tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83787736847278935642024-03-15T04:53:49.107+11:00A Wanderer's RamblingsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-3713771395500973302009-01-06T03:37:00.002+11:002009-01-06T03:43:09.068+11:00It's 3am, the phone rings and ...... I'm at work! I don't believe I just woke up to do an interview in the middle of the night -- without an alarm either!! And up again at 4 plus for work. <br /><br />Let's hope one day someone will appreciate my dedication!! One day ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-27308298989397876702008-07-19T12:49:00.003+11:002008-07-19T12:54:41.260+11:00Believe it and it shall happenOr so my friend tells me. So here's my attempt at positive thinking, projection or whatever it is you call it.<br /><br />Heard this song on the new Qantas Frequent Flyer ad. Delta Goodrem's song <span style="font-style:italic;">In This Life</span>. Can't embed the video here, so here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzUNOvj8EVE<br /><br />and here's the lyrics:<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />I was nurtured<br />I was sheltered,<br />I was curious and young.<br />I was searchin for that something,<br />Tryin to find it on the run.<br />Oh and just when I stopped lookin,<br />I saw just how far I'd come.<br />In this liiiiife...<br />In this liiiiife...<br /><br />You give me love,<br />You give me light,<br />Show me everythings been happenin,<br />I've opened up my eyes,<br />I'm followin<br />3 steps fight an honest fight, (oooh)<br />2 hearts, they can start a fire, (yeah yeah)<br />1 love is all I need in this liiiife...(oh)<br /><br />Yeahhh...Yeahhh...Yeah Yeah...<br />In this life<br />Ohhh...Whoahhh...Whoa Whoa<br /><br />I have faltered<br />I have stumbled,<br />I have found my feet again.<br />I've been angry,<br />And I've been shaken,<br />Found a new place to begin.<br />And my persistance to make a difference,<br />Has led me safe into your hands.<br />In this liiiiife...<br />In this liiiiife...<br /><br />You give me love,<br />You give me light,<br />Show me everythings been happenin,<br />I've opened up my eyes,<br />I'm followin<br />3 steps fight an honest fight, (oooh)<br />2 hearts, they can start a fire, (yeah yeah)<br />1 love is all I need in this liiiife...(Oh)<br /><br />Ohh..Whoahhhh...Whoa Whoa<br />In this life<br />Yeah...Yeah...Yeah Yeah<br /><br />I was put here for a reason,<br />I was born into this world.<br />And I'm living, and I'm believing<br />That I was meant to be your girl...<br /><br />In this liiiiife....<br />In this liiiiife....<br /><br />You give me love,<br />You give me light,<br />Show me everythings been happenin,<br />I've opened up my eyes,<br />I'm followin<br />3 steps fight an honest fight, (oooh)<br />2 hearts, they can start a fire, (yeah yeah)<br />1 love is all I need in this liiiife...(Oh)<br /><br />3 steps fight an honest fight (oooh)<br />2 hearts, they can start a fire (yeah yeah)<br />1 love is all I need<br />In this liiiiife (oh)<br /><br />Yeah...Yeah....yeah yeah<br />In this life<br />Yeah...Yeah....yeah yeah<br />In this life<br />Ohhh...Whoahhh...whoa whoa<br />In this life<br />Yeah...Yeah...yeah yeah...</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-21674499373254772572008-07-17T21:39:00.007+11:002008-07-17T22:11:30.444+11:00The bat's backOk, before you start yabbering about the fact that it's no surprise that I like dark things, I would put to you that it's the human story that defines Batman. One of revenge, loss and hope mixed with fear and anger. Too negative? Not at all I say.<br /><br />Anyway, enuff of my bollocks ramblings. I'm excited about the new Batman movie <span style="font-style:italic;">The Dark Knight</span>. I have to admit that initially I wasn't quite sure whether I would be able to watch the movie after the death of Heath Ledger. Working where I work, I spent many days working on stuff related to his death, and having known some of his school mates, I felt the loss more keenly than some, I suppose.<br /><br />It's true in a way what Stalin infamously said: One death is a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic. Millions are dying in conflicts, in health epidemics and natural disasters all over the world, but here we are as a consumerish, celebrity-obsessed society dwelling on the death of one Aussie party boy, if the tabloids are to be believed. <br /><br />But I digress. I was a fan of the first <span style="font-style:italic;">Batman </span>series, but pretty much lost interest after watching the very disappointing <span style="font-style:italic;">Batman Forever</span>. Though I'm a big fan of Christian Bale, I wasn't too sure if reviving the series was going to work. But it did and it really did show that a so-called Hollywoody popcorn comic book series type book can be good if its get a great director (Christopher Nolan) and a talented and dedicated set of actors (Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine etc). <br /><br />Anyway, here's a quote about <a href="http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24033461-2902,00.html">why Bale likes playing Batman</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"Dark characters tend to attract more attention because they're more intriguing. We're interested in people who break the rules of civilised society because that side of us is in all of us, that shadow side."