No rehearsal for life - This is it!!!

Liars beware!!!

roisin0908 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:17:41 GMT

You will be found out!!!!! No matter how much you try to cover up the lies - they will be revealed and believe me - it will hurt you a lot more than if you'd just accepted the truth to begin with. It's been a pretty hectic & emotional roller coaster ride for me these past few months. I've had to fly back & forth over the big pond a few times just to prove that I have been telling the truth all along and that the other party has lied. Well, it's almost over, I've told my side of the story and now I'm just waiting for the verdict to be handed down. But it's all looking very much in my favour. I told the truth and I have been believed. The other party tried to produce all this extra documentation in order to substantiate thier lies - but in the end it could well be thier undoing. I can't divulge the details yet, but once I can you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to blog it. You never know, it could be the basis of a new book I could write "Liars Beware!!! How to extract the truth from liars!!!". I'm sure a lot of you would know someone else who's been through similar hassles. But in the meantine, I'm just so releaved that finally the truth will come out. Watch this space!!!

Do you drive too fast?

roisin0908 — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:42:56 GMT

Here in Melbourne, they show some really hard hitting commercials to highlight to the public the impact of drink-driving, speeding and distractions while driving. This is the latest ad being shown here on Victorian TV. These are not actors. They are victims. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eryfhMWfl1U Please, please, don't speed.

Sydney here I come!!

roisin0908 — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:38:48 GMT

I'm off to Sydney for the weekend for a work reunion. The difference with this reunion is that we all used to work with each other for the same company in London and now we all live in various parts of Australia. What's been your favourite reunion? Have a great weekend!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

roisin0908 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:45:56 GMT

Remember, somebody, somewhere loves you, even if you don't know it :-)

Where does the time go?

roisin0908 — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:55:04 GMT

I've been sitting down planning my year ahead... this time next month I'll be doing some dive courses, in 2 months time off to UK and possibly Florida on the way back, 3 months time - another dive course, 6 months time off to Vanuatu, 8 months time head off to California for 3 months, 11 months time Christmas back in Melbourne with loved ones and planning for the new year ahead. And it dawned on me just how quickly these events come and go. And even when you look back on events, you realise that they only seemed like yesterday. Does time really go faster as you get older?

Four ZuZu Suzabel.....I'm back!!!!!!!

roisin0908 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 06:17:33 GMT

Four jobs I have had in my life: 1. check out chick (aka grocery store clerk at Tesco) 2. Tomato grader & packer 3. Junior Editor for Educational book publshers 4. IT Consultant (present role) Movies I've watched more than once: 1. Fried Green Tomatoes 2. Pulp Fiction (I just LOVE that movie) 3. All of the Austin Powers movies 4. Dark Side of Rocco, ( for M ;-) ) Four places I have lived: 1. Belfast, Northern Ireland (in the begining) 2. Cambridge, UK (St Neots if we really want the actual town) - school days 3. Richmond upon Thames (well St Margarets actually but it's in the Richmond region) - late 30's 4. Richmond, Melbourne (although I recently discovered that this area is known as Cremorne!!!) -now Four T.V. Shows that I watch: 1. the news, what ever channel I can get 2. CSI - Vegas & NY, not that keen on Miami 3. Little Britain - so wonderfully politically incorrect :-) 4. Silent Witness Four Places I have been: 1. Sri Lanka 2. Guam 3. Micronesia (Chuuk) 4. Dominican Republic Four people who e-mail me: 1. Lisa 2. Amanda 3. Heather 4. Steve Four people I wish would email me: 1. My dad 2. ? (he's not allowed to) 3. Paul :-( I don't think Heaven's got broadband yet 4. My sister Four of my favorite foods: 1. Mango 2. Irish stew 3. All kinds of fish & seafood 4. Gingernut biscuit (cookie) Four places I would rather be right now: 1. In bed with ? ;-) 2. On the boat heading out for a dive in Chuuk 3. At the Savoy for afternoon tea with Marina 4. With any of my close friends Four things I am looking forward to in the next year: 1. Closure on my court case 2. Spending lots of time with my best friend 3. My dive trip to Venuatu 4. Working overseas Four people who I think should take this survey 1. Slodiver 2. Bloke 3. Snoopy 4. SwirlJames

R.I.P Port Philip Bay

roisin0908 — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 05:37:45 GMT

Today is a sad day for anyone who has an affinity with Port Philip Bay here in Melbourne. The High Court ruled against an appeal to stop dredging of our beautiful Port Philip Bay next month. The Port of Melbourne Corporation want to deepen the shipping channels in & out of The Heads and Port Melbourne so that the big supertankers can enter the bay. What this means is that upto 5 metres of silt will be dredged and dumped in a specially built clay pit to the north of the bay and eventually covered with sand so it does not contaminate the beaches. The silt will be full of metals and toxins that have been dumped down the Yarra and into the bay over the last 150 years. Under the plan approved by Mr Garrett and state Environment Minister Gavin Jennings in December, Dutch dredger Boskalis will dig 2.1 million cubic metres of highly toxic silt from the mouth of the Yarra River. Lead, zinc and mercury and pesticides such as DDT are all known contaminants that lie on the Yarra riverbed. This silt will be shipped to a spoil ground in the north of the bay and dumped within a specially built clay mound. After being left for 140 days to settle, the toxic silt will be covered in a sand layer to stop it from washing onto Melbourne's beaches. Yeah right!!! Like the silt isn't going to stay put during that 140 days and none of it will effect the beaches in the meantime. The Port of Melbourne Corporation — which believes it is safe to move the toxic silt — has conceded that it should be removed from the bay and dumped in landfill. But this would blow out the already ballooning costs of the project by several billion dollars. Scientists have warned that toxic algal blooms could occur. However, the Port of Melbourne Corporation have assured us, the public, that there would be a management plan in place that guaranteed no protected species or wetlands would be harmed by dredging. Tell that to the hundreds of unique sponges, coral and marine life that will be destroyed in the bay once dredging starts. The picture above was taken when the dredger was conducting trials and you can see the silt displacement there. Imagine what it is going to be like when they dredge 5 metres!!!! And to make matters worse......environmentally aware Federal Environment minister Peter Garrett, actually approved the plan last month. So much for caring for our natural environment.....

