That counter on the left side of this page is pretty neat. It tells me that people actually read this shite. I feel both a sense of love and popularity, mixed in with genuine bewilderment as to why you people actually come back to hear me go on about whatever random crap is in my head at the current time. But that's not the neat thing about it. It actually tracks down what page referred the user onto my humble online abode. For most visits, there is "no referring link", because you have it either bookmarked (awww!) or you keep manually typing in the web address into the URL line, in which case, learn how to bookmark pages you idiot! But then some people have clicked on a link from another page, almost inevitably some random stranger halfway across the world, and almost always from the Google search engine. Not only does it tell me that it's from Google, but it even tells me what terms the person put into the search engine which caused this blog to pop up high on the Google results list. So what words have people put into the search engine to lead them here?
Predictably, when people type in MacGyver, drinking straw, paper clip, or combinations of those words, this blog seems to appear high up on Google's results list. Ok, understandable since that's just the freakin' title of this whole thing.
But then...
Piss straw drinking - ok, that's quite a weird fetish. Whatever floats your boat, sir.
how to build a car out of string, straw and rubber band - Hmmm... someone takes MacGyver a little too seriously
me strangle her - errr.....so I might have had a murderer come across this blog?
crazy, solo acting, nuts, I like nuts - I don't think I've mentioned anthing in this blog about my unrelenting lust for all things nuts
i have a crush on physio - so apparently someone has called their child "Physio"... those parents should be shot
sex and paperclips - woah! Ok, so the guy that's handcuffed to the bed uses the paperclips to unlock himself? 'coz if not I'm struggling to see how paperclips are used in a night of horizontal tango dancing.
But the best one so far...
controlling orgasm rubberband - I'm sorry, mate, but that CANNOT be fun for little Johnny living downstairs
More to the point, why is my blog associated with paperclip sex and rubberband contraception?
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
How to spend your week's pay in less than an hour
Anaconda, the outdoor equipment and clothes shop, is pure evil! It will sneak up on you in the form of a radio ad, and a brother with a pamphlet, tempting you with its "20% off everything" sale for just one day (today). Then it dangles the proverbial carrot in front of you with its wide stock of practically everything you need before you head off on your adventure, in my case a trip that won't even be 'til October!
Then 50 minutes later, you're about $500 poorer :(
A couple of fleece jumpers, a pair of trousers, a good pair of trekking boots, and a sleeping bag that'll actually keep me warm for once.
And I haven't even bought a proper backpack, since the shoddy one I have now has a busted zipper and won't be big enough. I might end up spending more on stuff than the price of the three week trek around the himalayas.
Then 50 minutes later, you're about $500 poorer :(
A couple of fleece jumpers, a pair of trousers, a good pair of trekking boots, and a sleeping bag that'll actually keep me warm for once.
And I haven't even bought a proper backpack, since the shoddy one I have now has a busted zipper and won't be big enough. I might end up spending more on stuff than the price of the three week trek around the himalayas.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
That day
As I stuffed my face full of chicken, I caught the back end of a movie on cable tonight - United 93...or Flight 93. I can't remember the exact name now. You remember the infamous 9/11 and that fourth plane that never reached its target? Well that's what this movie was about - that plane, the subsequent hijacking, and the revolt of the passengers to arrest control of the plane and bring the hijacker terrorists down. Heard good things about the movie but I didn't see enough if it to commit to any judgements. I did catch it in time to see the climactic bit though - a *spoiler alert* gung-ho charge up the plane aisle by the desperate passengers, armed with one of those big, heavy food carts, multiple cans of soft drink, a couple of pots full of boiling hot water, and a fire hydrant. MacGyver would've been proud. Assuming the movie was factual, it was a sombre display of both desperation and heroism.
Hard to believe the whole thing was almost a decade ago. But even now, when pictures of the towers begin to crumble down, that oh so surrealistic cringe inside still happens a little. So many points are made about why so much emphasis is placed on this event, when scores more people die around the world for equally needless, yet tragically more preventable things. Yet this is the event that we all relate with more. It's certainly one of those "what were you doing when...?" moments. I was one of those that didn't catch the event before going to bed. I remember waking up to Dad urging me out of bed with apocalyptic predictions of "World War 3 might be happening". Then I trudged down to the living room half asleep thinking he was an idiot, and the first thing I see on the screen is a replay of the plane crashing into the building, followed by the thought of What...the...f$*k?! Then at school later on that day, the overflowing surrealism in everyone was apparent. I honestly can't remember anything funny, or anyone laughing at all that day. There was one topic of discussion, and only one. I along with a couple of others brought a little radio to school and at lunch would stick the headphones in and listen to the news to hear what's going on. It was just about the only time I'd voluntarily tuned in to an AM station. The school principle went on about the possibility of some students eventually going to war, and the apparent crying of a couple of year 7 boys later on that day. Apparently at our sister school, tears were flowing like fountains there.
As someone said either on the radio or the TV that day, "go home, just go home. Hug your kids. Hug your wife or husband. Hug your family."
Hard to believe the whole thing was almost a decade ago. But even now, when pictures of the towers begin to crumble down, that oh so surrealistic cringe inside still happens a little. So many points are made about why so much emphasis is placed on this event, when scores more people die around the world for equally needless, yet tragically more preventable things. Yet this is the event that we all relate with more. It's certainly one of those "what were you doing when...?" moments. I was one of those that didn't catch the event before going to bed. I remember waking up to Dad urging me out of bed with apocalyptic predictions of "World War 3 might be happening". Then I trudged down to the living room half asleep thinking he was an idiot, and the first thing I see on the screen is a replay of the plane crashing into the building, followed by the thought of What...the...f$*k?! Then at school later on that day, the overflowing surrealism in everyone was apparent. I honestly can't remember anything funny, or anyone laughing at all that day. There was one topic of discussion, and only one. I along with a couple of others brought a little radio to school and at lunch would stick the headphones in and listen to the news to hear what's going on. It was just about the only time I'd voluntarily tuned in to an AM station. The school principle went on about the possibility of some students eventually going to war, and the apparent crying of a couple of year 7 boys later on that day. Apparently at our sister school, tears were flowing like fountains there.
As someone said either on the radio or the TV that day, "go home, just go home. Hug your kids. Hug your wife or husband. Hug your family."
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The necessary apology that we didn't necessarily have to make
Confused? Bear with me. Because this entire issue has the "white" versus "black" division at its core, I shall now put on my stereotypical rice paddy hat, and wear very yellow clothes to symbolize my Asian "yellow"ness. Now I am just a bystander with a relatively unbiased stance towards the conflicting factions! Just call me Mr. United Nations :D
So Australia, through Prime Minister The Ruddstar!, has finally apologized to the stolen generation of our indigenous Aboriginals. What happened back then was wrong. Hindsight is certainly a pain in the arse. Taking kids away to help them is one thing. But if anyone who doesn't acknowledge that a very large number of indigenous Aussies were wrongfully kept away from their families should be kicked in the testicles...or the female equivalent...if there is any. What happened should be acknowledged by all. And to say that we're sorry is a necessary thing. But we shouldn't have to actually say it. As tired and worn-out this phrase is, actions truly speak louder than words.
