tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-99876112011-04-22T10:10:52.492+10:00Yet another attempt to write a journal of my daily dealings.Wnoreply@blogger.comBlogger681100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-4130179118586269912007-11-11T12:11:00.001+11:002007-11-11T15:24:09.584+11:00

In two weeks time today, one way or another I am going to have an immense hangover.If the Coalition retain power I will drink an immense amount of wine, cry, pass out and wake up the next morning in immense pain.If the ALP regain power I will drink an immense amount of wine, run up and down the street cheering, pass out and wake up the next morning in immense pain.Of course if the first scenario

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-29270559716344905182007-11-08T23:34:00.000+11:002007-11-08T23:41:39.190+11:00

Dear Mr. Garrett.I’m not naïve, Peter; I understand contemporary politics requires the sacrifice of one's position on many issues. I understand that, for the greater good, you may need to be silent at times when you would really prefer to speak up. Most importantly, I understand that the Kevin07.com ALP will do anything to win government, even if this means being devoid of perspectives outside

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-7865029342121645062007-11-08T23:25:00.001+11:002007-11-08T23:29:40.730+11:00

Bush clearly paused after he stated that Musharraf can not simultaneously lead the country and military.Is it possible that he has finally grasped irony?If so, I'm nervous - once these machines become self aware that's when the really bad shit happens.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-86368092517209820142007-11-02T23:58:00.001+11:002007-11-02T23:58:41.293+11:00

The great Twitter experiment lasted three days.  It would seem I'm just not cut out for today's ever-evolving set of web-based communications tools.But then this from a person who has 93 odd unread messages—from people I care about—in his gmail.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-21915020259022924172007-09-23T00:17:00.000+10:002007-09-23T00:19:40.949+10:00

One of the most beautiful things I've read in a long time.Almost every night when everyone is asleep, I'll rearrange my son's train tracks. We have wooden tracks, the kind I wish I had when I was a kid. (The secret to buying kids trains is to not worry so much about the trains themselves, but get a good variety of tracks). I sit on the floor in the semi-darkness and try to come up with an

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-9930190649415954992007-07-08T17:53:00.000+10:002007-07-08T18:03:01.844+10:00

I’m sitting directly opposite her, line of sight; the café is almost empty. She’s reading Wallpaper, in front of her sits a book about slow cooking. Two for two. I look up, she’s looking at me, our eyes lock for a second. I thought it was an engaging stare on my behalf, her face, though, said stalker. Still, she persisted, a couple more glances snuck here and there, an operation I too was

Wnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-69730666580390204002007-06-14T00:36:00.000+10:002007-06-14T01:11:58.642+10:00

The Coalition are going to win government later this year. Today was the day I realised this horrible truth.As I watched Howard, Costello and Hockey wave a leaked Australian union manifesto around in question time I realised they've finally worked out how they're going to win.Labor: Truly terrifying, Dark Ages union domination + lack of experience at handling a sophisticated, complex economy ("

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-28087173020528952462007-06-11T19:30:00.000+10:002007-06-14T00:34:52.809+10:00

My second coffee had already arrived when she sat down beside me at the bar. I had already sensed her presence. She was alone, she was close and my peripheral vision told of great beauty.I could feel her looking at me, at the book I was reading, as I too was glancing across from the very corner of my eye to see what she was reading. I sat there trying to concentrate as to how I could interject

Wnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-53576325556146256952007-01-26T18:33:00.000+11:002007-01-26T19:31:59.781+11:00

Australia Day. Clearly important to so many of my countrymen and countrywomen. Just another day off for me.That's not entirely true. While I do use it as a platform for some deserved rest, it is also a day that seems to make me reflect on what I think Australia is, or who we are. I guess I do this because for so much of the year my view of Australians and/or the more abstract Australia, can

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-59771700265360544442006-11-28T18:52:00.000+11:002006-11-29T21:28:38.824+11:00

And so another state election comes and goes. Bracks returns. A Brackslide, as I heard coined. Which is not entirely appropriate as the Brackslide came when he beat Kennett; now he's just riding on the back of a poorly performing and completely impotent opposing party.I don't like the ALP in either federal or state flavours. However, while I have good reason to dislike federal Labor, what's

Wnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1163296396162157302006-11-12T11:12:00.000+11:002006-11-12T12:54:44.140+11:00

You know you're eating well when the experience is such that you can successfully block out a table of drunken racegoers during Spring Carnival in Melbourne.And so it was that I sat with friend in the bistro section of the Hotel Lincoln in Carlton last evening, enjoying smashing food amongst almost unbearable, raucous carry-on. That will learn me for brazenly marching towards a very good venue

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1161703657407275582006-10-25T01:08:00.000+10:002006-10-25T02:00:49.726+10:00

It has indeed been a while since I took a snapshot. Therefore, in brief-Reading: Tokyo Cancelled, Rana Dasgupata; The Justice Game, Geoffrey Robertson; The Kitchen Diaries, Nigel Slater; Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, Fuschia Dunlop. Eating: @ Icebergs, Bondi NSW; @ Ay Oriental Teahouse, South Yarra VIC; fresh cut rocket and herbs from the garden. Drinking: Cape Mentelle Semillon Sauvignon

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1161701783084158442006-10-25T00:31:00.000+10:002006-10-25T00:56:23.146+10:00

An open letter to all domestic and international visitors to Melbourne (entry via air).I'm very sorry.We're all quite embarrassed but you see our state politicians are absolutely useless and, moreover, - following the line of their federal counterparts - unless a service runs at a profit, or the establishment costs can be recovered in days, they won't consider anything so practical.I do realise

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1160666988558411182006-10-13T00:46:00.000+10:002006-10-13T01:29:49.033+10:00

I thoroughly empathise with the anxiety that must sweep over New Yorkers, in particular, on days like today. Given that one just doesn't see planes fly into the side of a building that often and they've now had 3 in the last 5 years, one can acknowedge they're right to be a little edgy.What will never make sense, however, is the overreaction of city, state and federal organisations at these

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1160401271595442962006-10-09T23:34:00.000+10:002006-10-11T23:29:30.970+10:00

"Janette! Janette! The asians have, have blown up a bomb!""Which asians, John?""You know, the bad ones. The ones next to China that wanna pick a fight with George.""Oh.""I'm going to make a statement, Janette.""Now, John. Perhaps you should talk to some people before you run off and do that.""No! No, this is my day! My day! George is sleeping. It's my time to tell the world something!""

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1160318418744057922006-10-09T00:13:00.000+10:002006-10-09T00:40:19.593+10:00

There are many great delights in life. To pick but one, or even a few, out and say they are the greatest of great delights is just wrong. So many things share a place in our hearts as triggers to smiles and warm feelings.I reflected on the above this weekend as several great moments washed over me and I realised how one's spirits can be raised in but the simplest of ways: a warm breeze passing

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1159083893014862702006-09-24T16:35:00.000+10:002006-09-24T18:02:46.063+10:00

It took but a simple sentence."I've been seeing a psychotherapist for the last six months."The wave of anxiety that rolled over me from the other side of the lunch table was almost unbearable.I guess one could expect this sort of reaction from someone that was less familiar, or from someone sheltered to the idea that a human can be fragile and fracture. However, this particular person, the person

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1137475550844890602006-01-17T14:21:00.000+11:002006-01-18T00:23:00.756+11:00

The premier of West Australia, Dr. Geoff Gallop, resigned yesterday, citing depression as the reason.I was overwhelmed by how the event resonated so very deeply with me. Something was triggered. A serious period of introspection followed. 24 hours of internal dialogue, questions and answers. Honest answers that told a great deal about my makeup and state of mind.The product of this exercise was a

Wnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1122219632409331002005-07-25T00:56:00.000+10:002005-07-26T01:41:18.230+10:00

While sifting through my meagre web statistics recently I noted that one of the hits I had received had been via a Google search for Tess Kiros - Tess Kiros of wonderful cookbooks fame.I have thus been inspired to properly recognise Ms. Kiros in a post of her own. She well and truly deserves it and if this post inspires but one reader to buy one of her books I will be happy.Twelve - A Tuscan Cook

