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| ants |
| 09.30.03 (10:47 pm) [edit] |
Do ants think other stuff's small?
BECAUSE it's like we think they're tiny and stuff...i was just wondering if they think other stuff's tiny....
The mind boggles
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| hmmm |
| 09.30.03 (10:46 pm) [edit] |
I slept til like...12pm today after goin to sleep around 3am...
Tired....
Got nothing planned for this weekend at all...
Goin' to Anto/Michi's place for the footy grand final....might go down earlier and catch some scenic views...no idea...
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| surprising relevation |
| 09.30.03 (7:57 am) [edit] |
Rainbows taste like skittles!
Did anyone know that?
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| jst a stoopid ramble |
| 09.30.03 (7:50 am) [edit] |
I haven't written for ages.
The net's finally back.
It's been fucked for like a week!
I'm sooo happy that its back.
I don't know what to say really...
Maybe I should tell you about my week in boring detail...
What day's it?
Ah yes, it's Tuesday...well as of 12 mins ago, Wednesday and the last time I wrote in here was... 2 weeks ago...Friday..on the 19th..
Well, that Saturday was pretty good at Bel's party...I had heaps of fun, it was really good catching up with everyone else!
Everyone looked gorgeous!!!!
I slept over Rachs and seriously, within 15 mins of arrving, i was fast asleep...the next day, rach, maz and I all went to parra park for the picnic thing...we stayed 15 mins...then went to macca's to get something to eat...on the way back, we kinda got in an accident so yeah, we didn't really go back...
We dropped Maz home and walked back to Rach's then went to Kara's to check out the fotos from Bels party- there were some unreal ones...
I'll post the site where i put the fotos up here later....
Came home...
Monday- had tafe....
I can't really remember much..only the basics I guess....
I'm actually playing Yahoo Pool right now and I feel sorry for the guy Im playing against because I get so caught up writing in this that I forget that he's there....oops!
he thinks that playin' him is boring so thats why im writing in here but i started writing in here way before i started playin pool....
he's way better than i am at pool so..meh, he can go and win!!!
Tuesday- I had TAFE and omg, I was fuming afterwards.....god, i was so annoyed....
Stoopid Marleen or Marlene or whatever....shes so extremely bossy and her husband...such a old perv...
Barbara is pretty bossy too...I got quite irriated wth her when we were ding group work...
Barry was freaky again...
The only person I actually like in the class is Stanley- Barbara's husband...
God- I feel so annoyed...
Wednesday- had tafe again and had my doctor's appointment....was not good news...not sure if i feel comfortable posting about it on here yet....
Thursday....i was mopin' n stuff at home...lol..it was pathetic...!!!
Friday- had tafe...it was the last day!!!! yay! we had this really nice morning tea...there was only about ten of us..it was really nice actually...just chattin' a bit...
Sat- went to Manly with Rach and Maz....we were sposed to go to this surf carnival thing but we didn't find out til we arrived that it'd got cancelled....
Rach drove me home and showered at my house then went to a party at Bel's place. 5 mins after she left, I fell asleep...I was fucked as...
Sunday...hmmm....woke up around 5am...had a pretty lazy day...
Monday- went to parra....hayley(sis) watched this movie..it was some council schoolholidays program movie thing...Rach and I hung out Level 1 @ westfield..
we were jst chillin, then hayley had lunch then we went to north rocks....met up wif maz on her break....
Tues- went formal dress shoppin @ parra for kylie...
when she couldnt find a dress- she got really grumpy and walked off and stuff...nightmare but she finally found a dress!!! YAY!!!
I got three skirts...
1. 3/4 cargo skirt
2. 3/4 denim skirt
3. this black skirt
and this men's bonds singlet...its sooo comfortable
the skirts were only 20 bucks each!!!!
I hav to find a red and a pink top..to go with 2 skirts i already have....
auggh!!!
Wednesday- thats right now....since half a hr ago actually.. and i dont know what iv got planned for today......
gonna stop writin' and gonna concentrate on the pool game
see ya!!
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| nothing to say....ideas plz!! |
| 09.19.03 (4:27 am) [edit] |
alrighty, today's friday and i don't have much to say
i should be cleaning my room and packing my bag for my overnight stay at rach's....we're going to bel's 21st...in campelltown..shoul;d be fun..its a fancy dress partty and im goin as a peasant..omg my typing is so bad today...i mean, im not even looking at the sacreen andf my fingers are flying over the keybopard at a strange sppedd...
aaaah, we've got to think for a rpesent for bel...we still havent gotten one..its so hard because we're not close buddies or anything...but i still think it'll be hard even if u were...because a 21st..is like...
ah....what to talk about today...
im fucked....dont even kno what to talk about!
ideas plz!!
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| My Opinions on Abortion - by Carmel, Terrifichick |
| 09.15.03 (8:09 pm) [edit] |
My Opinions on Abortion
by Carmel, Terrifichick
Did you know that one million women become pregnant every day around the world? One fifth of those women will have an abortion.
