2013

2012 was a massive year for me, for so many reasons and on so many levels. It was the year I lost my grandfather, moved out of home for the first time, my first teaching job, my first overseas trip, the year I got to see Wicked again and met so many cast members I hadn't had the opportunity to meet before...

But this post is all about looking forward to 2013, because that too looks like it'll be a big year- but for different reasons.

1. I'm taking my mum to see Legally Blonde: The musical in January, which is her Christmas present. This will be her first time seeing the show, and my 4th. I'm really hoping she likes it!
2. In April, I'm having a week's holiday in Queensland. I like Queensland because it's sunny. And yes, we will be seeing Legally Blonde up there, but that's because we have friends up in Queensland who we want to see the show with. Most people I tell this to, just think it's another Wicked case for me, but it's not. With Wicked I had to see the show again, and I still miss it so much, it's like a drug. Legally Blonde is a great show, the cast is awesome, it's funny and got some great music, but I'm not addicted like I am to Wicked. And I'm pretty excited to go back to Movie World while I'm in QLD!
3. May is going to be a crazy month. Kelly and I have tickets to Legally Blonde opening night in Melbourne (and now one of the preview shows too, haha. Kelly knows why I'm laughing at this). This is mostly because we wanted to go to one opening night, and Melbourne's pretty close for both of us. Then it's my 23rd birthday, and 2 days after that, I'll be in Adelaide seeing Driving Miss Daisy, which I can honestly admit I am seeing only because the stars of the play are Angela Lansbury (Mrs Potts from Beauty and the Beast) and James Earl Jones (Mufasa from The Lion King) and I am a Disney nerd, who can't pass up the chance to maybe actually meet them.
4. In June, I'm going back to Adelaide to see Idina Menzel!!!!! I still can't believe that. Every time I see a video of her (interview or performance) or listen to her sing Defying Gravity, I just cry. I can't even fathom we're actually going to be seeing her live. Not just because she's the original Elphaba, but because she's amazing and seems like such a nice person.
5. Sometime throughout 2013 (we hope) we'll have Delta Goodrem touring (!!!!) and Wicked returning to Sydney, which I will be seeing a lot (Apparently it'll be going back to Melbourne too, but I'm in Sydney, so...). Apparently it'll be a mostly new cast, which makes me a little sad, because our cast is amazing, but I'm also excited to see new people in the roles.
6. In December, The Lion King musical is also returning to Sydney, which I'm psyched to see because the last time it was here I was 14 and my parents wouldn't take me, so I missed out.
7. I'm also hoping to get a job in 2013, (because money will definitely be required for #1-6) and gain more experience teaching.

15 Facts About Me

Yet another post inspired by a trending topic on Twitter. So, here are 15 facts about me:

1. If I wasn't a teacher, I'd love to be one of those people at Disney who do the research for the movies (yes, this is a thing. I saw it on the Pocahontas DVD). I think that would be the coolest job ever. 
2. I wrote my first book when I was 6, about Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. I don't still have it, unfortunately. It had pictures...
3. I found Nancy Drew, The Diary of Anne Frank and Wicked all through reading other books (and fanfiction, in the case of Wicked).
4. Before I ever heard Nina (Delta Goodrem) sing on Neighbours, she was my favourite character because she was quiet, shy, read and got pushed around by other kids. She was the first character on Neighbours I really related to.
5. The most I've ever cried during a TV show is on 8 Simple Rules when John Ritter/Paul died. The first time I remember crying watching TV was on Neighbours when Drew died. The first movie I remember crying in was the video of Charlotte's Web when I was 7. 
6. When the first Harry Potter movie came out, no one besides me wanted to see it, so I convinced my brother by telling him there was a dragon in it (he was obsessed with dinosaurs and dragons at that age). We saw the movie, and then I read the first 2 books to him. I also got him into Twilight by showing him the movie trailer. I'm still working on Wicked. I like sharing the things I love with my family and friends.
7. I have a real fear of not being liked, which stems from years of bullying. This covers everyone from friends, family, colleagues, friends of friends, celebrities, my students... yeah. I know, it's pathetic. In my defense, I don't want to constantly wonder if people really like me, it's just habit by this point.
8. The point of #7 is that it makes me reluctant to sometimes share my opinion. I also don't like upsetting people or hurting their feelings. Because I've been on the other end too many times.
9. I wish my family was closer- including extended family. I especially wish my sister and I were closer. I'd really love to do something just the two of us, but she'd never go for it. I laugh it off, but it hurts. 
10. I screwed my back up my first year of uni. No idea how, I just woke up one morning and couldn't bend. I couldn't sit or stand, it was awful. The doctor said it was muscle spasm. 4 years later and my back still hurts sitting or standing too long.
11. My computer is my life. I actually have no idea what to do with myself without it. Likewise, I don't cope very well not being able to write.
12. I have similar movie/book/TV tastes to my mum, but am much closer to my dad in terms of personality. I have my Dad's eyes and nose, but don't really look like either of my parents. My siblings and I all have my dad's nose, and my brother and I have the same eyes. People say me and my sister look alike, but I don't see it. I pretty much look like no one in my family. I've often felt like the black sheep in the family.
13. I have more pet peeves/ irritations then I let on. I just hide them because... well, see #7-8. 
14. My greatest fear is never finding love and having a family. I've been wrestling with it since I was 16.
15. I hate, hate, hate change. I'm very nostalgic. I don't cope well, especially with losing touch with people.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I hope everyone has a happy holiday.

I'm thinking of my Grandad today, and know a lot of my friends will be thinking of people they've lost this year, so I'm sending good thoughts out to everyone.

Be safe, be happy, and tell me what you got for Christmas!

