Ms Fifikins

For as long as I remember I have been besotted with elephants. My prized possession as a child was a small blue Indian elephant with tiny mirror tiles on it that glistened in the sunlight. Whenever I went to the Melbourne Zoo I visited the elephants and heard tales from my mother of how she rode on them as a girl.

When we booked our trip over here the only think I wanted to do, apart from meet MIML™s parents, was to interact with elephants. Then I found the Hazyview Elephant Sanctuary. They say a picture tells a thousand words, so perhaps pay a visit here and view onwards to see lots of elephant adventure pics. I could rant and rant and rant and rave about what an experience it was, but let’s just say awesome is an understatement!

Kruger was also an experience. We stayed in a rondavel at Mopani Rest Camp. Driving there was only 75km from the gate, but took over 3 hours. The speed limit was 50km/h, but we usually drove at around 40, with lots of stopping, reversing and ooohing and aaahing! The kids kept a tally and Springboks won over poo and Moapni worms! Actually driving over the poo gave a gorgeous squelching noise, and there is still some on the mudguards on the car! We didn’t see the big 5, missing out on leopards, lions, buffaloes and rhinos (but the kids, will tell you they saw buffaloes even if they were gnus!) It didn’t matter because we saw plenty of elephants, zebras and some giraffes. And I don’t think it will be our last visit!

Oh and this:

I know! Bad quality, but still!

Then Soweto. I have talked politics in my previous post, but it makes me angry. It is such a complex situation. Let’s just say it was amazing visiting a squatter camp and seeing the 2 rooms which house 8 people. No electricity, no running water. Views of developing and developed worlds.

Then we visited the church where youth were shot at in the Soweto Uprising of 1976.

And witnessed this:

The sound quality from my point and shoot camera is not the best, but still you may get the idea. Real African harmony.

Then Christmas. Awesome spending it with MIML™s wonderful family. But another post on that to come…

Part of my political anger is the duplicity of it all from both black and white. The people we spoke to in Soweto told us of hope for a new country. We saw people in the squatter camp growing veggies. We saw child care centres. There were people selling crafts. They spoke of working and we heard of the plans for more permanent housing with electricity and running water. In the Apartheid Museum we learnt of the media blackout and how white South Africans were not aware of the effects of Apartheid.

Then on Christmas Eve, MIML™s sister’s partner’s family was held up at gunpoint in their home, locked in the bathroom as tvs, electronics, cash, jewellery and other things were stolen. Children the same age as mine witnessing their home being invaded. Christmas presents stolen. Immense trauma. The mother cannot stop crying. Merry Christmas. If this happened in Australia it would be front page news. Police would be putting in their full efforts to apprehend the criminals. Over here it is an every day occurrence and the police are too understaffed to really be able to effect any change.

I was freaked last night when MIML™ went out to open the gate for his sister when she got home from her partner’s parents place with his Glock 21 pistol fully loaded prepared to use it if need be. It is so not my reality at home, but for him it is reality. So matter of fact about the whole thing. Normal and accepted. He said he has never had to use it and for that I am so glad, but he said you would be crazy not to be armed.

Not a right, but a necessity.

tied up with strings, these are a few of my favourite things…

When I’m feeling sad, I simply remember my favourite things and then I don’t feel so bad.

Yes. There has been a lack of blogging. Several stresses have been getting me down. But I have found something to cheer me up a little… a festive season swap!

And it’s not too late to join in. All details are here!

I can hardly wait! I have been involved with a number of swaps over the years (I just love my ifbabies swap each year!) and have only once been disappointed when a package didn’t turn up. And to think I got the link from someone I sent a package to in a swap once!

I suspect I am not the only retail worker who is ambivalent towards Christmas. Sometimes I joke that work is the grinch who steals Christmas. Decorations came down last week and this evening as I left there was no indication that Christmas had indeed been at all. I suspect that putting decorations up in October might have something to do with that.

Tiredness abounds at work with lots of overtime and tetchy customers. I do enjoy retail at times. Helping people spend their money, buy things they genuinely need/want. But this is often not the case at Christmas. People feel compelled to buy for others and often have no idea what to get. So many women apparently want hair dryers or straighteners and vacuums. Guys want cameras and it seems like everyone wants GPS thingys and digital photo frames. Oh and wii consoles. Lots of kids are getting Nintendo products, either DS or wii, and the rest Guitar Hero World Tour.

But still people have left things to the last minute and this week I have had my share of people whose Christmases have been ‘ruined’ because no one in town has wii’s or Guitar Heros. Yet they haven’t shopped until a few days before Christmas.
I layby-ed the kids toys in July and bought stuff for others since about October. Working until midnight last night I had someone starting their Christmas shopping with teenage daughter in tow at 11.15pm. They were proud of the fact.

I’m cooking Christmas dinner and looking forward to that. Cooking helps me relax. I prepared a lot the other day and it will be pretty cruisy in the kitchen in the morning. The kids should be pretty happy about their presents. And who knows I may even get in the spirit.

MIML™ told me I am getting a new mega Hard Drive for Matilda the MacBook, but also told Miss 10 that I think I know what I am getting but have no idea! Hmmm…

So amidst the retail worker exhaustion, I am trying to get in the spirit. Here’s hoping anyway!

