Gift Guru

Lately I've been on a good strike rate when giving gifts. Admitadly I've just been choosing gifts for people that I actually want myself (or in the latest case already had) but that doesnt count.

Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour Review

I just saw Chaser's Age of Terror Variety Hour (info here and here and can't really say I was impressed.

I'll keep this brief but I should have known the "Variety Hour" meant just that. An hour. I expected more than 65 minutes from the show.

The routine was musically jam packed and at many times I could hardly understand what they were saying. The jokes felt stale or laboured and the few times they did anything enlightening were few and far between. The best part of the Chaser's show was when they ambushed people and did stunts. This was lacking from the stage show for obvious reasons. There was a good routine about online dating and one about powerpoint but hardly side splitting stuff or even explored in depth.

I went to a spoken word by Henry Rollins and that was a 3hr (OK 3 hrs was a touch too long) but I laughed more at that and he had more interesting things to say about politics (even Aussie politics).

So all I'd say is that if you are planning on seeing the show save your cash and buy their DVD set. If you already have that then don't worry. You're not missing much and go out and buy the Venture Bros DVD set. That's worth every cent.

News Years To Do List

Here's a few things I'd like to do in the new year.

1: Learn to type better
1a: learn to spell better
2: Learn to cook one good dish
3: Be part of a Trop Fest film (in any way)
4: Collaborate with an artist on my RSS feed
5: Get something linked up on Boingboing
(B3TA, Notcot, Cracked, Kottke successful in 2006)
6: Become a Muslim
7: Start the whole married thing
8: Join a sporting team of some kind (Super Disc (frisbee) might be my thing)
9: Start regular squash games again

10 Year Reunion

My 10 year Merrimac State High school reunion is in November.

I have a feeling there wont be enough people as tracking down people from my high school seems pretty tough. A lot don't seem to online that much ie a handful have myspace and less have a facebook account.

I'm probably one of the easiest to find as my name is all over the interweb where as many of my friends don't really use the web that much.

Im excited about the reunion as not only am I not a dip shit living at home, I actually didn't have many beefs with people at high school. While I wasn't friends with everyone I certainly didn't have many enemies.

Facebook Friendwheel

The new API for Facebook allows interesting tools like this Friendwheel app. Here you can see the connections all your friends have with other people. Mine are so disparate its quite funny. Although I'm trying to be a little more selective with my Facebook friends as opposes to my LinkedIn account. Neither I use regularly.

There is a whole Flickr Group (pretty small right now) for showing off your Friendwheel and some people have insane looking Friendwheels. I can't imagine knowing that meany people with the ratio of "knobs to normal people" being so high these days.

Official Home Owner

I now officially own the apartment I live in, having settled on Thursday. I had no idea it took that long to get all the paperwork and what not done. The 6 weeks flew by though.

Backstage at the ARIAs

Im now backstage at the ARIAs waiting for the photos of the red carpet to upload.

I'm also eating the majority of the biscuits left out for all the media people. I think they'll run out in about 15 minutes and have to order more.

The only thing between me and every muscial artist being interviewed is a thin red curtain which sadly I cannot see through. Although I can hear Andrew Gee interviewing Youth Group right now.

You can check out all the official photos on the ARIA Awards Flickr account.

Sponsor my Moe

This year I've remembered to register for Movember so I can raise money for my moe.

So click the image above and fork over some of your cash.

If you need any proof that your money will be going towards a quality moe then check my effort from 2004

And my others from 2005.

So if you must sponsor just one moe make sure you're getting your money's worth and sponsor me.

Affilliate Payments

I got a payment from HMV/Sanity this month for $63.58 in commisions for sales I sent to their site.

I remember setting up the affilliate account almost 3 years ago and doing nothing with it. Then suddenly I've referred over $1,500 worth of sales.

I can only hope these phantom sales continue to roll in. I can't even log into my account to check where they are coming from but the payment they sent me said last month (September) i referred $151 so they are still coming through. I don't even know the format on how to link to the site so even if I wanted to link to it to enhance these payments I couldn't.

To top this week off I also found $20 in a pair of jeans I washed!

No Toboggoning

Look how I flaunt on the wrong side of snow law at Threadbo.

Happy Birthday Mum

This is the first year in quite a while that I've remembered my mum's birthday on the actual day.

Next year I hope to do this and get a present. One funny note about my mum is that last time I went to visit her I sat down to wacth TV and everything was green. The tube had blown somewhere and all the colours were shades of green.

I asked mum and my little sister. WTF is with the TV? It's all green!

They replied "Is it??.... looks normal to me" I was lost for words. So I switched off Green CSI and waited till the next day when we bought a new TV. I made sure to get a 5 year warrenty as well.

Note: never let your mum but electrical equipment. She will always buy the worst one. It's lucky I was on hand or mum would have walked home with a Beta Max player instead of a TV.

MT3.3

Ive started upgrading this blog to use some of thenew features of MT 3.3. Tags being the most obvious one.

Bridge Climb

I did the Bridge Climb yesterday (as you may have guessed form the photo) at 3.35 and it was a great experience. We had the last bit of the sunset, good weather and a full moon.

It was easier than I thought to get through it although my legs hurt today. The whole experience takes about 3.5 hrs from getting briefed, changed thewn going up and back.

Worst part is they hit you up for a $25 fee for every photo you want on a CD! Or $15 if you want it printed there.

My White PSP

My effort to not buy anything till 2006 failed miserably with the purchase of a White PSP form Japan. A friend just came back with my new little baby. I even saved money buy going through Japan with the SP costing just $300 instead of $399. 25% off and I get a white one. Not bad?

I have no games, videos or anything yet and will have to go shopping on Sunday as tomorrow is the second day of Rpresent. Day 1 was quite interesting in both the speakers and the fuck ups. Also doing the Math 1500 people x $100 average + sponsors cash = BF$

I'll also be calling in everyone else who owns a PSP to grab the videos and crap they have already downloaded for their PSP's.

Back from Indo

After four sweat filled, wedding days, 1000 photos, three costume changes (just for me!) and some slight sun burn I'm back from Indonesia.

After getting back to Aus I was reminded of the worst part of flying: The Baggage Claim. On the plane you can avoid all the other idiots (passengers) with ease but put them all in the one area with the same agenda and you have chaos. They really need a public education system for how to claim your bag.

My system is simple: Stay back with your trolley even further back and move in for the kill once you see your bag. Don't stand in front of people who are already waiting them attack them with your oversized suitcase filled with clothes you didn't even wear.

Oh and if you fly Singapore Airlines in economy like me then make sure to steal a pair or headphones from business class. They fit better and have active noise reduction. Sure beats the $4 pair they give you normally. Business class never fills up so no one will notice.

Movies I cought n the flights were: Snatch, Madagascar, XXX2, Oceans Twelve, Dreamship Surprise Period 1 , Hostage and some others. The plane is a great way to watch all those movies you didn't really want to see in the cinema or could be bothered renting.

My last travel tip is to order a special meal. I go for the Muslim meal but just choose anything like low carb, Jewish, vegetarian or just make something up like allergic to pepper or something. The reason being is you get served first which means you've finished eating before the rest of the flight.

Off to Indo Again

After we just give birth to KKash (which seems to be going of with over 3000 users registered in 2 days) on Monday I'm off to Indonesia for Ervi's older brothers wedding. I've been told to expect 1500 people. Not 150 but 1500!!!!!

The eldest brothers wedding, the first in the immediate family, had 3000 people.

The wedding goes for 4 days (ill be in Indo for 5) although each day only has 3-4 hrs of wedding stuff. There is a spiritual (prayer) day, a ceremony day, then a day for the bride and a day for the groom.

There is meant to be a big celebration with a big drum that requires a special healer to be there in case anyone becomes "hypnotised/possessed" by the drumming. Can't wait for that one.

Hopefully I can get some dodgy DVD's from "Happy" but if everyone is busy with wedding stuff this might be tough. Sin City , Wedding Crashers and War of the Worlds will be top of my list.

It feels shit leaving work when there's so much to do as it's hard to take you mind off the work but these things have to be done.

PSP Launched

After moving units again (this is my 8th place in 7 years since moving to Sydney) I vowed not to buy any non-consumable items until 2006. This means no new books, games, clothes and a PSP. The reason not to buy was all the smurfing clutter I accumulate every time I stay in one place longer than 6 months.

So far so good. I came close to buying Pulp Fiction on DVD and the visit to Outre gallery in Melbourne was a good test of willpower. Luckily if I really need something I can buy it for Soap and use that loop hole to continue my quest to buy less smurfing crap in my life.

