Jorn Utzon

There are some things in Sydnery that I will always go back to. I'll always find the time to sit in the sun, infront of the Opera House. I love looking at it. Sydnery wouldn't be Sydnery without this iconic building. It's so unique. I've seen it a million times, but everytime, I can't help but pull out my camera to take another shot.

Thank you Jorn, for giving us such a beautiful gift. Thank you for all the sunny times I sat and stared in wonder as I sipped my cocktail and read my books :) Sorry our government treated you like shit *sigh*

I am ninja!

You are ninja too ;) Thank roo Milli-San, I hearts it (>_<) Hehehe..

1:55am

I stare at my iPhone. "Just five more mins, then get out of here", I think to myself. At 1:57am my iPhone flashes to life with a message from Diskies, "How's cargo? I'm gonna head home..." Quick as a flash, I message back, "Meeee too. See you bus stop?"

After an evening of dumplings, lobster noodles, roast duck, cocktails - I just wanted to go home. It was close to midnight. I didn't want to trek all the way from West Rondon to East Rondon. I knew it was going to be hell to get back. Yet I was egged on by everyone else who was either:
a) UNDER 30 AND THINKING I WAS AN OLD FART; or
b) OVER 30 AND WISHING TO LIVE VICARIOUSLY THROUGH ME.

*lol* Don't get me wrong, I'm always up for a good time. But I was sooooo close to home! A 10 squid cab ride away! A four min walk from Baker Street tube away! But no, the others insisted I had to party on.

So, I caught the last tube to Old Street. I got lost and was guided by two Germans to Cargo. I looked in despair at the massive queue outside. I bucked up and politely asked the security guy, "Excuse me, can I ask? Are you letting people in?" The security guard took pity on me and let me in without having to queue up. Aaah, the power of a cute smile ;) That was my happy moment of the night.

In the end, it didn't matter. I couldn't find my friends. Yup, I was on my own and officially sobered up by the chill outside. *Sigh* At least the music was decent. So I line up for my beer, I dance a little, then I wish I had followed my gut instincts and just gone home.

Never go against your gut. It's not about age. It's about knowing yourself well.

What makes Obama cool?

* The hope Obama gives to America and the rest of the world every week :) Heck, I'm subscribed to his youtube channel, and I don't even follow politics (let alone American politics).

* Because Obama cares about what the nation wants. He's actually asking Americans to suggest ways to improve and to vote for the top ideas. That's cool :)

Happy Turkey Day!

AARRR, me matey!

The other evening, the geeks at the dinner table started talking about the "faux pas" of admitting to work colleagues, "I download". They were getting dirty looks, and treated like low-life convicts who should be shipped off to an island infested with poisonous snakes and spiders which feast on birds *grin* Well, not quite, but the gist of the story was, don't admit it because the activity is frowned upon by the public and by artists. You dirty downloader, you.

Eh? Really? I talk about downloading all the time. I explain to anyone who wants to know what torrents are. I give recommendations on what to watch. I tell people immediately when I've seen a great movie. I don't get the dirty looks.

Here's why I think downloading has been "good for everyone":
* I would never see the film otherwise. Torrents make obscure, cult classics, foreign, arthouse films easily available.
* Downloading doesn't stop people from buying. I remember reading about the outcome of a study done in Japan. Regardless of the high rate of downloads, music sales still went UP. People are still BUYING music.
* I still buy DVDs, CDs and MP3s. Freaking hell, it all adds to the mess underneath my bed. I hate buying shit because it takes up space I don't have, but I still do it. MP3s less so because of all the DRM it comes wrapped in. Saying that, I just bought The Whitlams' album on iTunes last week cause I couldn't find "Thank you (for loving me at my worse)" easily. (Yeah, I know, I can't believe I'm listening to The Whitlams either)
* I still buy good software. My copy of OS X is an original. It's underneath my bed with the rest of my crap.
* I still buy movie tickets. In fact, I chuckled when I read this TechDirt article. Dark Knight, despite being the "most pirated film of 2008", is also likely to be the "biggest grossing film of the year". The bit that got me chuckling though, was this line in TechDirt:
"...in such a scenario, you could even make the argument that the more people saw the movie in download format, the more willing they would be to go pay to see the IMAX version, to get the full experience".

