Friday, December 29, 2006

Dayz Out

I know that posts have been few over the christmas holidays and i'm terribly sorry. To combat the few posts, here are a few pictures of what we've been up to.




Wednesday, December 27, 2006

merry christmas, may you be utterly depressed


I have always looked forward to attending the christmas service of my local church. They bring in special music items and the children are always dressed in their christmas best. This year was no exception. I was amazed by the chior and the many different styles of music that was being presented. i enjoyed it greatly!

That is, until the minister felt the need to speak. As soon as he reached the podium he was talking about how terrible the shape of the world is. He spoke about SIN! and how acceptable sin was becoming in our society. How it was encouraged that if we were going to go out and sin, we should do so safely! (our row said amen, but i think the rest of the church found it inappropriate) He warned us that as we went into the world to be careful of things things that looked safe but would lead us away from God.

At the end of the service, he admonished us to give generously to his buy-a-new-video-camera-for-the-church fund.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Dream Weaver


Some of the american indians believed that a bad dream could be caught in a dream weaver to keep in from coming back. Last night, my husband and i could have used one. While it may be believable to have a couple have nightmares in one night, what are the chances of having the same nightmare?

Last night my husband and i had a very similar nightmare. It was located in a school and we both were substitute teaching in a classroom full of 6 year old. In my dream, a serial killer was targeting children, a little girl was being hunted and the teacher had to go save her. She succeeded but the child was severely hurt. In my husband's dream, the little girl fell off a cliff face and was caught by a stray tree branch.

Anyone got some sort of explanation for this?

So Sue Me!

The newest ruling in Australia relating to copyright infrigement states that linking from your blog to a copyrighted material makes you legally responsible. apparently if i put a link to a music video on my site, i can get sued by big name record labels who can't figure out how to make money now that the internet is out to get them.

I would love to put a link to where i found this information, but it might be copyrighted and i'll get into trouble!

Monday, December 18, 2006

The downfall of me


Have you ever watched a really cheesy movie and then had the most dreaded reaction? I recently did. I watch the film Dead or Alive. This is a rip off of a computer game (or so I'm told) and it shamelessly insults the intelligence of all viewers. i loved it. For some reason i can't stop quoting the film. it is a very quotable movie! It is action packed (it doesn't bother with little things like plot) and it is amazingly fun. Of course, you had to pretend you did not have any sort of common sense and that your morals were on holiday.

But there is something quite enduring about a bunch of women who can just kick butt. They can kick butt in jeans so tight you have to sew them on. they can do it in high heals. They can do it soaking wet, they can do it while hanging upside down! They never show any physical sign of bruising, nor of any sort of intelligence (but maybe that is a side effect of all the fighting).

The point of this blog entry, i think I've lost my way.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

The MySpace addiction


I keep hearing how addictive myspace is. People spend hours on it. (not sure what you can do for hours on end, but apparently people do that.)

I use myspace like a more advanced email system. Along with the message, you get a picture of who sent it. You can openly share the messages or keep em private. You can get background info on whom ever sends you things. Its greet!

I like how i can get mass emails (or bulletins) from friends and ignore them without feeling even a little bit guilty! i like being able to spy on my friends and see what is happening in thier life in a glance. i like being able to drop a quick note just to let them know i care.

And while i do admit that myspace is probably the fast-food version of keeping in touch, we do live in a fast-food society. while we may not want to lose track of our friends, we do. This fast food relationship allows us to keep track of more people. Although, a relationship can't thrive on fast food, it allows us to make a decision. It is our decision how we decide to grow the relationships we have.

Friday, December 15, 2006

another christmas


Last night we celebrated Christmas. I know, its not the right day. I could get into a theological and historical debate over the validity of celebrating Christmas on the 25th of December, but i won't. Lets just say that the family has a very open view on when Christmas gets celebrated.

This year, do to the fact my sister in-law is leaving to go to america for christmas, we decided to open presents early. We had christmas dinner (i cooked my mother's famous special k loaf). Christmas dinner involved cooking all afternoon. Salad, mashed potatos, brocolii and carrots were all prepared well in advance. Whenever we weren't preparing, we were setting the table to look stunning. While we prepared mum (in-law) and i would chat. At first it was light stuff, but soon turned into family issues. There is something sinister about having to cook christmas dinner while discussing family issues. The bright side of that is that i know understand that side of the family SO much better.

By 6 everyone had arrived and we started the meal. After some discussion about the ligimatcy of reciepes that came from America, the food was finally eaten. (apparently the loaf wasn't cooked quite right, but no one died so i don't know what the complaintes were for)

And then part that is always the most exciting, we went outside to open gifts under the christmas tree (which happened to be the tiny mandarine tree out back). I played 'santa' and handed out the gifts. and just like that it was over. christmas was cleaned up and they were gone by the stroke of 8:15.

Now that it is all over, i feel justified in getting terribly sick.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Live


Someone asked me why i read PostSecret. I don't think i've got a good answer. i want it to be an answer that is deep and profound. I don't want it to be "because i like knowing people are more screwed up than me".

I am a faithful reader. i read each week as people talk about how much they were hurt by people in thier life or how they have a secret habit that is socially unexceptable. Sometimes i wonder what sort of postcard i would send in...

