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Some Personal Highlights of 2014

January 

Launched the Meri Toksave Directory in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, handed out over 5000 copies, and engaged with local and international organisations to improve information accessibility of emergency and support services for women, promote women’s rights, and challenge gender-based violence

Represented Meri Toksave whilst in Port Moresby in an interview with ABC Radio Australia

Finalised the fellowship on-boarding process with the Resolution Project

Recruited an in-country representative in Port Moresby for Meri Toksave 

Moved house

Served as Deputy Convenor of StatesMUN, a UN Youth delegation of 19 Australian and 3 New Zealand university students for a three week tour across the United States meeting academics, diplomats, think tank leaders, and NGO leaders in San Francisco, Washington DC, New York and Boston and participating in the Harvard University National Model United Nations

Fell in love with San Francisco

Went for a run around San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge in my Bridge to Brisbane Race t-shirt

February

Had a brilliant bowl of noddle soup at a Chinese restaurants in Washington DC

Met with Kim Beazley, the Australian Ambassador to the United States, in the Australian Embassy in Washington DC for StatesMUN and also kept an official embassy coaster

Tweeted at by Ambassador Kim Beazley

Meeting with the World Bank

Tour of the White House

Tour of the United States Congress

Had dinner and illegally consumed alcohol (being 1 5 months underage) at the famous Old Ebbitt Grill across the road from the White House

Met with Professor Glenn Denning, the Director of the Centre on Globalisation and Sustainable Development at the Earth Institute of Columbia University

Attended a jazz gig in a bar in Harlem

Met with Australian expatriates that are leading NGOs in New York including Melanie Poole (Fulbright Scholar at New York University), Sara Haghdoosti (Founder and Executive Director of Berim) and Hugh Evans (Founder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project)

Had a tour of the United Nations Headquarters, took a selfie in the United Nations Security Council, and got stuck in a lift in the United Nations Secretariat Building

Visited the American Museum of Natural History and watched a planetarium show narrated by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Met with Jamila Raqib, the Executive Director of the Albert Einstein Institution

Bought pizza from the Boston Pizza Kitchen, one of the best pizza places ever

Attended a Resolution Project social in a Boston Bar

Wandered through the Boston Commons whilst it was snowing

Visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Harvard University Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

Found a second hand book shop on Massachusetts Avenue half way between MIT and Harvard and bought a signed copy of The Living Planet by David Attenborough, a book of Jazz anecdotes, and the a biological anthropology textbook

Had an amazing bowl of spaghetti bolognese along with the StatesMUN delegation at one of Boston’s top Italian restaurants

Successfully finished serving as Deputy Convenor of StatesMUN 2014 with records for the highest number of applicants, the highest number of meetings, and maintaining a budget surplus

Served as a Speaker for the Opening Plenary at the Young and Well CRC Connect Conference in Melbourne Town Hall, a gathering of over 250 leading individuals from not-for-profit, community, academic, government, and corporate organisations involved in the crossroads of youth mental health and technology

Served as a member of the Closing Plenary panel discussion chaired by Professor Patrick McGorry AO, the 2010 Australian of the Year and Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, at the Young and Well CRC Connect Conference

Appointed by the UN Youth Australia National Executive to serve as a Facilitator on the UN Youth Australia Northern Territory Road Trip with Laura John, the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations

March

Served as a Welfare Officer for over 130 high school students on the three day residential UN Youth Queensland State Conference

Road trip to Hervey Bay to serve as a facilitator for a UN Youth Workshop for the University of Southern Queensland Changemakers Schools Forum

Featured in the launch video for Milaana, a new social enterprise to connect students and job seekers with community organisations

Served as the Welfare Officer and a Facilitator for the UN Youth Cairns Schools Forum in north Queensland

Appointed a White Ribbon Ambassador

Ran the Twilight Half Marathon

Addressed my alma mater, Brisbane Grammar School, on whole school assembly to speak on community service and ethics

Meri Toksave began advertising and recruiting for volunteer positions

April

Meri Toksave is accepted into the Global Partnership for Youth in the Post-2015 Development Agenda coordinated by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth

Meri Toksave is accepted by the Brisbane City Council to use office space in Visible Ink