Because that is *exactly* what happened with me. I was about 5 mins into the movie on my MBP, when I hit pause, and thought, "Fck it, I gotta go see this at IMAX!". Cost me £12.50, the only session I could get was 11:30pm, and I got home around 2am - still, I'm glad I watched Dark Knight at IMAX.

That evening at dinner, I was hit with the comment, "That's just you". Implying, I am one of the rare who downloads and still buys. This proves it - It's not just me. Granted, not everyone splashes the cash after downloading, but enough people do it to still make a huge positive impact on the industry.

Downloading is a distribution model that's frowned upon because people don't see the potential of the technology behind it, and don't know how to make money off it. Because that's what it comes down to. Do you think record or movie companies would be so pissy if they were getting a cut? If artists were willing to go out on a limb and ask their fans to "pay what you think it's worth" for an album download, do you think they're going to go broke, or make more money?

Ask Radiohead, because that's exactly what they did with their last album. Ask Underworld who have been broadcasting their gigs live for awhile now. Ask NIN who offered fans a free download of their latest album (as soon as I found this out, I alerted a NIN-fan friend of mine), and different price packages for the limited edition release. Ask Lily Allen who started out by posting demos on MySpace.

I'm not saying that downloading isn't stealing. I'm saying downloading opens up a brand new world, to a brand new audience. So don't be such a hater about it *grin* For all the noise you hear about downloading media being bad, to my knowledge no kittens have been punished yet :P You just never hear about the good.

To be honest, these days when I download music, it comes free anyway. Courtesy of DJs who have caught on to podcasting :) Those podcasts are responsible for making me leave the country to attend their gigs. Tell me how this isn't helping the artist?

Btw, here's Monty Python's take on things :)

I can't quit my day job

I came across this article the other day, and it got me thinking - I should really start making more effort to do something I enjoy for a job. I'm extremely miserable at my desk for an extremely long part of the day. Those days add up. What a waste! In fact, the past few days, I've been sitting at my desk organising a trip to Amsterdam... AGAIN. If I have anymore time on my hands, I'm going to organise a new tattoo. This is not good.

So I looked for career advice in the form of Shuai :)

11:48 L-S: I guess to be methodical you can go about this in two ways:

1. You can look at your CV and think about what jobs you could do and hope something you like comes up.

2. You can think about what you enjoy doing and work backwards to what that job might be.

11:49 me: I'm trying for option 2.

but it's hard when, all i enjoy doing is:

1. eating

11:50 2. clubbing

3. travelling

4. looking at good looking guys lol

so if there was a job out there which required me to fly around and entertain good looking guys, i'd be perfect for it :)

11:52 L-S: Haha :) I think there'd be high demand for that kind of job!!

Anyone know where I can get a job like that? ;)

If you see me idling out on gmail, can you please tell me to fix my CV?

Internets down

For most of tonight, internets was down. That's right, NO SURFING. *Egads* No RSS feeds? No online shopping?!? So what does a girl like me do to chillax?!?

Sadly, I found myself watching my torrents and hovering over Firefox in the dock :P (Thank gawd torrents were still working :D )

Then I watched In Bruges. It is so dark, and it is soo hilarious :) Please watch. New respect for Colin Farrell as an actor. It also showcases how uniquely delicious British films can be when you're so used to Hollywood :) Two thumbs up!

Tradition

I don't work on my birthday, that's just how it rolls *grin* It avoids all the awkwardness and fussiness at work that I hate.

So, what do I do on my traditional birthday off? If I was in Sydnery, I'd head to my hairdresser for my annual haircut, then head to the beach to reflect on the past year. Here in Rondon, I still get the haircut, only this year it was early because I had to chop off my hair to fit into my hat. So SURPRISE! No more hair :P Except for a fringe, cause last time, that's the one thing I hated about getting a short haircut :P

Before anyone brings it up, "YEEES, I know I kissed some girls at my party. NOOO, I'm not a lesbian yet and this haircut doesn't prove anything".

What's with the pony? Everytime someone at work asks me what I want, I reply with, "A pony". Guess what someone got me for my birthday *grin* It's a *really* nice pony actually.

