Wednesday 29 December 2004

More info on my life next year!

Have a school now! In Linz, which is the closest city, looks cool, this site is in German, but there are some pictures and stuff! Borg Linz School My family has two Erikas, ones a daughter and the other's the mother... that could get confusing! They live in a beautiful rural part of Upper Austria in a house for two families with a big garden. There are about 100 detached houses around the Makulas house, 2 farms... The town, St. Martin im Muelkreis is about 5 km away from their house.

My host parents are 50, Judo-trainer and 48, gardener and I have 3 actual siblings, a brother in law, and a host-niece! They have "canins", cats, fish, ducks and hens, and are into Judo, "byking" and photography!

Ohhhh... It's so exciting!!!

Tuesday 28 December 2004

Please pray

Please pray for all the victims of the tidal wave. For the families of those lost. For the survivors. For the aid workers. If it means nothing to you, do it anyway. Please pray.

28400 people are known to have died. Pray the world leaders do not find it necessary to blame anyone, and that this may be deemed more important than killing more people in the Middle East.

I think I see too many movies...

Phantom of the Opera yesterday, The Incredibles today.... Both were really good, and entertaining! Phantom was really really cool, but I'd heard slightly disappointed reviews, so went in with very few expectations... so ignore my comment that it is great!!! Incredibles is also very good, quite funny at times, especially Elastowoman's stretching skills.....

Both fantastic and worth seeing!

Good luck to all those working at the moment, in the post-Christmas sales, don't get too upset, just remember you were one of those squabbling, rumaging ferrets once upon a time... well maybe not a ferret, but you know what I mean!!!

Monday 27 December 2004

Coolest movie ever!

My brother gave me the original Italian Job for christmas, that is definately my new favourite movie! It's SO funny... ultimate ending too... WAY better than the remake! See it, it's brilliant! If you get the chance, also watch the deleted scene on the dvd! Minis and police cars waltzing.....!!!

Anyway, had a good christmas, hope you all did too...!!! Just had to share my excitement at finally having a favourite movie!

Saturday 25 December 2004

Christmas....

Here's an interesting poem I heard parts of last night at the fantastic service of Midnight Mass at All Saints. I would attach the whole thing, but it's a bit long and would look daunting! Worth reading however, only takes a moment! Please do read it, and think about what it says...
Merry Christmas everyone...!!

Last night's service was wonderful. It has got to be the service I look forward to the most all year, with all the bells and smells. I don't know how the "christmas attenders" would find it, but personally I get a little sick of making ALL church services non-Christian friendly, and this is one that really gets into the whole drama of the Christmas story. Whereas other services make me think, "hey, a boy was born in a stable... yippee..." this one makes me really think about the significance of the greatest birth in the history of the world, why would people dress up, use so much ceremony (song, incense, candles) for an insignificant birth? That would just be silly!

Anyway, I had a lot of fun being a sheepy at the kids service, even if I did look more like a panda disguised as a sheep...! Had a good Christmas eve, and now waiting for the rellies to come for pressie opening, lunch and then a bludgey afternoon watching whatever movies people get, and reading new books, eating all Dad's choc peanuts (someone has to get them for him - otherwise lots of disappointment...!!)

So blah blah blah... now it's raining, good weather for those people who have traditional games of cricket etc in the afternoon....

Enjoy your christmas, and think about why ew have Christmas. If it's all just a myth, why is it (probably) the biggest celebration in the year - why all the fuss over a fairytale?

Btw, did you know there is more proof for the existence of Jesus, than there is of Julius Caesar?

Merry Christmas! Read that poem....! Also, see the Christmas story made from Lego:
Have a Happy Christmas, and a Merry New Year!

Imo

Wednesday 22 December 2004

Aww....

... my niece, and sister, and brother-in-law are down at the moment, and Rose (my niece) learnt to drink using a straw tonight! It was very funny - she thought she had to clap everytime after drinking because we clapped a couple of times.... so cute!


Tuesday 21 December 2004

Well, the marks are in...

... and I'm not too unhappy with my results really! A tertiary entrance rank of 91 is quite reasonable I think (although some of my friends are WAY too smart for their own good....) especially to get into arts....!!

My highest subject was English Studies, with 20.1 points... so that gives an idea of my low marking subjects, but i got EAs for English and Ancient Civs, and HAs for MATHS (yes, that's right!) and Performance, which is what I went into the exam with, so I'm quite happy really!

Anyway, must be off to wait for the letter saying my maths results is a mistake!

Monday 13 December 2004

Some info!

St Martins im Mühlkreis, Austria

You may not care that much, but here's a site with some pretty pictures and a map and some info my home for next year! I'll stick it in the links column too, but just so you know it exists!