Personally, I don't think that today's white Australia should be compelled to apologize. But the reality is: it needed to be said. It's easy for me to sit here and write down my opinions to people who don't really give a shite. It's easy for white people to forehand and backhand opposing arguments to each other. It's another thing to actually be one of the stolen generation. And I dunno about you, but if I were taken away from my Mum and Dad at three, only to be reunited thirty years later without the ability to talk to them, then I would probably want an apology too. But I'd want it just for closure. I'd want it so I can move on.
The cold reality is that before any other progress is made between "black" and "white" Australia, this hurdle needs to be jumped. Now that it has been, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Black and white have never been so joined together than it was yesterday, and that was a very welcoming site. Just how long it stays that way will be interesting to see.
Let's just put aside the power of symbolism, a power that was most evident yesterday. When you take that away, saying "sorry" was all just show. The Prime Minister formally says sorry, followed by the Opposition Leader. The parliament and its onlookers stand and give a rapturous applause. People around the country gather together and hug each other. Kisses are given to each other, rain finally falls, and Connex finally decides to run trains on time. The world is put right. So tell me then, in a practical sense what exactly has changed? Nothing. The smart and intellectual John Howard was correct when he believed that actually doing something to improve Aboriginal circumstances is a gazillion times better than just muttering out a relatively hollow 'sorry'. The stupid, idiot Howard made the mistake in failing to see that a stronger unity was required for this to happen, and the only thing that would unite black and white sufficiently, would be the aforementioned 'sorry'.
As glad as I am that we are finally more united and we can finally move on, I must admit that I did shake my head in disappointment a little for the Aussie in the "white" corner. Why?
It's a crude and very extreme comparison, but what about the French people of today when they come across a German citizen. Do they blame them for the sins of some of their Nazi fathers? Do they demand an apology? Is the French government demanding an apology from their German counterparts? (I stand corrected if Germany has actually done this...Edit: An apology was made to the Jewish people so I will stand corrected...not quite the French, but the Holocaust is even higher on the shock list than just invading France!) What about the people of Darwin that were bombed by the Japanese? Australia never asks for an apology from the Japanese people of today. We even welcome them with open arms to our shores... we just ask politely not to kill the whales! (And failing that we send a bunch of hippies to endanger their lives hehehe) I fail to see why today's white Australia should bear the humility of apologizing for yesterday's white Australia. The more important thing should be that today's generation be empathetic to those who have suffered, and should do everything within their power to practically help out their fellow indigenous citizens. In the ideal world, but not in reality unfortunately, that's the most efficient solution to be had here. The building isn't going to build itself if we just say stuff to it.
Edit: This probably says it better: "I have decided to move to America at the end of this year. I'm of Jewish Heritage. My family survived the Holocaust. Yet instead of suing an entire country, we decided to simply just forgive our enemies and move on with our lives. Neville Austin, you may have been stolen, but we were hunted down, caged and murdered. "
The other potential problem with this sorry business is this. On one hand, this apology will bring people together and will thus make way for a desperately needed practical solution. On the other hand however, it just reinforces the "blacks" vs "whites" divide. The majority of white Australians, especially the youth, want to say sorry for things they as individuals didn't do. They feel compelled to apologize because they're "white" and thus represent the wrongs of those individuals before them. The race card is being played and because of that, the current hand on the table looks all the more different. If race and colour had nothing to do with this, this would be a non-issue. Think of this - a white four year old boy is taken from his 22 year old mother and father. They are not looking after their kid. They don't feed him. They don't seek any medical attention for him. They just don't care. Perhaps they even physically or sexually abuse him. (And this is in no way a generalisation of the Aboriginal community). The welfare officers come and take the child away. All of a sudden, many of us are applauding this. "She shouldn't have a child at such a young age." "She's despicable, how could you possibly treat a child like that?!" Now change this hypothetical a little and let's pretend that this family were Aboriginal. I tell you... the race card is like having the royal flush in one card. We should be aiming for a world where "black" and "white" are outdated terms. It's a funny situation this, because it's both helping this, yet it's also making it worse. In the end, the blacks will be closer to the whites that want to say sorry, but they'll be further divided from the whites that think we shouldn't apologize.
Another point. Going back onto this whole thing being a "show". Case in point - "We are sorry for taking away your children from you"... yet 300 metres down the road the exact thing is still happening. See http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23195827-5001021,00.html It's like saying, "Hey I'm sorry for calling you a 'wanker', you wanker."
Finally something that really annoyed me about what happened. And no, contrary to what some of you may think, I am not a narrow-sighted voter that just votes Liberal 'for the hell of it'. The opposition leader Brendan Nelson had a chance to make his apology speech, but many of the public and even politicians turned their backs on him immediately (I didn't see it live so I'm counting on various news reports). Firstly, his speech was inappropriate. But was it correct? Yes. For a large majority of people, it was a case of "we all thought it, he just said it". The sad truth was that white Australia back then actually did have good intentions. And indeed, it was not all bad news. Some of those taken believe they probably wouldn't be alive today had they not been taken. (See http://www.abc.net.au/alicesprings/stories/s2160407.htm) But this wasn't the case for everyone, and regardless, they shouldn't have been kept away from their families. Once again, hindsight's a bitch. Having said that, bringing up the details of all that bad history yesterday was really poor timing. Yet it's ironic how people mocked Nelson and were irate at him for bringing up the past, yet these very same people are the ones that immaturely turned their backs on him, seemingly because of his party's past views on the issue. The word 'juvenile' springs to mind. Did I ever mention that I hate hypocrisy!? Also, how come the failings of previous Labor governments to apologize (remember, they never apologized either) didn't go unpunished? On principle, people should have turned their backs on them too!
I guess too many of us follow whatever seems to be popular and never actually think for ourselves.
In a nutshell, the nation should acknowledge the wrongs of the past towards the large number of those affected. Everything practical should be done to right this wrong. (Not individual compensations though...that's an entirely different matter). Strategies should be put in place to work with the Aboriginal community (anything without their opinions/consent/approval is pointless) to work on all facets of their community that need improving, whilst respecting all their cultural wishes and desires.
Learn from the past and move on.
Sorry for making this too long. :P
So Australia, through Prime Minister The Ruddstar!, has finally apologized to the stolen generation of our indigenous Aboriginals. What happened back then was wrong. Hindsight is certainly a pain in the arse. Taking kids away to help them is one thing. But if anyone who doesn't acknowledge that a very large number of indigenous Aussies were wrongfully kept away from their families should be kicked in the testicles...or the female equivalent...if there is any. What happened should be acknowledged by all. And to say that we're sorry is a necessary thing. But we shouldn't have to actually say it. As tired and worn-out this phrase is, actions truly speak louder than words.
Personally, I don't think that today's white Australia should be compelled to apologize. But the reality is: it needed to be said. It's easy for me to sit here and write down my opinions to people who don't really give a shite. It's easy for white people to forehand and backhand opposing arguments to each other. It's another thing to actually be one of the stolen generation. And I dunno about you, but if I were taken away from my Mum and Dad at three, only to be reunited thirty years later without the ability to talk to them, then I would probably want an apology too. But I'd want it just for closure. I'd want it so I can move on.