Just in case anyone's interested, here's what I got:

1. Season 1 of Gilmore Girls on DVD
2. Season 1 of SMASH on DVD
3. The Rescuers Down Under (Disney) on DVD
4. A Bug's Life on DVD
5. iTunes
6. A cinema gift card
7. A milkshake maker
8. A Vase/candle thingy.
9. Chocolate
10. A bag
11. A bracelet
12. Pajamas

I think that's all!

Also, a very Happy Birthday to the amazing Jemma Rix, who turns 28 today! And really, if I have to explain who that is, I don't know you people.

30 Songs on Shuffle

This was another trending topic on twitter a little while ago I thought would be fun!

1. Enchanted- Taylor Swift
2. Raining Diamonds- Ricki-Lee
3. Grown Up Christmas List- Lucy Durack and Rob Mills
4. Dear Old Shiz- Wicked
5. Knocked Out- Delta Goodrem
6. Child of the Universe (Acoustic)- Delta Goodrem
7. Finale- Wicked
8. Need You Now- Glee
9. Asleep on the Wind- Idina Menzel
10. Curtain Calls/Tomorrow Reprise- Annie Cast
11. Here's to Us- Glee
12. My Wild Frontier- Faith Hill
13. You Will Only Break My Heart (Live)- Delta Goodrem
14. Haunted (Live)- Taylor Swift
15. Predictable- Delta Goodrem
16. Don't rain on my parade (Live)- Glee
17. This is the moment- Anthony Warlow
18. O Come All Ye Faithful- Delta Goodrem
19. War on love- Delta Goodrem
20. New York State of Mind- Glee
21. Who Knew- P!nk
22. Believe Again- Delta Goodrem
23. Have a little faith in me- Mandy Moore
24. The Wizard and I- Wicked Australia (Jemma Rix)
25. Sparks Fly (Live)- Taylor Swift
26. Thank Goodness- Wicked
27. Possessionless- Delta Goodrem
28. We Can- Leann Rimes
29. Suddenly- Leann Rimes
30. Fragile- Delta Goodrem

Um... so yeah... I have a lot of Delta on my iPod! And Wicked.

To My Students

Dear Students,

So, we've come to the end of the school year, my first year of teaching and my only year with you guys as your teacher.

And I can admit, in some ways, I'm happy to be leaving. Nothing to do with you guys, but living without shops, movies, city access and being so isolated from my family and friends hasn't been easy.

But I wanted to say thank you. You guys have made my first year of teaching... memorable to say the least :P I've gotten to know you all pretty well, and I'm so glad I did, because you're all great kids. And I really, really mean that.
Even the kids in the school that I didn't actually teach (i.e. primary school kids), I can say you are all lovely people and you made me feel so welcome from the very beginning.

The words "Panda Cheese" and "manufactured pop" will always remind me of my Yr 11 boys (sorry, Year 12 now), and I'd really like to thank you two boys, because even when I was having the worst day, you two could always put a smile on my face. Thanks for every time you dropped by just to say "hi" or called out "Hi, Miss!" as you passed me in the street. Sometimes it's the little things that get you through the day.

For my junior girls, we had some really great conversations in our classes and I got to do some really fun classroom activities with you two, which I hope you enjoyed as much as I did!

I'm really proud of what you guys have learned this year, even though I feel like you haven't yet quite reached your full potential!

• Boys, I'm really proud how well you guys took to the concept of "voyeurism" and still remembered it well after the topic was over- even if you did say that Psycho had "the worst acting you've ever seen" (except for Twilight). 
• I got one girl interseted in The Diary of Anne Frank and the other in Pride and Prejudice, and you can both now say you've seen Tangled, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. (As a 90's child and Disney nerd, you don't know how upsetting this was to me. Or maybe you do, given my reaction when this was revealed).

And then there's all the things you've learned that aren't on the syllabus or in any exam.

• I'm really, really proud that all 4 of you (and a few more!) now know Wicked, and that R can tell the difference between "animals" and "Animals", and that S knows the significance of "Fae" and that you guys know the names of "Fiyero" (not my duckling) and "Elphaba" (although R and M will probably always refer to her as She-Hulk).
• You have also been thoroughly educated on Delta Goodrem's music, much to the happiness of the boys :) (You're welcome :P)
• And I'm proud that I had to give away multiple copies of the Wicked soundtrack and David Harris's albums :)

But you guys have taught me things too, which I'll always remember and think of you guys. I now know more about metal music than I honestly ever wanted to (thank you, boys); as well as other types of music that you guys have kindly educated me on this year.

And to those that came and left throughout the year, thank you for also adding something to my first year of teaching! It was really great getting to know you all as well.

So I wanted to write this (also, my 100th post- I saved it for a special occasion), just to say thank you for making my first year of teaching so special. I will genuinely miss you guys!

All I can say is this:

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me Is made from what I learned from you

You'll be with me Like a handprint on my heart

Yes, it's from Wicked but it's true. I learned a lot from you guys, and hopefully you learned a thing or two from me! And I was super proud to be your teacher, and I'll always remember you guys as my first students.
You are all capable of doing really well and working really hard. Remember that.

Sincerely, Miss Eades

Wicked Merchandise

This is for my friend Jas, who wanted to see all my Wicked merchandise, and I realised this was the best way to do it.
I think this is everything, I went through my whole house to make sure I didn't miss anything. It looks like more than it is, I have friends who have more than this, but we here go:

My WICKED puzzle- still incomplete after 2 weeks because the black bits are really hard!

Poster from Sydney

all my WICKED stuff. Down the front are my t-shirts, hoodie, jacket, programs and 2013 calendar

Close up of the other stuff- hats, mugs, jewellery, books, CDs, glitter globes, Chistery, laynard, magnet, keychain, pen, notebook.