My Tips for keeping the clutter down:
1: Read a book then give it away to a friend. Design reference books can be kept only if used more than once a year.
2: Magazines older than 3 months must be thrown away
3: After you copy a CD to your Ipod put the disc in a CD book holder then throw the case away. If you really like the cover scan it in and set it as your desktop.
4: Don't buy "collectable" toys
5: Men need only 3 pairs of shoes max! (Italian men and models are allowed 6)
5a: Women need no more than 8 pairs of shoes. And that's already being generous. The boxes for those shoes must be thrown away.
6: Keep the boxes for items of high value > $1000 or fragile items. The boxes for your toaster can be disposed of with ease.

The first thing I'm buying in 2006 is a PSP and maybe some shoes

Lack of updates

It's been over a month since i last posted. Too busy with work and just forgot out little ol' truffle.

Work wise we just launched the Pinicchio Music Mixer for the Shrek 2 DVD site for Aus.

Updated our site with 80's personas as a member of the team left and 2 new people joined.

I went to the snow for the first time. I suck at skiing. I haven't even posted any photos of the trip!

Still playing squash although it seems our Wednesday games are no longer as it's officially "Gay Squash night" and you can't book courts unless you prebook months in advance.

But not that anyone will care about whats happeing with me.

All my good links and interesting stuff is posted on the Soap's Weekly 6. I think in doing this i no longer have an urge to blog.

Sign up as it's 6 links a week with no fluff.

The F Word

I used the work fuck all the time in conversation and it's become so common place now I don't even notice it. It becomes a habit.

Ie: friend: "Wanna go to the shops?" me: "nah, fuck it"

To combat this constant state of cuss, i have been replacing swear words with fruit and vegetables. Not only has this made me more aware of my swearing but has stopped me from swearing in most instances.

For instance, instead of saying "fuck that" i say "fruit that" and instead of "what a dumb shit or "dumb cunt" i say "silly potato". "Wholly fruit, did you see that dogs balls?", "I don't know squash about it"

When you substitute these words, you feel like an idiot and it makes you want to swear less. Also, no one gets offended being called a "apple licker"

Of course there's always times the F and C word's work best, it's trying to stop the constant swearing in general conversation that this fruit and veges solution is best at. Try it for yourself.

Note: Cumquat doesn't count, it's already rude.

Quick Reviews

Red Dead Revolver: Ps2 : Great game, stupid AI but fun game play and interesting varied levels. Rockstar can do no wrong. Also 1-4 player modes increases longevity. GTA, Wild West style.
8.5/10

Sexy Beast: DVD: I thought this was a foreign film for some reason?!?! Funny, clever and the word cunt like 100 times. No DVD extras though which sucks.
7/10

Family Guy Season 1 & 2: DVD: My new fav show. Lack of extras on DVDs sucks as Futurama had commentary over Every episode which was great. Family Guy makes the Simpsons seem like Play School. Now we just need Duckman on DVD
Season 1: 7.5/10 Season 2: 9/10

Spellbound: DVD: Fantastic documentary that shows you a world you never knew existed. The National Spelling Bee companionships. No DVD extras again!! but one of the best doco's I've seen.
8.5/10

Freaking Cold

I feel like a prisoner trapped in my apartment. Since last night the weather has been freezing and the wind like something out of a disaster movie, well no cars flipping over but you get the idea. Luckily I rented Red Dead Revolver from Blockbuster on Friday!!! Or this weekend would have sucked.

The wind was hard today it cracked my kitchen window. Lucking it didn't break or my place would be even colder (APOX on you tiled floor!!!)

The major new sites have covered the weather as I'm too scared to go to the 7-11 and get a paper. SMH | NEWS

This is officially the coldest day of 2004 and the crappest.

Filofax Inventor 2

Continuing my series of inventions concepted while on the train home I present..

The USB2.0 Knuckle Duster

While researching my Knuckle Duster I cam across this scary site with heaps of Ninja Turtle like weapons.

This one reminds me of that knife found by Australian customs. Nice pink table cloth.

Better than tennis

I think I've discovered a sport I not only like to play but I'm not totally crap at.

Squash!!!

Here's a few reasons why Squash is better than tennis.
1: You don't need to spend half your time running after the ball as the court is enclosed.
2: You also get the smash the ball as hard as you want and most if the time it'll still be a good shot.
3: And it's indoors so you don't have to worry about getting sunburnt (I be fair skinned)
4: You could also practice by yourself if need be.
5: The racquet is smaller so it's easier to travel with
6: You don't need to buy 8 balls at a time. Just one is enough
7: You can serve underarm and not look like a tool.

That's about it. If I ever become a CEO of some big ass company, I'll be all cool to play squash with the other CEO's at some function for big wigs. Just gotta learn how to smoke cigars by then.

DVD Rentals

The way in which you rent DVD's in Australia is changing dramatically.

Since the release of Telstra's Fetch my Movies and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and more players in the DVD rental market consumers have had the choice and the option of never visiting a DVD store again. You just select from a list of movies you want to see online and receive the DVD's in the mail. Then when finished you post them back and receive the next lot. All for a monthly fee of around $30.

No longer do you just rent 1-2 movies on the weekend or when you chuck a sickie.

But Blockbuster, Video Ezy and Civic Video have all followed suit and are offering similar concepts. The only difference is you have to walk to the store instead of the PO box. These traditional video stores also offer game rentals as well, which the other websites don't.

I'd much prefer to go to my Blockbuster and select a DVD from the shelve, than tick a few check boxes on a web form. A video store encourages you to browse and find new things. Where as online you really just find what your looking for. Also if you live near the video store you have a greater chance of getting more vids for your money and posting and receiving videos takes 1-3 days between DVD's, where as a video store is instant. Also if you are like me with a tiny letterbox to receive any video in the mail means a trip to the post office and waiting in line for 20 minutes. I don't see the time saving in that.

It will be interesting to see who remains and what happens to the rental market. All this just makes it harder for the independent video stores of Australia to survive. I haven't seen one in quite a while but i bet they still exist.

Trasitom

Trasitom: To find the file you were looking for in your computers Trash.

Trasitom's occur mostly right after you try to clean off your desktop in an effort to create some order. Resisting the urge to empty your trash is the hardest part.

Folio Fax Inventor

While on the train I decided to put pen to paper and work out the roughs of my new invention..... "The Personal Bubble" ª¨©

Here's the result of my first draft which shows the basics of the unit and also some features which should make it into the beta version in 2006.

Dawn of the Dead

I saw Dawn of the Dead last night. I'm glad I have also seen the original as for me this 2004 remake is a lot better. Not as satirically funny but a more entertaining film. And not 2.5 hrs like the original.

The titles and flow of the movie was really good. The original was not scary at all but more a Zombie comedy and a "What would you do" kinda movie. This is the same but with some genuine scares. The faster moving zombies help make your heart pump a little more too.

Even if you are not a horror fan you will like this movie.

Headphone Heaven

I finally found some decent headphones that not only look good but don't cook your ears like little muffins. And for the nice price of $110. Down from the $130 that HMV are charging.

I got these Sennheiser PX200 'Retro Chrome' Cans from Wicked Digital. Which not only has a great website but a nice little store in Neutral bay.

If you own an IPOD and still use the headphones that come with them, then you are a FOOL (Mr.T voice) Now I don't care if I'm surrounded by loud old people or idiots who sing on the train. I can't hear them anymore :) Also the music sound better than it ever did.

Oh and even better is these cans fold up into a pocket sized space, complete with . When it says fits in your pocket it does (just). See below.

Dodgey DVD's

DB lent me a whole heap of dodgy DVD's from Bali and what I have realised is that my tolerance for shit quality sound and video is quiet high.

Rob, on the other hand, demands VHS quality of better or he won't watch it. I on the other hand, in an effort to see movies earlier and also save money, will site through almost anything.

Dodgy DVD's have saved me the money and hassle of seeing XXX and Eight Legged Freaks in the cinema. These DVD's are better than the old VCD's and don't require you to swap discs half way through. Ahh the good old days.

I think the only movies I would not see on a Dodgy DVD are movies like LOTR. Where the cinema experience adds a lot to the movie. Movies like First 50 Dates don't need a 12 Foot screen or 5:1 sound.

Movies Seen: Hellboy, Starsky and Hutch, Sex and the City Final Season
Movies still to watch: Elephant, Mystic River, Kill Bill 2, Dawn of the Dead, Ninja Scroll 2 and many more

Council Pickup Day

It was a huge day for junk in Ashfield. I went through 124 photos before i even left my street. Nearly everyone decided to throw their junk out today. So many old heaters, couches, chairs, an ancient laptop to name a few.

We actually took a box of high-heels, the laptop and a single bed mattress home. A flat mate was using a $50 foam mattress so this one on the side of the road is a huge upgrade. And no pee or poo stains!! A real bonus.

