scholars, clairvoyants and old inscriptions

so i have had a week full of surprises! three big ones come to mind that i would love to share with you all.
The first is that i have been accepted to study abroad for a semester in the Philippines at the end of this year. something pretty amazing, and i am so excited to do it. the university has also awarded me a scholarship to do so. talk about being a dream come true, traveling on the universities money - if they could only throw in a pair of shoes it would be a dream come true! there are so many amazing things that could come out of this trip, and i am itching to go, and could be gone for up to a year with study and traveling, so i am gonna miss my home very much.


Which brings me to my next story. i have been incredibly overwhelmed and stressed of late, and feeling exceptionally lost in the world, finding it difficult to get my bearings...so i decided to book an appointment with a medium to get some direction. now i know a lot of people find it hard to comprehend the existence of real magic in the world, but i happen to believe it is all around us, and that there are those who have special gifts. and boy did this particular one have a special gift. she knew a lot that was going on in my life, even to tell me i would be taking a short trip to the gold coast shortly, but only for about 2 days (a trip which i had booked 2 weeks ago, for exactly 2 days to the gold coast, and will be leaving for in just over a week. she also explained to me that money will not be an issue for my travels at the end of the year (to which the next day i received a scholarship and money from my uni to partake in the traveling). now for all you skeptics out there, i would say that's fair enough, and you are entitled to your belief, but i have never had someone read me so well, deep down to the personal stuff hidden inside. she was amazing and helped me gain so much clarity.


Now for my next news. i was sitting at home on a particularly lost day, and my parents came into my room with a present, congratulating me on my overseas acceptance. i unwrapped the present (took about ten minutes, it was like playing pass the parcel with myself) and when i finally unwrapped it i squealed with excitement. it was an 1800's copy of the complete works of shakespeare! for all that know me, know that i collect old copies of shakespeare, as i am a particularly big shakespeare nerd (as quoted from ten things i hate about you "we are involved")
To make my excitement heighten just that much more, there was a beautiful inscription on the inside that read "with the best wishes of an old friend". an inscription that made my heart leap out of my rib cage. i find inscriptions in books to be so wonderful. its a glimpse into the lives of the people who had once owned the book, and the life of the book itself. it sparks my imagination, and this one in particular made me melt all over the floor.
Once i managed to pick myself up off the floor i did the rounds of hugs to my parents. they are truly marvellous parents and know me so well. i couldn't ask for any more special and more wonderful (even if they do drive me bonkers quite alot), i believe its because we are carved from the same tree. thankyou mum and dad for being so freaking awesome!



So while it was a topsy turvy week in terms of stress and emotions, i have had so much beauty and given to me this week, that i can only look back on it with pure joy and being so grateful for my fortunes. i am truly blessed in this life, and i hope to be able to one day give back just as much as i have gained.
<3 Ruby

Picture 1 - http://marvelet.deviantart.com/
Picture 2 - http://m0thyyku.deviantart.com/
Picutre 3 - http://arihanna.deviantart.com/
Picture 4&5 - photographs of my wonderful book!!

"coffee coffee you're my heroine"

And so the long, tedious couple of weeks begins. the weeks where i am at the university library from dawn til dusk with my nose cramped in books, and my eyes becoming glazed over from too much artificial computer light. of course every couple of hours i need a brain break where i look up useless yet wonderful vintage and quirky finds on online stores, or searching music or stories that bring life back to the empty space in my head which used to house my brain.

here are some goodies i'd like to share with you. first a story about finding beautiful things at the camberwell market!...well thats basically the story in a nutshell, i found beautiful things at the camberwell market yesterday, a gypsys shirt, a vintage dress with greens and browns and floral patterns, and a pair of shoes which have walked around melbourne with it's rainbow colours and leg straps. the result, a overly happy ruby fey :)

for you also i have a song. its lisa mitchell, who is absolutely wonderful in my opinion (as i have stated before i'm sure)
Also for you, because you are delightful, i will leave you with this clip which is amzing. this girl is so talented, and i love how she has taken this song and made it her own :).


Also these cute ass shoes! Peanut butter jelly!
now back to the assignment writing. le sigh!
Loooooove xoxo

savage farms and trinket stores

So i spent the day frolicking and taking pictures of sally, climbing over fences into strangers farms, searching for treasures and trinkets in thirft stores, finding old casette tapes of savage garden and singing along, road trip style (if only for an hour)
It was a wonderful day, and lots of fun, and here is a taste of the day.