The ozsome canvas my friend Nerrida gave me as a moving/housewarming present.

The streamers are from No one mourns the Wicked. I picked them up  in Singapore.

What I'm Thankful For

Australia does not celebrate Thanksgiving. But pretty much every Australian would probably be able to tell you what it is, when it is and the point of it all (besides turkey).
This is because Australia gets so much American movies and TV shows, we can't help but not know. I don't know if this would work in reverse... having Australian shows/movies to teach Americans about Australia...

Anyway, my point is that we (Australia) are not celebrating Thanksgiving this week, but I have a few friends and know many more who are (Because they are American). And even though I don't celebrate it, I think the central idea behind the day- saying what we are thankful for- is something that we should all do, regardless of holidays and turkeys.

So, here is my list of what I am thankful for:

1. God- because He has led me to some amazing people, places and experiences this year; and I can't not be thankful for Him.
2. My family-This has been a strange year. My first year living out of home and being so far away from my family and then my grandfather dying and my cousin getting married... I don't know that I've ever been more thankful for my family. Yes, some family members at time bug the crap out of me- but isn't that the point? 
3. My friends- Whilst I am thankful for all my friends, because if life has done nothing else, it's taught me to appreciate real friendships, I am referring to two specific groups of my friends in particular: my church family friends, and my twitter friends. Like I said, being so far away from home is not easy. But it's lovely to be able to go home on rare occasions and go to church and be made to feel like nothing's changed at all and most importantly (to me, perhaps somewhat selfishly), to know that despite being so far away, I am thought of and missed. And my wonderful twitter friends, all over the country, and in some cases, the world. Who are there to talk pretty much any time of the day, someone's bound to be up! Who I can talk about anything with, and who I am myself with perhaps more than anyone. These two groups of my friends have been a huge tower of strength and support and love for me this year, and I'm so thankful for each and every one.
4. Wicked- I am expanding this a little, just because so much is related. I don't mean I am thankful for the musical, but I am thankful for what the musical has brought to my life. Wicked has brought me the chance to see another country (Singapore), and meet the most amazing people- both the cast members and the beautiful friends I've made via Wicked. The show, characters, music and cast have also inspired me to write 28 Wicked fan fictions (not counting the one I'm currently writing) which in turn has led me to meet awesome people from all over the world as they read and review my fics.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

ANNIE

Anthony Warlow is a musical theatre legend in Australia, and he's just made his Broadway debut playing Daddy Warbucks in the Broadway revival of Annie.

I was curious, so I Googled reviews, hoping to hear what they thought of him. And it's wonderful news!

From Hollywood reporter

"Perhaps the most distinguishing element in this production, however, is Australian musical-theater and opera veteran Warlow’s impressive Broadway debut as Daddy Warbucks, the industrialist who discovers the gentle joys of parenthood. The actor has tremendous stage chemistry with Crawford, and his pristine baritone makes “Something Was Missing” an unexpectedly moving high point."

And from The Wall Street Journal

"As for Mr. Warlow, an Australian musical-theater performer with extensive operatic experience, he's destined for stage stardom. Not only does he sing "Something Was Missing," his solo number, with bewitching finesse—vocal connoisseurs will be dazzled by his skillful use of head voice—but he acts as well as he sings. Moreover, he and Ms. Crawford have terrific onstage chemistry, so much so that you'll have no trouble believing that they love one another."

As a proud Australian, this makes me super happy! Anthony Warlow is such a huge talent, and a lovely guy so I'm glad Broadway is appreciating his talent!

Wicked links

Just a few links to articles relating to Wicked I've found and wanted to share.

1. 5 Reasons The Greatest Movie Villain Ever is a "Good" Witch: I never ever get tired of reading this article. Of course, if I had read this before seeing Wicked, I probably would have been like "No. Just No." But after seeing Wicked, it's funny. Because in some ways, the author has a point!
Anyway, it was this article that led me to finding Cracked.com, which is a hilarious website.

2. 9 Famous Movie Villains Who Were Right All Along: Again, if you had told me before I saw Wicked that the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz might have had a point, I wouldn't have listened. But again, it's true!

3. This sums up every problem I have with the Wicked novel: Enough said.

Executive Decision

So, last night I found my original novel The People We Become that I started writing in 2010, and it was one of the many casualities of uni, fanfiction and Wicked.

I re-read it, and whilst I could see some definite improvements, it sounded to me like it has promise and therefore is not destined to end up on my "pile of crap" (yes, I have a pile. Actually, it's a plastic tub, but whatever. It's the graveyard for every novel I ever started to write, ok?).

So, I am making a decision. I currently have... I think about 11 fanfics in my "in progress" folder. 1 Anne of Green Gables, 1 Harry Potter (the same one I abandoned to write my first Wicked fanfic and have barely touched since) and 9 Wicked.

I have decided that once I finish writing all these, unless I get any brilliant ideas that I just have to write (it could happen!), I'm going to take a break from fanfiction to finish this novel.

Of course, I say this... it probably won't happen, but it might be one-shots for a while.

Speaking of fanfiction, I honestly do not think 40 Weeks will be up in 2012. I am sad about this, but given that it's mid-November and I'm only halfway through... it doesn't look great.

Literary heroines

So, last week I saw a post on one of my favourite websites about literary heroines. It was all about those heroines in literature that we adore, for whatever reason. For me, it's usually because I can relate to them or they are everything I want to be.

