Mel's 5X5 Tag
(She's done it again, and again I obediantly comply)
1. List your top 5 80's songs – Not my favourite period, but here goes . . .
Tina Turner – What’s Love Got To Do With It
Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of the Heart
Pointer Sisters – Slow Hand
Starship – We Built This City
John Farnham – Age of Reason
2. List your top 5 favourite scents
Coconut oil – makes me think of beaches on hot summer days
Freshly crushed coriander leaves – takes me straight to Thailand
Freshly bathed children – just makes me all warm and clucky
Bread baking
The smell of rain coming
3. List your top 5 holiday destinations
Puerto Galera, Philippines – white sand, clear water, bamboo huts and shooting stars.
Pangandaran, Indonesia – where else can you sit and watch the sun set over the ocean in the west at the same time as you watch a full moon rise over the ocean to the east
Honolulu, G&T’s under the banyan tree at sunset on the terrace of the Moana Surfrider Hotel
New York
Thailand – Jomtien, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, anywhere !
4. List your top 5 favourite nightclubs/pubs/haunts where you live.
The restaurant in the old Brighton baths, lunch on a weekday in winter.
The stalls bar in Her Majesty’s Theatre
Cubbyhouse, Moonee Ponds (cos I had a great time getting drunk there the other night with a bunch of work friends)
The little chinese restaurant in a lane off Little Collins Street, up a rickety staircase, about six tables, fabulous food, don’t know the name - in fact I’ve never been able to find out if it even has one.
The Exchange, Prahran – actually I almost hate the place, but I’ve been drinking there for twenty years or so, and just can’t imagine not going there
5. List your top 5 favourite drinks.
Cascade Premium Light Ale – I can drink it all night
Vodka and lime
French Champagne – on the rare occasions I can justify the expense
Single malt whisky – Glenlivet is the preferred one at the moment, but I’m only just beginning to delve into this new appreciation.
Coffee – anywhere, any time - just got to have it on a regular basis.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Birthday Eve
Tomorrow is my birthday. Long gone are the birthdays I looked forward to with eager anticipation as a child, when the thought of being a year older was something to be celebrated without question.
There’s a line in a song I love, “I’ve had enough birthdays” It just came to mind, and I thought no, I haven’t. I sure as hell am not ready to stop yet. But there was something appealing in the line still. Then I remembered the rest of it . . . .
I’ve washed enough evenings
I’ve dried enough mornings,
I’ve had enough birthdays to know what I want
Do I know what I want? Sometimes I think I do. I know what I dream about , the list is long, but what I really want? Security, companionship, good health. I can’t really complain, I’m doing pretty well on those.
So why do I go through this dread every year when another birthday comes along, after all, its just a number, a rather arbitrarily imposed definition of what I’m meant to be, or supposed to have achieved when I reach a certain point in my life. Hell, I’ve spent most of my adult life ignoring or fighting that, the Peter Pan syndrome if you like. Another line from another song from another show “My body’s clearing forty as my mind is nearing ten.” Problem is every now and then the body reminds you that you’re a long way past ten. And that brings in the fear of getting old, and that’s the fear of losing your health more than anything.
Then you start thinking about what you’ve been through, what you’ve seen and done, who you’ve loved, where you’ve been, how much more there still is to see and do and love, and you feel sort of pleased and grateful for it all. And that’s what another birthday is really about, looking back and looking forward, so it has to be a mix of happiness and sadness, anticipation and fear. It just comes a bit more into focus that one day of the year.
Tomorrow is my birthday. Long gone are the birthdays I looked forward to with eager anticipation as a child, when the thought of being a year older was something to be celebrated without question.
There’s a line in a song I love, “I’ve had enough birthdays” It just came to mind, and I thought no, I haven’t. I sure as hell am not ready to stop yet. But there was something appealing in the line still. Then I remembered the rest of it . . . .
I’ve washed enough evenings
I’ve dried enough mornings,
I’ve had enough birthdays to know what I want
Do I know what I want? Sometimes I think I do. I know what I dream about , the list is long, but what I really want? Security, companionship, good health. I can’t really complain, I’m doing pretty well on those.
