Are Your Dreams Reality Yet?

... this is the question I have posted on my blog page for all to see. A reminder not just for the readers out there, but more so for me.

It's a saying I've had for some time. Years even. A 'kick in the head' if you will, to finally do something with my life. To not be a statistic. To be one of the 10% who get out there and live their dreams.


10%. Is that all? What happened to the other 90%? When did they stop dreaming? When did they settle? But more importantly... Why?


I don't want to be one of the 90%. I want to be one of the rare ones. I don't want a job because it pays my bills. I want a job because it fulfills my dreams. I want a job I enjoy. I want a job that challenges me. Most importantly, I want a job that I love.



'Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life'.

I don't remember who said that. In all honesty, I've no clue. But I know it's a quote I love.


Watch this space... I'll check back with you a little later on. Either this year or next year. Who knows. I might not fully be there, but here's hoping I'll be a little closer.

My dreams are not reality yet... but I'm certainly working on it.


Are you?

The Bourne Ultimatum Premiere

So, I'm a couple of weeks behind... but hey, at least I'm not a couple of months behind!

On Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 was the UK premiere for the new Jason Bourne movie. I booked my half day off work weeks in advance for this premiere. I was hoping to get down there at lunch time to get a good spot. Naturally, something came up at work, so I was trying to get through it as fast as I could. I mean... Matt Damon was in town!!!

I got to Leicester Square a little later than I'd planned and I arrived just after 2pm. I was thinking the whole way there (all of 3 stops on the tube from work to my destination) 'Oh no! I'm late! I'm not going to get a front row spot. I'll end up without an autograph and with too many tourists and autograzzi in my photos'. Alas, when I made it into the gardens, there were a couple of front row spots left. Maybe 10-15. I snapped one up.

Turns out I ended up right at the entrance to where the celebrities would be coming in. The gardens are always hard to pick where to stand because it's guartanteed to be a different layout almost every time. This time turned out great. I ended up being right opposite the paparazzi.

And here's the photos I took from my prime position...



The above is Tom Gallop. I didn't know his name at the time, but I'd certainly seen the face. I heard the paps yelling out for him 'Tom! Over here Tom!' and I thought, 'Ok, that's his name then'. So, he was halfway through posing and I gave him a yell... 'Tom, will you sign please?'. He then posed some more and was was about to walk off... 'Tom! Tom, would you please sign?' and he came over and signed... for everyone but me.

I then said 'Tom, can I get your autograph please?' and he said 'I'll sign for you, because it was your voice that brought me over here'. I'm thinking 'Buddy, it's not the first time I've been told that by a celebrity'. Yes, I have a loud voice when I'm yelling for someone's attention. Yes, I've been known to start chants at premieres. Yes, they always come over.

Once he signed I said 'Thank you very much and have a nice night'. I'm always polite to them... I mean, they're just people after all. I do think Tom deliberately left me until last because after he signed, he headed off to do some interviews. He was really nice.

Sorry about the rain drop on the picture... would you believe the sun was shining all afternoon until about 10 minutes before everyone arrived, so a couple of my photos were ruined.

And below... the man of the evening....



Yes, that's Matt Damon arriving with his beautiful wife Luciana Borroso.



He posed for the paparazzi upon arriving and then headed off to do some interviews for about 10-15 minutes. The fans were like 'Matt! Matt! Matt will you sign please?'. He ran off to pose for another picture and just after I took the above photo he said 'I'll come back... I promise'.



And he didn't disappoint...

Here is is (sans suit jacket) slumming it a little and not at all bothered by that famous England rain that was getting on his lovely shirt. Matt must've spend about 40 minutes signing...

And signing some more. I don't think there was a fan he missed. Neither inside the gardens, nor out. This is the third time I've seen Matt Damon and I have nothing but good words for him. He's just lovely. And always takes his time to sign for the fans. One of those rare Hollywood gems that's not caught up in the fakeness of it all and appreciates that people have 'waited in the rain to be here today'. What a great guy!

Ah, here's someone who didn't like signing for the fans. That's Julia Stiles. The first time I saw here was in New York City 2 years ago. It was me and a my photo friend Hughie waiting. She didn't even stop for a photo.

This was her first London premiere, so I guess she felt she had a duty. I think she signed for all of about three minutes. Maybe five. She spent longer posing for photos I think. When being interviewed, she did however thank the fans for coming out. That's something I guess.