The current law in the UK - excluding Northern Ireland - is that two doctors must agree to the abortion, which may take place up to 24 weeks into the pregnancy if they think that continuing the pregnancy will be a risk to the mother's physical or mental health. The 24-week limit doesn't apply if the mother's life is at risk, or if there's a chance that the mother will be permanently injured (physically or mentally), or if it's likely that the child will have a serious disability.
Abortion isn't just a solution to unprotected sex (if you can call it a 'solution') -- it's more a final resort. Many women who have abortions were using contraception beforehand since no contraceptive is 100% effective.
A woman may want an abortion if:
she's too young or too old
she's single with financial or emotional problems
she has a large family already
she has marital problems
she has a serious disease which would be made worse by pregnancy
she has a hereditary disease in her family
Some people believe abortion is wrong, and may even want abortion to be made illegal. These people are said to be pro-life. Personally, I am pro-choice, which means that I believe that a woman should be allowed to make her own decision. It's her baby, and she's the one who will have to carry the baby in her body for nine months, then go through labour - and then have to care of the child.
However, some people who are pro-life say that abortion is murder. I don't think it is, because the fetus is not capable of independent life. I feel that it is a potential life, not an actual life, and therefore it can't be murdered.
Everyone has a different view. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that abortion is completely unacceptable, since it believes that a soul enters a body at conception. Abortion isn't a black and white subject - there are a lot of grey areas, depending on personal religion and opinion.
But what about adoption? Some may say that if a woman doesn't want a child, shouldn't she give someone else the chance of being a parent? Unfortunately, I don't feel that it's as simple as that. For a woman who can't safely give birth, adoption is not an option, and for a mother with a large family, or for a teenage girl, pregnancy is just difficult. They will lose nine months of their life. Once a woman has had an abortion, she can begin to return to a normal lifestyle much more quickly. Of course, a woman who does choose adoption, the outcome can be very positive.
In the case of rape, it's even harder for the mother to recover stability in her life. If a woman has been raped, is it likely that she would want to have a reminder of the event inside her for nine months, let alone raise the child? Although each individual reacts differently, surely it's understandable why a raped woman would want an abortion.
It'd be even worse if abortion was made entirely illegal, because women may be forced to have secret, "back-street" abortions, which can be very dangerous.
Another problem a woman may face is if the father objects to the abortion. Legally he can't do anything - should he be able to? For me, this is a tough question. My first thought is that since it's the woman's body that she should be the only one to decide, but this seems so unfair to the man, doesn't it?
So should a woman bring an unwanted child into the world? If a child is unwanted, it might suffer either by being resented by its mother, or, in the very worst case, abused. But the most important question to think about is not, 'Is abortion right?', but instead, 'Should a woman be denied the choice of having an abortion?.'
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| bein' sick....*cries* |
| 09.15.03 (7:56 pm) [edit] |
I am ill-equipped with a swollen throat, weakness, nausea, migraines on a regular basis, sore muscles, vomiting, dizziness, a bad cough....yeah,
really healthy!!! when i yawn, my throat closes up...and i end up not being able to breathe....its horrible..i wanna whinge all day!
I have a blood test tomorrow...augghhh
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| abortion |
| 09.15.03 (7:53 pm) [edit] |
jst came from a forum where there was discussion ab abortion...thought i'd copy + paste some opinions...
Calie: Abortion is and always will be a controversial issue. There are many people who are for it because they believe that the woman should be entitled to their rights on their body because they are the ones who are carrying the baby to full term. However, some people believe that abortion is classified as murder. They believe that the foetus should be considered a human beinging and therefore abortion should be classified as murder.
However, like I stated before, abortion is a controverisal issue because there are several situations we have to take in consideration before putting our foots down and making up our minds about abortion all together. In several states, abortion is classifed as illegal, however the law provides an exemption in several cases by allowing legal abortions to take place ONLY if the mother or the baby itself is under health risk. By taking this in consideration, I believe that it is right to allow for this exemption to take place because there will always be a situation where an abortion is completely necessary.
How would you like it if one day, yourself or your signifcant other was suffering to the point where their well being was at high risk and the doctor said that if you don't get an abortion you will die. Now, if I put myself in that situation, I can't carry my child into this world knowing that I wouldn't be there to see it grow, to laugh and to cry, to experience little things.
The same thing can be said as to cases where rape occurred and the woman became pregnant in result of the rape. The woman's mental state must be taken in consideration. Imagine what that women goes through every day. Imagine what she must think about herself as well as the pain, the disgust and the sadness she must feel. Then imagine the woman carrying the baby to full term, knowing that its daddy raped her. What would she say to the child when it gets old enough to ask "where's my daddy?" and to hear the women reply "Your daddy's in jail because he raped me" or something similar.
Now, some people might say "I am a baby killer", some might say "Good on you for saying that". You can't always please everyone because everyone has totally different opinions on how abortion is percieved to be. But to me, abortion should not be simply ignored. Who knows, someone you know, your daughter, your loved one, or even you may need it one day.