So why do I go through this dread every year when another birthday comes along, after all, its just a number, a rather arbitrarily imposed definition of what I’m meant to be, or supposed to have achieved when I reach a certain point in my life. Hell, I’ve spent most of my adult life ignoring or fighting that, the Peter Pan syndrome if you like. Another line from another song from another show “My body’s clearing forty as my mind is nearing ten.” Problem is every now and then the body reminds you that you’re a long way past ten. And that brings in the fear of getting old, and that’s the fear of losing your health more than anything.
Then you start thinking about what you’ve been through, what you’ve seen and done, who you’ve loved, where you’ve been, how much more there still is to see and do and love, and you feel sort of pleased and grateful for it all. And that’s what another birthday is really about, looking back and looking forward, so it has to be a mix of happiness and sadness, anticipation and fear. It just comes a bit more into focus that one day of the year.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Catch-Up
Mel had words with me today about not having blogged for a while.
Words from a sleep-deprived Mel are not to be taken lightly.
I spent last week at work training new staff. I did a lot of training in this department a year or so back, and it was great to get back to it. There’s something very satisfying about training. It scared me at first – until I realised there was no way I could be half as scared as those poor new guys sitting there with no idea what they were about to be put through. “Put through” is exactly right for this last group too. The poor things got one week of training instead of the usual two, and were thrown onto the phones. Last day of training was the best. They had a couple of hours double-jacking, and I went around half an hour before they finished to tell them we expected they’d take a call before they finished. Within about ten minutes they all did. I was walking around feeling like the proudest dad on earth. That moment made the whole week worthwhile. Drinks afterwards was good too, nice to see them all relaxed.
It was an exhausting week. I also decided last week to start walking to walk again. If I’m taking that Thailand holiday next year this stomach has got to go before I show myself on any beach. Good timing huh – an hour’s walk to work then spend all day on your feet, then an hour’s walk home. Slept well though (don’t think I’m game enough to suggest Mel tries walking to work !)
The weekend break was good – Monday I chopped five minutes off the walk, and I’m not hobbling around the house at night like an eighty-five year old with rheumatoid arthritis any more.
Monday and Tuesday I was floor-walking for the new guys. That was pretty full-on, trying to juggle three or four things at once, and on my feet again all day. Made the day go mighty fast though. Today was time to let go, let the chicks fly the nest as it were. That’s always a bit hard, more-so when they’re such a good bunch. In some ways it was good to get back on the phones. Only in some ways mind you. Today too there was a really upsetting incident at work. I must say our team-leaders handled it really well, especially as they were affected as much as the rest of us.
Anything else form the last week or so? Good news from Steve who is winding up a seven-week jaunt through Europe and Asia – 11 of the 12 DVDs I put on the shopping list have been found. Of course I want him to come home NOW. Materialistic ? Me ???
Not much else I can think of at the moment
Mel had words with me today about not having blogged for a while.
Words from a sleep-deprived Mel are not to be taken lightly.
I spent last week at work training new staff. I did a lot of training in this department a year or so back, and it was great to get back to it. There’s something very satisfying about training. It scared me at first – until I realised there was no way I could be half as scared as those poor new guys sitting there with no idea what they were about to be put through. “Put through” is exactly right for this last group too. The poor things got one week of training instead of the usual two, and were thrown onto the phones. Last day of training was the best. They had a couple of hours double-jacking, and I went around half an hour before they finished to tell them we expected they’d take a call before they finished. Within about ten minutes they all did. I was walking around feeling like the proudest dad on earth. That moment made the whole week worthwhile. Drinks afterwards was good too, nice to see them all relaxed.
It was an exhausting week. I also decided last week to start walking to walk again. If I’m taking that Thailand holiday next year this stomach has got to go before I show myself on any beach. Good timing huh – an hour’s walk to work then spend all day on your feet, then an hour’s walk home. Slept well though (don’t think I’m game enough to suggest Mel tries walking to work !)
The weekend break was good – Monday I chopped five minutes off the walk, and I’m not hobbling around the house at night like an eighty-five year old with rheumatoid arthritis any more.