The cold reality is that before any other progress is made between "black" and "white" Australia, this hurdle needs to be jumped. Now that it has been, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Black and white have never been so joined together than it was yesterday, and that was a very welcoming site. Just how long it stays that way will be interesting to see.
Let's just put aside the power of symbolism, a power that was most evident yesterday. When you take that away, saying "sorry" was all just show. The Prime Minister formally says sorry, followed by the Opposition Leader. The parliament and its onlookers stand and give a rapturous applause. People around the country gather together and hug each other. Kisses are given to each other, rain finally falls, and Connex finally decides to run trains on time. The world is put right. So tell me then, in a practical sense what exactly has changed? Nothing. The smart and intellectual John Howard was correct when he believed that actually doing something to improve Aboriginal circumstances is a gazillion times better than just muttering out a relatively hollow 'sorry'. The stupid, idiot Howard made the mistake in failing to see that a stronger unity was required for this to happen, and the only thing that would unite black and white sufficiently, would be the aforementioned 'sorry'.
As glad as I am that we are finally more united and we can finally move on, I must admit that I did shake my head in disappointment a little for the Aussie in the "white" corner. Why?
It's a crude and very extreme comparison, but what about the French people of today when they come across a German citizen. Do they blame them for the sins of some of their Nazi fathers? Do they demand an apology? Is the French government demanding an apology from their German counterparts? (I stand corrected if Germany has actually done this...Edit: An apology was made to the Jewish people so I will stand corrected...not quite the French, but the Holocaust is even higher on the shock list than just invading France!) What about the people of Darwin that were bombed by the Japanese? Australia never asks for an apology from the Japanese people of today. We even welcome them with open arms to our shores... we just ask politely not to kill the whales! (And failing that we send a bunch of hippies to endanger their lives hehehe) I fail to see why today's white Australia should bear the humility of apologizing for yesterday's white Australia. The more important thing should be that today's generation be empathetic to those who have suffered, and should do everything within their power to practically help out their fellow indigenous citizens. In the ideal world, but not in reality unfortunately, that's the most efficient solution to be had here. The building isn't going to build itself if we just say stuff to it.
Edit: This probably says it better: "I have decided to move to America at the end of this year. I'm of Jewish Heritage. My family survived the Holocaust. Yet instead of suing an entire country, we decided to simply just forgive our enemies and move on with our lives. Neville Austin, you may have been stolen, but we were hunted down, caged and murdered. "
The other potential problem with this sorry business is this. On one hand, this apology will bring people together and will thus make way for a desperately needed practical solution. On the other hand however, it just reinforces the "blacks" vs "whites" divide. The majority of white Australians, especially the youth, want to say sorry for things they as individuals didn't do. They feel compelled to apologize because they're "white" and thus represent the wrongs of those individuals before them. The race card is being played and because of that, the current hand on the table looks all the more different. If race and colour had nothing to do with this, this would be a non-issue. Think of this - a white four year old boy is taken from his 22 year old mother and father. They are not looking after their kid. They don't feed him. They don't seek any medical attention for him. They just don't care. Perhaps they even physically or sexually abuse him. (And this is in no way a generalisation of the Aboriginal community). The welfare officers come and take the child away. All of a sudden, many of us are applauding this. "She shouldn't have a child at such a young age." "She's despicable, how could you possibly treat a child like that?!" Now change this hypothetical a little and let's pretend that this family were Aboriginal. I tell you... the race card is like having the royal flush in one card. We should be aiming for a world where "black" and "white" are outdated terms. It's a funny situation this, because it's both helping this, yet it's also making it worse. In the end, the blacks will be closer to the whites that want to say sorry, but they'll be further divided from the whites that think we shouldn't apologize.
Another point. Going back onto this whole thing being a "show". Case in point - "We are sorry for taking away your children from you"... yet 300 metres down the road the exact thing is still happening. See http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23195827-5001021,00.html It's like saying, "Hey I'm sorry for calling you a 'wanker', you wanker."
Finally something that really annoyed me about what happened. And no, contrary to what some of you may think, I am not a narrow-sighted voter that just votes Liberal 'for the hell of it'. The opposition leader Brendan Nelson had a chance to make his apology speech, but many of the public and even politicians turned their backs on him immediately (I didn't see it live so I'm counting on various news reports). Firstly, his speech was inappropriate. But was it correct? Yes. For a large majority of people, it was a case of "we all thought it, he just said it". The sad truth was that white Australia back then actually did have good intentions. And indeed, it was not all bad news. Some of those taken believe they probably wouldn't be alive today had they not been taken. (See http://www.abc.net.au/alicesprings/stories/s2160407.htm) But this wasn't the case for everyone, and regardless, they shouldn't have been kept away from their families. Once again, hindsight's a bitch. Having said that, bringing up the details of all that bad history yesterday was really poor timing. Yet it's ironic how people mocked Nelson and were irate at him for bringing up the past, yet these very same people are the ones that immaturely turned their backs on him, seemingly because of his party's past views on the issue. The word 'juvenile' springs to mind. Did I ever mention that I hate hypocrisy!? Also, how come the failings of previous Labor governments to apologize (remember, they never apologized either) didn't go unpunished? On principle, people should have turned their backs on them too!
I guess too many of us follow whatever seems to be popular and never actually think for ourselves.
In a nutshell, the nation should acknowledge the wrongs of the past towards the large number of those affected. Everything practical should be done to right this wrong. (Not individual compensations though...that's an entirely different matter). Strategies should be put in place to work with the Aboriginal community (anything without their opinions/consent/approval is pointless) to work on all facets of their community that need improving, whilst respecting all their cultural wishes and desires.
Learn from the past and move on.
Sorry for making this too long. :P
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Welcoming the new year...in February...and halfway through it too
Not that anyone reads this thing anymore since it's gone without an update for a couple of months. But hey, I'm sure there's enough random people stumbling upon this mess of a blog to warrant reading the first five lines before moving on.
New Year's reso - I will write in this thing more often because it...it......well, it doesn't benefit me in anyway. Oh well, who says you need a reason to do things?
After almost four weeks away on a refreshing reunion to Malaysia and an eye-opening trip to China, I've returned to work only to be looking up information on the next trip. That being the trek into the Himalayas, of which I have been harping on about since about the age of three months old. Why am I doing it? Perhaps it's the travel bug flowing through the veins, perhaps it's work not stimulating the adrenaline enough, or perhaps it's a lack of actual work to do giving me extra time to burn on the internet. Revisiting every website you've ever been to since you got the internet ten years ago only gets you so far.
Will promise to write in this thing a little more often... especially if I get free time at work like now. :D
New Year's reso - I will write in this thing more often because it...it......well, it doesn't benefit me in anyway. Oh well, who says you need a reason to do things?