???: For many many years, yes we have to say, abortions have been a controversional subjects, espeically where it concerns people with religious beliefs.
As previously outlined beautifully, people will react differently under different circumstances, for example unplanned pregnancies among teenagers and young people or rape victims.
I dont have a problem with young people having children, but personally, there's no way i'm mature or resposible enough to bear a child at time soon or the near future.
And in the event of that happening, I'd abort. Partly for financial reasons, I'd rather be more financially stable and able to pay for things rather scraping from each paycheck to another, and partly I'm not ready.
I know alot of peopel who have had their children early, one being at the age of 18. From their description of child rearing, really does put me off with the word "responsibilities", which probably explains my personality.
Me: Great responses above.
I think that it's up to the person whether they want an abortion or not.
They might not be financially, emotionally or mentally ready?
I'd personally get an abortion right now if I was discovered to be pregnant because I've got so much going for me- the last thing I need is a baby.
I'd love a baby- I say so all the time but only if I can give it back at the end of the day. I think it takes a mature person to decide that they want an abortion. They know that they'll go through the pain and heartache but know it's for the best although there are a few exceptions that are basically....stupid.
Abortion should be of choice.
I depise the new legislation thats tryin' to stop people having abortions....don't we have enough people in Australia? lol..
But yeah...*shrugs*
Hmmm...what are YOUR opinions?
Theres a comment box...make use of it :)
I'm gonna discuss this again another time...
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| The mother-daughter speeches that pissed me off... |
| 09.11.03 (5:35 am) [edit] |
[b]There was a hearing expo a few weeks ago where a mother-daugter duo spoke about their 'experiences' with the Shepherd Centre. Personally, I hate the Shepherd Centre. They stick up posters all over town saying 'give a deaf child a voice' or some shit like that...Hello!? We have voices.... some mightn't use it properly! You shoulda said "help them proucounce their words right" or something...goddamn... and selling pens?! god...sending people to fiji goddamn![/b]
[b]The speeches I'm about to post....
You may like them or may not.
I didn't like them and I don't give a fuck if you do or not.
I was there- I saw the goddamn body language and It goddamned pissed me off bigtime. All that smirking and hair flipping....Argh![/b]
The mothers speech
DEAFNESS AWARENESS WEEK 2003.
Bronwy Carabez
•Hello my name is Bronwyn Carabez I am the mother of three children. Virginia , Anneliese and Oskar. My oldest daughter , Virginia is deaf.
•When I was young I had a great fear of deafness as my sister in law had a sister who had a profound hearing loss and many other health problems as a result of German measles during pregnancy. She passed away of health complications at the age of 28
.•I naively thought that German measles were the only cause of deafness.
•When my husband and I decided to start a family I went to have my rubella level checked in my blood. On getting the results I happily announced to my husband that we could try for a baby and AT LEAST WE KNOW THAT IT WONT BE DEAF. THIS WAS MY GREATEST FEAR.
•These are very ironic words. It is amazing how we are sometimes sent our biggest fear in life to challenge us and for us to conquer and rise above it. This has directed my path for the rest of my life and now I am able to help other people in my own small way from my own strength and experience.
•Virginia was born healthy and VERY alert. Her eyes were taking everything in from the moment she came out and I knew that she was special.
•There were tell tale signs that we did not pick up on right from the first days of her life. The first few nights of her life the nurses would try to keep her in the nursery so that I could get some sleep. She would not settle. The technique used and never failed was for the baby to be placed next to a tap with running water. This did not appease my baby. (I never realised that she simply could not hear it).
•My instincts began to tell me that around 12 months something was not right. I could not put my finger on it but something just didn’t fit.
•We bought Virginia a toy telephone that you would wind up and hold a button down and it would make a loud ringing noise. She would ring this over and over again and just watch it mesmerised. ( this was one noise that she could hear)
•Our television would turn on with the sound first and the picture taking time to warm up. She would press her ear against it until the picture came on
•If a person was covering their mouth when they were talking she would walk over to them and move their hand so that she could lip read them
•All of these things with hind sight are painfully obvious but to new parents we honestly had no clue what so ever that she was deaf
•Being very cleaver and not being able to hear made her incredibly naughty. I could not understand how a little girl so young could be so disobedient. All the other children would follow their mother’s directions but Virginia would always be off in a different direction.
•I started to ask the local doctor the check her hearing……..and the baby health centre nurse ……….and the paeditrian……….etc etc. they all responded much the same way……that I was an over anxious and inexperienced mother and that all was ok.
•I started to think that Virginia had glue ear and started talking directly into her ear so that she could hear me. I used to tell her that mummy was going to help her to hear and it would all be all right.
•When Virginia was 2 I fell pregnant with my second daughter Anneliese.
•When Anneliese was a few weeks old I was visiting my sister in the Blue Mountains. She worked for a wonderful doctor that I trusted a lot. By this time I had seen 7 different doctors with much the same response. I asked her to arrange and appointment for me with her doctor and if he told me I was mad I would finally accept it.