Monday and Tuesday I was floor-walking for the new guys. That was pretty full-on, trying to juggle three or four things at once, and on my feet again all day. Made the day go mighty fast though. Today was time to let go, let the chicks fly the nest as it were. That’s always a bit hard, more-so when they’re such a good bunch. In some ways it was good to get back on the phones. Only in some ways mind you. Today too there was a really upsetting incident at work. I must say our team-leaders handled it really well, especially as they were affected as much as the rest of us.
Anything else form the last week or so? Good news from Steve who is winding up a seven-week jaunt through Europe and Asia – 11 of the 12 DVDs I put on the shopping list have been found. Of course I want him to come home NOW. Materialistic ? Me ???
Not much else I can think of at the moment
Catch-Up
Mel had words with me today about not having blogged for a while.
Words from a sleep-deprived Mel are not to be taken lightly.
I spent last week at work training new staff. I did a lot of training in this department a year or so back, and it was great to get back to it. There’s something very satisfying about training. It scared me at first – until I realised there was no way I could be half as scared as those poor new guys sitting there with no idea what they were about to be put through. “Put through” is exactly right for this last group too. The poor things got one week of training instead of the usual two, and were thrown onto the phones. Last day of training was the best. They had a couple of hours double-jacking, and I went around half an hour before they finished to tell them we expected they’d take a call before they finished. Within about ten minutes they all did. I was walking around feeling like the proudest dad on earth. That moment made the whole week worthwhile. Drinks afterwards was good too, nice to see them all relaxed.
It was an exhausting week. I also decided last week to start walking to walk again. If I’m taking that Thailand holiday next year this stomach has got to go before I show myself on any beach. Good timing huh – an hour’s walk to work then spend all day on your feet, then an hour’s walk home. Slept well though (don’t think I’m game enough to suggest Mel tries walking to work !)
The weekend break was good – Monday I chopped five minutes off the walk, and I’m not hobbling around the house at night like an eighty-five year old with rheumatoid arthritis any more.
Monday and Tuesday I was floor-walking for the new guys. That was pretty full-on, trying to juggle three or four things at once, and on my feet again all day. Made the day go mighty fast though. Today was time to let go, let the chicks fly the nest as it were. That’s always a bit hard, more-so when they’re such a good bunch. In some ways it was good to get back on the phones. Only in some ways mind you. Today too there was a really upsetting incident at work. I must say our team-leaders handled it really well, especially as they were affected as much as the rest of us.
Anything else form the last week or so? Good news from Steve who is winding up a seven-week jaunt through Europe and Asia – 11 of the 12 DVDs I put on the shopping list have been found. Of course I want him to come home NOW. Materialistic ? Me ???
Not much else I can think of at the moment
Mel had words with me today about not having blogged for a while.
Words from a sleep-deprived Mel are not to be taken lightly.
I spent last week at work training new staff. I did a lot of training in this department a year or so back, and it was great to get back to it. There’s something very satisfying about training. It scared me at first – until I realised there was no way I could be half as scared as those poor new guys sitting there with no idea what they were about to be put through. “Put through” is exactly right for this last group too. The poor things got one week of training instead of the usual two, and were thrown onto the phones. Last day of training was the best. They had a couple of hours double-jacking, and I went around half an hour before they finished to tell them we expected they’d take a call before they finished. Within about ten minutes they all did. I was walking around feeling like the proudest dad on earth. That moment made the whole week worthwhile. Drinks afterwards was good too, nice to see them all relaxed.
It was an exhausting week. I also decided last week to start walking to walk again. If I’m taking that Thailand holiday next year this stomach has got to go before I show myself on any beach. Good timing huh – an hour’s walk to work then spend all day on your feet, then an hour’s walk home. Slept well though (don’t think I’m game enough to suggest Mel tries walking to work !)
The weekend break was good – Monday I chopped five minutes off the walk, and I’m not hobbling around the house at night like an eighty-five year old with rheumatoid arthritis any more.
Monday and Tuesday I was floor-walking for the new guys. That was pretty full-on, trying to juggle three or four things at once, and on my feet again all day. Made the day go mighty fast though. Today was time to let go, let the chicks fly the nest as it were. That’s always a bit hard, more-so when they’re such a good bunch. In some ways it was good to get back on the phones. Only in some ways mind you. Today too there was a really upsetting incident at work. I must say our team-leaders handled it really well, especially as they were affected as much as the rest of us.
