Monday, August 31, 2009

Top Ten Quotes that make me Wary

(note: most of these notes are written in sarcasm and thus not to be taken literally.)

1. Trust me I know what I'm doing.
(Actions speak louder than words. And unfortunately when defensive phrases get used, invariably its done as part of a scam. This phrase is deeply burnt into my sub-conscious after it was repeated to me in a series of fucking unmitigated disasters by a confident person.

2. You're doing this for God.
(When I hear this phrase, I think of the Children's Crusades)

3. This time its different.
(I heard this phrase during the dot.com boom. I believed in it at the time)

4. The leaders know what they are doing.
(Leaders who are especially confident and hate criticism... somehow they remind me of Hitler, a real success story in 1940.)

5. Don't worry, it should go OK.
(I'm worried because you've just jinxed us.)

6. What else could go wrong?
(After successfully completing a big sale a few years back, I was overawed by the success, I smiled, "Perfect, what else could go wrong?" A lot, apparently.

7. Thus saith the Lord...
(This makes me flinch. Its used too often in church history for dubious purposes. Read the Crusades.)

8. Trust your gut feeling.
(Its magical when it works, like astrology and fortune telling.)

9. You're not trying hard enough.
(Or perhaps the plan sucks? No, really. I think of Hitler exhorting his men to fight harder.)

10. Its a good learning experience.
(Like the Battle of Passchendaele. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that enthusiasm probably won't stop machine gun bullets, but I guess its worth giving it a shot.)




Top Ten Quotes that make me Wary

(note: most of these notes are written in sarcasm and thus not to be taken literally.)

1. Trust me I know what I'm doing.
(Actions speak louder than words. And unfortunately when defensive phrases get used, invariably its done as part of a scam. This phrase is deeply burnt into my sub-conscious after it was repeated to me in a series of fucking unmitigated disasters by a confident person many years ago. The first time I heard it I was wary, the subsequent times only brought about an increasing sense of revulsion and dread. Oh no, not again.)

2. You're doing this for God.
(A simple "Please" might suffice. When I hear this phrase, I think of the Children's Crusades. I really don't like it when people over-spiritualise.)

3. This time its different.
(I heard this phrase during the dot.com boom, I believed it and got screwed. The next time I heard this phrase being bandied about, I sold out of the market, bought puts and made a small fortune.)

4. The leaders know what they are doing.
(Leaders who are especially confident and hate criticism... somehow they remind me of Hitler, a real success story in 1940. Pity about 1945.)

5. Don't worry, it should go OK.
(I'm worried because you've just jinxed us.)

6. Success!!! What else could go wrong?
(After successfully completing a big sale a few years back, I was overawed by the success, I smiled, "Perfect, what else could go wrong?" A @#$ing lot, apparently. But after reading Bible/Luke 12:16 - 20, I think that I got off quite lightly.)

7. Thus saith the Lord...
(This makes me flinch. Its used too often in church history for dubious purposes. Read the Crusades.)

8. Trust your gut feeling.
(Its magical when it works, like astrology and fortune telling, pity about the times it doesn't.)

9. You're not trying hard enough.
(Or perhaps the plan sucks? No, really. I think of Kitchner, Hitler or Tojo exhorting their men to fight harder.)

10. Its a good learning experience.
(Like the WW1 Battle of Passchendaele. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that enthusiasm probably won't stop machine gun bullets, but I guess its worth givin it a shot.)

10a. Its unsinkable. Totally safe.
(Think Titanic)


Sunday, August 30, 2009

Top Ten Quotes that make me Wary

(note: most of these notes are written in sarcasm and thus not to be taken literally.)

1. Trust me I know what I'm doing.
(Actions speak louder than words. And unfortunately when defensive phrases get used, invariably its done as part of a scam. This phrase is deeply burnt into my sub-conscious after it was repeated to me in a series of fucking unmitigated disasters by a confident person.

2. You're doing this for God.
(When I hear this phrase, I think of the Children's Crusades)

3. This time its different.
(I heard this phrase during the dot.com boom. I believed in it at the time)

4. The leaders know what they are doing.
(Leaders who are especially confident and hate criticism... somehow they remind me of Hitler, a real success story in 1940.)

5. Don't worry, it should go OK.
(I'm worried because you've just jinxed us.)

6. What else could go wrong?
(After successfully completing a big sale a few years back, I was overawed by the success, I smiled, "Perfect, what else could go wrong?" A lot, apparently.

7. Thus saith the Lord...
(This makes me flinch. Its used too often in church history for dubious purposes. Read the Crusades.)

8. Trust your gut feeling.
(Its magical when it works, like astrology and fortune telling.)

9. You're not trying hard enough.
(Or perhaps the plan sucks? No, really. I think of Hitler exhorting his men to fight harder.)

10. Its a good learning experience.
(Like the Battle of Passchendaele. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that enthusiasm probably won't stop machine gun bullets, but I guess its worth giving it a shot.)



Friday, August 28, 2009

Beware of joining Equillibrium Gym or small gyms

I just got an SMS from the Equilibrium gym asking me to join and get free useless crap. And so I thought its worth mentioning my past experience with them...

I'd caution anyone thinking of joining these small boutique gyms like Equilibrium etc.. They frequently offer 1 month free gym fees - but slug you into a 12 month or 24 month contract which you can't get out of even if you get eaten by Godzilla. Payment is usually deducted from your credit card account directly. Meaning, even if you lost or change your credit card - the deduction will continue irregardless.

The payments are also deducted using a 3rd party broker - meaning, you won't see "GYM X is deducting xxx amount" from your account. In this case of Equillibrium they used a company that was similar to my phone company details - which lead to a lot of confusion.

These small gyms also do not issue out warning letters to its clients who have stopped coming - in fact, once the contract is set in - they really don't care whether you come or not. You could be dead or stuck on a remote island- but so long as the credit card is stocked with cash - the deductions will carry on. They don't care.

Even after the contract has ended, canceling the membership is harder than getting out of the Hotel California. Two years ago when I left for a long overseas trip I sent a letter to the gym to cancel the contract. Apparently, that's an invalid method. According to the fine print in the contract. you have to personally show up at the bloody gym and speak to the manager to "discuss your reasons for quiting".

You can imagine my surprise when I found deductions were still carrying on 1 year later. Why? Because I had to personally see the manager and please explain.

Anyways, its a good point to study the contract carefully and read your credit card statements just as carefully. Its not always good to assume things - esp. over contracts.

Beware of joining Equillibrium Gym or small gyms

I just got an SMS from the Equilibrium gym asking me to join and get free useless crap. And so I thought its worth mentioning my past experience with them...

I'd caution anyone thinking of joining these small boutique gyms like Equilibrium etc.. They frequently offer 1 month free gym fees - but slug you into a 12 month or 24 month contract which you can't get out of even if you get eaten by Godzilla. Payment is usually deducted from your credit card account directly. Meaning, even if you lost or change your credit card - the deduction will continue irregardless.

The payments are also deducted using a 3rd party broker - meaning, you won't see "GYM X is deducting xxx amount" from your account. In this case of Equillibrium they used a company that was similar to my phone company details - which lead to a lot of confusion.

These small gyms also do not issue out warning letters to its clients who have stopped coming - in fact, once the contract is set in - they really don't care whether you come or not. You could be dead or stuck on a remote island- but so long as the credit card is stocked with cash - the deductions will carry on. They don't care.