I could have spent all day photographing all the crap left on the side of the road but we had to go to the city.

Movies for April/May

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
While not the mind blowing experience i was expecting, however it was still an enjoyable experience. Great performances by everyone and the effects were well done too. The idea of someone trying to hide in suppressed memories is classic. Jim Carrey only hams it up once as a little kid.

Movie: 8/10

Treasure Planet
It's Treasure Island in Space! Must have sounded great when they pitched it to Disney, sadly this movie flopped. Rented as part of a 5 DVD pack ($10 for 5 DVD's, you can't pass up a deal like that) this was a lot better than I expected. The animation and 3D effects were top notch. Not to the level of a Pixar Movie but more enjoyable than 80% of the Disney movies out there.

Movie: 7/10
Extras: NP

Tron DVD
The DVD was packed with extras, with the 1.5 hrs "Making of Tron" a standout feature. The movie itself is still fun whist looking very dated. The bike racing and Frisbee sequences still get you excited.

Movie: 6.5/10
Extras: 9/10

2001: A Space Odyssey
A movie that required the FFWD button to get through it. Amazing effects for it's time and it still looks convincing even today. The HAL9000 part was very enjoyable, while the rest of the movie (which is broken up into 4 parts) were boring and drawn out. Some scenes like the phone call home to the daughter were pointless and just inserted to show how cool the future is.

Movie: 5/10
DVD Extras: 0/10

Class of Life Experience

I think at highschool there should be a new class called 'Life Experiences' which basically is a compulsory class they prepares kids for the real world.

Yeah Ancient History is great but what good is it when you are living by yourself trying to pay rent and study. Jack all!

So here's a rough draft of the class breakdown & suggested lessons. Feel free to suggest more.

1: Cooking
Which includes lessons such as; Microwave Cookery 101, Jaffle Iron Wonders and Reheating Rules for Takeout.

2: Food:
Lessons include: Keeping a clean fridge, Vegetable & Fruit Selection Guide (with pocket handbook), Grocery Shopping for a weeks worth of Meals

3: Money:
Which includes: How to Budget, Getting a Job, Bank Loans 101, how to haggle for a bargin, paying bills , toilet paper (cost per roll) formula and Credits Cards.

4: Clothing Maintenence:
Which includes: How to iron, how to fold like a store clerk, clean towel rotation roster, washing machine basics,

5: Home Life:
Lesons Include: Renting The Complete Guide, Share house Rules, connecting a phone, Neighbours, Everything you needed to know about the Garbage Bin, Changing those scented toilet things and vacuuming (the Neccesary Evil)

6: Everything Else:
Includes:

• - A list of Kitchen, bathroom and bedroom supplies that you probably don't own but will need too.


• - Guide to making friends in key positions for free stuff, ie The Supermarket Deli Friend & The Video Shop Attendant Friend. Includes mountable wall chart.

Ps2 is Back

After nearly a month my PS2 is back and working, although it smells funny now?!?.

They even replaced my controller and cords, and also sent it back in a plain brown box. Great.

paintball

I am going to paintball tomorrow with the biggest group ever. Something like 30 + people. This should make things a lot more fun. As when you go with a small group (<20) you get sectioned off in a small area. But with 30+ you are pretty much guaranteed to be the dominate group and take up the biggest area.

Ahh paintball. If only I had a paint-ball gun to shoot the idiots on the trains with. That would be awesome.

"Hey lady with the fucked up loud ringtone. Bamn Bamn. Splat Splat"

MMM went all columbine there. maybe it wouldn't be a good idea. My Airooka will have to do.

PS2 Dead

My PS2 died yesterday.

It just decided to show corrupt images on the screen for no reason, sound is fine the screen just comes up with polygons and flat coloured squares.

Great that this happened on the 4 day weekend we are currently having.

Easter Egg House of Horrors

Today i tried to make my own Easter eggs, and pretty much failed to make anything that resembled an egg. I also remembered that I don't like dark chocolate.

I also found that white chocolate (or maybe the one i bought) didn't set very hard. So my white/dark eggs just flopped when out of the mold.

So now I know why Easter eggs are so expensive as they a really annoying to make. I ended up with a pile of chocolate bits and easter bunny ears, bunny heads etc etc. This will be the last time I try to make Easter eggs but at least I had a go.

work

its been very busy at work lately but we are getting a lot done. there's nothing worse than being busy and no jobs are getting finished or you feel you haven't achieved anything.

Hopefully tomorrow we would have finished 2 or the 3 bigger jobs. and most of the way through the 3rd (well kinda)

we've (soap creative) have also got an exciting ecard system we will launch soon which is probably one of the things i am most proud of. Both in terms of the flash coding behind it and its wide appeal and usefulness and commercial viability.

I also will be talking at Digit again this year. While not exactly the biggest or best conference it's still nice to get up and ramble on about stuff.

and i finally got my Jamungo posters so more artwork for the Ashehym museum!!!

Butterfly Effect

I saw The Butterfly Effect last night. I hadn't seen any review of this movie and in the end i thought it was pretty good. A combination of Johnny Darko and Bedazzled (either version). (ie teenage, grungy, time travel with unsuspected results from good intentions)

Aston Kutcher wasn't as bad as I though he would be. This movie is worth a movie rental at least. Aston Kutcher discovers he can enter a past version of himself by reading his journals. Kept to try and help his memory blackouts. When changes he makes in the past in an effort to fix the future he gets into hot water.

Three cheers for giving a obese goth some screen time.

Rating: 7
See Again: At friends on video
Rent-worthy: Yes
See in cinema: If nothing else good on

Genuine Leathertte

Today we got an office couch. We bought it in an online auction so we actually didn't see it before we bought it. The action description said "Leather" yet when we picked it up the box (it came in a box, classy i know) said "BUF/PVC". Then the invoice said "leather/leatherette". It even has that fake leather smell!. I can't help but feel ripped off.

Either way I was worried, being the one who started this by saying "hey check these cheap couches out", that no one would like the couch and I'd be blamed for getting it. Silly i know. Yet the couch seems OK and will serve it's purpose.

We also had to hire a van and head out to Lakemba to pick it up. PICK UP ONLY it said. Which for some reason the text seemed bigger after the auction had closed. Lakemba is hard to find with no street directory. We got lost in Campsie.

Luckily we also used the van as an excuse to get rid of the 4 other crap chairs we have lying around the office. But just as we had them in the van someone offered to take them off our hands. That saved us dumping them in Lakemba in some back street.

No Brief

We know this copywriter who is good at what he does. He writes ads. For print and web. He does a good job too.

But give him an open brief to write about what ever he wants and it becomes complete try hard humorless dribble. Maybe it's the fact there is no client to please but himself. Or that as it's for free it's done the night before on the train home.

Either way I'll just use this small platform I have hear to let everyone know that his column is poo. And that sometimes in trying to be funny less is more.

(in saying this I by no means claim to be a good writer, funny or able to spell above a grade 7 level)

Movies 2

I've seen quite a few movies lately (again) so here's some quick reviews. Watch Again means that if your friend has it on DVD later and says "do you want to see it?"

DVD:

1: Buffalo Soldiers
I expected more from the movie and the ending was a little to happy but the movie was entertaining. The tank scene with the petrol station was great. A great look into wartime during peace. Wait til this baby is cheaper and rent it with a few weekly's
Rating: 7.5
DVD Extras: .5 (just a trailer jeez)
Buy on DVD: No
Watch Again: With friends

2: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
No way near as bad as I expected. I surprisingly found myself watching it again for the commentary to find out what the actors say about working in such a panned movie. Compared to 2 Fast 2 Furious, this is a masterpiece. The effects looked good and i rented it free as i found a coupon. Currently Australias top rental DVD (?!?)
Rating: 5.5
DVD Extras: .5 (commentary was interesting)
Buy on DVD: No
Watch Again: With friends for a laugh

3: Edward Scissorhands
We are trying to watch the full set of Tim Burton films. Sadly beetle Juice is not at our Blockbuster so we can only watch Edward Scissorhands.
I had forgotten most of this movie which is good as I discovered it again. Even 14 years on it still looks good. Great story for the family and great acting by everyone. (except the crazy lady) Not much in the way of extras which is a shame.
Rating: 8.5
DVD Extras: 1 (a few video clips of the cast talking and thats it!!!)
Buy on DVD: Yes
Watch Again: Yes

TV:
4: 3000 Miles to Gracela
This was on TV last night and between trying to cook I watched 90% of it. I had no idea there were so many stars in this pile o poop. The movie starts ok and then dribbles off into crap. I kept thing it was the Nicolas Cage movie Honeymoon in Lasvegas

Kevin Costner is not an action hero, he's a loser. They followed this movie with "The Postman" which I couldn't handle after my full serve of Costner.
Kurt Russel, c'mon go back to LA. That little kid just made the movie more annoying. Courney Cox's ass was sexy, but that stuff is only good for commercials. I'd say only watch this movie if there is a Kevin Costner trivia night at your local pub, and the prize is a meat tray.
Rating: 2
Watch Again: No

Nathan J Artwork Arrives

Our Nathan J originals arrived today. We really need to get a drill to put all this at up on the walls of our office.