Yes, that dress is VERY see through!

The fellow below is British actor Joey Ansah. He does a big fight scene with Matt in the film. He was really lovely and signed for all the fans that asked.

Below is director Paul Greengrass. He also directed 'The Bourne Supremacy'. He didn't direct the first film. When he came over to sign I said 'Thank you so much for Flight 93' and he looked at me and smiled and said 'Oh thank you. You're very welcome'. He only managed to sign one autograph each, but I wasn't quick enough with the photos. He was really nice and interacted with the fans, listening to what they were saying as he signed for them.

The final star of the film to turn up was the actress Joan Allen. She didn't spend much time with the fans instead opting to pose for the photographers and do her interviews. I saw her sign about five autographs near where I was standing and I missed out on mine by one person. Not too worry. Yes, her dress was a little long, as you can see, it was dragging on the floor so it got a little wet.

A couple of surprise guests on the list for the evening were the following actresses...

That's Neve Campbell of 'Scream' and 'Party of Five' fame. I met her a few months back when she was performing on London's West End in 'Love Song'. She always seems very shy. She's a good actress, but I feel she doesn't understand all the hype, like she just wants to get in there and do her job. But she took the time to say hello and sign for the fans. I've seen her about four times here in London and although she doesn't say much, she's really quite lovely.

Below is the actress Bonnie Wright. She plays Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. Now, I have to say, she was a little strange. The fans were calling out for her and I didn't want her autograph, but they must've spent a good 30 seconds yelling at her... from a 3 metre distance... and she didn't acknowledge them.

She only decided to come over and sign once Katie Leung decided to sign for the fans...

She is also in the Harry Potter movies and plays Cho Chang, Harry's love interest. She was really nice and signed for the fans... yes, the same ones that had been calling Bonnie. I didn't have anything for them to sign, so I didn't bother with them. I'm happy with the photos.

So all in all, it was a really good premiere. In terms of stars from the actual movie, it was a really good turn out. Matt Damon spent a lot of time interacting with the fans and it was well worth it just to see him. Everyone else was an added bonus.

'The Simpsons Movie' gets a UK Premiere

... and no-one affiliated from the movie turns up!

'The Simpsons' movie finally got it's UK premiere in London last week. Only it wasn't in Leicester Square like every other premiere I've been to in the past year since I've lived in London.




Nope, this premiere was at the new fancy schmancy 11 screen Vue cinema at the 02 Dome at North Greenwhich.



Upon arriving, celebrities and ticket holders had to walk through Homers mouth. Well... sort of. It was a make-shift archway that led to the yellow (not red) carpet.

Joss Stone and Barbara Streisand were also in the house (that is the O2 Dome) that evening performing on stage... but it was the colourful yellow family that people really wanted to catch a glimpse of.



That and the fact they didn't cost £600 to see . £600 Ms Streisand?! You know there are children starving in the world, right?? Even at the cheapest ticket for £100... that's still a bit rich.



While walking along the yellow carpet, guests were treated to taking a stroll through Springfield passing sights such as Krusty Burger and Apu's Kwik-E-Mart.

Here's a reporter outside Moe's. She was earlier inside interviewing the celebs as they entered to make their way to the screening. Yes, she's doing her best Marge impression.

Moe's Tavern and the store that belongs to Comic Book Guy were also lining the yellow carpet to make up Springfield's must see places to visit... or at least pass by.

I had been waiting a month... A MONTH... for this movie premiere!...

I booked a half day off work so I could go and queue to get a good spot for photos (and maybe some autographs) and then when it was all over with, turns out no-one from the film made the flight to London as the L.A. premiere was held at the Mann Theatre the day before (Tuesday the 24th) in Hollywood.

Here's who did make an appearance though...

Spider Pig!!!

To the tune of Homer singing.... 'Spider pig, spider pig. Does whatever a spider pig does'.



'The Jonathan Ross Singers' from behind... albeit, a little sweaty! Ahh... they're only human.

Not the greatest photo, but that's Billy Boyd. Yes, he played one of those teeny tiny hobbits in 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy.

Those young lads Danny and Tom from the boy band McFly. The girls went crazy for them. I mean, absolutely nutters. The screaming was so loud! Don't ask me which is which, I've no idea. I don't follow their sappy music.

Irish actor James Nesbitt of 'Cold Feet' fame. Stopped ever-so-briefly to sign for the fans. He didn't seem all that happy to be doing it or to be there, but hey, at least he signed I guess.

