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Thursday 27 July 2006

Mac Bridezilla

Scooterboy and I had visions of a big-ass BBQ for our wedding but alas, it was a huge logistical nightmare (even more so than a run-of-the-mill wedding believe it or not). So, I find myself turning into a real bridezilla with the frock, the four-walls-and-roof venue, vintage car and yada yada yada. Hence, the lack of posting in this blog. We have both been running around like headless chickens putting this thing together!

I'd just like to mention that my love for Mac was recently affirmed when I created our wedding invitation video from scratch in around 4 hours. The 4 hours included time for me to scratch my head and ponder life, the universe, and everything since I had NEVER before used iMovie. Despite that, creating the video was easy-peasy-Japanesey after an initial muckaround. I am absolutely astounded at the powerful software developed by Mac. iMovie and iDVD were an absolute dream to use!

I was able to edit the video, add effects, add photos, add notes, and bang it all into a DVD and upload to the internet so, so easily! Thank you, Apple!

Ok... nuff gushing for now. Back soon-ish... maybe :)

Thursday 6 July 2006

Extract from Profiles in Courage

Extract from Introduction written by Caroline Kennedy.

"John F. Kennedy began his public service career as a PT-boat commander in the South Pacific in World War II. While on patrol on the night of August 2, 1943, the PT-109 was rammed by a Japanese destroyer, the Amagiri, and exploded into flames, throwing crew members into the burning water. Two were killed and one was burned so badly he couldn't swim. Clutching a strap of the injured man's life jacket in his teeth, Lieutenant Kennedy towed the wounded sailor to the nearest island, three miles away. For the next six days, with little food or water, the men hid, fearing they would be captured by the Japanese. Each evening Kennedy swam through shark-infested waters to other islands seeking help, until he was spotted by two Solomon Islanders, Eroni Kumana and Biuku Gasa. They picked a coconut, onto which Kennedy carved a message, which they took to the hideout of a nearby Australian coast watcher who arranged rescue. In the summer of 2002 a National Geographic Society expedition found that the legend of John F. Kennedy's courage lives on in the far-away Solomon Islands. Using remote-controlled vehicles with underwater cameras, explorer Robert Ballard and his team discovered the sunken PT-109. Expedition members met Eroni Kumana, the man whose simple canoe saved my father's life and changed the course of history, and his son, John F. Kennedy Kumana.

My father's bravery earned him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal "for extremely heroic conduct," and a Purple Heart for his injuries. It also led to Profiles in Courage. The collision with the Japanese destroyer left him with a spinal injury, which required surgery in the winter of 1954-55. Elected to the U.S. Senate two years before, my father was interested in understanding the qualities that make a great senator. History was his passion, and he spent his months of recuperation reading the chronicles of his legendary predecessors. To both my parents, history was not a dull, dry affair, but a constant source of inspiration. They believed that there truly are heroes, and we all can learn from their example. My father's heroes were men and women who were willing to risk their careers to do what was right for our country. Profiles in Courage, published in 1956, tells their stories."

Monday 3 July 2006

Profiles in Courage

I am currently reading Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy and just want to highlight one paragraph.

"In a speech he gave the summer after the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy spoke of peace:

'Let us not be blind to our differences - but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."