Even after the contract has ended, canceling the membership is harder than getting out of the Hotel California. Two years ago when I left for a long overseas trip I sent a letter to the gym to cancel the contract. Apparently, that's an invalid method. According to the fine print in the contract. you have to personally show up at the bloody gym and speak to the manager to "discuss your reasons for quiting".

You can imagine my surprise when I found deductions were still carrying on 1 year later. Why? Because I had to personally see the manager and please explain.

Anyways, its a good point to study the contract carefully and read your credit card statements just as carefully. Its not always good to assume things - esp. over contracts.

The driver who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is dead

Edward "Ted" M. Kennedy a US politician is dead. To some on the left - he was a great politician, a gifted orator, a great American.

To me he was the driver who ended the life of beautiful girl Mary Jo Kopechne in a car accident off the Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick.

Kennedy had attended an all girl party on July 18, 1969 and left with the pretty Mary Jo.

He drove off the side of a bridge doing 20MPH. The car came to rest in under 6 - 8 feet of water (roughly 2 metres). He swam out leaving her behind. Kennedy claims he made several attempts at rescuing her.

Mary Jo apparently survived the crash but was trapped inside the car.

Failing that, he walked back to the party to get his friends to help.

For some reason, as Kennedy left the accident scene, he didn't bother knocking on nearby houses and calling for help or the police. Neither did his friends apparently.

Kennedy and friends claimed they couldn't swim into the low submerged car lying under about 2m of water. They gave up after a few tries. Curiously Kennedy did find the strength to swim across the channel back to his hotel. Exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep but he did find the time to make a complaint a noisy party next door.

Next morning, he woke up - chatted with people about a sailing race and had a good breakfast. And he's still not called the police or told anyone else about the crash.

Meanwhile, local residents discovered the submerged car and a diver found Mary Jo Kopechne's body still trapped inside. He said she could have been alive for 2 hours.

The judge gave him a suspended 2 month sentence. Strangely, no autopsy was performed on Mary Jo's body despite blood being found on her skirt.

Kennedy asked his electorate, the people of Massachusetts, whether he should resign. He went on to win the re-election with 62% of the vote which only goes to show that democracy is over rated.

Mary Jo Kopechne's parents used the money they had been saving for her wedding day for her funeral. She was their only child.

This is so fubar.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Follow the Heron home by Karine Polwart

The back of the winter is broken
And light lingers long by the door
And the seeds of the summer have spoken
In gowans that bloom on the shore

Chorus
By night and day we’ll sport and we’ll play
And delight as the dawn dances over the bay
Sleep blows the breath of the morning away
And we follow the heron home

In darkness we cradled our sorrow
And stoked all our fires with fear
Now these bones that lie empty and hollow
Are ready for gladness to cheer


CHORUS

So long may you sing of the salmon
And the snow scented sounds of your home
While the north wind delivers its sermon
Of ice and salt water and stone


by Karine Polwart from her album "Scribbled in Chalk : buy it here.

The driver who killed Mary Jo Kopechne is dead

Edward "Ted" M. Kennedy a US politician is dead. To some on the left - he was a great politician, a gifted orator, a great American.

To me he was the driver who ended the life of beautiful girl Mary Jo Kopechne in a car accident off the Massachusetts island of Chappaquiddick.

Kennedy had attended an all girl party on July 18, 1969 and left with the pretty Mary Jo.

He drove off the side of a bridge doing 20MPH. The car came to rest in under 6 - 8 feet of water (roughly 2 metres). He swam out leaving her behind. Kennedy claims he made several attempts at rescuing her.

Mary Jo apparently survived the crash but was trapped inside the car.

Failing that, he walked back to the party to get his friends to help.

For some reason, as Kennedy left the accident scene, he didn't bother knocking on nearby houses and calling for help or the police. Neither did his friends apparently.

Kennedy and friends claimed they couldn't swim into the low submerged car lying under about 2m of water. They gave up after a few tries. Curiously Kennedy did find the strength to swim across the channel back to his hotel. Exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep but he did find the time to make a complaint a noisy party next door.

Next morning, he woke up - chatted with people about a sailing race and had a good breakfast. And he's still not called the police or told anyone else about the crash.

Meanwhile, local residents discovered the submerged car and a diver found Mary Jo Kopechne's body still trapped inside. He said she could have been alive for 2 hours.

The judge gave him a suspended 2 month sentence. Strangely, no autopsy was performed on Mary Jo's body despite blood being found on her skirt.

Kennedy asked his electorate, the people of Massachusetts, whether he should resign. He went on to win the re-election with 62% of the vote which only goes to show that democracy is over rated.

Mary Jo Kopechne's parents used the money they had been saving for her wedding day for her funeral. She was their only child.

This is so fubar.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

Facebook Fail - things not to do on facebook


fail owned pwned pictures
see more Fail BlogThis serves as a good warning to people about sending messages via the internet...

Saturday, August 22, 2009

All my possessions for a moment of time

"All my possessions for a moment of time" - apparently the last words spoken by Queen Elizabeth 1st of England as she lay dying.

(Meaning - she wished she could exchange all her worldly possessions for a brief moment of time.)

Studying her history, I think she said it with a hint of irony or just for dramatic effect, and not in desperation. Like King Canute - she was playing around with words. Perhaps trying to find a Shakespearean phrase as her life was ending?


Or perhaps she was fearful of death. Of what awaited her in the next life? In that realm she was no longer a ruler but a subject - and would face a certain judgement of which she no doubt felt some unease.
 


Who knows?

I think of all the Queen Elizabeth 1st production - the one I love the best is the one done by Helen Mirren. Her acting was sheer brilliance. And her chemistry with Jeremy Irons playing the Earl of Leicester was simply perfect. Watch her as she switches from anger upon learning about the execution of Mary Queen of Scots to a mortified repentant as she prays for forgiveness.Sheer brilliance.

She has such incredible screen presence that you could feel the sheer venom emanating from her rage. Another actor who is just as good is Daniel Day Lewis in "There will be Blood".

I wrote this poem about what Queen E may have been thinking.

All my possessions for a moment of your time
A moment to reflect
A moment to ponder
A moment to weep for what was lost

All my possessions for a moment of your time
A time long gone
A lover that will not love back
A moment lost forever

All my possessions are useless to me
My gold, my silver, my palatial palaces
They cannot love me
They cannot return your affection

I would trade all my possessions
To hear your voice kindly call out my name again
To feel the touch of your hand
To sleep on the warmth of your chest.

No more. No more.
You are gone.
Dust.
And all I have are my possessions.
Yauming Chiam July 2013.













Friday, August 21, 2009

Windy Cindy

Its terribly windy now. The wind is simply howling!!!! The roof is rattling. House and car alarms are going off.

Feels like a hurricane a little bit.

Ten things about Yau-ming

1. I don't like reality tv generally speaking. I dislike the endless navel grazing and the faux psychologist analyzing behavior. I can't stand shows like Big Brother or the American Idol shows... unless... it involves a bevy of very pretty young charming women like Brooke Burke. I'd watch that for a while. I also don't mind watching reality tv shows where men or women are doing extremely hard or strenous activties like the Tough Guy Race. But not freak shows. I've got time to watch a military recruit training program but watching a bunch of fat obese people trying to do an obstacle course, that's just plain pathetic.

2. I'm partially deaf. When I was a child, my Chinese language teacher at ACS twisted my ears so hard that my ear bone snapped. Now I have trouble hearing low frequency sounds. If a person with a low voice is trying to talk to me and there's background noise, I find it painfully hard to hear.

