Where am I?!?

It's like I've ventured into some kind of bizarro world where every girl is a peroxide blonde in a sequined mini (I didn't realise sequins were so in) and five inch heels. _Every_girl_. I'm only 5 hours outside of Rondon. It's below 10 degrees here, and none of these girls have a jacket. You think I'm bad with my singlet tops in winter? At least I own a massive puffy jacket. Just looking at these girls makes me feel icy.

I'm in Liverpool. Here, Babsy calls me exotic, as I seem to be the only oriental around. Sure enough, when we're at a bar, a recently pubescent teen starts up a *grinding* session with me "Yeaaah!". I shoot a withering look at Niffies, who for some reason, immediately deserts me and leaves me stranded with Vanilla Ice here :P Britney's "Gimme More" starts pumping out, and I take a big gulp of vodka. Hey, at least the alcohol is cheap here :)

Where am I?!?

It's a place that has signs outside bars saying, "No hoodies". Yes, you can spot a hoodlum quite easily by their clothing choice in this city. I quickly scrunch my hood down to make it look more scarf-like :P

We wander down to another bar. This time, it's more adult, but still bizarro. There are some really hot chicks here (blonde of course), and they're all wearing tiny sequined dresses! There are some big chicks here too, and they're all wearing the same tiny sequined dresses! Even the toilets are bizarro. Two chicks come out of one cubicle, three chicks go in. Nobody goes in alone. They're definitely not peeing in there :P I stand in line wondering if people think I'm a lesbian - dressed in a white singlet top and jeans, I look more like the toilet attendant than a customer. Also, I have no partner to go into the cubicle with, so there's something obviously wrong with me. I quiz a couple of guys who were being checked out by the girls in the toilet queue.

Me: "So what do you think of the girls here?"
Guy: "They're great! Very well presented!" (as he makes subconscious hand movements in the chest area)
Me: "Great eh?" (mimicking his hand movements)
Guy: "No! That's not what I meant. The girls here are all very stylish."
Me: "What do you think of the length of skirts?"
Guy: *Grins* "Not short enough!"
Me: "Mate, it's fcking winter out there!!"
Guy: "Yeah, I know, it's great!"

We make our way to the club. You know what's hilarious? It's printed boldly on my ticket, "Dresscode: Strictly no tracksuits" *grin* It's _that_ kind of city.

I'm not even going to delve into my toilet horror story here. The skanks here are the skankiest ever.

All this for 2 hours with Armin. Ah well, it had to be done :) Another city crossed off my list. Thanks Babsy for showing us around, and thanks Niffies for trekking all the way out with me *muah*

Taken from my iPhone :)
Check out all those bare legs! Not a jacket in sight.

PS: I revenged myself on a sequined hussy by ripping some sequins off her dress as she rudely shoves her way past me in a crowd. Deep inside me, a "BWAHAHA!" lets loose.

Let's play a game

Close your eyes. Plug in your earphones. Let your mind wander. To your favourite place. To your favourite moment. Make it up...

It's warm.

"... never knew a love so deep within..."

It's sunny. I'm outdoors.

"Silence can you hear me... crying..."

There's music. There's sand.

"Do you want me, like I want you..."

I'm dancing.

"... never knew a love like this before..."

A sweet caprioska magically appears in my hand :)

"I love you, I do looove you..."

An endlessly blue water view.

"How could I ever even be without you?"

The tube suddenly jolts to a stop. A gush of cold winter air fills the carriage as the doors open.

My eyes flicker open. 15cms away from my face is a stranger's back. Elbows push against me as more worker ants climb aboard. Feet carelessly trample over my toes. I mentally nickname the random infront of me Stompy and resist the urge to cry out, "Ffs!".

Tiesto: "Sharam from Deep Dish..."

The game's over *sigh*

Rodrigo y Gabriela

"We'd like to dedicate this song to the US Visa Department... We call it, Fuck the US Visa Department!"

I'd feel the same way if I was mistaken for a terrorist too *grin*

Rodrigo y Gabriela were brilliant! It was amazing watching them play, well from what I could see between heads anyway. I have never heard anyone play guitar like them before. It's not just one person playing perfectly, it's two people playing perfectly and in perfect unison. So much energy, and so much fun to listen to :) If they had another gig in Rondon, I'd pay to see them again. Clicky here to watch vids of them.

