When the Cheshire emerges...

On this day one year ago I did a pretty good wrap of my 2012 highlights and I was excited for 2013. Now I'm hanging out for it to be tomorrow so I can start afresh and get my life re-sorted.

I don't really know what I should say about 2013 as a year.

It started great with my trips to the Australian Open and Brisbane/Port Stephens. I have nothing but good memories with those, so can't complain about the summer really.

But then it just fell to pieces by the time winter came along. There were so many things not clicking in different parts of my life and I felt rather lost. I was unhappy with work, which didn't make for a healthy mind, and felt helpless.

The last few months have really helped in restoring what I thought was gone. I'm still getting there, but I really feel anything's going to be better than the rollercoaster of the last 12 months. My connections with friends in Dubbo strengthened when I needed them most, and for that I'm eternally grateful.

And importantly, I landed a job that piqued my curiosity as well as that of many who know my new employer's reputation.

This year has made me doubt my abilities as a journalist, and I still have those doubts sometimes. But in Darwin I've been given the chance to give it a red-hot go and that's all I ask. In a completely different vibe from Dubbo, I've been socially active from the start with people that want my company - no questions asked. You couldn't imagine the difference it makes, whether you know people in a place (as I actually do here) or not.

Having said all of that, it's over. There were lessons learned, as outlined perfectly by this blogger. January 1 brings that fresh start we all need at this time, that knowledge anything's possible. There's plenty for me to look forward to in 2014, namely my World Cup trip and two weddings to attend. I have hope, and that's all I wish for everyone else.

Happy New Year to you all. Sorry for the soppiness. x

I wrote in my last post about the friendly side of Dubbo, and mentioned how I felt awkward after the confidence of strangers approaching me. But I want to talk about the other side now - where there's friendliness in a town there's also snobbiness.

Feeling lonely is not common for me, but when it comes around it makes me uneasy. As part of my social experiment of still trying to integrate into the Dubbo community (now 19 months in), I've become a part of the Dubbo Young Professionals Network (DYPN) which gives 'professionals' a chance to mingle. I went to my second gathering recently.

On getting there, I looked out for a familiar face and struggled.

At that moment, I had a rush of low self esteem wash over me like a tidal wave.

Doing things by myself isn't difficult - going to the movies every week, travelling, living alone - but when it comes to introducing myself to a complete stranger I freeze up. And truthfully, that hit me then and I really felt like shit.

Later on, I met a woman through a mutual friend that was great. We talked about the mental roadblock that comes with introductions as an adult and eventually decided to bite the bullet and say hi to fellow networkers.

The effect was immediate - but not positive. Of five girls in the circle, three completely ignored us and continued their own conversation. The other two were fine until someone else came up and proceeded to snigger when I explained to that person what I did for a living as they broke off into their own conversation. I'm not kidding.

My new friend (who I was so grateful to have met) and I walked out together and stood for a minute wondering what had happened. It was disappointing more than anything else. The majority of the group aren't from Dubbo, so you think everyone there would want to make friends.

With all of that though, a personal boundary was pushed. And that's a good thing. A work in progress.

***
A purpose isn't something that you're going to find. It's something that will find you. And it will find you only when you're ready and not before.

Dubbo is generally a friendly place to anyone walking down the street or visiting. People will often say hello to you as you walk past, and some are happy to help if you need a hand. I found myself saying good morning to a European tourist as I walked to work on Anzac Day...

I had that experience in quite the unique way on a recent day off.

Dubbo's Victoria Park

To paint a picture, I decided on a late-afternoon trip to the park to just lay in the dwindling sun and read. I did that, nearly fell asleep, then as I was coming to realise the sun was rapidly going, prepared myself to get up to leave.

I hear a yell, look ahead of me and see a group of Aboriginal girls walking in my direction. I return to reading before I hear a 'Hello' behind me. I sit up, and find five of them sitting down to make me part of their circle.

Around Dubbo, you see a lot of groups of Aboriginal kids walking around on any given day. I've never had the chance to interact with any of them in a quiet environment and I was curious, so I stuck around.