Singer/Songwriter Stephen Gately from former boy band 'Boyzone' walked the yellow carpet and even carried a balloon doll of Lisa Simpson.

So, no-one from the movie showed, but it was worth it to see this guy...

That's Canadian actor Joshua Jackson. Most likely remembered from his days starring in T.V.'s 'Dawson's Creek'.

When he went to sign the autograph for me, I said 'Wouldn't you rather be in Canada right now?' and I think he was surprised that someone knew he was Canadian and not American and he replied 'Uhh... with this weather, yeah!'. Then he laughed and smiled.

He's been on my list of people to meet since I was about 12. I first noticed him in 'The Mighty Ducks' movies. He sure can skate, but then, he is Canadian so it's to be expected!

It's not fancy, but the above is one of my favourite photos. Here's Joshua shamelessly plugging the new Apple iPhone, before heading up the escalators into the cinema and giving the waiting fans a nice wave on the way up.

So, due to me wasting (almost) 8 hours of my life, booking a half day off work and waiting with baited breath for at least 4 weeks only to have none of the voice actors turn up, I'm now boycotting the film. Annoying, because I kind of want to see it!

I wonder how long I'll stick it out for...

Manila Thriller

I read about this in my local paper this morning and just had to check it out. Seems the inmates in the Phillipines needed something to do and dancing to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' was the perfect way to pass the time.

Now, I was impressed with the choreography of getting 1500+ inmates all inline to do the moves to the dance. I mean, these guys (and one 'lady') sure do have rhythm!

If only they could've dressed up for the occassion rather than wear those not so flattering prison jumpsuits...

I've discovered Facebook

And My God... what an addiction!

I was travelling in Paris for a few days in 2006 to see in the New Year for 2007 (I have previously put some pictures up in my January post titled - 'Seeing in 2007, Parisian Style'). Anyway, I was staying at a nice little hostel only a stone's throw from the Louvre museum and in my dorm were two lovely American College girls from Ohio. I am a somewhat experienced backpacker who was travelling on my own and they hadn't done much travelling, but they had the company of each other. So, they took me under their wing and I spent some time with them in the few days I was in Paris.

We played the tourist, ate at a nice restaurant, checked out the Notre Dame and instead of joining me for the (non-existent) Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower... they watched it on T.V. in a Parisian bar. They were two of the friendliest girls I've met in my travels.

I got their email addresses and contact details and we parted ways. Before I left them though, they mentioned Facebook and said I had to join it. I didn't know what it was really, though it wasn't the first time I'd heard the name.

That was all the way back in January. This week, I finally decided to join because I had a few emails from friends around the world saying that they use the site and it's a great way to keep up with what everyone's doing.

I've been able to put a map on my page and can pin point all the teeny tiny towns around the world I've been to. At present, the count is 210 cities in 19 countries. I'm not sure that's accurate, because it includes places off the beaten track like a 1000 population town in country Australia or a place I stopped at overnight while driving across the USA. It would've been more, but I decided not to list EVERY place the greyhound bus stopped in my travels!

Besides listing where you've been and where you'd like to go, you can put music on there and make note of your favourite sports teams. Naturally, being the fan of American sports that I am, I've already discovered how to list my favourite Major League Baseball and National Hockey League teams as well as making mention of my favourite players.

I can also add photos and view my friends photos and I can see where in the world they are and where in the world they're going. It's a wonderful network and it certainly has grown on my in the very short space that I've come to use it.

I'm sure we all don't 'talk' as much as we used to. Certainly not the way my parents were brought up in the world, but the internet is a wonderful way to stay in touch with the happenings of your family and friends spread out across the globe. That said, I still don't trust enough in the internet so I'm still deciding whether to put my surname on Facebook. For the moment, my first name is listed as my surname and I've put something else as my first name. Maybe that'll change, but I don't have a common surname. Perhaps when I become more carefree and a little more trusting in the world wide web then I may update it.

For the moment, it's a great way to keep up with everyone and I seem to be on there everyday!

In Celebration

That's the title of the play that Orlando Bloom is performing in currently on London's West End.

I went to watch it this past Monday night. The 9th. I didn't know what it was about, my friend booked the tickets and me, ever one to jump at the chance to take in a night at the theatre said I'd go along with her. I asked her what it was about, and she couldn't really tell me. I figured, well, it can't be too bad if it's sold out for it's entire season run.

