convoluted history during the week, put me through the motions this morning, and within 10 minutes was shaking his head…

“How did they not pick this up as a meniscus tear?”

I swear, I bounced… on the good leg. Of course, there is a long road ahead. In order for me to be able to walk, other muscles had changed their usual function. We have to retrain everything from the hip down to go back to their original state. Even the two small and relatively easy exercises I was shown today had me fatigued and breathing hard after only 5 reps. It might be tiring, but I’m excited, I’m hugely motivated to get my body to where it should be, and I’m fueling my recovery with yummy creations like this! 

Monster tower of an organic lunch.

Local leg ham, grilled zuchinni, eggplant and sweet potato, vintage cheddar, baby spinach, sundried tomato and basil pumpkin hoummas on a fresh crusty roll. Delicious lunch, and great fuel for rebuilding muscle!

Hopefully I'll have some new recipes to put up in the next week or so, including rhubarb jam and maybe something involving a rabbit. Might also throw in to a conference wrap-up from my fun weekend in Lorne if I can pull anything non-sciency out of it! In the mean time, enjoy the last of our sunny summer weather, cause autumn starts next week!

Love Neysa xo

Physio and Pizza

I seriously forgot how much work physiotherapy can be. This morning I had my second appointment in 3 days, with another scheduled for Thursday, and whilst I am already seeing the benefits in terms of an expedited recovery, I would not want to be doing it if I wasn't working from home this week! Every two hours, I have to lie down with a rolled towel along my spine, arms stretched out, and ice packed around my shoulder for 15 minutes. On top of that, I'm doing a number of isometric exercises, and some other fun things involving a pulley and using my own body as a counterweight. Time to do anything other than physio – approaching zero.


It's not so bad. I have actually managed to be rather productive today aside from that. Grant writing and eye checks for the win! I also tried getting a bit acquainted with the Nike+ application/gadgetry I've had sitting around since I got my Macbook Pro back in December. Hooray for pre-Christmas deals! Basically it's two parts – the receiver, that plugs into your iPod, and a sensor that goes in your shoe. I've heard good things, and figure once I start running (waiting for the green light from the physio), it won't hurt to have a decent way of keeping track of workouts. If anyone has had any experience, I would love some feedback on how you use it.


And on the food front – amazing pizza for dinner today.

How can you say no to something like that? I feel a bit guilty for buying the base, when I already had the stuff to make one at home, but I was being impatient, and didn't want to wait for dough to prove. Tomato paste base, chorizo, mushrooms, sliced fresh tomato, kalamata olives, topped with the epic cheese combo of tasty, pecorino and bocconcini, and torn fresh basil. Mmmm, heavenly. Of course when Matt finds out I didn't make the base, I'll be hearing all about it. His pizzas are always outstanding, mostly because he wouldn't be caught dead buying a base, and gets amazing, crispy crusts on his pizza stone. For that dedication to the pizzariffic cause!

Right, off to ice my shoulder and have dreams of pizza.



Love Neysa xo

Shoulders, Sumac Salmon and Salad

Strapping tape + hot weather

So I've blown my shoulder.

No idea how, as seems to be the case with every single one of my major injuries in recent years. Physiotherapist can neither confirm nor deny the possibility that it was a subluxation (partial dislocation) that caused the damage, all we know is that it's painful, I'm lacking movement, and I'm not allowed to start the training regime I had all figured out. Boo. Hopefully time, rest and physio will solve all my problems, but in the mean time...

After discovering him on FoodBuzz, I've been reading The Kitchen of A Runner, though blogger Matt has recently started up a new blog, The Athlete's Plate. He's one of the few bloggers I still follow religiously (And I promise it's not just cause his name is Matt!). Reading his blog over the past several months has really inspired me to take up the fitness mantle, especially the way he seems to manage to balance uni, work, family and his training, something I'm still trying to get a handle on. I also really enjoy his style of blogging, and his use of the medium to record workouts, interesting food, and all that good stuff. I was hoping to do something similar when I started training properly (instead of just the occasional swim or jog), but we'll see how long the shoulder takes to heal. However, while we're waiting for that situation to run its course, I can maintain the yummy foody side of things!