A Difficult Journey

roisin0908 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:58:08 GMT

This past week has been so surreal and traumatic for me. Just over a month ago - I met a really lovely guy via the Internet. We met and got on so well and had so much in common, it was hard to believe that I could meet such a person. He even worked around the corner from where I lived and would often call me from the back gate of my property early before work to get me to come out and give him a Good Morning kiss. Despite the fact we had only recently met, we talked on the phone every day, or sent each other texts and if I was working from home and he was not out visiting clients - he would pop over for lunch. However, many evenings and weekends he spent either looking after his two sons or preparing for a major car rally sprint race up in the mountains 4 hrs drive from Melbourne. We talked about me going to Mt Buller to watch him race-but as our relationship was new and this was a major race and that he'd be busy and I'd know no-one, I decided to stay. As it turned out the weather was foul and I could catch up with girlfriends. We spoke on the Friday evening and he was so apologetic that he hadn't spent a lot of time with me over the previous few weeks - but as this was the only rally he was co-driving in, he would make it up to me in the coming weeks and months. He said he'd try and call me on Sat night, but I said not to bother if he couldn't because of race planning or signal. But, he told me the web site I could check on how he was going. On the Sat morning, I knew he was going to be very busy, so sent him a text saying 'Good Luck, R xxx'. He didn't call on Sat night and as I was out at dinner with friends, didn't think anything of it. At my friend’s house, we turned off the TV and watched a DVD, getting home just before midnight. I was too tired to check how Paul had done, so that was going to wait until the Sunday. Household chores and ironing took priority over surfing the Net - so around midday, I sat with my cup of tea to check on Paul’s results. I couldn't remember the site - so just googled the rally name and up popped all the results. The news that there had been a fatality at the Rally immediately took my eye. I opened the link and thought I kept seeing the words 'co-driver' and 'Paul'. I thought I was seeing things.....but no!!! There in black and white - for me to clearly see - was the name of the co-driver killed instantly in the rally crash. It was Paul!! I can remember, reading it over & over and almost screaming "No! No!, No!" But no matter how much I tried not to read his name, it was still there. He was gone! Just as he'd suddenly as he'd come into my life - was he out of it. No warning, no sense that this would happen, No, "Sorry, but I don't want to see you again". No Goodbye!! I just cried my heart out -sobbed so much that I was almost choking. I didn't know who to call, or turn to. None of my friends had yet met him although a few knew about him. I desperately wanted to call my best friend, but he's been forbidden to have anything to do with me. I knew, even me sending a message would cause her to have a paddy fit and scream 'divorce' down his ear, and I care for him too much to have to deal with the fall out of her tantrums. So, I cried alone. Still trying to come to terms with what had happened. I left messages for various friends to call -but it was Sunday afternoon and most were away for the long weekend. I've no idea what I did later that evening or how I managed to sleep. As I had only just started a new contract the week before, I couldn’t take the time off work -and besides, what could I do? I wasn't family and hadn't been recognized as his new girlfriend. It wasn't as if I'd known him for years and he was a close friend of mine. But to me, he was close, we had connected almost immediately. Our relationship was physical as well as being close friends that we could turn to in times of need. In fact I kept thinking if Paul wasn't the victim, I would have turned to him to talk to. Although Paul was still legally married, he & his wife had been separated for over 5yrs. He had a house around the corner from where she and his 2 sons (12 &9) lived and they had a good friendship. I checked the phone directory and found her number and plucked up the courage to call her. I needed to talk to someone who knew Paul. Well, has she turned out to be a solid brick. Despite the fact she has had to console Paul’s sons, she had the time to talk to me and help me through this difficult time. The week seemed to drag by. I went to work and was glad to be really busy. As Paul's work was 50yds from where I lived, I decided to pop into his office and see his Project Assistant, Lisa, whom he had spoken so much about. I asked at reception to see her and that it was a personal matter. When she came to the desk, I just said 'I'm Roisin and I'm a friend of Paul’s' she just burst into tears, said she'd grab her purse and that we'll go have a coffee. It turned out that she had formed a close working bond with Paul and she too had no one to share talking about him. So we were able to console each other. It was lovely to hear that he had actually mentioned me to her, although not by name. But, as this ‘gorgeous, red headed Irish woman who lived around the corner’. I realised that he was true in his feelings about me. The rest of last week seems a blur and just dragged on. I had made up my mind that I wanted to go the site where the accident happened. I needed to say my Goodbyes to him in private. It was a four hour drive to the mountain. I had just gotten my new SUV and this was the perfect trip for it. I set out early on Sunday morning, stopping at the florists to buy some flowers. Small red roses, as my name means ‘little rose’ and a helium filled balloon with ‘I miss you’ written on it. It was a glorious, late spring day. The temperature was going to be in the mid 70’s, a slight breeze and a cloudless sky. I didn’t have any music playing. When I approached the entrance to the mountain resort I took a deep breath. I had to be on the ball as I certainly didn’t want to end up over the side. I had been told where on the mountain the accident had taken place, but couldn’t remember if it was 300yds above or below a certain waterfall. I found the waterfall and was able to safely park nearby and headed down the mountain. I managed to find the spot – although it was difficult to find at first, but you could just see where the ground had been disturbed and where the road side had slightly crumbled. I looked down. It was almost a sheer drop of 60-90 ft. The rescue operation for them must have been difficult, especially since the weather was cold & wet with low cloud that afternoon. I take my hat off to the rescue crew for being able to work in such difficult and dangerous conditions. Now I’d found the spot, I headed back to the car to get the flowers and balloon. Thankfully, the mountain was very quiet with hardly any traffic (during winter it’s a major ski resort) so I was able to stand close to the edge and release my balloon. The flowers, I placed on the opposite side of the road – just below the road line as I did not want other drivers to be distracted by looking at a roadside tribute. Nearby was a shady spot I could safely sit, where I just chatted to Paul for ages. But it was soon time to move on. The next part of my Goodbye was in Melbourne late that afternoon at the funeral home. I was surprised just how much comfort I got by being with him at the funeral home. I thought I would be a blubbering mess. But I felt really calm, standing beside his coffin, holding his hand and telling him all the things I had to say to him. My only tear, was when I gently kissed him on the forehead and a tear ran down my cheek onto his face. My journey was almost over. I had just to get through the funeral. I was thankful that I had met Lisa and she happily agreed to come with me to the Crematorium. We chatted about Paul along the way. She had a photo of him that was taken only the week before he’d died and gave it to me. I was so thankful, as I’d hadn’t had the chance to take any of him while we were together and it was one of him as I remembered him, not one of him in his racing suit. There must have been at least 300 people at the funeral. Paul’s life had certainly been a busy one and he’d made many, many friends and was respected in the Motor Rally circles as well as the IT circles in Melbourne. There were many tributes and photos of him. And what made me really smile was that as they told us all about his life, it was not new to me, as he had told me so much about himself in our short time together, I really did feel as if I’d have known him for ages. But he is gone now. I have to have closure on this chapter. Although, I still cannot get over how overcome with grief I feel for someone I had not long known. I have only been grief stricken this bad twice before, when my Mother died and when I lost my twins. The irony is that I lost the twins and Paul on November 3rd. I know this has been a long blog, but it has helped me enormously writing it and telling you. Life is short. We shouldn’t wait until certain occasions to tell people what we feel. Goodbye Paul, x