After almost four weeks away on a refreshing reunion to Malaysia and an eye-opening trip to China, I've returned to work only to be looking up information on the next trip. That being the trek into the Himalayas, of which I have been harping on about since about the age of three months old. Why am I doing it? Perhaps it's the travel bug flowing through the veins, perhaps it's work not stimulating the adrenaline enough, or perhaps it's a lack of actual work to do giving me extra time to burn on the internet. Revisiting every website you've ever been to since you got the internet ten years ago only gets you so far.
Will promise to write in this thing a little more often... especially if I get free time at work like now. :D
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Why Mum is awesome
Quote Mother:
"...with the Liberals we're going to have the gap between the rich and poor get bigger. But then with Labor, they're like communists."
"...with the Liberals we're going to have the gap between the rich and poor get bigger. But then with Labor, they're like communists."
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Nobel PEACE?!? Prize
What if the timestamp says that I'm up past 2am? A 1pm start tomorrow allows me this unproductive luxury. :) Not much to report except for an unpredictable open day over the weekend. Why we held an open day four months after our new practice opened, I'll never know. Regardless, more people came than I expected and all I really did was help out with Pilates classes. I must say though, doing it in front of the watchful eyes of other physios and exercise physiologists, considering I've never really done it in front of other professionals, was a little nerve-wracking. Ok, so I wasn't exactly as nervous as an Asian on an episode of Border Security, but it was still a little out of the cosy comfort zone.
I might be a little late in finding this out, but did you know Al Gore won this year's Nobel Peace Prize? Did you also know that Al Gore has now sullied the good credibility of the Nobel Peace Prize? Don't get me wrong. Allow me to disclaim once again that global warming is a real and true issue in the world, whatever the cause whether it be due to human fault or the cyclical nature of our big brown Earth. And yes, just to be on the safe side we should all take the necessary steps to "go green". But once again, the unstoppable juggernaut that is the "oh my God we're all gonna die unless you hold all your farts in!" train of climate change scaremongering, has infected another part of society - this time, a significant legacy of the world.
The last time I checked, the Nobel Peace Prize was justly called because it's for PEACE!!! As far as I'm aware, past winners were righteous recipients because of their efforts to further peace and unite the world, or promote human rights, whether it be directly or indirectly. How Al Gore's endless, obsessive, and fanatical (but arguably necessary) push to cram man-made climate change down our choking plural forms of the oesophagus won him this award is beyond me.
Past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize:
Martin Luther King
Kofi Annan
Nelson Mandela
Mother Teresa
... Al Gore
*shakes his head*
(Mind you, if you read Jeremy Clarkson, he puts up an interesting argument as to why Mandela doesn't deserve it.)
Having said all that, don't forget to switch off your lights everyone.
I might be a little late in finding this out, but did you know Al Gore won this year's Nobel Peace Prize? Did you also know that Al Gore has now sullied the good credibility of the Nobel Peace Prize? Don't get me wrong. Allow me to disclaim once again that global warming is a real and true issue in the world, whatever the cause whether it be due to human fault or the cyclical nature of our big brown Earth. And yes, just to be on the safe side we should all take the necessary steps to "go green". But once again, the unstoppable juggernaut that is the "oh my God we're all gonna die unless you hold all your farts in!" train of climate change scaremongering, has infected another part of society - this time, a significant legacy of the world.
The last time I checked, the Nobel Peace Prize was justly called because it's for PEACE!!! As far as I'm aware, past winners were righteous recipients because of their efforts to further peace and unite the world, or promote human rights, whether it be directly or indirectly. How Al Gore's endless, obsessive, and fanatical (but arguably necessary) push to cram man-made climate change down our choking plural forms of the oesophagus won him this award is beyond me.
Past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize:
Martin Luther King
Kofi Annan
Nelson Mandela
Mother Teresa
... Al Gore
*shakes his head*
(Mind you, if you read Jeremy Clarkson, he puts up an interesting argument as to why Mandela doesn't deserve it.)
Having said all that, don't forget to switch off your lights everyone.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Good War, Bad War
God damn some people are ignorant, uneducated idiots and they piss me off. Just reading about the death of the Aussie soldiers in the online newspapers, and the subsequent comments made by people. It's pretty shameful that people are using the incident as a forum and a means to promote the need to "bring our troops home!" and to have a go at the PM saying "I hope you can sleep well at night John Howard". We're not there to invade the country or supposedly steal their resources. We're there as part of a NATO alliance to rebuild the country from the desolate shambles that a certain Taliban left it in. Specifically, the Aussies are there primarily to rebuild their infrastructure. Unlike Iraq, there is a general consensus among the Afghan people of a welcoming attitude to help them "rebuild".
Afghanistan is not Iraq. F*#kin extreme lefties piss me off. Be a lefty, but don't an idiotic one. I think it's left...left is the hippy side yeah? :P
*steps off high-horse*
Afghanistan is not Iraq. F*#kin extreme lefties piss me off. Be a lefty, but don't an idiotic one. I think it's left...left is the hippy side yeah? :P
*steps off high-horse*
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Don't taze me!
So almost three months, about six goes at getting a new computer fixed, and eventually a second new computer later, this blog finally gets some loving attention. Not that I forgot about it, I just couldn't be arsed. Instead my spare time on a computer (when I had a damn computer) was best spent on more important things - perving at other people's photos on Facebook. Productive? No. Borderline disturbing? Yes. Now that Facebook has turned into another haven for emos and identity thieves (MySpace) it was time I set aside the voyeuristic tendencies to finally jot down something mildly notable in this thing.
My English teacher always said that when you have a giant mess of ideas to put to paper but don't know where to start, point forming was the best strategy to undertake the task. Mind you, that English teacher was a bit of a tool and, I suspect, a closet paedophile. Even so, I will take heed of his recommendations to summarise the last few months. Come to think of it, I think I did the same thing the last time I had a long lay-off between entries. Oh well, interesting things lately have been:
- Played for the old school's musical in the pit - had a piece of the set (wind chime thingy) fly off down into the pit and into my testicles
- A near run-in with a director at work
- A birthday that was...err...
- Got tickets to Muse and The Killers for November :D
- Also seeing Phantom of the Opera in a few weeks
- The Bourne Ultimatum has to be the best action-thriller ever made
Hooray, this thing is now on par.
My English teacher always said that when you have a giant mess of ideas to put to paper but don't know where to start, point forming was the best strategy to undertake the task. Mind you, that English teacher was a bit of a tool and, I suspect, a closet paedophile. Even so, I will take heed of his recommendations to summarise the last few months. Come to think of it, I think I did the same thing the last time I had a long lay-off between entries. Oh well, interesting things lately have been:
- Played for the old school's musical in the pit - had a piece of the set (wind chime thingy) fly off down into the pit and into my testicles
- A near run-in with a director at work
- A birthday that was...err...
- Got tickets to Muse and The Killers for November :D
- Also seeing Phantom of the Opera in a few weeks
- The Bourne Ultimatum has to be the best action-thriller ever made
Hooray, this thing is now on par.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday the 13th
So this morning I get up late as usual, scoff down the food whilst changing and showering at the same time. All is a normal day. Little did I realise that today is Friday the 13th, and by the laws of the supernatural, I really should just shut my door and hide in the closet for fear of giant hairy spiders entering my mouth without me knowing (don't you dare attempt to make my greatest fear come to life).