When my boyfriend came home from Thailand/Malaysia this week, I was rather keen to have him around for dinner. I seriously miss cooking for two people, and food is a great way to rebond. He'd not been terribly happy with the lack of vegetables during his stay in Malaysia, so when he got home, I wanted to make something healthy and green. While he was away, about 3 weeks, I had seriously cut back on my meat-based proteins (other than fish, only had meat 3 times in 3 weeks!), and had been eating a lot of raw food, and I wanted to stay true to that form as well. Enter this yummy number!

Sumac-crusted Salmon with Summer Salad

I've been making lots of trips to the green grocer and farmers markets lately, trying to avoid supermarkets and maintain healthy eating. Salads usually consist of whatever is on offer, which when you're buying from these sorts of places, tends to be more seasonal, and better for you! This super salad had the following:

• 3 large radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 medium sized tomatos, diced
• 1 lebanese cucumber, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3-4 handfuls baby spinach leaves
• A generous handful of kalamata olives and alfalfa sprouts

This was all thrown in a bowl, and then had a simple vinaigrette tossed through: a few tablespoons olive oil, 15-30ml apple cider vinegar, one chopped red chilli, two tablespoons passionfruit pulp, put in a jar, and shaken till well combined. Yum! I'm a bit weird, I like my salads better the next day, once all the flavours have had time to meld, but the greens are still fresh.

For the fish, I had two pieces of fresh Tasmanian Atlantic salmon, boneless but with the skins still on. Heat a pan over high heat, and lightly spray with a little bit of olive oil (you won't need much). Pour some sumac onto a flat surface, such as a plate, and then coat the skin-free side/s of your fish. Once the pan in hot, place the fish skin down until it goes nice and crispy, then sear the other sides. I prefer my salmon quite rare, so I find an inch-thick piece will be fine with about 20-30 seconds a side. The sumac should turn a very dark red, almost black. Allow to rest for about a minute, then serve alongside salad.

• Sumac is a red/purple spice from the Middle East and Mediterranean, slightly tangy with citrus notes. And we all know anything red or purple is good for you thanks to all those antioxidants like anthocyanins and resveratrol. Mmmm.
  
• I'll admit that I borrowed the sumac-crust idea from work's menu. At Mr Hyde, we have a sumac-rubbed tuna served on a white anchovy and caper dressing with micro-herbs to garnish. Salmon, tuna and lamb cutlets are all amazing with sumac, and it just gets better if you pop them on the BBQ!
• If you're just after salad, but want something a bit more substantial, I've recently been making the same basic salad, then adding things such as grilled sweet potato, Meredith goats chevre, or shaved pecorino. Use what's local and fresh, and you can't really go wrong!

So where's the photo?
Oops. I started writing this before Matt arrived for dinner, and was so excited to see him I promptly forgot the camera. Bad habit I must break! Will update soon. In the mean time, would love to hear about other people's experimentation with sumac!

Love, Neysa xo

Deep and Meaningful Thoughts

It's not easy being green, but it is beautiful.
Dryad by Timothy Lantz

I've been doing a lot of deep and meaningful thinking during the last week. I know that this is slightly shocking, given my at times apparently frivolous nature, but I thought I'd share some thoughts with you all.

How green am I really? I like to think that I do my bit for the environment. I walk most places, or catch the bus, I take my own bags to do the shopping, I try to reduce the packaging I buy, and usually packets are recyclable, which makes my weekly garbage fairly small. I reuse jars and containers and turn my scrap paper into refills for my Filofax. I only do the laundry if I have enough for a full load using a biodegradable laundry liquid, and then let everything air dry. Same goes for the washing up, and most of the grey water goes to the plants afterwards. My power and gas are on a 'green plan' through my utilities company, lights go off if I'm not in the room, the heater only goes on if I'm reaching for a 3^rd pair of socks and my jacket, and I don't have a cooling system for summer. Usually I try to only have one electrical item on at the one time, i.e. either the computer or the stereo or the TV, not all of them. Where possible I buy organic foods, or at least from local producers, and I usually try to avoid supermarkets as much as possible. Still I'm left thinking 'is it enough?'