3. I wish I could speak more than one language fluently. I'd like to speak French like how the French Foreign Legion soldiers speak French.

4. I had few friends in my childhood and high school was pure hell. I couldn't get along with people. I blame my wacky upbringing and the crazy logic my mildly sadistic parents instilled in me. And it didn't help that I was surrounded by a bunch of really arrogant screwed up classmates whose sole pleasure in life was to make my day miserable.

5. My sister and I share the same sense of humor. When we were kids we attended a modern gallery art exhibit and laughed so hard we started to cry. They kicked us out 3 times. I rarely have any disagreements with her.

6. I intensely distrust people who can't control their temper. People who fly into a rage of fury - especially for very trivial reasons - really upsets me. They remind me of my parents. If you're reading this, and wondering why our friendship has grown cold, this may be the reason.

7. I deal with a lot of my problems through sarcasm. I like clever quirky humor. Example, Wes Anderson's films - Royal Tenenbuams, Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited and most of South Park episodes.

8. I'd like to get buried at sea in the deepest part of the ocean. Read Psalm 139:9. The land is for the living. I think of cemetries, esp. Chinese cemetries, as a waste of space.

9. I despise obsessive gamblers. Gambling is like flushing money down the drain. Why can't they use the money productively and constructive like insulating the house, education, etc.. It serves no purpose except fueling the person's greed and pride. Its obviously a mental affliction and they should be incarcerated.

10. I believe in capital punishment and longer sentences for criminals. Society and the lives of innocent people should be protected from criminals, not the other way around. I despise the Australian and British criminal justice system. But you probably knew that. So...

10a. I think that too many Christians are hypocrites. You probably knew that already...

10b. I think it would be really cool to reverse the flow of rivers in Australia and build a massive inland sea in the heart of Australia. But that's a thot, it shouldn't count.

10c. I would not be surprised if I was the reincarnation of a Japanese fighter pilot who died in WW2 even though I don't subscribe to that brand of theology.
http://ymchiam.multiply.com/photos/album/76/Black_and_Whites#1




Thursday, August 20, 2009

I really hate bad tempered people

The man ought to be canned with a long rotan until his spirit breaks and he dies. He should be shown no mercy by the courts.

And who the hell taught the woman to submit to her husband when he turns violent? Damn the @#$% @#$%%@%@$@ idiot who taught this lesson.


*******

THE father of three siblings found murdered in their home was a violent man who repeatedly bashed his wife and daughters, a court has been told.

Giving evidence in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, Shirley Singh said her husband Vijay was a quick-tempered man who used his fists when he was angry.
Mrs Singh told the court her husband had physically assaulted her by punching her in the face on about 50 occasions during their 25-year marriage.
Mrs Singh gave her testimony on the sixth day of the committal hearing for Max Sica, who is accused of killing her three children.
Neelma Singh, 24, and her siblings Kunal Singh, 18, and Sidhi Singh, 12, were found dead in their home in the outer Brisbane suburb of Bridgeman Downs in April 2003.
Sica, 39, has been charged with their murder.

I really hate bad tempered people

The man ought to be canned with a long rotan until his spirit breaks and he dies. He should be shown no mercy by the courts.

And who the hell taught the woman to submit to her husband when he turns violent? Damn the @#$% @#$%%@%@$@ idiot who taught this lesson.


*******

THE father of three siblings found murdered in their home was a violent man who repeatedly bashed his wife and daughters, a court has been told.

Giving evidence in the Brisbane Magistrates Court today, Shirley Singh said her husband Vijay was a quick-tempered man who used his fists when he was angry.

Mrs Singh told the court her husband had physically assaulted her by punching her in the face on about 50 occasions during their 25-year marriage.

However, she said she believed it was the duty of an obedient wife to accept this violence.

"If you have 50 incidents during your marriage it's not a big deal," she said.

Mrs Singh gave her testimony on the sixth day of the committal hearing for Max Sica, who is accused of killing her three children.

Neelma Singh, 24, and her siblings Kunal Singh, 18, and Sidhi Singh, 12, were found dead in their home in the outer Brisbane suburb of Bridgeman Downs in April 2003.

Sica, 39, has been charged with their murder.

Twenty things about me

I wrote this back in 2009. I still am the same. I added 10 more.

1. I don't like reality tv - esp the shock and horror variety - where they placed a screaming woman into a tank being filled with snakes. I dislike the endless navel grazing and the faux psychologist analyzing behavior. I can't stand shows like Big Brother or the American Idol shows... unless... it involves a bevy of very pretty young charming women like Brooke Burke. :D Easy on the eyes. I also don't mind watching reality tv shows where healthy fit men or women are doing extremely hard or strenuous tasks like the Tough Guy Race.
But not freak or horror shows, that's just plain pathetic.


2. I'm partially deaf. When I was a child, my Chinese language teacher at ACS twisted my ears so hard that something snapped - I think it was my inner ear bones. And she did it at least twice. Those CL teachers were really bitter and wicked. Now I have serious trouble hearing low frequency sounds. If a person with a low voice is trying to talk to me and there's background noise, I find it painfully hard to hear. 

3. I wish I could speak more than one language fluently. I'd like to speak French like how the French Foreign Legion soldiers speak French. I need to brush up on my Mandarin.

4. Although I can be extrovert at times - I can also be a terrible introvert. I had practically zero friends in my childhood and high school was pure hell. I just wasn't interested in soccer and was totally oblivious to the politics of school life. I blame my wacky upbringing and the crazy logic my mildly sadistic family instilled in me. And it didn't help that I was surrounded by a bunch of really arrogant screwed up classmates whose sole pleasure in life was to make my day miserable.

5. My sister and I share the same sense of humor. When we were kids we attended a modern gallery art exhibit and laughed so hard we started to cry. We had to leave 3 times. I rarely have any disagreements with her.

6. I intensely distrust people who can't control their temper. People who fly into a rage of fury - especially for very trivial reasons - really upset me. They remind me of my parents. If you're reading this, and wondering why our friendship has grown cold, this may be the reason.

7. I deal with a lot of my problems through sarcasm. I like clever quirky humor. Example, Wes Anderson's films - Royal Tenenbuams, Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited and most of South Park episodes.

8. I'd like to get buried at sea in the deepest part of the ocean. Read Psalm 139:9. The land is for the living. I think of cemeteries, esp. Chinese cemeteries, as a waste of space.

9. I despise obsessive gamblers. Gambling is like flushing money down the drain. Why can't they use the money productively and constructive like insulating the house, education, etc.. It serves no purpose except fueling the person's greed and pride. Its obviously a mental affliction and they should be incarcerated.

10. I believe in capital punishment and longer sentences for violent criminals. Society and the lives of innocent people should be protected from criminals, not the other way around. I despise the Australian and British criminal justice system. Rapist should be executed on the spot if they are caught in the act.

 
11. I think that too many Christians are hypocrites. You probably knew that already...

12. I haven't aged since I turned 30; in fact on some days I seem to look younger for some reason. My abs are starting to show prominently again. I feel like I'm reverse aging.

13. I maybe a reincarnation of a Japanese fighter pilot who died in WW2 - I found an old photograph of the pilot in a biography of aces - even my parents were surprised by the likeness.

14. I don't mind being alone as long as I'm reading a good book or listening to good music, I don't find that lonely. What I find awful is being in a crowded room and finding no one to talk to. I feel dreadfully lonely then. I've been on overseas trips and feeling dreadful because all around me people - even people I know - are talking and making merry conversation and for some reason, I can't speak. When people I know shun me that is even worse.