Excuse me whilst I bitch and whine in this post like a spoilt brat about my latest run of bad luck, when there's a poor kid living in Africa with only three slices of bread to last the week.
So on this day of unholy and evil days, a couple of things go wrong for me. The new car is starting to make a noise. Something's happening to it methinks. There's a quiet, high-pitched squeal to the engine sound now which I noticed this morning. It still runs ok, but watch this space. Then two hours later whilst I'm slaving away at work to earn the tax office their money, my brother tells me that my computer has broken down...again. I only just got the damn thing back two weeks ago from getting it fixed from whatever the hell went wrong with it the first time round. I haven't even had the computer for a month yet! I don't think anyone knows what the hell is wrong with it now. And it looks like I'll have to wait 'til Thursday for someone to come round to even have a look at it. He'll most likely take it away and I'll most likely get it back in another week. Anyone got a hobby I can take up for the next two weeks?
Then there's the computers going down at work whilst writing a letter, and the patient that accidentally coughed in my face.
Meh I'll stop.
By the way, continuing on the Transformers theme of late, check out the following video. Kudos to either Cindy, Deb or Max who told me about this one. Sorry, I forget who.
Excuse me whilst I bitch and whine in this post like a spoilt brat about my latest run of bad luck, when there's a poor kid living in Africa with only three slices of bread to last the week.
So on this day of unholy and evil days, a couple of things go wrong for me. The new car is starting to make a noise. Something's happening to it methinks. There's a quiet, high-pitched squeal to the engine sound now which I noticed this morning. It still runs ok, but watch this space. Then two hours later whilst I'm slaving away at work to earn the tax office their money, my brother tells me that my computer has broken down...again. I only just got the damn thing back two weeks ago from getting it fixed from whatever the hell went wrong with it the first time round. I haven't even had the computer for a month yet! I don't think anyone knows what the hell is wrong with it now. And it looks like I'll have to wait 'til Thursday for someone to come round to even have a look at it. He'll most likely take it away and I'll most likely get it back in another week. Anyone got a hobby I can take up for the next two weeks?
Then there's the computers going down at work whilst writing a letter, and the patient that accidentally coughed in my face.
Meh I'll stop.
By the way, continuing on the Transformers theme of late, check out the following video. Kudos to either Cindy, Deb or Max who told me about this one. Sorry, I forget who.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Transformers review
No I'm not going to spoil anything so don't worry.
Instead of going home on my half-day today I went to the cinemas...by myself...in work clothes. Before you laugh, it was the middle of a working day in the middle of a working week when everyone else is working! (or at uni). At least that's what I tell myself to ease the pain of being a loner and help me sleep at night. :P So anyway, with the cinemas being 200m away from where I had to be in Glen Waverley this morning, I thought...why not? Convenience is a nice word in the dictionary.
So I ended up watching Transformers. Oh yes, that's right. It was time to nourish the nerd within yet again, and what better way than to feed it generous helpings of big F-ing robots in digital graphics, shooting up anything remotely resembling an object. And how sweeter it is when those robots are the very same ones that you loved to watch back before you even knew how to do math. I think I shot myself in the foot a little by watching all the trailers for this movie beforehand. Nonetheless I will confess to shaking in anticipation as I sat there watching the first transformer, well... transform, and then again when Optimus Prime rolled up en queue for his first appearance, and then once more during the climactic battle. At least I kept my mouth shut in that early-afternoon quarter-filled cinema, unlike the other nerds in the cinema that were audibly gasping as Prime transformed for the first time. If you have no idea who or what the hell I'm talking about, then you're most likely NOT a nerd. Congratulations. I had some dude sitting to my left. He was pumping his fists in the air a few times during the movie because he was so excited. I wanted to slap him like something chronic. Regardless, he didn't wreck what was otherwise a pretty sweet movie experience.
Like 300, this movie delivers where it needs to deliver. Acting was good but nothing spectacular and the human characters were mere props in the end. In terms of storyline, whilst it was essentially nothing more than what you'd expect it did surprise a little. Whilst by no means will this ever appear on an English class syllabus, it did have its little complexities. The developing relationship between the boy and Bumblebee was brilliantly put together. The real stars however were the dudes in the graphics studios rendering the Transformers themselves. You know the digital graphics are good when halfway through the movie you totally forget that the robots are basically just a bunch of pixels, albeit LOTS of pixels. That's what happened with this. This movie pretty much rewrites the book on how to seamlessly blend artificial graphics with real-life objects, environments and actors. And then there's the sound...yikes. When the smashing and bruising occurs, you'll know about it, and you won't look away.
A couple of tiny little gripes. More just me being a tightarse than anything else. It took a little while for it to get going, though that was probably just 'coz I wanted the smashing and shooting to begin asap. The movie certainly didn't feel like it dragged. And with the storyline, there was very little closure. But you'd expect nothing else from a movie that already has the second and third sequels signed up. I guess the only real gripe about the movie was that it was another case of "America is the World!" Meh, Hollywood... at least the Aussie actress got to keep her accent in the movie.
So long as you get over the implausibilities of some of the things that happened (look ma! I'm a giant robot that can tower over the neighbourhood so quietly that not a single soul is stirring) and the odd bits of humour that was mixed in (I can see die-hard fans writing death letters to the director yelling "how dare you try to put humour in our beloved robots")... then sit back and enjoy being a kid all over again :D
Out of 10...give it an 8.5. Can't wait for the sequel... apparently they might make an entire aircraft carrier transform :0
Instead of going home on my half-day today I went to the cinemas...by myself...in work clothes. Before you laugh, it was the middle of a working day in the middle of a working week when everyone else is working! (or at uni). At least that's what I tell myself to ease the pain of being a loner and help me sleep at night. :P So anyway, with the cinemas being 200m away from where I had to be in Glen Waverley this morning, I thought...why not? Convenience is a nice word in the dictionary.
So I ended up watching Transformers. Oh yes, that's right. It was time to nourish the nerd within yet again, and what better way than to feed it generous helpings of big F-ing robots in digital graphics, shooting up anything remotely resembling an object. And how sweeter it is when those robots are the very same ones that you loved to watch back before you even knew how to do math. I think I shot myself in the foot a little by watching all the trailers for this movie beforehand. Nonetheless I will confess to shaking in anticipation as I sat there watching the first transformer, well... transform, and then again when Optimus Prime rolled up en queue for his first appearance, and then once more during the climactic battle. At least I kept my mouth shut in that early-afternoon quarter-filled cinema, unlike the other nerds in the cinema that were audibly gasping as Prime transformed for the first time. If you have no idea who or what the hell I'm talking about, then you're most likely NOT a nerd. Congratulations. I had some dude sitting to my left. He was pumping his fists in the air a few times during the movie because he was so excited. I wanted to slap him like something chronic. Regardless, he didn't wreck what was otherwise a pretty sweet movie experience.