Presents always make me smile...

roisin0908 — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 01:08:05 GMT

Theory --> Danielle --> Lydia --> SpiritFlame --> ZuZuSuzabel --> BFG --> Amanda -->Roisin-->YOU???? For the first three people who respond- and re-post - this challenge, I will send you something. It might be something I've made, or something cool from my hidden stash, it might be a mix CD - or a rubber duck, a book I think you will enjoy, or something else that is awesome. Whatever it is, I promise that I will get it to you in 30 days or less. The only thing you need to do in order to participate is to be one of the first three to reply to this, AND post this very same thing* - 'cause its fun to give people stuff. :)

The Bad, the Good and the Ugly

roisin0908 — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 00:14:43 GMT

Well, I'm finally fully certified to dive at Truk. This weekend I completed my Advanced Open Water Certification - but it was certainly not in ideal conditions. My instructor and dive school had kindly tailored the course so that I was able to combine my Deep dives with Nitrox dives - not only did this save me time but also a fair amount of money. As the course was 1-2-1 with my instructor we were able to schedule 3 dives for Sat morning, 1 shore dive and 2 boat dives. The weather at Portsea Pier was beautiful, although meeting at 6:45am, while it was a gorgeous morning, it was a chilly 14 degress centigrade. My new 7mm semi-dry would keep me warm in the cool 13 degree water. I was quite excited about my forthcoming dives. I was also trying out my new scuba gear. Brand new BC, regs & computer - so it was going to be quite an eventful dive. Well.....it certainly was going to be an eventful dive. We went through the pre dive checks, including checking my Nitrox mix (31%), securing the additional gear I was going to be carrying, SMB, Pony bottle, torch & slate, as well as going through our planned dive. We were going to dive to about 6m , perform navigations exercises then do a cylinder swap and switch to using my Pony cylinder. Then do some SMB exercises. We jumped off Portsea Pier into about 3 metres and swam under the pier. My instructor has said that my new regs would be a huge improvement to my previous ones and he was so right - and with the swivel action at the first stage there was no more pulling at the mouth piece when you turned your head. The swell was getting a fair bit stonger and made for an interesting navigation exercise, but we got there, eventually. Although the visibility was very poor. Next, we did the Pony bottle switch. Sitting on the bottom at 5m, I had no problem switching tanks and breathing from the Pony then swapping back to my main tank. The SMB exercise was the most fun - although I highly recommend to LET GO OF THE SMB when it starts rising ;-) The swim back was tiring, we went to climb up one set of the pier steps, when my instructor turned around and got me to follow him further to another set of steps. My instructor had forgotten that the top end of the pier was under re-construction. Climbing up the steps I was shattered. I was carrying 24lbs plus a pony and there is always a step missing on pier steps - and when you're only 5ft it's a HUGE effort to climb up. But I got there and was elated that I had done my first Nitrox dive. Our first boat dive was at 9:30, so we had 30 mins to change tanks and get back to the pier for our boat dive. Thankfully, I didn't need to carry the pony, but we added an extra 6lb anyway. We were scheduled to dive the Easter Bombies, but as it is on the edge of the shipping channel and a ship was going to be passing through - our dive site was changed to Lonsdale Wall. The bay was fairly calm and although the boat was full, everyone was in a joyful mood. Jason, the boats captain, had heard that this was my first deep dive and pentultimate dive for my Advanced and was full of encouragement. Andrew, my instructor, and I were the first to gear up and jump off the boat. Our plan was to dive to 30m, Andrew would give me a narco test to see what my reaction would be like, then we were just going to swim around at about 25-28 metres for about 15 mins checking out the marine life, before ascending. I was going to deploy the SMB, so we did not have to swim back to the shot line. There was a mild surge and I was someone anxious at first, but once I relaxed my air consumption was nice and steady. Lots of ear popping, but I had no problems with ear pressure or bouyancy. I was beaming 30 metres under water. It was all over too soon and we started out ascent. In order to prepare me for multiple deco stops in Truk, we had decided to do 2 safety stops, 4 mins at 9 metres and 5 mins at 5 metres. This was to get me used to just hanging around watching the underwater world go by :-) At 5 metres I also deployed the SMB, this time remembering not to hold onto it ;-) The swell had picked up a bit by now and doing my 5 @ 5 was an interesting experience holding onto the SMB, which had surfaced by now, one minute I was holding on at 6m then pulled up by the swell to 5m. The safety stop over, we surfaced and waited for the boat. A total of 26mins bottom time and still plenty of air left. I was a happy bunny :-) Our third and last dive was to a wreck that was outside of Port Philip Heads called J4. The entrance to Port Philip Bay is via Port Philip Heads. It is one of the most difficult