And of course, this is a topic that draws me in immediately. I commented, but wanted to share my list here too. So here is my list, copied and pasted from my original comment on the post:

My Literary Heroines

Anne Shirley- I have literally grown up with Anne and every time I re-read them, I relate to her more at a different time in her life. I'm just waiting for my Gilbert Blythe! (AN. I will also accept a Fiyero. I'm not picky). 

Elizabeth Bennet- I love Lizzie! Enough said. Does anyone else watch the Lizzie Bennet Diaries on YouTube? I recommend them to all P&P fans!!

Jo March- again, a character I relate so much to and have grown with. Actually, there's been times I've related to all the March girls- except for Amy, for some reason.

Hermione Granger- to a 10 year old girl with buck teeth and who loved reading and school and never really had any friends, Hermione became my best friend. I loved watching her grow into this brilliant, confident young woman and witch!

Also- (maybe crossing a line here!) I'm going to add my #1 heroine- Elphaba Thropp. But I want to go with the musical version of Elphaba, not the book! But I'm claiming her! LOL. (AN. I can't not have Elphaba on my list, even though I am going with the musical not the book. There's no one I idolise more than Elphaba). 

The heroine from Rebecca- although she's never named and we learn so little about her, I could easily relate to her insecure nature and low self-esteem and my heart went out to her as she struggled to find her feet and taking Rebecca's place.

Ellie Linton- from John Marsden's Tomorrow series. Ellie's so strong and she goes through so much and I love these books.

And last but not least (until I think of more and kick myself for forgetting them earlier)- Trixie Belden. I read and loved both Trixie and Nancy Drew, but preferred Trixie just because Nancy was always so perfect! Trixie hated maths, had a temper, fought with her siblings and had a not-so-secret crush on her best friend's brother. LOL

Anyone else have someone they want to add?

Defining Characters

Fanfiction has many merits, and a few... challenges as a writer.

One of these is that when writing your own original fiction, as opposed to fan fiction, you create your own characters. It's like playing Sims (coming from a person who will spend 2 days setting up my characters and house and then get bored a week later and start all over again)- you pick their appearance, traits, everything. And because you've created them, you can create their thought process too and it's so easy to say "well, this is what Person X would think and react to this situation."

Whereas in fan fiction, because the audience knows the characters as well as the writer, there can be disputes of "I don't think Person X would do that, because of reasons Y and Z."

In something like Wicked, where we only have a limited space to get to know the characters, even though we have other sources we can draw information and inspiration from (in this case, the Wicked novels and The Wizard of Oz), the challenge is that there is still so much we don't know.

The musical doesn't give us the time or the means to delve deeply into the character's deepest thoughts and personality; so often what comes up is that writer's take the brief glance we get and dig their own course beneath the surface.

Now, I find this a great thing. I love reading people's different interpretations of Elphaba and Fiyero, etc. Sometimes it can lead to great discussions, and you can think of things you never thought of/noticed before.

I've never really had any trouble empathising with people, so it's a skill that works for me as a writer because I can easily think "This is how Elphaba would think/react if this happened."

But this is just my interpretation. And honestly, I would love to be able to sit down with a bunch of Wicked actors and just talk about the characters and their motiviations/thoughts, etc. Because to be able to play the characters convincingly on stage, they have to think about all this stuff. Being able to sit around and talk with people who had played these characters I'm writing about would be a dream come true. I could easily spend hours having these conversations.

My point is, that I'm always looking for ways to explain the characters. And because of this, a part of me still regrets never doing psychology at uni (I wanted to, but then I found out there was maths involved, so... yeah, that wasn't going to happen).

Today I came across this blog, where an author takes apart and analyses the first chapter of successful books. This post was on the Hunger Games. But it was this phrase for me, which really reminded me of Elphaba:

"Katniss is a tough cookie, but only because she has no other choice. She has accepted her burden, but it has left her a cold person with defences fully raised."

To me, this fits for Elphaba. In Act 1, she is the way she is because of her childhood. She has to be strong, independant and self-reliant because it's her job to raise Nessa and Oz knows she can't rely on her father to be there for her.
Because of her skin, she's used to being alone so she keeps her defences up. In Act 2, she has to because she's the Wicked Witch of the West.

Quite often, I hear the same comment on people's Wicked fanfics- they have trouble with Elphaba being vulnerable and emotional (unless that emotion is anger). But there's been some instances I've seen where as soon as Elphaba sheds a tear, she's deemed as OOC (Out Of Character).

Which I don't think is neccessarily true. I don't think Elphaba is emotional as say, me, who cries at the drop of a hat, but she's not devoid of emotion. She keeps her feelings hidden to protect herself, but she still feels.

(Another pet peeve is when people portray Fiyero as dumb. He's not stupid (well, not really stupid ;) Sorry I had to do that!), he just doesn't put the effort in. Is he as smart as Elphaba? No, but he's not an idiot either. He just acts like an idiot. Yes, sometimes I have Fiyero say dumb things. But we all say dumb things at times and that doesn't make us dumb. It just means we need to think before we speak).

So... my point... actually, I just wanted to share that Hunger Games quote and then rambled on about characters for a while. So I guess I don't have one.

But honestly, the chance to sit around with Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Jemma Rix, David Harris, [insert really long list of every actor I like who's been in Wicked here] and talk just about Elphaba, Fiyero and Glinda... would be the most amazing day of my life.

Computer Update

OK, so apparently what happened was my hard drive died. Now, when I first heard those words, you can imagine my panic.

But the guy who was looking at it has been running a program on it, and he said as long as none of the files were damaged when the hard drive crashed, everything should be recovered.

So, what does this mean? Well, I'm getting a new hard drive (far cheaper than buying a new computer- although I'll most likely have to look into that in the next year or so. It's already 3 yrs old and a laptop's life isn't terribly long).