They were just on their way to the main street and needed a rest. They were all probably between 10 and 14, and a very inquisitive group. They asked me some very personal questions - that on first meeting someone weren't appropriate at all, but were in no way threatening. They thought I was about 18 too, which was nice...

It didn't seem like they had a lot to do, and I think like many tweens, they just wanted someone to give them some time. And I did that. I engaged with them, tried to ask them about general things. I admired their curiosity and, to be honest, how easy they found it to approach a stranger and speak to them - although being a bit older I soon found the whole thing a bit awkward. I got up and left once I found myself on the outer of their conversation; they'd made themselves comfortable and my rumbling stomach told me it was time to make an exit.

The whole thing reminded me of our younger years and how we want everyone to take us seriously, to think we're mature. Their confidence in approaching a stranger was a show of that youthfulness, but came across in a way many would consider to be abrupt. I mentioned the event to people who worried it was more sinister than what it was, but I refused to jump to those conclusions. Sometimes you just want to interact with someone out of your immediate zone.

I walked away knowing I'd done the right thing, in my own way having expressed the friendly nature of Dubbo.

***
You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought,
I release the need for this in my life.

German supermarket chain ALDI has taken plenty of cities in its own country and beyond by storm. Their outlet rival the best of the best in the grocery price war.

Supposedly.

Their expansion to Australia's east coast has been met with good feedback by the majority of shoppers. In both metropolitan and regional areas it is always a relevant point of discussion around the water cooler.

Adelaide and South Australia are yet to join in the conversation. The recent announcement that the state has been earmarked as part of ALDI's further expansion is interesting, and to be completely honest probably more of an 'about time' thing than anything else (uh yeah, so we finally have an Apple store after Androids are outselling iPhones...). As is the case with Dubbo.

Now, I've visited ALDI stores in Europe, and particularly remember the store by my Salzburg hostel for finding some bread and that as my breakfast (and possibly lunch) that day. I remember seeing them everywhere and likened it to the UK's Tesco (oh how I miss those - they are good value). However, I'm yet to visit one in Australia.

I would never have thought the obsession of getting a supermarket would be so strong as it is in Dubbo. I can't speak for Adelaide, but on today's announcement that ALDI have put in a development application to Dubbo City Council, it really came out.

It's been years in the making, and people are now glad they won't have to drive an hour to Mudgee, or longer down the Mitchell Highway, to get some good deals. I was rather impressed at the sheer excitement by residents as I fulfilled my social media duties with success for the afternoon.
(*link Facebook-friendly only).

Bottom line: I'm not going to knock (or approve) it until I go in and suss it for myself. Anywhere too, not just Dubbo.

What do you think? Are you on the ALDI bandwagon - am I out of the loop or is there nothing to be fussed about?

***

In other social media news, I made it onto the Crows' latest Storify thread!

Not bad for my first week on it! Storify has shown itself to be a slight pain though. It should be simple enough, but trying to find things both for feeds and within a general profile has proven rather difficult. I WILL get the hang of it.

WOAH.

This week's just getting better and better...

On top of that the drycleaner got stains out of a dress I've worn only once, I had a really nice hot chocolate and got to see gorgeous local art at a pop-up exhibition, snuck in a beauty appointment (important before heading home this weekend) and then after getting to work was invited to the opening night of Dubbo's Travelling Film Festival.

Winning in life today.

***


So Bradford's Batman revealed himself to English media for real.

Mysterious crime-fighter is no longer a mystery.  Boooo.

It is not a joke. You hold the safety of your people in your hands... OK, or not. To be honest, any hero who is worried about people's thoughts on his paunch is a little piss-weak.

It was pretty funny to read though.

Speaking of other viral things, I have no idea what this 'Harlem shake' thing is about. Haven't seen the WA miners' video doing it yet, think I'm going to attempt to have a look at the actual song and then let you know what I think. Apparently it's #2 on the charts?

Gosh, I'm out of touch...