Directed a UQ Mini-MUN and had pizza

Meri Toksave is registered and recognised as an official charity by the Australian Charities and Non-for-profit Commission

Trip down to Melbourne with Tom and Michael a few days before debating

Lunch in Melbourne with Mr Jones, my Year 11 and 12 Form Teacher

Debated at the Australian Intervarsity Debating Championship in Melbourne with an averaged speaker score of 76 and with two awesome “novice” debaters

Served as the Director of the Non-Governmental Organisations Programme at the Brisbane Model United Nations Conference

Flew to Darwin for a few rest days before the UN Youth Northern Territory Road Trip

May

Served as a Facilitator for 2 weeks on the UN Youth Northern Territory Road Trip for the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations’ National Consultation Tour throughout the Northern Territory

Watched a sunset from the Nightcliff Foreshore in Darwin

Featured in the NT News

Went swimming under a waterfall in Litchfield National Park

Had a beer listening to Reggae under the stars and gumtrees alfresco style at a bar in Alice Springs

Drove over 3000KM and listened to the dreams and issues of over 1100 young people across the cultural, socioeconomic and geographic diversity of the Northern Territory from Darwin to Katherine to Elliot to Tennant Creek to Alice Springs return to Darwin

Featured with Meri Toksave on UQ News

Appointed as the Undergraduate Representative to the Teaching and Learning of the new and largest faculty of the University of Queensland, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science

Attended the Positive Schools Conference

Read the Sydney Morning Herald and had a few beers at the Hoo Ha Bar in South Bank after work before catching the ferry along the river home

Conducted interviews for Meri Toksave positions

Had dinner and drinks with Mr Price, my Year 10, 11 and 12 history teacher

Attended a lecture by Walter Sofronoff QC, the former Solicitor-General of Queensland

Had a 21st birthday dinner with the family

June

Delivered a special guest speech on behalf of White Ribbon at the Inala Youth Service Pasifika Youth Links Program “I am a Girl” documentary screen and community fundraising event

Ran the Brisbane Times City2South 14KM Race

Conducted the volunteer induction for 5 new brilliant volunteers with Meri Toksave

Finished my year tenure as a UNICEF Australia Young Ambassador

Visited Canberra for a brief stay, bought second hand books, viewed the rings of Saturn through a telescope, and had a brilliant burrito at a nice little Café in Chifley

Served as the Deputy Secretary-General for Committees and Delegates of the 20th Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference

Served as the Opening Ceremony Master of Ceremonies for the 20th Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference

Introduced Professor Gillian Triggs, the President of the Australian Human Rights Commission, to speak at the Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference

Received a signed copy of the biography of retired Major General Professor John Pearn, the former Surgeon-General of the Australian Defence Force who was deployed to Rwanda with the United Nations

July

Introduced Laura John, the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations, as the Closing Ceremony Keynote Speaker for the 20th Asia-Pacific Model United Nations Conference

Attended a lecture on quantum computation at State Library of Queensland by Professor Andrew White of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems at the University of Queensland organised by BrisScience and the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute

Attended the Women in Legal Practice in Papua New Guinea" discussion opened by the Papua New Guinea High Commissioner to Australia Charles Lepani, chaired by Queensland Supreme Court Justice Catherine Holmes, and featuring Dr Jeffrey Buchanan (UN Women PNG Director), Justice Catherine Davani (PNG Supreme Court), Laura Kuvi (State Prosecutor with the PNG Office of the Public Prosecutor), Avia Koisen (Principal of Koisen Lawyers and President of PNG Women’s Chamber of Commerce), and Emma Wurr (Principal Human Rights Officer of the PNG Office of the Public Solicitor) at the Supreme Court of Queensland 

Had a beer with the Papua New Guinea High Commissioner to Australia Charles Lepani

August

Had one of my tweets shown on ABC’s Q&A

Attended the inaugural Impact Youth Social Enterprise Conference

Co-founded Happy Boots, a mental health social enterprise, which won the inaugural Impact Youth Social Enterprise Competition

Attended the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission Brisbane Information Session and spoke with Commissioner Susan Pascoe AM

Debated at the University of New South Wales Intervarsity Debating Tournament

Meri Toksave accepted as an official partner of the MY World 2015 United Nations Global Survey