Maybe i would send in one that talks about how much i love my home or how much i dispise the one i left. Maybe i would talk about what sort of life i want to live or how lucky i am to be living it.

I'm really not sure what i would say so i guess i'll just continue to read quietly from a distance. (Yes, i'm a creepy silent reader)

Monday, December 11, 2006

lavender blue



















not long ago, i spoke about the horrors of deepfrying your thumb. Today we will speak of the horrors of inhaling lavender powder.

Now please do not think i am some sort of strange junky. I am merely a holiday shopper who got too keen on smelling lotions at The Body Shop. I was looking for the perfect sent for my grandmother. As i went from Mango to Vanilla hand lotion a shop assistant found me and assured me that the sent i was looking for was something more exotic. She was right, i loved the smell immediately, but right above this exotic smell (which i can't remember the name of) i found (in a similar jar) what looked like lavender hand lotion.

"HURRAY!" i thought to myself. "i love lavender smell!"

I greedily grabbed the container, unscrewed the lid, and took a deep breath. Sadly, the container did not contain lotion but rather a powder. The sent was lodged in my nose and would not leave for the rest of the day. but at least when the hubby let out that big fart at tea it smelled of lavender

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Bad Hit


Talk about a bad hit, HIV and Malaria turn out to be a deadly combination for regions in Africa. According to research done in Africa, the two diseases actually feed on eachother. If you happen to be sick with Malaria, the fever in your body makes your HIV count 10 times higher, making your chances of infecting someone else significanly more likely. If you happen to have HIV, your more likely to get infected with Malaria.

I can not imagine anything worse than being sick with HIV and Malaria. If one doesn't kill you, the other one likely will. What really bothers me though, is that the western world has ways to make both of these illnesses livable. Neither one of these are the death sentence they used to be...at least not for us rich people.

Bono (you know that really famous lead singer of U2, who insists on being known by only one name? like cher or shakira, except neither one of them openly acknowlege the plight of the poor...but this side note is becoming too much) Anyway, Bono mentioned a while back that we had the ablitiy to cure AIDS. I don't know about a cure, but i'm more than a little suprised that all those big pharmaceutical companies (you know the ones making millions, billions, katrilians. mostly from celebrity using their anesthetic during thier nose/ breast/chin implant surgeries) aren't doing more. Their profits are soring (not quite as much as oil companies but still soring) and as far as i can tell, they are putting their money into making TV comercials where pretty girls frolick on the beach with their partners while the voice narrator discusses genital herbies. Wouldn't it make more sense to work on an actual CURE for these diseases? or maybe send some of the treatments (along with people to distribute it)...

but thats just a thought...

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Please, hire me


Today I spent my time avoiding writing a cover letter. I never know what to say. I'm always afraid of coming off either too desperate or too full of myself. Is there a happy medium? If there is, I have yet to find it.

So after avoiding it for as long as possible, I finally gave in. I sat down opened my open office word document and began to type out a cover letter. It started out fine with the usual, "please consider me for this position" and ended with something close to tears about one sentence later.

"Sell yourself!"

This shouldn't be a problem. I know I'm a fabulous and well qualified person (modesty should probably rate somewhere in here too) but do you think I could write it in a coherent sort of way? Nope. Not a chance.

*le sigh* I guess I'm just doomed to sound conceited and out-spoken..at least I'm not desperate though....

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

All I want for Christmas


I hate Christmas. Not in the Scrooge sort of way though. He hated Christmas because he never got into the decorations, or maybe just the cost of the decorations. I hate Christmas for a completely different set of reasons.

On the morally superior side, I hate Christmas because as much as everyone talks about "the true meaning of Christmas", the reality is that it is an excuse for the rich to flaunt their goods and make businesses even richer. It is also an exercise in gluttony and greed. All this is, of course, done with the ever-present help of the Chinese sweatshops that keep the 'made-in-china' decorations coming.

On a more personal note I hate Christmas for the dreaded question. "what do you want for Christmas?" I think I've been asked the question four or five times today. and the truth of the matter is, I want nothing. Nothing that any one could give me is going to make me happier, better adjusted to my society, or (significantly) better off economically. But the question is not about my needs. It is about my wants. Everyone has them. Little things that you have desired for some time without putting too much energy into actually acquiring. Once you acquire this little thing, it will take an honored place in the back of a cupboard or closet where you won't think about it again. I really don't want to have my house cluttered by these sort of things though. So this year, this is want I want. I want you to donate a toy to a needy child. I want you to send money to your nearby homeless shelter. I want you to say something nice about that really annoying person in your life.

And once you've done that, then we can really have a happy Christmas. (but not a merry one because apparently 'merry' isn't the right sort of lingo anymore)

Monday, December 04, 2006

Survive it

picture from PostSecrets.blogspot.com

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Refrigerator-rader


Today is fridge day. This means that the large fridge we were given as a gift is finally being fixed. Now this fridge was not given to us broken. It was given to us used, (read dying). and while we love it dearly, we can not store things in a fridge that does not stay cool.

Today the refrigerator man comes to help us out. (actually, he's here right now and just about to leave) and he took one look at it and said, "it doesn't look good". He sounded like a doctor delivering the news that the baby your expecting is likely to be dead-on-arrival. I thought it was a bit over dramatic. So far he's spent the last hour finding leaks. Yes, thats right not one leak, but lots of leaks.