Like 300, this movie delivers where it needs to deliver. Acting was good but nothing spectacular and the human characters were mere props in the end. In terms of storyline, whilst it was essentially nothing more than what you'd expect it did surprise a little. Whilst by no means will this ever appear on an English class syllabus, it did have its little complexities. The developing relationship between the boy and Bumblebee was brilliantly put together. The real stars however were the dudes in the graphics studios rendering the Transformers themselves. You know the digital graphics are good when halfway through the movie you totally forget that the robots are basically just a bunch of pixels, albeit LOTS of pixels. That's what happened with this. This movie pretty much rewrites the book on how to seamlessly blend artificial graphics with real-life objects, environments and actors. And then there's the sound...yikes. When the smashing and bruising occurs, you'll know about it, and you won't look away.
A couple of tiny little gripes. More just me being a tightarse than anything else. It took a little while for it to get going, though that was probably just 'coz I wanted the smashing and shooting to begin asap. The movie certainly didn't feel like it dragged. And with the storyline, there was very little closure. But you'd expect nothing else from a movie that already has the second and third sequels signed up. I guess the only real gripe about the movie was that it was another case of "America is the World!" Meh, Hollywood... at least the Aussie actress got to keep her accent in the movie.
So long as you get over the implausibilities of some of the things that happened (look ma! I'm a giant robot that can tower over the neighbourhood so quietly that not a single soul is stirring) and the odd bits of humour that was mixed in (I can see die-hard fans writing death letters to the director yelling "how dare you try to put humour in our beloved robots")... then sit back and enjoy being a kid all over again :D
Out of 10...give it an 8.5. Can't wait for the sequel... apparently they might make an entire aircraft carrier transform :0
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sex, cough medicine and rock and roll!
Blogging at work...how bored am I? Ok so the sex bit of the title is somewhat of a lie. But this cough is still here. It's starting to piss me off more than Michael Moore proclaiming to the world that his new movie is not meant to be political despite choosing to have its premiere in Washington DC - the political heart of the US. I am this close to skolling an entire bottle of cough suppressant in one go and saying to my throat "ha! try to cough now bitch!"
Oh, remember that judge who tried to sue a Korean couple in the US for fifty-something million dollars because of an (alleged) missing pair of pants at the dry cleaners? If not, read an earlier entry, it's somewhere there. Well he lost, AND he has to pay the defendants' trial fees, which might also include all their legal fees too. There IS a god!!! http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2528824020070625
In another little rant, I've been seeing more and more ads for the Live Earth concerts around the world that's coming up soon. I have but one simple question: Why? Seriously...why? What's the goal? Is it to "engage people on a mass scale to combat our climate crisis" as the official description of the event states? Ok, that's a fair enough statement, but how in this increasingly brown world are these freaking concerts going to do that?! The words "raising awareness man" in hippy voices have been heard around the wire, but c'mon. Raising awareness?! We already know about freaking global warming. What's the point of shoving it further down our throats through the power of sex, drugs and rock and/or roll? Gimme a break. Sure, ok they're going to showcase some of the most technologically advanced equipment that is easy on the environment during the shows. But unless I run mega concerts for a living, that's about as useful as a condom in a lesbian relationship. I fail to see any practical benefit from this sham. As far as I'm concerned, any credibility to this event went down the drain when they announced that each ticket was to cost $99. Fair enough, expenses need to be paid but that doesn't justify the price...unless of course, a profit is to be made. Hmmmm. And please don't tell me that all the artists are in it because they 'care about the world'. If by "world" you mean "public relations" then yes that seems more plausible. I wonder how many of those artists involved whore themselves off to ads for SUVs. And how many of them would be flying around in private jets? Hmmm. I'm not as pissed off as this rant may make me seem. I'm just a little bewildered as to how such a thing has gained so much popularity. The premise behind the event is good. We do need to get off our arses and do something collectively as a whole about it, at the very least in case global warming is happening. (Remember now, it probably is true but no one can be 100% sure yet) But please, give me practical solutions, not hypocritical preaching.
Oh, remember that judge who tried to sue a Korean couple in the US for fifty-something million dollars because of an (alleged) missing pair of pants at the dry cleaners? If not, read an earlier entry, it's somewhere there. Well he lost, AND he has to pay the defendants' trial fees, which might also include all their legal fees too. There IS a god!!! http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2528824020070625
In another little rant, I've been seeing more and more ads for the Live Earth concerts around the world that's coming up soon. I have but one simple question: Why? Seriously...why? What's the goal? Is it to "engage people on a mass scale to combat our climate crisis" as the official description of the event states? Ok, that's a fair enough statement, but how in this increasingly brown world are these freaking concerts going to do that?! The words "raising awareness man" in hippy voices have been heard around the wire, but c'mon. Raising awareness?! We already know about freaking global warming. What's the point of shoving it further down our throats through the power of sex, drugs and rock and/or roll? Gimme a break. Sure, ok they're going to showcase some of the most technologically advanced equipment that is easy on the environment during the shows. But unless I run mega concerts for a living, that's about as useful as a condom in a lesbian relationship. I fail to see any practical benefit from this sham. As far as I'm concerned, any credibility to this event went down the drain when they announced that each ticket was to cost $99. Fair enough, expenses need to be paid but that doesn't justify the price...unless of course, a profit is to be made. Hmmmm. And please don't tell me that all the artists are in it because they 'care about the world'. If by "world" you mean "public relations" then yes that seems more plausible. I wonder how many of those artists involved whore themselves off to ads for SUVs. And how many of them would be flying around in private jets? Hmmm. I'm not as pissed off as this rant may make me seem. I'm just a little bewildered as to how such a thing has gained so much popularity. The premise behind the event is good. We do need to get off our arses and do something collectively as a whole about it, at the very least in case global warming is happening. (Remember now, it probably is true but no one can be 100% sure yet) But please, give me practical solutions, not hypocritical preaching.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Colds, cousins and crappy computers
When you buy something for over three grand, you expect it to work completely fine. Actually, no let me rephrase that. When you buy something for over three grand you hope that it works completely fine but you expect it to have something wrong with it. Such was the case unfornately for my new computer which came last week. Worked like a dream until it died all of a sudden. Long story short, the warranty guy that came over to have a look at it suggested that since it's such a new and uber computer, I should take it back to the place I bought it from, even though it's in NSW. So as I speak the computer is somewhere between Melbourne and Shitown (Sydney). Oh well, thems the way things go unfortunately. I don't blame the place I got it from. Them screwing up the computer doesn't explain why they have a reputable name amongst the geeky internet forum fraternity. I put this one down to simply "stupid F-ing computers $@#!!!!". The guys in NSW have actually been pretty helpful so far about it all and might even give me a free game for all the troubles caused. Either way, I guess that'll learn me for researching stuff too much. That's what you get for spending ages finding a place with a good name and relatively cheaper prices. So I shall be without a computer for at least a week. Such is the withdrawal I'm having from it already that I'm at work right now using the computers here despite the fact I could've left about 15 minutes ago.
Also had a nasty cold. It's pretty much over now but the dry raspy cough lingers on. Even downing an entire bottle of Benadryl hasn't gotten rid of it. I've narrowed down the list of possible people who passed it on to me to about three people - three of my patients specifically. I'm still seeing two of those three so they will get extra punishment from my thumbs and elbows.
