tastes like home

My parents emailed me pictures of their new home and it looks so green and lovely and amazing that I just want to be there now. It's a really nice feeling to look at pictures of this new place and be able to go, "Yeah, that looks like I could call that home." Hell, it looks like it already feels like home. But as a result, I'm back in justwannabeinOz mode. Or more accurately, justwannabewiththewhanau mode. So then I did the dangerous thing and started looking at job recruitment sites in Brisbane. There is no point in my doing this yet as I'm only going to be there AT THE END OF THE YEAR. And then yesterday I started looking around the web for dive clubs and rock climbing walls in Brissie... again with the end of the year comment...

But it's exciting. I have a whole new adventure coming up and dive clubs and rock climbing could well be the only way to stop myself from being Little Miss NoMates but the problem with getting excited about the new adventure is that I lose sight of the here and now and I must remember to carpe diem what I can of Europe while I'm here. I already know that with my priority on diving holidays, I'm going to miss quite a bit of Europe and I'll get back home and people will be like, "So did you see this?" no "Did you go there?" no "How about this place?" no "So what exactly did you do with your 3 1/2 years over there?!" umm........ Egypt?

wedding singer

I came across The Wedding Singer fairly late in life and so have only seen it about twice but it was on (again) late on Sat evening and I caught one of my favourite moments just in time- Adam Sandler singing Somebody Kill Me Please. The video of it is on YouTube. Go watch, it's hilarious. And for those who know the tune, here are the lyrics so you can start singing it to yourself.

You don't know how much I need you.
While you're near me I don't feel blue.
And when we kiss I know you need me too.
I can't believe I found a love that's so pure and true.

But it all was bullshit.
It was a goddam joke.
And when I think of you Linda,
I hope you fucking choke.

I hope you're glad with what you've done to me.
I lay in bed all day long feeling melancholy.
You left me here all alone, tears running constantly.

Oh somebody kill me please,
somebody kill me plee-ase,
I'm on my knees,
pretty pretty please kill me.

I want to die.
Put a bullet in my head.

cirque glory

On Wednesday night I went to see Varekai, the current performance of Cirque du Soleil at Royal Albert Hall. It was absolutely amazing, just incredible. I have to admit that I wasn't sure how good it would be live. Which sounds every bit as blasphemous a comment as it is but when you watch it on the tele, you know that all the action is being followed and you can see everything closeup and I was worried it would be hard to keep track of it all. I scoff at my fears now. Being there as it was performed was incomparable- to actually see people flying through space and be part of the amazing atmosphere... I was caught between speechlessness, going, "Oh my God" and nearly being in tears due to the beauty/ amazingness/ wonderfulness of it all. I would go again in a heartbeat (if I could afford it) and am so glad that I finally got organised enough to go. All I can say is that if anyone ever gets a chance to see Cirque du Soleil perform, DO IT.

God etc

I haven't read Mimi Smartypants in a while and was doing some catchup today and came across an entry which struck a chord with me:

Nora: Dead people live on in us, right?
Me [taken by surprise]: Oh, you mean because we remember them? Right.
Nora: But dead people don't really live, like inside you. Like a tapeworm.* That would be crazy!
Me: It sure would!
Nora: Some people believe in God, though.
Me: Yup.
Nora: And they say that the dead people go live with God.
Me: Uh-huh. That's what some people say.
Nora: Is that true?
Me: Well, no one knows for sure. People believe different things.
Nora: Do you think it's true?
Me [mental sigh]: No, I don't. It doesn't make sense to me, so I don't believe it. I think dead is dead, and then the alive people do the remembering.
[pause]
Me: But you can learn about both---the God idea and the no-God idea---and then someday you can make up your own mind. [to myself: Yeah sure, after I just SHIT ALL OVER THE GOD IDEA GOOD ONE SMARTYPANTS]
Nora: I don't think God is real. But I will think about it more when I am five.
Me: Good plan.

Because I wonder- what will I do when I have kids? I think it's important to know about religion because it's a major part of how the world works/how people think but when it comes down to it, I think organised religion is bullshit. (Which is not to say that I don't believe in God/gods/high powers etc, that is a different matter.) But is this something I should let my kids decide for themselves? I guess when in doubt I can take a leaf out of my parents' book on child rearing because whatever they did, they clearly did it right.