There's another link there with a map, the big green line is the border, so you can see I'm quite close to Germany and the Czech Republic. I could be thinking in terms of 'it only takes a day to ride around Tassie. It's so small on the map" though.....

The place is just about on the Danube River (that'll get the Blue Danube stuck in your head... haahaa!)

My family!

I've just been jabbed and checked for the plague, rabies, had blood tests (from both arms... oohhh!) for various hepatituses, and here's a very funny letter about my family. I love this kind of english, but it makes me wonder how terrible my letter in german must have seemed to them! I'm leaving between the 24-26th Feb, so dunno when I'll be back, maybe I'll get a christmas over there, that would be fantastic!

"The family has five kids. Two of them live outside.
2 female and 1 male kid live at home. The older girl already has a kid herself, and there's a younger giirl who is 15 and the boy living at home is 17.

The entire family is very sportive and they are often around when Judo competitions are taking place somewhere in Austria. Since Imogen is so sportive she probably would like to take part, there's also gyms taking place without thiese Judo fights in training camps. (So sportive? Eeek! What impression did I give!)

Her local rep will be Magdelena Danner who's been an exchange student herself (she's very nice!!) and her boy-friend is engaged with church activites in youth groups - so Imogen can also get involved with that - which is brilliant, since she's doing that in Oz too."

Well, there you go, that's a bit about my family, about to hunt for some idea of where the place is, haven't been given an email address, but hopefully they will have internet....

Friday 10 December 2004

I've found out where I'm going!

Next year I'll be in St Martin in Muehlkreis, Upper Austria! We think that's between the Czech Republic and Germany, sort of in the corner of Austria... In the Muehlvieltel... If anyone can be more specific than that, please tell me - I'm going to google it in a minute!

Anyway, my family has 5 kids, although only 3 three live at home, and they're all really sporty apparently, into judo (eeek!) Don't know much more than that at the moment, but should be getting more info next week... Have an orientation day about the trip tomorrow too... It's all getting a bit scary really - having the location makes it so much more real! Dates should come soon too....

One of the best bits, a real answer to prayer, is that my local co-ordinator in Austria (person I go to with issues basically!) has a boyfriend who is really involved with the local church and youth group! Yipee!

Well, must be off, the duty of organising youth group tonight has been delegated to me (thankyou spanna, just when I've gone into a mental blank of outside games! Spose its my own fault....) so must go and do some brain strain and think of things other than how beautiful the weather is....

Wednesday 1 December 2004

Funny but terrible puns!

1. Two vultures board an airplane, each carrying two dead raccoons. The stewardess looks at them and says, "I'm sorry, gentlemen, only one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two boll weevils grew up in South Carolina. One went to Hollywood and became a famous actor. The other stayed behind in the cotton fields and never amounted to much. The second one, naturally, became known as the lesser of two weevils.

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, but when they lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it, too.

4. A three-legged dog walks into a saloon in the Old West. He slides up to the bar and announces: "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal?
He wanted to transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.
"But why?" they asked, as they moved off.
"Because," he said, "I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. These friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not. He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, proving that Hugh, and only Hugh, can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him.... what? (Oh, man, this is so bad - it's good!)
A super callused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was a guy who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. Unfortunately, no pun in ten did.

Sunday 28 November 2004

Ahhh....

....holidays! Now I can REALLY make this look pretty! Anyway, exams, school blah blah blah is all over YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saw Mean Girls last night, interesting version of the usual chick flick, going against the 'plastics' to break them down instead of promoting them as in most American movies. Very funny at times too! Worth seeing if you're in the mood for that kind of movie...!

Friday 26 November 2004

It's my birthday!

Yay! I'm a big grown up person now... that's scary... i can just tell the wrinkles are forming already...

Well, mixed day, my birthday so YAY! But the final Adam and Will so that's a bit sad, but the next people aren't going to be too bad so that's ok, YAY! have an exam, bit sad, but final exam then finished for ever and everish YAY!

Must go back to 'studying ' now however, although don't really like my chances of being able to learn anything now...

Taaraa!

Imo

Wednesday 17 November 2004

Hello! Guten Tag!

Well, I think I've finally stoppped mucking about with the look, although i still don't like it, but can put up with it for awhile!

Good luck with your exams everyone who has them, and iif you don't... nasty person is all I can say!

Hooroo!

Imo

Monday 15 November 2004

YO everyone!

This is so that next year I don't have to email if theres any little news - i can just write it here, and you can check it every few weeks/days/months or whatever!

Cheers, more later, tellm e what you think of the look - its a work in progress!

Imo

Yo Em!

Well, you're the only person with teh address for this so far.... but here's a post... wahoo!