Finally he called me into the kitchen to give the final diagnosis. "it's not good. Your valve, here (here here here and HERE) all leak. It will cost $$$$$$$$$$ to fix. What i can do for now is fill it up with gas and it will run for a bit, but it will all leak out and you'll be left with a bad fridge again".

"oh" i said.

He must really love fridges because he looked really upset that the fridge was on a quick path to the junk yard.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

FAMEous



I think i've always wanted to be famous. I love the idea of having my name in print. Maybe seeing news reports about my daily activities would be kind of fun too.
"kristin went shopping today at her local mall WITHOUT makeup!"
Maybe not. I would have to work out strategies to deal with the media. Maybe constantly tell the media falsehoods and back them up with facts that don't fit.
Media: have you ever had sexual relations with this man?
Me: i have never seen that man in my life. But i have 10 pairs of his knickers in my
bed.
Somehow fame allude me still. No matter what i do i can never catch it. There is always some one who can do what i do better than me. Someone even does my own name better than me! I googled my name and i don't rank on the top 5! Turns out there is a woman who does art who ranks higher. and if i google my maiden name there is a skier who hold my name better than i!

Shakespear onces asked the question, "What is in a name?" He asked the question and then suggested that a name has no power over the being. Terry Pratchet says that words have enormous power. The name of an object changes it. What do i think? i think i should spend less time worrying where my name ranks on the world counter and pay more attention to stuff that really matters. Maybe like sweatshop nike....

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Please Please PLEASE get a life foundation

Some times i can get carried away with the details. I love how the animaniacs poke fun at it:)

Monday, November 27, 2006

To Do List #22

Things to do on your wedding day

1. Get married
2. Get drunk (but not too drunk)
3. Smash into a undercover police van
4. Get shot
5. Die tragically but suspicously

Saturday, November 25, 2006

VIDEO!

Okay, so i found the music video to everybody's gone to war.

Thought you might like to see it.

Friday, November 24, 2006

The feast of LOVE


In high school my bestest friend Jenne and i put on a production we entitled "The Agape Feast". This was no ordinary sort of feasty thing though. we went all out. We brought in people to play all the disciples, a few extra female disciples, servants, and occastionally even market people. We did it three years in a row. Now i can't speak for Jenne, but i had a lot of fun putting it all together. So i decided to do it again. Unfortunately, do to lack of funds, i can't hire Jenne to help me with this one.

At the end of high school i decided i wanted to put on another performance some time in the furture. So i carefully put all my scripts and paperwork into a folder and promptly lost it. So now i'm starting to put together another script and more information on the disciples. I know its a lot of work, but i'm really starting to have a lot of fun with it again!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Now its time for another SONG LYRIC!


I really like the sound of Nickelback. I have mixed feelings about most of their lyrics though. The song Animal is definitely one of my favourite being played at moment. Sadly the lyrics are not "wholesome" therefore I'll refrain from posting it. (but you can find them here if your interested)

Instead here are the lyrics to Nerina Pallot's song Everybody's Gone to War. As can been seen from the NeoEarth there are many American readers. If these lyrics offend, I'm sorry, but chances are the Animal lyrics would have been more provocative.

He says he's waited his whole damn life for this,
I knew him well when he was seventeen,
Now he's a man; he'll be dead by Christmas.

And so...
Everybody's going to war,
But we don't know what we're fighting for,
Don't tell me it's a worthy cause,
No cause could be so worthy.

If love is a drug, then I guess we're all sober,
If hope is a song then I guess it's all over,
How to have faith, when faith is a crime?
I don't want to die...
If God's on our side, then God is a joker,
Asleep on the job, his children fall over,
Running out through the door and straight to the sky,
I don't want to die...

For every man who wants to rule the world,
There'll be a man who just wants to be free,
[ these lyrics found on www.completealbumlyrics.com ]
What do we learn but what should not be learnt?
Too late to find a cure for this disease.

And so...
Everybody's going to war,
But we don't know what we're fighting for,
Don't tell me it's a worthy cause,
No cause could be so worthy.

If love is a drug, I guess we're all sober,
If hope is a song, I guess it's all over,
How to have faith, when faith is a crime?
I don't want to die...
If God's on our side, then God is a joker,
Asleep on the job, his children fall over,
Running out through the door, and straight to the sky,
I don't want to die...
I-I-I-I don't want to die,
I-I don't want to die...

I've got a friend, he's a pure-bred killing machine,
I think he might be dead by Christmas...

Defeat

After hearing that the only way to get my hair blond was to bleach it, I bought bleach. Mum figured that I had too much red in my hair and it would just turn orange. HA! I wanted to say, "little do you understand modern home bleaching!"

So I screwed up my courage and bleached my hair. But not all my courage was in for such a drastic action, especially with mother's warning still ringing in my ears, so I only bleached the lower half of my hair.

as I waited the full 40 minutes for it to take effect I noticed that the hair was definitely looking lighter! After the 40 minutes was up, I washed my hair and then quickly blow dried it to see its full effect.

Orange.

I hate it when my mother's right.

the Christmas Beetle


The name sounds festive and friendly. It sounds like it should be a special creature to be called the christmas beetle. But alas, its name, like so many others, is completely decieving.

Over the past few weeks i've noticed more and more beetles upside down (both dead and dying) in my house. i have no problem if these little guys want to frolick around the backyard but it is just not okay for them to choose my house to come and DIE in!