I now have a new requirement on my dream-man list: Must be able to play acoustic guitar *lol*

Guitar heroes need not apply :P

Bazookas

What size is this Babsy? 36 Double-D?

*lol* You should see how massive the gap is between my actual boob and the bra cup.

Posh Asian Nosh

That's "asian" as in "indian" food.

The lonely alcoholic:

Always the first to arrive at dinners, my mission is to try and get trashed before the others get there *grin* Unfortunately, milk and vodka don't mix very well and it took me awhile to down this lassi cocktail.

Benares food pr0n


Party mode on my camera. W00t w00t!

Wall of Fame

"I piddy da fool... that smells like Wazzz" *grin*

Thanks KC&B for everything :) I'm betting that wall is going to fill up pretty dang quickly!

29 years and 7 days

It's the point in my life when my body betrays me. It's _very_ obvious that I'm not 18 anymore. It's the point when, last night, I stood in a line for a club and I couldn't face it. 30mins later, I was in a cab home. Toooo cold. Shivering in my puffy jacket, the prospect of having to wait another 5 mins seemed like torture. Tonight, I was given a choice of going to a bar for cocktails, or chilling out at home. Option B please! As KC says, "Reenie's soft!" *lol*

To everyone who thought of me on my big day, thank you :) Thank you to Missy W, KC&B for the birthday lemon meringue and chicken wings *grin*

KC - What's with the clevage shot?!?

PIKACHU

...I CHOOSE YOOOU!

I could almost see the giant Pikachu breaking free from the ropes and rampaging through NYC. Stomping on those little screaming kids, "Mommy! It's Pika - *squish*" Pikachu's soo cute :)

Our yummy Butterball turkey (good job Becky!):

The story goes, Butterball turkeys are so-named because they've been injected with butter to make it tender and tasty. I just did some research on Google: "Butterball has become a Thanksgiving staple and is known for its tender and juicy turkeys. In fact, the Butterball name was chosen to characterize a new, special breed of broad-breasted white feather turkeys, not because the turkeys contain butter, as many mistakenly believe."

Hehehe... Next Turkey Day, I might actually try injecting a turkey with butter just for fun :)

Conflicted

In the land of consumerville, I'm torn between what to buy.
The girly girl in me goes, "Get yourself a nice clutch!"
The nerd in me goes, "*Gasp* 1TB hdd!"

Is there a compromise? Well, in 6 days, I've bought:

• A top from Armani Exchange
• A hoodie from Abercrombie & Fitch
• An iPhone
• A singlet top & jumper from Esprit
• 3 pairs of socks that I didn't really need (but were really cheap!)
• A haircut and an eyebrow wax
  
• A pair of Jessica Simpson heels (*shocking*, I know)
• Half a copy of Leopard (family version to be shared with KC)
• A 500GB external hdd!

Everything seems unbelievably cheap. I'm not sure if it actually is, or if I'm just buying for the sake of buying. I walk into Armani Exchange to be greeted by Felipe.
Felipe: "Hello, is anyone helping you?"
Me: "No, but that's ok, I can help myself."
Felipe: "Oh, let me take that for you. I'll start a room for you and when you're ready, you just let me know."

"Start a room" for me? Wow. Well, if it's really necessary, I guess I should make the most of it. I'm assuming he's on commission.
Me: "Felipe, I need a smaller size... Felipe, this one has hanger marks on the shoulders, can you get me another?... Felipe, they _all_ have hanger marks. Can you get me one that hasn't been hung up?"

Sometimes, I just like taking the piss *grin*

So, what was I doing in Armani Exchange to begin with? Well, I was on Fifth Avenue, and I was store hopping just for fun :) I didn't really think I'd be buying anything. Until I tried on a really nice red top from AE, "just for fun". And realised, "Hey, the exchange rate means divide the price by 2. HEY, it's only 30 squids for an Armani top!! I could never get an Armani top for 30 squids in Rondon!"

There begins my first taste of American consumerism.

The iPhone is a whole new ballgame. I should've done my research better. Don't really want to get into it here, but I'm really not cool enough to have one. I have too much fear of bricking a very expensive toy. However, with the help of BL and AdF, I've managed to get it to some sort of state. The rest remains to be seen. Thanks BL & AdF :)

What's with the 500GB external hdd? Well, to be realistic, I don't really need one TB. However, I do need to backup my sht before I do an upgrade to Leopard ;) So 500GB is my compromise. It also means no more deleting my fave movies from my laptop! :D

Unfortunately, it also means that until I do my expenses for the month of October, I shouldn't be making anymore extravagant purchases. The gorgeous red Gucci clutch will just have to stay at Saks *sigh*

How on earth am I going to lug home all my crap?