•He said to me that she talks very loud (the frustrating thing to me now is that she had a very distinctive deaf sounding voice with all of her speech coming from her throat) and that the only place he knew for hearing tests was a clinic at Penrith. I told him that I would drive to Bourke if I had to.
•She had picked up a limited amount of speech mainly because I had spent a lot of time yelling at her in absolute frustration.
•We went for the hearing test and I could see that she did not hear most of the sounds that I could easily hear. At the end of the test the audiologist told me that Virginia had a permanent moderate to severe hearing loss and would have to wear 2 hearing aids for the rest of her life. I NEVER, EVEN FOR A HEARTBEAT EVER CONSIDERED THAT MY BABY COULD BE DEAF IT TRULY NEVER ENTERED MY MIND. After all I had check all that before she was even conceived. I had so much to learn!!!
•The whole room closed in on me and all I remember was this very kind woman doing the worst aspect of her job and breaking the news that no parent wants to hear, to me and she said to me IT IS OK, YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT FOR HER ANY MORE, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WILL HELP YOU THROUGH THIS NOW.
•We were sent for hearing aids at AHS
•My husband and I went straight to the local library and found a book on hearing and ears and read and learnt as much as we could so that we could make educated decisions for our daughter.
•THAT WAS THE BLACKEST PERIOD OF MY LIFE . I GREIVED FOR HER HEARING FOR YEARS. It just was not fair that my beautiful perfect child should have to struggle for anything. We wanted to give her the world but we could not give her hearing. This eased over the years to the point of where I now celebrate who she is and would not change ONE thing about her…….not even her deafness. It is very much part of the wonderful human creature that she is.
•The day that Virginia received her hearing aids will be one of the highlights of my life. She would not talk for a while. She was just looking around and taking it all in.
•She flushed the toilet and just stared at it in amazement. She had no idea of the flushing sound.
•My husband took her to the local shops to buy some milk and it started raining. She looked at Jeff and said DADDY THE RAIN MAKES A NOISE. To this day , this still brings a tear to his eye. IT WAS AN AMAZING DAY.
•The new part of our life was that we became public property. We had calls from the children’s hospital social worker, the education department you name it. Every one trying to help but a very confusing and invasive time.
•I had a meeting with the education dept (the man still remembers me I gave him such a hard time) and they wanted to send her to a school for handicapped children. I will not repeat what I said to that man in this forum but he got the picture that Virginia was not going there. A very lovely older teacher was sitting in on that meeting and had spent an hour listening to our conversation and playing with Virginia. As I was marching out she followed me
• She said MRS CARABEZ I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID IN THERE AND THINK THAT YOU SHOULD CALL THE SHEPHERD CENTRE I THINK THEY WILL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU
•This very fateful suggestion has changed the course of our lives.
•I was met by an angel by the name of Anne Fulcher. I had been on a very long. Sad and tiring journey and I felt like I couldn’t fight any more. Anne took me by the hand and said that from now on they would help me to teach my daughter to speak and listen. At last I felt like someone was going to look after us and treat Virginia as a very normal little girl who just happen to have a hearing loss.
•We had a very busy and exciting life at the Shepherd Centre.
•Every day was filled with lessons, Pre School, doctor’s appointments, speech therapy. And because she is so very beautiful she was the pin up girl for the centre so we often had media and publicity engagements for the centre as well.
•These people became my family. They taught me to help my daughter, they taught her how to speak and how to listen and use her hearing aids.they taught me to rejoice in the person that she was and not mourn for the hearing that she had never had.
•It was really hard to graduate from the Shepherd Centre because I felt like they were my strength and I was very insecure about facing Virginia’s educations alone without them.
•I had had so much hands on with her education that I really wanted her to go to the right school. Her speech was pretty much perfect and she was to go to a local primary school. Our local school had a railway line running past the fence so that was going to be too noisy for her. The next school we thought of was next to Oatley park very quiet…..
•I had a meeting with the principal to interview him (I think he thought I he was interviewing me but had it all wrong…not just any one was going to get my daughter. If I had to hand her over I had to feel like she was getting better than I could offer her) I said in front of my little 5 year old.”so she hears ok but talks funny does she?”. My prompt response was no Mr Sheen she is actually used as a language role model at her normal hearing preschool. But I think that you and I are wasting each others time
•The next school we visited was Oatley Public . it just felt right from the minute we walked in. the principal ( who is still a dear friend of mine to this day) sat with us and said that she could see that Virginia was a very bright little girl and they would do whatever they had to accommodate her. That is all I needed to hear
•Virginia had a lovely life at oatley public. High marks all the way through. She always came either 1st or 2nd in the class and had many , many friends. She has never been teased about wearing hearing aids as a matter of fact her little friend Tulleah used to nag her mum to buy her radios for her ears like Virginia.