Anything else form the last week or so? Good news from Steve who is winding up a seven-week jaunt through Europe and Asia – 11 of the 12 DVDs I put on the shopping list have been found. Of course I want him to come home NOW. Materialistic ? Me ???
Not much else I can think of at the moment
Sunday, October 09, 2005
AN INDULGENT OBSESSION
In one of Mellie’s challenge lists I admitted I can shop for hours. I could have elaborated. I can shop for hours and not buy anything. My favourite place to shop in the world has got to be the Mahboonkron Centre in Bangkok, commonly and affectionately known as MBK. It may not be the best place to purchase much, but it’s a paradise for the inveterate shopper.
About this time last year I was at the chinese DVD store in MBK, on my last day in Thailand, trying to get rid of a few extra bath. I’d found the DVD I wanted (“Hero”) quite quickly for a change, and was working my way through the discount bins, just in case there was anything inexpensive and irresistible, when I found I couldn’t stop watching the movie they were playing. I’ve had a long-standing rule about shopping – if you pick the same thing up three times, you should buy it. I think I should add a variation, if you watch more than ten minutes of the movie playing in the store, you should buy it. Apart from the fact that I do really like the film, it gave me my current indulgent obsession.
One of the things I’ve found out about myself as I get older is that I can safely allow myself to enjoy a good, healthy obsession. I’m not talking about being obsessed with food, or a particular author. I’m talking about being obsessed with a particular person, you know, the guy who’s currently top of the Shag List, shameful or otherwise. And enjoy really is the right word for it. It has none of the wonderful anguish of a teenage crush, or the desperation of an impossible love affair. It can be somebody unreachable, like a movie star, or somebody as close as the guy who sits two desks away from you at work. There is a kind of purity about it, no expectation that it is going to lead anywhere, no expectation that this is the Great Love of Your Life, and it really serves no purpose other than to be simply enjoyed.
That film I bought was “House of Flying Daggers” and the actor who is the object of my obsession is Takeshi Kaneshiro’ He’s been mentioned in here before. I didn’t see him in any of the bits of the film I saw in Bangkok. It wasn’t until I got home and watched the whole film that I made the almost calculated decision that this man was one I wanted to see as much of as I can.
It’s not been easy to find out much more than basic biographical info about him. He’s half Taiwanese, half Japanese, has worked as a model and released one (apparently not great ) pop album, speaks four languages fluently (including English – a bonus there !) and appeared in a couple of dozen Chinese and Japanese movies. That he appears not to be romantically involved with anyone is another bonus in the obsession stakes.
He started out making a name for himself playing quirky characters, the man obsessed with the expiry dates on tins of pineapple in “Chunking Express”, the same character looking for love in “Fallen Angels”, an actual angel with an obsession for sneakers who falls to earth with a broken wing in “Lavender” or the man running a business to find things people have lost in Lost and Found.. He moved on to a few films as the romantic lead, still a bit off-beat, like “Anna Magdalena” as part of a classic love-triangle, and half the pair of lovers who keep just missing each other in “Turn Left, Turn Right.” There’s a definite boyish appeal in all those films, a feeling that he’s a little bit lost in a world he doesn’t really understand, a vulnerability certainly, but a sense that he’s a survivor as well. There’s an openness in his performances too, he seems to have no fear of exposing himself to the camera.
He made one sci-fi action film, not very well received, then suddenly seemed to turn a corner, starring in his first martial-arts film. In “House of Flying Daggers” he starts out still with the boyish charm, but in a grown man, a womaniser, at ease and in control of the hedonistic life-style he’s chosen, only to realise the emptiness of that as he falls in love with the woman even he realises means the end of the life he has known, and ultimately the end of his life as he fights with his best friend over the woman they both love. It’s a fine performance.
None of that of course really explains why I decided to become make him the object of my obsession. Maybe you just need to see some of his films.
He’s just finished another film. They’re saying it’s the Hong Kong film industry’s answer to “Moulin Rouge.” Now that should be interesting.
In one of Mellie’s challenge lists I admitted I can shop for hours. I could have elaborated. I can shop for hours and not buy anything. My favourite place to shop in the world has got to be the Mahboonkron Centre in Bangkok, commonly and affectionately known as MBK. It may not be the best place to purchase much, but it’s a paradise for the inveterate shopper.