</span><br /><br />Indeed.<br /><br />And of course, here's the trailer: <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0KGFG-PhPxs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0KGFG-PhPxs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Enjoy the movie ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-32478841092422511312008-07-08T22:48:00.003+11:002008-07-08T23:23:48.781+11:00Low Morale: Creep by Radiohead and Laith BahraniJust because I love this song. Great animation!<br /><br /><a href="http://mediastorm.org/0014.htm"><img src="http://mediastorm.org/media/0014/images/544_Link/0014.jpg" width="544" height="408" border="0"></a><br /><br />Description from the Mediastorm website:<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Low Morale: Creep is a music video of Radiohead's 'Creep' song. It took 3 months to create and contains over one million key frames. I know this because I counted them. I counted them because I made the animation and delivered every one of those mewling baby key frames.<br /><br />Creep was created as an extension to a series of shorts called 'Low Morale' which I began to develop during a well-paid, comfortable yet soul-destroying job as a senior designer in a multimedia agency. The countless days spent in the run down converted office, churning out banal multimedia and animation for faceless, lifeless, clueless blue chips had taken their toll on my soul. Creep became my creative escape tunnel.<br /><br />The video actually started as a lip-syncing experiment with the central Low Morale character but rapidly grew into a cathartic opus that aimed to reflect my job dissatisfaction and the pain caused by a broken relationship. As I'm sure you'll glean from the video, they were indeed happy days.</span><br /><br />Lyrics:<br />When you were here before,<br />couldn't look you in the eye<br />You're just like an angel,<br />your skin makes me cry<br /><br />You float like a feather<br />In a beautiful world<br />I wish I was special<br />You're so very special<br /><br />But I'm a creep,<br />I'm a weirdo<br />What the hell am I doin here?<br />I don't belong here<br /><br />I don't care if it hurts,<br />I wanna have control<br />I want a perfect body<br />I want a perfect soul<br /><br />I want you to notice<br />when I'm not around<br />You're so very special<br />I wish I was special<br /><br />But I'm a creep<br />I'm a weirdo<br />What the hell am I doin here?<br />I don't belong here, ohhhh, ohhhh<br /><br />She's running out the door...<br />She's running out<br />she runs, runs, runs, runs...<br />runs...<br /><br />Whatever makes you happy<br />Whatever you want<br />You're so very special<br />I wish I was special<br /><br />But I'm a creep,<br />I'm a weirdo<br />What the hell am I doin here?<br />I don't belong here<br /><br />I don't belong here...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-18092959411766820302008-04-12T17:16:00.002+11:002008-04-12T17:18:14.364+11:00Our time is running outJust thought, since it's all about goodbyes at the moment, here's a song I haven't heard for years!!! Not since I first heard it on, of all places, an Alias fanvid ...<br /><br />So here's Muse with Our time is running out:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/64wBgV62IKA&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/64wBgV62IKA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-34188269143714578652008-04-12T10:28:00.003+11:002008-04-12T11:10:14.422+11:00Another goodbyeSo here we go - another goodbye again! It's funny about living in Sydney, people seem so transient, just changing cities every few years. Guess it's the nature of the place. <br /><br />I'm not too sure how to farewell this person, except that I think I'm going to miss him a lot - he was a good colleague, perhaps even a friend? It's hard to say if we were really friends but he really gave me the time of day (as he does with everyone) and lotsa of great career advice and I honestly dunno how I'm gonna get used to not having him about in the office.<br /><br />It's funny, perhaps I will miss him even more than my ex when he left last year - in a way, he was patient with me in a way other people have not been, and totally as a colleague, nothing more. As another colleague said yesterday about him, what you see is what you get ...<br /><br />So goodbye, and best of luck - and I might be knocking on your door very soon for a job!