In years gone by I would send over 100 Christmas Cards with a newsletter inside. And I would get about that number of Christmas Cards back. It has been a few years since I have sent any cards so it surprises me that I still get some cards!

In the spirit of environmental friendliness, or sheer laziness, or lack of funds or something, I have decided to resurrect Fifi’s Epistle (aka The Corker Epistle, Meningie Epistle, Adelaide Epistle, Cairns Epistle or Christmas Ramblings) and just post here. If you find it and used to get a card from us, Merry Christmas/Festive Season/Solstice/End of Year/Start of New Year etc. If you still want a card from us, please get a blank one and write it yourself: To Dear XYZ, With every best wish for the Festive Season and 2009. From Fifi, Immy, Japs, the fish, rat etc! If you want you can even seal it and address it to yourself and post it. But on with the epistle…

2008 has been an interesting year. A year of adjustments, a year of change and a year of discovery. And a leap year of course!

No doubt I could chronicle month by month, or family member by family member, and even though I am not trying to fit this on one A4 sheet (remember those awesome cards I used to make that had purdy pictures on the outside and folded out to the letter?) I also know what a bore it is reading about everyone’s dental appointments, workmates and road trips. So I will bullet point it…

• Er… where to start. This can be the token starting point that doesn’t say much but leads to much more!
• The kids spent a bit of time in Melbourne this year. We all went down in January for a couple of weeks and I spent a week in September. Went to the AFL Grand Final and even though the result could have been infinitely better, the spectacle of being at the MCG on that one day in September was still pretty amazing. The kids are heading to Melbourne in January for a few weeks but I’m working.
• Ah work… The joys of retail. At times it has its good points, but dealing with stoopid people can get draining. And then there are the customers… I love working at Myer most of the time. Most being more than 50%. After spending time behind the scenes at the start of the year, it has been great being back in the electrical department. This Christmas has really shown me that I do need to finish my thesis…
• Yes the thesis deserves its own dot point. This will be completed in 2009. I want to and I need to. The plan is then to do some supply teaching and see if teaching is what I still want to do.
• The kids have had great years at school. Imogen in particular has thrown herself into studies and has had excellent results. Jasper has also had pleasing results and has improved dramatically as the year has gone on. Both kids are smart cookies. Imogen enters Middle School next year and Jasper is out of Junior Primary. No more Easter Hats or Christmas Pageants!
• Imogen has also had lots of fun with her dancing. She was awarded a trophy for her tap dancing in the November concert.
• Jasper played AFL again this year and had fun! He may never be a Gary Ablett, but he made his team mates laugh and smile each week with his antics!
• I had my tonsils out in April which is an experience I would not wish on my worst enemy. Nuff said!
• Oh and I met a really nice man around that time too- refered to as MIML™ (man in my life.) He rocks! We are taking things slowly and seeing where they lead.
• MIML™ and I spent an awesome week in Canberra in July- it is most definitely a place where we could live. Apart from that we have been to Townsville where he had to sit an exam and have a special weekend planned for January, but he doesn’t really know about that yet!
• MIML™ had 2 rats that came to stay here when he had an inspection on his unit. They liked it here so much that they stayed! Sadly Pikelet developed a tumour and they tried to operate last week, but it had caused too much damage and she died. Daisy is a little lonely and will probably be getting a new playmate soon.
• We have also had a run of goldfish- Gin and Tonic, but Gin died so we got Vodka, who also died along with Tonic. So we got Kin and Gyo (or something- Japanese for Gold Fish and it is too late for me to be looking up the correct spelling). These fish lasted a couple of months then died! So we got 2 fish who remained nameless because we could not decide on suitable names. I think at one stage they were called Tea and Coffee, but they only survived a few weeks. Troughout this time we have had snails as well- Jean-Claude and Mimi lasted a long time before they also croaked it. Now we have 6 snails- no names as such except they are often referred to as Garlic and Parsley. Oh and the latest fish are Mary and Joseph, but one died this morning- we assume Joseph as Mary didn’t die or something. So when the other one does die (It seems to be inevitable with us!) we will get George and Mildred and then Bubble and Squeak I think, unless the kids change the names again! Unfortunately m0st of my names get turned down- at least we go through a few and get to exercise naming rights on a regular basis.
• Most other stuff has been chronicled in this blog. It has actually kept me saner than I otherwise might have been.

I suppose the other reason for cards and letters at this time of year is to wish people a Happy Christmas or something. Not sure what Christmas means to me anymore, but I am using it as a time to show people that I care about them and wish them well. Mum and Peter will be here Christmas Day (We will actually have 12 days of Mum, but only 3 of Peter!) and I will cook lunch. They do give us Christmas Day off, but I will be working all around it! The kids will go to their Dad’s on Christmas Day afternoon.

Not sure what I want for Christmas. Someone close to me suggested inner peace. That is something I am working towards. It won’t happen overnight as they say…

Whatever you are celebrating may you celebrate well. And may 2009 be kind to you.