Very little of my waste comes from food scraps, but most of that is vege peelings, egg shells and the like. I grew up with a big garden, and a compost heap that took care of all those things. I'd love to start a garden where I am, which I think would help me be more green, eat more vegetables, and reduce my food bill (even if only by a little bit), but I don't really have anywhere to put it. I can't really afford the outlay at the moment for pots, or the soil to start. I've been mulling over this a bit, and hopefully will come up with a solution soon. For now, the compostables will just have to go in the green-waste bin!

In the past, I also haven't been terribly mindful of where my stuff is coming from in the social justice sense. I've always tried to buy Australian made and/or owned, because I feel it is important to support the local economy in that way. I feel like a hypocrite saying this, but I also try to avoid buying cosmetics or personal products that have been tested on animals. Until recently though, I didn't really think about the conditions things from overseas were produced under. The FairTrade movement has begun to open the eyes of people such as myself with relation to the conditions of workers, and sustainability in general when it comes to where our products are coming from. However, after reading some varied literature, I'm not 100% convinced that FairTrade itself is the answer. Like every system, it has its flaws, but only time will tell if it is really going to work. On the other hand, a lot of it is about getting the message to the people, and in that regard, I think it has already been hugely successful. I've started making a conscious effort to consider the social ethics at play when making purchases of things produced in less fortunate areas than our own, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

The final bit of deep thought is related to food. We were always raised to be very mindful of what we put in our mouths, one of the many great things about Mumma Dryad having been a chef. I know what course food *should* take during its production and its course my stomach, and the fact that it often deviates so much worries me. This is one of the key reasons I try to avoid supermarkets. I like to know that my vegetables are fresh, and haven't been artificially ripened, or sprayed with who knows what. I like my bread to be preservative and fungicide free (one of the perks of The Muso working for an amazing boutique bakery!). I like knowing exactly what is in my pasta sauce or curry. These things are all solved by buying from local green grocer, markets and wholefood stores. Of course, some things are going to have to come from the super, but then I can buy organic, unbleached flour, or raw sugar rather than a highly refined white sugar. The real thing that has me thinking this week is meat. While growing up, we lived near dairy farms, and sheep farms. When we moved to the NT, we lived on a cattle station. I am no stranger to our animal-sourced food production. I strongly disagree with battery farming, so will only buy free-range eggs. I don't buy meat from the supermarket because I don't agree with the amount of waste that their large-scale operations encourage, which in turn encourages wasteful slaughter. I do, however, support small scale, sustainable, local production through buying meat at my local butcher. However, in light of the global food crisis, is eating meat really ethical? The amount resources it takes to raise and feed one steer is phenomenal. Grain, water, land, not to mention the environmental concerns that go with stock production, such as overgrazing and pollution. Consider the amount of crops that could be produced with those same resources. Consider if the grain used to feed stock was available for human consumption.

I say consider, because there should be balance to every argument. Not all areas where meat animals are grazed are appropriate for production of plant foods for human consumption. Not all crops are appropriate for human consumption either. Kilo-for-kilo, nutrient value of meat vs. crops is not the same, and therefore should not be used for direct comparison of efficiency of the production of each. Many of the arguments I have seen across the internet have been just that, arguments. People that are angry, passionate, writing content that is perhaps not particularly well thought out. The academic in me cringes when reading some of the online debate surrounding meat production and consumption, in particular a lot of the 'evidence'. The list of articles I want to write is growing every time I log onto the internet recently, and an in-depth look into the facts and figures in this area is one of them! I strongly support people's right to choose, and then live by that choice, but I also believe that there should be some form of unbiased, unskewed literature out there to aide that decision, and if it's there, I have yet to find it.