<br /><br />Here's a music video, totally not relevant but it just happened to pop into my head when I was doing up that page for you:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ecvAnWyzS8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0ecvAnWyzS8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />(Charlene - Never Been to Me)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-63091761220677497002008-03-29T18:40:00.004+11:002008-03-29T18:43:29.209+11:00So where do I want to go?I was just thinking ... I should write down where I want to live for the next decade or so. So I'll just keep adding to the list. Here goes:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Afghanistan <br /><br />Africa??? Which country?<br /><br />Pakistan<br /><br />India<br /><br />Ireland<br /><br />United States - New York<br /><br />Germany??<br /><br />Middle East??</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-45688064099099962008-03-29T18:29:00.002+11:002008-03-29T18:29:37.542+11:00My travel mapOnly 7 per cent?!?!?!? I should get out more ...<br /><br /><div style="width:550px; position: relative;"><br /><object width="550" height="293" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.travbuddy.com/flash/countries_map.swf?id=2759846" height="293" width="550"><br /><param name="movie" value="http://www.travbuddy.com/flash/countries_map.swf?id=2759846" /><br /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#372060" /><br /><embed src="http://www.travbuddy.com/flash/countries_map.swf?id=2759846" quality="high" bgcolor="#372060" width="550" height="293" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed><br /></object><br /><div style="background-color: #372060; text-align: center; width: 549px; border-left: 1px solid #372060;"><br /><a href="http://www.travbuddy.com/travel-widgets"><img src="http://www.travbuddy.com/images/widget_map_promote.gif" border="0"></a><br /><a href="http://www.travbuddy.com/hotels"><img src="http://www.travbuddy.com/images/widget_map_promote_hotels.gif" border="0"></a><br /></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-10098812525183384642008-03-22T21:18:00.002+11:002008-03-22T21:25:37.885+11:00Ashes to AshesWhy am I posting so much all of a sudden? I dunno ... just feel I should put something up, leave me mark on the interweb, though nobody actually reads this blog, and nobody knows who I am ... oh well, anyway ...<br /><br />Being a big <span style="font-style:italic;">Life on Mars</span> fan that I am, I decided to start watching <span style="font-style:italic;">Ashes to Ashes</span>, and I have to say, Gene Hunt is just a fantastically fun character to watch. Just gold!!<br /><br />Here's a trailer:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hDmYwGkJa7k&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hDmYwGkJa7k&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />I have to say, I'm enjoying the music as always. For me, the '70s music in <span style="font-style:italic;">Life on Mars</span> is more my sorta music, but there's nothing like '80s music to bring back the good old memories of shoulder pads and too much mascara!!<br /><br />This video features The Clash with <span style="font-style:italic;">I Fought The Law</span>. Can I say "gold" again??? =)<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MutBpV48YUE&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MutBpV48YUE&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-49698148074954704762008-03-22T21:04:00.002+11:002008-03-22T21:11:01.809+11:00Firthy firthMmmmm ... so I'm a big fan of Colin Firth and can't help posting this trailer of <span style="font-style:italic;">Then She Found Me</span>, though it looks rather like a rehash of one of his romantic comedy roles like Mr Darcy in <span style="font-style:italic;">Bridget Jones's Diary</span> etc:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZUtjrskSBAU&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZUtjrskSBAU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />and for good measure, here's an interview he did with Sky News for the movie <span style="font-style:italic;">And When Did You Last See Your Father?</span>:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X8JaOMH0OpM&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X8JaOMH0OpM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-70142986395704188052008-03-17T14:14:00.005+11:002008-03-17T15:04:22.578+11:00'They're just dead Africans'When a BBC reporter in the movie <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0420901/">Shooting Dogs</a></span> is asked how her experience in Bosnia compares to that of her current situation in Rwanda, she replies: "Everytime when I saw a dead Bosnian, white woman I thought, that could be my mother ... no, it's worse ... Over here, they are just dead Africans. What a thing to say. We are all just selfish pieces of work in the end."