Turns out the reason it's sold out is because of this guy....




Yes, that's Orlando Bloom. Will Turner in Gore Verbinski's Pirates Trilogy. Or you may know him as Legolas in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. His didn't have the moustache then and his hair was blonder and longer, but it's definitely the same guy.

I guess it's good news for the other actors in a play when you can get someone famous enough that they'll help boost your ticket sales because I apologise Mr Bloom, but you're probably the only reason people are off to see this play. I just didn't get it. Maybe it's because I'm not english. Infact, I think that's why. My friend that came along with me is english, born and bred in London and even she said that tourists just wouldn't get it.



I have another friend who went to see it on the Saturday night. She too is english and she only sort of understood it - the family dynamics and what not. She even went on to say that it was 'the world's most boring play'. A little harsh perhaps, but I admit that even I got bored and fidgety with it and I'm not usually like that. If I had to relay the play back to you, give you a little run down of what it was about, I really couldn't say.

The same friend went on to say that Mr Bloom's accent kept drifting in and out. He's from London I believe, but in the play he's meant to have a northern english accent and I guess the locals could tell because both of my friends said they noticed the change. In all honesty, I couldn't tell he wasn't saying his words properly. Probably because most of the time I was trying to get my head around the fact that the whole cast was speaking funny!




Even if the play didn't appeal to me, the man of the evening certainly did. He came out to greet his waiting fans and signed autographs for them. He must've signed for about 10 minutes reaching over fans to grab playbills from the back for those that couldn't manage to make their way to the front. Even though there were people infront of me, I managed to get a good spot right near his car and the above is my favourite photo of the evening.

I'm sure you recognise the watermark by now. Yes, it's for Citizen Image.

'Hairspray' World Premiere

So, I know I'm well overdue for a movie premiere post, but here it is.

Last Thursday (July 5th) was the World Premiere for 'Hairspray'. A remake of the 1988 original, the movie sees John Travolta dressing up as a woman and unknown star Nikki Blonsky in her film debut. Here she is in London's Leicester Square signing for the fans.

Nikki was just lovely and spent time signing and posing for the fans who'd been waiting since lunchtime. I even managed to get my photo signed as well as take some pictures.

Here's Zac Ephron doing an interview with Nikki. The girls went absoloutely crazy for him. The screaming was so loud!

I missed his autograph at the premiere, but a friend managed to get it the next day. Zac's most popular role to date is that of 'Troy' in 'High School Musical'.

Elijah Kelley who came over and signed because the guy infront of me (that's his white sleeve) was chanting really loudly for him. I managed to get his autograph as well.

White sleeve guy was yelling for Amanda Bynes so she too came over and signed for the waiting fans.

She was quite lovely and came back a second time to sign again.

Here's Andy Serkis who turned up after the movie's teenage stars had walked the red... er... rainbow carpet.

You may have seen Mr Serkis in 'The Prestige' which also starred Christian Bale and my fellow aussie Hugh Jackman.

But you most likely saw him as Gollum in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. He was also Kong in 'King Kong'. He was very nice and spent time signing and chatting to the fans.

The surprise of the evening was when Freddie Prinze Jr turned up with his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar. I wasn't able to get a great photo of her, because my zoom on the camera's not that good. Freddie was nice enough to sign for the fans and said 'I'll sign for as many of you as I can'.

On the way in to the cinema he turned to the fans, kissed his two index fingers and gave us the peace sign.

There was no John Travolta, Michelle Pfieffer or Christopher Walken. I guess you can't win 'em all!

(All pictures are watermarked for Citizen Image)

I emailed you...

Did you get it?

It was some weeks ago. I wonder if you recieved it.

Perhaps it was lost in cyberspace. That's been happening to me for some weeks now. I changed my email format and now I find I lose an email. Not all of the time. Just now and then. I think I have a 95% success rate. Still 5% is a lot of emails to go missing. Especially when they're paragraphs long and so much thought goes into them.

I sent one to Brisbane... it never made it. I sent another to Toronto but it too got lost along the way. I sent two to Los Angeles... both never reached their destination.

And then I sent yours... to the desert city. I wonder if it made it there. And if it did and you didn't have time to reply, then that's o.k. Sometimes we get a little busy. Sometimes it's hard to keep up. Sometimes life just happens.

I hope this note finds you well. I'm sure you'll read it. I hope you're smiling and life is treating you good.