Just yesterday i found three beetles dead on my kitchen floor. I found another two in the dining room and finaly another two in the laundry. Last night a disoriented beetle flew in my EYE while i was falling asleep. This was the last straw. While i might find their name enduring, these little suckers are not welcome in my home! To quote Looney Toons, "You realise of course that, This means WAR!"

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

The Left over chocolate

I get this feeling after most parties. The people have left and most of the food is gone. All that remains is the few bits of chocolate, the mess that used to be considered a kitchen, and an empty house. It feels so good to celebrate and yet so good to stop.

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my first steps to naturalisation!


*more photos from the party can be seen by clicking on the Flickr Badge.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Assassination and media frenzy


Stories of secret murders are usually found in the movies or in good history books. Rarely does a story of modern politics involve murder. Today happens to be one of those rare days when a political critic has had a near death experience and the media jumps to the conclusion of political assassination.

Of course, it is a political assassination that the Russians are being critised of so I'm not sure that the media has come all that far in the last fifty years. I mean, when was the last time the USA was involved in a political assassination? If the media is to be believed than..well...never. (history books might tell something different, but the media is smarter than historians)

But I'm starting to ramble....

The attempted assassination of Alexander Litvinenko, a former colonel in the Russian secret service and a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was carried out when Mr. Litvinenko met with a journalist at a restaurant to discuss the murder of another Putin critic earlier this year. A poison was slipped into his food or drink and he was admitted into hospital the next day.

It is still being investigated but the media is wondering what kind of journalist, after her interviewee has been hiding for six years would be so stupid as to poison him!

*pictured Alexander Litvinenko

Thursday, November 16, 2006

BIG NEWS!


The news that i have waited four months to hear has finally arrived. I have been approved a visa to stay in the country! To celebrate this event we are having a party at our house from 2 pm Saturday (18 Nov) All are welcome!

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

AAARRRG!

I got another one. Those horrible forwards that just piss me off. It was posted as a myspace bulletin. I'll avoid pointing the finger at who sent this to me but this time, I saved it for you.
Why do we sleep in church, but when the ceremony is over we suddenly wake up?
Why is it so hard to talk about God, but so easy to talk about sex?
Why are we so bored when we look at a Christian magazine, but find it easy to read Playboy?
Why is it so easy to ignore a Godly myspace message, Yet we repost the nasty ones?
Why are churches getting smaller, But bars and clubs are growing?
Think about it, are you going to repost this?
Are you going to ignore it, cause you think you'll get laughed at?
Just remember God is always watching you.

Repost this as "Don't read if you're under 15."

80 % of you wont repost this.

The Lord said:
"If you deny me in front of your friends, I will deny you in front of my father"


Now lets look at this for a moment, shall we? The thing that JUMPS out at me is what to repost this as. "don't read if you're under 15". Sounds like your actually trying to trick people into reading. It is human nature to want to read something when it says you shouldn't. Plus it has that sort of I'm-a-sexual-bulletin sort of quality. Hmm, neither one of those sounds very 'truthful' and isn't that what real Christianity is about? I mean, Christ did say, "I am the TRUTH". (note lack of chapter and verse)

The other thing that got me was the quote from "the Lord". I love how it is unsupported with chapter and verse yet it gives a wonderful little guilt trip to the reader. You know, I don't think ANYTHING Jesus ever said was motivated by guilt tripping people into following Him. Maybe we should try to avoid guilt tripping people into Heaven.


"80 % of you wont repost this." hmmm, probably I'll get this sent to me another 50 times because people just can't stand the idea that they would be part of the majority. I mean, lets face it, we like to think we're unique and individual. We can't be part of everyone else!

Now it is an interesting idea that sex is more sociable acceptable to talk about than Christianity, but that is only in certain circles and in this generation. 50 years ago, our way of talking about sex was to avoid it at all costs. I mean, Lucy and Ricki didn't even sleep in the same bed for most of I Love Lucy.

So what is my point in ranting against another 'Christian' post. My point is that we don't have to be tricked into being a Christian. We don't have to trick others into it either. Christianity needs to be a real force in our lives that uses both our hearts and our heads. If it doesn't, it is nothing but leaking sewage.

[Repost this within 5 minutes or Jesus won't love you anymore.]


Tuesday, November 14, 2006

A great disappointment


After years of careful hair maintenance I finally decided to do something really crazy. I decided to die my hair. Not just any colour though, I decided I'd go blond! I had visions of bleached blond hair combed back and looking very chic. (think Gena Davis from Long Kiss Goodnight, pictured to the right) I imagined the blond would be starkly contrasted by my dark brown eyes.

What ended up happening was anything but startling. It turned out to be rather a pathetic sort of lighter-shade-of-brown. Hardly noticeable at all.

Le sigh.

U play WHAT?


You've played it, I'm sure. The infamous AIR GUITAR. Both musically gifted and musically challenged people play it. It is the one instrument we could be sure of not mucking up...Until now that is.

CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) has developed a t-shirt that reads the arm movements of the person wearing it and then sends the signals to a computer which interprets it as music.

While I will step back in awe at the creativity of these people, I still have an overwhelming urge to say, "WTF?!"