The plan is to pick it up, and check everything. Hopefully if I've lost anything, it's not much and things that can be easily replaced.

Lesson learned? BACK EVERYTHING UP ALWAYS EVER 1000000 TIMES.

Thanks to everyone who sent prayers and well wishes. Especially when I'm living so isolated, my laptop is my lifeline (seriously- that question about "what would you save if you woke up and the house was on fire?" My answer would be LAPTOP!).

I'll keep you posted on what (if anything) was lost- so if you want to keep your fingers crossed that answer is "nothing", I won't say no!

A favour to ask

OK, believe me when I know how dumb this sounds. I know it's stupid and in the grand scheme of things, probably not that important. And I know some of you don't have any belief in God at all and this is going to sound even dumber than it already does.

But I have a favour to ask.

I am currently having computer issues.

Now, if I lose anything, I will be devastated. I have all my photos, music and so much stuff on this computer. Not least of all, my current in-progress fics.

This is the stuff that is most irreplacable. Most of my photos are on FB, most of my music backed up. Most of the in-progress fics are just summaries, except for my current one- 40 Weeks. I have checked and the most current backed-up copy I have found is up to chapter 17. I was, until now, on chapter 19. So, I could rewrite the last few chapters, but well... I was pretty happy with the first draft.

So, as lame and unimportant as this sounds, could you please- say a prayer, cross your fingers, wish on a star, whatever ... can we just send out some positive hope and karma that I can save all my stuff?

Delta: Top of my world

On Friday I went to Sydney to see Delta Goodrem in concert.

This was my 3rd time seeing Delta live and she's always amazing. And Friday night proved what I've always known- Delta is an absolute angel and the strongest, most amazing person I've ever met. She proved that she is so amazingly dedicated to her fans and so sweet- I didn't think it was possible to love her any more than I did, but I was proved wrong!

Rachael Leahcar was the supporting act, and it was really great to see how much she's grown from her time on The Voice. 

Delta was supposed to take the stage at 8:40, but she didn't come on until 9:15. We thought this was due to some kind of technical glitch.

Then Delta came on and was just... as amazing as she always is. And then she confessed that she was in a lot of pain, and had actually scalded her legs with boiling water earlier that day. She actually rolled up her pants and showed us the bandages on her legs. I was in row Q and they looked so painful.

Although she was supposed to be resting, she refused to cancel the show, saying that the very idea broke her heart. If she couldn't finish the show, she would try and see if the theatre had any more dates available to reschedule.

Of course right after saying all this, she sang "Safe to Believe" and I just cried. Because it's one of my favourite songs from the album, it's so beautiful and I was just blown away by the personal sacrifice she was making and how dedicated she was to making sure that we weren't let down.

And honestly, if she hadn't said anything, you wouldn't know she was in pain. She still sounded amazing, joked with the audience, danced on her piano and brought 2 people up on stage.

Delta dancing on her piano

Delta tried her hardest to get through the show, but had to give up because she felt like she was about to faint.

This was taken just before Delta had to give up- the pain got so bad.

And honestly, I wasn't disappointed. Well, a little because I'd been hoping to meet Delta and hearing her live is always incredible; but I was so amazed and grateful that she had even attempted to do the show- I mean, if it had been me, I would have been incapable of doing nothing more than curling up in a ball and crying.

And my main worry was that Delta was going to be okay. Thankfully, we've heard she's fine and able to do the Melbourne shows.

Delta's been my idol for ten years, and by this point, she feels more like a friend... who I've only ever met once... but still! I was really worried, because burns can be really serious, and I feel really relieved to know she's fine. And the part of the show we did get to see was still amazing.

Get well soon, Delta! We love you!

Tweet from Delta Goodrem

Today it has been a year since I got a tweet from Delta Goodrem!

It is one of the greatest things that's ever happened to me. Which I know is crazy, because I've MET Delta, got a hug from her and a photo with her, but I got so excited over this tweet.

Probably because Delta was one of the main reasons I first joined twitter, and it took me three years to get a tweet from her, and I honestly wasn't even trying to get her to reply to this one. I never expected her to reply, and it was just... I was so happy.

And I'm seeing her live tomorrow night!! Can't wait! This will be only the third time I've seen Delta live, but she's always amazing.

Happy WICKED Day!

Today is Wicked Day- the 9th year anniversary of when Wicked first opened at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway.

I can't believe it's been 9 years! Unfortunately, there will be no show on the anniversary, due to Hurricane Sandy that is wreaking havoc on the East Coast of the USA. (Is anyone else thinking Madame Morrible? No, sorry. That's not funny. As I write this, we just heard that 5 people have died so far, which is terrible. I hope everyone is staying safe).

Anyway, Congratulotions Wicked for achieving 9 years! As of October 21, they have done 3, 726 shows and is the 12th longest running show on Broadway. (Just FYI, it needs to do 4, 092 to move ahead of Miss Siagon into the 11th place).

Here's to another 9 years! (And a movie, but that's a different issue).

So have a happy, safe, green Wicked Day everyone!



Writing Update

I'm in a unique situation at the moment, one that hasn't happened many times before and never for a Wicked fanfiction.

I'm writing a story at the moment that has a firmly fixed number of chapters. There is no way I can decide to add or remove chapters at any time during the writing process.

I can tell you right now that my current fic 40 Weeks will be 40 chapters.

This means that it's really easy for me to give you updates so you know how far I am into the story and how close I am to finishing.

Well, as of today I am on chapter... 18.

Yes, I still have another 22 chapters to go. And at this stage, I can't tell you (even a rough estimate) when you can expect this story to be finished and uploaded. All I can say is that, hopefully it will be up by the end of the year.