<br /><br />I've just rented this British film, which surprisingly, has only just been released in Australia (it was first released as a film in the UK in 2005), and it's about the Rwandan genocide in 1994, where about 800,000 were massacred in just 100 days.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Shooting Dogs</span> (or <span style="font-style:italic;">Beyond the Gates</span>, its American title) is a powerful and very moving film. It was produced by a BBC journalist who was in Rwanda covering the genocide and is based on actual events of how 2500 Tutsi Rwandans were killed in the compound where they were sheltering in with the UN soldiers when they pulled out. <br /><br />I watched <span style="font-style:italic;">Hotel Rwanda</span> when it came out a few years back and somehow I think this movie is much more poignant. It was filmed IN Rwanda for one, unlike <span style="font-style:italic;">Hotel Rwanda</span>, which was shot in South Africa, and used people who were caught up in the genocide.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Hotel Rwanda</span> sort of gave an African point of view of what happened, and the heroism of one individual, while <span style="font-style:italic;">Shooting Dogs</span> really works in encapsulating the lack of action by the UN though the abandonment of the Tutsis in the compound. It's a must-watch:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VN5iVck9dDw&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VN5iVck9dDw&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />I first started reading in detail about the Rwandan genocide when I read the book <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wish-Inform-Tomorrow-Killed-Families/dp/0312243359">We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda</a></span> by Philip Gourevitch probably about eight years ago, and then the book <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Me-Against-My-Brother-Somalia/dp/0415930634/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205725916&sr=1-1">Me Against My Brother: At War in Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda</a></span> by Scott Peterson. Philip Gourevitch's book was the one that really changed my perception of spirituality and my belief in God. I think slowly but surely after that (unlike John Hurt's character in <span style="font-style:italic;">Shooting Dogs</span>) I lost my faith in God and the belief that there is God, that Jesus did exist, that there's Heaven and Earth. I guess I just couldn't believe that such things could happen - and not only that it was happening, that it is happening again and again, after the Holocaust, and now, in <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/africa/2004/sudan/default.stm">Sudan</a> ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-88560843144882402132008-03-03T21:07:00.001+11:002008-03-03T21:13:31.362+11:00Ode on MelancholyThe <a href="http://chronicle.com/temp/reprint.php?id=t5wqrs9hpxt70zjz3bv348pqg1hcxz0r">Ode by John Keats</a> that was mentioned in my previous post:<br /><br />NO, no! go not to Lethe, neither twist<br />Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;<br />Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kist<br />By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;<br />Make not your rosary of yew-berries,<br />Nor let the beetle, nor the death-moth be<br />Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owl<br />A partner in your sorrow's mysteries;<br />For shade to shade will come too drowsily,<br />And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.<br /><br />But when the melancholy fit shall fall<br />Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud,<br />That fosters the droop-headed flowers all,<br />And hides the green hill in an April shroud;<br />Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose,<br />Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave,<br />Or on the wealth of globèd peonies;<br />Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows,<br />Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave,<br />And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.<br /><br />She dwells with Beauty — Beauty that must die;<br />And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips<br />Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,<br />Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:<br />Ay, in the very temple of Delight<br />Veil'd Melancholy has her sovran shrine,<br />Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue<br />Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;<br />His soul shall taste the sadness of her might,<br />And be among her cloudy trophies hung.