port entrances to navigate through and the sea goes from a calm pond to raging swells of 2-4 metres. Only the most experienced captains and sailors venture out of the bay and many a boat and ship has capsized and sunk in the heads. I had already had a bad experience going through the heads earlier this year. While going to my favourite site, Castle Rock, we went through the Heads. The boat seemed to lose the water beneath it and it just dropped. ALthough I was holding on to the rail, my little legs were not on the floor so I went flying, hitting the roof of the boat and landing on the deck with a thud. Thankfully a 7mm semi gives you good padding and I was only a bit shocked. With that memory firmly in my mind, I held onto the rail and braced my legs on the deck with every wave we went over. Although the conditions were pretty rough, I stayed relatively calm. Although I wasn't fully relaxed. It wasn't the boat journey I was apprehensive about, it was the dive. I knew I could do the dive and that I was in really good hands of my instructor. This was my final dive to get my AOW - I knew I could do it. After what seemed like an eternity of bouncing up and down - we finally got through the Heads and on towards the dive site. The seas abated a bit and I was a bit more settled. We geared up, buddy checked and was the first off the boat and down the shot line. The surge had picked up and even descending was an effort, but we eventually got to the bottom of the shot at 27m and almost right beside the wreck. It was quite impressive - the sub was scuttled in the 1920s and was rediscovered by divers in 1982. The wreck lies with its bow pointing out to sea. During its scuttling the bow section broke off, exposing the forward torpedoes tubes and bow modifications. However, the surge was getting a lot stronger and it seemed for every 5 metres I swam forward, I seemed to be going 10 metres backwards I really wasn't liking this dive. I was going through far too much air as I wasn't relaxed. Andrew could see I wasn't happy and that I was going through a lot of air - so we called it a day and began our descent. Thankfully we were in sight of the shot line and headed up it doing our 5 @ 5. Boy, I never thought 5 mins could go so slowly. We surfaced and I was so thankful to be back on the boat - with 51 bar left in my tank. I had done it, although it was a very anxious and difficult dive, I had done it. Andrew was really happy with how I coped in such difficult conditions and my ascent was controlled and at a good rate and my safety stop was well performed. We had to wait a while on the boat as most of the rest of the divers were on twins - so had a longer bottom time. But eventually we were heading off back through the heads - not so bumpy on the way back - but I must have neen happy as Andrew said I was beaming from ear to ear. I had done it, I had done my deep & Nitrox dives, passed my Advanced Open Water and I was ready for Truk. When I got back to the dive club, I was told that if I could dive J4 in such conditions, then I could dive anything. I mean, in Port Philip I had to endure cold water, heavy weights, carrying my gear to the boat, having to navigate to the site, swells, poor visibility. In Truk it'll be 34 degrees (and thats the water), crew to carry your gear to the boat, the shot is dropped right onto the wreck and the vis is so good that you can see the wrecks from the boat. And the only surge you'll get is the wake from the boat. Only 3 more sleeps :-) And do you know what the worst part of my diving day was? The showers at the dive club had run out of hot water....ah well - things could have been worse... I'll be back on 10th Oct and will tell you all about the trip. :-)

Hot August Night

roisin0908 — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 23:40:35 GMT

Well, I finally got to do my night dives and it was brilliant. Although I am paying the price dearly now, with the most horrible cold. But the things we do in the name of sport huh!! We had the best evening for the dive. The Northerlies were still blowing warm air in to Melbourne and the day time temp was about 25 - in fact the evening was the warmest August night for a very long time (remember it's winter here in Australia and the average temp in August is about 14) What also made it a great night was that the moon was still quite full, in fact, earlier in the week we had a total eclipse of the Moon - a stunning sight and my second lunar eclipse in 2 years (London last winter and Melbourne this week) The dives were done at Williamstown which was quite protected from the winds. The sea was as flat as a pancake and I was quite surprised at how mild the water temp was. It was only a shallow dive we did - 3m - but the marine life we saw in the light of our torches was amazing. We even encountered a few crabs - although they weren't too pleased about us shining our torches on them. The best part of the dive was when we switched off our primary torches and it was all dark - but when I looked up I could see the strong moonlight shining through. Not errie as I had expected, but soft and comforting. The dives were over all too soon and I was glad it was a 'hot August night' as getting dressed in the car park wasn;t nearly so bad. Although, I don't think it helped my cold. Next dives are Deep dives - doing a couple of dives at about 45m with deco stops. Should be fun. But gotta get over this cold first.