Demon Lovers Diary

I watched this great documentary on ABC last week called Demon Lovers Diary.

It's a behind the scenes documentary of the making of a B Grade horror movie, made in 1976 called "The Demon Lover". The movie is similar to "American Movie" and I find it a coincidence that Demon Lover also went under the title "Coven". If you liked Amercian Movie you will like this too.

When you watch one of these doco's you always want to know what happens later. Diary ends with the filmmakers driving away while being shot at from Ted Nugents house.

Well it seems the idiotic director Donald went onto to have a long career in movies all the way till 2003. With movie titles like Lingerie Kickboxer, Ghost Taxi and The Devils Pet.

Movies

I've seen quite a few movies lately so here's some quick reviews. Watch Again means that if your friend has it on DVD later and says "do you want to see it?"

Cinema:

1: The Last Samurai:
The movie looked good and Tom Cruise played the role well. The strategy of the Samuari's battles seemed blatantly stupid but I guess that is why there is no more left.
Rating: 7.5
Watch Again: Yes
Buy on DVD: No

2: Big Fish:
A great movie for the whole family. The stories were good and Ewen McGreggor was great. One that the kids and parents will enjoy.
Rating: 8.5
Watch Again: Yes
Buy on DVD: No

3: Welcome to the Jungle
I enjoyed this movie as an adventure action getaway. Good mix of humour and action. And it's mixed up well ith no repeating the same stuff over and over. The Rock is great and there is no better action hero right now. He will be the next Arnie.
Rating: 8.5
Watch Again: Yes
Buy on DVD: No

DVD:

4: The Italian Job:
We rented this last night. The movie doesn't really have that much action to get you excited and the baddie isn't that bad. I don't know why they just didn't kill him and steal the gold. Lot's of famous actors, BS gagets and and ending you don't care for. The mini's are cool but then they don't really do that much.
Rating: 5
DVD Extras: 5.5
Buy on DVD: No
Watch Again: No

5: Chicago:
I'm not a musical fan and Richard Gere singing was nearly as annoying as Rene Zellwegger. The songs tied into the story line well and the movie looked good.
Rating: 6.5
DVD Extras: 4
Buy on DVD: No
Watch Again: No

6: 2 Fast 2 Furious:
I didn't see the first movie and for that I'm glad. This movie has cool cars and a sexy chic. That's about it. Again the bad guy is lame and the story is worse. The hard things about a movie about cars is making it fresh. You can only hit the Nitro boost and change gears so many times before it all becomes boring.
Rating: 3
DVD Extras: 2
Buy on DVD: Maybe your little brother will like it
Watch Again: no

7: City of God
An amazing movie which shows you a side of Brazil you here about on in documentaries. The acting is great especially from such a young cast and the colour and sound of the movie is amazing. Definitely worth seeing.
Rating: 9
DVD Extras: I had Video :(
Buy on DVD: Yes
Watch Again: Yes

7: Cocoon:
An old movie that it was on at 10.30 at night but I still sat and watched it as i've heard about it but never saw it. All this movie did was make me angry at how the old people stuffed up the alien's pods, then got offered to go to space for eternal life. Steve Guttenburg gets a wad of cash for his boat but no trip into space. And that annoying kid makes a last minute dash to gif the movie some action. I still would watch the sequel on TV
Rating: 4
Watch Again: No

Moving

Over the weekend we began to pack our stuff into boxes. It's about this time I curse the day I bought my big ass stereo.

I also throw out the 10-15KG of design junk (postcards, flyers, magazines) i have collected since the last move.

I also went through the 100 or so CD's I had burnt while working at Kinkos and tried to see what I could throw out. All be 4 survived. I also realised I lost my copy of the Pam and Tommy MPEG. Damn. We now have a huge pile of Cd's and and even bigger pile of CD cases.

Haunted Harddrives

Check out these great icons for your HD.

Getty Images People

If you used Getty images as a social indicator, then it clearly shows that 1 in every 3 people in America wear headset phones.

Also this guy is considered normal.

This is how you turn off your computer in Getty Land. What the hell is she wearing?

What ever happend to Yahoo Serious

Seeing the disaster of a movie that was Mr Accident on TV last night. It got me thinking as to what the man behind it was actually doing right now.

His website doesn't seem to have been updated since 2000.

A quick check on ASIC.gov.au and his production company is still active with the head office in Palm Beach NSW. They didn't post a Annual Return for 2003 however so maybe hit hard times?. So he is still around in some form or another but not making a good living off royalties from Young Einstein.

Maybe he is in hiding as the films Reckless Kelly and Mr Accident may have been funded with Mob money. And when the movies flopped like a sumo wrestler in a kiddy pool he must have found it hard to repay the money?

A quick search of google finds that many other people are also asking What happened to Yahoo Serious

He'd be older now, maybe changed his name again or working in at a cafe somewhere. I guess we'll only find out when he dies and it makes the news. That is of course if he dies in some comical fashion. Ie bludgeoned to death with a badminton racquet.

Sneeze

Ever sneezed in a department store, like Kmart, and then wiped your wet hand on the nearest piece of hanging clothing?

Me neither

Looking for an Apartment

Well it's been 13 mths and we have to look for an apartment again. This is the longest I have lived in the one place while in Sydney. I still remember moving 3 times in 2002.

Without a car you have limited options when looking for an apartment. Not just in the places you can look, ie needs to be close to public transport and shops, but the physical effort involved to get to all the apartments on Saturday. You have to plan it like a SWAT team going for a raid on the Drug Den.

Here was todays movements:

11.15 do the rounds of Real Estate Agents: Ashfield has 8-10
11.30 Liverpool Rd
12 Norten St
12.45 Tintern Rd
1 Lapish Ave
2pm Newtown
2.15 Lunch
4 pm Tintern again

Bonus points for me for forgetting my wallet, watch and hat. And wearing a dark green shirt in 34 degree heat. My first batch of sunburn for 2004. We lingered in the frozen section of the supermarket a little longer while we got a drink.

We decided to make an offer on the same place we looked at 14 mths ago. Let hope the owner forgot how we accepted the other unit instead and left him hanging.

My feet hurt and now i have to box all my crap again and move 15 min to the other side of Ashfield. At least I'll be closer to Blockbuster now.

Fontify

Fontify.com is an amazing web tool that converts your hand writing to a True Type font. The process takes minutes form download to scan then upload. All online. The results are excellent. All for free!

Here's a sample of the ones we did today. Dave did the third one.

I'll trade you hot for cold

I'd much rather be cold than hot. I'd much rather the weather be more cold days than hot days. A nice 20-22c would be ideal.
No need to sweat all the time, sleeping under the sheets does not result in waking up in a pile of sweat.
People don't stink on the train/bus.
You can eat proper meals (I hate eating big hot meals when it's really hot)
If you get really cold you can pop on some more clothes. When it's hot you can only get so naked.

It seems everyone else in the office here would rather be hot than cold so I am alone in this want for a swap.

3 ply

I'd like to take this moment to put public my views on an important issue. That 3 play toilet paper and facial tissues are not only a wasteful by-product of mans quests for a softer wipe but less user friendly than the industry standard of 2 ply.

1 ply you don't have enough paper and there is constant risk of tear. But with 2 ply everyone is safe. You go that extra step and have 3 layer of paper and it's overdoing it.

So so no to 3 ply. And lets hope we never go further down the track with 4 ply. Cause all I have to say to the people in the R&D labs around the world is... fold.

Police Auctions Online

When you think of police auctions you think Hotrods, Jet Boats, iron gates from drug barrons homes.

The reality is it's something like this site. Why the police would confiscate these in a bust is beyond me. I guess the cops keep all the good stuff for themselves and sell this crap online. Think of the poor kid who had his toys taken by the police because of their crack dealing parents.

GTA

Rockstar games have a lawsuit on them from a Haatian community about their depiction in Grand Theft Auto Vice City. I'm currently playing this game and all I can say is all communities in the game are portrayed badly. I'm surprised more people haven't complained about the game.

It is fun though.