<br /> — John Keats (The Oxford Book of English Verse:<br />1250-1900, 1919 edition)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-49651405945348328422008-03-03T21:03:00.000+11:002008-03-03T21:05:57.976+11:00Sadness has a direct line to the soul<a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23280466-25192,00.html">One of the best articles</a> I've read in a long long time:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">OURS are ominous times. We are on the verge of eroding away our ozone layer. Within decades we could face severe oceanic flooding. We are close to annihilating hundreds of animal species. Soon our forests will be as bland as pavement. Moreover, we find ourselves on the verge of a new cold war. But there is another threat, perhaps as dangerous: we are eradicating a cultural force, the muse behind much art and poetry and music. We are annihilating melancholia.<br /><br />A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Centre shows that almost 85 per cent of Americans believe that they are very happy or pretty happy. The psychological world is abuzz with a new field, positive psychology, devoted to finding ways to enhance happiness through pleasure, engagement and meaning.<br /><br />What are we to make of this obsession with happiness, an obsession that could well lead to a sudden extinction of the creative impulse, that could result in an extermination as horrible as those foreshadowed by global warming and environmental crisis and nuclear proliferation? What drives this rage for complacency, this desperate contentment? Surely all this happiness can't be for real. How can so many people be happy in the middle of all the problems that beset our globe, not only the collective and apocalyptic ills but also those particular irritations that bedevil our everyday existences?<br /><br />I, for one, am afraid that this overemphasis on happiness at the expense of sadness may be dangerous, a wanton forgetting of an essential part of a full life. I am concerned that to desire only happiness in a world undoubtedly tragic is to become inauthentic, to settle for unrealistic abstractions. I am finally fearful of our society's efforts to expunge melancholia. Without the agitations of the soul, would all of our magnificently yearning towers topple? Would our heart-torn symphonies cease?</span> <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23280466-25192,00.html">MORE</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-58154633598965874082008-02-23T16:58:00.002+11:002008-02-23T17:02:46.304+11:00John Simpson: my favourite journoStumbled across these videos on YouTube. John Simpson interviewed by The Panel on RTE. Assume it was taped in 2006.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Part 1:</span><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y95VwNBQEUM&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y95VwNBQEUM&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Part 2:</span><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HP3zQke-Bdw&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HP3zQke-Bdw&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-74471234945324558282008-02-23T15:58:00.002+11:002008-02-23T16:05:23.120+11:00Even lighter noteSince I've started posting, might as well continue eh? Make up for all those lost months, which frankly, I wish never existed.<br /><br />Anyway, this is the "lighter" note. A cool mime by British comedian David Armand of the song Natalie Imbruglia <span style="font-style:italic;">Torn</span>, with a very special guest ...<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/osnUB9bUm-E&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/osnUB9bUm-E&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-9825443733807792772008-02-23T15:39:00.003+11:002008-02-23T15:44:20.211+11:00On a brighter note ...Here's a cool pic of a house in Ireland:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoenJKSY4TD8IBhuI66z2rzePZ2nakd3rnnwAEoKcL6witoJSHD3R-L7MXslIFVSCDS3tZ_pSquQEzK9g20md2JSiba-V_FUNewPc9nvvJNwsQ8bKNYLEArRfiOsAUf7t6J1gXW0wfNCY/s1600-h/An+Irish+House+On+The+Coast.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoenJKSY4TD8IBhuI66z2rzePZ2nakd3rnnwAEoKcL6witoJSHD3R-L7MXslIFVSCDS3tZ_pSquQEzK9g20md2JSiba-V_FUNewPc9nvvJNwsQ8bKNYLEArRfiOsAUf7t6J1gXW0wfNCY/s400/An+Irish+House+On+The+Coast.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170031858434488722" /></a><br /><br />I wonder how many millions of pounds it costs. Well, you never know I guess ... oh for a place like that ...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-90608441477721451522007-06-16T18:18:00.000+11:002007-06-16T18:32:00.806+11:00Whither AustraliaAn interesting article in the <i>Herald</i> about Australia, its psyche and its position in the world. Definitely worth a read!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcH4Bjqr0X50u0Jtz4jXn_hHAO05EaUzEFcaWxPKz1Wye7VpEla-laKJ1ZJx7EIhDHdZl1FIjUCWn8Hj_DGglRwMwfC3q_jnXqAQg0lKhwNAN40yVnqcr50B4xWGOfX4tDuWM97iFpgk/s1600-h/DSCN0758.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcH4Bjqr0X50u0Jtz4jXn_hHAO05EaUzEFcaWxPKz1Wye7VpEla-laKJ1ZJx7EIhDHdZl1FIjUCWn8Hj_DGglRwMwfC3q_jnXqAQg0lKhwNAN40yVnqcr50B4xWGOfX4tDuWM97iFpgk/s320/DSCN0758.