The other interesting note to current life was the visiting of my cousin Lina. Lovely girl who I haven't seen for about six years. She was down from the Australian state of New Zealand with her fiance. 'Twas good to catch up with her. Coupled with my other lovely cousin Caroline who came back for a visit a month ago, it's been a period of reunions lately. I knew they'd all come crawling to Australia. Malaysia is too humid and New Zealand is overrun with Lord of the Rings nuts...they'll all end up living in Australia...just you wait. I just need to make sure that I implant an image in their heads of Sydney being the country's anus and Melbourne being the nation's true capital before they decide to live here :P
So that's life at the moment. I'm a nerdy leper without a computer that's being visited by his cousins.
I actually came on to write about something on my mind but now I forget. Screw it. Next time.
Also had a nasty cold. It's pretty much over now but the dry raspy cough lingers on. Even downing an entire bottle of Benadryl hasn't gotten rid of it. I've narrowed down the list of possible people who passed it on to me to about three people - three of my patients specifically. I'm still seeing two of those three so they will get extra punishment from my thumbs and elbows.
The other interesting note to current life was the visiting of my cousin Lina. Lovely girl who I haven't seen for about six years. She was down from the Australian state of New Zealand with her fiance. 'Twas good to catch up with her. Coupled with my other lovely cousin Caroline who came back for a visit a month ago, it's been a period of reunions lately. I knew they'd all come crawling to Australia. Malaysia is too humid and New Zealand is overrun with Lord of the Rings nuts...they'll all end up living in Australia...just you wait. I just need to make sure that I implant an image in their heads of Sydney being the country's anus and Melbourne being the nation's true capital before they decide to live here :P
So that's life at the moment. I'm a nerdy leper without a computer that's being visited by his cousins.
I actually came on to write about something on my mind but now I forget. Screw it. Next time.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
I'm 'Strayan!
After about 18 years of leeching off this country, sucking it dry and milking it for all it's worth, I can now finally do it without the scorn of xenophobic monkeys frowning at my yellow-ness. For as of Friday night I am (at long freaking last) an Australian citizen. Why it's taken this long is a looooooong story, the likes of which a trilogy can be made out of it. And for the purposes of sanity, I can't be arsed describing it. Just be glad in the knowledge that there is now no reason whatsoever to question my loyalties and suspect me as some sort of Chinese spy, waiting for the order from my superiors back in my ancestral land of China to commence Operation One Earth, One China.
The citizenship ceremony is pretty black and white. Speeches by the Mayor, various parliamentary figures subliminally telling us to "Vote Labor/Liberal", and a native Aboriginal who ended up being absent. Then, in separate groups we'd go up and recite the pledge, before receiving a certificate, a badge and a little plant...I got a shitty plant. Not happy Australia! The night is then capped off with the anthem followed by a chowfest of sandwiches and pies in the foyer. All in all, whilst an experience for sure, ten hours of work beforehand takes its toll. I also felt sorry for the emcee that had to call out all of our predominantely Chinese/Indian names. Certainly a candidate for the 'toughest job ever'.
In other sadder news, I'm sure everyone's heard about that train crash last week. Two little girls and their mother that died in the crash (the one in the news) came from my church/parish/primary school. I was at church tonight and was listening to the priest talk about it, and how the poor unfortunate father was now left to pick up the pieces. It was a subtly surreal service actually. The priest talked about how the school was coping, and how the kids were told of it. Imagine being the teacher telling the class that one of their classmates died. In the words of the priest, "don't ever let anyone tell you that teachers don't earn their pay." Such a sad thing. By the sounds of it though, everyone is banding together and lending support to one another, not just within the broken school community either. Apparently offers of help for the parish have come from the police, the CFA, local churches in the area (that aren't necessarily Catholic) and the council. At least there's something to smile about out of all this.
The citizenship ceremony is pretty black and white. Speeches by the Mayor, various parliamentary figures subliminally telling us to "Vote Labor/Liberal", and a native Aboriginal who ended up being absent. Then, in separate groups we'd go up and recite the pledge, before receiving a certificate, a badge and a little plant...I got a shitty plant. Not happy Australia! The night is then capped off with the anthem followed by a chowfest of sandwiches and pies in the foyer. All in all, whilst an experience for sure, ten hours of work beforehand takes its toll. I also felt sorry for the emcee that had to call out all of our predominantely Chinese/Indian names. Certainly a candidate for the 'toughest job ever'.
In other sadder news, I'm sure everyone's heard about that train crash last week. Two little girls and their mother that died in the crash (the one in the news) came from my church/parish/primary school. I was at church tonight and was listening to the priest talk about it, and how the poor unfortunate father was now left to pick up the pieces. It was a subtly surreal service actually. The priest talked about how the school was coping, and how the kids were told of it. Imagine being the teacher telling the class that one of their classmates died. In the words of the priest, "don't ever let anyone tell you that teachers don't earn their pay." Such a sad thing. By the sounds of it though, everyone is banding together and lending support to one another, not just within the broken school community either. Apparently offers of help for the parish have come from the police, the CFA, local churches in the area (that aren't necessarily Catholic) and the council. At least there's something to smile about out of all this.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Why the movie Antz is the biggest load of horse baloney
So I was about to switch off the lights to go to sleep two nights ago, when I glanced over to the heating vent next to the bedside table. And what did I see? A FREAKING COLONY OF ANTS LAYING EGGS IN MY BEDROOM! Yeah that's right...freaked me out completely. I felt like I was in some horror movie for a second. They were laying the eggs on the piece of board I have placed over part of the heating vent (to prevent the bedside table which partly lies over it from overheating). The heated piece of board must've provided a perfect ground for breeding...either that or they seriously got lost on the way to their home underground. Actually, just having images of it in my head right now is freaking me out....uhhhhh. *shiver* Despite their numbers though, they were no match for the superhero duo that is the Ting brothers. Julius, armed with his atomic insect spray, and me, wielding my nuclear-powered vacuum cleaner showed those ants the meaning of "get the f*#k out of our house!". It did cost me a good night's sleep unfortunately. After clearing the ants, which thankfully were mainly localised to the piece of board rather than being stuck in the carpet, I surfaced sprayed the crap out of the vent surface and the window sill where they came out of... at least it looked like they came from the window sill. They better have 'coz if they came from within our heating ducts we're screwed! Anyway, as a result of the bedroom's impromptu fumigation, I had to put up with sleeping on the couch.
So yeah, fun times.
It's been an eventful last few weeks. People have been busy, people have been drunk, and people have been hurt. I hope you two are fine. As for me, I would fit under the first category. Four days worth of an educational seminar fries the brain more than what you'd initially think. And here I was thinking that it'd be a cruisy Thurs-Sunday. At least I'm now the wiser physio and I'll be able to go back to work next week and tell my patients to forget everything I told them. That, my friends, is a sign of professional progress. To the physios that read this, I was at the Part A McKenzie course. I can certainly tell you that, no it isn't just all extensions :P
So yeah, fun times.