 
Sorry about how long this was today, here's a few things to help pass some time and bring some joy to your Monday.

• Loving Bonzai Aphrodite at the moment, Sayward is of the reasons I've been thinking so much about all of the above. Really grounded, family orientated, and thought provoking.
  
• Not great for my 'no shopping 'til Midsummer' vow, but I'm madly in love with almost everything on Tragic Beautiful at the moment. I've owned a pair of their fluffies for years now, and they are awesome.
  
• Good news for coffee drinkers – Coffee may protect against DNA damage! If you want to know more (and you have access to online journals through your university/institution), read the original article here. Then, use this website to figure out how many of those protective coffees you could have before the caffeine killed you. "This is supposed to be Happy Monday!" I hear you say. The 'happy' comes when you realise you couldn't physically consume that much coffee anyway!
  

What do you think of the new blog layout? I did some tweaking late last week, just trying to find something more me. Also, the ginger biscuits and simple asian chicken posts now have photos!

Hectic Much?

Source: unknown

So much has happened since March when I last posted, and yet I feel little has really changed. I can't blame my schedule for not posting, despite the fact that I was, until two weeks ago, working full-time 5 days a week, then spending my two days off at uni, and trying to fit some form of social life and sleep around both. Truth be told, when it came to free time, I couldn't focus on writing, and just wanted to sleep or act like a zombie. So what have I been up to?

My time at Mantra came to a close at the end of March, something that I was both relieved and saddened by. I loved the place, and the people, but the ridiculously late nights, hardly seeing The Muso, and generally trying to live that way was killing me. At the time, I was quite annoyed at not managing to save more money while I was what I thought was amazing money, but looking back, I realise that a lot of it was the unavoidable consequence of having no kitchen. I was very lucky that I managed to pick up another job in Geelong that I could walk straight into at the start of April, at Le Parisien, a French restaurant on the waterfront in Geelong. An interesting job that presented its own unique challenges, some days it was hugely rewarding, others I went home, threw myself into bed, and didn't want to move. Crazy weekend dinner shifts would be topped off by visits to either Mr Hyde or Opium Bar, with copious amounts of alcohol and bad fast-food. This time, I'm seriously annoyed I didn't save more money, and I know full well I could have if I'd actually tried to. Anyway, Great place, great food, great people, but in mid-August my time there came to a close. Why?

I was finally granted a scholarship for my PhD studies. This is, of course, awesome, though I did have a mini meltdown at the time ("Why do I have to make a decision on the next 5 years of my life right NOW?"), but after some careful thought, and a good rant to the Mumma-lady, I resolved that a career in hospitality would always be there, but this research opportunity wouldn't. As a result, I've recently had my photo in the local paper, and our research has had a write up or two on the web. In fact, I just discovered THIS! Actually, the more I look, the more I find, so just Google "cancer cachexia". Apparently our research page topped the cancer hit rating for a whole 2 hours on Thursday morning when the media release was, well, released. The story even got picked up on twitter by people I don't even know! I don't know about anyone else, but I'm impressed. It probably comes across when you read the article, but I really think our research could make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, and I'm glad I can finally start working on it full time again, and give it the attention it deserves. Whilst I didn't particularly want my photo in the paper, I DO want to get the message out there, and raise awareness of what is a serious, but generally unpublicised condition.

With the move back to full-time study, and the fact that whilst wonderful, the scholarship will hardly cover rent and bills let alone food and transport, I've started a weekend job at one of my favourite hang-outs, Mr Hyde. They've welcomed me with open arms, and helped make the transition from regular customer to occasional employee an easy one. I love that I'm working somewhere that I love to be, the atmosphere, the people, the ridiculously yummy drinks, and the delicious food. Funnily enough, working in the environment I would usually play in has cut my alcohol consumption dramatically, of which my liver is no doubt thankful. Let's see how long it lasts!