•In year 3 Virginia joined the school band and was quickly promoted to lead flute. We have always been very proud of our girl. If she sets her mind on things she does it.
•In year 6 they had a school musical and Virginia won the lead as Pinocchio.
•There were always times that I used to feel a little sorry for her though. if she was swimming with friends and they wanted to play Marco Polo she always had to cheat so that she could participate.
•Her friends have been crucial for her to get by. They have always made sure that she knows what is going on in class. They have repeated anything that she did not hear in announcements. In loud situations they always stay by her to make sure that she knows what is going on.
•Virginia gained entry into a selective high school. St George Girls High were she is currently in year 10. She has had an intinerant support teacher right through out her school career and will have one through to university. This woman has been a friend and mentor to Virginia and has helped enormously.
•As for me . I am still very much associated with the Shepherd Centre. I have always felt that you cannot take all your life and there comes a time to give back.
•They could not get rid of me as I have a passion for the place. They will always be part of my family. I am on the fundraising committee called the Butterflies and we raise funds to help educate future generations of deaf children. I have recently been appointed to the Programming and Educational Committee as well to add my opinions to things in a more official role in stead of me always putting in my two bobs worth anyway.
•As for my beautiful daughter……you could not meet a prouder mother….I know that she has been put on this earth for great things, deaf and all . She wants to study law at university and I have no doubts that is what she will do. The journey that we have been on together has been amazing…. I have faced my greatest fear in life and totally triumphed over it .. I HAD A DEAF BABY AND SHE IS TOTALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.
THANKYOU.
The daughter's speech
DEAFNESS AWARENESS WEEK – 2003
Virginia Carabez
Hello, my name is Virginia, I am 16 and I have a bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss. I attended the shepherd centre from the time I was three until I was five and ready for school.the shepherd centre works with children who are deaf and their families, helping them to learn to speak and communicate in a fully hearing world.
However, I was not diagnosed with a hearing loss until I was almost 3 years old. My mother sensed something was wrong, and continued to take me to doctors, until the 7th decided she wasn’t neurotic and over anxious. I was then sent for a hearing test, which showed I had a hearing loss of 50 to 70 decibels.
Taking into consideration that my mother was told I was fine, she had decided I was an extremely disobedient child, and she yelled a lot. Due to this incessant yelling, I had a small amount of speech from which I had picked up from her loud voice, and needless to say, my lip reading had developed quite well by then.
I do remember going for the initial hearing test, and leaving the center with my mother in tears, and not having any idea what was going on. Shortly after, I was fitted with hearing aids for the first time and my father took me to the local convenience store to buy some milk and it began to rain. I am still told one of the happiest moments of his life is when I told him “Dadda, the rain makes a noise” as I heard it bouncing of the car roof.
In those preliminary days I would flush the toilet and drag leaves across the ground to listen to the new noises. I broke the toilet flush button.
From that time one, my days seemed to be so very busy. I guess it was normal to me, and I loved it, but my parents often say they feel my childhood was taken from me, and instead of eating dirt and snails with the children around me, my days were filled with lessons, preschool, speech therapy and hearing tests, visits to the ear nose and throat specialist and the pediatrician. Being a flamboyant and slightly egotistical child, I enjoyed the attention from those around me.
As a child, I did a lot of promotional work for the shepherd center; posters, television ads and interviews.
My parents used to talk to me and read me book after book to assist them in teaching me how to speak and learn words I had no known the meaning of before. From that early exposure I have developed a passion for reading; I love nothing more than to sit with a book for hours and hours. I am at any given time reading 6 or so books, it is a way I can absorb information without having to concentrate and listen all the time.
By the time I was ready to start school; my parents had become so protective of my education that they felt they had to literally interview prospective primary schools to see which would be best for me. The first school they took me to, the principal sat me in a chair, and proceeded to say “so she hears ok but speaks funny does she?”
Needless to say, my mother flipped. She stood up, took me by the hand told him we had nothing more to discuss, and we walked out of the building.
After than saga, we settled on Oatley Public School, a mainstream primary school 10 minutes from where we lived. Dad and mum liked the fact the school was keen to have me there and help, but most of all they wanted me to have a teacher who would ensure I had heard all instructions before proceeding with the class.
From my first year in school I had an itinerant teacher called Miss Bennett. I really gave her a hard time because I resented being treated differently to the other students, but by year 6 I decided it was pretty cool to have a teacher unknowingly do my work for me. My friends benefited also. I still have an itinerant teacher who I see once a week for 40 minutes and am great friends with. Often I don’t need help with anything; we have a chat and I miss a period of school, but it is reassuring to know if I am stuck on something she can help out. There are also extra benefits to having an itinerate teacher – for example, she can get her hands onto exams and study materials for me, which will be useful for the up coming school certificate.
I was always a strong kid, and mostly got my way. I was never picked on at school, purely because as I saw it, being deaf was to my advantage, its amazing how many excuses a 10 year old can think of in regards to hearing aids. I got away with murder [mostly because the teachers didn’t know how to approach a deaf kid concerning the manipulation of their situation without appearing to belittle or discriminate in someway] the most common reaction I got out of the other kids at school was curiosity, and the occasional “are they radios?”
