I’m lucky to get to the movies once, even twice a year and today was the day. I had a spare couple of hours (doesn’t happen often) and thought I would check out the new movie “Australia” staring Nicole Kidman (one of my favourite actresses ever since I saw the movie  ’Dead Calm’ 1989) and Hugh Jackman in a Baz Luhrmann film.

I thought the movie was absolutely fabulous!!!!

Having lived in Darwin for four years and travelled the Northern Territory, I really appreciated seeing the beautiful and familiar scenery.

The costumes, scenery, music and scriptwriting were all sensational. I found the story line moved quickly and dramatically from scene to scene keeping me the viewer totally engrossed.

Though by the time Huge Jackman said ‘crikey’ for the fourth time I thought it had been said enough even though it is one of my favourite sayings and written on the back of my ute!

The relationship between Nicole / Lady Sarah Ashley a high class English lady, Hugh / The Drover a hard working Australian cattle musterer and Brandon Walters /  Nullah a young half cast aboriginal / white child really brought home that everyone is just a person and deserves the same respect. The relationships in the movie were moving and really well portrayed evoking heaps of emotion.

Oprah gave the movie rave reviews and this is a woman who knows what she is on about!

Oprah says Australia made her laugh, cry and sit on the edge of her seat. “It literally swept me off my feet,” she says. “You just don’t get to see movies like this anymore.”

My father even said I’d love it (my parents watched it yesterday) and he was quite right! I think I may go to the movies for the second time this year and watch it again tomorrow!!! You really get lost in the movie and forget the real world even hours after it has ended!!!

I think the critic’s / reviewers may have had their eyes shut!

THE State Government’s controversial water recycling plan is in doubt and the Traveston Dam project is on hold for several years in a major Bligh Government backflip.

Click here to read more from The Courier Mail

One wonders if the upcoming election and the need for crucial votes had anything to do with the sudden change of mind for Premier Anna Bligh MP and the Labor Government??!!

Have your say, take the Traveston Dam POLL here

On Tuesday the 18^th of November I attended a luncheon at the Sofitel in Brisbane for the Queensland Telstra Women’s Business Awards as I was a finalist for the PricewaterhouseCoopers Young Business Women’s Award for my business Design House Fraser Coast.

It was amazing to be in a room with 500 of the most powerful business women in Queensland. Labor State MP Margaret Keech, Minister for Women was present standing in for Premier Anna Bligh. It was also lovely to catch up with Anne Fulwood who was MCing the event again.

Professor Paula Barrett, Director of Pathways Health and Research Centre, was named the 2008 Telstra Queensland Business Woman of the Year. I had the pleasure of conversing with Paula the night before, she is a very motivated and inspirational woman;
 
Paula’s Queensland-based international consultancy-based clinic was founded in 2003, and provides resilience and life-skills programs to families and school communities. With a focus on coping with anxiety, depression, and stressful situations, Pathways Health and Research Centre’s internationally recognised programs provide a range of life-enhancing services for everyone from children to adults.

Half way through the presentations I had to go on stage to receive my Finalist Award, it’s all very nerve racking as you don’t know if you may make have to make a victory speech. Unfortunately I didn’t win this year but looked very glamorous thanks to the assistance of one of my clients. Julies Mobile Hair Salon services the Caboolture and Brisbane areas and comes to you, so it was fantastic to have my hair styled and makeup applied in the motel before the function.

To find out more on the awards please click here….

Yesterday I went to the Art Gallery NSW to see the Monet and the Impressionists exhibition.
It would have been Monet’s 168^th birthday yesterday if he was still alive.

“The method of Impressionist painting, where a picture is assembled in a riot of flecks of colour, reflects the kind of experience to which the eye of a big city dweller has become accustomed.”

The paintings were beautiful with an array of mostly pastel shades; I particularly liked the Water lilies and The Seine at Chatou.
There were so many flecks of colours that some of them reminded me of the magic eye images from the 1990’s. I felt if I stared long enough something 3d might pop out at me!

Claude Monet Water lilies 1905          Claude Monet The Seine at Chatou 1881
Museum of Fine Arts Boston                Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Today I was talking to a gentleman sitting next to me on my fight to Sydney.

When enquring what he was doing in Hervey Bay he informed me he was consulting / working on our new Fraser Coast Waste Product Plant at Nikenbah….

Apparently by next November we will all be drinking each others pee! (for water). OMG!!!!
Oh well I’m sure it will be adequately treated!

Crickey wonder when that info is going to be made available to the Fraser Coast locals?

hmmm…if we have to drink potable water, so should Brisbane and the silly hoo haa about building a dam that hasn’t yet been proven viable may come to an end???

Barack Obama has won the 2008 U.S. presidential election, defeating John McCain and becoming the first African – American to hold the nation’s highest office. full story

Congratulations Obama on a landslide victory!

What an exciting time for the citizens of America.
This man has the intelligence and potential to create real and powerful changes that will go down in history hopefully bringing prosperity and unifying all of America.

Barack Obama’s Victory Acceptance Speech

[Information and images via CNN and the Chicago Tribune]