About this time last year I was at the chinese DVD store in MBK, on my last day in Thailand, trying to get rid of a few extra bath. I’d found the DVD I wanted (“Hero”) quite quickly for a change, and was working my way through the discount bins, just in case there was anything inexpensive and irresistible, when I found I couldn’t stop watching the movie they were playing. I’ve had a long-standing rule about shopping – if you pick the same thing up three times, you should buy it. I think I should add a variation, if you watch more than ten minutes of the movie playing in the store, you should buy it. Apart from the fact that I do really like the film, it gave me my current indulgent obsession.
One of the things I’ve found out about myself as I get older is that I can safely allow myself to enjoy a good, healthy obsession. I’m not talking about being obsessed with food, or a particular author. I’m talking about being obsessed with a particular person, you know, the guy who’s currently top of the Shag List, shameful or otherwise. And enjoy really is the right word for it. It has none of the wonderful anguish of a teenage crush, or the desperation of an impossible love affair. It can be somebody unreachable, like a movie star, or somebody as close as the guy who sits two desks away from you at work. There is a kind of purity about it, no expectation that it is going to lead anywhere, no expectation that this is the Great Love of Your Life, and it really serves no purpose other than to be simply enjoyed.
That film I bought was “House of Flying Daggers” and the actor who is the object of my obsession is Takeshi Kaneshiro’ He’s been mentioned in here before. I didn’t see him in any of the bits of the film I saw in Bangkok. It wasn’t until I got home and watched the whole film that I made the almost calculated decision that this man was one I wanted to see as much of as I can.
It’s not been easy to find out much more than basic biographical info about him. He’s half Taiwanese, half Japanese, has worked as a model and released one (apparently not great ) pop album, speaks four languages fluently (including English – a bonus there !) and appeared in a couple of dozen Chinese and Japanese movies. That he appears not to be romantically involved with anyone is another bonus in the obsession stakes.
He started out making a name for himself playing quirky characters, the man obsessed with the expiry dates on tins of pineapple in “Chunking Express”, the same character looking for love in “Fallen Angels”, an actual angel with an obsession for sneakers who falls to earth with a broken wing in “Lavender” or the man running a business to find things people have lost in Lost and Found.. He moved on to a few films as the romantic lead, still a bit off-beat, like “Anna Magdalena” as part of a classic love-triangle, and half the pair of lovers who keep just missing each other in “Turn Left, Turn Right.” There’s a definite boyish appeal in all those films, a feeling that he’s a little bit lost in a world he doesn’t really understand, a vulnerability certainly, but a sense that he’s a survivor as well. There’s an openness in his performances too, he seems to have no fear of exposing himself to the camera.
He made one sci-fi action film, not very well received, then suddenly seemed to turn a corner, starring in his first martial-arts film. In “House of Flying Daggers” he starts out still with the boyish charm, but in a grown man, a womaniser, at ease and in control of the hedonistic life-style he’s chosen, only to realise the emptiness of that as he falls in love with the woman even he realises means the end of the life he has known, and ultimately the end of his life as he fights with his best friend over the woman they both love. It’s a fine performance.
None of that of course really explains why I decided to become make him the object of my obsession. Maybe you just need to see some of his films.
He’s just finished another film. They’re saying it’s the Hong Kong film industry’s answer to “Moulin Rouge.” Now that should be interesting.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Saturday at work
Saturday and a 7.00am start at work. Forty minutes on the phones now and just had my second call. Already answered my e-mails, there is some crappy adolescent ninja thing on the nearest TV and I can’t find a remote to change it. There is no-one sitting near me this morning, and I ‘m too much of a stick-in-the-mud to move desks. In other words, no win situation – complain like crazy when we’re busy, and moan about being bored when it’s quiet. OK, got all that off my chest. Thanks for listening.
The week
Highlights ? Job interview I guess, hate them, stomach churns before, palms get sweaty, the usual nervous stuff. I got through it alright I guess, the nerves disappeared as soon as I got to talking about my favourite topic (as if you can’t guess).