It's been an eventful last few weeks. People have been busy, people have been drunk, and people have been hurt. I hope you two are fine. As for me, I would fit under the first category. Four days worth of an educational seminar fries the brain more than what you'd initially think. And here I was thinking that it'd be a cruisy Thurs-Sunday. At least I'm now the wiser physio and I'll be able to go back to work next week and tell my patients to forget everything I told them. That, my friends, is a sign of professional progress. To the physios that read this, I was at the Part A McKenzie course. I can certainly tell you that, no it isn't just all extensions :P
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Ice Hockey = Legal fighting = FUN!
Hooray for YouTube! Why? Because of it, I found one of the most exciting moments in sports history that I've ever seen.
The best sport that Australia never really takes part in (due to the inherent lack of water, let alone ice!) is ice hockey. Nonetheless, if you're lucky to have cable tv, it's one of the best games to ever watch because it's probably the fastest-paced sport that exists, and fights are legal! The following is a brawl that happened ten years ago. Things you need to know before you watch it:
- Fights are, contrary to belief, rare.
- If a fight breaks out it's 99% of the time just a one-on-one fight. And most of the time, the fights are clumsy ie. the two people wrestle and grapple each other to the ground/ice as opposed to full-on face punches... After all, taking a close-fisted swipe to the head of another guy wearing a helmet...that'd hurt you more than him!
- Goalies almost NEVER fight.
- The Detroit Red Wings (the guys in the white and red uniform, and the team which I go for) and the Colorado Avalache built a HUGE rivalry over the late 90s.
- One year before this brawl, a Detroit player was taken down with a cheap shot by a Colorado player. It caused a broken jaw and orbital bone, and forced the Detroit player out for about a year. The cheap Colorado player in question (Lemieux) is the one that gets blindsided in the video by a different Detroit player (McCarty). If you watch all the replays you'll realise that McCarty uses the first fight that breaks out as a cheap excuse to go after his man Lemieux. Oh how revenge is sweet, especially when it's one year overdue!
Anyways, the video is after this post. The quality is a bit dodgy but it'll do.
The best bit is when the Colorado goalie skates out to rescue Lemieux but he himself is intercepted at full-speed by another Detroit player...watch the replay of it. The game itself turned out to be the definition of irony. The three main Detroit players fighting (with the exception of the goalie) were McCarty, Shanahan and Larionov....
The game went into overtime and was eventually won by Detroit. The scorer? McCarty. The assists to the goal? Shanahan and Larionov
The best sport that Australia never really takes part in (due to the inherent lack of water, let alone ice!) is ice hockey. Nonetheless, if you're lucky to have cable tv, it's one of the best games to ever watch because it's probably the fastest-paced sport that exists, and fights are legal! The following is a brawl that happened ten years ago. Things you need to know before you watch it:
- Fights are, contrary to belief, rare.
- If a fight breaks out it's 99% of the time just a one-on-one fight. And most of the time, the fights are clumsy ie. the two people wrestle and grapple each other to the ground/ice as opposed to full-on face punches... After all, taking a close-fisted swipe to the head of another guy wearing a helmet...that'd hurt you more than him!
- Goalies almost NEVER fight.
- The Detroit Red Wings (the guys in the white and red uniform, and the team which I go for) and the Colorado Avalache built a HUGE rivalry over the late 90s.
- One year before this brawl, a Detroit player was taken down with a cheap shot by a Colorado player. It caused a broken jaw and orbital bone, and forced the Detroit player out for about a year. The cheap Colorado player in question (Lemieux) is the one that gets blindsided in the video by a different Detroit player (McCarty). If you watch all the replays you'll realise that McCarty uses the first fight that breaks out as a cheap excuse to go after his man Lemieux. Oh how revenge is sweet, especially when it's one year overdue!
Anyways, the video is after this post. The quality is a bit dodgy but it'll do.
The best bit is when the Colorado goalie skates out to rescue Lemieux but he himself is intercepted at full-speed by another Detroit player...watch the replay of it. The game itself turned out to be the definition of irony. The three main Detroit players fighting (with the exception of the goalie) were McCarty, Shanahan and Larionov....
The game went into overtime and was eventually won by Detroit. The scorer? McCarty. The assists to the goal? Shanahan and Larionov
Monday, May 14, 2007
New Car!
Presenting the newest member of the clan:
Went and picked her up on Saturday. I haven't thought of a name for her yet. The SSA licence plate makes it hard...what name can you make out of SSA? Anywho, the car runs well. It has the feel of a new car even though it's 53,000kms old. So all in all, here sits one pleased owner. Now I just have to hope it doesn't follow the suit of most other Fords I know and break down without warning. Today being the usual day off, I took the liberty to retrieve the contents of my old written-off car, namely my little smiley face thingy I hang off the rear-view mirror. Hopefully that isn't the thing which cursed my old car. I just realised... Out of the four cars we collectively have as a family, three of them are now silver in colour. And the other is just plain white. How boring are we?!
Went and picked her up on Saturday. I haven't thought of a name for her yet. The SSA licence plate makes it hard...what name can you make out of SSA? Anywho, the car runs well. It has the feel of a new car even though it's 53,000kms old. So all in all, here sits one pleased owner. Now I just have to hope it doesn't follow the suit of most other Fords I know and break down without warning. Today being the usual day off, I took the liberty to retrieve the contents of my old written-off car, namely my little smiley face thingy I hang off the rear-view mirror. Hopefully that isn't the thing which cursed my old car. I just realised... Out of the four cars we collectively have as a family, three of them are now silver in colour. And the other is just plain white. How boring are we?!
Saturday, May 05, 2007
The Lawyer (and not just a lawyer but a freakin' judge!) from Hell
I'm sorry Bob, Emily, Fi or any other lawyer/law student reading this. But the following is undeniable proof that within your ranks, are the scumiest of scums!
I direct you to:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/LAW/05/03/missing.pants.ap/
I actually like this version better despite their slight inaccuracy with the figures (the lawsuit is for $65mil not $67mil). It explains what he's sueing for in better detail: http://madconomist.com/the-67-million-pants-washington-d-c-lawyer-sues-dry-cleaners-for-lost-trousers
Just as was described in the second article, it's people like these that cause so many problems in the world. It's "why teachers won't put an arm around a crying child, and doctors order unnecessary tests." We live in a culture of fear - fear that some vaginahead will financially rape us. Seriously, even I get scared at work. The number of warnings and disclaimers I explain to my patients, the number of times I have to ask permission from them to do something...it takes up so much time, before you know it I have only two minutes to actually DO something to them.
I direct you to:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/LAW/05/03/missing.pants.ap/
I actually like this version better despite their slight inaccuracy with the figures (the lawsuit is for $65mil not $67mil). It explains what he's sueing for in better detail: http://madconomist.com/the-67-million-pants-washington-d-c-lawyer-sues-dry-cleaners-for-lost-trousers
Just as was described in the second article, it's people like these that cause so many problems in the world. It's "why teachers won't put an arm around a crying child, and doctors order unnecessary tests." We live in a culture of fear - fear that some vaginahead will financially rape us. Seriously, even I get scared at work. The number of warnings and disclaimers I explain to my patients, the number of times I have to ask permission from them to do something...it takes up so much time, before you know it I have only two minutes to actually DO something to them.
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