Just know that you are thought of often and much.

Out of the corner of her eye

She is walking briskly past. She seems to be in a hurry. But then something catches her eye. She didn't notice it before, as though her eyes were shut to the world. Or at least shut off from the image that is now before her. It's like she has seen it out of the corner of her eye, just all of a sudden and now she stops. And she stares. Transfixed.

I wonder what she's thinking. If she likes what she sees. She looks as though it's something she's seen before, but I wonder if she approves. A smile crosses her face. I guess so. The lines on her face begin to change. There are a lot of lines for that face - she looks young. She doesn't look more than 25. Her skin is soft or at least it looks that way. There are wrinkles. Not many, but when she smiles you can notice them. Around the cheeks, near the eyes and there's a dimple. No, two. One on each side. And the outline of one in her chin.

Suddenly the smile fades. There is a furrow of the brow. Just the one. That looks funny to watch - when a person only moves one eyebrow. The smile has turned upside down. A frown appears across her face and there are lines not from a smile, but heading southward as though she frowns too much. Too often. There are lines in her forehead and I wonder if she's noticed they're there. She lets out a sigh. I take it that's a yes.

A thousand thoughts must be racing through her head now and I wonder if they'd make any sense to her. How many times as she's walked past that image has she ever stopped to notice it. To really take it in. She stands in a slumpish mode now. Her back hunched, her shoulders lifeless.

Her eyes are wide and gleaming. She is taking it all in. This sight that stands before her. But she looks disapproving. Discontented. Almost as though she's wondering how she came to this and what can she possibly do to fix it. She seems to ponder.... life, love, work.


Another sigh.

It is an odd image when you look in the mirror.

1000 Hits

Well, looky, looky...

My blog has hit the one thousand mark... 1000 people!

When the heck did that happen? I've only just noticed. Partly because I rarely take the time to scroll down. Let's be honest... it's my blog. I know what's there. Or so I thought.

1000, eh! I'm quite pleased with that, mainly because I wonder who on earth would want to read what I have to write. I guess there's some people out there who are interested in the ramblings that exist in my head which I then find the courage to write them down for all to see. That or the fact that my mum just keeps hitting the 'refresh' button.

I'm going to go with the former as opposed to the latter. It'll boost my self-confidence.

Sure, I'm nowhere near close to the almost 100 000 hits that my American friend Hughe has reached. But he's so busy chasing celebrities in New York City and Philadelphia that people are certain to be interested to read what he writes about. Oh, and he always has great pictures up there to make me jealous of all the people he's seen. But then I remember he rarely sleeps and I begin to envy him less. Granted, he's the politest photographer I've ever met. When I met him, he was an unofficial paparazzi... he got his first qualification for the Rocky Balboa Premiere in Philadelphia earlier this year. I don't aspire to be like him. No offence to you my friend. He's a great photographer and gets all the celebs... check him out, there's no-one he hasn't seen. But for me, I like that it's a hobby.

Enough of about him... let's get back to focusing on me.

Wow, where did that ego trip come from?! I'm not usually like that, and if you don't mind, I'm going to take a second to slap myself for being so self-indulgent. It's just not my style. I have an idea whose influence that is, but I'd rather not say. Not that he visits this blog, so technically it doesn't matter.

But yes, back to me...

One Thousand Hits.

I'm a little chuffed. I guess it gives me an incentive to keep on writing.

To all of you who made it soar to one thousand and beyond, to all of you I didn't bore and to all of you that just keep coming back... I thank you!

Bi-lingual

What has happened to my blog?

It has changed languages. I didn't ask for this. I certainly didn't notice it. Not until I went to click on a button and became aware to the fact that I was unable to communicate with the webpage.

My posts are still in english... but everything else... wait, this isn't english. When did this happen? And what language is that? Swedish? Danish? Finnish? I've no idea what language it is, but I certainly don't understand it. If it was Italian, I'd be in with a fighting chance. But it's not. I've no clue.

My blog has gone bi-lingual and I've no idea why or how it happened.

I hope it returns to normal soon. The help button is of no use to me... mainly because I don't know what language this is to know what the word 'help' should look like. I need to make a post and I can't remember how to do it.

I feel vulnerable. I'm staring at a web page and I feel stupid. As though my thoughts will forever remain inside my head because my language skills are not up to sratch.

Does that seem fair to you?