15. I can be a very generous and kind person and sometimes people abuse my generosity. 


16. I am very patient, I don't lose my temper easily, but I have a breaking point. I am willing to forgive but I cannot tolerate unkind remarks afterwards. The joke wears thin after awhile.


17. I want to do something creative. Script-writing, photography, movie editing. But the technical aspects of film making escape me.

18. I love beautiful things - porcelain, buildings, architecture, old books.

19. I believe in God, karma, and fate. I believe that most things happen for a reason. When we see chance and coincidence, look deeper and something else might be working there.

20. I believe that God has a good plan for me. I've nearly died a dozen times in my life. Things have happened to me which I can't explain. I see events reoccurring in my family history. But right now, I'm stuck in a pit and I can't seem to get out of this shit.





Ten things about Yau-ming

1. I don't like reality tv generally speaking. I dislike the endless navel grazing and the faux psychologist analyzing behavior. I can't stand shows like Big Brother or the American Idol shows... unless... it involves a bevy of very pretty young charming women like Brooke Burke. I'd watch that for a while. I also don't mind watching reality tv shows where men or women are doing extremely hard or strenous activties like the Tough Guy Race. But not freak shows. I've got time to watch a military recruit training program but watching a bunch of fat obese people trying to do an obstacle course, that's just plain pathetic.

2. I'm partially deaf. When I was a child, my Chinese language teacher at ACS twisted my ears so hard that my ear bone snapped. Now I have trouble hearing low frequency sounds. If a person with a low voice is trying to talk to me and there's background noise, I find it painfully hard to hear.

3. I wish I could speak more than one language fluently. I'd like to speak French like how the French Foreign Legion soldiers speak French.

4. I had few friends in my childhood and high school was pure hell. I couldn't get along with people. I blame my wacky upbringing and the crazy logic my mildly sadistic parents instilled in me. And it didn't help that I was surrounded by a bunch of really arrogant screwed up classmates whose sole pleasure in life was to make my day miserable.

5. My sister and I share the same sense of humor. When we were kids we attended a modern gallery art exhibit and laughed so hard we started to cry. They kicked us out 3 times. I rarely have any disagreements with her.

6. I intensely distrust people who can't control their temper. People who fly into a rage of fury - especially for very trivial reasons - really upsets me. They remind me of my parents. If you're reading this, and wondering why our friendship has grown cold, this may be the reason.

7. I deal with a lot of my problems through sarcasm. I like clever quirky humor. Example, Wes Anderson's films - Royal Tenenbuams, Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited and most of South Park episodes.

8. I'd like to get buried at sea in the deepest part of the ocean. Read Psalm 139:9. The land is for the living. I think of cemetries, esp. Chinese cemetries, as a waste of space.

9. I despise obsessive gamblers. Gambling is like flushing money down the drain. Why can't they use the money productively and constructive like insulating the house, education, etc.. It serves no purpose except fueling the person's greed and pride. Its obviously a mental affliction and they should be incarcerated.

10. I believe in capital punishment and longer sentences for criminals. Society and the lives of innocent people should be protected from criminals, not the other way around. I despise the Australian and British criminal justice system. But you probably knew that. So...

10a. I think that too many Christians are hypocrites. You probably knew that already...

10b. I think it would be really cool to reverse the flow of rivers in Australia and build a massive inland sea in the heart of Australia. But that's a thot, it shouldn't count.

10c. I would not be surprised if I was the reincarnation of a Japanese fighter pilot who died in WW2 even though I don't subscribe to that brand of theology.
http://ymchiam.multiply.com/photos/album/76/Black_and_Whites#1



The service is non-existent, the food is disgusting but thank God it's expensive

I can identify with this dude. To be honest, I don't like working 9 -5pm and god help me if I end up doing something I don't like to do - I'd probably be the worse worker in the world.   

 

Obituary : Hugh Millais (1929 - 2009)

Hugh Millais, who has died aged 79, wafted genially through life – sailing around the Caribbean in his own yacht as a calypso singer; starting an ambitious house building scheme in Spain; and appearing in two of Robert Altman's films – without ever having to suffer the indignity of full-time employment.

***
From the Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/6023667/Hugh-Millais.html
Quite whether these adventures occurred exactly as Millais recounted them was largely unimportant. Those who had never met him could not believe such a character existed; even close acquaintances were sometimes tempted to rub their eyes. A 6ft 6in tall hedonist with an eye for the ladies, he was kindly, selfish and ready to take off to the far ends of earth in a moment.

He counted many of the rich and the famous as friends but dedicated most of his energies in old age to cooking – as The Name-Dropper's Cookbook (2007), a collection of memories and recipes, attested. If his affairs were suffering a reverse he was always happy to pay for his supper by settling down afterwards with his guitar to sing for it, spinning verses about those who sat around the table.

Even his father, the equestrian painter Raoul Millais, would shake his head and say: "I don't know what poor Hughie does. He cannot… even draw a salary."

The great-grandson of the Pre-Raphaelite painter Sir John Everett Millais, Bt, Hugh Geoffroy Millais was born on December 23 1929. Bereft of artistic talent, as a small boy he was taken ferreting by his father, and was going to shoots throughout the country with his .410 shotgun at the age of eight.

Hughie already showed a well-developed sense of mischief when he was sent to Ampleforth. In 1940 he and his older brother John boarded a train to Yorkshire; it was crammed with troops, but they soon found seats by releasing their two ferrets in the carriage.

When he saved up his pocket money to take his nanny out to tea at Gunter's in Curzon Street, he recalled a bomb going off nearby – and being told as the smoke and dust lifted: "Take your elbows off the table."
By the time he left what he described as the Ampleforth "deep freeze" he had learned to carve meat properly; write a passable "bread and butter letter" in Latin; and had obtained "an A-level in name dropping". In addition, he had been taught to play rugby by Father Basil Hume, though he commented: "It wasn't really for me, or for him. I returned to my rodents and he went on to become Cardinal Lord Archbishop of Westminster."

After learning to sail with Captain OM Watts's school on the Hamble, Millais' picaresque life began with a voyage to Venice, where he and a friend sold his boat and then were robbed of the proceeds in St Mark's Square. They walked to Milan, were arrested as vagrants and then visited in their cell by a Benedictine monk who gave them some money to get to France after Hugh had poured out their plight in Latin.

His Irish-Canadian mother next sent him off to gain some discipline as a Mountie. Instead he obtained a job covering the city's mortuaries for the Montreal Star and took in a lodger, the singer Josh White, who offered no rent but taught him to play the calypso guitar. When they parted company Millais, like many an Englishman in wintry Montreal before and since, longed for warmth; so he hitchhiked to South America. In Mexico he contracted a brief first marriage and enrolled in a philosophy course conducted in Latin while earning extra money driving two bullfighters around in their Hispano-Suiza.

Back in New York after inheriting $100,000 from his mother, Millais paid $15,000 for a dilapidated 60ft yacht, and competed in races while touring the Caribbean islands with musicians such as Lord Melody, Mighty Sparrow and Cowboy Jack; they regarded him as a "token whitey" and called him "Lord Bamboo" because of his great height. On entering Havana harbour, he was shot in the arm by some troops, but met Ernest Hemingway, a friend of his grandfather, who took him to a doctor and invited him to stay.

An article he wrote on the Austrian-born architect Richard Nuetra so impressed a group of businessmen that he recalled them inviting him to start a construction company in Venezuela. It lasted until the country's president fled and the Millais yacht was stolen and wrecked by four escaping naval officers. After a spell back in Oxfordshire with his father, Millais went to Paris, where he fell in with Rita Hayworth, who agreed to dine with him in Montmartre and left him to pay the bill.