***
Create an inner harmony where your loving soul guides your physical behaviour, rather than having your soul always come in second place.

How cool was this morning's total solar eclipse?

I watched it all on Sunrise and it gave me goosebumps. It was beautiful!

Dubbo was meant to get it partial, with the peak of about 65 per cent coverage coming to us about 20 minutes or so later. I went outside a few minutes ahead, but soon realised it didn't appear any darker.

It was half hiding behind a building and with my sunnies on (which I know doesn't help if trying to look at it, don't worry), accidentally looked up that way for a second or two. But it was as if it was just a bright sunny morning, and as soon as I did I looked straight at the ground again and sought refuge under a tree.

I'm under the tree researching again to find out the peak time and it was right then according to one website. No visible darkness at all. Great.

Did I miss it?

I had no idea, and heard afterwards that partial ones may be harder to see - but 65 per cent should have made some sort of visible difference even looking the other way.

I took a photo to see if that made any difference, looking down and pointing my camera up to the sky from hip height.




Not really.

Nice photo though, if not a bit bright.

I then tried the pinhole thing for a second, trying to do it through the safety of the tree. But obviously the ground was shadowy from said tree and that idea failed. As did this whole experiment.

***

Late in the day at work I discover the partial eclipse actually happened around 7.30 - AT THE SAME TIME AS CAIRNS, which makes complete sense. However, I refuse to blame myself for the fact that I was incorrectly informed from multiple resources. For the record I had just stepped out of the shower at that time.

major. fail.
And after all that faliure, I'm now really paranoid about my brief glimpse at the sky. It's not like I actively stared at all, more like being caught without sunnies for a second. I'm sure it won't blind me, but I do worry. Just a bit. My left eye's been a bit sore today, but I have been known to have eye strain in recent months from using computers etc. And psychology could have much to do with that also.

On Saturday I was faced with having my say in a democratic vote, a foundation of Western society.

Voting for people in local government is often not as interesting as state or federal - if you don't live in Dubbo.

The last few weeks in this place have been a madhouse - there were all kinds of scandals from election posters bought on the coast (not locally), to numerous threats and hollow promises.

It only took 11-and-a-half months, but I caught a bus in Dubbo for the first time last week.

It was my day off and I had to get my car serviced. The place I go is only a 10-minute walk from the centre of the east, Orana Mall.

I got a bus back to the city so I could continue with the rest of my day (there's not enough to hold anyone at Orana for four hours). It was one of the newer siblings in the fleet so the seats were really hard and uncomfortable, but at least it was clean.

The trip, however, was certainly an adventure. I'm used to decently long bus rides in Adelaide so don't mind that side of it. But they're pretty direct. This route, the quickest between the two points by a minute at 22 minutes, went through some streets I never knew existed.


So the pen marks Cobra Street/Mitchell Highway (CBD left, Orana Mall right), the quickest way by car at approximately five minutes. I took the green route - while it doesn't look too bad, look at the loop to the right. You go the other way before turning back! That was frustrating.

***

I still decided to catch a bus to get back to my car, and this time got one of the old ones.

Like the old Adelaide seats, got a bit reminiscent here

Only after the bus in photo one came, he told me a following bus would drop me off at a better stop. I wait for a minute totally confused - and rightly so. The bus I ended up taking, where I got to sit on these old-school red seats, is a one-off that isn't on the timetable.

That would be right.

So I stumbled upon a direct route from the CBD to the mall that I found out only comes at 2.45pm, and only in that direction. Random is really the best word to describe the whole thing - but I did get there in the end. The first day of real spring weather helped the situation along too.

It's great to play a soccer match with support on and off the pitch, and you want your resting teammates to know they're in comfortable and safe surroundings. But I've never seen that comfort for the benched players reach this extreme. Maybe it's a regional thing?

Thought I would just share the visual of this from a Dubbo game on the weekend as a random snap. Feel free to share it around :D

Being of Greek heritage, I celebrate Easter in the Orthodox tradition and follow the old calendar, which this year fell a year behind the Christian Easter. As such, I've done the church rounds this past week.