Onwards! Due to hemispherical variances and lack of beaches in Rondon, I spend birthdays reflecting in art galleries and museums instead. This year I went to see Annie Leibovitz at the National Portrait Gallery. You've probably seen her work before, just never realised it. She's the one that took Demi Moore naked when pregnant. She's also the one that took John Lennon's last ever photo, he was shot five hours later. She's also taken portraits of the Queen! Her exhibition is intensely personal though, with portraits of her parents aging, and her lover fading from cancer. I say go see it, but I like Annie's type of art. I just don't know how she gets the shots that she does.

I think I've spent the last year asking my elders, "What do you do when you turn 30?" The camps are clearly divided. It's either:
* All downhill from here; or
* You'll love it because you know yourself better.

I was trying to be optimistic... UNTIL my dang body broke down on my FIRST DAY of being 30! I have a racking cough, a sneeze that has probably popped my eardrums, nostrils that need to be plugged up, and green phlegm.

Yup yup, "all downhill from here" it is :P

I don't really want to end on a sad note *grin* So I'll just say, that being 29 has been wonderful :) My friends have been totally awesome in living it up with me. We've been eating (my favourite hobby) lots. We've been partying hard (my second favourite hobby *grin*). We've been flying to destinations we've always dreamt of. I was 29, living in the middle of Rondon, and healthy ;)

Now where's cuppa and my cardi? :P

30 years, 30 snogs

DG: "I meant to tell you, you pashed my gf last night!"
Me: "Did I?!? Are you sure?"
DG: "Yes! No tongue, but if you were a guy, I would've punched you."
Me: "Oooh, I remember now. HEY, she kissed me back!" :P

Blame T, it was her idea *grin* Some liked it, others - maybe not so much *lol* The trick is, to clasp one hand firmly on the victim's cheek and hold on tight as you go in for the *SMOOCHIE* Very hard to escape! :P

Happy Birthday Diskies :) Thanks T&B for looking after me :) Thanks to everyone who came and made my Hat Party dream come true for my 30th! *lol* All the pix are up here. Oh, and Trailer Happiness is a coolass bar :)

Slowly but surely

Do you know what it's like when you know you can't remember?

I open a browser, I'm distracted for 5 seconds by a question from a colleague. I glance back at the browser and think, "What was I suppose to look up?!?"

Do you know what it's like to know to take B12 vitamins to improve your memory... Only to forget that you're suppose to take it at all? :P

Short term memory is what I long for, long term memory is the one I wish to let go of...

Fat Duck

Sorry for misleading you. I didn't mean to imply my flatties had bought me a female escort for my birthday *lol* The quote is from a just-got-laid Zapp Brannigan from Futurama. Well, yeah, I _did_ feel that happy that night ;)

What B, T and D did was whisk me away to Bray for a molecular gastronomy experience at FAT DUCK :D One of my dream restaurants!!! It was an AMAZING experience.

B, T&D - I really am speechless. I don't know how to thank you guys for such an awesome experience :D *MUUUUAH* Yaaaaay! :D

Enough words! I give you pictures (if you can't see the slideshow, go to the post)! Plus a video of my eggs being scrambled in nitrogen :)

"Kipf...

...I have made it with a woman. Inform the men."

How do I feel right now? Ecstatic :)

I only wish I had my MBP right now so I could show you what B, T and D surprised me with this evening.

I hearts you guys endlessly (^_^) xxxooo

Spiteful

Just to fck with me, the F5 key is the logout shortcut in Lotus Notes. IBM is a prick for going against Windoze convention of F5 being the refresh function. Guess who keeps logging out everytime I check for urgent mail? Gets me _everytime_ (>_<)

So ronery :(

This evening I dropped off my MBP at the Apple store. My heart-strings tugged as I left it at the store. As usual, I had to beg for this appointment last weekend, and then deal with an Appletard tonight. It's funny, try saying something "anti-Apple" at the "Genius" Bar and just watch how defensive the Appletards get *grin*

Me: "It's unbelievable that I've spent so much money on this machine and when I talk to other Mac users, we all have the same problems. It's always the battery, fans or harddrive."
Appletard: "I find most Mac users who complain don't know what they're talking about."

I don't bother to mention that I'm in IT and so is everyone one else I talk to about Mac problems.

