There's one leveller in life that hits us all rich or poor, happy or sad, is the loss of our health.
I count myself incredibly lucky in that despite some harsh times, I've been relatively unscathed by ill health or the loss of a loved one.
The closest person I had to a mother was taken from me when I was 22 and to this day when something great happens, I have to stop myself from picking up the phone and calling her. She was a truly incredible, strong, loving woman whose death was one of the most terrible things that has ever happened to me.
When my much loved super cranky Dad was seriously ill a couple of years ago, I became Little Ms Practical.
I was the only child he told and for the duration of his treatment, I went from home, work, hospital and back home again like some mindless robot nurse. I didn't cry once, not until he got the all clear and then I wept like a baby.
Maybe I thought after that, I would never have to watch someone I care about deal with the fear and uncertainty of a life threatening illness.
Today, a very good friend of mine is undergoing an operation to save her life. I don't know what the outcome will be, but I pray she makes it.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Laugh til You Cry !
As you all know I am a diva who likes to laugh..... hard! My laugh has been described at various times as being 'sexy', 'filthy', 'downright dirty' and 'infectious'.
With a weapon like that in my life's personality arsenal, it is fair to say that dates and friends need to be able to to turn my dial and make me laugh like a drain hopefully as often as possible.
C didn't let me down today. She called from her hotel to fill me in on her date with her man of choice....the only way I can describe these two is being like a downmarket version of Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis on Moonlighting.
This throughly daft pair of star-crossed lovers have been dancing around each other for the last 3 months. Neither of them will actually admit to liking the other, just in case they are wrong and make tits of themselves.
So far he's told a few people he thinks she is super hot and she's got slaughtered, but it didn't stop her saying explaining in exact detail what she wanted to do to him. Since both omissions they have been quietly been getting to know each other.
This they both ended up at a conference. He suggested they go jogging together, then forgot to bring his trainers. She was disappointed to hear he planning to go out for a few drinks with the boys.
That is until he showed up in the hotel lobby ready to take her out. After slipping into some killer heels and a dress that could get an angel in trouble, they set off on the short walk to the restaurant.
"I was so bloody happy to be spending time with him, that I got stomach craps, and then I sort of couldn't breathe, cause I was excited and then I really let myself down!"
"What did you do?", I replied, steadying myself for an impending belly laugh.
"Well it was all going really, really well, until I farted!"
"You did what?", I said laughing so hard, that I couldn't hold back the tears.
"I farted, really loudly. So loudly I couldn't even pass it off as someone else, as there was only the two of us there, and he knew it wasn't him that did it !".
"I know I said make an impression, I meant a good one, not a long lingering one", I said, just about able to speak.
"You not gonna tell anyone are you are you?" C pleaded.
"Are you kidding, this is comedy gold cherub", I said still laughing.
"Well at least don't use my name?"
"No problem Chenelle !"
With a weapon like that in my life's personality arsenal, it is fair to say that dates and friends need to be able to to turn my dial and make me laugh like a drain hopefully as often as possible.
C didn't let me down today. She called from her hotel to fill me in on her date with her man of choice....the only way I can describe these two is being like a downmarket version of Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis on Moonlighting.
This throughly daft pair of star-crossed lovers have been dancing around each other for the last 3 months. Neither of them will actually admit to liking the other, just in case they are wrong and make tits of themselves.
So far he's told a few people he thinks she is super hot and she's got slaughtered, but it didn't stop her saying explaining in exact detail what she wanted to do to him. Since both omissions they have been quietly been getting to know each other.
This they both ended up at a conference. He suggested they go jogging together, then forgot to bring his trainers. She was disappointed to hear he planning to go out for a few drinks with the boys.
That is until he showed up in the hotel lobby ready to take her out. After slipping into some killer heels and a dress that could get an angel in trouble, they set off on the short walk to the restaurant.
"I was so bloody happy to be spending time with him, that I got stomach craps, and then I sort of couldn't breathe, cause I was excited and then I really let myself down!"
"What did you do?", I replied, steadying myself for an impending belly laugh.
"Well it was all going really, really well, until I farted!"
"You did what?", I said laughing so hard, that I couldn't hold back the tears.
"I farted, really loudly. So loudly I couldn't even pass it off as someone else, as there was only the two of us there, and he knew it wasn't him that did it !".
"I know I said make an impression, I meant a good one, not a long lingering one", I said, just about able to speak.
"You not gonna tell anyone are you are you?" C pleaded.
"Are you kidding, this is comedy gold cherub", I said still laughing.
"Well at least don't use my name?"
"No problem Chenelle !"
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Are There Any Good Samaritans Left ?
Would you intervene if you saw someone in trouble?
I was shocked as I got of the train to see a fellow passenger being held in a headlock by another passenger. The passenger in the headlock cried out for assistance and was completely ignored by a crowd of people who thought it was ok to stare, but didn't want to get 'involved'.
I ran up the platform to find a member of staff and led a rather stroppy uniformed penguin to the incident. At the same time, the prisoner was released and the member of staff turned to blow her whistle, to prompt the train to depart. I interrupted her.
"Are you nuts? You've just seen what he did to that passenger and you want to let him remain on the train, to potentially do the same thing to other passengers? Don't you realise you have a duty of care when your wearing that uniform to the safety of your passengers?" I said angrily.
"It's not my problem!", was her curt response.
If we all take the same charming attitude that she did, then does that mean the self preservation will take preference over helping someone in trouble.
I really hope not.
I was shocked as I got of the train to see a fellow passenger being held in a headlock by another passenger. The passenger in the headlock cried out for assistance and was completely ignored by a crowd of people who thought it was ok to stare, but didn't want to get 'involved'.