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1121782837731351862005-07-19T23:20:00.000+10:002005-07-20T00:20:37.740+10:00

Food and wine culture is very important to me. Very important. I realise that it is not a solution to all the ills of the world, but it is my hobby, my relaxation.It perhaps then goes without saying that I keep a certain amount of information and thoughts that pertain to this culture. One of the more obvious tidbits is a mental list of the culinary highlights of Melbourne, my home city.Given the

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1120745879763514502005-07-07T23:32:00.000+10:002005-07-08T00:17:59.770+10:00

I apologise for this interruption of otherwise wonderful silence from me, but something needs to be said.There's been a terrorist attack in London this morning.And how do you think the media might respond to this? Given they're a well oiled machine when it comes to milking Tragedy's udder until it bleeds it will perhaps come as no surprise to hear that they're tripping over themselves with

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1116916172038573562005-05-24T15:18:00.000+10:002005-05-25T14:50:32.790+10:00

I have been fortunate to have avoided any real sickness or pain in my life, and for this I am extremely thankful. I do not ever take my good health for granted, and do my best, wherever possible, to empathise with those who are ill or generally worse off than me. Bearing all that in mind, and given that I don't have any other real points of reference, I can categorically state that the single

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1111412643814582932005-03-22T00:45:00.000+11:002005-03-22T00:45:24.546+11:00

I was smacked in the face today, coming to the harsh realisation that post-graduate study is not even a remote possibility for me, nor anyone short of the rich. This fills me with rage, sadness, disillusionment, homicidal thoughts and apathy, at once.A couple of years back I was so pleased to find that post-graduate study was a possibility. At the time I was stunned because I thought Howard

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1110802814282785762005-03-14T22:56:00.000+11:002005-03-14T23:21:07.463+11:00

I have no idea how you all do it. Finding time to write, when one has so many other, essential, things to do, seems a near impossibility to me. Thus the deafening silence of late.It would be fair to say I haven't been particularly inspired anyway, but nevertheless I still haven't had the time to put that indifference into glyphs for you all to ingest here.Because this stretch of inactivity

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1110292162818768052005-03-09T01:11:00.000+11:002005-03-09T01:29:22.820+11:00

What makes one a Blog of Note?Unless you author through Blogger you won't know what I am on about here, but for those of you who do, have you ever stopped to wonder whether you will ever be one of the cool kids on this list?Because you've looked at a few of these links in the past and wondered what all the fuss is about, wondered why your amazing journal isn't up there in lights scoring hundreds

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1109601461613996252005-03-01T01:25:00.000+11:002005-03-01T01:37:41.616+11:00

Well, the Academy Awards are just as irrelevant as ever. Thankfully we can all get on with living again now that the stars have shown us how.The following are exceptions to the terribly cynical comment above:Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting RoleCate Blanchett for The Aviator (2004)Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the ScreenEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) -

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1109599378948035822005-03-01T00:27:00.000+11:002005-03-01T01:23:39.230+11:00

Application programming is a most interesting journey.[For me at least] Designing and executing the functioning code of your application, the skeleton, limbs and muscle if you will, is, while perhaps not easy from a technical perspective, a piece of cake insofar as you know what you want and how you want to achieve it. It may take developing new skills, asking for help, years of your time and

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1109430035346484182005-02-27T01:08:00.000+11:002005-02-27T02:06:31.610+11:00

Apologies for the break in transmission. Surprisingly this was not through a dwindling interest in writing but more that I have had to divert considerable time to other pursuits. It was an equation that sooner or later had to be reconciled: when you have so much to do with so little spare time, some routines must sooner or later be put to the side. This is not to say that I did not think about my

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1108996545114198402005-02-22T01:27:00.000+11:002005-02-22T01:35:45.116+11:00

As I read of Ms. Paris Hilton's piece of misfortune in having her T-Mobile Sidekick hacked, and her phonecam photos, address book and notes spread to all corners of the wired universe, I wondered:Does the world need vacuous, mega-rich socialites whose only apparent talent is fucking (poorly, by the look of it) and junketing their way through life?My gut reaction is no. Let's see if a good