Bon Chon

I really look forward to dinners in NYC. Especially when there are locals to take me around :) Food here, it's on a whole different scale from Rondon. Something as simple as Bon Chon crispy chicken wings, can keep me happy for the entire night. Happy enough to even survive a night out at an RnB club! *lol*

I have decided. If I could create an animal, it'd have at least 10 wings. No drumsticks :P Yummmm...

How to eat chicken wings:

The "Pincer" technique
Use two fingers on each hand only. Less mess, however, more chances of wing flying out of your hands if munching too enthusiastically.

The "Praying Mantis" technique
Use your nifty forefingers to clamp and position the wing while feasting.

The "Oriental Hybrid" technique
When fingers aren't enough, bring on the chopsticks.

How NOT to eat chicken wings:
The "Serenade the Wing with a Boy Band Song First" technique.
+10 points for style, -50 points for effectiveness :)

Balthazar!

It's the place everyone keeps mentioning, and when we tried to get in on Saturday, it was packed. So Missy W and I decided to try our luck this morning. We got there just in time for...

... the change over. Meaning, at 11:45am, we were 15 mins too late for brekky, and 15mins too early for lunch! D'oh. Didn't stop us from splitting a croissant while waiting for the lunch menu to kick in though :)

Biggest bowl of mocha I've had in my life:

And it's not just the camera angle:

It was big enough to cover the menu!

Everything looks like Lego

This city will eat me alive. I got lost on my first day here, and I was only a block away from KC&B's place *lol* Serves me right for getting distracted by M&M World.

1.5 hours in a line, and 86 floors up the Empire State Building later, the view looks like this:

Can you spot the Statue of Liberty? :)
The New York skyline blows my mind.

Guggenheim

The trick is, start from the top and work your way to the bottom :) I walked up one level before I realised there was a lift :P

I love just looking at this museum. Clean lines and minimalistic.

Actually, it was a bit of a shock for me to see it in real life. I had only previously seen it in scenes from Matthew Barney's Cremaster 3. I don't think I realised it was the Guggenheim when I was watching the movie. So it felt eerily familiar to walk through the doors and see the spiralled levels. If I had to say what was worth it about the 8 hours of my life that I lost in watching Matthew Barney's Cremaster series, I'd say the scenes from the Guggenheim were amongst my favourite. They were visually spectacular. From my blurry memory anyway.

The rest of the 8 hours in Cremaster were pretty much rubbish. However, I did remember the Chrysler building scenes and made a special effort to visit that building too. Meh. Not very exciting, especially since visitors are only allowed to enter the lobby area :( But, I can at least tick it off my list.

Central Park

I never realised how huuuge this park is!

MoMA

I think it's hilarious when people stare at paintings like these up close.

Yes. It's red :)

The great thing about the Museum of Modern Art, is that you're allowed to take as many photos as you like of the artworks.

Guess the artists:

(Top: Seurat;
Bottom: Klimt & Van Gogh)



(Top: Warhol;
Bottom: Magritte - bet you thought it was Dali ;) )

This took me by surprise. Well, I wasn't actually suppose to photograph this one since it's part of an exhibition :P

This is a drawing by Seurat! The guy who paints with dots (pointilism). His drawings are pretty close to perfect. It's amazing.

Welcome to the Big Apple

Traffic here in NYC is horrendous. It took me TWO HOURS on the shuttle van to get from JFK to KC&B's place. I was traumatised. Lesson learnt: Always listen to the locals when they tell you to catch a cab ;)

Just quickly

So, what does a paranoid neurotic oriental carry in her handluggage? Anything precious:

• Passport + e-ticket
  
• 10 pairs of undies (Lost my luggage once, never want that experience again. My undies go where I go)
• Toiletries
  
• Nintendo DS - Zelda, yay! Thanks AdF!
  
• Camera
• Shuffle
• Multiple adapters/chargers
  
• USB cables
• Sunnies (fingers crossed there will be sun)
• Laptop
  

I can't remember the last time I went on holidays for this long... Daliborus, I took your parents card with me! Hopefully, will get around to writing it on the plane :)

Errrr

I think I'm a little unprepared for New York. I looked up Google Maps today to check out where I should be heading, and I was a little surprised by...