Getting ready for Truk

roisin0908 — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 00:35:34 GMT

It has been almost 7 months since I last dived. Work committments, health and the general cold conditions of Port Philip Bay had put a hold on any diving. So last weekend I got straight back into it. My instructor has suggested that it would be better for me if I had my Advanced Open water as well as my Deep Water and Nitrox certifications before I head off to Truk. So, my dive school have laid on a fast track, One-to-One AOW program for me (if you live in Melbourne, Australia, I HIGHLY recommend Scuba Culture with Xavier and Andrew). So, last week I did my theory courses and the practical dives are in the coming weeks. My first dive back in to the Bay was at Boarfish Reef, 20m with stunning marine life in abundance due to the nutrient rich, cool curents that area is well known for. The visibility was amazing, 20m at least and although the water was a chilly 11 degress, I had my new 7mm semi-dry with hood - I didn't need the inner vest at all. The 30 minute bottom time was up all too soon and before I knew it, I was back on the boat heading back to Portsea for a tank change. I was tagging along with a class who were doing thier first boat dives and were due to be Open Water certified. It was as well I came along as I could make up the numbers for buddying. I have now become very aware of how important it is to be a confident diver in yourself . My buddy was also tagging along but was meant to be diving with her partner - but he discovered a hole in his drysuit while on the boat and couldn't dive (11 degress is VERY cold if you have a hole in your suit). At first she was apprehensive and didn't want to dive. Although she had done over 20 dives she had never buddied with anyone else. Her partner and the instructor reassured her that she would be ok. During the dive, you could tell she wasn't a very confident diver. She was almost on the poor instructors fins the whole way through the dive. Not wanting to get swam over by the rest of the group, I stayed with her, slighty above her but alongside her all the time. Her confidence or rather lack of it also showed in her problems with neutral bouyancy as she was flaffing around a lot. For someone who had done so many dives, it was a bit concerning she still lacked confidence. Also, her air consumption was far, far higher than mine. She just about had 60 bar while I was still over the 100 mark when we got back on board. On the drive back to the dive club I commented to my instructor about her and he too had noticed her lack of confidence. He said it wasn't anything to do with me as he thought I was a very competant and confident diver (otherwise he wouldn't be fast tracking me through AOW & Deep - let alone going to take me 65m down to the San Francisco Maru) he said that all too often, he comes across couples who have only buddyed each other and that it is nearly alway the case where one always tends to rely on the other. He always splits couples during classes and believes better divers are those who can buddy with anyone with confidence. It;s not that the diver isn't confident of their new buddy - it's because they are not confident in them selves. Anyway - whilst trying to avoide flayling arms and fins, I loved being back in the water. It was so good to be back in the Bay seeing all the marine life and spendid coral and vegitation. The dive was over all too soon. Our next dive was at Pope's Eye. Popes Eye is an artificial environment made of bluestone boulders that have been laid in a semi-circular ring which rise approximately 2.5 metres above the surface at low tide. Originally intended to become one of the fortresses guarding the entrance to Port Phillip but never completed, this structure provides a safe anchorage for pleasure craft and the substrate for a rich community of animals and plants that attach to the rocks and associated fish fauna. Inside the ring water depth is only around 1.5m but outside the water drops to a depth around 10m. We anchored inside Popes Eye, almost rushing to get in to the water - not to dive, but to get away from the stench from the Australisian Gannets who nest there in hundreds. A roll off the boat (it's only about 1.5 m deep inside Popes Eye, and then swim to the outer wall. This dive was more about practising neutral bouyancy. I had a new buddy (my previous buddy decided not to do anymore dives) and was fun checking out the marine life and playing with the fish. We had one very pesistant Senator Wrasse trying to chase us away. :-) Again the dive was all over too soon. There was only 6 divers on the boat and the Dive Master suggested we might want to snorkel with the seals at Chinamans Hat - a 'home' for the Port Philip Bay seals, mainly frequented by juvinilles and males who don't run thier own colony. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/19/1079199423438.html When we rocked up - you could definately tell it was a batchelor pad for seals. There they were, lying in the sun, lazing around, farting, scratching them selves and basically being boys ;-) Usually during the summer, boat loads of tourists pay top dollar to swim with the seals and dolphins there. However, it's winter here in Melbourne, people aren't are stupid as we are to go swimming around in the 11 degree water :-) When we rocked up - the seals seemed very pleased to see us and almost immediately about 8 juvinilles swam out to the boat. We donned our snorkel gear and jumped in. It was amazing having these animals swim around us, checking us out. We were warned not to touch them, because, like dogs, although playful , they nip and nip hard. They copied movements that we made and if you've ever tried to duck dive with a wet suit on - forget it - it was quite a hilarious sight :-) This was certainly an experience I'd never had before and it was great fun. But - back to the boat before long. A hot shower at the dive centre and the 1 hour drive back. An exhausting but exhilorating day. Not only was I back in the water but I hadn't lost that buzz for diving. Roll on later in the week when I do my night dives and navigation dives. And in 2 weeks time when I do my deep dives.

