Small Miracles

I've just finished reading a book called "Small Miracles of Love & Friendship". It's an awesome read about remarkable coincidences and simple acts of friendship that have changed people's lives.

At the end of many of the personal stories are comments which are really nuggets of wisdom and inspiration.

"God's messengers are often difficult to recognize, but their message is unmistakably clear."

"When friends share their most precious treasures, the universe responds with some of its own."

"A lifetime of waiting seems a small price for a love that is truly eternal."

"Like magnets we are drawn to people and places that will complete us in some special way."

It really is an easy read that leaves you in awe of life, love, friendship and magical connections between strangers. I highly recommend this series.

Carl Barron

"who is she, it's an all boys school?!"

I was watching a Carl Barron DVD last night. Man that dude is one killer stand up comedian!

If you break it down, Carl has the rare ability to make you laugh through
* has accents
* his mannerisms
* his movements
* his observational humour

Oh, he also plays the piano on stage. :) If you get a chance, see him live. Otherwise, you MUST watch his DVDs!

"48 Shades of Brown" by Nick Earls (an extract)

We sit on the edge of the bed, and seem to be clambering around, ending up in a position where I'm lying on my back and she's on top of me. The whole weight of her on top of me, moving around on top of me, her hands all over me. Her skirt rides up her thighs and I can feel her things under my hand. And in the midst of being amazed, of thinking this might be the best moment in my whole short life, I wonder if I'm ready for it.

It's happened so quickly, jumped from talking to this. She's such a uni woman really, when it gets down to it. If we weren't dressed we'd be having sex already, the way things seem to be moving. And I think I like her, but Naomi keeps coming into my mind and that makes a mess of things. I think I like Imogen, but I'm not sure about this, and she is just so drunk.

But it's worse than that. She knows what she's doing and I know nothing. I don't want to look like an idiot now. The biol book flashes into my mind, and I don't know what I want. And she's a biped, goddamn it. Do I have to back off until she omits her left leg? That's just about all I know, almost the whole extent of it. That and a few twelve-inch-Paddle-Pop-sucking porn pictures - nothing that tells me how this goes. Nothing that tells me how to hide the fact that I've never done any of this before.

She might have to take the lead here. And, after watching her with the door knob, I figure there's a real chance one of us could get hurt. Naomi, it'd be fine with Naomi, slow with Naomi. I bet it would.

She lifts her body from me, kneels over me with her hands on my chest. Light comes in the window, cast from a streetlight in the shape of the panes of glass, onto her chest and her face.

She pulls her top off over her head and the light glows on her skin, making her black bra look even blacker, as though even I believe, for a moment, in shades of black. There's a pause, and we look at each other. I reach out to her, put my hand on her, but just on her stomach, nowhere it hasn't been invited.

There's something you should know, she says, and then looks surprised.

A muscular wave convulses through her, I can feel it under my hand, and all I can do before she hurls vomit at me is turn my head.

And this is another totally new experience. It hits with a warm splatter, throws itself across the side of my head, and there's no getting away. It blocks my ear, sticks up my eye, slides down my neck, all in a long, slow fraction of a second. I would feel better if I screamed, I think, but I try not to even breathe in case I suck some of it in.

Oh my god, she says. Oh my god.

And I think she might be going to cry, but another vomiting wave hits her and she bends down beside me and throws up next to my pillow. I slide out from under her and I wipe my head on my doona cover, but the stink of vomit is all about me and I'm only just holding back myself. I try very hard to think of something else. As if that's possible when someone's just vomited on your head.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nick Earls is a qualified medical doctor from Brisbane. I've met him once at a reading. 48 Shades of Brown is one of the many great (and funny) books he's written. He autographed my copy with the inscription "may you never find dirt in your pesto" :) At least that's what I think he wrote (doctor's handwriting and all...)

5 Uses For A Girlfriend

1. Girlfriends are good for cuddles in general and especially when you need sympathy. Also for the occasional BJ (Blonde Joke)

2. Girlfriends are good for doing the whole crappy family stuff with/for you.

3. Girlfriends are good for regular SEX (Saliva EXchange - great to kiss)

4. Girlfriends are a good excuse for not having to spend the afternoon with the boys when they're doing something you don't wanna do.

5. Girlfriends are good for helping to spend your money when you accumulate too much of it in the bank and need to spend some.

Yep ladies, I'm pretty sure that's 5 things more than the uses you get out of boyfriends.