In Paris he met his second wife Suzy Falconnet, a 20-year-old hotel manager with whom he was to have three children. He left her for a time to join one of the many aid organisations in Austria during the Hungarian Uprising, helping to feed a flood of refugees in an old monastery.

On moving to Spain, he recalled building a house for Salvador Dali, who changed the floor arrangement half a dozen times but did not once pay for the work. Millais then took in Orson Welles as a lodger, who also failed to settle his bill, and persuaded the architect Philip Jebb to build homes near Algeciras.

Unfortunately, rich friends passed up the larger houses to buy the flats; and the development's restaurant was such a disaster that the painter Dominick Elwes wrote on the door: "The service is non-existent, the food is disgusting. But, thank God, it's expensive."

It was while in Pamplona, running the bulls and staying with Hemingway, that Millais met a drunken Altman, who said "You must be in my picture" and invited him to London. After a poker session at the Dorchester that lasted much of the night, Altman told him to report to Vancouver a few months later. When shooting began on the Western McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971), Millais was cast as an English remittance man who is to murder Warren Beatty. He put on an American accent and was immediately halted. "If I wanted an American heavy, I would have got Lee Marvin," said Altman.

On the strength of critical plaudits Millais appeared as Susannah York's lecherous neighbour in Altman's Images (1972), and had John Gielgud as his butler in Michael Winner's unfortunate remake of The Wicked Lady (1973). He was in John Irvin's Dogs of War (1980) and Chicago Joe and the Showgirl (1990) and had some television parts. On taking to the boards with Susannah York in Wolf Mankowitz's Samson Riddle at the Gate theatre in Dublin, he was taught to cook baked potato eggs by the director, Michael MacLiammoir.

An unpublished author of novels and short stories, Millais recorded a CD of his own songs, dabbled in the oil business and went into partnership with his third wife, Anne Jeffrey, an architect and designer. This enabled him to demonstrate his flair for developing – he converted some stables in Oxfordshire for himself, and an Irish Georgian house for the actor John Hurt.

Hugh Millais summed up his recipe for life: "75 years, 0 hours of labour, 40,000 bottles of wine, a pinch of Song, Women (to taste). Sozzle gently over a low lifestyle, leave to marinade slowly, bring to fruition. Garnish the whole thing wildly in the telling."

He died on July 4, fortified by the rites of the Roman Catholic Church, which were administered by an Ampleforth monk who had been a school contemporary.
Published August 13 2009

 

Monday, August 17, 2009

Worship, and singing to fight depression.



ACTS 16:6Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
 19When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
 22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
 25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
 29The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
 31They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

 
When I was a bible study leader in University, I was advised by our Anglican Bible study coordinator that  - singing hymns was not only a waste of time, but it was an activity reserved for drunks in Australia. He seriously believed the Christian meetings should revolve mainly on the study of God's word and all else was absolutely unimportant.

I tried arguing with my fellow brother in Christ. But he had high distinctions from Melbourne Uni and was an ordained minister so it was like talking to the wall.

Anyways, I find that when depression overwhelms me, and when dark thought cloud my mind, when I can't fix anything, I sing.

I like to sing the Gospel songs composed by the American African slaves. I sing, laugh, and ( weep occasionally). I think of what other Christians had to endure - persecutions, famine, man made disasters and natural calamities. And I think of Paul and Silas who after getting imprisoned for a false crime, were whipped and threatened with death.

They must have been feeling pretty crap. I mean, who wouldn't?

They could have whined about it and got totally emo about their situation. They could have been screaming their heads off. But instead they prayed and praised.

Its a funny thing. I actually do find that when I'm feeling absolutely shit and when things seem fcuking hopeless, praying and praise actually does seem to work. Its like there's a secret ingredient to prayer. Maybe its despair, maybe its depression, maybe its that overwhelming desire to put my trust in the almighty (or putting a bullet in my/your brain), maybe its all these things which make praying, singing praises to God all that more real.

Perhaps its that human flaw inside of us - when things are great like in the Garden of Eden - when we've got everything - we don't feel grateful to God or feel very compelled to pray earnestly to Him.

It especially seems to work, well, for me anyhow, when I pray for relatives who have hurt me,  said nasty things about me or treated me with contempt. In moments when its easier and sooooo much more fitting to hurl a curse word or think of the worse possible thoughts of malice and rage - doing the opposite- praying and praising and lifting the matter to God seems to help.

Its not a wonderful hallelujah feeling tho. Its more a feeling closer to having a taste of lukewarm milo when you've shivering cold.

I'm feeling pretty depressed now actually. There are times when I pray, sing, and the problem still remains. I can't believe how some people can be so stubborn and proud. People tell me to give up. But if I do, who else will continue to stand in the defence?

Anyways, if anyone is reading this now and want to help. Maybe you can help pray that I get my act together and finish my company's paper work and accounting - which has gone undone for too long. Pray for order and discipline in my life. And pray that God can show me a way out of the current family predicament that my family is facing.

I pray against the spirit of pride, bitterness, depression, and destruction that has taken such a deep influence in my family, possibly for generations. I pray against it in Jesus' name.

Now I need to walk away from this house for awhile. There's a video editing session in church I'm suppose to join in today. I was thinking of calling in sick. But I've got a sickening feeling of hopelessness inside of me. I need to disconnect. Might as well go.

But first let me sing this song. I sing it without joy or peace. I sing it by faith.

Chorus:
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.
Upon the mountain my Lord spoke
Out of His mouth came fire and smoke
Looked all around me, it looked so fine
Till I asked my Lord if all was mine.
Chorus:
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.
Jordan river, is chilly an' cold
It chills the body but not the soul
There ain't but one train, upon this track
It runs to heaven, an' right back.
Chorus:
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.
Down in the valley, when I feel weak
It's when the devil, use'ly speaks
Because he's crafty, and full of lies
I need the Spirit to keep me wise.
Chorus:
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray
Every time I feel the spirit moving in my heart, I will pray.

Moving in my heart, moving in my heart
Moving in my heart, moving in my heart
Upon the mountain, I will pray.

(I wrote this back in August 2009 - prayer seems to be slowly like a snail)

Impusiveness in Children leads to Gambling Addiction

Children who are impulsive have a higher chance of becoming gambling addicts in the future. If the children are allowed to adopt or carry on with poor behavior - there will be a tendency for them to repeat the same mindset as they become adults. I'd definitely say that people who were spoilt as kids invariably turn into nasty people as they reach adulthood. They are not considerate - they've been breed to think only about themselves and their needs.

Read on...
Kids who were inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive in kindergarten, are more likely to develop symptoms of risky gambling behavior by the time they reach middle school, reports a new Canadian study in the latest issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Impulsiveness has always been associated with many problems, such as delinquency, expulsion from school, substance abuse, anti-social behavior, unemployment, addiction problems in adulthood and now there is another issue that has been added to the list, the researchers said. There is something that connects both the impulsivity and the gambling, said main author Dr. Linda S. Pagani, a professor at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal. "In adulthood, problem gambling is considered an impulse disorder," she added.
The children in the study were not children with any kind of a learning problem, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Pagani said. All of them were typically developing kids. The expert said that nearly 15 per cent of all kids have problems with impulsiveness, particularly boys, and suggested that the best way to avoid future problems is to improve their attention at an early age. Detecting as soon as possible as to which kids are headed for trouble can be beneficial in many ways. When kids are very young, they can be taught "effortful control," in which case a child makes an effort to focus and concentrate , Pagani said. "We can eliminate attention problems by the use of intervention programs that help children develop attention," she said. "If we can improve their attention by one unit, then we can improve their outcomes by 25 per cent."