Too much drama

So, I guess anyone who knows me knows I am a Delta Goodrem fan. I have been since the beginning when I was... wow, 12?! That's just crazy.

Anyway, Delta and her music have seen me through a lot of major life-events the last ten years, and I read about hers from fighting cancer at age 18, to being engaged, to breaking off the engagement... 

Yesterday, her 4th album (and first since 2007) was released, Child of the universe. Delta always writes about things she's gone through in her life, and this is no different. So of course, the album makes reference the end of her relationship with Brian Mcfadden (formerly of Westlife, I guess that's where most people would know him from. It's where I did before he was with Delta!).

And then of course, there's been drama. 

Vogue Mcfadden (nee Williams), Brian's new wife, tweeted the other day:

"You say you don't want to discuss your personal life so DON'T!! but please stop using it to promote yourself it's embarrassing ... #fake

 This was brought to Delta's attention during a radio interview and she just laughed it off saying that it was "really cool of them to listen to the album early and listen to the lyrics".

But this is the thing that bugs me- Delta fans have been tweeting Vogue about her comment.

Rachael Leahcar, Delta's finalist on The Voice tweeted "*throws orange*" to Vogue and then someone added a "Dead" to that.

Brian replied to that, asking "are you threatening my life? I'll find you" (I'm assuming he meant "wife" we all know about autocorrect and how that works), and that's fair that he was upset about that.

But now it's getting ridiculous. People are tweeting Brian things (e.g. "go back to Ireland, we love Delta, etc") but he's replying (e.g. "get a life. A real idol and a nutritionist").

Guys, none of this is cool.

I love Delta, and honestly, I don't care about Vogue and Brian. I don't know anything about her to form an opinion. I liked Brian in Westlife and I have some of his songs from iTunes, but all from when he was with Delta, because well... he was writing about Delta. And they were nice songs. And he has a nice voice.

I don't think it was cool what Vogue tweeted, even if she at least didn't mention Delta directly. I mean, Delta has never come out and said these songs are about Brian... even though everyone knows they are. LOL. I mean, they were together for seven years, which is a really long time. And did people really expect Delta wasn't going to write about it at all?

But no matter what your thoughts/feelings on Vogue/Brian/Delta are, is it really necessary to tweet such things? You don't like Brian- don't buy his music, watch Australia's Got Talent or follow him on twitter, whatever.

Tweeting things to Brian and Vogue isn't going to accomplish anything, just stir up more drama, and give Delta fans a bad name. And didn't we learn anything from the whole Charlotte Dawson incident?

Delta and Brian have both moved on. Brian is married, and they're both happy. This wouldn't even be news if Delta's album hadn't come out. I think it's sad that when they first broke up they still seemed friendly with one another and all that's fallen apart now.

Can we all just move on please?

An Amazing Story

Ok, this was only recently brought to my attention, but I thought it was amazing.

I love funny coincidences, and this was just too good not to share.

In 1940, a film was made by the name of The Shop Around the Corner.

This movie starred Frank Morgan, who of course was the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, which had been released the year before in 1939.

In 1949, a musical adaptation of this film was produced called In the good old summertime, starring none other than Judy Garland, who of course, was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

Of course, The Wizard of Oz gave us Wicked,

and around the same time Wicked came out (the book) came another adaptation of The Shop Around the Corner, called You've Got Mail.

And this movie, of course was the inspiration of my Wicked fanfiction by the same name (You've Got Mail).

So, how crazy is it that I would be inspired to write a Wicked fanfiction, by a movie that was based off another movie starring one Wizard of Oz star and that had an adaptation starring another?

I'm a big believer in signs, and I can't believe how amazing this one is! Of course, you may all think I'm crazy and that it's not interesting at all. But I'm just fascinated.

Jemma Rix

On Sunday October 7th, 2012, the Australian production of Wicked closed in South Korea.

This was depressing on many levels, not least because I never got to Korea to see it. And as I've seen it in every place it's been so far except for Melbourne and Adelaide, it was sad.
And also, because unlike when it closed everywhere else, this time we hadn't heard where it was going next, and all the cast were tweeting really sad farewell messages... ugh. It was a highly depressing day.

So, there's rumours that the show will be going to New Zealand and then back to Australia to play in Sydney and Melbourne, but the only official word we've had so far is that Wicked is "hanging up it's jewelled shoes to take a bit of a break and decide where it wants to land next". We have no idea where/when that will be or who the cast will be, so more sadness; because our cast is extremely talented and full of some of the lovliest people I've ever met.

But there was a good thing amongst all the sadness!

Jemma Rix (our amazing Elphaba) performed her 800th show as Elphaba on that day. And it also gives her the record for the most number of shows in English as Elphaba, which is such an amazing achievement.

And I'm super proud this record was set by an Australian!

Jemma is such a lovely person and such an amazing Elphaba. I'm going to put up a clip from YouTube of her Defying Gravity, but honestly, it just doesn't do her justice.

Jemma and I at WICKED stage door in Singapore in April 2012

Seriously, this is the woman who made me cry in the lobby of the theatre in Singapore when we could hear the end of Defying Gravity from the lobby (we were just buying merchandise the night before we saw the show, LOL).
And then the second time I saw the show in Singapore (my 6th time total), I didn't breathe from the time Elphaba rose up in Defying Gravity, and then I cried (embarrassingly) all through intermission.

So, Congratulotions, Jemma!

PS. It's only audio of her Defying Gravity, it's super hard to find video that is good quality. This is audio I found on YouTube from the Seoul season.



50 Things I Want To Do Before I Die

I saw this trending topic on twitter and thought 'I can easily think of 50 things I want to do before I die' but rather than do 50 tweets, I thought it would be easier to do it as a blog entry.