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5076561487324467106" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-country-that-has-stopped-thinking/2007/06/15/1181414542345.html">A country that has stopped thinking</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Prosperity has brought security but also a lack of vision and an absence of courage, write Steve Burrell and staff reporters.<br /><br />Relaxed and comfortable. Or just timid and slow on the uptake? Anaesthetised by the Lucky Country prosperity of a once-in-50-year global resources boom, with leaders who have become frightened to lead, obsessed with cost but often blind to opportunity, Australia is being left behind on things that matter for the future.<br /><br />Whether it's improving broadband speed and access or grasping the huge business opportunities thrown up by the climate-change challenge, we go around in circles - or backwards - as the best of the world moves ahead. The same can be said for capitalising on our innovation, scientific research and development, building world-class infrastructure and improving education, medical services, transport and urban design.<br /><br />We have good ideas, world-class ideas, but too often our best and brightest have to go somewhere else to pursue them. The problem goes deep, with many of its roots in the way we are governed and, perhaps, in the nature of our national character.</span> ... <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-country-that-has-stopped-thinking/2007/06/15/1181414542345.html">more</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-32833741175974514082007-06-12T00:16:00.000+11:002007-06-12T00:22:11.333+11:00Children see, children doI have been seeing this advertisement on TV from Australia's <a href="http://www.napcan.org.au/">National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect</a> (NAPCAN) recently and I think it's really good. Just thought you might like it too:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GVmZXaZZfsI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GVmZXaZZfsI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />NAPCAN says: "NAPCAN's powerful multi-media community service campaign challenges adults to make a positive influence on the lives of children and young people."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-87254283892292576252007-06-11T23:57:00.000+11:002007-06-12T00:02:12.447+11:00Randy Thai sniffer dogs get the sackTwo Thai street mutts who became ace sniffer dogs at an airport near the notorious Golden Triangle opium-producing region have been fired for urinating on luggage and sexually harassing female passengers.<br /><br />The pair, Mok and Lai, had been plucked from obscurity under a program initiated by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to turn strays into police dogs, the <span style="font-style:italic;">Bangkok Post</span> said today.<br /><br />Although they won plaudits from police for their work in sniffing out drugs at northern Thailand's Chiang Rai airport, near the border with Laos and Burma, so many passengers complained about their behaviour they had to be fired.<br /><br />"He liked to pee on luggage while searching for drugs inside," Mok's former handler, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jakapop Kamhon, said. "He also liked to hold on to women's legs."<br /><br />"Both were just as good as foreign dogs trained for use in drug missions," he added. "But they were stray dogs, so their manners were worse than those of foreign breeds."<br /><br />Mok and Lai now work on a farm, herding chickens and pigs, the paper said.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Reuters</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-45391222681223408822007-05-19T13:57:00.000+11:002007-05-19T14:05:45.315+11:00Under the moonlightI have been so entranced by this song featured in the Novetel advert below. There is something romantic and ethereal about the singer's voice that just sends shivers down my spine.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DrnGi_Wiiwo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DrnGi_Wiiwo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Anyway, I did a little bit a of detective work on Google and found out that the singer is Emilie Simon, a 28-year-old French singer/songwriter. Her music, I suppose, is quite typical of the European electronic vocals-type genre. Love her voice, and of course, it does sound even sexier in French!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-331903941196751182007-05-13T18:29:00.000+11:002007-05-13T22:19:02.859+11:00A forgotten populaceThe <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/">Herald</a></span> published a slideshow of the living conditions faced by indigenous Australians just 50 minutes from Cairns. Do have a look at the slideshow and the article that it accompanied. It's shocking to see (but perhaps not surprising?) such third-world poverty in this country.