em's blog: Anzac Day - Lest we forget

today's Anzac Day, which means that it's a public holiday.. but also means that there were Anzac services all round Australia, NZ, and many other countries.. and at the end of the services they always say "Lest we forget".. really cool thing... had to wake up uber early.. had to leave the house at six.. cos the service starts slightly before sunrise.. i was really surprised at how many people were there.. we went to the service in blackwood, which is pretty near my place.. they closed off all the roads and all so there were people standing everywhere.. it was a really good service.. oh! and 2 people standing really near us fainted.. first this girl fainted.. then everyone turned to look.. a lady rolled up a jacket to put under her head.. but she regained consciousness pretty quickly.. then after a while a little boy collapsed.. well he wasn't that little.. was probably about 10 or so.. was a bit freaky.. but i suppose it was hunger combined with exhaustion.. i could hear tummys rumbling away.. haha.. mine included! :) but yeah.. got home about 7.30 then tried to fall asleep again.. eventually managed to and woke up at 11.30.. sheesh.. so late! had to be in the city by 1.30 lor.. Jon offered to pick me up from home but i felt bad to make him come all the way here and then go all the way back again.. and besides.. he got home even later then me.. in the end i realised he didnt go to bed till 6 cos he was up watching millan vs ManU.. ManU won obviously.. haha.. so yeah..

neways.. eventually met Jon in the city and we drove to the most Ulu place ever! it was like farmland.. miles and miles of empty, dry land.. we went to look at this kitten that his brother's buying.. it was georgeous! sooooo cute! and friendly.. it's of rag-doll breed.. and i so want one too.. haha.. so yeah.. he's definately getting it.. Jon doesn't really like cats much, but he liked these.. he thinks rag-dolls are nice and cuddly! and they really are.. they feel like feather dusters! haha.. super soft.. but they grow to be massive.. super super big lor.. the lady who's selling them had millions of cats in her house lor.. seriously, there were probably 20 over cats there.. but they were all so friendly.. but in the end i found the one that i would like.. he's from the same litter as the one Jon's brother is getting, but he's soooo much more smaller.. he's so tiny.. i was holding him for so long.. he just sat there and didn't move much.. i'm really tempted to get him.. but i don't think my aunt and uncle will allow.. :( but he's the cutest thing ever.. oh well.. next time when i get my own place i suppose.. but i'll probably get a puppy then.. i dunno.. we'll see.. yup.. so we had vietnamese for dinner.. thank you Jon for bringing me there! it was yummy as usual.. and i finished all of it.. although i was super duper full after that.. but it was yummy! hehe

oh! and yesterday i went to the city to watch movie with xiao wei, camilia, sarah, the 2 Jons and many more.. one big group of us.. we went to watch Stomp the Yard.. uber good! I LOVE IT! it's amazing.. wish we had stuff like that here.. if you've watched You've got served and you liked it, then you'll definately like this too.. so many nice movies out now.. can't wait to watch them.. hehe.. then we went for pancakes.. and Jon and i realised that we have mutual friends! his other friends came to join us for supper.. one was his dentistry classmate Jessie, and her friend Esther.. they were my friends in Eynesbury last year! haha.. so funny.. adelaide is really small! ;)

neways.. its 2217 now and i'm exhausted.. gotta go do my assignment now then maybe watch some tv then sleeeeeeeeep.. or might sleep then wake up and do assignment.. haha.. enjoy the rest of the week peeps..

just a little something i copied from the Australian Government webby.. incase any of you wanted to read more about Anzac day.. it's really interesting.. if not, just scroll down to the pics.. :)

Significance of Anzac Day
The Anzac tradition - the ideals of courage, endurance and mateship that are still relevant today was established on 25 April 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
It was the start of a campaign that lasted eight months and resulted in some 25,000 Australian casualties, including 8,700 who were killed or died of wounds or disease.
The men who served on the Gallipoli Peninsula created a legend, adding the word ‘Anzac’ to the Australian and New Zealand vocabularies and creating the notion of the Anzac spirit.
In 1916, the first anniversary of the landing was observed in Australia, New Zealand and England and by troops in Egypt. That year, 25 April was officially named ‘Anzac Day’ by the Acting Prime Minister, George Pearce.
By the 1920s, Anzac Day ceremonies were held throughout Australia. All States had designated Anzac Day as a public holiday. Commemoration of Anzac Day continued throughout the 1930s and 1940s with World War II veterans joining parades around the country. In the ensuing decades returned servicemen and women from the conflicts in Malaya, Indonesia, Korea and Vietnam, veterans from allied countries and peacekeepers joined the parades.
During the 1960s and 1970s the number of people attending Anzac Day marches fell as Australians questioned the relevance of Anzac Day. However, in the 1990s there was a resurgence of interest in Anzac Day, with attendances, particularly by young people, increasing across Australia and with many making the pilgrimage to the Gallipoli Peninsula to attend the Dawn Service.

The Dawn Service
(The following text is from The Australian War Memorial website http://www.awm.gov.au/)
The Dawn Service observed on Anzac Day has its origins in an operational routine which is still observed by the Australian Army today. The half-light of dawn plays tricks with soldiers' eyes and from the earliest times the half-hour or so before dawn, with all its grey, misty shadows, became one of the most favoured times for an attack. Soldiers in defensive positions were therefore woken up in the dark, before dawn, so that by the time the first dull grey light crept across the battlefield they were awake, alert and manning their weapons. This was, and still is, known as "Stand-to". It was also repeated at sunset.
After the First World War, returned soldiers sought the comradeship they felt in those quiet, peaceful moments before dawn. With symbolic links to the dawn landing at Gallipoli, a dawn stand-to or dawn ceremony became a common form of Anzac Day remembrance during the 1920s; the first official dawn service was held at the Sydney Cenotaph in 1927. Dawn services were originally very simple and followed the operational ritual; in many cases they were restricted to veterans only. The daytime ceremony was for families and other well-wishers, the dawn service was for old soldiers to remember and reflect among the comrades with whom they shared a special bond. Before dawn the gathered veterans would be ordered to "stand to" and two minutes of silence would follow. At the end of this time a lone bugler would play the "Last Post" and then concluded the service with "Reveille". In more recent times the families and young people have been encouraged to take part in dawn services, and services in Australian capital cities have seen some of the largest turnouts ever. Reflecting this change, the ceremonies have become more elaborate, incorporating hymns, readings, pipers and rifle volleys. Others, though, have retained the simple format of the dawn stand-to, familiar to so many soldiers.