I ran up the platform to find a member of staff and led a rather stroppy uniformed penguin to the incident. At the same time, the prisoner was released and the member of staff turned to blow her whistle, to prompt the train to depart. I interrupted her.
"Are you nuts? You've just seen what he did to that passenger and you want to let him remain on the train, to potentially do the same thing to other passengers? Don't you realise you have a duty of care when your wearing that uniform to the safety of your passengers?" I said angrily.
"It's not my problem!", was her curt response.
If we all take the same charming attitude that she did, then does that mean the self preservation will take preference over helping someone in trouble.
I really hope not.
Friday, 15 October 2010
The Not So Great Date
No not mine.....my favourite Aussie minx LL, fought against the tide and decided that a younger man (22) might well be the answer to her man drought. She has been avoiding men since her last 'boy' handed her the bill for his weekend with her, when she paid a little too much attention (he thought) to someone else.
She met the 22 year old in a bar, and in a wine soaked fun haze, found him charming (despite his broken Italian English, cute (pub lighting is always so flattering!), fun (he laughed at her jokes) and ultimately was the complete opposite of the guys she's been used to.
They went out to dinner this week and of course the next day, our little click, couldn't wait to hear all the gory details.
"Good or bad?" I said using my Caesar gladitor thumb move.
"Pretty rubbish" she replied laughing hard.
After my morning latte, I swing my chair round to face her and get a full date debrief.
During the course of a fragmented date she identified three deal breakers for any girl about town.
1 Mr Wonderful shared a room with one other to save money - being careful with your money when you're young is totally acceptable,, but get your love interest to sign on the dotted line, that she's ok to share cheeky moments with you, and an uninvited other is pushing things.
2 He had their entire relationship mapped out to June next year including Christmas holiday and mini breaks,
3 He was a bad kisser - some things you should really be good at and if you are rubbish at them, you should get to grips with pronto.
With the memory and remnants of a particularly rubbish snogging session flashing before her eyes, she decided that she had to tell him that she couldn't take things any further.
"Why are all of my dates so rubbish?" she wailed.
"Maybe because you go after what you shouldn't babe. 10 years between a man and women are like dog years. He's not in a place you need him to be and you are where he's going to be in surprise, surprise 10 years !". We both laughed.
She met the 22 year old in a bar, and in a wine soaked fun haze, found him charming (despite his broken Italian English, cute (pub lighting is always so flattering!), fun (he laughed at her jokes) and ultimately was the complete opposite of the guys she's been used to.
They went out to dinner this week and of course the next day, our little click, couldn't wait to hear all the gory details.
"Good or bad?" I said using my Caesar gladitor thumb move.
"Pretty rubbish" she replied laughing hard.
After my morning latte, I swing my chair round to face her and get a full date debrief.
During the course of a fragmented date she identified three deal breakers for any girl about town.
1 Mr Wonderful shared a room with one other to save money - being careful with your money when you're young is totally acceptable,, but get your love interest to sign on the dotted line, that she's ok to share cheeky moments with you, and an uninvited other is pushing things.
2 He had their entire relationship mapped out to June next year including Christmas holiday and mini breaks,
3 He was a bad kisser - some things you should really be good at and if you are rubbish at them, you should get to grips with pronto.
With the memory and remnants of a particularly rubbish snogging session flashing before her eyes, she decided that she had to tell him that she couldn't take things any further.
"Why are all of my dates so rubbish?" she wailed.
"Maybe because you go after what you shouldn't babe. 10 years between a man and women are like dog years. He's not in a place you need him to be and you are where he's going to be in surprise, surprise 10 years !". We both laughed.
Wednesday, 13 October 2010
A Miracle For All Of Us
Among the day to day monotony of our lives, mini rises and falls, come moments where you truly feel and embrace the miracle that is human life and the preciousness of it.
I stayed up last night like so many others to watch anxiously to see whether the Chilean miners would be rescued. I went to bed disappointed and really worried while final checks on the rescue capsule were made. When I awoke this morning, the first thing I did was turn on the radio to get an update.
My relief at the first of the men being brought to the surface, took me into an unexpected meltdown as I cried with the young boy who was reunited with his father.
I couldn't imagine for a second being forced to survive for sixty-nine days, underground, cut off from my friends and family I would have lost it, even if I had pen and paper write my feelings down on.
In the coming days and weeks there will no doubt be numerous press angles, focusing on the miners individual experiences, fears, challenges and hopes to not only survive but be reunited with their families again.
I really hope their stories focus on the strength of human spirit in adversity, as opposed to the already colourful emerging revelations that at least two of the men had secret mistresses,who have turned up to reclaim their men.
Twenty-four hour news is a wonderful thing, but the need to keep its media content live, so hot that it's a redtop hot exclusive, sometimes means that even the purest of miracles can become tarnished.
I stayed up last night like so many others to watch anxiously to see whether the Chilean miners would be rescued. I went to bed disappointed and really worried while final checks on the rescue capsule were made. When I awoke this morning, the first thing I did was turn on the radio to get an update.
My relief at the first of the men being brought to the surface, took me into an unexpected meltdown as I cried with the young boy who was reunited with his father.
I couldn't imagine for a second being forced to survive for sixty-nine days, underground, cut off from my friends and family I would have lost it, even if I had pen and paper write my feelings down on.
In the coming days and weeks there will no doubt be numerous press angles, focusing on the miners individual experiences, fears, challenges and hopes to not only survive but be reunited with their families again.
I really hope their stories focus on the strength of human spirit in adversity, as opposed to the already colourful emerging revelations that at least two of the men had secret mistresses,who have turned up to reclaim their men.
Twenty-four hour news is a wonderful thing, but the need to keep its media content live, so hot that it's a redtop hot exclusive, sometimes means that even the purest of miracles can become tarnished.
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