*We are very interested in tapeworms around here. I keep emphasizing how rare tapeworm infestation is in this country, as a kind of veiled plea for CAN WE STOP TALKING ABOUT THIS PLEASE, but Nora still brings up tapeworms a lot. I sort of explained (simplistically) how a tapeworm eats the host's food before it can be properly digested, thus resulting in severe illness and malnutrition. However, it is clear from the way that Nora giggles throughout my dire pronouncements that she thinks of a tapeworm as a sort of lovable prankster, a little friend who snatches that last cupcake before you get a chance to eat it.

Irish farmer joke

I got this joke forwarded to me today adn deemed it worthy of sharing:

A farmer named Seamus had a car accident.

In court, the lorry company's fancy hot shot solicitor was questioning Seamus.

"Didn't you say, to the Garda at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine,'?"asked the solicitor.

Seamus responded, "Well, I'll tell you what happened. I had just loaded my favourite cow, Bessie, into the..."

"I didn't ask for any details", the solicitor interrupted. "Just answer the question. Did you not say, at the scene of the accident, 'I'm fine!'?"

Seamus said, "Well, I had just got Bessie into the trailer and I was driving down the road...."

The solicitor interrupted again and said, "Your Honour, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the Gárda on the scene that he was fine. Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud.
Please tell him to simply answer the question."

By this time, the Judge was fairly interested in Seamus's answer and said to the solicitor, "I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favourite cow, Bessie".

Seamus thanked the Judge and proceeded. "Well as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favourite cow, into the trailer and was driving her down the road when this huge lorry and trailer came through a stop sign and hit my trailer right in the side. I was
Thrown into one ditch and Bessie was thrown into the other. I was hurt, very bad like, and didn't want to move.

However, I could hear old Bessie moaning and groaning. I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans. Shortly after the accident a garda on a motorbike turned up. He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her. After he looked at her, and saw her condition, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes.

Then the Garda came across the road, gun still in hand, looked at me, and said, "How are you feeling?"

"Now what the F*ck would you say?"

tragedy

Heath Ledger is dead. I couldn't believe it when I heard. Apparently he died of a drug overdose and I can't help but thinking, "What a waste." What a waste of talent, of life, what about his poor 2 year old daughter, just what a waste. I don't think I'll be able to watch 10 Things I Hate About You or A Knight's Tale for a wee while now as all I'll be able to think is, "He's dead. He was so young. What a waste."

Another tragedy, although this is somewhat old news by now, is that Terry Pratchett has Alzheimer's. Now that one is really tragic. I think Alzheimer's has to one of the nastier diseases to hit us later in life, or maybe it's just a personal thing for me and the idea of the deterioration of the brain that is quite horrific and scary and the contrast involved between the person that was and the person they become. It seems though, that at least on the public face of it all, Terry (I did a phone interview with him once for Radio One, I'm entitled to be on a first-name basis) has a very healthy attitude to it all.

PS I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else. For me, this maybe further off than you think - it's too soon to tell. I know it's a very human thing to say "Is there anything I can do", but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry.

I like the Granny Weatherwax reference and hope that Terry proves to be as crotchety and tencious as the good lady herself.

And on a completely different note, I read my most crap horoscope in ages the other day. Shelly von Strunckel is losing her touch, let me tell you. Listen to the inane rubbish she had for me the other day:

It will take weeks, if not months, to fully understand the potential and extent of the ideas and events triggered by Jupiter's stunning alliance with Saturn this week. What's already clear; however, is that the more options you explore, the better informed you'll be when it's time to turn these concepts into lasting plans.

No shit Sherlock. Regardless of what Jupiter and Saturn are up to, exploring all my options always seems like a good idea and I'm all for being best informed to make my decisions. I DO THIS ALREADY. Frankly, I expected more from the lady who liberally sprinkled words like retrograde and ascension but apparently she was having a non-motivated day and reverted to wordy tree-hugging-hippy crystal mumbo-jumbo speak. Shame on you Shelly.

AND...

I'M GOING TO DO A YOGA DIVING COURSE.

