“What are you doing?” I asked my husband. He was wrapped neatly in his dressing gown and slippers, and closely examining something in the morning lounge-room light. He was of course unable to hear my question as he is afflicted with the masculine inability to do two things at once. His ability to do one thing at once can depend on an alarming number of variables. You should see him psych himself up to call in a dinner order. My God, you’d think he had to cook the curries and drive...
So, back home now. Just put my two babies to bed after oodles of their favourite dinner; Dad's bolognese and a custard chaser. After dinner they sat on the floor and watched an episode of their favourite show, "Wonderpets" and then were carried to their cots, where they lay watching the usual fuss between their Dad and I over what setting to leave their air-conditioner on. How to keep them conscious of their good fortune without nagging 'til they switch off, that is the question upon which...
So very sad to be leaving Phnom Penh today. Obviously I miss my children whom I'm assured have not noticed my absence in Brisbane. I'll miss the children I've met here though. I totally understand why people like Geraldine Cox, also from Australia, come here for a holiday and spend the rest of their lives working for these kids. I'll certainly be contacting her when I get home to become a formal supporter of her work. Steve Morrish from SISHA.org is another. He is a former Australian policeman...
I was supposed to go to the animal sanctuary today. I was sitting in the back of a tuk tuk bright and early this morning having attracted much attention with my request to be taken to Phnom Tamao. Rove suggested I go as he loves it and has a tiger enclosure named in his honour. Long story short, I realised just in the nick of time what all the kerfuffel was about - the sanctuary was a two hour drive away. By the time we reached the end of the street I asked the driver to pull over so we could...
I am fried, but in a great way. I think everyone in this town in fried.
This is my second Asian experience, my first being Phuket. Phuket felt kind of professionally Asian. Like it was performing a pantomime of exotic pleasures for westerners to throw money at. I felt like there was hate behind the smiles sometimes. There was a massage place next door to our hotel, where western men impressed themselves with how little they could pay young women for hand jobs. Daughters, wives and...
From another email, thanks so much Stacey.
Message Body:
Hi Meshel,
I stumbled across this lovely idea this morning at my local library and thought it may be of interest to you, knowing that volunteering/charitable works is dear to your heart:
http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/discover.aspx?id=75220
Apparently if you take in any new children's book to any of the Moreton Bay Regional Libraries they will pass it on to the Smith Family to give to underpriviliged kiddies for Christmas...I've...
This email came through over the weekend, thanks so much Liz, I love them!
Hi Meshel,
Absolutely love your I Can Give page and thought that there are two amazing organisations you might be able to link to. I am a "reader" with the Pyjama Foundation and have been for nearly four years. Us "Pyjama Angels" go to the homes of foster children and read to them and with them once a week. Foster kids are usually way behind in their reading as they don't have that lovely thing of being read to as...
The dream at the coining of the phrase "mass media", of the same depth of information being made available to "the masses" as was previously enjoyed by the intellectual few has turned into a nightmare of lowest common denominator showmanship.
Invited to the unveiling of a social network invented for seriously ill children and their families, I also found myself witnessing an incredibly frank conversation between a female journo and a male photog regarding the Royal Children's Hospital's...
I love Mia Freedman's blog mamamia. It's your one-stop-shop for entertainment, news, fashion and ideas. Mia embarked on an amazing journey recently and I begged her to write for this blog about it. Thank you Mia.
Meshel
Last month my 4-year-old daughter fell ill and I had to take her to hospital late at night. As we sat in the waiting room for two hours, I sent whingey texts to my husband, complaining. But having recently spent a week in Papua New Guinea, never again will I take basic...
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What a funny old day. My chronic reflux makes it feel like my stomach acid is eating it's way out of my body, probably particularly bad today because I knew I had to confront a former friend about her catty, corporate crap in front of a room full of men who'll no doubt chalk the entire thing up to our cycles being in sync. Whatevs. So I jump in my car and start punching around the dial when I hear the magical high-pitched chuckle and broken English of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The...