Moments...

...having a couple of beers at the local pub at the end of the working week

...sleeping in till 8 on a Saturday morning

...collecting a package at the post office and being pleasantly surprised and touched at receiving a birthday gift

...enjoying an iced chocolate on a hot summers day and sharing interesting conversation

...watching two movies curled up on the couch on a Saturday night

...sharing the cooking for an appetising dinner of steak and vegies

...the scent of cinnamon wafting through the unit from the freshly baked banana bread

...waking up to a bright and sunny Sunday

...swimming in beautiful cold aqua blue waters at the beach

...tanning in the warm sun while drying off

...reading at the beach while listening to the sounds of the waves crashing

...having a warm shower

...plonking on the couch and watching the second session of the cricket

...blogging about it all

...Beautiful moments that made my weekend...

Share your moments.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

I recently found out that January is Cervical Cancer Awareness Month. Despite being the second-most common cancer, awareness about it is nowhere near as that of breast cancer. Which I find quite surprising. After all, isn't awareness and education the best way in which we can try and protect ourselves? Anyway, I did some of my own research online and came up with the following information in an attempt to increase awareness.

What is cervical cancer?

It is the cancer of the cervix which is the lower part of a woman's uterus. It develops when abnormal cells in the lining of the cervix multiply and form pre-cancerous lesions.If undetected, these lesions can go on to develop into tumours that affect the surrounding tissues and organs. [Source]

Cause of cervical cancer:

The exact cause is not known but in most cases, it is related to an infection with the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), a common virus that affects both males and females. However, most types of HPV are harmless and do not cause any symptoms. HPV types 16 and 18 are the high risk viruses which cause the pre-cancerous or cancerous cells. The low risk ones may cause warts which are treatable. [Source]  

Some statistics:

• In Australia, over 700 new cases are diagnosed each year. [Source]
• In Australia, over 200 women die of cervical cancer each year. [Source]
• About 1 in 163 women are at risk of being diagnosed with the cancer by the age of 85. [Source]
• Deaths have halved (in Australia) since the advent of national screening processes for cervical cancer. [Source]

Treatment for cervical cancer:

Cervical cancer can be treated if detected early. In cases where the tumour is small, a cone biopsy may be enough [Source]. In other cases, it involves surgery including an hysterectomy and/or radiotherapy depending on the size of the tumour. Hence, the best thing to do would be prevention. [Source]

Prevention:

• A vaccination has been developed that prevents the most common HPV viruses. Girls from the age of 12 are recommended to be vaccinated. [Source]
• Regular pap smears (every two years) are recommended for women aged 18 and above or those who are younger but sexually active. [Source]
• Use barrier contraceptions and limit the number of sexual partners [Source]
• Stop smoking [Source]

I guess to sum it all up, get the HPV vaccination if you can. And even after getting it, don't forget to get your regular pap smears. A little bit of discomfort can go a long way in helping with early detection.

Prevention is always better than cure.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

What I love about Australia...

Given that this is my first Australia Day as an official Aussie (according to the paperwork...because personally, I have always been an Aussie at heart), I thought I would share some of the things I absolutely love about this sunburnt country.

- The beaches. In all different shades of blue be it dark or aqua or bluish-green or greenish-blue. I haven't even had the priviledge to visit them all but I am so grateful to be living a 10 minute drive away from one in the south of Sydney.

- Our ability to not take ourselves (and others) seriously. I love how we can take the piss out of ourselves and others around and can be oh--so-politically incorrect. Unfortunately, the rest of the world doesn't seem to get our brand of humour. Sucks to them.

- Giving a person a fair-go. Every person in this country is given a chance...an opportunity...and that's our motto. For instance, anyone can go to uni if they want to (unlike in countries like the US where the fees are so high...).

- Our accent. Most people would disagree but I have loved the Aussie accent since I fell in love with the cricket team at the age of 12. It's lazy and laid back and yet has a distinct ring to it. You will always know an Aussie with the stereotypical "How ya goin' mate?"

- Everyone can be who they want to be. Dress as they want to dress. Have a relationship with who they want to. And thou shalt not judge them.

- Our never-say-die attitude. We will not give up. And this has been epitomised through our sporting prowess (barring the recent Ashes debacle).

- The distinct lack of a classist attitude. Coming from an extremely classist country to one that treats people equally, this really stood out for me. A checkout chick at Woolies is treated no differently to a teacher.

- The lack of corruption. I can get a passport without having to pay several people under the table.

- How organised and efficient things are here. Whether it is receiving your passport within a week of applying for it or getting your medicare card in the said time, it's all done smoothly and efficiently.

- How polite people can be...even random strangers walking on the street will smile at you or say g'day. The check out person will ask how you are going. The lady at the chemist will call you 'darl'. The bus driver in the burbs will say good morning and ask how you are doing. And will tell you to have a nice day when you get off it. And in return, all passengers will greet him and thank him.

- How as a woman I don't have to worry about being groped on public transport, or being wolf-whistled at. I can be comfortable in my own skin.

- Our landscape. The wildlife, the beaches, the mountains, the bush. All beauty personified (except maybe the snakes and deadly spiders!). 

- Our love of beer (and what awesome beer it is!!) and barbies. Especially in the summer.

I love Australia for all this and so much more. And especially for making me feel welcome even before I was officially a citizen.

Proud to be an Aussie...

Happy 'Stralya Day!!!

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Being Brave...

What does it mean to be brave?

We are constantly bombarded by what it is to be brave. Apparently, if television and movies were to be believed, it is to be fearless. Not afraid of anything. Only a wuss is afraid of things. Superman is brave. Batman is brave. Spiderman is brave. They fight the bad guys and win. That's what being brave is all about. A macho man. (Or woman)

However, I think what most definitions of the word brave and portrayals of bravery forget is that a person does something despite being scared. I personally don't think being brave is equivalent to being completely and utterly fearless. Think about it --- if you are not scared of something...say snakes for example, then going up to one and holding it is not exactly an act of bravery for you...it's just another act. But on the other hand, a person who is shit scared of snakes goes ahead and still manages to hold one despite pretty much shitting themselves is definitely doing something brave. Because it's not something they would normally do. It took them a lot of guts to do it.

And that's why, when I read about this one particular act during the whole Queensland floods, it brought tears to my eyes. The story of Jordan Rice. He was a 13 year old boy who sacrificed his own life so that his 10 year old brother could be saved. And he wasn't just any 13 year old boy. He was a boy who was scared of water and scared of the dark. Can you imagine how brave he had to have been to insist the rescuers take his brother first, all the while being really scared of the water himself?

I'll admit that given my own fears and anxieties, I feel a sense of affinity to others who are anxious. And Jordan seemed to be one such boy. Facing your fears is hard in any circumstance. And losing your life in the process only makes it an even braver act.

I hope deeds like these are shown as examples of bravery rather than what we are usually privy to thanks to movies.

And to Jordan Rice, may he rest in peace. Knowing that he did a very courageous deed.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Wordless Wednesday - In my hands

Look what I've got!

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Top Three

Well, the blogger's block as far as my more serious and thoughtful posts still continues. And the best way to overcome it is by doing tags. (Doctor's recommendations for Blogger's Block apparently) So I borrowed this one from Reema's blog. Basically, the 'rules' for the tag are as follows:

List all time top three movies that you have watched in at least two languages (Even one or three should be ok, I guess). Write a brief description about each mentioning why you liked it. Also, do tag others.

I can only list in two languages: English and Hindi. And I'd like to add a disclaimer about just how hard it is to choose just 3 English movies. But I'll do my best.

English Movies:

Little Miss Sunshine

What's not to love in this black comedy? A dysfunctional family. An adorable little girl of 7 participating in a beauty paegant. A father who is a motivational speaker. A brother who has taken a vow of silence until he becomes a pilot. A grandfather who is a tad inappropriate. An uncle who attempted suicide. And a mother trying to hold them all together. It's a lovely feel-good movie making fun at the shocking world of beauty where childhood innocence is lost.

Crash

A multi-starring movie about different people of different races and different socio-economic statuses...and how their lives change as they cross paths in different ways. It was a mind-blowing movie with a simple message: don't judge a book by it's cover. We have misconceptions about people, we are quick to judge...and sometimes, we don't even truly know ourselves let alone the person we are judging.

Ice Age (all parts)

 

My favourite animated movie series of all time (though Monster's Inc comes close). Loved the characters and the stories. Sid is by far the best. And love Scrat who doesn't say a word and is always in search of the ever-elusive acorn. The three weirdest friends and their hilarious adventures.

Hindi movies

Dil Chahta Hai

Aamir Kahn. Saif Ali Khan. Preity Zinta. Half the movie shot in Australia. Great laughs. Great story. Of friendship and love. And things going wrong. And making them right. Quite different to most Hindi movies coming out around the time. I saw it when I was 20. And it struck a chord somewhere. (Maybe because of the whole Australia thing...they were in Sydney for crying out loud!) I've watched it several times and looked for a DVD the last time I was in India but was unsuccessful. An all-time favourite.

Ek Hasina Thi

Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Girl trusts boy. Only for things to change. She gets entangled in his world of crime and is wrongfully accused of smuggling and is betrayed by him and jailed. Once in gaol she realises his manipulative ways and decides to take revenge on all those responsible. She escapes and thus begins her plan. It was an impressive movie (for Bollywood) where the woman no longer is a simpleton and hatches an evil plan  to avenge all she has been through. In a cold and calculating manner. It was a dark movie and superbly acted by both actors. And it didn't have any annoying song and dance routine...just background songs.

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander

I saw this when I was a lot younger so now it probably would be very cheesy to me as well but I still fondly remember it. A movie about rival schools, the rich and the poor and the coming of age of a young boy by shouldering responsibility and training hard to win a cycling race. I still remember holding my breath despite knowing the predictable ending of the race. As always, Aamir Khan was amazing. He rarely fails to disappoint.

So that's it. I could go on and on with English movies (I have so many more...) but I won't. And now, I tag anyone else suffering from Blogger's Block to take on this tag and amuse yourself and the rest of us!

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

The King's Speech

I went to watch The King's Speech during my break in December and given that I am struggling to put the words together for some other posts, I thought I would review the movie instead.

The film begins with Prince Albert (Colin Firth) attempting to make a speech to the community on his father's (King George V) behalf. However, there's just one problem. He has a significant fear of making speeches and also stutters. Which is so not acceptable for a king in-waiting. His wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) does her best to seek all the help possible for her husband to overcome his speech problem. Through this, she manages to find Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) an Australian who specialises in speech defects. And who also likes things done his way under his roof. One of which is him insisting on calling the prince 'Bertie'.

They go through several humourous sessions of getting the prince to overcome his stammer. However, the problem seems to be more psychological than merely a speech problem but the prince refuses to open up about personal matters. As the king dies, Bertie's older brother is sworn in as king. King Edward VII (Guy Pearce). However, as he is unable to commit to the expectations of the Church of England and his duties as a king, King George VI (Bertie) takes over. And we see how he faces his fears with the onset of World War II.

This was a brilliant movie about friendship across the classes, the ups and downs, an insight into the monarch (which usually does not interest me one bit) and most importantly, about facing your fears. No matter who you are or how important you may be, there are still fears you must face. And facing your fears is what makes you a courageous person. It was really nice to see bravery and courage being depicted in this manner as compared to your usual action movies. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter are all brilliant. Colin Firth's stammer in particular is so realistic as is his fear that your heart goes out to him. Both he and Geoffrey Rush are fantastic actors.

If you are looking for a movie with laughter and meaning, I would highly recommend you watch The King's Speech. It was definitely one of my two favourite movies in 2010 (The other being Mother and Child).

Until next time,

Cheers!!!  

Wordless Wednesday - Predator

Preparing for the kill

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Type and erase

For some reason, I type and erase.

Type and erase.

There are so many ideas festering in my mind.

And yet, the words don't seem to come out right. I can't seem to blog. And I don't like that.

I hope this goes away soon. And I can blog away as usual.

Until then, I hope you are all well.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!

Goodbye 2010...

Another year gone past. Time really flies. And you don't necessarily need to be having fun. When I look back at the year, all seems like such a blur. If I had to use one word to describe the year, it would probably have to be chaotic.

And why wouldn't it be?

I started a new job in February. And I changed jobs in September. Had to adjust to two different places and to different people. Loved the people in the first job but not the work so much. Enjoying the work in the second job but not the people as much. Had my manager quit in the new job. The same one that asked me to apply for it. So yes, work-wise, it's been a bit of a blur. But hopefully, in 2011, it will be better and more routine.

The downs seem to stand out more for some reason in my head at the moment. Like my car being written off. And then my mum needing an operation. But it had it's ups too in that I got my citizenship. I got my passport (last week). And I spent some lovely moments with loved ones here. My weight though went up and down. It was down for most of the year. And has gone up again in the last few months.

So yeah, 2010 not the best year ever. But still a year with opportunities and things to learn from. And here's hoping 2011 is a bit better. Less chaotic. More stable.

I hope 2011 is a great year for all of you...

Wish you a very Happy New Year and may this year bring everything wonderful for you and your loved ones. And here's hoping I read a lot more on your blogs.

Until next time,

Cheers!!!