They're in no real order, I just wrote them as I thought of them.

So, here goes:

50 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:

1. Get married
2. Have children
3. See Wicked on Broadway
4. Meet Julia
5. Go to the USA (especially New York)
6. Go to London
7. Meet Tim Campbell [ACHIEVED June 2014]
8. Own a dog (current breed of choice is a schnauzer, but that could change)
9. Finish writing an original novel that I don't hate once I've finished it, or think is stupid.
10. Buy a house
11. Get a tattoo
12. Meet one of my favourite authors (I'd prefer JK Rowling, but I'm not picky)
13. Take a course in creative writing.
14. See Miss Webb again (my Year 8 English Teacher who was a huge influence on me in so many ways. I haven't actually seen her since Year 9). [ACHIEVED July 2014]
15. Take my siblings to see Wicked. [semi ACHIEVED November 2014 (took Nikki)]
16. Go to the Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios.
17. See Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam.
18. Actually get my P's and be able to drive (am working on this). [ACHIEVED July 2014] 
19. Meet Delta Goodrem (again. I met her once, but I was a rambling mess)
20. See Idina Menzel live in concert [ACHIEVED June 2013- TWICE] 
21. Meet Idina Menzel. [ACHIEVED June 2013] 
22. Write something meaningful.
23. Go to Tasmania and the Northern Territory, so I can say I've been to every state and territory in Australia.
24. Do something important.
25. Ride a horse.
26. Be a bridesmaid at someone's wedding.
27. Finish the Harry Potter fan fiction I abandoned to write Wicked fan fiction two years ago and have barely touched since. LOL.
28. Hold a lion cub.
29. Swim with dolphins (or just be in water with dolphins given that I can't actually swim). [ACHIEVED 15/4/2013]
30. Stay at a 5 star hotel somewhere, even just for one night. [ACHIEVED May 23rd 2014] 
31. Teach overseas
32. Get through the entire Wicked book series (every time I've tried I can't do. I made it to end of Son of a witch and that was it, although I own the whole series).
33. Go out dancing.
34. Do karaoke (I'm mostly a watcher. I'm too shy to actually do it myself. Plus I can't sing). 
35. Give a sermon.
36. Read the whole bible cover to cover.
37. Look and feel beautiful, just once.
38. Finish Wuthering Heights. I've started it 5 times. Every time I get bored and stop, but it's one of those classic novels.
39. Re-read Great Expectations. The last time I read it, I was 9. 
40. Get a hug from my sister. (She's not a hugger. The last time I remember getting a hug from her, she was probably about 10. She's now nearly 21). [ACHIEVED October 3rd 2015] 
41. Break a bone. (This sounds weird, but I never have. And I'd like to be able to say I have. Otherwise all I have is splitting my chin open and spraining my wrist and big toe- at different times). 
42. Actually keep a diary, instead of forgetting it's there and only writing in it once every 6 months or so.
43. Be able to have a deep, personal conversation about myself without crying.
44. Go to Prince Edward Island (Four Words: Anne Of Green Gables). 
45. Read the entire Narnia series (the only one I've read is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
46. In my house, have a library.
47. Sponser a child in a Third World nation.
48. Go to a psychic (just for fun). [ACHIEVED 18/4/2013]
49. See at least one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
50. Enter the lottery- just once so I can say I did. [ACHIEVED 19/4/2013- and won $4. LOL)

Legally Blonde

I'd already decided that I was going to do a post on Legally Blonde, which I saw on Saturday night (September 22nd, 2012), but it's taken me longer than expected to get around to actually writing it (the lack of sleep- it's a long story).

Anyway, so on Saturday night, six of us saw Legally Blonde the musical at the Sydney Lyric theatre. We'd been looking forward to this for months, and I was really excited to see the show. I love the movie, and I knew how awesome the cast was, because I'd watched Erika on It Takes Two and I knew Lucy, Rob and David from Wicked. 

 So I knew I was going to love the show, because I do love the movie and I am a fan of so many of the cast; but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. Seriously, it's taken the #2 spot on my list of favourite musicals (#1 is still Wicked, LOL- just in case you were wondering).

It's such a fun show, it has such a great energy to it, and there's not a slow moment in the whole show. And it's hilarious. And the cast was just... incredible. The casting was just done perfectly.

Lucy is phenomenal as Elle, Rob is Warner (in the best possible way, haha) and David is the perfect Emmett! Helen is hilarious as Paulette, Cameron was so good as Professor Callahan and Erika... seriously, "Whipped into shape" says it all. I'd heard from David's blog how hard that routine was, but to actually see it... wow. You have to be seriously fit to do that. (Which I am not, as was proved to me when I woke up this morning after spending all weekend walking around Sydney. "Ouch" about sums it up).

I don't know if I could pick a singular favourite song from the show... so I'll pick 3, lol (in no particular order).
1. "Ohmigod you guys" is just so much fun, and gets stuck in your head so easily- we were singing it all the way as we walked back to our hotel after the show, haha. Yes, we got some strange looks from people on the street).
2. "So much better" was one of the few songs I'd heard before I saw the show, from the media launch and such; but it was really great to see in the context of the show. Lucy does such a great job of singing this, and as it closes the first act, you really end on a great note.
3. "Chip on my shoulder" I loved this song. I don't even know if I could tell you why, but it's just a great tune and the lyrics are really great. It's been in my head all day, so I thought that was a problem easily solved by listening to the song from the soundtrack. It kind of helped, but I spent half the song thinking, "David sings this so much better", haha.

We've got plans to see the show again in November, but I'm not sure I can wait that long, LOL!