Also very berry excited about that one. God knows exactly how Mr. Credit Card is going to juggle it all but I have faith in his superpowers. Eeek- I also have to start getting diving gear. Would a very very old and very very rich man marry me ASAP and then die (also ASAP) and leave me everything (or failing that a nice tidy sum)? If you could, that would be great and very muchly appreciated. I am an excellent cook and do great baked goods.

I'M GOING TO MARSA ALAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After much persuasion, I finally succeeded in my pitch as Marsa Alam as the ideal location for my friend Kerry to celebrate her 30th birthday. She wants to swim with dolphins and Marsa Alam came highly recommended by people at work and with all the internetting I've been doing on it, well I've fallen in love and now we're gonna go and it's awesome. Now I know I may not get to see dolphins as they're a wild pod but the whole place in general sounds amazing with even great snorkeling and coral opportunities just off the beach. And even better, since our birthdays are 5 days apart, we'll be over there for mine as well. Woot!

oh woe is me

I definintely fall under the stereotype of the person who hardly ever gets sick and when they do, they do it in style. Yesterday, just after lunch, I started to feel like someone was slowly stuffing my head full of cotton wool. Then they started to slowly pour in a viscous liquid. And then, clearly feeling they needed to ice the cake of discomfort, they decided to take to me with a piece of 2x4. I ache. Everywhere. So needless to say I'm not at work but I had to venture out this morning to get supplies and I am now going to retire to the sofa to continue ODing on vitamin C. I've had so much of it already in its various forms that I wouldn't be surprised if I start sweating it out my pores. But to sweat I would need to be warm and I even have my thermals on under my trackies. I'm about to go put on a Die Hard movie (probably 2 because I watched 1 again at the weekend) and am hoping I'll pull my party trick of falling asleep when the action gets going. I don't know what it is about the constant noise of gunfire and explosives but it lulls me to sleep...

feeling better now

I am, by now, well over my ohmyGodI'vecommittedtoleavingtheUK angst and am instead well into hallelujahI'mgoinghome mode. Even if I have no idea where 'home' will be. That aspect doesn't actually bother me as much I thought it might. I'll be with the family and that's what counts. (At least to me.) As for what happens when I get there... well I have some ideas but really it's just gonna be one more big adventure which I'll have to take as it comes- which is fine by me. I have till the end of the year to wrap things up here which even me, with my supreme powers of procrastination, should be able to do. Also, it was good talking to friends at the weekend about it because even though they will be sad to see me go, they were excited for me doing this awesome thing and were the first ones to remind me that this is what I want. And it is. Sun, sand and, most importantly, WATER and out of this concrete jungle.

life changes

For someone who was (is) definite in her mind that she wanted to leave the UK for good at the end of the year and has just booked the ticket to enable that action, well I'm feeling a little bit more unsettled than I imagined I would.

I'm sure it's down to a combo of things (and these are in no particular order):
1- going "home" will actually involve going to Auusie, not NZ, as my parents have moved
2- that is strange in itself
3- I was expecting to be able to book this in about July but happened to look online and since I'm using my airpoints to get back, there were only 4 seats on one day available in the month so I realised that I pretty much had to book then and there before they all disappeared and I was left with another UK Christmas or worse, having to pay actual money for my flight. *shudder*
4- making choices like this because they are 'life choices' and not I-hate-this-place-I-want-to-leave-and-set-fire-to-it-on-my-way-out choices is always hard

And so I am feeling unsettled. I should probably be heading out for someone's birthday drinks tonight but I think that I shall instead be making a lame-ass excuse and heading home to watch some comforting chick-flick and I try to re-zen myself. I should be happy, I really should. I should be jumping for joy because I know more than anything that this big city is not the place for me. That said, after almost 3 years, it is home and I have great friends here and love my work and the people I work with. Maybe I should just go home and look at pictures of beaches, that'll refocus me. Or I could go to the pool and try out my new pro look as my goggles and swim cap arrived today. Oh yes I will be the hottest thing in the pool. *cough*

the long overdue post of miscellaneous interesting links

This stuff reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes illustrations where Calvin is a skeleton.


interesting sculpture
http://thinkorthwim.com/2007/10/12/a-few-sculptures-by-erwin-wurm/


cool but bit dark
These paintings are a weird mix between girly adn cute and yet somehow a bit dark and sinister. Definitely interesting.