I’ve never had, or felt the need to have a problem with being deaf. I’ve never tried to hide it, and am often asked questions because people know they do not offend me. Even now I get friends that won’t say words, and just mouth them, always trying to find a word I can’t lip read, it’s become the local challenge. So far, we’ve found the difference between bi and pi is indistinguishable. It’s funny that lip reading, which is such a normal thing for me is a source of amusement for other people.
My family have always told me to be proud of whom I am, and have constantly reminded me of how perfect in everyway I am. It is to their detriment now, I am quite the megalomaniac, and often have to be reminded that I am NOT always right. Now we discuss technology, and what I would do if there was any possibility of restoring my hearing. I feel I can honestly say that I wouldn’t. Being deaf is a part of me, and has sculpted who I am. If I wasn’t deaf, and hadn’t had the experiences that go with being deaf, and I hadn’t met all those amazing people who have helped me through my life I would be a different person today.
My experiences have not come without a touch of fate. When I was younger, I made acquaintance with a man named Greg Upfold. Greg is an engineer at Australian Hearing, and develops all the new hearing aids for AHS. As a result, I have been on field trials for the latest and greatest in technology that has been wonderful for both myself and AHS, as I am very vocal and meticulous in my likes and dislikes of the aids.
I sailed through primary school without too many issues regarding my hearing, and I joined the school band, and played lead flute in yrs 5 and 6. In year 6 I played the role of Gipetto in the school musical, Pinocchio. My academic achievements in primary school included a high distinction from the University of NSW English Competition, which placed me in the top 1% of 500,000 students, which I received a medal for. I sat for selective high school placement in 1999, and was the recipient of a place at St George Girls High School, which I am currently attending. That placed me in the top 3% of the state academically.
I guess the point I am trying to communicate is my hearing loss has never been a hindrance to my educational ability. In many ways having the support of an itinerant teacher has been of great benefit to me. I have had one on one lessons other children haven’t had, during which I was presented the opportunity to discuss any matters I was having trouble understanding, or to go over a test and discuss any areas I was having problems with.
My mother lost only one fight during the course of my primary years, and that being weather or not I was to wear an FM unit.
In 2001 I was nominated for Young Australian of the year for the Australian Hearing Services, a wonderful girl from Brisbane won the award, but I was fortunate enough to attend an evening ceremony for the awards.
Now I am in yr 10, I study hard; work a casual job at jeans west and try to make time to hang out with my friends. I have my school certificate this year, which I am trying not to worry about, and I know I will forget it when the school exams come out.
I still have a lot to do with the Shepherd Centre, as my mother and I are very dedicated fundraisers through the Butterfly Committee. I often find myself stuffing invitations into envelopes, for functions. It is our pleasure to try and give back a little of the wonderful support and education received by my whole family during our time at the shepherd centre.
It is my ambition, upon matriculating, to study combined criminal/psychology law at Sydney University. I feel all this is very possible and achievable. Thankyou
[b]Goddamn- for some reason..im boiling...really pissed off...
You're probably thinking 'omg, that lucky girl virginia'
She has no right to call herself deaf. No right at all.
She probably only uses the 'deaf' word when it goddamn suits her...like in speeches and shit.
Using the word...'deaf' is not a seasonal thing or like a piece of clothing 'I think i'll wear 'deaf' today' God....
It's a sense of self, a sense of community and a sense of the way you.....god damn..i can't think straight...
Those smarmy snobs..
She's an arrogrant little egostical jerk that flips her hair a lot and looks on life with a scornful look like a fucking snob...her mother is just the fucking same
her mother doesnt know her at all....she says she played picconhci...whatever! but the girl herself says she played Gepetto...make up ur minds!
I
need to chill and in the meantime..i'm gonna look for stuff that people wrote about what bein deaf means to them....goddamn...other people have been as successful or even more....[/b]
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| Quizilla... |
| 09.09.03 (9:18 pm) [edit] |
I decided to go to Quizilla and do some random, stupid quizzes....and ur the lucky person to get to read my results...im home sick 2day so...really bored...
"How old is your inner child" ...I'm apparently... 16 yrs old!!! Thats sooo close to my age, im 17! i guess my inner child is havin' difficulty catchin' up...
"Can you survive an attack by a vampire?" You are likely not going to last long against a vampire. I suggest that you never leave home after the street lights come on. 0% Chance that you will defeat a vampire.
hahaha
"What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)" Lion King! Bahaha... 'you are close to your family and value time spent with the one you love. u r happy with what you got'
Hmmm..
"What is your Vampire name?" Rhiakath is your Vampire name. You are an image of the Vampire Lestat. You love yourself, and rightly so, because you are clever, witty, sexy, and very cunning.