September

Published by On Line Opinion

Debated at the Australian National University Intervarsity Debating Tournament

Delivered a presentation on gender-based violence in Papua New Guinea to the One Woman Project university seminar program

Launched the They Say, We Say campaign of Meri Toksave to celebrate the first anniversary of the Family Protection Act and to raise awareness of domestic violence in Papua New Guinea

Directed the UN Security Council at the South Australia Model United Nations Conference

Selected to attend the World Bank Youth Summit in Washington DC

Published by the UQ Justice and Law Society

Directed a UQ Mini-MUN and had pizza

Meri Toksave began using the Brisbane City Council Visible Ink office space

Attended the inaugural International Relations Ball organised by the UQ United Nations Student Association 

Road tripped down from Brisbane to Canberra nonstop over 14 hours

October

Attended Parliamentary Question Time at the Australian House of Representatives

Directed the Historical General Assembly at the inaugural National Capital Model United Nations at the Australian National University

Visited the European Union Mission to Australia

Attended the UQ Debating Society Summer Ball

Meri Toksave featured at the Resolution Project Gala at the Harvard Club of New York

Delivered a presentation on Meri Toksave to the Australian Institute of International Affairs NGO Seminar

Elected Vice-President of the UQ United Nations Student Association

Got nominated for the Young Australian of the Year award

Interview for a summer internship with the Australian Government

UQ United Nations Student Association awarded the UQ Union Best Social Justice Club of the Year Award

November

Attended my sister’s graduation art exhibition for her Diploma of Visual Arts at the South Bank Institute of Technology

Attended the Forum on the Economic Empowerment of Women

Delivered a keynote speech on behalf of White Ribbon to the AFL Queensland

Attended the Brisbane Forum on Human Rights held by the Australian Human Rights Commission

Invited by the Premier of Queensland to attend the address by President Barack Obama

Had a chat with Tanya Plibersek, the Deputy Leader of the Federal Opposition

Directed a UQ Mini-MUN and had pizza

Had a 21st Birthday Party

Volunteered in the Brisbane City Queen Street Mall for White Ribbon Day

Directed the UN Development Programme at the Sydney Model United Nations Conference

December

Attended the Australia-Papua New Guinea Emerging Leaders Dialogue Reception at the Lowy Institute for International Policy 

Debated at the Australian British Parliamentary Debating Championship

Began work at the Australian Government in Canberra

Had Friday night drinks at Old Parliament House and then climbed a tree

Selected as a World Economic Forum Global Shaper

Selected as a Plan International Australia Youth Ambassador

December 31, 2014
Photoset

On the Saturday 15th November, I had the immense privilege - thanks to an invitation from the Premier of Queensland - to attend the remarks by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, at the University of Queensland during the Group of 20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane. Ironically, in February this year I had the honour to touring the White House, yet Obama came all the way to my home city and my own university to deliver a historic speech on American leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. President Obama was both articulate and elegant, both sincere and at time humorous, both targeted and principled, both inspirational and grounded in his oration. Some highlights:

“I love Australia – I really do. The only problem with Australia is every time I come here I’ve got to sit in conference rooms and talk to politicians instead of go to the beach.”

“This city, this part of Australia, is just stunning – beautiful one day, and then perfect the next. My staff was very excited for BrisVegas. When I arrived they advised I needed some XXXX. You have some." 

"Now, this week, I’ve travelled more than 15,000 miles – from America to China to Burma to Australia. I have no idea what time it is right now.”

“But despite that distance, we know that our world is getting smaller. One of Australia’s great writers spoke of this – a son of Brisbane and a graduate of this university, David Malouf. And he said, “In that shrinking of distance that is characteristic of our contemporary world, even the Pacific, largest of oceans, has become a lake.” Even the Pacific has become a lake.”

“As we develop, as we focus on our economy, we cannot forget the need to lead on the global fight against climate change. Now, I know there’s been a healthy debate in this country about it. Here in the Asia Pacific, nobody has more at stake when it comes to thinking about and then acting on climate change.”

“Citizens, especially the next generation, you have to keep raising your voices, because you deserve to live your lives in a world that is cleaner and that is healthier and that is sustainable. But that is not going to happen unless you are heard.”