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1108564762340887152005-02-17T00:04:00.001+11:002005-02-17T01:39:22.343+11:00

Unsurprisingly, the most horrid of rubbish is circulating through media outlets at the moment with regard to Mamdouh Habib. While I could, at length, take so many of them to task, and further expose both of the major parties for the shortsighted, careless, cave dwellers that they are, I want to very briefly go to what I see as the heart of the matter.The heart of the matter, as I see it, is

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1108389644182823162005-02-15T00:33:00.000+11:002005-02-15T01:00:44.183+11:00

On Lateline this evening, Gore Vidal proposed that the end of the American Empire was nigh but that it would come to a grinding halt at great cost to itself and the world. The end, he elaborated, would come about through the effective bankruptcy of the nation via bankrolling its many [military] theatres in tandem with a general vote of no-confidence in the financial markets of the world.I must

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1108387975162755392005-02-14T23:10:00.000+11:002005-02-15T00:32:55.166+11:00

And so begins the week's transmissions.Apologies. I really do seem to struggle posting on the weekends, but I'm thankful this is the case. Mere years ago I was twiddling my thumbs between the end and beginning of the work weeks, but now, courtesy of the blessing that is my partner, that era has ceased to be. Good riddance to it, I must say.The score, this last weekend, was 3 hits and 1 miss.Hits

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1108045663522894842005-02-11T01:20:00.000+11:002005-02-11T01:27:43.523+11:00

Some time ago I bought a superb book, Sichuan Cookery, written by the very gifted cook, Fuschia Dunlop. It is the defining text on - as you may have guessed - food of the Sichuan province of China. Plainly, if you are a fan of the true Sichuan style or an appreciator of cooking texts that are entirely authentic and without peer, this is the book for you. Sadly, though, painful as it has been, up

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107959853592587962005-02-09T23:49:00.000+11:002005-02-10T01:37:33.593+11:00

In the months preceding our recent Federal election I was very vocal on my position regarding the impending re-election of the ship of fools, saying that I would leave the country if Howard was re-installed as our prime minister. I said it to more than a few people, serious people, people who rely on my word, and now all of them are waiting for an invite to my bon voyage party. I had put this

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107865121638365132005-02-08T22:37:00.000+11:002005-02-08T23:23:18.956+11:00

I am so disinterested in the [very deliberately] pushed theory that our society is more time poor than any other in history and that there is absolutely nothing we can do about it - that it's just the way it is. I despise hearing it, I despise that people buy into it thus perpetuating the myth, and I despise that so many parties profit off that myth, taking our wallets, ruining our diets and

Wnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107784588302958582005-02-07T23:24:00.000+11:002005-02-08T00:56:28.303+11:00

Shall we take bets on how long it will take for the general public to tire of the Cornelia Rau story? Typically I would have written a larger piece about this tale of a grotesque system, but in all honesty I don't have it in me. I've really just lost a little purpose when it comes to dissecting our prevailing culture of carelessness. What use do my words really serve when people don't want to

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107702425277147942005-02-07T02:12:00.000+11:002005-02-07T02:10:06.770+11:00

There are very few people who read this journal; subsequently the following will most likely have very little effect, but let's just imagine it will. Firstly, please ensure you are using a browser from the Mozilla family - Firebird or Firefox will do just fine. Don't argue with me about Internet Explorer; we're in the 00's now. Secondly, install the plug-in, Adblock. This is one of the greater

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107526505559331852005-02-05T01:01:00.000+11:002005-02-05T01:56:49.010+11:00

My favourite acronym - HBO. Curb Your Enthusiasm The Sopranos Six Feet Under Carnivàle And now Unscripted. I've just watched the first couple of episodes and already you can see the hallmarks of a group that let creative people make peerless television. Brilliant. If you were an individual, and not an entity, I'd kiss you.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107442314980099862005-02-03T23:30:00.000+11:002005-02-05T00:57:26.490+11:00

Australia produces very fine wine; fine wine that stands well on the world stage and deservedly takes its share of international awards and repute. However, to say we lead the world, or to say that our success overseas is an unbeatable challenge to the local winemakers of America and Europe is absolute rubbish, and a myth that I am quick to do my part in dispelling. It is true that we hold some