Updates

I have taken the time between PS2 sessions (yes that's me asleep on the bean bag looking like a slob, thanks Ervi for taking the photo) to update my happy snaps and also collect all the desktops done over the previous few years.

I have now taken around 15,000+ photos in the past 3 years. (590 of which are on Happy Snaps) I took 9,500 the first year. Sadly I've taken about 1,000 in the last 5 months. A pretty sad effort. I don't take the camera out as much. Might be that I don't go anywhere interesting or different.

I was thinking that of the 15,000 or so I reakon I could identify the majority of photos I have taken. Even more so the ones on Happy Snaps. Give me say 100 photos from my collection and other peoples and I reakon I'd get about 90-95 right. Not trying to blow my own horn I think most people who take alot of digital photos would be able to do this aswell.

And seeing as i'm crapping on I'd just like to say that I would not have enjoyed taking the photos as much without I-View Media (or Photo Relay as it was called) and my Sony Camera

Robotech

Check out these cool Robotech Bookends

They are also releasing a remsatered Robotech DVD series. So if you just forked out $300 + for the other DVD's nows the time to start complaining. The aussie dollar is so string no it makes everything on Amazon seem like on sale.

Nip Tuck

The surprise this summer on TV for me has been Nip Tuck. Julian McMacmahn has left Charmed behind for a show with more bite.

It hasn't toppled Six Feet Under or Sapranos but for the first series it's doing pretty well. Is it just me or does the son look like Michael Jackson. After a quick search on google it seems i'm not alone. Quite funny really.

Nip Tuck also has a well put together website. Check the "free consultation" section. Nice idea

Fireworks

We went to see the fireworks at Sydney Harbour last night. Me and another 100,000 or so people. By 12.15 it stunk so bad, I was glad to leave and get some non BO tainted air. If i was short i think I would have suffocated in someones armpit. There was rubbish everywhere and the smell of Chiko rolls and Pluto Pups filled the air with a meaty/oil odour.

After 5 minutes of watching fireworks you get FW Fatigue. Esspecially when you can't actually see the bridge as you arrived 15 minutes before the show and have a shitty viewing area.

I don't think there has been much development in fireworks over the years as they look no different than the ones you see on the end titles of "It's a Knockout". I had to fein interest until the display had finished so i could rush out for fresh air.

Things I notcied while at the fireworks:

Everyone with a camera had a digital one. Be it phone cameras or little digital ones but it seems standard cameras for everyday people is a thing of the past.

The guy in front of me with the waavy mullet had a FORD logo on his mobile phone and his wife/partner was quite ugly. He did has a nice smile though.

I saw no one get arrested which was wierd for this time of year and no fights. Even more wierd. Also on the train home we were able to sit in a train that wasn't packed to the max.

While there was ment to be a taxi strike i saw plenty of empty taxis drive past.

The guy who i saw carrying a plastic rubbish bin also lives in Ashfield.

Standing on a port-a-loo is the coolest thing ever. According to the 5 guys who managed to climb up. "Hey these fireworks smell like shit"

LOTR TROTK

I saw the last LOTR movie and was really impressed. I was also glad i didn't drink much before i went in as i saw many people take toilet breaks at important moments. The guy infront of me missed half a battle due to a pee break.

Having not read the books made the movies even better as i had no idea what was going to happen and also had no way of picking what was left out or altered.

We saw the movie at the 4.30 session on a monday and you still had to line up. The 3.30 session sold out. At $14.80 a ticket it's getting so expensive to visit the movies. But for LOTR you don't mind. If however you paid that money to see one of the many shit movies out there then you'd fell ripped off.

For Peter Jackson who must have spent nearly 6 years making these movies it would be a wierd transition fr him to go back to a relaxing routine. To keep that level of commitment for so long then to go back to just making one movie at a time will feel wierd i bet.

Bean Bag Beans

How do they make beanbag beans? Also does a company just make them alone or do they make other products?

Today i did my bi-annual refill of the beanbag. You forget how comforatble they are when properly filled. Now my PS2 sessions will be more comfortable.

If you want to make your place seem more festive just tip the beanbag beans all over the floor. It's like dry snow in your living room.

Happy Holidays

We did this for our Soap Xmas card. Hope you enjoy. I had alot of fun searching Ebay for some of these wonderful items.

Have a great christmas (spoken as if anyone is still visiting this site, even after 2 mths of inactivity)

Default

As my revious design broke in Safari and didnt work very well I decided I woudl redesign. This will be done during the Xmas break. In the meantime enjoy the default template that comes with the blog system.

I will also be adding more happy snaps and other crap

MOBLOGS

It's mobile phone blogs that will take over from lomo soon as people take even crappier photos. At least lomo's have really nice colour.

Check out my fav moblogs so far Pots or the Beer blog

this one sticks out like dog's balls

here's an Apple one thats bound to take off. Just read that description. Book mark this baby

lastly news as it happens GIRL WONDERS WTF

Won't be lone before we see
http://beachsex.textamerica.com/
http://clubsluts.textamerica.com/
http://mysack.textamerica.com/
http://morningdump.textamerica.com/

Three

The three look and feel has some nice elements to it, im not sure if Moon design did all of it only only adapted part from the UK but it's still nice.

Those copic marker drawings are terrible, the store at ashfiel looks like it's still waiting for the real artwork to arrive. Yuck.

The TVC's are nice too and i love the Amelie tune at the end but the phone handsets are the worst pieces of industrial design ive seen. No one will want any of them as they are huge and look shit too

They are now offering 50% handsets so i don't think they doing so well in the sale department.

Every other major telco has a 2.5G offering and now one really wants to video talk. Well not pay for it as it's too gimmiky. Phone sex is the only thing that would be better i think.

Game TV

There is a TV show about games on Aus TV now. Called Control Freaks it's on Sunday Mornings. With a huge game industry in Australia it's a wonder there isn't more shows like this.

The show was pretty light on info and soem reviews were pretty "promo" like but it's refreshing to see a report from E3 and not another "Bright Idea" on how to save on Retirement Plans.

Why don't the guys at Hyperactive make a TV show? Can anyone remember Generation X or what ever that TV was back in the late 90's. Or was that the same people and i just answered my own question.

Busted

I found out today a client who owed us money has gone bust. Weird they didnt seem to answer their phones for the last week.

Then I'm told they got busted for drugs!!! ahh no biggy until they said it was on the news.

this article explains a little more.

Damn. The company went into liquidation and they must have thought it was common knowledge so didnt tell us in the last 2 phone conversations. Oh well. Could be worse

DVD Player

I now own a DVD player. YAY As with any purchase above $100 i go through a week of tossing and turning whether or not to buy. It's the first thing I have bought for myself in nearly 12 mths. Digital Camera the last one before that.

For the last year i have been self employed with a friend at our web deisgn company Soap Creative. During the first few months (may 2002) we were getting paid nothing and i had to pay the rent, food etc etc from my savings account. 14 mths later we are finally paying ourselves regulary but my mind is still in Ultra Scrooge Mode. Anyone that knows me will realise that this is not far from Scrooge Mode which I normally function in. Being a scrooge did mean i could leave my full time job and take a risk with Soap.

Watching DVD's on a 15" screen is not fun and the prices of players has come down heaps. The one i got plays MP3's, VCD's, WMV and DVD's all region.

Also if i chuck a CD of jpeg's in there it also does a nifty slide show. VERY cool. it was handling my 2MB files fine. This is a really cool feature. It's like the old school slide nights your parents (well not mine but at least in the movies) used to have.

and with the new Playstation 2 pretty much doign all this and more it seems any product that has just one function is obsolete

Here's a few suggestions for new inventions that would be cool to have around the house

A couch that coverts crumbs to new edible food snacks and also have a coin dispenser for trips to the corner store
A vacuum/mp3 player that uses the suction to play music
Bed/pool table

Updates

I have a serious amount of updates to do on this site so hopefully I will get to them soon. I have a whoel heap of photos to add and some new desktops etc etc.

Also the CSS of the site could use a shake up as i stuffed alot of it up and it's all wonky now

If anywone has any thoughts on what they would liek to see more off let me know. I oculd do a few more sketch book pages aswell? And Nude Dude hasn't dont anything for a year

On another note I just cleaned the bath. This will help me remember tha last time i cleaned it. I know now it has to be done every month not quarterly as previuosly thought.

Liff

I updated my Liff page only because if your mind was a room were doing their own definitions and i had a few new ones.

If you sent me one recently please snd again as i was really slack with updating this page.

Present

You get so much crap from companies you tend to throw it out without even looking but today we got a free 6mth subscription to a choice of magazines form Optus.

Yay free with no obligation for anything.

Telstra never gave us shit

71k

you know when you visit the ATM and you see left over receipts that peopel have left and you see what people have left in their accounts or they they didnt have the availiable funds to with draw $20.