intricate


cute ladybug animation
The pacing on this animation is great. I like how it takes the time to enjoy itself. Be warned, it's fairly long and might take a while to load.

cute body art animation
www.ondanews.com/2007/11/25/body-love-animation/

amazing cakes
www.mikesamazingcakes.com/default.asp?audvar=true&aud=Turn+Music+Off

technology these days
It's amazing how far animation has come.

speaking of cool but disturbing...
www.raycaesar.com/pages/GalleryIndex.html

cool cat pics

I like the idea of photographing cats as naturally as possible and treating them like human portraits.

carved pencils
This is just cool. So intricate. I'm in awe.

selfridges birmingham
Does it make me sad that I would go to Birmingham just to see this building?

like I really need another baking site...
www.joyofbaking.com

ceramic cans
www.detterer.de/xue.htm

yet more interesting art
www.raquelissima.com/web/index.html

best Christmas card ever

Thanks J! xox

bobbing along

Okay so I'm officially back to hating Kura again- which is how my raging jealousy chooses to manifest itself- otherwise it'd be depression and I find the anger side of emotions far easier to manage. I get back from a cold and wet Edinburgh to a colder if not-at-the-moment-as-wet London and find her facebook status to read "Kura Carpenter is back from a great day cruising the lagoon of a neighbouring tropical island." hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehategrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr I want to be snorkeling in a tropical lagoon. [enunciated in a whining 4 year old, stomping my foot on the floor voice] I'm thinking I'm going to have to cut back on how often I look at her blog. Today her largest trial seems to be deciding how to eat her pawpaw.

Eat it raw? Blend it with crushed ice and vodka? Maybe bake it with brown sugar and serve it with ice-cream?

Oh my heart bleeds....

I've started swimming in the local community college pool and although it's chlorinated water (not unusual for a pool, I know, but I prefer the ocean), it's usually VERY empty and being in water in any form makes me happy. But I need goggles because the chlorine kills my eyes and I'm thinking of getting a cap so I don't have to always wash my hair, all of which combines to make a vision of total hilarity, the humour of which is only increased by the fact that it turns out that I'm quite a spaz when it comes to swimming. I'm fine underwater with fins and an air supply but all this flailing around on the surface and being made to coordinate by arms and my legs and my breathing, well it's all a bit much... So I'll be dressed like a professional but without the body and the actual swimming ability of a Labrador. Brilliant.

2008 already?

My Christmas was spent in Northern Ireland with family friends and apart from being with my family, these were the bestest, most lovely people I could have spent Christmas with. I only got to see Sean and Daisy for an evening and a morning and took none of the pictures or videos I'd intended to because when I was actually holding them or watching them, I couldn't bring myself to let them go or look away. Daisy has abbreviated 'Aynia Lasagne' to a very Italian 'a-lasagne'. I will be forever amazed at how 2 small children have completely stolen my heart. In this photo, for those interested, is Santa (aka Steve), Anita (aka Mrs. Claus) and Santa's Little Helper (aka moi).


New Year was spent in Edinburgh which was slightly less cold than I had been led to believe but I think that was only because I had brought enough layers so wasn't freezing my proverbials off all the time. That said, I was still bundled up to the nines. This pic was taken from beneath a fairground ride in front of the Scots Monument. It's kinda like a miniature (and non-enclosed) version of the London Eye but what caught me was the placement of something so garish beside this ancient gothic-styled monument.


This was the view from the top of the ride. Just amazing. I don't know that Kez saw much of it as she spent most of her time clinging on to the pole in the middle and telling me in no uncertain terms to stop moving.


Fear not! These people were not getting ready to set fire to the city but rather a march for charity.


Of course Kez and I took part. How I was meant to not walk around with a 60cm high candle?

As for New Year's Eve itself, well we were on the street for the 'street party' and witnessed amazing fireworks, tried unsuccessfully to meet up with Hayden (his bad, he blames the booze) and had a great laugh. The atmosphere was awesome and I was mostly surprised at people who apologised if they jostled past you. I'm not used to that in London, I've forgotten what normal manners are. That and hilarious Scottish accents although we seemed to meet more antipodeans that Scots...