“We will stand up for our gay and lesbian fellow citizens, because they need to be treated equally under the law.”

“I believe that the best measure of whether a nation is going to be successful is whether they are tapping the talents of their women and treating them as full participants in politics and society and the economy.”

Tags: barack obama university of queensland g20brisbane president of the united states
November 17, 2014
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"I am afraid I have no dramatic answer to offer: only that if these ultimate human values by which we live are to be pursued, then compromises, trade-offs, arrangements have to be made if the worst is not to happen. So much liberty for so much equality, so much individual self-expression for so much security, so much justice for so much compassion. My point is that some values clash: the ends pursued by human beings are all generated by our common nature, but their pursuit has to be to some degree controlled—liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I repeat, may not be fully compatible with each other, nor are liberty, equality, and fraternity."

—

Isaiah Berlin.

25/11/1994.

(Source: nybooks.com)

November 17, 2014
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Off to see old mate Barry O soon.

Off to see old mate Barry O soon. 

November 14, 2014
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"Randomness is a very difficult concept, of which probability theory attempts to make some sense. The Greek word “στόχος” (stokhakistikos) has the right conceptual idea of our project – it means `capable of guessing’ from the word stokhastes, a `diviner’. In a sense, probabilities are our `best guess’ under an information set, though few probabilists would still claim divination powers. This attempt to give structure to that which we inherently cannot see, the world of \emph{random events} has required mathematical foundations - from set theory to measure theory to optimization to geometry."

— “Approximating Laplace Transforms of Heavy-tailed Distributions” by D. J. Gibbons, MSc (UQ).

Tags: randomness probability theory mathematics
November 06, 2014
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From Little Things, Big Things Grow preformed by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody at Gough Whitlam memorial service in Sydney Town Hall (05/11/2014).

Vale, Gough Whitlam. 1916-2014.

Prime Minister of Australia. 1972-1975. 

“The country would change for ever. The modern, cosmopolitan Australia finally emerged like a technicolour butterfly from its long-dormant chrysalis.” - Noel Pearson, Aboriginal-Australian advocate. 

So many highlights from the service – from Kerry O'Brien’s insights to Noel Pearson’s eulogy and from Cate Blanchett’s reflection to the performances of music pre-selected by Gough by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. 

My grandfather – Grandpa Jack, a former solider, labourer, and President of the Queensland Transport Workers Union – had the privilege of serving as an industrial relations policy advisor to Gough when he was the Federal Leader of the Opposition. Grandpa Jack, who was actually the same height as Gough Whitlam at the very tall height of 6'4" feet, said that Gough was a man of fierce passion and love of the common human and the last great political visionary.

Tags: australian politics auspol gough whitlam progressive politics australian labor party gough it's time
November 05, 2014
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Blackadder and Churchill.

Blackadder and Churchill.

October 27, 2014
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"Have no mean hours, but be grateful for every hour, and accept what it brings. The reality will make any sincere record respectable. No day will have been wholly misspent, if one sincere, thoughtful page has been written. Let the daily tide leave some deposit on these pages, as it leaves sand and shells on the shore. So much increase of terra firma. This may be a calendar of the ebbs and flows of the soul; and on these sheets as a beach, the waves may cast up pearls and seaweed."

— Henry David Thoreau. Journal. 06/07/1840.

September 02, 2014
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Goodbyeee.

Goodbyeee.

Tags: War
September 01, 2014
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An early eventide in Toowong.

August 11, 2014
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July 16, 2014
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A Brisbane sunset.

A Brisbane sunset.

June 28, 2014
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Exchange. Reciprocity. End.

(Source: rorybbellows, via lapetitefrance-aise)

June 07, 2014
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The coming of eventide in the Northern Territory.

May 10, 2014
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prendre fin. c'est la vie.

prendre fin. 

c'est la vie. 

April 03, 2014

About

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This is a blog, my blog to be precise, and to describe it would be like describing something that someone had no idea about. Thus, perhaps I should have a guess about the history of my future amblings and postings. It will most likely contain the superficial proliferation of aesthetics and personal inclinations that may bore and be pointless. Overall, I envisage this to be a medium for my procrastination, and also something I will never really end up fulfilling. So, here it is the pointless, superficial blog I created and description I wrote aforementioned.