Monday, November 13, 2006

Word-ology


Redeploy. In grade school I was taught that the prefix 're' means again. 'deploy' means to arrange in a position of readiness, or to move strategically or appropriately. So "redeploy' means to arrange in a position of readiness again. WRONG! Apparently it means to move or allocate to a different position.

I learned this fact when I was reading the article about the democrats in the USA wanting to 'redeploy' troops from Iraq. Its interesting to me that the republicans are so viciously 'staying the course' of refusing to give a timeline for pulling troops out. Now personally, I can understand the strategic reasons for not giving a timeline. (1), it keeps the 'enemy' from the belief that they have won and (2) it allows the government to do whatever they want for however long they want.

Now I would love to go on about what could be so bad about letting the rest of the world solve thier own problems. I could say how the CIA is responsible for most of the instabilities in countries that have oil (like the middle east) and how the US president was the sort of man who is happy for middle eastern children to die if it upped his stalks in his oil company but i won't. I'm just too tied today to find all the links again to prove it.

Dead Like Me


Finding a TV series that both my husband and I enjoy is very difficult. Mostly because I enjoy crime and he enjoys sci-fi. Very rarely do these two meet. But we've found a series that we both can enjoy for the moment. Its called, Dead Like Me. We both enjoy it for the raw humour and the occasional mythologies about death. Its so nice to have a TV series that has a refreshing and interesting script. Koodos to the script writers!

Friday, November 10, 2006

my kingdom for a lawn mower


Our lawn is in a need of a mow...in a BAD way. the grass is so tall that i'm wondering if children have been lost in it. (the neightbour children, not ours!)

so i started looking into mowers. I already knew i wanted an electric (enviromentally friendly, for the most part) but i didn't realise there were so many types. check this out:


Electric – mains-powered
This lawn mower plugs straight into a normal wall socket and trails a cord behind it while you mow.
Pros
  • No need to keep buying and storing petrol
  • Light
  • Less cumbersome than a petrol model
  • More reliable
  • Many mowers have as much power as petrol models
  • Much better for then environment than petrol models
Cons
  • Electric cord can be unsafe – you must install a safety switch
  • Extension cord may be needed to mow whole garden
  • Narrower cutting area than petrol models – longer mowing time
  • Height adjustment may be cumbersome, or have less settings
Electric - battery
This lawn mower has all the advantages of electric power but is charged before use.
Pros
  • Doesn’t have the safety problem of power cords
  • Unrestricted movement

Cons

  • Need to remember to charge before use, anywhere from half to one day.

Electric – hover (pictured)
This entry-level electric mower creates a cushion as the motor spins, allowing it to hover the ground.

Pros
  • Cheap
  • Very light
Cons
  • Ineffective height adjustment
  • Difficult to cut long grass properly

DID ANYONE ELSE KNOW THERE WAS SUCH A THING AS A HOVER MOWER???!!!!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Call Me When You're Sober- Evanescence



Don't cry to me
If you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me
Come find me
Make up your mind

Should I let you fall?
Lose it all?
So maybe you can remember yourself
Can't keep believing
We're only deceiving ourselves
And I'm sick of the lie
And you're too late

Don't cry to me
If you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me
Come find me
Make up your mind

Couldn't take the blame
Sick with shame
Must be exhausting to lose your own game
Selfishly hated
No wonder you're jaded
You can't play the victim this time
And you're too late

So don't cry to me
If you loved me
You would be here with me
You want me
Come find me
Make up your mind

You never call me when you're sober
You only want it cause it's over
It's over

How could I have burned paradise?
How could I - you were never mine

So don't cry to me
If you loved me
You would be here with me
Don't lie to me
Just get your things
I've made up your mind

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

The Very Secret Diaries


I love Lord of the Rings. The books made me cry and the movie, well, it made me cry too but for different reasons.

Anyway, my point is not to talk about the books or movies, but to tell you about the VERY SECRET DIARIES. Apparently the members of the fellowship of the ring all kept secret diaries of their trip. You can find these diaries here.

However, before you click on the link, let me just say, ONLY OPEN IT IF YOU HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOUR! Very important because if you love these characters and can not even imagine any one warping their characters, DO NOT OPEN! (Clansi, this will probably apply to you)

But to other people who have no soul and enjoy a good laugh at literature's expense, ENJOY.

Have u heard?


Our culture can be a wonderful thing. It can be a great way of expressing ourselves. It influences us in ways we don't even realise. I suppose that can be a problem. Culture seems like a babbling brook the way it transforms and changes, carrying us with it over time. The problem is when we try to move against it, we will find it is a raging rapid that is flowing in the opposite direction.

I'm not going to say that we should all try to fight our culture. I think there are aspects of each culture that should be cherished, but I do think it is a wise idea to step back and try and see our own culture for what it is really telling us.

Humour is often the best way to see ourselves. I love Adbusters. They work at helping society see its culture and weed out some of the stuff we really don't want in there. They specifically deal with the media culture, but its definitely worth a look.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Mystery Solved

We regularly get a newspaper at our house. It isn't one that we particularly want, it just shows up. Now the mystery isn't how the paper gets there, I know that one, the paper girl brings it. The real mystery is why the edges are all ragged. It's like some tiny monster has taken it upon itself to hack the edges with a blunt sword! I was pondering why these small monsters would do such a thing while walking around the neighbourhood today. As I walked past a neighbour's house, I noticed that they had two large birds in their front yard. They were eating whatever they could find there. It suddenly made perfect sense! The birds were eating my paper not some small monster! A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I realised that I didn't have to start considering poison for small monsters. I mean after all, it's only a matter of time before the birds get ink poisoning.