Truk...here I come!!!!!!!

roisin0908 — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:31:37 GMT

After much cajoaling and persuading my team that they can do without me for a few weeks, I've finally secured my vacation dates to go diving in Truk. I can't wait. I was getting so upset that I might have had to cancel it - but now I'm finally going. This trip is one that I've been looking forward to all year. I've heard fantastic things about diving in Truk and that it's one of the best wreck dive areas in the world. http://www.truk-lagoon-dive.com/ So roll on 10 days of hot days and balmy nights. Warm water temps and only having to wear a 3mm shortie to protect my skin from the sun and edges of the wrecks. We have 18 boat dives organised and unlimited shore dives, plus plenty of other activities. I'll also be doing my Deep Water and Wreck certification. It seems so strange, that next weekend I'll be snow skiing, the week after getting my Dry Suit cert and tying not to freeze in Port Philip Bay - then 3 weeks later, flying off to Guam via Cairns to dive in tropical waters. The resort is meant to be a really good place too... http://www.bluelagoondiveresort.com/ I'll be taking loads of photos, so I'll be sure to post the best ones when I get back. Boy!!! What an busy few weeks I have - AND between skiing and going to Truk - I'm also moving house.... Bring it on!!!!!!!!!

Men are like Handbags (Purses)

roisin0908 — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 07:40:37 GMT

Men are like Handbags - They are accessories not necessities!! You should always have different handbags for different occasions. No matter how many handbags you have - there's always one you keep coming back to. It is always best to change handbags if your usual one is lost at the back of the closet. Some handbags are only meant to be seen occasionally - and even then only on special occasions. Men are like Shoes and Handbags - a woman can never have too - but only ever one at a time. Never hang onto a handbag - it should hang on you instead. Some handbags are just full of crap and junk - but do we ever get rid of them? Most of the handbags we've bought on impulse never really do the job we'd hoped! A Handbag will NEVER last a lifetime. No matter how small the handbag is - you can never get to the bottom of it. And the bigger the handbag is - the crap it holds. When it comes to a handbag - SIZE matters!! Don't get a handbag with too many compartments - it'll only confuse you! Choose your handbag wisely - then it will never go out of fashion.

Help a Stranger

roisin0908 — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 21:02:35 GMT

On Monday morning in Melbourne, on his way to work, a man went to the assistance of a woman who was being dragged by the hair by another man. It was about 8:30am and there a number of people around at the Intersection of Flinders & Williams Streets in the City. The man attacking the woman, produced a gun and shot dead the stranger who was trying to help, as well as another man and the woman. The attacker ran off and is still on the run and known to the police. No doubt, many people would have just walked on and not offered to help the woman. They probably would have let them be and got on with thier lives, ignoring the womans cry for help. But, this stranger, stopped to help. And was killed for doing so. What has become of the world, where we are too frightened to stop and help for fear of being attacked or in some cases sued for offering the wrong assistance. I recall a time when I was living in Perth, Western Australia. I had gone out to visit friends who lived out in the country, about 45 mins drive from where I lived. This was 15 years ago, when the outer suburbs of Perth was still scrubland and bush. It was a miserable night, windy and raining on and off. I was on my way home, tired and looking forward to my bed. The roads were very dark and wet. When suddenly a man jumped out into the road, waving his arms about. I managed to swerve and avoid him. I didn't want to stop. I had heard of too many stories of motorists being lured into attending to an accident in the middle of no-where, then being attacked and thier cars taken. I drove on, but I looked back in my rear view mirror. And something made me change my mind. 500 yards down the road, I turned the car around, drove up to the man who had jumped out into the car, who was then joined by another man. Both were covered in blood, both wet and looking bedraggled. I locked my doors and opened my window a couple of inches. They had rolled thier car into the field and their friend was trapped inside. Fifteen years ago, cell phones were not that common, but I had on AND managed to get a signal to call the police. I was miles from anywhere, but somehow, although I had never been in the area before, I was able to remember that I had passed a road sign and was able to give an exact location. I then took a huge, deep breath and went to see what I could do. The 30 minute wait for the police and paramedics seemed like an eternity, while I knelt by an overturned car, in the rain, in the middle of a muddy field, holding the drivers hand and reassuring him help was on the way. But I could have been one of those strangers who walk past those that need help. I could have just driven on, as many others had that evening. But what made me turn back? What made me risk my own safety to help someone else? I think I would have gone to offer help to the woman in the street. Would the gunman had of shot me even though I am female? Would others have joined in and also offered assistence? I live in admiration of others who put themselves at risk in order to help others. I hope one day, that if ever I need such help to save my life, someone offers to help me, a stranger. Would you?

Things about you I'd like to find out

roisin0908 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:40:31 GMT

Courtesy of dillie.... So go on, tell me more about yourself..... 1.)Q. Can you cook? 1.)A. 2.)Q. What was your dream growing up? 2.)A. 3.)Q. What talent do you wish you had? 3.)A. 4.)Q. If I bought you a drink what would it be? 4.)A. 5.)Q. Favorite vegetable? 5.)A. 6.)Q. What was the last book you read? 6.)A. 7.)Q. What zodiac sign are you ? 7.)A. 8.)Q. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? 8.)A. 9.)Q. Worst Habit? 9.)A. 10.)Q. If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? 10.)A. 11.)Q. What is your favorite memory? 11.)A 12.)Q. Negative or Optimistic attitude? 12.)A. 13.)Q. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? 13.)A. 14.)Q. Worst thing to ever happen to you? 14.)A. 15.)Q. Tell me one weird fact about you: 15.)A. 16.)Q. Do you have any pets? 16.)A. 17.)Q. What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly? 17.)A. 18.)Q. What was your first impression of me? 18.)A. 19.)Q. What's your favorite food? 19.)A 20.)Q. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be??? 20.)A. 21.)Q. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? 21.)A. 22.)Q. What color eyes do you have? 22.)A. 23.)Q. Ever been arrested? 23.)A. 24.)Q. Bottle or Draft? 24.)A. 25.)Q. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it? 25.)A. 26.)Q. Would you date me? 26.)A. 27.)Q. What 's your favorite bar to hang at? 27.)A. 28.)Q. Do you believe in ghosts? 28.)A. 29.)Q. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? 29.)A. 30.)Q. Do you swear a lot? 30.)A. 31.)Q. Biggest pet peeve? 31.)A. 32.)Q. In one word, how would you describe yourself? 32.)A. 33.)Q. What's your middle name? 33.)A. 34.)Q. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same 34.)A.