Split week, and I do hate them. Thursday, my day off, I took that out on my hapless garden, two trees to be precise. Well, they had made the stupid decision to grow in the wrong place and on top of that to try and push the fence over. They had to go. Simple. You know how people joke about what happens when you let a guy loose in the garden with a pair of pruning shears. Nothing compared to me with a saw.
Those trees are gone. And I did it with a hand-saw. I bought a hain saw about two years ago . . . . got as far as putting it together on Thursday, but I still haven’t screwed up the courage to actually use it. Terrifies me ! You can call me a coward all you like, and no it doesn’t have to do with visions of Christian Bale chasing that girl or Chainsaw Massacre (I haven’t seen 1 or 2) I just feel I want to keep all my fingers and toes. Just realised, Christian Bale didn’t rate a mention on any of those lists. He should have, but I think I felt it was a bit obvious to put Batman on there. Thinking about that chainsaw sccene of his in American Psycho. Wonder if that scene is meant to be a clue that all may not be what it appears in that film. Must check back, that chainsaw should have switched off as soon as he let go the handles. Can’t remember if he tied anything on it to keep it going. And of course, the likelihood it would have landed just right . . . . . ?
Oh, situation at work not so bad. Got very busy for quite a while, then Shaz turned up after all so I haven’t been alone. And its gone quiet again. Had a bit of a chat with her about dog-food . . . . Had a bit if a fight with one of the techs – arrogant, condescending bastard. I was right of course. Just had my last break and on the home stretch. Home to finish off the last few chapters of Robertson Davies’ “Salterton Trilogy” – decided to re-read his complete works, all three (or is it four) trilogies anyway. Just a whim. Maybe watch a film. Tomorrow is lunch with my oldest friend, and another friend we went to Uni with all those years ago. Glad I have Monday off work. It will be a boozy day.
Saturday and a 7.00am start at work. Forty minutes on the phones now and just had my second call. Already answered my e-mails, there is some crappy adolescent ninja thing on the nearest TV and I can’t find a remote to change it. There is no-one sitting near me this morning, and I ‘m too much of a stick-in-the-mud to move desks. In other words, no win situation – complain like crazy when we’re busy, and moan about being bored when it’s quiet. OK, got all that off my chest. Thanks for listening.
The week
Highlights ? Job interview I guess, hate them, stomach churns before, palms get sweaty, the usual nervous stuff. I got through it alright I guess, the nerves disappeared as soon as I got to talking about my favourite topic (as if you can’t guess).
Split week, and I do hate them. Thursday, my day off, I took that out on my hapless garden, two trees to be precise. Well, they had made the stupid decision to grow in the wrong place and on top of that to try and push the fence over. They had to go. Simple. You know how people joke about what happens when you let a guy loose in the garden with a pair of pruning shears. Nothing compared to me with a saw.
Those trees are gone. And I did it with a hand-saw. I bought a hain saw about two years ago . . . . got as far as putting it together on Thursday, but I still haven’t screwed up the courage to actually use it. Terrifies me ! You can call me a coward all you like, and no it doesn’t have to do with visions of Christian Bale chasing that girl or Chainsaw Massacre (I haven’t seen 1 or 2) I just feel I want to keep all my fingers and toes. Just realised, Christian Bale didn’t rate a mention on any of those lists. He should have, but I think I felt it was a bit obvious to put Batman on there. Thinking about that chainsaw sccene of his in American Psycho. Wonder if that scene is meant to be a clue that all may not be what it appears in that film. Must check back, that chainsaw should have switched off as soon as he let go the handles. Can’t remember if he tied anything on it to keep it going. And of course, the likelihood it would have landed just right . . . . . ?
Oh, situation at work not so bad. Got very busy for quite a while, then Shaz turned up after all so I haven’t been alone. And its gone quiet again. Had a bit of a chat with her about dog-food . . . . Had a bit if a fight with one of the techs – arrogant, condescending bastard. I was right of course. Just had my last break and on the home stretch. Home to finish off the last few chapters of Robertson Davies’ “Salterton Trilogy” – decided to re-read his complete works, all three (or is it four) trilogies anyway. Just a whim. Maybe watch a film. Tomorrow is lunch with my oldest friend, and another friend we went to Uni with all those years ago. Glad I have Monday off work. It will be a boozy day.
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