Monday, November 06, 2006

My addiction for the week

I'm not a gamer. I think anyone who as ever seen me try and win at pac-man would agree. Still, I do enjoy a good game every now and again. Mind you, my idea of a good game is Commander Keen or Bejeweled. So in the gaming world, I'm a putz.

Thus, it was a big surprise that I took over Chris' massively-multiplayer game, MapleStory. Its kind of a cheesy sort of game but I love it. Can't stop playing. In fact, I played for most of today. (Hence, no blog post til late)

Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that I hadn't forgotten all my faithful readers. I just went on a quick holiday. But don't fret, I really will break the addiction and be back soon...tomorrow in fact. (I should be able to make it to level 20 by then)

Friday, November 03, 2006

Stand up?


Yesterday we received our first visit from the Jehovah's Witnesses. We were not home (fortunately) so they left us a pamphlet. As I read over some of the headings I was surprised at how closely their views tie with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. But what I was MORE interested in was how strongly worded the pamphlet was! They called all religions who ordain homosexual clergy 'false' religions. They said any church who protected child molesters was 'evil'. I was shocked! I have seen these sorts of pamphlets before, for my own denomination even! but not ones that were published in my lifetime!

Its interesting how a religion or a denomination that begins with such fire soon cools to a moderately warm church. The official stand for many of the churches is not to get involved in current events. They don't want to pass judgment on anything that happens. In the end, the members feel as if they have nothing to say to the world around them. They are not involved.

While I may not agree with everything our church used to say it stood for, it sure would be nice to know where they currently stand.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Video Hits



I've always hated Axel Whitehead. (what sort of an idiot has a name, "axel whitehead"??? Either his mother didn't love him or he's an idiot...well, the latter is always true.) If you don't know the name, its probably cause you don't subject yourself to Video Hits every Saturday or Sunday morning. He's the host. Or at least he was until he pretended to masturbate over an ARIA Award.

Now I'll admit I like to watch a bit of Video Hits. I enjoy how film makers choose to use the length of a song to tell a story. Some do it better than others and I enjoy critiquing them. What I don't like is the host. He may have a half way decent personality, but he is a terrible interviewer! Not just that, he has no onscreen charm! The only 'charm' you ever saw emanated from the people he was interviewing!

anyway, he's gone now. I just hope the new person has a bit more onscreen personality!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Technologically Impaired


Please don't think I'd ever illegally take a movie, television series, or music off the net. (especially if you're part of the entertainment industry) But I was thinking today about how the torrent downloads were changing our way of life.

In the western world we are often shaped, not only by our friends and family, but by the entertainment we are subjected to. I can not tell the kind of mental anguish I was forced to endure every Christmas as my family sat down to watch Scrooge, the musical. But it wasn't only the Christmas season that brought on old movies and strange traditions. My mother regularly encouraged us to watch things like, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. As crazy as it may seem, I began to enjoy the old movies. They showed a light into the past, where values were different. Watching a movie made in the 1950s is almost like watching a foreign film. So much of the language, culture and style are so unique!

With the torrent craze, it almost ensures that young people never learn anything about the old culture. They may hear stories but they will not have the personal contact that movies allow. While I appreciate the concept of the torrent, I just wish that there was a place to download all the great classics and few of the great independent films!

Colour!

Okay, i found an advertisement that i thought was beautiful. Not in the romantic walks on the beach, beautiful but in the 70,000 liters of paint exploding sort of beautiful. Go watch the clip then come back and appreciate the stats.

70,000 litres of paint
358 single bottle bombs
33 sextuple air cluster bombs
22 Triple hung cluster bombs
268 mortars
33 Triple Mortars
22 Double mortars
358 meters of weld
330 meters of steel pipe

57 km of copper wire

thanks to ChumpStyle for this.

Just a thought



I have been reading a lot of blogs this week. Mostly in a shameless attempt to promote my movie clip. But as i randomly surfed the blogging world, i came accross this Professor Leeper's site. I found myself really engaging in his reviews of films. I admit that Brazil was never one of my favourite films, but i now have a new desire to watch it. He raised some interesting ideas about whether you could classify this film as christian or not...

In short, i found Prof Leeper's site to be as engaging as many of the classes by Daniel Reynaud.
Good news is hard to find. It seems that with every bit of good news that comes out, there is a glaring possibility that it will suddenly become sinister. This doesnt' mean i'm not interesting in continuing to try for good news, in fact, recently i found (blog) RED. I really enjoyed it. Hurray for a bit of good news now and again!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

koala they do that?


I love koalas! they are so cute, yet so dangerous. Recently koalas have begun to raise concerns among zoologists that they may be in danger of inbreeding. But have no fear fellow koala lovers! they have come up with a solution. A koala sperm bank! Thats right, they are going to freeze the sperm of koala males (as apposed to the sperm of female koalas) and inject it into the female.

i feel a bit weird about this though...i mean, how do they get the sperm from the males? Will they do the same thing they do for human males? "here's a copy of playboy and a cup. We'll leave you to it."

but that is just silly. Have you seen the claws on a koala? there is no way the zoologists would let them do that themselves!....um...well...uh....the option this leaves is disturbing. therefore we'll end this post here.

daylight savings


I woke up on sunday believing my day to be full and complete. It was not til i opened my computer that i realised that daylight savings time had ended (or begun, i can never remember which) and my day was an hour shorter than i had previously believed!