So yes, my life since March has essentially consisted of work and university, with the occasional party thrown in to ease the stress. I'm sure other things that happened will crop up here and there (like my unnatural obsession with making cupcakes). I will now endeavour to return to the scheduled format that I had all nicely planned out at the beginning of this year!


 
Love Neysa xo

What was important in 2009?

Coming to the close of 2009, and like so many others, I find myself considering the year that has passed, and what the future may hold. Back in March, I wrote a reflection on how much my life had changed (and it was a lot!), but even in the nine months since, things have continued to do so. So what things made my 2009?


Let's get the negative out of the way first. In 2008/2009 I made the huge mistake of moving into a rental with housemates. I'm not going to dwell long on this fact, but for 6 months, I was miserable. I hated being at home, and hated that I was stuck in my dark room. What could have, and should have been the positive experience of moving into a unit with friends quickly turned sour. The silver lining? I learnt a lot about myself, and it prompted me to reassess what was truly important to me. I quickly learnt who my real friends were, what my limits were when it came to boundaries and beliefs, and finally, pushed me into breaking my lease and moving back onto Res with the people that I loved and admired. As far as I'm concerned, losing my bond was money well spent in order to save my sanity.


I also really regret that I stopped going to the gym. My knee injury was much to blame for this initially, but at the same time, I think fear of further injury, and even a chord of laziness had just as much to do with it later on. My self-confidence took a major blow as I lost fitness, and knew I couldn't do a lot of the things I loved. The gym was one of those things (a look back to March is evidence of this). In 2010, I'm going to strive to get back into that positive mind-set, even though I know I'm going to be incredibly frustrated at the fact that I've lost all of the fitness I worked so hard for in 2008. I plan on feeling the burn, and working on regaining those killer legs!


As well as the setbacks, 2009 was filled with a lot of the amazing. My relationship with myself may have suffered slightly, but I also learnt plenty about myself, and continued to grow. The friendship that had developed with The Muso* grew into the great relationship we have now, and even with the differences we have, I trust him more than most, and usually more than myself. He introduced me to great music, the beauty of winter nights spent arguing over what movie to watch, and a side of myself that I never actually knew existed. <3


My resi friends put up with my many rants, and still decided I was worthy of their time and love, for which I am eternally grateful. They were the ones who kept me sane, who let me share in their amazing lives (even the bad bits), and occasionally let me share their mums when mine was half a country away. The big nights out, the dinners in, the advice, the rides to the super, it's all contributed to making this year awesome. I also want to thank the other guys at Porter Av. for giving me a haven away from my insane life, you guys are awesome. Also awesome is Jim, for coming over from the UK and visiting for a crazy few days mid-year, for prodding me to perform at my ninja writing best, and for still being my best friend despite months at a time not being able to talk to each other!


In 2009, my life revolved around pretty much one thing, and one thing only – The Honours Project. For 9 months, it dictated almost my every thought and action, hijacked almost every conversation, and took up almost every hour, waking or otherwise. For 9 months of quite literal blood, sweat and tears, especially the tears, my boyfriend, my family, and my friends were knocked back by the words "sorry, can't, project", and still stuck by me, letting me rant and rave, and the regular de-stess sessions were greatly appreciated.

However, given all that, when I handed it in on the 16^th October, I had a huge feeling of achievement. The project was one of the most defining experiences of my life thus far, it pushed me to extremes, made me sick, made me question my ethics and beliefs, questioned my integrity as a researcher, and even as a human being. I may have looked upon the thing with some measure of loathing, but now, the thesis is a document I look at with a sense of pride. Since then, I had to find something else to do, after having the "now what" moment, and I was lucky enough to find a summer job that I love, with people I like, that pays ok, and is located right next to the beach. It's not where I want to stay, but it has let me take stock of my life, and assess where I want to go in the future.