HOW HUUUGE this city is!

Ruh Roh. At least everything's in a grid. You know what's worse? I tried looking up a subway map...

What the hell?!?

Here in Rondon, the tube looks like this:

Nice straight lines, and I barely leave Zone 2 :P

You know what?

Snazzy interface or not, facebook is too fcking messy and I can't figure out how to do anything!!! It's one of those applications which requires friends to show you how to do something before you can do it. Personally, I'd like to know how PdF mentioned my attendance at Bacon University with him.

Wtf.

I can't be arsed. Thank gawd nobody's introduced my Mother to facebook.

Faux pas

A team calendar has been setup. So I decided to organise a team drinks event.

Note to IT guys:
"Hey, where's a nice bar for team drinks? Promise to invite you ;)"
Reply to me:
"Majingos"

I do some research, Majingos looks alright.

Note to everyone:
"I need something to look forward to at the end of the month, let's go out on 30 NOV"
Reply to me:
"Sounds good, where shall we go?"
Note to everyone:
"Majingos. Apparently it's where all the cool kids hang out."
Reply to me:
"That's a STRIP CLUB!"

I look up from my screen and stare at my colleague, "NO WAY".

Who exactly is included in "Note to everyone"? My boss. Global Head of Learning & Development.

The IT guys hear about it and call me up: "Did you seriously send that out? Why did you listen to me?"
Me: "I didn't know that's what a Dancing Club is!"

Dang nerds.

Grease me up, lassie!

Didn't believe me when I said I worked hard before go-live? WELL, I worked so hard, work gave me a voucher to spend at Mayfair Spa :) So 4:55pm today, I was packed up and out the security door! I thought I chose an aromatherapy salt glow therapy wrap, but I kept on getting asked what sort of detox wrap I wanted *Shrug* A wrap is a wrap, and I've never had a wrap before so it didn't really matter that much.

I tried out the sauna, and for the first time in over a month, I felt warm. A little too warm. My nose hairs were burning everytime I breathed in so I had to leave :P

The therapist hands me a pair of disposable undies.
Me: "Errr, this is going to sound really stupid, but, which side goes infront?"
Therapist: "I believe the big side goes infront."
(Which when you think about it, doesn't make sense. Look at your own undies, the big side is for your big backside!)

Getting wrapped itself was interesting. A body scrub/massage is always good. Except... suddenly, a woman is sensually rubbing her hands all over my chest! It's not much of a chest, but it's still mine! I try hard not to smirk or giggle as I imagine what I can tell my guy friends about this experience *lol* OMG! Awkward? A little, yes. Especially when it's chilly in the room and I was cutting some serious glass :P

'Nuff said.

Facebook

It's hard being anti-facebook. It's almost like friends pressuring you to take that first cigarette. I stood my ground, I really didn't want to join it. Now that I have, I'm kinda not impressed with myself :P The usual conversations around the table use to be:
"Facebook is great. You should join it! You'll love it!"

But why?

"Because everyone's on it. I've caught up with so many people since I've joined."

But I'm already in touch with those I want to be in touch with.

"People from primary/high school are getting in touch with me."

Primary school was a blur. I hated high school. With the exception of a few close friends I still keep in touch with, it really doesn't bother me to be contacted by randoms.

AdF was always right in describing me as a hater :) And I wish I knew earlier that I wasn't the only one standing against facebook. It would've been easier to deal with. It's funny, you'd think I had social leprosy for refusing to join facebook for so long. Even funnier, the ones that gave me the hardest time about joining, are still the ones that give me the hardest time now that I _have_ joined. The ones that never tried to coax me are the happiest to see me there. Actually, when I think about my past a little bit more, I shouldn't be surprised.

There's another part of facebook I don't like. It's too open. Everyone sees. Everyone can put things up about you. Now I'm worried friends are going to see the worst pictures of me, or read the worst things about me. Now I'm worried about my employers finding me on facebook. Do I have things to hide? Do you want _your_ employer to know what you get up to after work hours?

So why did I join? Two reasons: pictures of my niece are posted up on facebook, and LT told me to. For some reason I always end up following LT's advice. Ukrainians always give good advice, right? :)

I was also drunk from a night out with a Pole :P

If you really want to know why I think facebook is cool, it's because of the technology behind it. It gets about 100,000 new users per day. The interface is admittedly pretty snazzy. The main killer is that it's meant to be really easy to build and share facebook applications between users. Facebook has potential for viral marketing your product. But of course, nobody tells you these things when you ask them "Why join?"