Today is now tuesday. I should be completely over the whole waking up at what feels like 6 am. i should be bouncing out of bed greating that lying bastard of a clock.

le sigh. it is just not to be.

Monday, October 30, 2006

And you can Quote me on that


After much careful research, i have come across a long lost converstation between two of the greatest minds, George Bernard Shaw and Mark Twain.




GB SHAW: Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is time enough.

GB SHAW: A fool's brain digests philosophy into folly, science into superstition, and art into pedantry. Hence University education.

MARK TWAIN: Education: that which reveals to the wise, and conceals from the stupid, the vast limits of their knowledge. I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

GB SHAW: I can forgive Alfred Nobel for having invented dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize.

MARK TWAIN: Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough.[but] Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.

GB SHAW: Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.

MARK TWAIN: I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.

GB SHAW: [Well,] if you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.

MARK TWAIN: I have a higher and grander standard of principle than George Washington. He could not lie; I can, but I won't.

GB SHAW: Self-sacrifice enables us to sacrifice other people without blushing.

MARK TWAIN: I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.

[part of the transcript is terribly damaged, but it continues...]

GB SHAW: Americans Adore me and will go on adoring me until i say something nice about them.

MARK TWAIN: It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.

GB SHAW: Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.

MARK TWAIN: The universal brotherhood of man is our most precious possession.






thanks to the quotationspage.com for the quotes.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair)



Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair
In 77 and 69 revolution was in the air
I was born too late into a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

When the head of state didn't play guitar,
Not everybody drove a car,
When music really mattered and when radio was king,
When accountants didn't have control
And the media couldn't buy your soul
And computers were still scary and we didn't know everything

When pop-stars still remained a myth
And ignorance could still be bliss
And when God Saved the Queen she turned a whiter shade of pale
When my mom and dad were in their teens
And anarchy was still a dream
And the only way to stay in touch was a letter in the mail

When record shops were still on top
And vinyl was all that they stocked
And the super info highway was still drifting out in space
Kids were wearing hand me downs,
And playing games meant kick around
And footballers still had long hair and dirt across their face

I was born too late to a world that doesn't care
Oh I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Eye Popping Fun!


The other day I was really worried that by turning my myspace account into a virtual cartoon homage I was losing the plot. Turns out, I'm fine. The rest of the world could possibly use a script.

There is a new craze that is expected to explode in the USA. What is it? Eyelash transplants. Now I'm not the world's expert on cosmetic surgery but I think this has proven the world has gone just a bit too far. Now I have never been a big fan of cosmetic surgery because I generally believe it to be self mutilation. But I'm young, as so many point out, my mind may change when natural forming wrinkles begin to appear on my face. I may decide that I want to get rid of them and look like a stuffed plastic Barbie instead....but I'm getting off topic...

Eyelash Transplants. What would cause a normal looking girl with a size 34 (inch) waist and triple D cup breasts to want eyelashes that she will now regularly have to trim to keep herself from looking like a freak of nature?....hmmm possibly its far too late for her already.

But could this craze really catch on? Besides Pam Anderson and Demi Moore (and a few other freakish..I mean gorgeous, celebrities) who would get this done? Or maybe the question should be what would cause a person to believe themselves to be so ugly they would pay over $6000 to get longer eyelashes?

I'm serious when I say, pop culture needs to get a therapist!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

I did it!

After surfing the internet, I found out that many people create their own videos on YouTube and then distribute them among their friends. As I was surfing, I got to thinking that this is a great way to not only keep in touch but also share ideas and express yourself. So I got to thinking about some of the videos I made for my classes in college. I realised that, at least one of them, is of decent quality. So I opened it up and had a look at it. Turns out, I was right! (note the humility in which I say this) it is a really good video. So I decided I'd go ahead and load it up for all the world to see. In fact, I'll give you a personal look at my video!




If your having trouble viewing it, click here.

Dove-the evolution





thanks to Melody for this video

what have i done!

Living in cooranbong, without a job have finally caused me to crack! just look at my myspace page! i fear that its glaringly obvious that i've finally lost the plot!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

day trip



Today i'm taking a special friend out. We are going to go see things that i've never seen before. and i'm hoping we'll have a really fun day! My friend is 87 years young. I want to take her to places that will make her really happy, but to be honest, i'm not completely sure where to take her. I'm currently thinking that a tour of the Hunter Valley Gardens sounds like a really good idea...any ideas for next time?

Monday, October 23, 2006

A revolution


I remember studying in my history class how revolutions start. There are a lot of theories about the 'formula' that will lead to a revolution. The one that most of my class seemed to favour was the idea that when the gap between rich and poor widens to an extent that the middle class begins to become extinct, a revolution begins. of course there are various holes with that theory but it got me thinking. Why has there been no revolution in the states in the last 20 years?