And where do I want to go in the future? Glad you asked! Fingers crossed some form of scholarship funding will come through to allow me to return to university to start my PhD. Yes, 4 more years of being a lab rat. However, this time, research is not going to be allowed to take over my life, and I intend to continue being the happy, social person I've found this summer. This blog has been a fantastic outlet the last few weeks, and I have big plans for its future, big plans! I've missed writing for the love of it, rather than the necessity, and whether it's blogging, roleplaying, or the book, recreational writing is back on the agenda. If you've been reading for a week or so, you'll know a house by myself is on the cards, meaning plans to make a space my own (so exciting!). My family, and my friend are going to remain high on my agenda, and I have every intention of making time to go and catch up with the people who graduated this year, who have moved away, and those who are still around, as well as time spent with my amazing mum.


My life in 2009 was somewhat blessed. Whilst there was some bad, there was also an insane amount of the good and beautiful. I can't put a lot of it into words, which is bizarre for me, but true none-the-less. Everyone I met, spent time with and talked to, every blog and book read, every journal critiqued, movie watched, music appreciated, club danced in, every experience gave me something which shaped the year into the wonderful blur of memory it now is. 2010 is so full of promise, perhaps even more so than 2009 originally appeared, and if so, I can only imagine what wonders there are in store.



What about you, mes amis? Did you have a beautiful 2009? Do you have a memory or person who shaped your year? What are your resolutions for 2010?




*Ok, so I've been asked a couple of times why I've been concealing names of people, in particular my boyfriend. Basically, my blog has readers from all over, some I know, some I don't. Giving away my identity is one thing, but identifying others to strangers is another entirely. My boyfriend is known as The Muso because music seems to form such an important part of his identity, and it was one of the things that drew me to him originally. Mystery solved!

We’re Going on a Lair Hunt

• 18 email enquiries lodged to agents
  
• 6 inspections
  
• 2 application submitted & rejected
  

It's a very good thing that I don't need to move into a place right this very moment. A) There are barely any properties on the rental market in my price range, and B) those that are either get snapped up before inspection, or get applied for by people that don't have the word 'student' somewhere on their application. Still, hope remains! After a week of nothing, a new property came up, in an excellent location, within my financial limits. Now it's just a case of hoping that the inspection isn't before I get back from the interstate family trek!

And of course, now that I'm in house-hunting mode, I'm also in the mindset of planning how I'd like my lair to look and feel. Your home is your sanctuary, your escape from the cruel world beyond its walls. If you're anything like me, you want there to be very little related to your work or university work where it can be helped (obviously for a student, the massive stacks of textbooks, papers, etc is unavoidable, but I try to limit its encroachment on my space). So I've been sticking my head in homeware stores, reading random blogs on decorating, and generally trying to get a picture in my head of how I could lay out any place I end up getting. Thankfully, I already have a lot of furniture that fits with my personality – A beautiful wood and iron bed with a good quality mattress, a bookcase, desk and side-table all in white and cherry finish (from the Piedmont Collection from UBiz, how I'd love the rest of it!), a chest of drawers halfway through being stained the same as the Piedmont stuff, and two massive, second/third-hand dark green club chairs that are perfect for curling up in with a book. So, of course, everything is being planned around these pieces.

My style varies with my mood, so anything I have needs to be able to chop and change at a whim. For example, I have bright, jewel colours in a Byzantine colour scheme, or soft, natural greens for a more forested look. I find changing a quilt-cover is the fastest way to change the mood of your bedroom, and with that in mind, I have several sets of sheets in different colours. Recently though, I found this beautiful set in Adairs, and fell in love at once. I resisted temptation to blow my whole paycheck on the set, and instead put it on lay-by. Come mid-January, that set is all mine!! It perfectly matches a quilt I have been meaning to finish, and contains a blue that I absolutely love, so I can see myself decorating everything around them! Shame that landlords tend to frown upon painting murals all over their clean white walls…

Have you got a favourite room, a space where you retreat to? Did you decorate it yourself? Share your thoughts and photos!