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107352790834719312005-02-03T01:23:00.000+11:002005-02-03T00:59:50.833+11:00

I made somewhat of a deal with myself when I started this journal that I would post at least once a day. The idea being that since this was an exercise in keeping my writing hand free and easy it should not matter what came out as long as something came out. I still, generally, support this idea, however days like today conspire against me. Melbourne, for those of you who do not live here, has

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107264319891022802005-02-02T01:10:00.000+11:002005-02-02T00:28:00.316+11:00

One of Myer's latest advertisements, found on the first spread of The Age Melbourne Magazine, features a delightfully vacant twat strutting down an urban street, not a care in the world, almost weighed down by her capacious shopping bag. The copy reads:Winter 2005 is all about me.Well, it has been a hard summer, so you really do deserve winter to be all about you. The tsunami, among other

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107180722609624452005-02-01T01:16:00.000+11:002005-02-01T01:12:02.610+11:00

There is a great temptation within me tonight to spout forth a highly negative post about the current state of affairs home and abroad. However, I am going to restrain myself. No. No, I'm sorry, I can't. Stop provoking me. I am just not prepared to go to any length to explain how deeply depressed I am at the Australian public's choice of leader, and how after this many elections John Howard

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1107066800700036792005-01-31T00:09:00.000+11:002005-01-31T00:06:34.213+11:00

With a tip of the cap to Jason, I now have a page tracking the movies I take in, briefly highlighting when I saw them and what I thought. You can find a link to said page on the sidebar to the right under the snappily titled section, Perma Lint.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106972855233158102005-01-29T15:13:00.000+11:002005-01-29T15:54:52.936+11:00

I'm not going to donate a great deal of my time to dissecting this abomination. I really just want to warn you. This would have to be one of the poorer excuses for screenwriting I have seen in years. This coupled with actors who should know better, who somewhere along the line realised they should have known better and consequently became incredibly self-conscious, made for a horrid viewing

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106836989861490832005-01-28T01:48:00.000+11:002005-01-28T01:44:20.923+11:00

Referring to the post below, the way one copes with such dark and stormy periods is to think of the things that makes one's heart sing.her giggle agedashi dofu the approach into a new city by air pinot noir appreciation northerly winds in summer laps in calm seas and bodysurfing in wild seas Manhattan photosynthesis building without errors smoking once-annual cigarettes in low-rent bars in

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106835019388490452005-01-28T01:32:00.000+11:002005-01-28T01:45:03.796+11:00

I have had a day of extremely dark thoughts rushing through my mind at a million miles an hour. One of those days that I could not shake the terribly negative perspective that our direction, the world's direction, is inevitably fatal. Fear is a powerful motivator for conservatism and self interest. I don't know whether the majority will ever understand that this equation has shaped, and will

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106750746786511142005-01-27T01:38:00.000+11:002005-01-27T01:45:46.786+11:00

I note in the paper today that one can now subject themselves to an X, XX, XXX or XXXX Brazilian wax. I know, I'm just as gobsmacked as you are. For it is not every day that your long held belief that a Brazilian was a Brazilian was a Brazilian is shattered, that you realise there have been some serious advancements made in the field of hair removal and no one was so kind as to inform you. But

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106664213134546012005-01-26T01:13:00.000+11:002005-01-26T02:11:00.676+11:00

Today is an interesting day, for it sees the deletion of my blog.daily folder in Mozilla. A folder that is around 6 years old and has, until today, held links to all the personal blogs that I have read frequently during that period. In the beginning, as you may suspect, it was jam packed, taking the better part of a couple of hours to get through, digesting the happenings of many globally

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106577309719601172005-01-24T23:46:00.000+11:002005-01-25T01:35:09.720+11:00

Andrew McConnell. Melbourne's best. This is my call and I stand by it. Well, it's unfair to say best. Perhaps my favourite, is the better way to put it. Teage Ezard, the 3 muskateers at Becco, Michael Darmanin, Robert Castellani and Paul Wilson, they're certainly up there on my hit list of champions, to be sure. McConnell, though. He's something else. Consider the 'ography: Diningroom 211