Don't eat yellow snow!!

roisin0908 — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 09:10:51 GMT

It's almost here.!!! Next weekend (June 9th) is the start of the ski season in Australia. And what a welcoming start it will be, with most resorts already with about 12 inches of snow and a lot more predicted during the week. Last year was a disasterous snow season. The current drought playing a huge part in that as snow falls were minimal and most of the resorts had to suppliment the runs using snow making guns. Because the process uses a lot of water, Mt Buller and Hotham have decided to use purified effluent — from the resorts' sewerage and grey water — in the machines. Philip Nunn, CEO of Mount Buller's resort management, said the effluent would be recycled to class A standard, just short of drinkable, for use in snow-making and even then would be mixed with pure reservoir water before being turned into snow. ■ Nutrient load of waste water is reduced. ■ Water then sterilised with UV light. ■ Water mixed with ozone, a chemical that destroys biological life. Soon after it has been added, ozone breaks down into oxygen. ■ Water goes through ultrafiltration, which removes objects down to 0.01 microns. This includes all bacteria and viruses. ■ Water then mixed with fresh water from the resort's reservoir and used to make snow. So!!! Beware!!!! "yellow snow" won't be yellow anymore ;-)

Be careful what you ask for!!!

roisin0908 — Tue, 29 May 2007 20:33:35 GMT

As I have mentioned in previous blogs and posts - Melbourne, as is much of the Eastern coast of Australia, is in the grips of a drought. It is quite bad. We are in the midst of severe water restrictions. The reservoirs that supply drinking water to Melbourne are less than 30% capacity. In Melbourne we can only water our gardens on certain days and at certain times and using a hand held hose or drip water feeder. In some states you cannot water your garden at all. Pools cannot be filled up, cars cannot be washed, only the windows and soon even commercial car washes and window cleaning will be stopped. We need rain!!!! And yesterday we got it. And more than we bargined for. We also got storm force winds. Roofs blew off buildings in the city, traffic came to a standstill, trees fell down, roof files flew away. Huge waves buffetted the sea walls and piers. The above shot is at Mornington Pier. I usually go diving from there, but not this weekend :-( But we got rain!!! Unfortunately not enough. Only about 10mm (less than 1/2 inch) fell in the catchment areas. BUT - they had a couple of inches fall in the alpine regions. And the official opening of the snow season starts in 2 weeks. Hopefully this is a good sign. Last years season was one of the worst on record and the consequence was less snow melting into the catchment rivers. Everyone is saying that El Nino is on his way out and La Nina is on her way. Please hurry La Nina, we need you - but can you please not be so windy ;-)

How do you mend a broken heart?

roisin0908 — Sun, 13 May 2007 17:53:42 GMT

It's a Heartache ~ Bonnie Tyler It's a heartache Nothing but a heartache Hits you when it's too late Hits you when you're down It's a fool's game Nothing but a fool's game Standing in the cold rain Feeling like a clown. It's a heartache Nothing but a heartache. Love him till your arms break Then he lets you down. It ain't right with love to share When you find he doesn't care for you. It ain't wise to need someone As much as I depended on you. It's a heartache Nothing but a heartache Hits you when it's too late . . . It ain't r'ight with love to share . . . Oh it's a heartache Nothing but a heartache. Love him till your arms break Then he let's you down It's a fool's game Standing in the cold rain Feeling like a clown. It's a heartache Love him till your arms break Then he let's you down It's a heartache ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's not my heartache, but my best friends. But I know how she feels. I've been there a few times and no doubt some of you have as well. How do we get over a broken heart? I'm glad I am there for my friend, but I wish she wasn't in Brisbane, so far away, so I could comfort her in person instead of on the phone. It's been an emotional weekend, Jenny last week, Belinda this week. I feel exhausted. But I need to be strong for my friends. As Rose Kennedy said: "God only gives us as much as we can handle and not any less." When will the heartache end?

I'm having a McMoment....

roisin0908 — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:48:34 GMT

My McDreamy is away, I've caused my Mctribe friend a bit of heartache, my Mcthorn in the McSide is now a McPain in the McArse. The weather here is mclousy, I'm mcfeedup, mcmiserable and mclonely :-( Roll on Summer.