Read the full article here

http://www.enotalone.com/article/19437.html

Euen's birthday




We celebrated Euen's birthday at a mini-golf course. HM baked a lovely impressive cake!!! But one of Euen's friends ate the figurine.

Euen seems to have made quite an impression on his friends - they were chanting his name like a soccer hero during the party.

Aila was very well behaved - she sat all by herself and didn't make any noise until the chips ran out!!! I spent most of the day babysitting the little girl. Quite tiring as she insisted on climbing everywhere!!! Looks like she won't have any trouble climbing Cradle Mountain when she turns 20.

Impusiveness in Children leads to Gambling Addiction

Children who are impulsive have a higher chance of becoming gambling addicts in the future. If the children are allowed to adopt or carry on with poor behavior - there will be a tendency for them to repeat the same mindset as they become adults. I'd definitely say that people who were spoilt as kids invariably turn into nasty people as they reach adulthood. They are not considerate - they've been breed to think only about themselves and their needs.

Read on...

Kids who were inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive in kindergarten, are more likely to develop symptoms of risky gambling behavior by the time they reach middle school, reports a new Canadian study in the latest issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Impulsiveness has always been associated with many problems, such as delinquency, expulsion from school, substance abuse, anti-social behavior, unemployment, addiction problems in adulthood and now there is another issue that has been added to the list, the researchers said. There is something that connects both the impulsivity and the gambling, said main author Dr. Linda S. Pagani, a professor at Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal. "In adulthood, problem gambling is considered an impulse disorder," she added.


Read the full article here

http://www.enotalone.com/article/19437.html

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Til Tuesday: Skiing Falls Creek August 2009




Went up to Falls on Saturday August 8th 2009 til Tuesday 11th Aug. Again!!!! The weather was brilliant for the weekend - unlike the previous. We had clear skies, no wind, and it wasn't that cold. It looked positively FANTASTIC!!!!

But we had reached Falls at 4.30pm too late to ski. In the past we would have journeyed to Falls in the wee hours of early morning and reached there at least in time for the afternoon session, alas, those crazy days are behind us.

My friend Joy got us superb accommodations at Gabis right next to Gulley, the main ski lift!!! We were literally right on the door step of the skiing slopes!!! She's amazing that girl, she always gets excellent places to stay where we travel.

Anyways!!!! I was so excited I woke up super early on Sunday. 5.30am. It was like - Boiiing!!! All systems go!!!

With nothing to do at 5.30am, I decided to bake date scones. Unfortunately, all the chopping and pitting of the scones woke up my sleepy friends who did not share my enthusiasm.

Baking stuff - I used 2.5 cups of self raising flour and .5 cup of ordinary flour. The ratio was right on - not too fluffy. However, this time around I added the dates during the mixing process which led to some of the flour sticking to the dried fruit and not dissolving. So memo to self - add dates after the dough process.

I didn't wait for my friends to get ready. I left as soon as I could. It was a sin not to ski when the weather was this perfect; memories of the previous trip when poor weather ruined the skiing still burnt bright in me.

The snow was solidly packed, in some areas it was like concrete. I had some trouble getting my rented skis to bite into the hard snow. Half the time I was sliding down the mountain like a snowboarder. But it was my technique at fault, which I worked out, during a discussion on a chair lift with a friendly expert skier.

Thats one of the nice things about skiing - you make pleasant short conversations with total strangerson that slow chair ride. No cute snow bunnies to chat up though. Pity... :)

My parallel skiing improved that day. I mean really skiing, not snow plowing or doing some stupid crappy technique skiing. Like all sports, practice is crucial. But due to the very short ski season we have in Australia + the heniously expensive prices - its tough to get sufficient practice to be that good.

Practice Practice Practice. That's why I'm quite eager to get going at the start of the day, esp. when the weather is super good. It really is a sin not to ski when the weather and snow conditions are super excellent.

That and the fact that the ski trips in Australia are not cheap. Accommodation and food is at least $100 a day. The lift passes are another $100 (or precisely $97.20) Then the rental of the gear comes to $50 a day (when you hire on the mountain). And we haven't even factored in the petrol and mountain passes for the cars yet... Anyways, its only snow season for a few weeks in a year and its not often I go anyhow.

SO!! We had great weather on Sunday. No wind. Clear visibility. I skiied like a pony on a carousel. Up and down. Often I didn't stop but skied straight into the lift area - and rode the lift up to repeat.

Listening to music on my MP3 player relaxed me, esp. Amii Mann's slow enchanting voice and helped me2 focus on my skiing techniques.

But if it wasn't the weather, it had to be something else to spoil the day's fun. The mountain lost total power on Sunday right after lunch. Apparently a falling tree took out the power lines. Electricity wasn't restored until late in the evening, which ended skiing that day. I wish I hadn't stopped for lunch but whose to know?

The next day I woke up early again. This time I took pains to avoid doing anything noisy. I was sleeping in the lounge room as I snore rather loudly. A sofa bed was provided but I preferred sleeping with my legs up on a small couch - I think I got better lower back support that way.

My friends were still having breakfast when I made my way to "Ruin Castle" - the western ski slope at Falls. Wide open runs, relatively soft fresh snow and a fast steep lower descent makes this place excellent for intermediates.

A few stupid parents brought their 8 year old kids up here to practice. I made good use of my vocal cords to tell one foolish mommy off. They should be on the green slopes - not here! They make it dangerous for everyone. A few years back I got struck in the back by one out of control kid skier - cost me $900 in physio.

I was out on my own again. All my friends were doing the lower slopes. I skied non-stop, only halting when a blizzard hit the mountain at mid morning.

No sense to ski then. Even if you're well covered, water finds its way inside. Ice covers your face, then it melts and trickles down inside. When you're wet, you freeze. I munched on cakes and drank tea at the sheltered hut whilst watching the folks on the lifts being pelted by the snow.

I chose not to eat anything substantial. No chips, no hamburgers, not even a sandwich, just hot tea and my sister's rock cakes. That way I could just keep on skiing without stopping for too long. A small thin sandwich would have been nice though.

I drank a whole flask of hot tea that day. About 2 litres. Peeing on the snow in sub-zero temperatures and drawing your name in the fresh snow is a refreshing experience. :)

When the blizzard stopped at about 1 pm I went skiing. By this time mostly everyone had gone inside for lunch or to get the ice off their faces. Fresh lovely snow and no one around, excellent! I skied round and round - doing "sundown", "ruin castle", "scottys" and corkscrew. I must have clocked the most number of ski runs ever. My newly modified ski boots, moded 3 times so far, performed superbly. No pain.

At 4.05pm, the top lift operator told me three times "Last run mate" but I kept on going as the lower lift operators kept the lifts operating. Maybe I'm skiing too fast or something but I did three runs by 4.20. I caught the last lift to "Scottys" then headed to Village skiing all the way. It was tricky doing "Final Muster" carrying my lunch grab bag. The strap was broken so I had to carry it in my arms like a baby. But I made it to the apartment in one piece without falling.