I Remember When...

I remember when I used to be able to go to a friends place down the bottom of my road after school and we'd play games on the street or inside and we'd have so much fun, because we didn't have a care in the world and time didn't matter. We just knew we had to be back in time for dinner, or before it got dark. Whichever happened first.

I remember when we weren't allowed to ride our bikes to school even though we about a 4 minute bike ride away.... well two and a half minutes because it was mostly down hill on the way there. And if we walked home, there always had to be about 3 of us walking together and we had to be aware of 'stranger danger' and know to look out for the 'safety house' symbol on mailboxes.

I remember when we'd done all our homework and eaten dinner we were allowed to sit down to the classic aussie soaps 'Home and Away' or 'Neighbours' so we could see what was happening with Scott and Charlene. Now, I'm too ashamed to admit I used to watch those shows... though, what Australian hasn't?

I remember when I used to play round robin sports on a Friday afternoon when I was in primary school and during the school week I always looked forward to that the most, because it was a time for one last bit of sports fun with my friends before the weekend came... and then we could have all the fun we wanted.

I remember when we used to lay a tarp on the grass in the backyard because there was the slighest hill and we'd spray it with water from the hose and then pour washing up liquid over it... then take a big run up and go sliding head first down our make shift bubbly water slide.

I remember when I didn't know what a computer or a Playstation or an X-Box was. We had Atari and Pacman rocked! And we knew that we weren't meant to sit there for 3, 4 or 5 hours at a time because it's not good for your eyes, it numbs your brain and you get no fresh air or excercise.

I remember when we tried to be sneaky and went into the neighbours underground cubby house in the big empty grassy land area out the back of our house. The land stretched for about 500 metres and everyone was entitled to be there, because it was a free, open space. But we tried to go into their cubby house and we got kicked out because we were in their territory... even though the land belonged to the city council. The underground cubby house has since been filled in with dirt over time, but if you look closely, there's still a little dip in the grass thats about 5m x 5m wide.

I remember when we used to ride our bikes down the same grassy area because it had a good gentle slope to it and we used to try and find any little crevasse so we could ride really fast and then jump our bikes over it and we'd go flying through the air. Ok, we weren't exactly flying and it was probably about 2 metres that we were airborne for, but for those fleeting nano seconds nothing else mattered. Then we'd get all the way to the bottom of the hill, turn around and pass the 15 or so houses that backed onto the spacious land as we hiked our way back to the top of the hill.

I remember when I used to find a rock in the front driveway and my younger sister and I would use it as a piece of chalk and then draw out the hopscotch squares and play for an hour at least. Or we'd take a piece of elastic and start jumping in and out of it until the elastic got too high and we couldn't jump anymore. And some days, we'd play tennis on the road and the game would often be interrupted by yelling 'CAR!' as the locals drove by.



I remember when we used to play in the front yard for hours, doing cartwheels, or playing chase, or throwing a ball around and we didn't have to worry about strangers or people watching us when they shouldn't have, because we lived in a good neighbourhood.

I remember when we used to play jump rope in the school yard or at home and we could skip that skipping rope for hours on end. Now, I don't think I could do the 'jump rope for heart' even if it was my own heart I was trying to save!

I remember waiting all week for Saturday morning to come so we could get up early and watch cartoons, because unlike the youth of today, we didn't have TV channel devoted entirely to cartoons and nor we were allowed to watch them before we went to school. But for those few hours on Saturday morning, it was well worth the weekly wait.

I remember when we used to go to our friends farm out in the country and we'd run around the vineyard or down the dirt road riding our bikes and playing hide and seek... all the while, hoping we didn't see any snakes.

I remember when my younger sister and I tried to set up a make shift lemonade stand. Only, we didn't sell lemonade, we sold home made mini flags. They were made out of material and we cut all sorts of shapes made with all sorts of colours together... and we sold them for 5 cents each. And when we made 50 cents because the neighbours felt sorry for us, we didn't care... we had 50 cents! Looking back, those flags were terrible... I can't believe we were so impressed with ourselves.

I remember when we used to put our gumboots on so we could go and splash in puddles in the rain on the road out the front of our house. Although we didn't realise that us getting sick was a burden on our mother, we always thought a play in the rain was worth catching a cold for.

I remember when we had sports day and our parents used to come and watch and we just hoped we'd win a ribbon to do them proud. Some years I got one of every colour - Blue, Red and Green. And sometimes I was more than lucky and got more than one of every colour, in either athletics or swimming. I still have my ribbons and trophies tucked away in a drawer.

