Roots of Violence

Hey hey~

I stumbled across this quote:

"Roots of Violence:

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Business without ethics,
Science without humanity,
Religion without sacrifice,
Politics without principle."
- Mahatma Ghandi

Definitely food for thought.

*hugz*

Mel Mel

A Weekend of Catching Up with Friends

Hey hey~

It becomes apparent very quickly once you start working full time how valuable and important your weekends really are. This weekend I was fortunate to catch up with several people that I haven't seen for a really long time!

Friday - I had dinner at my favourite Japanese ramen place in the city with Jun Yi - one of my close South Island School friends from Hong Kong who I had not seen since the eve of 2002!!! She is currently here on exchange for 7 weeks for her final year of medicine, working at the RPA. It was so much fun to reminisce about our high school days, and relate to things that only two international school kids could. It's funny to think she has picked up elements of a British accent and I have (apparently) also picked up tinges of an Australian one too!

Saturday - It was Shish's 21st birthday party - a person who I have not been able to catch up with since I arrived back in Sydney simply because the two of us seem never to be in the same city at the same time - he's quite the globetrotter really! It was fantastic to catch up with lots of AIESEC alumni who I have not seen for far too long (oh and to see so many kiwis there supporting the All Blacks was an added bonus too!). One of the great things about the party was that rather than asking for presents, Shish asked that people make donations on the night that would go towards three charities he is looking to support. I thought it was a really lovely sentiment given that living here in Australia we fail to recognize how fortunate we really are with what we already have!

Sunday - Lucy Dodd who was on the Australian Member Committee in 2004-2005 is on her way back home to South Australia after spending a year on the Brazilian Member Committee. On her way back home she has decided to stop over via Sydney and is currently staying at the MC House. Though there wasn't a lot of notice, it's been lovely seeing another familiar face and hearing about her stories (especially about her travels through the Amazon!).

There never seems to be a dull moment here since arriving back in Australia and for that I am honestly grateful. I can't wait to see what other visitors decide to grace us with their presence here in Sydney - I guess time will only tell!

*hugz*


MelMel

While the rest of the MC is on SnA...

Hey hey~

Kyle and I have been left to our own devices for the remainder of the week as the rest of the team are currenty away out of the office. We have found that wasabi peas are a pleasant distraction - yum yum yum - long live wasabi peas!

*hugz*

MelMel

The Magic School Bus

Hey hey~

It's one of my final days here in Brisbane for my Service and Assistance visit. I was on the citycat today on my way to QUT, enjoying the sun, when I had a bit of flashback to MC Change Over Night at conference.

I'm not sure what triggered it, a part from it being a very emotional night for many reasons, I was reminded of Mei's speech - in particular her encounter with early morning children's television.

Ms. Frizzle's word's of wisdom:

1. Take Risks
2. Make Mistakes
3. Get Messy

Who knew that a red-haired school teacher could be so smart?

Funnily enough, after my daydream Mei ended up giving me a call on my mobile. Perhaps next time I should daydream of Johnny Depp and see if it leads to the same result!

*hugz*

Mel Mel

Be Nice to Me... I Gave Blood Today

Hey hey~

Well, technically it was yesterday, but the sentiment of the sticker that I received remains the same.

On Friday afternoon Ralph, Kyle, Ausra, Michael and myself ventured across to the College of Law to do our part in blood donation drive that is currently happening. Now I don't know about the rest of you but I am pretty scared of needles, however, this is actually the third time I have donated blood.

Why? Well, when I was a child I remember my mum (who was a nurse at the time) talking about the importance of donating blood, and how it doesn't take that much to do but can help so many people . I guess this is something that has stuck with me after all these years, and as the only person in my family who can actually donate blood I feel a certain responsibility to do my part (no matter how squimish I might get during the process!)

If anyone else is interested in finding out more about blood donations check out : Australian Red Cross Blood Service

*hugz*

Mel Mel

So, I'm on the MC now ey?

Hey hey~

It has been quite a while since I last updated this little patch of cyber space of mine. Hopefully now that I am back into office I will have a bit more of a regular routine to keep this blog updated more frequently.

MC transition came and went so quickly! The first half felt very much like being in a one month conference bubble: attending sessions and recieivng education on different aspects of the organization, living in the MC house and being able to participate in such an energized environment surrounded by wonderful individuals.

The remainder of the time leading up to July Natonal Conference feels like such a blur. I think I was initally feeling really nervous while I was still finding my feet in my role and also because of the high standard Australians have of AIESEC Conferences. Even though the week before conference was so busy and hectic it was filled with so many memories: spending time at Ruth's place (and eating all of her food!), attending the Exchange Quality Subcommittee, pub crawl, lack of sleep, Opening Night, finishing off writing sessions, filming and editing videos for Opening Plenary... lots and lots of work, but totally enjoyable!

The actual conference was an experience in itself. It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions. Once you become a facilitator you realize how totally different your conference experience is to that of a delegate... not necessarily in a bad way, just different. Three moments stand out for me at conference as times of high emotion: MC Changeover Night, Sydney Vodka Night and Australia Pride Night. I won't go into detail about them because I think if you were there you would understand.

I've come to realize that I quite enjoy facilitating. There is something so rewarding about training and educating others. To walk into sessions over the course of conference and see the difference in the understanding and knowledge of the delegates was very satisfying.

The people we have in this organization are amazing - I am seriously impressed by the quality of the members all of the regions have managed to recruit. - they are honestly so switched on and dedicated. I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will bring for AIESEC Australia.

I've been back in the office for just under a week now, and I am heading back to BrisVegas for SnA tonight. It's quite strange not having the old team here - The office feels strangely empty without them. Having said that however, I am looking forward to knuckling down with my team to get some solid work done in quarter one to set us up for the rest of our year. It's all so exciting! ^__^

*hugz*

MelMel