It's a happy day :) Serotonin levels are unusually high (no idea why, though my theory is that there's "something" in that spring jasmine stuff that my new cute little glade air freshener is puffing out - there really are little puffs of stuff!!! it's so cute :P) and my last class for the day finished at 10:30 which also makes me :D

[Joyce's conscience now kicks in and says: Joyce is in a good mood today. She is going to wash her formal dress, clean her room, eat a relatively healthy lunch and do a lot of study this afternoon]

-- Now playing - The beauty of all things - George

It might change, it might fall
but love is stronger than the seasons,
of our daily lives
Out of death, comes new life,
waking up inside the beauty,
the beauty of all things

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Wow it's been almost a whole week since I blogged :P Since last post, I've got sicker, got better, done a bit of work in between, applied to transfer to another college.... Teds isn't working so hopefully IH here me comes :P (i've got this grin plastered to my face since i put my application for transfer in) - 12743 at solitaire!! :D

In hindsight, the last few weeks have probably been the most trying weeks i've had for a while being sick and in a lonely college and having lots of work, but I think it was God's way of making me (little miss self-sufficient i can cope by myself) completely incapable of coping on my own so it's been a great refresher in F.R.O.G. (fully relying on God) :D and being sick on the weekend made me slow down, not go out, and clean up my room and do some work... hehe... but anyway, God-willing, I'm going to be moving!! (grin is still plastered to my face, been singing lungs out to any random song for the last hour)

Free icecream this afternoon with the nice year 3 people who are the 'buddies' for our PBL group (or maybe coffee for joyce so she doesn't get hacking cough syndrome too much) :D

2 weeks to easter camp! i'm going to be like.. an 'old' uni student this year that is so weird.... can't wait! :D :D :D :D

to all the old trinity YFers - pray for the evangelistic youth group night on friday (dinner, games, talk) i think ross is doing the talk and evie's organising it!! and easter camp too :)

-- Now playing - My hope is built

His oath, his covenant, his blood
Support me in the 'whelming flood
When every earthly prop gives way
He then is still my strength and stay

Well i'm sick.. officially... last sunday i woke up with a burning throat and a craving for paracetomol. or ibuprofen. or aspirin. or some form of analgesic and possibly a strepsil... 4 days of coughing later, i have a productive cough with mild rhinorrhea and fog of the brain. the fever's gone though so i'm happy about that :D and Ping brought me some cake from the birthday party that i helped organise and then had to miss because of the gagging cough...(*graow!!* )

mmm chocolate cake with smarties...

my day off was busy and fun and busy and i have a printer!!! I am now the proud owner of a DCP-115C though slightly ripped off (due to lack of transport to other shops and pressing need for printer, i paid probably 20 or 30 more than i should) but still happy :D *licks fingers after chocolate cookies and cake - wow they brought me a lot of cake aren't they meant to be feeding me healthy stuff so i get better? :P* - in terms of RRP i saved 33% so that's good enough for me :D and it cute and little and quiet and fast and scans and copies and i'm still obsessing and there's this huge box in my room with all the plastic and stuff in it.... 4 of us went to officeworks (poor misinformed international students who were under the impression that officeworks sold cheap electronics...) 2 of them went to the beach and me and Ping bought our printers and came home. my little inkjet was easy enough to carry even with 3 other bags of stuff... but Ping had a huge bag sitting on top of her large (though not too heavy) laser printer box... and i managed to get us on the wrong bus home - it all turned out fine in the end (the bus driver told us which bus we were supposed to catch and in the end we only wasted about.. 15 minutes .. on the wrong bus) though staggering around with large printer boxes in not the most enjoyable way to spend the afternoon it's funny when you've got a friend :D

Well... time to get some form of rest - hospital tomorrow at 8:30 i'm really excited but i've heard it's boring ;) it still means i have to catch the 8am bus to the John Hunter... should be fun :D goodnight all ;)

-- Now Playing - Anthony Warlow - Anthem

She is eternal, long before nation's lines were drawn
When no flags flew, when no armies stood
My land was born

I've finally changed the timestamp! It is now 4:45 on a monday afternoon and not some bizzare hour of the night/morning anymore! :D

Today, I officially handed in my first assignment. I'm a big girl now! Been watching lots of family guy thanks to the evil genius in IH, finished UT2004 so it's going to be... DELETED!!!! (when i get enough motivation to) and I'm back on the Clannad bandwagon again :D

Newcastle's been beautifully overcast and cool today - threatening to rain all day while never actually doing it ;) This means that winter's coming!! yay!!! no more mozzies!! no more overheated room! :D

After being sick on the weekend i went to the pharmacy today and added to my growing 'pharmacy in my drawer' - not only do i have bandaids and panadol, but i have betadine, imodium and disprin too! ironically enough, the only thing i wanted was strepsils but the asprin seems to work well enough - i'm really hoping this doesn't turn into a full-on flu because i don't want to make any of the patients sick on friday - we're going to the hospital!! YAY!!! (says Joyce as she removes a rather large and itchy scab from a mozzie bite, whoops that's more blood than usual oh well pulls out betadine and bandaid again).