<br /><br />Links<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Article</span>: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/hopes-dreams-lofty-promises/2007/05/12/1178899159711.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1">Hopes, dreams and lofty government promises</a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Slideshow</span>: <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/multimedia/aboriginal/publish_to_web/start.html">Aboriginal Australia</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-39865086842757337082007-05-11T00:58:00.000+11:002007-05-11T02:51:17.040+11:00Bye bye Blair<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7BYJRspK6Maa8oUO1ncwiekcc3360juVK6499WI9vO0j7Yr41YfUjg6e_Kr2rvGeZj6MZEShbY56KIEdKgH8unU_p_8S-_-HJE2vc5Py1aUOfyQJuLnNWrxLJ33O9ZmLqPivcv3QYDM/s1600-h/200751010528_Leo+joy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV7BYJRspK6Maa8oUO1ncwiekcc3360juVK6499WI9vO0j7Yr41YfUjg6e_Kr2rvGeZj6MZEShbY56KIEdKgH8unU_p_8S-_-HJE2vc5Py1aUOfyQJuLnNWrxLJ33O9ZmLqPivcv3QYDM/s400/200751010528_Leo+joy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062956916330388722" /></a><br />In celebration of Tony Blair's 10 years as Prime Minister of Britain, here's a excerpt from a Guardian commentator about him, and two videos.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Getting a laugh out of this prime minister has been like trying to open an oyster with a plastic fork</span><br /><br />Simon Hoggart<br />Thursday May 10, 2007<br />The Guardian <br /><br />... When a new political figure comes on the scene, sketchwriters and cartoonists have the same job. We need to find the key elements, of physical appearance and speech, then exaggerate them to that they become familiar to readers and can be used as a helpful shorthand for drawings and articles. Steve Bell spotted the Blair eyeball, the one mad staring optic, which he seemed to have inherited from Thatcher. The bonkers eye complements the sane one, which roves around the room in a friendly way; meanwhile the angry one is taking names. Alarmingly, the eyes change places; sometimes it's the right which comes at you like a dentist's drill, sometimes the left.<br /><br />I noticed first the verb-free sentences, which he still uses today: "Our people, prosperous and secure. Our children, meeting the challenge ..." These are sentences without real content, expressing vague aspirations rather than real commitments. He might use up to 200 in one speech, making it sound like oratorical Muzak, conveying little but a sense of wellbeing. </span>... Click <a href="http://politics.guardian.co.uk/tonyblair/story/0,,2074980,00.html">HERE</a> for full article<br /><br />Tony Blair's sketch with Catherine Tate for <a href="http://www.comicrelief.com/">Comic Relief 2007</a>:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OrmIxZrVH-w"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/OrmIxZrVH-w" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />A spoof of a Bush-Blair press conference by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/deadringers/">Dead Ringers</a>:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5jxLB6sntSw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5jxLB6sntSw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-46206789525862125782007-04-30T01:14:00.000+11:002007-04-30T01:25:10.757+11:00Wanna be a Brit?There has been talk about establishing a citizenship test in Australia, and the BBC website has published a mock citizenship test in advance of the actual one that will be implemented soon in the UK. Give it a go, it's good fun!<br /><br /><a href="http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4099770.stm">Can you pass a citizenship test?</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCcdWKMx4YDsBQ1qcc4uUioNUMSGSwjoLdbCYcvnLipwBC1Vqklk7E-3Jaev-pjguI9jOJUfltNm08pK1b1HWBOTKx9xQzhcr56S_RvlFWGi1gp785ikivXExP9jtyv4D3Q6vLDT2z54/s1600-h/_40632456_britishness416.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsCcdWKMx4YDsBQ1qcc4uUioNUMSGSwjoLdbCYcvnLipwBC1Vqklk7E-3Jaev-pjguI9jOJUfltNm08pK1b1HWBOTKx9xQzhcr56S_RvlFWGi1gp785ikivXExP9jtyv4D3Q6vLDT2z54/s320/_40632456_britishness416.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058854814540815570" /></a><br /><br />The government is launching the citizenship test for foreigners who want to become British. If you want the passport, then you'll have to read Life in the UK, a special book, and sit a 45-minute test on society, history and culture. But do you know what it is to be British? The following very unofficial questions are based on information in the official book - let's see how well you do... <a href="http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4099770.stm">more</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-51629598192541281442007-04-29T03:40:00.000+11:002007-04-29T11:46:45.639+11:00Glory glory Man United<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLot-RmKQ3h47R4MnrGH9LI8Vf8Z72XwWxZdMRL08JA1iOsjxtNogCO1px721oG7hrCucP0YQoOrOGhw05ZSNs22El3b5zQomK0B1oyvrcrXQDS1PpN4zAd4-1MrFA8pgeW7wx8mb6PEU/s1600-h/manchester_united_1_1600x1200.