I remember when we used to go to the 'Ekka' (our annual exhibition (hence Ekka) State Fair) and we used to ride the rollercoaster and the dodgem cars and every other ride we could until our heads spun and we had to sit down. And then we'd go and buy our showbags and have too much sugar and then we'd go on some more rides until we felt nauseous. We did this every year and yet we never learnt to not eat before having our bodies thrust every which way on a rollercoaster ride.

I remember when we went on school camp and we got to tell stories and drink hot chocolate. Then we'd stay up later than we should have, being all giggly and girly. Then there was the year 8 camp where we had to attend the 'garbage bag' formal with our dates whose named were selected randomly on a computer, but it was fun, because everyone was dressed up in colourful garbage bag dresses and garbage bag tuxedos. At that same camp, one of the activities the teachers had planned for us was to put the girls in one room and the boys in the other and we'd get 'the talk'. At least they threw in some kayaking and some rock climbing for fun!

I remember when I used to be able to ride my bike down the street and I'd wear that silly Australian orange 'stack hat' bike helmet that I thought would make me invinsible if ever I fell off my bike. It didn't make me invinsible... I still got scratched and bruised, but I'm sure the awkward looking bike helmet made people laugh.

I remember when we used to spend our Sundays at the beach at Bribie Island and the choice of the day was did we want to swim in the 'calmer' side or in the 'surf' side. We almost always chose the surf side, because getting dumped while body surfing a wave in the Pacific Ocean was far more fun than sitting in the shallow end of the water where there were no waves, but only ripples.

I remember when my sisters and I used to jump up and down on the trampoline for hours on end thinking that we could touch the sky. And sometimes, we overjumped and our legs got stuck inbetween the springs and it hurt, but we didn't sue the spring makers for our slip up. Once we stopped crying, we just got straight back on there and started bouncing around all over again.

I remember when iPods and MP3 players had never been heard of and were light years away from being invented. We barely knew what a tape deck was. And when we needed to play a song to hear it again, we'd have to press the rewind button and wait for what felt like ages for that one song to rewind on a tape. Or if you wanted to save the battery on your walkman, you'd take out the tape, stick a pen in the hole and start spinning it so you could rewind the tape manually.

I remember when we used to be able to eat whatever we wanted within reason and it didn't matter that the words 'Sugar content' or 'fat content' weren't written on the back of a label... because we were young and healthy and we used to play sport pretty much every day.

I remember when I used to 'walk like an egyptian', when I could do the moonwalk (not so well) and when I used to think I could win a fight with my sister if I took the Karate Kid stance and stood with one leg held up and poised my hands in that funny way.

I remember when we weren't allowed to stay at a friends place overnight on a Monday, Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday because it was 'a school night'. But Friday was my favourite, because that night was perfectly allowed.

I remember when I thought New Kids On The Block was the coolest band around and I was annoyed at my older sister because she was allowed to go to their concert, but I was still too young. But only by 2 years, Mum!

I remember when my younger sister and I used to play tennis on the front lawn and and we'd hit the ball on the brick of the house and hope we didn't hit a window. And then when we did, our mum would yell out to us to go and play out the back and then we'd say 'OK!'.... but we didn't move and continued playing out the front.

I remember when I had no idea what a mobile phone was, but I knew that a phone shouldn't be answered at the dinner table because it was rude and people should still believe in good values and manners. I still know it shouldn't be answered at the dinner table... and let this be a warning to you... if you answer it at mine, I'll show you the door!

I remember when I used to watch Fraggle Rock and My Little Pony and the Cabbage Patch Kids. My sisters and I bugged our parents for a Cabbage Patch Doll and one Christmas they finally came. I got the sporty one, because that was the one that was most like me and I raised my right hand and took the oath - 'I promise to love my Cabbage Patch Kid with all my heart....'. I have no idea where that doll is now.

I remember when I wished life would move faster so I could hurry up and grow up because I thought being an adult was cool, as they could do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. But you never realised that it was actually the adult who envied the child. After all, the most responsibility you had was ensuring your rooms were kept clean. Now, I wish life would just slow down and that it wasn't so complicated and I didn't need to make all these decisions.

Some days I yearn for my youth. Most days I ache for it.

Life was a lot easier then. I just never knew it at the time...