-- Now Playing - Clannad - Caidé Sin D'on Té Sin

Deir daoine go bhfuil mé gan rath 's gan dóigh
Gan earra gan éadach gan bólacht ná stór
Má tá mise sásta mo chónaí i gcró
Ó caidé sin d'on té sin nach mbaineann sin dó

People say I'm without riches no doubt
Without goods or clothes or cattle or stock
If I am happy living in a hovel
Oh what is that to anyone else?

I'm not dead yet! I feel happyyyyyyyyy!

It's incredible to think that it's the 4th week of uni - in some ways it feels like i just got here (but in others it feels like i've been here for ages...)

Stuff that is new since the last post: dad sent me lots of textbooks (yay!), we got our first proper assignment yesterday (not yay!), we're going to start medical interviewing next friday (aah!) and i've discovered that camomile tea actually tastes really good, but rosehip and hibiscus tastes like icky cordial and peppermint is just weird. Japanese green tea is yummy with a kind of rice aftertaste (yum!) and the hot chocolate from the dining hall is really really chocolately... a nice cup of hot water is good too ;) - you may notice that coffee hasn't appeared in that list at all - i think i've developed either lactose or coffee intolerance which means that if coffee goes in, it quickly goes out again the other end, dragging a lot of whatever else was in the GI tract with it :( - so joyce is off coffee :(

College bible study tonight - yay! despite the fact that i haven't even really looked at my working problem for this week it's still one of the highlights of the week - it's a pity that i established myself as a vocal member of our PBL (problem based learning) group because it means that if i don't contribute something more than once i get strange looks. which means i actually have to do a little bit of work. maybe even some work. *sighs*

If anyone has a pair of black pants that will fit a short size 6-8er she wouldn't mind having a pair of pants she could wear while at the hospital.... or i could just wear skirts until i go home and grab my pants... need socks...

Now playing -- Van Halen - When It's Love

Everybody's looking for something
Something to fill in the holes
We think a lot but don't talk much about it
'Til things get out of control

I am procrastinating. And listening to Josh Groban again (he's been in the box for a few months now it might be safe to take him out). But i haven't watched series 8 of red dwarf yet so i've been a very good girl :) but i've watched another 6 strong bad emails so maybe i haven't been such a good girl...

Now playing -- The Lark Ascending -- Ralph Vaughan-Williams

(since this one's instrumental here's a the poem it's allegedly based on... either way it's a cool poem)

He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound,
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake.

For singing till his heaven fills,
‘Tis love of earth that he instils,
And ever winging up and up,
Our valley is his golden cup

And he the wine which overflows
to lift us with him as he goes.
Till lost on his aerial rings
In light, and then the fancy sings.

- George Meredith

Today's resolution: I will never drink a litre of iced coffee in 4 hours ever again.

On the bright side, I got more than RDI of calcium!! (which is a rare occurence for me - check back in 50 years or so i'm guaranteed to get osteoporosis or something like that - I've already had a bout of juvenile arthritis even though that's probably completely unrelated to osteoporosis) On the downside, i'm still on a complete high - to the point where i'm listening to antiskeptic and even vaguely enjoying it (to be honest i actually really like clear to pass from aurora) but enjoying the punk beat and singing... agh - hence the resolution.

I managed to do absolutely nothing productive for all of today (mostly thanks to Dan coming up to visit) - watched all of series 7 of red dwarf though ;) anyone want to research down syndrome or congenital rubella for me? i'm so lazy.

Oh good, normality is being restored - the blurry guitar and over-the-top drums and punk voice are starting to irritate me. yay! but there's punk rock and punk rock... (flashback to my one-gig history as a keyboardist for a punk/heavy band - that was fun, even if i couldn't hear anything properly for weeks afterwards - somehow i don't think i can pull off the rock-chick image properly)

*flicks through aurora cd* - total number of tracks i enjoy (i.e. >like) has just risen to three. one of them is 32 seconds long and has no singing in it... does that one count?

Had dinner at with some of the international girls - 3 malaysians, 2 singaporeans, 3 japanese, 1 korean and me (whatever i am) and we all jammed into a room at barahineban (self-catered motel quality rooms with ensuite, kitchenette, airconditioning, etc.) it was fun with people bringing random dishes from their culture - next time i'm doing a 'how to cook australian' (me of all people) or maybe italian that's easier... or maybe i can demonstrate my current staple diet of instant noodles with tuna... eep.

Maybe bedtime now i hope the iced coffee's worn off
Merry christmas to all and to all a good night!

Now playing -- Antiskeptic - Clear to Pass

I am nothing but a slave, as self belief will lie and keep me down...