For those who have never been in a Greek Orthodox church, it's adorned with icons of the saints considered important in the history of the faith.

There's a lot of chandeliers, the women (traditionally) sit on the left and the men on the right, and most wear black.

I thought I would put up a couple of photos I originally took for the purpose of showing my mum (who wasn't around with me) to show those of you who haven't seen the inside of one of our churches!

I went on Palm Sunday to mark the beginning of the week, which also signified the start of my fast off meat as I do for Easter every year. I thought the palms we were given by the priest were beautiful.

Good Friday is the prettiest you will ever see a Greek church though, with a particular centrepiece adorned with flowers to mark the mourning.



Dubbo's Our Lady of Myrtidiotissa

We call Jesus' coffin the epitafio, which is carried around the block outside during the service. In Dubbo's case it just goes around the outside of the church itself because there's room, and it was lovely.

Last night I attended the midnight mass when Jesus was said to rise and stayed on after the service to enjoy some soup as is tradition. Met some people in the community and also tried magiritsa for the first time. I stupidly didn't mark this occasion with a photo but I should've. It's a soup with the liver, lungs, heart and intestines of a young lamb.

A photo I found so you get the idea.


I managed to eat about half a bowl.

***

Being by myself celebrating, I bought my Sunday lunch from a nice pub as reward for the week. Angus Sirloin steak. Yum. Goodness me I love meat.

Χριστός Ανέστη!

It happens to all of us doesn't it? At one time or another in our lives we attempt to put ourselves out there and say 'hi world, I'm here, how you doin'?' only to find it falls flat on our faces. Part of me feels like the Dubbo social experiment has failed, which has come as more of a surprise than anything else.


While I've been told I seem reserved here, my friends back home would punch you at the very suggestion. I feel I'm definitely being myself, there are just certain elements of me that have rarely seen the light of day.

Although I love a bit of solitude, I'm not a loner. And I have friends here. Just not in different groups like I used to in Adelaide.

I was always planning to join a soccer team when I moved to sort out the whole making friends issue, it was just the wrong time of year. Before I went on my trans-Tasman trip it was the right time. I sorted out who I was playing for and would resume training on my return. It was all sweet.

Then I went to my first training. While it felt really good to run around, I soon realised I was training with mostly girls 18 or under. Not exactly what I imagined being an all-ages team. We even have a 13-year-old waiting to turn 14 so she can play!

I shouldn't have been surprised - after all, I first played Premier League (reserves) soccer at 15, but not out of choice, and I had a lot of girls my age playing with me. Then I found part of it was the same for the all-ages mens side too.


But the whole thing really hit me hard. The social experiment I was counting on had largely failed me.

***

It's now over two weeks since then and there ARE some teammates that are older. I'm an optimist, so yes, there is room for change to this situation.

I may not be able to go out or share similar ideas about certain things in life with some of these girls, but I hope to really enjoy the season regardless. We did win our first game 4-3 too, which was pretty awesome.

The whole thing has shown me that making friends clearly isn't about how old they are, but that you share the same interests and enjoy each other's company. Good moral justification that one...

I've stupidly left my USB with my finished review at work, so unfortunately you guys will have to wait until Monday night for my thoughts on Mirror Mirror. Cue sad face.

But Dubbo has gone film-mad this weekend anyway, so I wanted to give the Travelling Film Festival a mention. Organised by those crazy cool people at the Sydney Film Festival, it's been here eight times already. Last night's opener was said to be the strongest turnout ever with a sold-out show for French film The Women on the 6th Floor.

It was a charmer, and everyone walked out of that cinema pretty satisfied. I certainly did, it was the first foreign film I've seen in six months here.

It's a pretty diverse lineup, with Indigenous film Toomelah and the Danish Happy Happy screening earlier today before The Ides of March tonight. Yes, Clooney and Gosling's double trouble affair never got here before now, what shame.