I suppose you might call the LA riots a mini-revolution, but it didn't accomplish a lot. The rights of all poor people are being trodden. Freedom of speach is on the verge of disappearing. The right to the pursuit of happiness is quickly dwindling away with the new laws on terrorism. (who can pursue happiness if the government might suddenly decide your a terrorist?) The poor are getting poorer under the current government but no one is actually looking at it. The only person that seemed to care about the poor last winter was the Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. His country is the world's 5th exporter of oil. He used this to export very cheap oil to the poor in the USA. What was the response?

Pat Roberson called for the US government to assasinate Chavez. Now i'm not saying that Chavez isn't playing political games. he is, but he's doing it in a way that i can respect. So when is the US government going to start looking out for the needs of its own people? Or are the poor of the USA going to have to keep looking to the charity of a "third world country"?


wierd links

i must be having a bit of a brain freeze after the late night last night cause i can hardly think of anything truely coherent to write about. so I'll leave you with a few links that i believe are worth the read. Thanks to Adele and Chris for the first two of them. (chris doens't get a link cause he's too shy to have his own blog)

Girl gets questioned of myspace ani-Bush content

Hungrian Revolution- a look back

American Pictures (some fo these photos are very graphic. So don't bother if you'r of the faint heart)

Sunday, October 22, 2006

A Reference

This is one of the best continuing poems i've read in ages! Women everywhere can immediately identify with it. check it out, its a three parter by Adele. (Don't let the three parts fool you, it won't take all day to read. only a couple of seconds.)

An Ode to My Shoes
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

waiting for qantas


So we're supposed to go pick up the baby sister (chris') from the airport. It may seem like a strange task, being that we are living a LONG away from the Sydney airport, but brotherly love has conquered the distances and he's coerced me into driving down.

The interesting part of it is that her flight arrives at 8:30 pm. or rather is was supposed to arrive at 8:30 pm. Now it is anyone's guess as to when it will arrive.

This means that Chris and I will likely be spending most of the hours normally occupied with sleep, on the road to and from the airport. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing sharona, but i think i shall welcome the feel of my bed with more gusto than a normal night would require.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

STAR TRECK FOREVER


Don't laugh, but when i was younger i was a HUGE Star Trek fan. i loved the shallow plot lines and all that cheesy sci-fi stuff. Well, it now looks like some of that cheesy sci-fi stuff is becoming reality!

Duke University has created something that bends microwaves around an object. This means that (if we could see in microwave frequency) the object would seemingly disappear, just like the cloaking divice the Romulans used!

How cool is that! Next week they'll figure out how to make a Scotty to beam you up!

Friday, October 20, 2006

Steven Hawking-drama drama drama


Well, Mr. Hawking has just proven, you can be the smartest cookie in the jar but it doesn't mean you don't have shit for brains.

Mr. Hawking is getting a divorce from his second wife. I normally wouldn't hardly bat an eye-lash at the news that a public figure is getting a second divorce...but wait til I tell you who she is.

Jane Hawking was his first wife. She brought in a nurse, Elaine, to help Mr. Hawking deal with his disability. This nurse was married to the man who helped invent the machine that helps Mr. Hawking to speak. Long story short. Elaine and Steven both get divorces. (not necessarily at the same time) and marry each other. NOW guess who he's divorcing?

Talk about an inbred culture!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

i just wanna be a fish




Researchers have found a fish that they believe is the link between water creatures and land creatures. This fish is supposed to be our anncestor...the thing that took us out of our primortial soup to live on land.

Now i'm not exactly a creationist so its not that i'm doubting this theory on the basis that God created everything just as it appears now. Its just that i can't see how they got to the point to say that this creature is the link between water creatures and land. What evidence do we have that this isn't just an extinct animal that dwelt both on land and in water? I mean, we have examples of that today. Alligators are both land and water dwelling. So are penguins and turtles.

i just want some REAL evidence!

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Torture me happy


The Bill I sign today helps secure this country, and it sends a clear message: This nation is patient and decent and fair, and we will never back down from the threats to our freedom.” - US President Bush


The Bill that Prez Bush is talking about is the anti-terroristm law that allows torture of persons suspected to be terrorist. A nation that allows torture doesn't sound very "patient and decent and fair" to me. It sounds like it wants to get fast results out of the flesh of its 'enemies'. The message that the USA has sent out is not something that strikes fear into the hearts of its enimies. or something that causes its allies to swell with pride. It is a move that inflames those already apposed to the USA and causes the Allies to newly question thier own morals.

Torture is not easily dismissed if you any sort of conscience. According to The Psychology of Torture, torture takes away a person's soul. "[It] is the ultimate act of perverted intimacy. The torturer invades the victim's body, pervades his psyche, and possesses his mind."

This article used the terms 'coercion' and 'torture' interchangably.

The CIA, in its "Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual - 1983" (reprinted in the April 1997 issue of Harper's Magazine), summed up the theory of coercion thus:

"The purpose of all coercive techniques is to induce psychological regression in the subject by bringing a superior outside force to bear on his will to resist. Regression is basically a loss of autonomy, a reversion to an earlier behavioral level. As the subject regresses, his learned personality traits fall away in reverse chronological order. He begins to lose the capacity to carry out the highest creative activities, to deal with complex situations, or to cope with stressful interpersonal relationships or repeated frustrations."

What scares me though is the fact that Human Rights have stated that "Once captors are given license to torture, the abuse of large numbers of prisoners usually becomes standard operating procedure."

The only question left is, Where will this end?