So... wanna be my girlfriend? :) *double blink*

Crisis of Faith

As you know I've been working away in Brisbane and haven't been so regular with going to church and stuff. I try to be good though. I went on Sunday morning for the first time in a few months. The priest was talking about the family structure in his homily. It was the Feast of the Holy Family that day and the readings were about honouring one's parents and recognising that the Christian family is essentially a "domestic church". It's where we first learn about religion. The story was read about how Jesus stayed behind in the synagogue when he was 12 and was found three days later talking to the doctors and people who were astounded at his intelligence. The priest mentioned the Holy family unit consisting of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.

The emphasis was placed on the family structure which consisted of a mother and a father and a child. A male and female union making up the parents. The topic of homosexuality was brought up. The priest said it may now be recognised in a civil court but that doesn't mean it's right in the eyes of God. Same thing with abortion. "Life exists from the moment of conception." Two very touchy subjects these days.

While I generally agree with that view on paper (it's my religion) I acknowledge that life is a little bit more complicated than that. If people weren't so liberal now, others may be forced into conformance. But this is 2009. We should be focused on bringing people back to the church. Unfortunately, we still seem to be in damage control from too much freedom in the 60s. When I heard his words as he spoke them, it made me feel uneasy. It got me thinking: how many people really believe what he is saying? Everyone in congregation did not seem to be looking at the priest (although i was sitting in the back so couldn't really tell).

I know it's his job to teach these things, and we're all there in the church by choice, so why do we feel uneasy inside when this is mentioned? It's a sensitive topic for most people. Do we feel uneasy because we now consider it as discrimination? It's basically making everyone that is gay or anyone that has had an abortion feel like an outcast. Do we feel uneasy because, deep down, we know that the priest is right and traditionally, this is how things should be? It's not the way it is now, but everything and everyone is more liberal now, rightly or wrongly. I know people who are guy and I know people who have had abortions. Both groups are represented in my circle of friends. While they may not be lifestyle choices I would make, I consider myself pretty tolerant of people of other beliefs. (Yes, including atheism, also represented in my circle of offline and online friends).

Crisis of faith anyone?

Connections

It doesn't matter whether you're in a local pub, in a different state or on holidays in Europe. The experiences you have and the memories you make are completely different depending on whether you're with family or friends or by yourself. Being anywhere on your own, in a social environment, is not fun at all.

Sitting in a buzzing cafe on a table on your own is pretty boring even though you are surrounded with people. You feel out of place and usually reluctant to approach people who are there with others. What do you do? Sit and people watch. That's good for about 10 minutes. We often tell other people to just get out and have fun even if it is by yourself, but if you're on your own, it is that much harder to have fun. However, it also depends on your personality and how much you socialise with people generally.

How many times have we been out with family or a particular group of friends and thought that it might have been boring? How many times have we secretly stared at the loner at a distant table, felt pity for them yet done nothing? Connections are extremely important and everybody wants to connect with other people, have fun, feel important and... fit in.

Next time we have negative thoughts we should count our blessings that we do have family and/or friends. Some people have neither. I had a friend in primary school who would take it upon himself to befriend any new person that came to the school. I really admired that.

Connect with me on twitter: @marcofratelli

Oasis Apartments, Brisbane - Review

One of the places I've stayed at in Brisbane was the Oasis Apartments in Auchenflower. We heard great things about it from the people staying there from work. It has a more spacious setting than nearby places, such as the Chasely Apartments next door, as well as a gym and a pool.

Other places service your room daily and replace the soap, toilet paper, tissues, towels etc. The Oasis changes towels weekly (to be confirmed) but you have to buy your own tissues, dunny rolls, washing detergent etc. So it can actually cost you more staying here.

One other feature that is free in other places - the internet. In the Oasis this costs $20 per week. But a word of caution. I prepaid a month's worth of internet on the assumption that a) the service works and b) there is customer support to help out in such a fancy place like this. They give you a username and password; you have to activate it within 24 hrs or lose your money. What they don't realise is in some rooms you only get secured networks and you need a WPA/WEP code to access it before you can even get to the login page. The reception staff refuse to acknowledge the problem and as it stands, I look like I'm going to lose my $80.

Customer service is not their strong point. One lady at reception has an attitude problem, the other is more customer friendly but appears to be lower on the food chain behind the counter. I've had so much grief over this internet fiasco that it has gotten to the stage where I am blogging about it.

All in all though, the Oasis Apartments themselves are comfortable and the kitchen facilities are clean. I wouldn't cook in the Chasely Apartments, it was cramped and the kettle was iffy. There is a balcony with a table and chairs so you can enjoy the evening breeze and it is walking distance to Park Road where you will find a lot of nice eateries during the day and at night. If they changed staff at the front desk, they'd go a long way. That's probably my main gripe with this place so far.

Oh, and they have just standard analog TV channels, no digital, no Foxtel. The Chasley is serviced more frequently, has free internet and has Foxtel (by comparison). =)