I have participated in a few Secret Santa’s in my time, but none have been memorable. Well except for Year 5 where the present I took in was a lipgloss and someone spread that it was a packet of lifesavers and the teacher had to pull me aside and ask me! Can’t remember what I got, but rather what I gave!

Last night MIML™ and I met up with Karen and Ajay (aka funkycoda) as a kind of Cairns Twitter meetup (aka HOTTUB!) as Ajay is in town. I chose one of my favourite haunts- Mondo Café Bar and Grill at the Hilton Hotel. There is usually a breeze there and you can look over the inlet and it is purdy! And the food is excellent! I have been to Mondo’s for work farewells, school mum dinners, lunches with visiting family members from overseas and lunches and with the kids and my Mum. Oh and with MIML™! It has never failed- one of those old reliables that you know will be a hit.

No exception last night! There was a duo playing live music and they were brilliant! Must remember to go back on a Friday night and hopfully catch them again, or find out who they are in case I ever need a band! There were a few groups there, including the one sitting next to us.

They were having their staff Christmas Party. Apparently not all companies and organisations are as miserly as the company I work for. Anyway- at one stage the leader of the group (I assume he was the boss) got up and donned a Santa wig, beard and hat. And produced a sack! It was Secret Santa time. One guy seemed quite pleased with the miniature spirit bottles he received, the pregnant member got a baby book, one person really cracked up when she got a muffin tray and box of muffin mix (hint?) and another when she received something in a bag that she wouldn’t bring out. But the hightlight was the boss. He received a mankini. There may have been a story behind this, but, as Ajay tweeted, much hiarity ensued! Off came the Santa costume and on went the mankini- over his clothes (thank Ceiling Cat!)

I remember my ex brother-in-law being horrified at receiving an, er, adult novelty item in his Secret Santa one year (those Navy guys!) and not being able to find out who it was from.

The kids did Secret Santa at school- Immy got some nail polish and Jasper some whacky colouring pens or something (or is that what he gave- I forget!)

I don’t have to buy a Secret Santa this year, but I do have in mind some things I could get for my colleagues… One of them told me during the week that they would love to give some massage slippers to someone, with a message that they must be used on wet feet. Mwahahahahaha!

I thought, hey, there might just be some readers out there who have no idea what to buy, usually with a $10 limit, for that special colleague, the one you rather would give a bottle of Giardia laced water to but need to find soemthing more specific…

For girls, nothing says ‘I have no idea what to buy you’ more than bath salts or napery. Heck- a friend gave me bath salts for Christmas last year knowing I don’t have a bath… Napery- yes tea towels. I have received a few tea towels in my time too- no I did not buy all those tea towels MIML™! Another option for girls is to go the novelty item, you know the chocolate willies, or fluffy handcuffs. Make sure you either know the recipient really well and that they will take it as a joke, or it really is a secret santa (and like the BILs novelty item) no one will ever find out it came from you.

Guys can be more tricky, or easier, depending on your point of view. I mean, let’s go stereotype. bar ware. I actually don’t know many people with a bar, but bar ware is very popular. Again novelty is very prevalent. I am sure The Drunken Goat specialises in Secret Santa presents. Heck- I just looked and they sell Mankinis. If not bar ware, then most blokes receive booze. $10 worth of beer (4 bottles of Aussie Beer or 2 of Imported I think!) or a combination- stubby holder with a stubby.

This year, I am calling for everyone to step away from the stereotypes. Or at least reverse them. Give the macho bloke bath salts and a lip gloss. Give the prissy girl the stubby holder (bonus points if it is tacky and suggestive). Or be sensible and do the movie voucher or coffee and cake voucher from the nice coffee shop in town.

The last Secret Santa I participated in was when I worked for Weight Watchers. I received two Christmas Baubles (which from memory I hung from my ears as earrings). As much as I liked the baubles, I think I would have preferred cake!

I suppose it is the thought that counts. Or at least having the ability to make everyone laugh in the office. What Secret Santa’s have you received and/or given that have been memorable? Or are you more the bah humbug?

Bah humbug does have a lot going for it after all…

The kids’ first day of holidays and we put up the Christmas Tree. I don’t go all out with Christmas Decorations. I remember as a child my father put paper chains up all over the house! I can remember as a teenager deocorating the tree (always a fresh one that lived in a tub on the front patio for the rest of the year) and putting up decorations my brother and I had made in kindergarten!

It’s hard to get fresh trees in the tropics. I did see someone was selling them this year, however I am not sure how long they would last in this climate. I miss the smell of a fresh pine tree, but meh! My artificial tree will do!

The kids and I had fun. Together. This was a great experience and one that we don’t have enough. I don’t get anal about the tree. There are more decorations on one side and more in the middle than anywhere else, but who cares!

Their dad told me the other day that Christmas means nothing to him anymore. Shame as he is meant to be the Christian one. I haven’t put the tree up in any Christian symbolism or anything, just as festive decoration. I love the butterflies on it and it is colourful. Plus it has purdy fairy lights. Gotta love fairy lights!

I get a nice view from the kitchen too:

Oh and in the spirit of the season…

Daisy and Pikelet need some festive decorations too.