Jenny’s Journies

Tuesday, 29 January 2008 @ 8:20pm.

I was just inspired. Like 10 minutes ago. By a person who is going door to door on foot and making a huge difference by doing so. By a woman who doesn’t speak much English. By someone who emigrated to Australia and yet is helping her fellow people in Green Bay, Wisconsin of all places.

M. Phun (pardon my possible misspelling!) is from Laos and she spoke to me on behalf of the Diocese of Green Bay (see http://www.gbdioc.org/pg/RIS.tpl). She sought them out, left a message, found out they needed financial donations, and has since been hitting the pavement. This amazing person has sent US$2,000 (combination of small donations of like A$5 or A$10 from individuals) to help with refugees and resettlement matters. She simply beamed as I asked her questions and told her what a good deed she is doing. I was glad to see that she was proud of herself. She smiled upon hearing I am from the U.S., too. Perhaps I sounded like folks she has communicated with during international calls?

So I was thinking…

(1) I am grateful for people who make the most of the opportunities given to them (e.g., living in a new country) AND giving back at the same time (e.g., providing assistance to others elsewhere whether in one’s own country or not).

(2) The world can feel like such a big place, but it isn’t really. We’re all connected in some fashion.

(3) Go religious organizations! Putting general value or moral judgments aside, I think it’s awesome that religious organizations provide social services. So many people have been touched by Catholic charities and their outreach programs in particular.

Monday, 28 January 2008 @ 5:48pm.

I recently went hiking again in the Dandenong Ranges National Park. It was a lot of fun despite the cloudy weather and occasional drizzle. Went to Mt. Dandenong in particular and went on the trail to Burkes Lookout. I’ll post pictures soon.

Over the weekend I watched the Australian Open on television. I saw some amazing tennis! The men’s singles matches were awesome, especially the final game. See http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/01/27/tennis.australia/index.html.

Also in the news…

Suharto passed away: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/28/indonesia.suharto.funeral.ap/index.html

The How of Happiness: http://lifestyle.msn.com/mindbodyandsoul/personalgrowth/articlegh.aspx?cp-documentid=5945810&GT1=10822

Miss Michigan is new Miss America: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/27/miss.america.ap/index.html

And…

Aussie word of the day:

“daggy” (adjective) - 1. Not in accord with or not following current fashion as in unfashionable or unstylish; 2. Shabby and untidy like scruffy or seedy. It basically means something that is not cool. I heard the word when a mom was explaining to me why her daughter didn’t want to wear her eyeglasses. :< I can relate since I was such a nerd in school back in the day! (Wait a sec…I’m probably still a nerd even without the glasses…oh well…)

Monday, 21 January 2008 @ 5:07pm.

One American has a really bad day in Melbourne: “Robber relieves poker pro of $30,000″ (The Age)

Aussies do well in Hollywood: “Dream comes true for scorching Kylie” (The Age)

From Reader’s Digest: “When a generation talks just to itself, it becomes more filled with folly than it might have otherwise.” — Stewart Brand in Boom! by Tom Brokaw

Hehehe…also from Reader’s Digest:

“My husband and I spent a weekend away after arranging for a friend to feed our dog and cat. We were confident our house in the country would be safe with our German shepherd on duty, but returned to find the front door standing open. Muddy floors and tipped chairs had the house looking like it had been trashed by partygoers. Savage barking erupted as our dog appeared at the top of the stairs, but he turned sheepish when he saw us. We found the cat dozing peacefully on our bed amid a ruin of ripped sheets. Outraged, we banished them outside and cleaned up the mess. Later that night, there was a tap at the door. We peeped out the window and saw a wallaby waiting expectantly. Now we can only imagine what kind of a party was had in our absence.” — Gail Galloway

Sign in a Mildura pet shop window: “Puppies. Mother purebred Maltese terrier. Father little brown dog from down the road (we think)”. — Mary Gaides

Saturday, 19 January 2008 @ 9:48am.