(Picture from Linen House, pretty much my dream bedroom if only I had the money, room and climate!)

Hunting continued, and a new passion

• 16 email enquiries lodged to agents
  
• 5 inspections
  
• 2 application submitted
  

Yes, I'm keeping track! Another house inspection yesterday, beautiful little unit, freshly painted and carpeted, lots of natural light, good location, and a tiny yard big enough for the clothes line and not much else (low maintenance! Put in an application on the spot, and as they checked my references yesterday, I'm hoping to hear back in the next day or two. *crosses fingers, toes, arms, eyes* Also got to drop in on the Porter Av. boys for a few hours, and have lunch with the muso, yay for people in the real world!

In the mean time, I've decided to start something of a new blogging project. After many months of reading my favourite blogs (links in My Inspirations -->), I've decided to start a regular segment aimed at new university students. Many a time my friends and I have sat talking about uni, wishing that someone had told us this or that when we started. As my own brother is starting uni in the new year, and I'm anticipating all sorts of questions from him, I figured why not share with everyone else too? So, every Wednesday from the 4^th January, I will be attempting to blog something helpful for those living as students, be it academic advice, budgeting tips, or the best spot for a cheap beer! If you have any suggestions, or questions you'd like answered, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a line!

As well as the "Been There, Done That" Guide (I'm still working on a name =P), Friday is foodie day! I love cooking, and am rather languishing at the moment without a proper kitchen to play in. Figuring out what to do with the meagre pickings of a uni student's pantry has always been a challenge, and over the years, my friends and I came up with many ways to make your dollar go further. So I'll be blogging some of my favourite recipes, as well as those that got me through those months where I had stuff-all other than rice in my cupboard! Might also throw in a blog or two on good places to eat out, for those weeks when money magically remains in the bank account!

So, my readers! What would you like to see me blog about? Any burning questions you want answered?

The Hunt Begins…

Today marks the end of my first week of hunting for the new lair for 2010. After the dramas of housemates in early 2009, and 3.5 years on residences, I've decided that it is time for me to have a bit of my own space, and so the search is on for a nice, cheap one or two bedroom unit in Geelong.

Anyone who has house hunted before recognises that this can be harder than it sounds. Unlike last time I was house hunting (in which I actually had very little say thanks to the other two housemates), I'm on a very tight budget, but I only have to be sure that one person is happy with the place. The other problem is that I'm not currently living in Geelong, meaning I have to catch the bus from Lorne every time there is an inspection I want to go to. The plus side is that I've managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done on these trips!

So far, there's been

• 15 email enquiries lodged to agents
• 5 properties leased prior to inspection
• 4 inspections (3 by me, and one that I coaxed The Muso to go to for me <3)
• 1 application submitted and subsequently rejected

Of the 6 other properties, I have 1 inspection tomorrow (another trip to G-Town!), and the other 5 were either out of my price range or I couldn't make the inspection time due to work. So why did I only apply for one out of four properties inspected?

The first inspection Matt did for me, and I probably would have applied for the place if, when I went past a few days later, I hadn't discovered that the neighbours were having a violent domestic. Yeah, I've lived next door to that in the past, and I'm not wanting to do it again anytime soon.

Inspection two was at an apartment block on Roslyn Road. It also might have been a chance, even though it was basically two bedrooms (the agent assured me one was the living room, but couldn't tell me which one), both with sliding doors onto the external hallway/balcony/stairs, a tiny bathroom, and an even smaller kitchen. Yes, I'd have submitted an application for an apartment that would fit in my mum's living room (or two downstairs Evatt's bedrooms, for those from res), but for the massively sagging, water-damaged ceiling in the kitchen that looked like it was about to disintegrate on my head, and the discovery that the landlord had no plan to fix it, ever. Fail.