"What kind of kiss are you?" You have an entrancing kiss~ the kind that leaves your partner bedazzled and maybe even feeling he/she is dreaming. Quite effective; the kiss that never lessens and always blows your partner away like the first time.
hahaha
"The ULTIMATE personality test" Protector...there was a whole heap of stuff about it but...meh dont wanna type all..
"Which 80's Song Fits You?" "It's Tricky" (by Run DMC) It's Tricky to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky...it's Tricky (Tricky) Tricky (Tricky) It's Tricky to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that's right on time It's Tricky...Tr tr tr tricky (Tricky) Trrrrrrrrrrricky
"Which Celeb Without Makeup are you? - Girls (INCLUDES GREAT FUNNY PICTURES!)-NEW QUESTIONS ADDED!!!!" Lisa Kudrow
"What would your Japanese name be?" Maki - "Truly Rare"
"Which one of Captain Jack Sparrow's bizarre sayings from Pirates of the Caribbean are you?" You are "Welcome to the Caribbean, love." You're more than a little world-weary, but also intelligent and you keep your head when things get dodgy. You're everybody's favorite drinking buddy, but your stubbornness does get in the way sometimes.
"What feeling do you represent?" You represent... kindness. You're a very gentle, kind, and caring individual. You truely care about people and are generally well-liked. Though sometimes you may be perceived as weak, you truely have a strong heart and a good desire to help others.
"What Kind of Girlfriend Are You?" Perfect- You're the perfect girlfriend. Which means you're rare or that you cheated :P You're the kind of chick that can hang out with your boyfriend's friends and be silly. You don't care about presents or about going to fancy placed. Hell, just hang out. You're just happy being around your boyfriend.
"What Zodiac Sign Are You Attracted To?" You should be dating an Aquarius. 20 January - 18 February Your mate is communicative, thoughtful and caring. Though he/she can be tactless and rude and sometimes self-interested, he/she enjoys the intellectual experience of sex.
"If You Were A Barbie, Which Messed Up Version Would You Be?" You're Exotic Dancer Barbie. You have some moves, and will do anything for a few bucks. Take it off girl, but keep it PG-13 please.
"which happy bunny are you?" you are the cute but psycho happy bunny. You adorable, but a little out there. It's alright, you might not have it all, but there are worse
"What kind of girl are you?" A GAME-BOY. Youre like a tomboy without the love of sports. Reality sucks, but as long as you have your electronics you feel you can cope. Time goes unnoticed when youre locked in your room hooked up to your Nintendo, rocking to your favourite collection of guitar-driven albums. Your virtues: Intelligence, sense-of-humour, individuality. Your flaws: Inability to cope with real life, action-freak spirit, reclusive nature
"What element would you rein over? " Goddess of the Sun and there's no doubt that you have a bright and cheery exterior!
"What Color is Your Heart?" Yellow. Im apparently content with myself.
"What Drink Are You?" Strawberry daquiri. Sweet and fruity, you drink to have fun and love every minute of it!
"What Sign of Affection Are You?" "footsie - you like to goof around and laugh with the people you care about.
"What Disney Princess are you?" You are Aurora from Sleeping Beauty!
im bored of takin' quizzes!
Bye
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| Sigmund Freud....transgenderism...(no, freud wasn't a transgender....) |
| 09.08.03 (7:07 am) [edit] |
I've wondered about that man and especially even more today after we had a guest speaker at TAFE. Her name was Elizabeth Riley. She used to be a man.
She told us a quote...
"When you meet a human being, the first distinction you make is male or female?.... You are accustomed to making the distinction with unhestitanting certainty"
In "Feminity"..Sigmund Freud said that....
I did a lil research and seems that there's a person that makes his/her opinions pretty strong about TG. I'll post some stuff here...
He describes TG as "TG is short for Transgendered. This is the latest umbrella term used to denote people who are "differently gendered" or, literally, "cross-gendered". RuPaul is transgendered. Jaye Davidson from the movie, The Crying Game, is transgendered. Some people would claim that k.d. lang is transgendered.
I can hear you now, saying, "I think I know what you mean, but can you be a bit more precise?" The simple answer is, "No, I cannot."
"Transgendered" is a somewhat eclectic term, and no one person has the copyright. And perhaps it's better that way, because (if you're a student of semiotics), words have a way of taking on a life of their own, and people use precise definitions to exclude other people who want to use that word. I've personally read some wars on the Fido Gender conference and Usenet's alt.transgender conference about whether or not people are "real" transsexuals or "just" transvestites. I hope this doesn't happen with the word "transgendered".
So why do we need a word like "transgendered"? Many TGs would insist that we don't. "Transgendered" is, after all, another label, and those of us who are transgendered need another label like we need another hole in our heads. But there are many reasons why we need an identity. Firstly, because TG-related politics are coming into existence, and frankly, forming vague lobby groups of unlabelled people doesn't work in our label-oriented society. Secondly, because the labels that we have are causing division, and fighting in the community. And finally, because the human mind needs categorizations (this point is wrapped up in a lot of cognitive psychological theory) -- that's the way we think."