i wonder why more people don’t say hello to each other on the streets or sidewalks. i find that i am usually the one who initiates the “hello” or “good morning.” the thing is, once i do say something, the other person tends to respond with a greeting in kind, plus a big smile. nice. so how come they can’t start the exchange before i do? sometimes the other person might be in his/her own world, isn’t in a good mood, or didn’t hear me well, fair enough, but that doesn’t happen often. i have observed an age difference, too, where older people are more likely than younger folks to say something. there’s the whole small town versus big city difference as well. i’m much more likely to smile and say hi to someone in my local neighborhood than while walking in downtown melbourne. oh, and then there is the matter of individuals versus groups. folks walking alone probably greet each other more than a group and one person or a two groups passing one another. and is it just me or are people with pets and/or children much more friendly?

being an american in australia has its pluses and minuses. it also has its strange moments. yesterday i was on the train and a lady pulled out some “big red” gum that was cinnamon flavored. she told me it was a limited edition and she had stocked up before the shelves ran out. i couldn’t help myself and giggled. who would have thought that a country would have limited stocks of cinnamon gum and that this young woman would have to resort to writing to wrigley in the hopes that the company can mail her a supply later? i wonder why cinnamon is not that popular here and in quite a few other countries and cultures… by the way, one of my favorite memories was hiking near gunung merapi close to yogyakarta and having the guide cut a small piece of bark off of a tree so i could smell it. i didn’t know what he was saying in indonesian initially, but quickly figured it out after i sniffed the wood. it was fresh cinnamon! how cool!

when i watch the news on television here, i have gotten in the habit of waiting for the happy-go-lucky cutie-patootie oh-how-adorable animal story that inevitably appears at the end of each newscast. i have noticed that each news station does this and that it is often the same story. baby zoo animals are regularly shown. after hearing about all the difficulties and conflicts around the world, perhaps a 20-second blip on a cute critter is needed. i wonder, though, why the mass media doesn’t show more *human* feel-good blurbs at the end of each newscast. what about all the beautiful, wonderful, and special good deeds and amazing changes or progress that people are making on a daily basis? sure, i love animals and think it’s great there are stories about them, but after an hour of hard-core and sometimes unbelievably crazy or stupid stories, why not give audiences some inspiration, motivation, and positive role models?

Thursday, 17 January 2008 @ 5:09pm.

From Walt Whitman:

“this is what you shall do: love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning god, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem…”

Tuesday, 15 January 2008 @ 11:01am.

Everyone said that writing a dissertation is tough. In some ways, the dissertation writing process is tougher than fieldwork or preliminary courses and whatnot. Though I have been experiencing book blahs for quite a while, I am going to try something new. Instead of complaining, I will try to be positive and focus on the good things. Easier said than done, I know, but I think it’s doable. People have climbed Mt. Everest, folks have been to the moon, and others have finished marathons. I can put words to paper. I can and will. Sounds dramatic, but sometimes one has to be in order to get things done and 2008 is my year to finish “the diss.”

Monday, 14 January 2008 @ 12:37pm.

— In addition to canceling my account with MySpace, I also recently canceled my account with Friendster. I’m decluttering this month - yay! Folks can see me now at Facebook instead. I made the switch because I think Facebook combines different features of MySpace and Friendster in a better manner, as well as offers additional applications unavailable on the other two sites. I also found that the social networks are larger on Facebook for my friends’ circles.

— I saw the film No Country for Old Men (2007) last night. The Coen Brothers’ adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel is great. I really enjoyed the acting, plot progression, and writing. The landscape shots are very cool, too. There’s some debate about the ending, but I liked it a lot. Check out the film if you get the chance.

A few days back, I saw the film The Hills Have Eyes (2006). I haven’t seen the original Wes Craven (1977) version, but the 2006 remake was enough for me. If you are into scary movies, particularly ones that have some gruesome gore, you might like this film. I’m still trying to get some images out of my head, so the film is certainly not for the faint of heart.

