Never thought my first post in 18 months would be about a bushfire; but these days, when I come back and read my posts over the last 8 years (well, no posts really for the most recent 2 - 3 years), I barely recognise the young, idealistic student I was!

A few people have messaged me or emailed me about the bushfires in Victoria, so I thought I'd do a "quick" post. (Those of you who remember me as being fairly verbose; that hasn't changed!)

Victoria is the 2nd most populous and "settled" state in Australia, with Melbourne its capital city. Most people have a mental picture of Sydney with its famous opera house and harbour bridge + beaches (Bondi, Manly etc) when they think of Australia. Sydney is often compared to Los Angeles whereas Melbourne to New York. People here dress in black turtlenecks and thick-rimmed glasses; are very diverse in socio-economic and educational/cultural backgrounds; have a big thing for the cafe culture and "quirky" or "eccentric" fashion, as opposed to glitzy, pretty Sydney with its Californian-looking blonde girls in the bikinis and buff surfers.

Melbourne, however, is surrounded by bushland. Most of Victoria is bushland, and during the last 2 - 3 weeks, we've had many, many days of extremely hot weather. Victoria is in the middle of a drought that began 12 years ago, and our water storage is only at around 30% and dropping every month. We have had strict water usage rules for the last 4 - 5 years and the state keeps getting browner. Last week, the state was in a typical summer total-fire-ban with warnings that due to the unprecedented high heat and long-lasting drought, the state was a "tinder box".

On Saturday, 7 February, over 30 individual fires swept the State bushlands. I've seen some of the footage and it has been horrific the way fires race UP whole mountains and demolish all in their paths. I remember watching the Saturday morning news that morning and seeing cheerful country people "used to this" start preparing their houses and farms and talking to camera crews. Victoria has a "leave early or stay and defend" policy and people living in fire-prone areas are well-educated and well-prepared; they hose down all their gutters; soak fire-retardant blankets and get their livestock protected. However, the unexpected ferocity and high heat, combined with the wind and the sheer number of fires being pushed in all sorts of directions, overcame these country people on Saturday. Many who were interviewed and who were "prepared" for the fires are now dead, completely incinerated and cremated; only identifiable by the remains of the gold in their dental work or gold wedding rings. 

In some of the most tragic stories:

• The Country Fire Authority, the main firefighting force in country Victoria, is mainly staffed by volunteers. One was fighting a fire near his own home and looked further up the hill to see his own home engulfed by flames, without knowing whether his children and wife had made it out. He continued battling the fires and searching for people to rescue in the midst of his own loss.
• A family with 2 children were escaping when the five year old, panicked, ran off and away from the family. Horrified, the father chased after the child and the mother and other child jumped into a lake on the family property. They watched the flames literally burn the father and the five-year old child alive mere metres from where they hid.
• An elderly couple with a wheelchair bound son in his 50's was found all three of them together, dead, in their burnt-out home. The key was found in the ignition and from the remains it looks like the car was packed and they were ready to evacuate. It's believed that due to the necessary slowness of putting the disabled son in the car, they were simply too late to get out. 

All along the roads in the affected areas are cars which are incinerated with bodies in them, showing that people were trying to get out and flee even up to the last moment. It's hard to believe these people smiling goodnaturedly who were only on TV on Saturday morning were dead, by 6pm that night.

For local news, check out some of our local news reports: http://www.theage.com.au/national/cool-conditions-help-but-23-fires-out-of-control-20090210-83od.html.

I hope you're all well - and embracing life and letting it embrace you too.

[Updated: more comprehensive link including multimedia: http://www.theage.com.au/national/bushfires - it's been so long since i did this regularly that i don't remember even the very basic html required to do urls =P]

I haven't been back for so long that even the weblog entry window? frame? is completely unfamiliar to me.

Anyway, I have regular internet access for the first time in about 8 months and am hoping to get back around here a bit more from now on, so I thought I'd stick my head in and give whoever is still around and interested a bit of a quick update.

I'm now working as a lawyer, in a law firm, which is all very scary until I remind you that I have certainly not forgotten or abandoned my passions and aspirations as a philosopher and humanist. Call this period a time to complete my university training and a way to finance future studies and social work =)

Other "important" updates. I finished my honours thesis in Philosophy, on a topic in international justice, 2.5 years ago. A lot of you helped me get there. (Actually, a lot of you helped me survive my entire 6 year university degree, so I should put your names on my graduation certificates!) I received first class honours for that thesis. Hurray. Graduated in both Arts(Honours) and Law 1.5 years ago. Got engaged about a year ago, bought a house with fiance about eight months ago, and now have mounting debts as the impending wedding looms threateningly on the horizon. Threatening not because I don't love my man; I do, it's just that most of you know I'm not a super girly girl who wants to spend hours doing wedding stuffs. =) So I'm getting married in November, in between working long, long hours slaving away, thankfully not in corporate law (much) but more in personal services law.

I'm hoping to get around to most of my subs and subbers in the next few days, depending on work load. (I'm accessing from work, not from home... I still haven't set up the internet there, just as I still have hardly any furniture. And no phone line set up. We're young and broke )

Looking forward to saying "hi". It's nice to be back! (and thanks for Pox for keeping me somehow linked to Xanga all these years. He is the best =))