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106489627581238032005-01-24T01:50:00.000+11:002005-01-24T01:13:47.580+11:00

Free music. Free music weblogs. Where have you been all my life? This weekend, with the help of ipodlounge, Jeff Veen and wget I have gained access to, what I suspect is, terabytes of free, legal, music. I can't believe I've napped through this revolution.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106487992662951632005-01-24T01:16:00.000+11:002005-01-24T00:46:32.663+11:00

It was a lazy dog dangling kind of day today, so I broke the no-TV-during-the-day rule I often hold myself to and watched the tennis. Unfortunately, though, while the ballwork was great, I was to be punished for this indulgence. At the end of the broadcast I was not fast enough off the mark to change the channel and avoid witnessing the opening headlines of the commercial news. One of said

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106234202408713222005-01-21T01:26:00.000+11:002005-01-21T02:16:42.406+11:00

I very briefly want to point out the obvious: not all cyclists are rule-flouting danger mice, and not all motorists are ignorant, aggressive robots. The problem is that on both sides there are seriously offensive individuals who make things very difficult for all of us. Cyclists who break the road rules, fail to wear helmets and ride without lights at night, irritate motorists. This then very

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106147533002257362005-01-20T02:11:00.000+11:002005-01-20T02:12:13.003+11:00

On a lighter note... The Airbus A380 is, truly, a sublime aircraft. I can actually say I'm looking forward to sharing a long-haul flight with 800 odd other people. Well, that's not entirely the truth, I can only say I look forward to sharing the business class cabins with about a half dozen other people. Economy on this puppy will surely be something like being chained to a rack in the bowels of

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106144353940615252005-01-20T01:30:00.003+11:002005-01-20T01:25:44.943+11:00

For the 3 millionth time I have pressed the wrong key combination and wiped out a post, in this case a very long, eloquent piece on Australian politics. Blogger you're an angel, but, FUCK. How about some JavaScript that catches your keystrokes and warns you before you go backwards and lose your brain dump? Anyway, I'm not writing it again. I've made a rule that if something doesn't seem to want

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105974453165879832005-01-17T23:51:00.000+11:002005-01-18T02:07:33.166+11:00

What is it about the blogs that you visit regularly? Why do you return over and over? Can you define what interests you about the writing? Is it some kind of ritual? Are you living vicariously through the writer? Do you see undeniable commonalities between the two of you? Do you have a love-hate relationship? From the perspective of this host, I am primarily producing this journal to exercise my

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105883076547874062005-01-17T01:48:00.000+11:002005-01-17T00:45:12.346+11:00

I've been saying it for a while: Heathcote shiraz is the real deal. Sure, the Barossa Valley - the big name in Shiraz for this country - produces some lovely wine, and I'm as guilty as the next for selling family members into indentured servitude for a bottle of Rockford Basket Press. But, for mine, the best comes from elsewhere. My love for Heathcote shiraz germinated from a bottle of Occam's

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105537103090076202005-01-13T01:22:00.000+11:002005-01-13T00:38:23.090+11:00

Gelato. Summer. Cutest girls that you will ever see behind a counter. Iced Vovo and Violet Rumble. Chocolate fountain. Strangely erotic doof doof playing while aforementioned cute girls scoop for you. Complete satisfaction. Gold mine. Trampoline - 381 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, VIC, Australia.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105535437691167822005-01-12T23:45:00.000+11:002005-01-13T00:12:03.576+11:00

Macworld SF 2005. The rumour mills got it right. Amazing. Proves that my theory of journalists in these types of situations using 'an anonymous source' as a means to pad copy and collect their cheque is not always a given. Seriously, if you're not using an Apple by the end of 2005, what's wrong with you? The very fact you're reading online journals indicates you are at least somewhat enlightened

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105456563720908312005-01-12T01:16:00.000+11:002005-01-12T02:16:03.720+11:00

At the risk of experiencing immeasurable wrath, I have something controversial to put to you. Society, or if I was to be incredibly cynical, civilised society, is giving so generously to Asia at the moment to appease their guilt about their own self-interest, greed and neglect of fellow humankind. We know that we carefully craft our lives to benefit ourselves and our very immediate

