People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

- Author unknown

i like this song, it's pretty nice :)

today was rather enjoyable. i managed to complete a few tasks and fulfil some plans (mostly uni related). i walked my dog, but as we were on our journey she got a bit excited and her collar fell off (luckily she's helpful and didn't run away from me). i drove in the rain, which was fun, but then the sun came out and attacked my sensitive eyes.
second week of uni, with full classes! i still haven't got all my books or my readers, most of them are on order from the UK - loads cheaper!
one of my friends is starting up a sketch show and he's asked me to help write some of the sketches (i don't know how good i'll be, but it will be fun). i'm planning to play indoor soccer for uni too - haven't played for ages but it will be nice to start up again.
in general, life's difficult but brilliant. there are issues and problems, as always, but i'm getting better at knowing how to deal with them. i'm accepting the unchangeable aspects of myself and my world, and i'm drinking less tea :) (even though tea is fabulous, limiting myself is probably a good thing. for a while i was having a cup of green tea at 5:30 each morning...in hindsight i don't think that was wise)
peace and love to you!

le lapin!

today i made a rabbit casserole/stew with my dad. we improvised the whole thing and it worked out really, really well.
the maltese love their rabbit, so we're not unfamiliar with it. rabbit's great in that it's very lean and bonds with many flavours, but it can become tough quite quickly.
here's a basic recipe, from memory: rabbit casserole with gnocchi.

oil, for frying
onion, diced
tomato paste (as always, be liberal!)
2 wild rabbit (we bought them from coles, they were nice and clean)
fennel (not too much)
2 cans tomatoes (diced, preferably)
marsala (again, not too much)
peas
pepper
gnocchi (2 packets)

1. preheat the oven to 180 C (fan forced, so 200 C for a regular oven). heat the oil in a frypan over low-medium heat. add the onion and tomato paste and cook.
2. cut the rabbits into pieces, using a sharp knife. the bones are brittle and may break easily around the legs. add to the pan and bring to high heat (but keep an eye on it because you don't want the rabbit to get too tough). cook until lightly browned.
3. reduce to lower heat. add fennel, tomatoes, marsala and peas. season with pepper. place in a casserole dish and cook for around 1.5 hours, checking the meat occasionally.
4. bring a pot of salted water to the boil. add gnocchi and drain when the water reboils. serve with olives, bread and grated cheese if you wish.

serves 6-8.

today's news.

today i went to see a cosmetic surgeon regarding potential facial surgery. it was a really, really enlightening appointment for several reasons.
he seemed to be a bit surprised when i told him that i had moebius syndrome, because moebius normally affects both sides of the face completely (my right side is partly affected by moebius). it just reminds me of not only how rare moebius is, but how rare my own case is.
the most clear surgical option for me is having my lip thinned out a bit. at the moment it just hangs there. i can't move the left corner of my mouth so my lips are sumply stretched when i smile and talk (like a chewing action). the gold weight is fine.
the doctor also shed some light on the future. because the only functioning muscle in the left side of my face is the transplanted muscle, i will have accelarated ageing in my face on the left side. my eyebrows and eyelids will droop down because i don't have muscle to hold them up. the muscle in my cheek will similarly slacken. so i may have to have more surgery or facelifts in the future, which is something i wasn't aware of.
and that was basically it. i can have surgery this year if i want to. i'm a bit confused by the whole situation, and don't know what i should do. i've been thinking about it a lot. i just need to consider my options and my motives and come to an informed decision that will hopefully keep me happy.

life, love and everything else!

finished exams on the 24th of June. how smashing! i feel i went rather well in them, and i know i prepared well. so hopefully my results are favourable.
this week has been good. it's been lovely to relax and spend time with my family. tomorrow we're going to our farm and we'll be there for a week, i'm really looking forward to it! the city is so oppressive sometimes, it's nice to get away and just clear the head.
i start uni again in late july. i'm halfway through my course! - isn't that bizarre? it will be nice to finish, though i haven't the foggiest idea what i'm going to do with myself after it's over. probably more study so i can actually get a job!
there's a lot more i could say here but whatever. it's for another day i guess. right now i'm tired and am about to have a nice mug of jasmine green tea :)
peace and love, friends!

for your listening pleasure!

in my opinion, some of the best music ever. always fills me with a wonderful sense of peace. plus the videos are quite entertaining and bizarre :) enjoy!








(the song (and album) my blog is named after :)

peace!

this week has been so wonderful. i really can't explain it...i don't think i've felt this great about things in quite a while. life is so beautiful, the world so so beautiful. though it is insanely cold here - i like cold weather, but right now my fingers feel like icicles :/
i'm really looking forward to the future and the opportunities it holds. last week my dad told me that the couple who works in the office next to his lost their 18 year-old son to suicide at the end of may. even though i didn't know the guy personally, it made me sad to know that he'd felt like there was no other option but to end his life. there is always another option.
this week has been very quiet. i haven't done much except study and cook. cooking is very, very therapeutic...but i confess i'm a little on the messy side :/
next week should be fun, i have one exam on tuesday and then the rest of the week to study. what an interesting life i lead! :P
i've started smiling more. i've realised it's such a nice feeling to smile...plus seeing as i can't frown or raise my eyebrows it's pretty much the only 'expression' i have :) sort of nice when i think about it. i hope i continue to smile more until i become a cheshire cat :P happiness is a great feeling. may you be happy always :)
peace.