Tomorrow is Italian The Salt of Life before the big punchline Melancholia. Now I've seen the film (this was heavily chopped btw, please ignore the incorrect edit of Dunst's name), but fatigue was a huge factor and I'm so keen to try and get through it again. Although slightly apprehensive of the chance I may be wasting two hours of my life.

Oh, and have a read of my brief preview of the festival. It's times like these when I really love my job.

Living in the country is hard. Not in the sense of being somewhere different, more in noticing change to the little things that city people take for granted.

To put it in perspective, I think Australia has this very distinctive city/country mentality to it. To those living in a capital city, anywhere outside is essentially 'the country', while those living regional realise that the 'real' country is the actual Outback. Desert. I've been one to learn of this distinction very quickly.

With the (pure) coincidence of today being the launch of Australia's National Year of Reading, I'm thinking about a whole different kind of love on Valentine's Day today... in Adelaide I was a frequent user of the public library system. Living a seven minute walk from my local branch, it offered just as much as a Video Ezy, more than an Internet cafe and then of course there was the catalogue.

It was the first place I saw 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die... I borrowed that book for something ridiculous like six months straight. My personal copy is now my Bible.

Libraries have always been an integral part of my being, having been an avid reader as a child and still very appreciative of the written today. Obviously. So as I've begun using what's offered at Macquarie Regional Library's Dubbo branch a few things have taken me by surprise.

1. You can't just log onto a computer to use the Internet if a monitor's free. You still have to go to the counter, wait, they take your name and how long you'll be, and then personally escort you to log you in. Weird.

You have to pay for stuff like photocopying, which is normal. However:

2. For email, and MICROSOFT WORD as well?! I don't understand. That just baffles me.

3. Whenever you pick up a hold it's $1.10. For putting something on hold. Sure, this library is one of six or seven connected branches that are as far as two hours away from each other so petrol could come into it. But libraries are a public service aren't they? I'm sure they're already gathering enough money from #2 as it is.

I used the free city system so much, and well. This should be put on the government, they should be giving more money into public services like libraries so the residents shouldn't have to pay for these simple facilities. We already have to pay more for other, bigger, things as well (I won't even get into flights), so why something like this?

Just one of many questions I have as a new regional resident I guess...

Going to the gym has predominantly been about keeping fit for me; I really only ever considered it in the soccer off-season of 2009-10 for the first time.

Finding Curves ended up being more than just going to a gym - for one thing it's not about treadmills or weights. The circuit ended up being a routine but remained a challenge, and an eventual job out of it didn't hurt either.

Holidays overseas shifted my focus slightly to regaining my former numbers. In 2010 I didn't gain much at all so it wasn't an issue. But in 2011 I found it a bit harder. Like, gaining a whole size harder.

With my move looming and no real employment I returned to Curves and did my best to shed the holiday kilos in what I call my 'unknown' month. Luckily for me I seem to do that okay. And a month or so after joining the Curves here in Dubbo I'd actually gone back to just under my pre-holiday weight.

And then I saw this.

I've never had anything like this before. I'd lost 20 centimetres on the road to recovery! I couldn't believe I actually had something significant up there, it was really encouraging. And it's still up with all of the others.

***

Before I went to Newcastle in early January the last time I wore my bikini I was a size bigger. It was in Athens, my last day before flying out of Europe where a really sleazy middle-aged Greek man tried to make me run away with him after coming up to me in the water. So I was experiencing a whole mix of emotions there.

I noticed when I had it on most recently (laying in the amazing Newcastle sand) that it was a little bit loose, top and bottom. Felt a bit smug there. But annoyed I'd stretched it out at the same time. And realised I felt no different to what I usually do.

Moral of this story: you work toward what you feel is right for you.

I could have stayed at that size. I had a lot of people telling me I looked healthier as that little bit bigger. But not fitting into my clothes did NOT want to make me be home. I couldn't even pick out three-quarters of my outfits as daily choices, which was for a short time a terrible loss. Curves has brainwashed me into thinking healthier thoughts about exercise and looking after myself - so don't touch me, I'm a star okay?

Apparently Dubbo has a TARDIS. And it is awesome.