On Friday in the city i saw one that caught my eye and it was a left over receipt for $71,001.46 left in their savings account. $71 grand in cash. Who has that much money lying around in a savings account? This person also felt no need to hide the receipt but to just drop it on the floor. La de da. Im guessing drug dealer, heir to a countries fortune or rich international student from Saudi Arabia.

Either way seems wierd that this person feels the need to have $71,000 on hand. Maybe in case of emergency boat pruchases :)

SPAM Filter

This email appears to be unsolicited commercial mail (or SPAM). Segment Publishing implements server side spam protection in order to help you filter out unwanted junk mail. All mail that comes through our mail servers are checked against a set of rules, it is then assigned a score. This email has scored 28.70 points. In order for a message to be deemed spam, it must score 5 or higher.

SUBJECT_APPROVED (2.2 points) Subject talks about being approved
NO_REAL_NAME (1.0 points) From: does not include a real name
TO_MALFORMED (1.8 points) To: has a malformed address
TRACKER_ID (4.3 points) BODY: Incorporates a tracking ID number
BAYES_99 (2.8 points) BODY: Bayesian classifier says spam probability is 99 to 100%
HTML_40_50 (0.4 points) BODY: Message is 40% to 50% HTML
MIME_MISSING_BOUNDARY (1.6 points) RAW: MIME section missing boundary
BASE64_ENC_TEXT (1.7 points) RAW: Message text disguised using base-64 encoding
DATE_IN_FUTURE_24_48 (2.9 points) Date: is 24 to 48 hours after Received: date
MSGID_OUTLOOK_TIME (4.4 points) Message-Id is fake
RCVD_IN_NJABL (1.2 points) RBL: Received via a relay in dnsbl.njabl.org
RCVD_IN_OPM (4.3 points) RBL: Received via a relay in opm.blitzed.org
MIME_HTML_ONLY (0.1 points) Message only has text/html MIME parts

Thats the biggest Spam score yet for me. Now I want to see the emails to see how high and also what flags them as spam. So if you email me with Ashley it will probably get filtered. Although if you do have free sex porn lose wieght program i woudl be interested in hearing about it.

Jeremy says it even learns what Spam is as it goes. It beomes smarter

Breakfast , Brunch and Brekinner

I am the last to eat healthy but in an effort to try and at least eat more fruit I have tried to stay away from eating snack foods.

the hardest thing is snack foods fill you up and sit there like a lump. Where as fruit seems to never fill me. i ate 4 apples and still needed more!!

i have decided to eat breakfast insteading of snacking. As breakfast would be the healthiest meal i have. no meat, lots of fruit and and nuts and museli. So over the wekeend (milk supply permitting) i think ill have breakfast about 5 times.

I had soem cereal or museli on the plane to Melbourne and now i cant find a similar one at Coles!!! It's liek hearing a catchy song on the radio and then never being able to find it anywhere!!! Damn you. I don't even know who to ask at Qantas.

Speaking of Apples I hate when you buy a good batch, which taste great, then next time you go back to the fruit place they just have shitty red and granny smiths. Try describing an apple you had 3 days ago. I guess I shoudl use my digital camera more for these situations.

Melbourne

I spent a whole 3 days in Melbourne and had alot of fun. I only realised half way through that you must trams everywhere. (its pretty cheap) as my feet were killing me.

I also forgot my camera cord ($40) and missed the first flight down to VIC ($110). Flight 2!!!! ive heard of bus 2, dock 2, table 2 but never flight 2. It's always flight 577 or soemthing like that. So we went to go on flight 744. which was the plane number. Why the plane number was on my ticket i have no idea. Why we had to go to international terminal, when we were only going on a 1 hr flight is also beyond me.

A few points i noticed at Melbourne
1: its cold
2: people are nicer
3: there are many great buildings but none famous like the Sydney harbour or Bridge
4: The Melbourne Comedy Festival is popular
5: They have a free tram!!!
6: Public transport is cheaper (5.70 for a day pass compared to 13.40 in Sydney)
7: Melbourne also have a Luna Park!!?!?!
8: Not many places sell Potato Wedges but many sell Potato skins!!??
9: It's a lot cleaner with more bins in the city that arent over flowing
10: The airport is far form the city in the middle of nowhere

Thats all. I enjoyed my stay

Pro Recycling Rally

With all this anti war protest it just makes me wish these people were as passionate with issues that they can really make a difference with.

Instead of chanting "NO MORE WAR" why not walk through the city singing "REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE"

I mean no matter what some unwashed hippie says we are not backing out of the war that is well underway. However the protest could have made a big difference by picking up the rubbish on their walk around the city.

The mini protest i saw today at 5pm looked more disorganised than a teacher organising tunnel ball at school camp. In fact at leat tunnel ball would have been fun. The police coudl also join in.

Boring Start to War

I guess we have to wait for the images of the missiles point of view befor eit hits Iraq to see some real action cause the first day was pretty sutble.

Iraw didn't seem to reallt retaliate except for firing a coupel of rockets in the Kuwait. Maybe they wernt ready. It was ready set and then US firect before the unpire said go. Luckily in war there are no rules.

People wanna see tanks shotitng shit up and people getting maimed. building on fire and POW's getting kicked in the back. But today even Palestienian kids put up a better fight.

If the war in Iraq is swift and fast what does that say to the other poepel on the hit list. Nth Korean, iran, syria. Id say it's better fo the USA to take out Iran and Syria before tackling Nth Korea as

1: they already in the bighbourhood
2: They muslim and thats flavour of the month. Nth Koreans are......... COMMIES
3: Puts the scare on China for a bit longer
4: Iran and Syria are definely weaker than Nth Korea so will be quicker to dispatch them
5: More oil i guess

So if the USA tackles Nth korea next then has to come all the way back to the middle east it seems like the long way round creating a new world order.

Anyway i bet CNN are hoping for a better day 2 of war cause an A Team episode had more firepower.

Sixties 9

Here's the low down from Rob on how the new flavours of Magnum stack up

Wood Choc
6/10

Cherry Guevara
4/5
the imitation cherry is dirty

Candy Warhol
7/10

Peace Man Go
9/10
mmmm mango

Jami Hendrix
8/10

Cinnaman on the Moon
4/10

From me

Chock Work Orange
6/10
very strong chocolate orange flavour

Guava Lava
8/10
A bit small

The concept is quite good and its better than just adding one new flavour every 6 mths like Paddle pops do. Also the packaging on the Chock Work Orange has little deliquents putting the rubbish in the bin. Little deatils like that are nice.

Search Field

Macromedia.com has redesigned and it certainly looks alot nicer. Im still baffled why they allow you to his search with an empty field. I mean it's pretty easy to put a check in on the field to say "hey dickhead, enter something to search for"

but then it may be the user friendly way to direct the user to the full search page?? if so then again the search button would see that they searched for nothing and direct them to the full search page without querying the server????

It's like flushing with no poo. useless and a waste of resources. Imagine the toilets of the future. (note: everything in my future dreams talks)
"i suggest a half flush Ash, or even better just walk around a bit and come back as it usually doesn't all come out in one stitting" ---- "you missed a spot" ----- "corn again i see, you cant help yourself can you" --- " i need cleaning!!"

It would also play music while you go to hide any embarressing splash sounds.

I also hate when sites that send your details to the server, only 3-5 seconds later to be told that your password didn't match the second password field. Or that you forgot to fill out your gender. Again it would so much easier for the user to be told straight away using javascript.

The piece of grass

Merrimac Moment that im too lazy to properly upload

I remember at highschool when we had football training (i was in the lower of the two C teams)and the coach was having us tackle bags which he was holding.

So I run up and for once try to put some effort into a tackle. He moves it at the last second and I fly striaght into the ground and skid.

I pick myself up and spit out some grass and go back in line to do it all again. (this time more cautious)

Then about a week later I blew my nose and out came a 10cm + piece of grass from my nose. It was until later that day I realised it was from the footy practice.

It's like finding those albino hairs on your arm/back/chest that have grown 30x the normal length. You pluck it out and lose it before being able to show anybody. (i hope im not the only one who gets them)

Mushroom City

We had quite a mushroom crop happening in the back yard (side garden thing) due to the amount of rain we have been having. I'm not sure whether they are slugs or snails but they ate everyone of them last night. I get these photos just in time. There was like 20 of them.

I now no longer have to water the lawn every night in fear of killing off the grass. I was afriad of being hit with a huge turf bill when the owners of the unit find out how bad I am at keeping the garden neat. The bald spot in the grass is also gone. The combover on the long grass didnt really work

Also actually having a garden is a new experience in Sydney. As soon as it rains the first thing I think of is "mmm this will be good for the garden"

Gangs of New York

I saw GONY last night. We decided against jackass as we were going to eat in the cinema and wasn't sure if there would be 15 min of vommit to try and eat too.