I cooked spaghetti bolognesse for dinner with a variation - frying red padi chilli and jalpeno peppers together with the mince. I didn't like it - the chilli blended in with the meat blunting its distinct sharpness whilst giving the sauce a vague spicy flavor. I also forgot to put in the garlic... Luckily my friends liked it and it tasted much better the next morning after allowing the cold spagetti to soak in the sauce overnight.

Tuesday the last day. Rain had swept the snow off the roofs - not a good sign. It looked wet and soggy. The snow report predicted thunderstorms. I threw in the towel and returned my skis at 8am. Unfortunately, no refund. But better than spending an extra $97 for the lift pass which I wouldn't fully use anyway.

After taking nice long hot showers and taking a super long breakfast, we finished off the bacon supplies with the left over spagetti. Then we ambled to the cars to store our gear, and spent the morning at the bar - the Slacker party.

I drank some lager and ale which tasted very nice in the cold winter mountain air. I wish they had Amber Ale on tap - but no luck.

One of our group decided to try her luck and went skiing that day, despite the weather. Initially I regretted handing my skis so early; there were spots of sunshine and it seemed by mid-morning that the weather would improve.

Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. People may have braved the cold wet weather but the lifts halted operations when the thunderstorm rolled in. I was soooo glad I didn't buy the lift ticket.

Drove down the mountains after lunch. Stopped at Laksa King at Flemington. It was packed! But the food quality wasn't great anymore. I wouldn't bother going there again. Its overrated I reckon.

Wish we had stopped instead at the Mackers on the Hume Hwy at Glenrowan. My most favourite MacDonalds place!!!!

Til Tuesday - Skiing@Falls

Went up to Falls on Saturday August 8th 2009 til Tuesday 11th Aug. The weather was brilliant for the weekend - unlike the previous. We had clear skies, no wind, and it wasn't that cold. It looked positively FANTASTIC!!!!

But we had reached Falls at 4.30pm too late to ski. In the past we would have journeyed to Falls in the wee hours of early morning and reached there at least in time for the afternoon session, alas, those crazy days are behind us.

My friend Joy got us superb accommodations at Gabis right next to the main ski lifts!!! We were literally right on the door step of the skiing slopes!!! She's amazing that girl, she always gets excellent places to stay where we travel.

Anyways!!!! I was so excited I woke up super early on Sunday. 5.30am. It was like - Boiiing!!! All systems go!!!

With nothing to do at 5.30am, I decided to bake date scones. Unfortunately, all the chopping and pitting of the scones woke up my sleepy friends who did not share my enthusiasm.

Baking stuff - I used 2.5 cups of self raising flour and .5 cup of ordinary flour. The ratio was right on - not too fluffy. However, this time around I added the dates during the mixing process which led to some of the flour sticking to the dried fruit and not dissolving. So memo to self - add dates after the dough process.

I didn't wait for my friends to get ready. I left as soon as I could. It was a sin not to ski when the weather was this perfect; memories of the previous trip when poor weather ruined the skiing still burnt bright in me.

The snow was solidly packed, in some areas it was like concrete. I had some trouble getting my rented skis to bite into the hard snow. I was sliding down the mountain like a snowboarder instead of gliding down. But it was my technique at fault, which I worked out, during a discussion on a chair lift with a friendly expert skier.

Thats one of the nice things about skiing - you make pleasant short conversations on that slow chair ride up the mountain. No cute snow bunnies to chat up though. :)

My parallel skiing improved that day. I mean really skiing, not snow plowing or doing some stupid out of control crap skiing.

We had great weather. No wind. Clear visibility. I skiied like a pony on a carousel. Up and down. I often didn't stop but skied straight into the lift area - and rode the lift up to repeat.

Listening to music on my MP3 player relaxed me, esp. Amii Mann's slow enchanting voice and helped me2 focus on my skiing techniques.

But if it wasn't the weather, it had to be something else to spoil the day's fun. The mountain lost total power on Sunday right after lunch. Apparently a falling tree took out the power lines. Electricity wasn't restored until late in the evening, which ended all hope of skiing that day. I wish I hadn't stopped for lunch but whose to know?

The next day I woke up early again. This time I took pains to avoid doing anything noisy. I was sleeping in the lounge room as I snore rather loudly. A sofa bed was provided but I preferred sleeping with my legs up on a small couch - I think I got better lower back support that way.

My friends were still having breakfast when I made my way to "Ruin Castle" - the western ski slope at Falls. Wide open runs, relatively soft fresh snow and a fast steep lower descent makes this place excellent for intermediates.

A few stupid parents brought their 8 year old kids up here to practice. I made good use of my vocal cords to tell one foolish mommy off. They should be on the green slopes - not here! They make it dangerous for everyone. A few years back I got struck in the back by one out of control kid skier - cost me $900 in physio.

Anyways, I was out on my own again. All my friends were doing the lower slopes. I skied non-stop, only halting when a blizzard hit the mountain at 11. Even if you're well covered, water finds its way inside. Ice covers your face, then it melts and trickles down inside. When you're wet, you freeze. I munched on cakes and drank tea at the sheltered hut whilst watching the folks on the lifts being pelted by the snow.

I chose not to eat anything substantial. No chips, no hamburgers, not even a sandwich, just hot tea and my sister's rock cakes. That way I could just keep on skiing without stopping for too long. A small thin sandwich would have been nice though.

I drank a whole flask of hot tea that day. About 2 litres. Peeing on the snow in sub-zero temperatures and drawing your name in the fresh snow is a refreshing experience. :)

When the blizzard stopped at about 12 pm I went skiing. By this time mostly everyone had gone inside for lunch or to get the ice off their faces. Fresh lovely snow and no one around, excellent! I skied round and round - doing "sundown", "ruin castle", "scottys" and corkscrew. I must have clocked the most number of ski runs ever. My newly modified ski boots, moded 3 times so far, performed superbly. No pain.

At 4.05pm, the top lift operator told me three times "Last run mate" but I kept on going as the lower lift operators kept the lifts operating. Maybe I'm skiing too fast or something but I did three runs. I caught the last lift to "Scottys" then headed to Village skiing all the way. It was tricky doing "Final Muster" carrying my lunch grab bag. The strap was broken so I had to carry it in my arms like a baby. But I made it to the apartment in one piece without falling.

I cooked spaghetti bolognesse for dinner with a variation - frying red padi chilli and jalpeno peppers together with the mince. I didn't like it - the chilli blended in with the meat blunting its distinct sharpness whilst giving the sauce a vague spicy flavor. I also forgot to put in the garlic... Luckily everyone liked it and it tasted much better the next morning after allowing the cold spagetti to soak in the sauce overnight.

Tuesday the last day. Rain had swept the snow off the roofs - not a good sign. It looked wet and soggy. The snow report predicted thunderstorms. I threw in the towel and returned my skis at 8am. Unfortunately, no refund. But better than spending an extra $90 for the lift pass which I wouldn't fully use anyway.

After taking nice long hot showers and finishing off the bacon supplies with the left over spagetti, we ambled to the cars to store our gear, and spent the morning at the bar - the slacker party. I drank some lager and ale which tasted very nice in the cold winter mountain air.

One of our group decided to try her luck and went skiing that day despite the rain. She might have braved the cold wet but the lifts halted operations when the thunderstorm rolled in. Drove down the mountains after lunch. Stopped at Laksa King at Flemington. It was packed! But the food quality wasn't great. I wouldn't bother going there again.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

OMG the temperature is Zero C outside my home

A very cold start to the day!!! The outside thermometers are registering 0'C at 7.30am.Thank God for my heater. I kept it going all night to warm up my drying ski clothes.