I can't say I'm a Doctor Who fan. I remember Kylie Minogue was on one of the Christmas episodes and know the names of the three that have helmed the new generation (I remain curious of the David Tennant era particularly).

I DO know Torchwood though, which from what I've seen I thoroughly enjoyed. So I understand people's appreciation for the Doctor. And I now also know of the admiration for the show and Matt Smith from the wonderful Steph of Mayhem and Miscellany.

During her visit to Dubbo for the weekend she saw the sights of the city and also a bit of Narromine (ooh aah Glenn McGrath), but neither of us were prepared for the mini golf course.

Astro mini golf at the Observatory was not something I'd thought about doing since the move. But at Steph's excitement I thought it was a great idea. As she put it, it's all about "embracing the daggy stuff". And what an unexpected surprise it was.

We went through the Space Race and Oort clouds, before entering the TARDIS and then finally getting sucked into the Black Hole. While Steph was disappointed it didn't expand to include the so called features (multiple swimming pools, helloooo?) it was still a privilege to get the ball in the hole located inside. I was impressed.

Other weekend highlights included a revisit to Andonbel Alpaca Farm and Coffee Shop, exhibition viewing and the opportunity to learn French off nationals. But they are stories for another time.

With my recent explorations past Dubbo, I have something to show for it other than photos. Last night I cracked open some dessert wine and cheese from Mudgee, because I could.

Semillion from Lowe's estate and near-blue cheese called Mudgee Rouge from High Valley (I think). So excellent that it helped me crash out on the couch until 2:43am this morning.


And then there are the comforts of home that I hold onto because they can last me a bit longer. Anyone from South Australia will recognise these.



Haigh's Chocolates - the best in Australia. Don't know if I can say the world, I tried that argument against two Swiss guys and their Lindt once and didn't do so well. But my argument was that I'd actually tried both!


And then there's Fruchocs. God these things are good. Fellow ANZACs on my Turkey tour were pleasantly surprised when they enjoyed these as we camped at Gallipoli. Good times.

Totally jinxed myself last night. Had told Mum I was yet to see a cockroach and could handle the few crickets I've had (including yesterday morning at 3:20am, I took that thing DOWN half asleep), and not before I hung up, while speaking to Dad, did I see a disgustingly huge brown one. I really let out a yelp, it freaked me out. And the fucker took an age and a white coating of Pea Beu to die. Watching it in slight fear it would just start walking off again was horrible. I just couldn’t bring myself to grab it for ages.

One thing I promised I would do when moving to Dubbo was make more time to relax and do things I wouldn't normally give myself time to do. Like lazing around for an entire day. Safe to say I don't feel AS bad about doing that now...

Also gives me a chance to start seeing some of the films on my 'I need to really get onto that' list.

So this week I rented The Godfather and Animal Kingdom. Finally, I know.

Watching The Godfather made me draw immediate comparisons to Luchino Visconti's epic Il Gattopardo (The Leopard). Now, I know some of my readers will have never heard of that film - basically the Cannes winner is perhaps one of Italy's most significant films, a three-hour-plus epic about Sicilian nobles in the aftermath of the Risorgimento movement in the 1860.

That film is amazing and Coppola no doubt drew from Visconti's grandeur, particularly in the scenes where Michael (Al Pacino) hides out in Italy. Stunning.

As good as The Godfather is (and I do understand why a lot of the world loves it so much, it's crafted very well), half the time my mind wandered because I just couldn't help but marvel at how good-looking Pacino was in his early years. Don't judge me! But he really was good in this film. They all were.

Animal Kingdom also deserved every accolade it got. That film was frickin' intense. Gutsy, gritty and just magnificent. Go Australian cinema!

I was on the edge of my seat for a large part of this, not knowing where it was heading and enjoying the freaky ride. Ben Mendelsohn was incredibly creepy, but all were brilliant. Wondered exactly how the Academy considered Jacki Weaver's role to be so special for a nomination - then with what, 20 minutes of the film to go, I got it. What a star turn. Wow.