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLot-RmKQ3h47R4MnrGH9LI8Vf8Z72XwWxZdMRL08JA1iOsjxtNogCO1px721oG7hrCucP0YQoOrOGhw05ZSNs22El3b5zQomK0B1oyvrcrXQDS1PpN4zAd4-1MrFA8pgeW7wx8mb6PEU/s200/manchester_united_1_1600x1200.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058644661791022274" /></a><br />Woo hoo! Just watched the thrilling English Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Goodison Park. It was nerve-wrecking, especially after Man U fell behind 0-2 early in the second half and Chelsea was leading Bolton 2-1. <br /><br />I was watching the game live on FOX Sports and reading the <a href="http://sport.guardian.co.uk/">Guardian minute-by-minute commentary</a> (highly recommended - detailed, entertaining and witty), unable to take my eyes off the screens for the whole 90 minutes (was about 94 minutes actually, with extra time for injury added). <br /><br />For Man U to come back from 0-2 down to win 4-2 speaks volumes for their tenacity and never-say-die attitude. Their win brought them one huge step closing to winning the Premiership, as they are now five points ahead of Chelsea after the Blues' draw with Bolton. <br /><br />There were lots of jokes and puns bandied about as usual. Phil Neville, the former Man U defender who now plays for Everton and is the younger brother of United captain (injured at the moment) Gary, was called Phil "Sleeper Cell" Neville by one of the Guardian's commentators after he scored an own goal, while a FOX Sports commentator said Man U were going "where Eagles dared" when Chris Eagles, a late substitution for Solskjaer, scored their fourth goal in the 92th minute.<br /><br />Anyway, I've been thinking about the song <i>Come On Your Reds</i>, which was sang by the team in 1994. <br /><span style="color : #FF0000;"><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Come On You Reds</span><br />Busby Babes they always made me cry<br />Thinkin' 'bout the teams of years gone by<br />Charlton, Edwards, Law and Georgie Best<br />We're United, you can keep the rest<br /><br />Schmeichel, Parker, Pallister<br />Irwin, Bruce, Sharpe and Ince<br />Hughes, McClair, Keane and Cantona<br />Robson, Kanchelskis and Giggs<br /><br />Come on you reds, come on you reds<br />Just keep your bottle and use your heads<br />For ninety minutes we'll let them know<br />Who's Man United, here we go<br /><br />Come on you reds, come on you reds<br />Just keep your bottle and use your heads<br />For ninety minutes we'll let them know<br />Who's Man United, here we go<br /><br />Glory Glory Man United<br />Glory Glory Man United<br /><br />We'll maintain the status quo<br />We're Man United, here we go<br /><br />So Old Trafford let us hear you loud<br />Cheer us on and we will do you proud<br />Fifty thousand voices sing our song<br />Keep us at the top where we belong<br /><br />So here's to Alex Ferguson<br />He'll take us all the way<br />We're on the road to glory now<br />Winning at home and away<br /><br />Come on you reds, come on you reds<br />Just keep your bottle and use your heads<br />For ninety minutes we'll let them know<br />Who's Man United, here we go<br /><br />Come on you reds, come on you reds<br />Just keep your bottle and use your heads<br />For ninety minutes we'll let them know<br />Who's Man United, here we go<br /><br />Glory Glory Man United<br />Glory Glory Man United<br /><br />We'll maintain the status quo<br />We're Man United, here we go<br /><br />Come on you reds , come on you reds<br />The team that's able to defend their net<br />We won the Doubles we'll let you know<br />We're Man United, here we go<br /><br />Come on you reds, come on you reds<br />Just keep your bottle and use your heads<br />For ninety minutes we'll let them know<br />Who's Man United, here we go<br />Man United, here we go<br />Man United, here we go</span></span><br /><br />Also, with the team trailing 0-1 at the end of the first half, Fergie must have given them the hairdryer treatment, possibly something like this:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IsO5wqipGkI"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IsO5wqipGkI" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><br />Funny eh?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8378773684727893564.post-69877544219119051332007-04-28T21:48:00.001+11:002007-04-28T21:48:50.045+11:00Everyone needs a hero<object classid= "clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="350" height="380" id="nbcsyndplayer"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.nbc.com/Video/export/swf/nbcheroespl.swf?id=2" /><embed src="http://www.nbc.com/Video/export/swf/nbcheroespl.swf?id=2" width="350" height="380" name="nbcsyndplayer" wmode="transparent" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0