27-06-06 5.00pm

the top picture is John, (Belinda's flatmate) cooking dinner, Belinda lives in a typical student rental. John is studying psychology at Curtin Uni, Belinda just graduated from Art at Curtin Uni and her other flatmate is Alan her brother an apprentice cabinet maker.
The next picture is me yet again taking a self portrait, but I thought this one was clever because you can't tell I'm holding the camera.
Then you have Belinda wearing a scarf knitted by her mum and a surf label tuke (beenie) on one of her good days.
Then you have Geoff, Bob's hockey team mate, who got smacked in the head by a hockey stick, I took him to hospital. They gave him stitches and he seems to be ok. Then the last photo is Ann-Marie, Bobs bestfriends girlfriend, she is super sexy and super pretty, as you can see.
I shall be away for the next five days, I am going down south to Belinda's parents house, which is not far from my parents farm. So while helping look after Belinda, I might have some spare time to pop over and see mum and dad, havn't seen them since christmas. Hope dad is in a good mood. Hope your all going insane.
Michelle

27-06-06 10.00am

Alas we too have our share of old bad 70's style structures. Unfortunately because the uni, started out as a engineering school all the science buildings except for a few are their original design. The top one is mechanical and civil engineering, the middle pic is engineering general and the bottom pic is science gen lecture hall, but mostly used by chemistry, physics and the computer labs. On the plus side, Curtin is currently erecting a huge new building at the front of campus as they plan on doing medicine at Curtin soon. The engineering buildings really feel old and dodgy. So math, physics and the entire rest of campus have got it good with their new fancy buildings. News is though that these buildings on the left, are lined up for a refurbishment.

26-06-06 11.30am

The picture at the top is the west wing of Building 314. The west wing is the math department. The picture left of this typing is the stairwell leading up to the entry of building 314 and there is 42 steps exactly. The east wing in the sunlight is the computing department, building 314 is the "Department of Computing Science, Mathematics and Statistics" During our meeting it came up how perculiar it was that this building was number 314, because if you put a decimel in it you almost have pi. I will get more pictures of the uni soon. This is a fairly newly built department, Curtin has grown heaps in the last decade so they had to make new buildings, but the architect must have thought it was cool to have geometric shapes and stuff, so the entire campus has these new buildings sprouting up everywhere. I guess its in keeping with the fact its Western Australia's University of Technology (it started out as a mining school, for engineers and stuff)
I would imagine that Curtin uni, may well be smaller than the ones you get in Canada, but Curtin also has many campuses worldwide.

23-06-06 5.00pm

Had a s.c.u.m. (Students of Curtin University Mathematics, for anyone interested in math, esp catering for people struggling with math, such as myself) meeting this morning and took some photos of the exec members using the timer setting. Today is the last day of 1st semester exams . The president is a fourth year math student, the vice president (not present) is a fourth year math and computing science student. Treasurer is a Geology student doing math, secretary is a something student. The club is open minded and doesn't discriminate as to who can be in the club, you can be anyone, even school students join and people who aren't even going to uni, its rad.

Whilst at the meeting I took a self portrait, as you can tell my arms are holding the camera, I take a couple of self portraits from time to time.
My sister came by my house for a visit, good to see her. Will be heading off to see Belinda after I write this and wash the dishes, havn't yet finished cleaning my house AND havn't even started packing for Africa eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek.

22-06-06 10am

I took this yesterday at sunset, its Belinda and her mum Kate at the jetty near Bel's house. I took a couple of other sort of abstract photos of the sunset and this japanese guy fishing, I might post them. We forced Bel to go for a walk, she spends most days in bed, but the more she moves, the more it assists with her recovery.
Yesterday after writing my entry, I went down to the op shop and bought two really scarey eighties aerobics videos and one Kylie Minogue video of her greatest hits of the eighties and nineties (total cost $5). Oh my god, these videos are disturbing. I don't like much about the eighties and really get disturbed by the scarey hair, clothes and totally disturbing music.
But alas, I must use at least one of these videos to get in shape and increase my heart and lung capacity and lose some kilos?
Yesterday arvo, went and visited Bel, we watched and laughed through some of the eighties videos and made her go for a walk, she is very exhausted and a bit down. She gets a bit that way after a chemo session, she has another chemo session today. Hope your all well.

21-06-06 11.35am

I didn't want to upload this photo, but to let you know how much weight I have actually gained, eeeeeeek. I keep trying to hunt down free aerobics videos but with no joy. I don't want to run or do weights because it makes me get bigger and look like a man, see my arms that isn't fat and when their flexed its bad, way too muscly the downside of finding manual labour employment. Plus I know I will like aerobics because its heaps of different stuff, running and walking can get a bit monotonous and it is hard to want to do it for that reason. Look I even am getting a double chin eeeek. Mind you this photo is about 4 weeks old and I have lost a wee bit of weight like 200 grams. I actually have a fear of dinosaurs, so this was slightly therapuetic, but I still walked away a bit fucked up, I have this deep rooted belief that there is a dinosaur in the bushes waiting to chase me.

just tried applying for a personal loan but no joy.
its sunny and cloudy and cold.
I must stop mucking around on the computer and start cleaning my study. eeeeeeeeeek.
hope you like my self photographed collage.