Acid test

If you ask me, one of the hardest things in a relationship is introducing your partner to your mates. They're the ones who wouldn't think twice about being brutally honest when you ask, "So what do you think?". My parents would never say anything to upset me. I always get the usual, "Whatever makes you happy dear," line from my Mum. (Well actually, these days it's more, "You're getting closer to 30 dear," line from my Mum ;) ) Mates on the other hand, are the harshest critics.

I will admit, when I heard my mate had jumped on a plane to be with a girl half a world away, I was worried. Who was this girl? Who would jump on a plane for someone they hardly knew? Was this just a ridiculously romantic gesture to impress a hot chick? So I jumped on a plane last weekend too :P And met up with the new couple in Cologne.

I was... pleasantly surprised :) They get along so well together, you'd be forgiven for thinking they've been friends for years. She's lovely and not at all psychotic (my #1 concern). I know some of the girls my mate has fancied in the past, and none of them seemed quite right as a match. This one's different. This girl, is someone my mate can respect as an equal. Never saw that before in any of the other girls my mate's liked in the past.

I think back to the conversation I had with my mate in our D&M moment.
Me: "Make sure you're not doing this just for a girl."
Mate: "She's not just _a_ girl. I think maybe she's THE girl."

I think back to what Wicky said at his wedding speech, "You have to strike while the iron's hot, or you'll never know and you'll regret it".

I think back to all the times I questioned those people who told me, "When it's right, you just know".

I think my mate did the right thing by jumping on that plane :)

Blabbering

It was an honour that I personally got a chance to speak to George A Romero. If only I hadn't downed 4 beers beforehand *lol* I _actually_ missed Romero's screening of Diary of the Dead!

So there I was waiting in the foyer for the movie to finish, when Mr Romero comes out for the Q&A session! I stalk him into the theater and shuffle to stand next to him.

Mr Romero's back:

Me: "Mr Romero? Can I just say, I love your work. Thank you so much... Dawn of the Dead... (I lose my train of thought)... Oh! (I actually placed a dramatic hand over my heart. *That's* how drunk I was)"
GAR: "Thank you."

I shuffle away with a silly grin on my face. Alcohol. It's an incredible confidence booster :P Later on, I snag me some zombies. These guys spent an hour getting made up, turned up late and missed the movie too!

Faith in Mankind

... Restored!

8:05am. These days, the mornings are a little colder, I'm a little lazier, I'm up a little later. It also means I have to walk to Baker Street to beat the peak hour crush at Marylebone. Sennies plugged in tight, Tiesto's Clublife (JT: "She's got me lovestoned...") blaring in my own personal headspace, double espresso in hand, I head off. Running down the escalators, hopping onto the tube that's awaiting...

SLAM! Doors shut behind me. My music's so loud, I don't hear the warning beeps and I narrowly made it into the carriage.

Hang on...

"SH*T!"

I'm stuck. My massive white handbag trapped between the jaws of the tube door. In embarrassment, I start tugging hard, trying not to spill my espresso and trying hard not to look like an idiot. Fellow commuters take pity on me, two of them start yanking on my handbag with me. A third commuter on the outside starts prying the doors open. Eventually my handbag slides through the gap. I land on my knees, a drop of espresso falls on my camel jacket. All good! :)

"THANKS!" *big grin* (I still have my earphones plugged in)

Help from strangers on the tube. That's something new to me :)

Beeniksterwaztri thanks you...

...for helping us to finish the household booze :)

Only one person threw up in my bathroom *grin* I had to do a costume change mid-party cause errr, "someone bumped me" and my drink spilt all over my clothes :P However, I did manage to stay up past 9pm this time round (4am!), and I was even capable of ordering cabs home for our guests *grin*

Chivalry

Poor MT. He bore the brunt of my diatribe on Saturday *grin* I couldn't help it. When MT fretted and requested one of us GIRLS to call for the bill, I let loose.
Me: "You know, if you want the bill, why don't YOU call for it? You're a guy! Take some action. I took care of getting the tea. Getting the soya sauce. Getting the chilli sauce. Clearing the empty plates. Why can't YOU get the bill?"
MT: "I'm facing the wrong way. You can see the waiters."