Two 'about time' films off the list, one a classic and the other with potential to be so, at least within Australian cinema history. Good to have made progress in this department.

Does anyone else out there feel as much of a satisfaction as I do when rediscovering your music library?

I took that wonderful voyage after I volunteered to make a playlist for my work Christmas party last week.

At the paper there's not just the journos and sub-editors, but also the sales, advertising and accounts people. Men and women of all ages who like different styles of music. And we were in an open space in the bistro part of a pub, not a function room. So a little bit of extra thought had to go into it.

Going through all the playlists I'd previously made on iTunes, and then all the downloads I'd ever gathered, I found some awesome songs.

What mainly struck me was that I was definitely aware of Gotye's talent before his huge 2011 success. Problem is, like with other artists, I nowadays hear a song on the radio but never retain the connection of the song name or artist. So with my delight I found 'Eyes Wide Open', and fell in love with the song all over again. That was thanks to my brother for giving me Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2010 early last year.

I ended up with a real mixed bag to try and cater for all the different age groups, about half a year or two old and the other half a mix of 70s/80s/etc. I warned the manager of the place that it was diverse; I actually felt a bit anxious that people would complain and have it taken off.

But it didn't.

I got a comment from said manager which I didn't know how to take but let it go: "you weren't kidding, it really is a mixed bag" (I understand it was being streamed to the front outside area, and consequently that may have been after Wham's 'Last Christmas' played - I HAD to do it, what's a Christmas list without that song?!).

I was rather proud of myself. Assimilating into Dubbo life. Making my mark in the workplace.

***

As a side note, listening to music as I cook has also revealed some forgotten gems on my iPod. Now depending on your musical preferences you may beg to differ, but I for one reason or another find the poppy songs resonate most of all.

The main one was 'Tell Me' by Christina Aguilera and P Diddy. What a strong, kick-arse r&b grind, totally love it. Then Holly Valance's 'Naughty Girl' at one point too. Wow, I could be vilified for admitting that. But this is her 'nice' song. Mellow.

To better Australian music, Killing Heidi's 'I Am'. That was used on the Spiderman soundtrack right? They were good. And I remember the song sounding a bit different for them at the time but it's great to listen to even now. Plus it makes you think of Spiderman swinging around the place ;)

What gems have you discovered on your iPod long hidden? Or have you found a song that you swear you don't know how it got there?

Part of the Daily Liberal experience so far has managed to include a dragon boating competition. Where the local club decided to get businesses around town involved, going head-to-head. To the death.

We were hoping with a print showdown with the Dubbo Photo News but they lost while we had a bye so that was a bit disappointing. But we were up against the formidable opponents from Macquarie Alarms so knew we were in for a challenge.

There were fears no-one would show. I managed to miss the turnoff and briefly get lost (I know, think it was my first real head-scratcher since being here, had to happen sometime). It had been rain-delayed for a week so tension was high. But most of us got there and we kitted up.

My battle scar one week on. Ouch!

SO glad half the club was in that boat with us, otherwise I know I would've been seeing murky brown. Those who know me realise I'm not the most confident with watersports, or being in deep water really. But once I got the technique right with the paddle, it was kinda fun. Stressful because you really have to keep in time, but good to be part of a team.

And then there was the race. Only stretching over maybe 200m or so, it felt like FOREVER. You don't even look up because you're going so hard. And I don't even think we were at the club people's 70 per cent. By this point my elbow and thumb had been knocked to the bone, my left thigh and bum were sore, but I was still pretty much forced to go full pelt.

We came second! V for victory! But that's not the point. We had to paddle back, and I was pooped. On top of everything else, I could hardly move my arms and could feel the right side of my back overstretched. I swear it's been a week and a half and I've only just recovered.

Man was I relieved to be on that sand (which is totally going to be my great tanning spot for the summer because there's sand and the view is nice, but I don't think I could bring myself to swim in the river). It was nice to see one of Dubbo's main features that way though, when I had a second I tried to take it in!

The Daily Liberal team... V for victory!