Well GONY is like an American version of Braveheart. Only shitty.

Sure there's lots of violence but it's all just fillers for the rest of the shit they throw at you. The violence is also a combination of wacks and blood spurting.

It made sense for the priest to die at the start as he wouldn't have to try and act throught he rest of the movie. Lucky guy

So i suggest getting GONY on DVD. At least with Jackass I'd have something to talk about at work on Monday. Now with GONY i have nothing.

What did other people think of the film?

Singapore Trip

I was asked to speak at Singapore this week at a Flash Games confrence!!!!! With my airfare paid for !!!!!!!!

Only problem is i never got the email that was sent 3 weeks ago. Instead I got phoned 2 days before as the person (Serene) though I wasnt interested.

No worries i'll book a flight for tomorrow and you can fly out, she says.

Ahhhh ummmm shit. I have a job we are working on and it's due this week. And I can't afford to miss the deadline. Ummm ahhhhh shit mmmmmmmmm shit

If ever there was a good case for cloning humans!!!

So it seems I will not be enjoying statay sticks in a snazzy hotel room :( Just lucky Serene doesn;t take offence easily.

But there should be one in KL later in the year and i'm kinda booked for that. Yay. At least there's no language barrier.

Circus OZ

I went and saw Circus Oz last night and it was great. A very cool production and, judging by the way the little kid in front of me was going ballastic, great for kids too.

The main guy with the Midi Juggling pads was really cool. I didn't realise till the end that the Boy Scout guy, the BMX dude and him were all new to circus OZ. They were the best of the show.

So if your in Melbourne you should check them out.

Art

Whiles the old pinballs may have been crap (before Adams Family) the artwork wasn't bad. Why not get some Pinball art on your office walls. With the lightbox would be cool as.

Check it out here at . Also make a great present.

Also if you are in Sydney check out the Ron Mueck show on now at MCA. The pieces are very powerful. The detail is amazing. There is also a video playing showing you how he went about makign some of the works which is great. Try to go on during the week to avoid the lines on the weekend. Oh and he's also Australian.

Bloghum

Bloghum: The defining moment at which the author of a blog realises that no one reads his/her blog.

Oxfam Challenge

I have decided to participate in the Oxfam Challenge and attempt the raise $4500 for Oxfam in 2 mths.

In doing so I will also get a trip to China and trek through the three Gorges right before it is flooded for the new Damn project.

So to raise the cash, which will be hard to do, I am trying to think of a few ways I can raise the dosh.

I thought I could sell prints of some of the Happy Snaps or even sell the some of the 15 CD's of photos I have taken in the last 2 years.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a photographic print form any of the Happy Snaps then let me know which one and what size. You'd be looking at less than $5 for a standard photo print. All money will go stright to the Oxfam Challenge. I can set up a paypal shop so purchases can me made with Credit Cards or direct money transfers.

HOT

It was so hot yesterday your eyes hurt when the wind blew on them. Everyone was hot and cranky and it just made you wish for an icecream in your underpants.

We went to a 7-11 and ate the slushie in the store. To hot to venture outside again. Eventually we had to leave and made a dash for the shopping centre

Spirited Away

Spiritied Away is well worth seeing int he cinema. It's an animation that really transports you into the world of the spirits. Japanese anime is different from western animation as it doesnt full explain every little detail and also deals with issues differently.

The scene with the Stink blob and the bycycle is not fully explained but most people would undertand the message sent with that scene.

The main character is great and the little comic relief rat and bird were very funny.

This and Cowboy Beebop were highlights of my cinema experince in the last 6 mths. If only Anime got a more mainstream release here.

2002 Favs

Here's a few of my favourite things in 2002

TV Show: The Amazing race
TV Programming: The Amazing Race on twice a week!!
Vegtable: Capsicum
Fruit: Banana
Drink: Berry Smoothie
Movie: LOTR 2
Book: Fast Food Nation
Gadget: Digital Camera (or TIVO if I could have one)
Restuarant Dish: Panang Chicken
Website: boingboing.net
DVD: LOTR: Extended Edition

And the Worst of 2002

Movie: 40 days and 40 Nights
Politics: Isreal (USA close second)
Song: La Spagghetti
TV Show: Gilmore Girls, Becker and Marshel Law all are shithouse :)
TV programming: Channel 7 repeating Sapronos Series 3
Drink: Beer (they call is 'piss' for a reason)

Gold Coast

Having not lived on the Gold Coast for nearly 5 years now, you forget certain things or you start to realise things you never knew before.

The gold coast has so many home made ads on TV it's not funny. It's quite embarressing sometimes.

You never realised that everyone who serves you at store is actually quite nice (compared to Sydney standards) I guess it's the tourist thing.

You also don't realise that even if the Gold Coast has nice looking restuarants the food still sucks. Although they seem to know how to charge Sydney prices.

Also there is heaps of old ladies with big blonde hair and very thick Versche sunglasses. I guess it's the fashion.

Quote of the day, so far "I love Chinese food, my favourite is anything 'Sweet and Sour' or Teriaki Beef". hehe

The public transport system sucks.

Thats it for me this year

Xmas

I found that if you give your Xmas presents early it feel alot better as the person gets to use the present for a week or so before it becomes half prioce in a Boxing Day sale.

Also it makes Xmas less commerical as its not abouth the presents (you have already given them out)

Xmas is also good as all the big ass movies come out. LOTR for big kids and Harry Pooper for the little kids.

Also TV tries somethign different and you get to sample good and bad shows. America must pump out alot of crap on TV to fill up all the channels. We've got 4 commerical ones and there enough crap already.

Beetles

Late at night we are now being invaded by beetles. This is what people with no fly screens have to live with.

They are just boring brown beetles and die pretty easily with the whack of some, within reach, wrapping paper.

I tried to flcik them outside but after the 5 th beetle I decided that killing was easier. Also it sent a message out to all the other bugs to go away.

So here's a tip for any apartment or home buyer. Get fly screens. Old places with no fly screens suck dogs balls.

The time to give

I think World Visions Smiles campaign is a great idea.

Instead of just donating $20 you can actually pick what that money will do for needy people. There's even bigger items for the companies such as the water pump.

So instead of buying your relatives lame presents just because you have to, why not donate to World Vision then send the relative the christmas card to say that they have made someone else happy.

Mail Redirection

I have two mail redirections going at once now as I have moved so much in the last 6 mths. With Soap moving next week it'll be my third. After moving so much and now having to move office it's kinda funny. Luckily Soap doesn't own much crap so it's nice and easy.

What woudl happen if you had your mail redirected to one place then redirected back to the other. Would the letter just stay in this continous loop?

Also can you ask for letters to be delivered on certain dates far into the future. Like in Back to the Futre 2? If so do they charge extra? You could use the post office to hold onto stuff while you go overseas then get it delivered when you get back.

Note: that Back to the Future 2 was the only movie I owned as a youngn' and thus the movie I have seen more times than any other movie. It wasn't even a legit version. Justa dodgey copy from a family friend who had an illegal video copying shop in her spare room.

Book Shelf

I bought a bookself on the weekend and only had two arguments putting it together with my GF. Thats a record for a big fiddly piece of furniture.

If only everything was inflatable it woudl be so much easier.

The bookself which cost $250 means I now have easy access to the $5k+ worth of books I have bought over the years. With a huge total of 2 novels. Add this with the 280 CD holder I bought, I have never been in a positon to access all my crap so easily.

I can now flick through all my CD's in one easy CD holder book. Ive boxed and put away the silly cases that I never organised.

Throwing out Crap

The best bit about moving is throwing out all the crap you collect.

Its the never ending quest to have the perfect amount of stuff. Not too much crap, just enough.

I must have had 30KG of useless postacards, paper and other stuff lying about. Now it's all hopefully been recycled. Every move you throw more and more out. I've moved three times in 12 mths so im getting close to the optimum level of crap.

Moving also makes you apprieciate the things you own that were good purchaces (fridge, TV, couch, microwave, bed) and regret the ones that were bad (table tennis table, extra large TV display unit)

The more shit you buy and collect the more that shit owns you. The more you will never use any of it. I'd say having a house fire and losing just your possesions is a good thing. Stuff the photo album too. Starting from stratch (with a nice insurance payout) would be great. Which reminds me I better get insurance.