Stolen from Azhrde

roisin0908 — Sun, 06 May 2007 04:17:44 GMT

1. What color is your bra? I have all sorts of colours. All sexy ones though 2. Do you ever lie about your age? Don't need to, they never believe my age and think I'm younger 3. Do you prefer "sensitive boys" or "tough guys"? Tough ones - Give me Ray Winston any day 4. Do you prefer blonde or dark haired guys? Dark haired. I've never dated a blonde guy. 5. Are you currently single? Only part time when he's away for long periods. 6. How many things in your past do you regret? None, you should never regret anything that you've done. Just live with it and learn by it. (Why is there no number 7?) 8. Do you have a best friend? Yes, my man. 9. What do you want to be when you grow up? Too late for that now I reckon!! 10. Have you ever kissed two people in one night? Hmmmm, I think I can honestly say Yes to that ;-) (...no 11 either!?) 12. Who was the last person you hugged? My man at the airport 13. Have you ever had your heart broken? Yes!! It's a part of life isn't it? 14. Have you ever thought about having plastic surgery? May do, probably a breast reduction and lift. 15. Have you ever wanted someone but you knew you couldn't? No, because I was prepared to wait. 16. Do you like your life? I sure do. Love it, and it only keeps getting better. 17. Do you shop at Hollister? Not yet, but my paternal Grandmothers name was Hollister. 18. Has one of your friends ever stolen a boyfriend from you? Well, not so much as stolen, more like borrowed. And not so much of a friend either.. 19. Has one of your friends ever stabbed you in the back? No. 20. Did you forgive them? N/A 21. If no, then why not? N/A 22. Do you have more friends that are girls or boys? More guys than girls. 23. How long have you had myspace? Not very long. And I keep forgetting I have it. My nieces keep reminding me to update it. 24. Have you ever skipped school? Only a few times. I loved school actually. 25. Has anyone ever cheated on you? Well, if you call finding out that he was married and in fact had got married while you were seeing him, cheating, then yes. 26. Have you ever slapped a boy in the face? NO, but the guy above came close. 27. What is one of your biggest fears? Strangulation 28. Has anyone close to you ever passed away? Unfortunately, too many have. 29. Have you ever cried yourself to sleep? Yes. 30. Have you ever not been able to get someone out of your head? All the time. 31. Do you believe in the saying "once a cheater, always a cheater"? Yes, but all depends if you know about it and what consitutes 'cheating' to you. 32. What color are your underwear? See question 1 33. What is your screen name? Same as my normal name 34. So far, do you like this survey? Frankly, it's a bit naff!! 35. Have you ever had a good feeling about something and it turned out you were right? Yes, a lot of times. 36. Do you ever wish you were famous? Not so much famous, but well known. 37. Do you ever wish you were a man? Never, not in a million yes.

Happy Easter

roisin0908 — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 09:23:13 GMT

Four day weekend for me coming up. Lots of relaxing & recreation to do. Where ever you are - enjoy your Easter break

Elementary my dear Watson!!!

roisin0908 — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 22:10:48 GMT

Have you ever used the services of a Private Detective or Private Investigation service? I've had cause to use their services twice so far. And it certainly has been an interesting experience. The first time was about 15 years ago when I was living in Adelaide. I had been dating this guy for about 6 months when I felt something didn't quite ring true. My friends husband ran an investigation service, so I was able to get a discount to find out more about this guy. especially since he wanted me to invest in a business of his. Well, it was just as well I did investigate, as it turned out that not only was he married with a wife and family interstate, but he'd also got bad debts all over Australia. A very lucky escape for me. However, I was not so lucky with my ex. He took out loans in my name, forging my signature and running off leaving me to sort out the mess. He even secured my flat on the loans. The disturbing part is, is that I cannot get criminal action against him. The loan companies have to do that as it is them that has been defrauded. Crazy - but true. I've even had to use the services of a forensic document specialist to prove that my signatures were forged. Of course - this has now all come to court as the loan company still want their money and now I am embroiled in a legal battle to 1) get then to take the charge off of my property 2) get them to nullify the loan in my name and 3) retrieve all the monies and costs that I've had to fork out for this case. And that includes getting someone to find the ex and serve papers on him. I was actually surprised how quickly they managed to find him, as I had tried a number of different routes with no success. And I'm usually very good at finding information like that. But when someone doesn't want to be found it is quite difficult. Anyway, much to his annoyance, I wouldn't be surprised, he has been served papers and now will have to face the music. Unfortunately, this is likely to be expensive for me as it will mean a full trial, in UK sometime later this year. But my barrister is confident that I have a cast iron case. But it did get me thinking as to who does use the services of Private Investigators. I was surprised how many of my friends had used them. One had used them to find her husband whom she had not seen for over 5 years. She needed to prove he was still alive so that she could divorce him in order to re-marry. She too was surprised how quickly he was found. Two other friends had used the services to check up on cheating husbands. One even hired a PI in the States, as her husband went there a lot on business. She was convinced that he was seeing someone so got a local PI to investigate. He was seeing someone - she used to stay at the hotel with him, even letting hotel staff think she was his wife. My friend then flew from Melbourne to LA - unannounced and caught him out. She got a very good divorce settlement. The other friend too got the proof that her husband was cheating on her. But it is sad that we have to find ourselves in the situation of snooping on lovers, family or colleagues. There was even an article on bbc news about reading your partners text messages http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=5965&&&edition=1&ttl=20070403230610 Are we begining to lack trust in one another? What do you think? Would you hire a PI to check up on someone or read your partners text messages?

Back Where you belong

roisin0908 — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 18:15:34 GMT

After, what seems like an eternity, my man and I are actually going to be able to spend a lot more time together. He and I travel a lot, both Interstate and Overseas, but we never seem to co-ordinate our travel so that we are both at home for more than a weekend together. But he has now finished his project assignment and will be back home this week. I can't wait to be able to spend more than a weekend with him doing all the things we both love doing together. Just have to keep our fingers crossed that our next projects doesn't keep us apart too often or for too long.

Am I bovvered

roisin0908 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:25:28 GMT

I'm a great fan of Catherine Tate but not a huge one of Tony Blair - however, I did find this sketch for Comic Relief very amusing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sluVp4oknJw&NR