Inspection three was the dream unit! One massive bedroom, open kitchen/living, hardwood floors, huge combined bathroom/laundry, fenced courtyard, lots of natural light, one block from High Street shops, 130 p/w. Application submitted and rejected within 24 hours. =(

Inspection four was in the same apartment block as inspection two, actually the unit next door, and I was sceptical going in, but pleasantly surprised. Newly renovated, big lounge, two decent bedrooms, bathroom with actual bath, nice kitchen. However, at $260 p/w, slightly above my price range, and given the location, size and lack of outdoor area, probably over priced by about $30-$60. Only really went to check it out because the agent rang and asked if I was interested in inspecting and failed to tell me the price before I rocked up.

So after a week of trawling real estate web pages, and the paper, and ringing/emailing agents, I've had little luck, but it's still an interesting experience. I won't say always fun, but interesting.

Hump Day

When I was a young teen in Ti Tree, I never really understood why everyone went to the pub on a Wednesday. I mean, really, it’s the middle of the week. Since being at uni, I have discovered that that is exactly the point!

It’s been one of those weeks. Well, really, it’s been a series of ‘those weeks’ for the last several months. Ah, the joys of the honours. Everything that can go wrong, will of course go wrong, with no explanation for why it went wrong, other than it did. I have a theory that the various parts of my project are conspiring to send me to the loony bin. That, or I’ve cured cancer and just don’t know exactly how. Or perhaps it is a super strain of cancer that I could sell to some military institution as the next big biological weapon… Nah.

Anyway, I digress. I got to 4pm this afternoon, and had the sudden overwhelming urge to walk out, and go down the Ponds for a few drinks with my mates. I was taking photos of the super cancer cells at the time, and I have the feeling the scent of 70% ethanol spray may have had an influence on this compulsion. I considered this urge, and realised that it must be because it is ‘Hump Day’. Yes, its been uphill all week to this point, and the after downing a few wine sunrises (cause $2.80 beats $6 spirits), and watching Mentor win on the dogs, the rest of the week can surely only be a smooth, leisurely, coast to the finish.

Of course, everything is going to be better after tomorrow, for the pure and simple fact that my neck will be straight again (Yes, I shall no longer by kinky!), and I’m heading out with some of my favourite peoples (yes Gilly’s, it’s going to be a good night!). Things like that always hep to improve my week. But still, I now see that those Wednesday evenings spent at the pub were necessary, to distress from the half-week past, and to fortify yourself for the half-week coming. I've gotten over the hump, and it should be easy going from here... provided no more bloody cells mutate!

Some place you'd rather be

The problem with having a few days off is that you never really want to go back to the old routine. I’ve spent the last two glorious sunny days cooped up inside wishing that I was back down in Torquay, lazing about on the beach, soaking up the autumn sun. Instead of sitting curled up in an armchair, I’d much rather be walking barefoot along cool, moonlit sand. I’d rather be pulling on the neoprene and taking another surf lesson than shrugging into a white coat and staring down a microscope for hours. And I’d rather be in a buzzing restaurant, listening to some cool music, sipping a crisp glass of white, and hanging with good friends, rather than in an empty house, or a dead campus.

Unfortunately, certain responsibilities have to come before such leisurely pursuits. So whilst I’d rather be on the coast, living the good life, I’ll be dragging myself into uni every morning, and going through the motions, and trying not to complain too much. Things still aren’t too busy in the lab, so maybe I’ll still be able to escape into the sunlight for a couple of hours a day, even if I won’t be down the beach, diving into the whitewash. Doesn’t mean that I can’t occasionally indulge in a daydream of sun, sand and surf!

Where would you rather be? What is stopping you from getting there?

The first of many!

Yes, I've started blogging on blogger.com. Those of you who actually read my blogs, first thank you, and second, don't fret because I'm figuring out how to have all of my blogs automatically post onto Facebook whenever I write a new one, so you won't miss anything.

Ok, after a little thought, this might be a little harder than first expected. Stick with me, I'll figure it out eventually!