We had some really cute moments in the show too- like when Bruiser wouldn't come on stage at the beginning, haha. But he's so cute no-one minded! The dogs are simply gorgeous!
And it's really funny, I loved how they had little pop culture references, like to Glee and Lord of the Rings and it doesn't matter if you've seen the movie or not.

After the show, we went to the Stage Door to meet the cast, which has become one of my favourite things about going to the theatre. The cast are all such lovely people, and it's really great just to be able to meet them.
Unfortunately, we missed meeting Erika (we did see her, but just didn't get a chance to say "hi"- so we'll have to grab her next time!)

So if anyone's in Sydney (or near enough) I really recommend Legally Blonde! It's such a great show, and cast, and you'll have a great night!

I wish I could go again sooner, but that's the downside of teaching out in the country- it's just a tad difficult to get to the city. Hurry up, November!

Fiyero the duck

So, last week, I got a duckling. He was absolutely gorgeous and I named him Fiyero.

And this morning, I was devastated to wake up and find that he'd died during the night. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm just crushed.

He was the cutest little duck ever. He like peas and cuddles, and only pooped on me twice.

RIP Fiyero.

Australian Wicked Closing Anniversary

So, today is September 11.

And of course, that day is forever remembered as the day that changed the world forever, with the bombing of the World Trade Centre- even though with the time difference, it was actually September 12th.

Today is also the birthday of one of my close friend, so the day has a bright side amidst all the tragedy.

But it was a year ago today that Wicked closed in Perth, finishing off their Australian run. And although the show was going to Asia, it was our original Glinda, Lucy Durack's last show (or so we thought, but that's a different story).

Lucy was a fantastic Glinda, but I'm really excited to see her as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde in 11 days!! 

I remember being on twitter and talking with my Australian twitter friends, and we were all severely depressed, LOL. It was a fun night, haha. Especially when we had friends who were at the last show... ugh, it was just torture.

But bring on Legally Blonde! 

Holiday plans

We have 2 weeks until school holidays!

I'm super excited, mostly because I get to go home. I haven't seen my family all term, and I really miss my parents and siblings.

This is the first holidays this year that I'm not travelling anywhere, but I'm still planning to do heaps.

The first weekend I'm having an entire musical weekend! We're seeing Legally Blonde the musical on Saturday night, and then on Sunday we're seeing a local performance of Beauty and the Beast the musical!

And the second weekend is my cousin's wedding. The guy she's marrying is lovely, and she's my oldest female cousin, so I'm really excited and happy for her. Plus, it means I get to see the rest of my family, which I don't get to do too often. This will be the first time I've seen my cousins and aunts and uncles since my grandfather's funeral in February, which hopefully won't be too sad.

Other than that, I'm just looking forward to relaxing and catching up with friends. I've already got plans for a day with Nerrida :)

I always say I'm going to do heaps of writing in the holidays... and I never get as much done as I hope to. But we'll see! It would be nice to make some headway on 40 weeks; I've kind of stalled lately due to lack of time and motivation. Plus, it's slow moving until I get to a certain point.

Dream Houses from movies

Movie and TV characters always have the best houses.

Here are some of the ones mentioned in chapter 1 of Sitting on top of the world. 

The house Noah builds Allie in The Notebook

The house from Father of the Bride

Cameron Frye's house in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

For more houses from movies/ TV shows, check out this site: http://hookedonhouses.net/houses-onscreen/

Elphaba's debutante ball dress in STRANGER TO MYSELF

Here is a picture of what Elphaba's debutante ball dress is supposed to look like. For some reason, I could only imagine this extremely puffy white dress!

My life according to Delta Goodrem

I first did this a few years ago, and when I found it, thought it would be fun to do again. Surprisingly, most of my answers hadn't changed much!

Using only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. You can't use the band I used. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Repost as "my life according to (band name)"

Pick your Artist: Delta Goodrem
Are you a male or female:
Woman
Describe yourself:
Born to Try
How do you feel:
Fragile
Describe where you currently live:
In my own time
If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Sanctuary
Your favourite form of transportation:
Butterfly
Your best friend is:
The Guardian
You and your best friends are:
Innocent Eyes
If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Dancing with a broken heart
What is life to you:
The riddle, the riddle
Your relationship:
Almost Here
Your fear:
Not me, Not I
What is the best advice you have to give:
Believe Again
Thought for the Day:
Angels in the room
How I would like to die:
Last night on earth
My soul's present condition:
Braveface

If I let you go

Video with lyrics to the Westlife song If I let you go.

Fiyero

Today David Harris leaves Wicked after 473 shows. 

Going to miss him as Fiyero, he portrays the role so perfectly! And one of the nicest people I've ever met.

Dancing with a broken heart

So, yesterday, Delta Goodrem's new single Dancing with a broken heart was realeased to radio (still a week before I can actually buy it, unfortunately).

We heard a 10 second snippet of it back in June, during Delta's 60 Minutes interview and it sounded like it was going to be a ballad. As Delta knows how to rock a ballad, I was excited.

And then I heard the song. Wow. Just goes to show that 10 years into her career, Delta can still surprise us! DWABH is not exactly a ballad, but it could be so easily. She's gone with something a little different, and the song has a bit of an modern electronic sound (according to an article I read- I'm not really good at describing musical sounds).

But I love it! And I could easily see Delta beginning her concert with this song- it fits in with the whole theatrical entrance thing she's done for her past 2 tours.

Any other Delta fans out there? Do you love Dancing with a broken heart?

Or listen below!

Elphaba's anniversary dress from FAR LONGER THAN FOREVER

So this is what I was thinking for Elphaba's dress that she wore for her and Fiyero's three month anniversary date in Far Longer Than Forever. Except black, not nude.