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105366747014963712005-01-11T01:43:00.000+11:002005-01-11T01:19:44.163+11:00

Steve Jobs, what are you pulling out of your hat hey presto today? Has a brush with death pushed you to a greatness beyond your usual, almost-boundless, vision and now is the time to unveil the bi-product? I'm all up for a little flash iPod, Sir. I can't quite justify the bigger brother HD based pods, but a small, cheap outlet for my Pixies and Miles Davis would be just so right. Not to mention

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105364515440548322005-01-11T01:02:00.000+11:002005-01-11T00:41:55.440+11:00

Webcams that beam realtime images from locations around the world often bring about feelings of great sadness in me. Sadness because I want to be here, there and everywhere else, NOW. This is an, at best, ridiculous and, at worst, grossly unfair response to have when one considers that with continued good fortune, and the world remaining in a reasonable state of balance, I will get to wherever I

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105277797996934272005-01-09T23:59:00.000+11:002005-01-10T01:32:25.880+11:00

1 fresh fillet of fish 1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced into 1-2mm discs 2-3cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced into discs 1 tbsp spring onion (green shallot) sliced diagonally sauce 2 tbsp light soy 1 tsp palm or brown sugar splash of sesame oil (this sauce can easily be substituted for a good fish sauce from your Asian grocer. When I say fish sauce I don't mean Thai fish sauce, but a specific sauce

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105275461351722722005-01-09T23:45:00.000+11:002005-01-09T23:57:41.350+11:00

There may be few things more invigorating than a dip in the salty expanse of a natural body of water. Partner and self have a pact this summer to head down to the water whenever the temperature is remotely near warm. Today was just such a day. I love to bob up and down with the chop that comes off the bay with the blusterly afternoon southerly. There's something unbeatably meditative about

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105106174978720762005-01-08T01:50:00.000+11:002005-01-08T00:56:14.980+11:00

I just wrote a snappy little bite on Un long dimanche de fiançailles and through some bizarre set of keystrokes managed to wipe it out. The problem you see, is that at my place of employment I use Windows and at home I use Mac - the control key on those machines do very separate things. Alas, no thoughts on the latest delectable Tautou/Jeunet rise and fall heartstring-puller. Four stars from me,

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105022950325534132005-01-07T01:50:00.000+11:002005-01-07T01:56:22.266+11:00

The reason my past experiences in blogging have not succeeded, I believe, is simply because it can be a lonely pursuit and that when that is the case, eventually, the returning silence drowns you. You're one of millions in a world where everyone wants to be heard, and you're no more special than the next. The chances of you pulling in a regular crowd lessen as each day passes by and Blogger signs

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105019507827199762005-01-07T01:26:00.000+11:002005-01-07T00:51:47.826+11:00

I'm usually pretty quick on these things, but I just wasn't paying attention to the hubbub regarding Chloe Sevigny gobbling up Vincent Gallo's babymaker on film. Typically the way I came to realise the gravity of this situation was via stumbling into a series of images of said scene. You can not tell me that Gallo did not have a driving desire to get Sevigny on her knees and deliberately went

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1105017816359200422005-01-07T01:20:00.001+11:002005-01-07T00:23:36.360+11:00

Just keeps getting easier and easier to publish your thoughts, doesn't it? I guess with that comes a whole lot of thoughts that don't need to be heard, perhaps. Perhaps I will be part of that mess. I believe it took me all of 3 minutes to set up this site. Boy. Now, what to write.

Wnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9987611.post-1106975107683168622005-01-01T00:00:00.000+11:002005-03-14T22:53:06.923+11:00

(ratings are based on the simple 5 star system, with a hypen for no score)Hollywood EndingMarch 2005*½Bride and PrejudiceMarch 2005**Vera DrakeMarch 2005****½Aviator, TheFebruary 2005****SidewaysFebruary 2005****Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement)January 2005****½Garden StateJanuary 2005****Incredibles, TheJanuary 2005****CloserJanuary 2005*

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