If you want to read some more of his/her material
Go to http://www.bcholmes.org/tg/
Transgenderism seems really interesting to me...not that I want to try it...today, i wondered if they felt the same amount of pleasure in sexual intercourse as non-transexuals...
I'll be postin' some quotes from the speaker today once I get my notes organised...she was really open about the whole experience...
It was like an eye-opener..she said even at 40, it felt like u were 5...tryin' makeup and playion' dress ups..she even admitted that she was a failure @ bein' a woman at the start
I didn't even know that you had to go through 2 years of hormonal stuff....and theres a hugh risk of suicide because basically you're neither male or female..you don't have your own identity because you've grown up with one right..and it's like..changing...it's like wow...
I apologise if iv got the info incorrectly.....please feel free to correct me..
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| *shrugs* stuff |
| 09.08.03 (6:36 am) [edit] |
yay- im friends with three people in this thing..although 2 people are the same person....hmmm, and i referred her..i duno if we'll b seein' much of her posts...
and mr marc!
apparently "You are connected to 248 people through 3 friends!" I suppose I've got Marc to thank for that...lol
Hmm, I'm all sleepy, sneezy and uncomfortable but warm so all is good!
I'm thinkin' that I didn't tell u about my shoppin' trip
I got 4 pairs of earrings, 3 pairs of diff sized silver hoops, and this rainbow beaded thingy...very cool...9 books!...6 from this OP shop that I made Rach screech to a stop for...cos we were lookin' for bargains and when i saw the 'smith family' op shop with 'books' on it's wall...I yelped and made Rach stop...hahaha
I also got boxer shorts and a 'more adults only jokes' book for my dad for fathers day..lol..not exactly tools and stuff hey?
Hmmm...I also bought a brush and a comb....I'm not sure what else....but i kno my hands hurt with the weight of the bags..prob jst the books...
I got some really cool books....I have like 20 books waitin' for me in my bookshelf to begin readin' after i finish the box i borrowed off kara which unfortunately has a lot of mills and boon books but im determined to finish the box....the way i see it, the longer i take to finish the box, the longer iv got to wait before i can get my slimy hands on the reader treasures in my bookshelf...
theres a quite large variety of books in my bookshelf (newies) there's romance, a thriller, detective fiction, a book based on egypt....rome...the war..revoltion however u spell it and many more...
as one would say, im tryin to broaden my tastes because before, all i would read was trashy romance books...but im over that now...although i cannot finish lord of the rings..i'd take the movies over the books any day although harry potter is so much better in the books than the stupid movies...
Shelley has a boyfriend called 'Bang' and his brother's name's 'Wyan' pretty unusual hey? they're african....picked her up in a shoppin' centre...that girl is soooo boy-crazy
Nature calls...
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| emailin' the shepherd's centre |
| 09.08.03 (1:02 am) [edit] |
I emailed the Shepherd Centre all sweety-pie like...and asked for Virginia's speech as well as her mothers'...we'll b seein' if they reply.....
*frowns* :evil: :evil:
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| the bet... |
| 09.07.03 (3:38 pm) [edit] |
I have a tooth growing.
Len reckons it's a wisdom tooth but I don't reckon so.
We made a bet.
If he wins, he gets 6 bottles/cans of Lift and if I win..he has to sleep in a ditch....fair hey?
Hahaha
:twisted:
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| a empty title |
| 09.07.03 (1:43 pm) [edit] |
[b]Hello there fellow human beings
I went to bed really early yesterday. at like 4pm because I was feelin' really sick...jst all sneezy and stuff.
Woke up around 3am this morning.... still feelin' sneezy....used a lot of tissues, i tell you!!
Still don't really wanna type all about life.
I've got to remember to contact the Shepherd Centre to try to get Virginia's speech. I want to post it here. When I heard it last weekend, I was basically pissed off.
If I'm able to get it, you'll be able to read a ramble! Lol....
The camp will most probably be cancelled although Craig wants to wait for a while.
But c'mon...be realistic.....we sent the forms out too late... if we postpone it...we'll hav more time to organise it...
*shrugs*
I'm feelin' sleepy but I can't go to sleep because..iv got tafe today....and we've got a guest speaker...this afternoon...elizabeth riley..she's a transgender....i still cant believe that we're gonna b listenin' to a man thats a woman now..or a woman that used to b a man....woohoo![/b]
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| last nite... |
| 09.06.03 (4:55 pm) [edit] |
Hello,
I haven't posted for a while..not much to say tho..
Last night, I went to NSW Deaf Soccer Presentation. It was fun. although at the start i was sittin' there goin 'i paid 30 bucks for this?!?!'
But then I started drinking....and drinking.. I got pretty drunk and was pretty silly.... I remember most of the night but....yeah, i remember going to macca's and ppl were staring....
I wasn't too nice to the person behind the counter tho.... the shame!! lol but lik maz says, i'll never see 'em again....
Will post more when I remember more and when I feel like typin' :)
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