20-06-06 12.05pm

Hello. Pics of my little study area, must tidy it soon, its been this way for the last six months.
Today I phoned Bel, she is extremely tired the chemo really seems to exhaust her. So I am not visiting her today, havn't seen her for five days, but she needs a break from me aswell, because I have been in her face quite alot for the last bunch of weeks.
Am doing my best to get my house really clean, the windows are proving most difficult, because they are sliding windows they have gutters and ridges in the metal framework which are very difficult to wipe or vacuum clean. So I have wiped over them, but there is heaps of soggy dust still left (I think the rain and sprinklers has created this soggy build up of dust), I will just need to keep cleaning it more regularly untill its completely cleared out.
I really need to keep cleaning, a friend of mine recommends I do so as it will help me concentrate when I go back to studying.
I hope so much that one day I will be able to go back to studies.
I'm very nervous about our trip to Africa, I hope we don't run out of money or get harrassed by thiefs.

monday 19-06-06 12.45pm

This is a promo still from the movie "Howl's Moving Castle" I loved this anime film, so sweeet.
this is me experimenting with the timer setting on the camera, by the way I finally found the timer that gives you ten seconds, in this photo I used the two second setting which is why its a little blurred, I ran back and went down on my knees to make it look like I'm standing, because the camera was only on a box, which meant it would've only captured my knees. Here I have stopped carrying boxes to the truck to take a snap of myself. hee hee.

I took this cloud formation above Barblet oval next to the hockey association stadium, whilst Bob was playing hockey behind the camera. I took more than this one, but am not going to post them all. Then this next one is Bob's family and friends helping clear out his sisters garage.





had a rather big weekend.
Mowed the lawn and weeded one third of my garden, it was hard work and left me feeling quite tired and my leg muscles were sore the next day, I gardenend for 8 eight hours.
Helped boyfriends sister move house.
Watched Bob's game of hockey and took photos of the spooky cloud formations during the game.
Watched a couple of dvd's one which I really enjoyed was "Howl's Moving Castle" its an awesome movie and I totally recommend it to everyone.
I shall now try to squeeze some photos of the above happenings on this entry.

Friday 16th June 2006 9.13am

Friday, Bel is into her fifth day of chemo today for this cycle (Cycle number 1), this cycle will hopefully cease on monday. We are only at the very beginning, I miscalculated or was misinformed of how far Bel had left to go.
I found out last thursday that all the chemo and hospital stays over the past 5 weeks, was not a part of Bel's routine cycle and that it was an initial phase to save her life, since pulling through she is now able to enter the routine chemo therapy cycles. This news stunned me, but I told Bel's mum at the time that it was no problem and that we can deal with it. I went home feeling myffed and sliding down a hole of fear. But I mananged to pull myself back up and believe that we can still do this, since we have come this far.
This photo was taken over the weekend, Bel is getting heaps of tuku's ( I think thats what you guys call them) sorry I can't remember the spelling. We are in winter over here, but unfortunately it has brought no rain, just clear sunny but cold days, unfortunately 60% of our farming has been plunged into drought because of it.
Chat again soon.
Michelle

DINOSAUR AT THE MUSEUM

I went to the city museum with my mum, sister and niece and had a look at all the stuffed animals and dinosaur models, I was quite stunned by the anatomy of this one as it has fantastic leg strength and agility for a heavy predator, scarey shit man.
Mum took this photo of me.

NEW CAMERA

Hello,
I have been mucking around with our new camera, getting the hang of automatic shots, but I needed more time to run back from the camera, the 2 second setting the camera has is just too short.
I'm sitting in front of the t.v. in this photo, and the program is "antique roadshow", so I got some really cool shots of me appearing in old european buildings hee hee. Belinda my sick buddy took this photo and 30 more, she went crazy with the camera.
Things are going ok, my house is a dump, my brother has left heaps of shit lying around and I have books and paper everywhere (left over from studies).
I have had a couple of warts frozen of my hand and it hurts like hell, and its making it difficult to get any cleaning done, so I am kind of stuck. I am probably going to go to the town library and see if I can find a book on fitness and copy its routine, I can't afford a gym and don't like doing weights as it seems to make me heavier, so hopefully I can get my hands on an aerobics style routine.
Chat soon.
Michelle

THANKYOU

I had been up till three am for three weeks, bedside, family side etc when this photo was taken by my mum, Bel is my best friend, my sister and I love her so.
I'm back, Phil thankyou heaps for putting up the last post, keeping people informed of my situation and your kind words of support.
Belinda is progressing ok, she has completed two cycles of chemo, she has 6 cycles left each lasting approximately a week and have 3 week rest intervals inbetween each cycle all going well.
A few major things have come out from Belinda's grim situation, peoples issues with Belinda's sexuality have been put aside to be bedside and begin recommunicating with her. It has and will continue to be a roller coaster of emotions and events. But I am certain that Belinda will continue her strong fight and come through positively.
I am well, just recovered from a tummy bug and getting vaccinations like a pin cushion. Me and my boyfriend are planning a trip to Africa, I wasn't going to go but Belinda has insisted I go and send her post cards wearing a pith helmet.
My passport was due to expire so I have had that renewed and it has a crazy microchip thing in it this time.
I hope your all keeping well and studying like insane things.
Michelle