— Former President Suharto has been in critical condition in the hospital. One article in today’s Jakarta Post notes:

“President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has urged the nation to stop focusing on former president Soeharto’s pending legal cases while he remains in a critical condition in hospital.

“Let us stop all debates and arguments as they are unwise and improper at this time,” the President said, as quoted by Antara, during a press conference at his private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, on Saturday.

He said it was inappropriate for members of the public to bring up legal cases pending against Soeharto while he remained in intensive care after reportedly suffering from multiple organ failure Friday.

The President also encouraged all Indonesians to pray for the ailing former president’s health.”

…This advice may be hard to swallow for many Indonesians who have very bad memories of Suharto’s reign in government.

Saturday, 12 January 2008 @ 3:58pm.

I was very much looking forward to opening the jar of apple sauce that I bought recently since I hadn’t had apple sauce in what seemed like ages. Today I tried it, and let’s just say, it was not a resounding success. Instead of the yummy apple sauce - especially the chunky variety - that I regularly get back in the U.S., the apple sauce I had this afternoon tasted like apple paste. Bummer. Maybe I will try another brand in the future…

Friday, 11 January 2008 @ 4:18pm.

In the September 2007 edition of Reader’s Digest, author Jeanne Marie Laskas answered some of life’s toughest questions:

Does money really buy happiness? — “No. Because happiness isn’t for sale. Many people get tripped up by this one, amassing wealth only to find themselves cycling into a bottomless pit of unsatisfiable yearning. As it turns out, joy and misery are not that far apart when it comes to very big wads of cash… When it comes to happiness, only people you love, and who love you, can bring it. If you have enough cash to buy yourself a luxurious yacht, but no real friends to sail with, you’re sunk.”

Should you ever reveal a secret? — “It’s a matter of damage control. Is the person who asked you to keep the secret in danger of hurting himself or others? If so, intervene. Otherwise, mum’s the word.”

Why do we turn into our parents when we swore we wouldn’t? — “Because really, when all is said and done, we admire them.”

Do animals have a sixth sense? — “Or seventh or eighth! A box jellyfish has 24 eyes, an earthworm’s entire body is covered with taste receptors, a cockroach can detect movement 2000 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom - and your dog’s sense of smell is up to 100,000 times greater than yours (some dogs have been known to smell human cancers). It’s safe to say that animals experience a very different world from ours.”

Thursday, 10 January 2008 @ 1:23pm.

I hope 2008 is off to a good start for everyone…and speaking of starts…

Just start…whether you’re motivated or not. Good advice today from Bob Greene on the Oprah Show. Sometimes you just have to start and the motivation will follow later.

It’s a whopping 41C (105.8F) today in Melbourne! I got a haircut a few days ago and what a relief. Unlike Indonesia, it is not very humid…it’s more like the dry heat found in the Southwest in the U.S. The weather changes from day to day, though, so last night was actually pretty chilly.

By the way, if you’re interested in metric conversions, check out http://www.metric-conversions.org.

I recently went to the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV for short). I didn’t have a lot of time to spend at the museum, but I did enjoy the parts that I saw. I hope to go again soon. What’s great is that the museum is totally free! There are fees for special exhibitions, but I was fine by that. As I walked around the NGV, I marveled at how pristine some of the artwork was even after hundreds of years. I often wondered just how certain pieces survived for so long. The craftsmanship of the artists was wonderful, too. Such vision and creativity!

My favorite pieces were mainly located in the Asian art sections. Amazing watercolors, fancy Buddha statues, calligraphy, interesting ceramics, and intricate textiles top my list of must-sees. I also really appreciated the temporary exhibition “Krishna: Love and Devotion.” The almost 80 pieces (historic and contemporary/modern) were full of color and detail. The stories behind the various works were neat and educational. Though I have studied Hinduism in the past, I still learned quite a few new things from this exhibit. Most of the art were not large in scale, but the symbolism and meticulousness of it all packed a punch.

Here are some examples of the art in the Asian gallery that I viewed: