A week in a minute (or ten)...

Just in case they don't know, I need to tell my parents again just how much I love my Christmas present - my shiny new iPod. And my legendary sister for setting it up for me (my sad IT skills shine through again...*sigh*) I am doing really boring work, checking the results of a bunch of candidates throughout the Asian region (although having fun with the names - the longest one so far has 23 syllables - no kidding!!) and am currently listening to the Les Miserables soundtrack - I haven't listened to this for a few years and have forgotten how brilliant it is - great music and lyrics that just give you goosebumps...

Anyway - I swore to myself that I was not ending this week without posting again - so here goes. This blog is a little woeful lately...

So - Australia Day was good, although I was a wee bit homesick. I did my little Australia Day merienda at work (:::gasp::: - Filipinos love vegemite - I am not kidding, they came back for more...ruins all the fun!) and a friend had gotten me this CD of 'Unnofficial National Anthems' full of bands like Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes and Men At Work (Rainier said to me..."hmmmm - I always thought that the Little River Band and Men at Work were British - I just looked at him in horror and said "you thought the band who sang "We Come from the Land Downunder" were British - go and stand in the corner") and the music got me a bit - I never thought I would get nostalgic for Christine Anu's 'My Island Home' or Goanna's 'Solid Rock', but hey - I guess there is a first for everything, right? But everyone at work was so sweet - they all came up to me on Thursday morning and said "Happy Australia Day" and really got into the spirit with me. One of the guys here said to me the next day, "oh it is good - your smile is back today. You looked a bit sad yesterday, but you are all smiling again today", which got me all mushy and thinking 'how can I possibly leave here?'

That night, we had a party at the Ambassador's residence, along with just about every expatriate in Manila, I think. Seriously, it was huge - but Aussie food (and wine and beer!) and cheeses and the world's smallest pavlovas (seriously - the size of a fifty cent coin) and some Aussie jazz band playing, inexplicably, a lot of Irish music (?) - although there was a guy with a digeridoo, which was great. Lynette, our ICM, came, and used the opportunity to tell us that she is leaving and taking a job at CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency - I think?) which put a damper on things - we are going to miss her sooooo much. And, I must remember that if I ever go to anything at the residence of the Australian Ambassador in Manila again, I have to wear flat shoes. Both times I have been there, I have spent the whole night with my heels sinking into his lawn which has really not been fun - and is not so good for the shoes, either.

Saturday I went to a performance done by street kids that my friend Sarah, who is an AVI volunteer, has been working with. It was really good - some of the stuff they were depicting was true-to-life situations for them and it must have been quite challenging to write (the children come up with everything and write it themselves) and portray for them, but probably quite therapeutic, all the same. I am constantly reminded here of just how blessed I am in my life - I can't count the ways. That night, we went to an album launch. It was an interesting set up - it was basically in a car park, with no facilities at all (one little stand selling a few drinks - apple juice anyone?

Sunday we had about fifteen people at our place to watch the Australian Open men's final, which was a good match, although not as good as it could have been. We had a split - most of the Aussies going for Baghdatis (underdog sympathies) and the Europeans going for Federer. I didn't really care, just wanted a good match (would have rather watched Keifer - he's prettier!!!) Reggie was taking bets with all the Frenchies about the outcome (I think, sadly, he is probably a bit poor now) which was quite hilarious as he couldn't pronounce Baghdatis' name - so each time he tried to make a bet, he would say something like "the Baghdad guy". Sadly, at the end of the afternoon, Reggie moved out, and now lives with all the French in Katipunan (in the maid's room! with adjoining bat cave - and resident rat!!). Ange and I miss him a lot - we were like a little family that has been broken up. Some of you know the circumstances of this - I won't post them here as it just makes me angry to think about it again, but anyway...

Sunday also marked the end of the annual two weeks of bliss that is the Australian Open - all that beautiful tennis, in our time zone, and it is all over.

Last night, the French (and there is a token German - I am not kidding, there are four French, one German and now Reggie in this house) had a party at their place, that we all went to (well - Ange, Sally, Nat and myself). That was a lot of fun - I had no idea there were so many French people living in Manila - I am surprised there are any left in Paris (are there any left in Paris or have they all decamped?) - there must have been thirty there (maybe less - it was confusing and I may have had a couple of drinks! shhhh) Sadly, being that they are all students, it was a Thursday night (I miss student days) and us being boring workers, we had to leave by midnight... *Big sigh*...it was a fun party

Tonight I am going to see Walk the Line. I think my grumbling about not getting movies here that are not massive blockbusters, or featuring Jean Claude Van Damme has registered with someone, as there are a plethora (by Manila standards) of non-total-mainstream movies coming out soon. Walk the Line, Munich (so excited - I really want to see that, but never thought it would come out here), Brokeback Mountain (can't believe that will be here - the mind boggles), Proof (have actually already seen that on the plane - possibly the first time I have watched Gwyneth Paltrow in a movie and thought, "hey - she actually is a good actress" - I really enjoyed it), ummm - I know there are others, that I can't think of now. But I am excited. Of course, they will probably only be out for two weeks, so I have to rush to see them, when they come. And if I don't want to see any of them, there is always Underworld:Evolution! Or Cheaper By The Dozen 2....

Hmmm - and in the midst of all of this, I have actually done a ton of work. The review is nearing its end and I am chasing down things for it and waiting to see what the final report comes up with.

Franklin Graham is in Manila this weekend - I am possibly going, but not certain...

Okay - I need to go! I hope that this entry makes sense - I have had Javert and Jean Valjean and Cosette in my head as I write and been distracted by the sadness of songs like "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" etc - so this might be disjointed (there might be a Do You Hear the People Sing thrown in there somewhere?) I have been singing along softly, which has possibly freaked Necy and Lambert out!!

Oh - and I was wrong about number one of the Hottest 100 - in case you are interested:

(5 out of 10 songs are Aussie - pretty good, I reckon. I think 51 songs of the whole 100 were Australian!)

1 Wish You Well - Bernard Fanning
2 Catch My Disease - Ben Lee
3 Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz
4 Best Of You - Foo Fighters
5 Dare - Gorillaz
6 Mind's Eye - Wolfmother
7 My Doorbell - The White Stripes
8 O Yeah - End Of Fashion
9 Joker & The Thief - Wolfmother
10 Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand

I leave you with this great line:
"And remember, the truth that once was spoken: To love another person is to see the face of God"
(from the Finale of Les Miserables)