Moving

Once again I have to move. Once again it is due to an owner wanting to move back in. makes buying a place even more appealing. If only I had a solid income :)

The good news is that good old ashfield has hit crital mass with rental apertments and there is a wide selection to choose from. Even better is that if you wait a week the price goes down $15. It's even better when you are the only one looking. I didnt see anyone at the two great places we looked at.

I also found out you can "make and offer" if the ad says $280, you offer $270, and see what happens. Top that with being the only ones to view the apartment and you have yourself and great barganing position. We also had the added bonus of wanting a 12mth lease which kind of sweetens the deal for the owner.

Hardest part is that if you work in your own business you can't really show accurate records of a steady income. But if you can pay the rent than it doesnt matter.

What do dole blugging drug dealers do in this situation?

Anime Top 20

Thinking about how I was dissapointed with Patlabor 3 as Dendy on Sunday I started to think about my Top 10 Anime films.

I had nearly 40 of the movies in highschool. I think they are in mums garage.

Here is my Top 20 Anime Films: (10 wasnt enough)

1: Ninja Scroll
2: Akira
3: Ghost in the Shell
4: Cyber City OEDO 808 Series
5: Battle Angel Alita
6: Cowboy Beebop
7: Space Adventure Cobra
8: Macross Plus Series
9: 3x3 Eyes Series
10: Castle of Cagliostro
11: Blood
12: GOLGO 13 - THE PROFESSIONAL
13:
14: Devil Man Series
15: Wicked City
16: Wings of Honneamise
17: Goku Midnight Eye
18: Princess Monouke
19: Patlabor
20:Fist of the North Star

Honurable Mentions:
Angel Cop
Domination Tank Police

Venus Wars
Street Fighter 2 The Movie (no van damme)
Mad Bull
Guyver

Anime to avoid:
Appleseed
Roujin Z
Legend of the 4 Kings Series
Project AKO

Cartoon Series:
Robotech (all 3 series)
Dragon Ball Z

Japanime

I saw Cowboy Beebop at the Japanime festival last night and it was great. The cimena crowd had a good vibe. The final ending was a little lame but the rest was highly enjoyable. The animation standard was pretty high and the comedy was just enough. Edo is Japans answer to Olive Oil :)

It along with Spirited Away are the only sold out sessions and you can see why. They are probably the most appealing of the titles. I just wish I had of gotten tickets to Spirited Away :(

If you are in Melbounre I would ord3er tickets now. Brisbane is already sold out. Ouch.

Robot Kid

Kid Robot has the coolest collection of toys i've seen anywhere.

If I had lots of cash I'd buy some. The photos of the figures are great and the site layout is nice and simple. I love these robots

Fruit and Veges

If was a fruit I would like to be an apple.

And if was to be a vegetable i'd like to be a snow pea.

I rented Kung Pow with my movie rental vouchers and it was pretty funny. I'm glad I get it at the video store and didn't see it in the cinemas.

Whoops

I updated the splash screen and removed the link. Doh

All is well.

Meat Pies

Why is it that Americans dont eat meat Pies. You'd think a country of excess would have thought of putting meat in pastry.

It might just be an Australian thing but i think there is a huge untapped market. Meat pies use the crappy pieces of meat, so the American Beef Companies have a great way of sellign the off cuts.

Also its a proven hit in meat eating countries like Australia. Do Americans eat Sausage rolls?. I mean it's not a far step from Hotdog to Sausage roll.

This is like my idea to take a slushie machine around Indonesia. Slushies are cheap here and every Indonesian person I've met like Slushies.

Anyway any Americans out there that want to make it big, try introducing meat pies to the USA. If anyone knows of failed attempts to do so please tell me.

Laptop Cinema

I rented Mulholland Drive on DVD and went to watch it on my laptop but didnt have my power pack. So I had to turn the screen down the darkest, and fast forward throguh bits that didnt have much speaking. I made it with 10 min to spare. The DVD had no select chapters which was annoying. Actually I didnt notice much difference having the screen down so dark.

The movie looks beaitiful but is a little more confusing than I expected. It's one of those movies you had to find a site that explains it for you to undertsand it.

Surprise Chef = Me

Warning: If you think a story about some loser cooking dinner is boring then don't read any further. That's right. Look to your bottom left.

Last night i opted for the toasted cheese sandwich dinner. Which but all means is a great meal.

But today I threw a curve ball by having toasted cheese for lunch. As much as I love the little jaffles I can't stomach two cheese based meals in a row.

So i decided to use as many things from the fridge as possible. After removing everything and finding a hidden cache of Hokien Noodles I decided it was stir fry time. If I didnÕt find those noodles I have no idea what it would have been.

Just by chance there was also some old coconut cream, in an open carton. Expiry dates are for wimps I say.

I also found some Stay Sauce in a bottle from a long forgotten BBQ earlier this year. Again, expiry dates mean nothing. (mental note: clean out fridge)

I chopped all available vegetables. And even threw in some long green chillies (crazy stuff) And while reading vaguely what to do on the packet of noodles, I proceeded to cook.

I wont bore you with the details :) but I ended up with a solid meal for 4. Seeing its just me there's a fair amount of breakfast stir fry for tomorrow :)

This topped with my Paul Newman's sauce, just 3 days ago, goes way above my previous best when I made Salmon kebabs.

My Mojo

Losing your mojo is bad but finding it again after a short period of losing it is like a sunny day in a rainy week.

Not only do a i feel very inspired right now but I took a Paul Newmans sauce added a heap of veges and amde myself one great tasting and very chunky pasta sauce.

I had to reword this story that as DB said "adding veges to a ready made sauce is like saying you baked a cake when all you did was put icing on it"

Either way, I wont be eating biscuits again for dinner :)

My Year Book Photo

This goes back to 1997. Ahh the memories. If I had of played sport, debated, won anything or rescued a drowning man, I may have been in other photos.

Oh i'm the guy who's goal was "To meet Micheal Jackson". You can thank the library lady for editing that one.

Good Days

There nothing like having a good day. And it's good when people around you too have a good day.

There's nothing like having good sushi either.

Also, Rob saved himself $10 on a Game Cube game by chance as the people labled the game wrong. Ahhh yeah.

Olympic Park

I am within walking distance to Olympis park and yesterday walked there in an effort to get fresh air.

The place was almost deserted. I happened to find myself getting sprayed with water thanks to some little kids and the water fountains. Their father found it funny to see me drenched. I only wish he could understand what I was saying to his kids.

Fun was had by all :)

There is no shops there at all except for a McDonalds. It must be the most remote McDonalds in Sydney.

Gelatine

What! you can't even eat jelly babies??

That's the question i huess most vegetarians get when they start to tell people about Gelatine

I was always told it was the jelly from cow hooves but now i know it's the bones, skin, tendons and all the other bits we cant eat is boiled down to make gelatine. MMMM yummy.

But it seems gelatine is also used in alcoholic drinks aswell and the only thing they use for photographic film. So all you vegans out there better buy a digital camera.

I don't even want to read again where rennet in cheese comes from.

Trying to be a vegetarian must be hard without being a hyopocrite almost everyday.

Movies

I went crazy at Blockbuster and did the 4 movies for 9.95 deal

American Movie: 8.5/10. Not a movie you would watch with a girlfriend or in a party situation but a very close look at one mans absession to make a film. The dialoge is classic.

Swordfish: 6/10. Hale berry does have an amazing set but the movie was lame. John travolta's hair irks me in this.

Vannila Sky: 5.5/10. Different than what I thought it would be and worse. Ideas stolen from Philip Dicks Total Recal (We can remember that for you wholesale)
Oh and it's long too

I havent watched The Mexiacan yet. Not holding my breath for this one

Blackcurrent Milk

I accidently poured milk thinking it was water, into blackcurrent mix. Not one to waste an opportunity I tried it to see if it tasted nice.

And it doesnt. The initial blackcurrent flavour was nice however the off milk aftertatse was not.

Full Time Grind

I just spent the last week getting up at 7.15 am and draggin my ass to the city to complete a job. It's by about the 3rd day why I like working from home so much.

I like having a great view of Sydney but hate having a todo list that never budges.

I like having airconditioning but hate having to find clean underwear.

Nice not having to type something just to talk to someone but getting up before 10.30am just sucks.

What tipped it over was the fast internet connection I didnt have to pay for.

SpaceStation 3D

I saw SpaceStation 3D at the Imax tonight. This was reconmended to me by 3 people.

But after seeing it all i could think was that I wanted to see the Circus De Solai one instead. And also why did Tom Cruise narrate the Space movie??

SpaceStation 3D is still good, I just was hyped up too much to fully enjoy it

I hate Spiders

Nothing give me the jeepers more than spiders. Even harmless huntsmen

Big thanks to Noel who took the photo. He shate himself when the flash popped up but the spider didn't nudge.

That's N