"Risk is the most amazing thing to embrace. don't be afraid."

Something was said to me the other day that truly inspired me. it wasn't something specific per say, not one thing, but rather a range of things said with passion by one person. He weaved magic with his words and captivated me with his stories. It was as if he cast a spell, stunning me into complete silence (and for those that know me, silence if not my forte) and held my attention completely with mind and soul holding onto every awe inspiring word. I have never seen someone so passionate about every aspect of their life, and deliver their values and ideals with such conviction that it can bowl you over.
His name was Kon, and he was a guest speaker in one of my uni lectures.

When he was younger he was told that he would never amount to anything. he was told by his teacher and everyone else around him and he was going to prove them all wrong. being the son of a forgeiner, he was always called 'wog' and understood this sense of what it was like to not belong. this idea fascinated him and he wanted to explore it more.
when he finished high school, he 'threw himself into everything he was curious about'. he asked himself "What am i curious about? what am i passionate about? Well, go and bloody do it!"
He volunteered for crisis phone counselling, in homeless shelters, in psych wards of hospitals, with sex workers in St Kilda - anything that sparked his curiosity and passion to change.
He went and studied social work, and law and from every one of his jobs he was fired. he was fired for advocating and caring 'too much' about his clients. They told him he was too idealistic; something that he needed to grow out of. he began to ponder why cant he do anything that he wants to? Why can't he change the world?

over the years, he found that there was a need for services available to refugees within melbourne, so with a group of students, he started one. it originally started with providing food to them, and then grew, and grew and grew into the biggest service available to refugees in australia. with over 800 volunteers and around 30 paid staff, they provide legal counsel, medical support, food support and counselling amongst other things to those who are unable to get hold of those things in starting up a new life in australia.

To me he was just so inspiring, and he was so down to earth. he had so much passion for what he was sharing with us, and he was brutally truthful. all the things that nobody tells us as social workers, he went there. he ripped back the skin of a social worker to expose the raw underneath (metaphorically ofcourse...otherwise it would be gross!)
He shared stories of those working in humanities, that don't really care about humanities...not really.

People that kept the homeless outside in the rain, instead of letting them inside a food bank an hour earlier than normal. Degrading them, and treating them like animals.
Getting fired from university, after advocating for ramps for disabled students, or alternate means of gaining knowledge for those who were unable to write due to physical disabilities.
These are only a few of the examples that he shared with us, and they made me disgusted that there are people in the humanities work force that actually can treat people like they don't matter. but it did inspire me to not be one of those people. it inspired me to take a stand on things, and stand up for those who can't do it for themselves. it inspired me to do more. it inspired me to do so much more that i push the boundaries and the rules that inhibit people from getting help. it inspired me to get fired. (for the right reasons ofcourse).

I wish i could share the lecture with you, as i believe it would inspire you also, but it isn't possible. however i can share with you a few of the quotes that inspired me.

* "We are here to make a meaningful difference"
* "You can't take my integrity, my principles."
* "What do i stand for?" a question that really makes you think...
* "People do not own you. They don't own your ideas, they don't own your values, they don't own your beliefs, they don't own your heart, they don't own your soul."

AND..my favourite...

* "Risk is the most amazing thing to embrace. don't be afraid."

I hope perhaps these quotes, and his story may inspire you a bit, even though i can't describe it with enough justice.
If you want to see more on the work he does visit The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

photograph by http://larafairie.deviantart.com/

i want more

I need to stop myself from looking up airfare prices on the internet, with the intention to just pick up and go somewhere. it's so hard to stop myself though when all i really want to do is go somewhere new and do something new. uni is such a bore this semester and i am really struggling to get into it.
but little things like this awesome blog that sally sent to me yesterday, it inspires such wonderful things and of course gives kudos to us fine Aries people (that's right, we are the master race :P)

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as i did. click here for awesome bloggage

I have also discovered this awesome band through a friend at uni. They have eargasmic tunes and are brilliant to listen to when studying as it is all spoken in a language i can't understand and therefore don't try to sing along in my head. it will definitely take you somewhere else though!
it won't allow me to show you the video on here, but if u follow this link you can view it. and trust me, its worth it!
sigur ros





photo 1 - http://freexel.deviantart.com/
photo 2 - http://m0thyyku.deviantart.com/
photo 3 - http://v3nr3veng3.deviantart.com/

friendship''''

I have some of the wickedest uni friends, and they are awesome.

the inner hippy