That was really the wrong thing to say to me. It's something that someone use to say to me _all_ the time and it's bothered me for the past four-five years.
Me: "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR NECK? CAN'T YOU TURN IT? YOU'RE A GUY, TAKE CHARGE."
MT: "You can't have it all. You wanted a metrosexual guy. A guy who's in touch with his feminine side."
Me: "I NEVER asked for a metrosexual! What the hell? I don't care if a guy moisturises!"

Is it really too much to ask? :P I don't care if I'm facing the room. It just exasperates me that I'm the one that always has to flag down the waiter for something at a meal. Guys, stop being so dang lazy. It would be nice, for a change, if I went out for dinner with a guy, and he:
1. Took care of ordering pre-dinner drinks.
2. Asked me what I wanted so he could order it.
3. Flagged the waiter for anything we needed.
4. CALLED FOR THE BILL at the end of the night.

There's only ever been two men I've known who do that. My Dad - and one Mr MacGregor. Lucky you, Mrs MacGregor! Good luck Babsy ;)

Make it so!

It was soo warm and cosy inside the theatre... I couldn't understand most of what was being said... This was my view for most of the play...

(someone with a Dragon Ball Z haircut)

...So I nodded off :P Jean Luc Picard or no, Macbeth wasn't doing anything for me. I liked the idea of a contemporary Macbeth, and I liked the way it was played out on stage. Other than that, wouldn't have a clue what was going on. My Shakespeare is a little rusty :P

After the play, Patrick Stewart was collecting money out the front for charity. It has to be a little odd to be such a celeb. I saw one well past middle-age woman reach over to try and plant a sucker on him :) Patrick Stewart was cordial enough, but you can see that it annoyed him to have his picture taken. I took it anyway :P Then scurried away. Nobody wants to get on Captain Picard's wrong side!

Me: "I gave to the witch, can I have a photo taken with you please?"
PS: "It's going to cost you £100."
Me: "But I'm Australian! That's $200!"

I almost forgot

It's 10pm, I've had a couple of pints with Trini, I'm ready to sleep it off. Then I remember, I have a ticket for EXTE at 11:30pm! Soon, I'm out of my pajamas and back into street clothes.

The premise is a little silly, hair extensions gone wild. Trust me though, this movie, creeped the hell out of me! I hid behind my hands for most of it. and couldn't help shrieking "ZOMG!" The villain is comedic, but just exudes CREEPINESS all the time!

I was planning to get a haircut appointment this weekend. I'm going to give it a miss. Gawd. I'll never get hair extensions in this lifetime.

HR vs IT

This week, I'm trying to take back my social life. I'm trying to start by socialising with work people after work hours. Wednesday night, I'm out with the HR team. It. Is. Different.

I've never felt like an underachiever before *grin* A lot of things come into play. A couple of them are a bit younger than me, and have multiple degrees. One is studying for her doctorate. There are a few extremely strong personalities, and there are definitely a few who take things way too seriously. It's hard to have light hearted bantering going on when people don't get the joke. Questions asked to me that night:
"What is your five year plan?" (it's almost a running joke with me and the HR team)
"What are you looking for in a guy?"
"If you don't have a five year plan, do you have a five point plan?"
"What about an 18 month plan?"

It's a little harder for me. These people know what they want and where they want to be. They're in HR! It's their job to organise other people's careers, so they should be good at organising their own.

How do you explain to those people that you like the freedom not to decide?

Project Manager to me: "Lightweight Liew, when are you going to face reality and make some decisions?"

Thursday night, I'm out with the boys from the IT team. This was when I truly felt ok to just... Be. Fck talking about life plans. Let's talk about girls in short skirts. Let's bond over burgers and beer and shots. Let's bitch about office politics. Let's talk about what gigs are on this weekend. Let's just scull beer. Yup. I sculled my Negro Modelo. I even earnt some admiring glances from the table nearby. Mate, I'm Aussie, mate! By the end of the night, I couldn't stand straight. I was hanging on to the bag strap of a developer for dear life. But you know, that's what I call a decent night out without a care in the world.