Awhile ago, my left fan made the most evilest of clunking noises. It almost sounded like it was grinding walnuts in there. When the noise stopped, I knew it had died. Hence, I'm getting both left and right fans replaced. The right one is just in case :P When I was trying to burn some stuff for backup last night, guess what? My optical drive died. Slowly, my beautiful machine is falling apart on me. So far, it's had the battery, logic board and power adapter replaced. The new fans and optical drive will make my machine an official Frankenstein :(

How much is all this costing me?
Drive: £146
Fan left: £9
Fan right: £9
Hardware repair: £40
Tax: £35.71
Grand Poobah Total: £239.71

DAMN YOU APPLE!! Squiddie-grubbing monsters!

Me: "Hey, what's this here about a £100 diagnostics fee? Do I have to pay more?"
Appletard: "Oh, don't worry about that. It's in case we open it up and find out that you've caused the damage. Like spilt water on it. If that's the case and you don't want it fixed, then we still charge you a £100 for wasting our time."

I wish I could charge people at work £100 everytime they wasted my time :P

Pretzel yoga!

I bite back a squeal at my first Ashtanga yoga class. Holy moly, with each arm splayed through a leg, my Michelin Man tummy rolls are visible in the multiples. The instructor pushes my head down to meet the floor. *Nnnggh* I swear I hear my kneecaps quietly snap away from the rest of my body. As the instructor demonstrates some cross-legged lift-off posture, I fall over on my ass. I watch in awe as she bends another student's legs over his head. Ooooh, _that's_ how you do it (uh huh).

Madonna does this?!? I thought celebs only did easy peasy stuff! I think the instructor actually snickered when I told her I had done Bikram yoga before...

I'm wondering how on earth people become so pretzel-like. Am I going to get more flexible? Or just snap like a toothpick?!? I worry about breaking my neck as the instructor flips my legs over my head, making me do a backward roll.

I picked this pretzel picture cause it's a little bit on the tubby side. As I struggled to wrap my left arm around my left knee to bend back again to reach my right hand located behind my back, I can't help but think, "If only I had less fatty bits to reach around, I could do this!"

I need to lose the excess pretzel weight :P Actually, I'm hoping this will improve my core strength for ice-climbing!

Countdown

With 14 days left till my Hat Party, I've been trying to get my outfit together.
* Hat? CHECK :) It arrived ages ago!
* Eyewear? CHECK B) Got it from Camden Markets a couple of weeks ago.
* Dress? Errr.... Hrm... Sorta CHEck.

I walked into Top Shop on Friday evening and tried on SIX outfits. I walked out with TWO dresses, both in the same style but in different colours *lol* I took the dresses home and tried them out with my hat. I liked the colours, I sorta liked the design... but I couldn't decide if I looked more "Trampy" than "Vampy"! *lol* I took that as a bad sign. If there's doubt, it's definitely more not than hot :)

The thing I love about shopping in Rondon, is that with a receipt, you can return anything for a full refund within 28 days! Bewdy! So this morning, I hiked back to Top Shop and got my money back for the two dresses :) I spent the rest of the day trodding along in the rain, trying on outfits, meeting up with a friend for lunch, coffee and sex toy shopping (different story altogether!), and then trying on more dresses. You'd be surprised how many dresses require more boobies than I have to fit properly!

Good news :) I did find one. I love it. I've tried it on with my hat and eyewear.

Now I just look plain "Wacky" *lol*

It'll do :)

Mussels, Leffe, Art and?

Want to know the real reason I was in Bruxelles? Come on, it's not that hard to guess ;) With not much arm twisting from B, we had our tix all booked and ready to go for Armin Only over a month ago! To me, it strangely felt like a karaoke night, as I belted out all the cheesy trance choons I listen to everyday :) Poor B, I think I only had about a 20% hit rate on the lyrics *lol* I honestly don't know how I'd make it through the work day without my music. It was such good fun at Armin Only. Front row and centre at an Armin gig with my fave dance buddy? I couldn't ask for anything more... The smile never left my face all night :)

"I keep dreaming, that I have it all..."

Bring out the fluro!!

With that, Reenie clubbing season is over for 2008. As much as I'd love to keep partying on, the chill has set in, and I'm feeeeling it. The puffy jacket is out. The scarfie is out. As tempted as I am to head to the Essential festival in Jaarbeurs, one word - *BRRRRRRR*...

Bring on the Summer season!!! :D

PS: B, this one's for you - Eller van Buuren's lekker kontje ;)