Friday, August 07, 2009

Off to Falls Creek again

I'm off to Falls for 4 days... Weather looks ok. Let's pray that we get some nice fluffy snow and not sleet or rain.

Anyway, even if the weather is crap - at least I won't lose money on the lift passes as I'll be buying them on the day.

And it'll be fun, drinking a bottle of red wine and looking at the blizzard raging outside.

I can't think of a better way to spend a Winter weekend, breathing fresh alpine air, and enjoying meals with my friends as the temperature outside drops to sub-zero. How many other people can experience this?

http://ski.com.au/reports/australia/vic/fallscreek/forecast.html

http://ski.com.au/reports/australia/vic/fallscreek/dh.html

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Public Enemies (Johnny Depp gangster movie)


Rating:★★★
Category:Movies
Genre: Action & Adventure
The film is about John Dillinger a real bank robber in the 1930s. Dillinger is portrayed as charismatic, a real Robin Hood character with a heart of gold.

I didn't like the movie very much.

Remember the washed tone camera work of Saving Private Ryan, the clean lines of Gattaca, etc.. Unusual right? But it worked. The raw expermental camera work for Public Enemies - did not.

Michael Mann, the director of Heat, Last of the Mohicans, etc.., tried to use the Blair Witch style of cinematography for this flick - using a rented Sony handycam by the likes of things.

It looked cheap, shaky, confusing and painful on the eyes.

Storywise- I felt a bit more character and background story would have helped to make some sense into the story. It was the era of Prohibition, Great Depression, and social upheaval. Thousands of WW1 combat veterans were unemployed. The govt wasn't doing much to help the poor, and the banks were ripping off its customers.

Pacing seemed off... but I blame that on the experimental camera work.

Johnny Depp is a good charismatic character but even he couldn't make this film work. Not that he didn't have his moments in the film, he certainly did. But any other good "funny gangster type" actor could have done that too - Decaprio, Val Kilmer, etc..

I thought the stand out performance was Stephen Lang the actor who played Texas Ranger Charles Winstead (the senior agent). He was also the actor who spoke to the girlfriend at the end of the movie, he said, "Bye bye Blackbird". Lang brought so much stealthy cool to the show. Brilliant performance.

Comparing it to other films in the 1920/30s gangster genre - "Road of Perdition", "Untouchables", this one ranks poorly.

If you hate shaky "Blair Witch style" camera work don't watch this film.


Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Cutest food blog!!!!

OMGSOCUTE!!!!! You gotta check out this site. Its got some amazing photos of cute sugary food. Literally good enough to eat.

More here:

http://epicute.com/

One possible reason why India didn't progress in the last 700 years

Rights activists lashed out at local officials who allowed hundreds of infants to be dropped from the roof of a mosque in western India in the belief that the fall -- which ends when the babies are caught in a bedsheet -- would ensure good health and prosperity for their families.

The ritual at the Baba Umer Durga, a Muslim shrine, is believed to have been followed for nearly
700 years, and each year hundreds of people, both Hindus and Muslims, take part in the ritual.

The ritual at the Baba Umer Durga, a Muslim shrine, is believed to have been followed for nearly 700 years, and each year hundreds of people, both Hindus and Muslims, take part in the ritual.

The infants, mostly under two years old, were dangled Thursday from the roof of the shrine near Sholapur, about
450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Mumbai, before being dropped about 50 feet (15 meters) onto a bedsheet held aloft by parents and other believers.

Television channels showed the babies screaming as they were shaken in the air before being dropped.


****
Wow, Shaken, hurled, but not stirred?

Monday, August 03, 2009

Falls Creek Sking Report

Conditions were rather patchy - meaning you can see grass patches coming through the snow and watery holes in the snow fields. I'm referring specifically to Final Muster run, near Village/Gabbis. It looked like the mountain had caved in. Horrible.

The Black runs on the East side looked crap.

Sunday, there was an awful lot of rain, wind, sleet hitting the snow fields this morning. A total whiteout. You could hardly see where you were going. Which to me - made it a bit more fun and challenging.

Its fun until you start feeling the cold tho. After an hour's skiing - I was soaked through. Water has a way of finding its way to your warm body.

I took a break to get out of the wet cold in one of the summit huts but it didn't work. I needed to go someplace warm.

What I should have done was to have held back until the weather cleared up before going skiing. Would have saved some cash too - as I could have bought the afternoon lift pass. The irony is that when I took refuge - the weather started to clear up. The wind stopped by about 1pm. But by then I was busy trying to get my jacket and my body dry and warm!!!

Memo to self:

1
. Bring ski face mask. Wind+Sleet on face = pain. Dido for neck warmer.
2. Bring a security device to secure the skis/poles when stopping for lunch. A lot of stuff goes missing because some idiot carelessly took it. One of our group nearly got her skis stolen by some moron who just walked away when caught (and was later seen taking someone's else's skis).
3. Wait for weather to clear up BEFORE purchasing lift pass. Don't buy if the weather sucks ass!!!
4. Wear boardshorts underneath; you might have to change your clothes in public.
5. Bring spare hat in case 1st one get soaked. Grab Bag.
6. Wear inner liner for legs
7. Bring grab bag for sandwiches and house keys. Gabbis rents lockers for free.
8. Bring a Thermos Flask - Hot tea is probably better than coffee. Grab Bag
7. Thick Wholemeal Sandwiches. Avocado dip + Rocket + Cheese + Sliced Deli Beef + Tomato + Mustard + hunger = awesomeness!!!! You probably won't eat them when you're skiing as hot food rocks, but they're great on the way back home after the ski run. Grab bag
8. Ski til you drop. Don't break if the weather is fantastic. That's why the grab bag containing snacks and the thermos is important.
9. Change out of your ski clothes on the return trip back to Melbourne - you don't want to be sitting in wet clothes for that 5 hour car ride.
10. Scotchguard the clothes the night before to waterproof them.

More to come... I'm so tired now....

Update. I forgot to mention the positive stuff. The runs on the west side of the mountain overlooking the lake ie. Ruined Castle, Scottys, Race Course, Sundown, Corkscrew Gulley were pretty alright. We had a lot of sweet runs down that a way on Saturday morning. Nice wide slopes. Hardly anyone there. Snow was even powdery on the steeper runs. But the wind was strong on the chair lifts. I wish we didn't stop for a break. Should have just kept on skiing nonstop.

Its a skiing holiday afterall. Whats the point in buying the expensive lift passes and gear if you don't put the skiing time in?

Not that I don't appreciate the other side to being on a snow mountain. I love the clean fresh exhilerating air - where else can you get such high quality o2? I think most people just don't what they are missing out on. Even the foggy whie mist has a very endearing quality to it. And all that white clean snow. Its like God has placed a blanket over the land.

What I'd really love to do would be to hire out a nice rustic well insulated 1960s Scandanivan style chalet made of stone and wood on the mountain with a fire place and stay there all week. I'd soak in a hot tub with the hot water taken from boiled fresh snow. Bring along a few of my favourite books and CDs... Such Bliss!!!! Even if I didn't ski, the experience would be so delighful to the soul.

Anyways, I'm going skiing next weekend at Falls again - not by deliberate design - it just happened that way.
 
Upodate2: I'd advise against skiing at Wishing Well because its on the other end of the mountain and the main way up is by the International an old pulley lift. Trying to cross over from Summit to that sector is an uphill walk - made more difficult in low vis. We ended up skiing down the wrong side - thats where Jack got his stomach kicked in by his sister who plowed her skis straight into him. I thought he was gonna die.