And I didn't throw up *beam*

Shooting the breeze with Iz

I love talking to Iz. She'll fill my head with ideas on how men should treat women. Iz is a woman who has to create phantom boyfriends to keep the boys she doesn't want away. Iz's thinking is that a man should always be "hot for the girl". The guy should always call the girl. If the guy doesn't call within 48 hours, then he's playing games, and who's got time for that sht these days? If the guy wants to be with a girl, he'll make it happen. Straight from the start, the guy has to treat the girl like a queen. Suits me :)

Then again, Iz has the attitude and the looks for it, I... don't *grin* It's funny, Iz talks about how a man should always see a girl safely home. Even if he had to take the bus for 2 hours in the wrong direction. No offense to my ex, but he never once bothered to meet me at the train station to walk me through the dodgy park to his place. Or I was always the one spending money on cab fares to his place. Iz would've set fire to my ex :P

I'd kinda like to think that it's possible to meet a guy who'd go out of his way to do things right by me... But these days, it's hard enough to meet a guy who can do something as simple as show up on time :P

Movie time!

About a year ago, I watched City of God. It still remains one of my all time must-watch movies. This movie made me squirm. The thing that got to me was the imagery of kids with guns. Tonight, I had the chance to watch the sequel, City of Men, as part of the BFI London Film Fest! The director Paolo Morelli stuck around to answer questions after the film. However, I left when the presenter started asking questions like, "Tell us about the themes of friendship in your movies". Wtf. What is this, highschool? That's like pointing at a painting and saying, "Tell us about the use of red here". I'm more a "What inspired you to make this movie? Who are these people that have this story to tell?" type of person. So, I didn't stay around for the Q&A.

Next on my list is Exte! Unfortunately, I managed to quadruple book my upcoming weekend :( I have tickets to see Kubrick's Clockwork Orange, Rodriguez's Planet Terror, Patrick Stewart in Macbeth (*squeal*! Captain Picard!), and I forgot our house is having a party >_< Therefore, if anyone wants tickets to Clockwork Orange (I'm gutted :( ) or Planet Terror in Rondon for this Saturday, let me know :P

Also on my list is FrightFest! I can't wait! George A Romero, the Father of Zombie movies, will be making an apperance :D I'll have a chance to watch at least 3 of the movies scheduled before making my way to the airport for a weekend in Cologne *grin* AAAH... Can't wait!

Land of the Giants

On my trip home from Amsterdam, I was contemplating a theory. I wonder if there's a correlation between megalomania and height. Because, I can seriously understand why there would be a lot of shtty short people who would want to conquer the world just to get their own way. Me being one of them of course :P I'd make all the tall people stand at the back :P

The theory was blown when I came home and did a Google search for Chairman Mao's height. He was 1.83m.

It's really difficult for me to go clubbing these days. I value personal space so very much. A Paul van Dyk gig is the last place on earth with personal space. Not only that, this time I was picked on by tall Dutch people before I even got into the club! I fell for the old "tap on the shoulder and pretend it wasn't me" trick... Ah well.

The other thing I hate in universal club culture, are the girls who are obnoxiously obnoxious about their prettiness. The ones that stomp on you with their heels, and flick their disgustingly germy long hair in your face. Those ones. The nasty part of me just wants to grab a handful of hair and rip it out.

The nice part of me just grumbles and puts up with it to prevent deportation charges. U&W, you need to teach me some Dutch swear words! "Bitterballen" just isn't going to cut it.

Anyway, 11:30pm, post Groove Armada, it was time to head off to see PvD at Powerzone. This has to be the nicest pic I've ever taken of PvD :)

There's also one more thing I'd like to mention about Dutch clubbing. What the hell is with the token system these days? Everywhere you go, it's exchange money for tokens to buy drinks. There's always a massive line to buy tokens. There's also that nasty thing they do where they give you the bottle without a cap, forcing you to buy a new bottle everytime you want a drink. Gawd, it's illegal not to give water for free in Australia.

Unfortunately, I was too tired to wake up at 1am to see PvD play at KoKo in Rondon the next night :(

I see you Baby

SHAKIN THAT ASS!

To be honest, I had no idea what Groove Armada were like. I didn't even know any of their songs. I was just going along for fun. What, you mean you don't take a day off to fly to Amsterdam to listen to random DJs for fun? ;) To be honest, I initially thought the support act were Groove Armada, and was disappointed that they sucked so badly *lol* I was falling asleep! It wasn't until Groove Armada got on and sang the words, "Whenever I'm down, I call on you my friend," that I realised, "OH! Groove Armada sang _that_ song!" And of course, there's also the infamous "I See You Baby" song :)

By accident, I took this really cool photo:

Ok, so it's not that cool, but I was never able to take photos like this with my old skool Canon :) There's something called "Intelligent ISO" mode on my new camera. One day, I'll RTFM.