observations of life conspicuous

I stand corrected

2009-09-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

When I moved to Perth, I thought it was a move to a new life...a new place and a new adventure. I never in my wildest dreams thought that the opposite could be said of our move from Sydney...albeit despite the venue it would have been the same situation.

For those who don't know, my Mum has been fighting Melanoma since 2007. In this time she has ha around 18 tumors removed. The latest operation they took her whole lymph gland and she spent 6 weeks in hospital recovering from infection.

Now for the latest spin in our saga..they want to give Mum a combo of Radiation and oral Chemotherapy. These tablets are a 6 week course and take such a toll on the body, the oncologist has said none of his patients can ever finish a full course. You're lethargic, your hair falls our, you throw up and generally feel worse than the ailment you have.

I need to tell you...I am scared...never before in my life have I been this scared. I feel like everything is so out of control right now and that just as things may have been taking a turn for the better, along comes the next battle to get better.

It's a funny thing to keep being positive and keep striving for so long...not only to support your Mum but to support yourself and the rest of the family. It's also a weird thing to feel a sense of there being nothing left inside to give....you wanna be strong, but don't know where it's gonna come from....you trust and hope...and the void seems to grow bigger and bigger.

I am fortunate to have such good friends. People who are willing to drag you through and stand by you through it all. I really don't think I would have gotten this far without them. Thanks to you all.....the road ahead is gonna still be rocky for a while...as I have mentioned to a few of you already...gonna need you now more than ever before...thanks for being up to the task.

Reconnect, renew and refresh

2009-09-14T05:33:00.000-07:00

Holidays are a funny thing. Sometimes you can go away, have a blast and then when you return it's all photos and pleasant memories. Sometimes it can stir stuff up about your past, where you were before and things that contributed to who you are today. My holiday was a combo of both.

Every time I return to Sydney, old feelings come to the surface. I feel like I could live there again in a heartbeat. Like all I would need is someone to say 'hey, we remember you...come work for us in Sydney' and I would be there! If circumstances were different, I am sure I could go without hesitation. I have 2 major problems though:

1) Perth has stolen my heart. People, situations, good friends, my church....all these things contribute to me not wanting to leave. Sure I can hear my Sydney friends screaming 'but you could find that here!!'...and I would love to. But Perth still has that personal, friendly touch. The kind where you feel like you matter, that you're not just another face in a sea of millions.

2) It is an ideal thought to go on holidays, remember the good times and assume it will all be like that again. I think we try to recapture the moment, only to realise it's not to be.

So in my mind....I could be back in Sydney in a heartbeat....in reality...who knows....you'll all just have to wait and see.

Welcome back...the return

2009-06-17T05:59:00.000-07:00

Well hello there...it's been a while hasn't it. It's getting cold isn't it? Yeah I know how about those petrol prices...oh for sure, we could really do with some rain.

It's a strange thing when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer. In the beginning I felt really detached from it. You feel like there is so much research and money being poured into a cure, there's something that can be done. Scientists are clever and always pushing onto the next break through, the next big thing. So you become confident and positive. You feel like it'll be all ok, and that they'll beat this!

As you go along you get scared....really scared, but you try to push it down, almost to deny the swelling feelings inside. You try to stay positive, try to push on as best you can. And then the day comes where the lumps are removed and the cancer hasn't spread...HOORAY!!

And then, six months later.....sorry it's back. You're numb, you support your loved one as best you can while you process your own feelings. You don't know if it's a mistake, is it a joke? Could it be that maybe even though it's back that it's not as bad? Is it a cancer not as bad as the last lot? They can treat it surely. So you hold your breath through more tests, and chemo this time...yes chemo will beat it!! And sure enough it does! And then one of the lumps doesn't shrink and 2 more come up. Operate again to remove more lumps. Seems the cancer is going, less cells than ever in what they removed!

So there we are. Mum is recovering after a busy 2 years of treatment and being used as a human garnish....just feeling good and oh hello....some more lumps have come up. So by this stage we as a family are pretty bloody exhausted. Personally I am emotionally spent, I don't know if I can feel one more thing...good, bad..nothing. It's a weird thing, holding onto the last piece of positivity...the very last ounce of strength to pull through one more time. Mum makes the statement that she's so tired and sometimes wishes she could lay down and never wake up. She's tired...so very tired of trying and pushing and being poked and prodded. She's off to have these latest lumps removed tomorrow.

Tonight she made comment that she's loosing weight. The specialist said to let him know if that happened. Can't even think about that or process it.

It is an amazing process to go through, trying to remain positive and strong for a loved one fighting for their life. It's a blessing to have so many great supportive friends around during such a journey through hell and back out the other side.

People can make some pretty careless comments. One person suggested we get a big bottle of morphine and all have a party and be happy as she goes. Others ask how you're doing....from good friends and people helping you through...it's great! But when you're asked you put on such a great mask, a facade of respectability. Inside you just want to scream...everything is NOT ok...you're not coping...you can't go on....but instead you give the reply most want to hear...'yeh I'm doing ok..getting there!!'. Complete crap. You're not getting there, you're not ok...you're falling apart, you're worried sick...every single bit of your internal make up feels like it is being rung out like a wet towel. You ache, day and night. You have broken sleep, you're exhausted and blank. Sometimes I catch myself just looking off into nothing...most of the time I never quite realise how long I've been doing it.

You also find it hard to listen to people complaining about stuff that really means very little in the scheme of things. I hear people complain cause they got the wrong burger, their tea is too hot, they didn't want their mailout to be folded inside out, they don't want to take your advice and expertise in a job you've been doing for almost 10 years. I'm so tired cause I got woken up early this morning cause I forgot to close he blinds last night...people, be thankful you're not my Mum. Looking down the barrel of something that could very well take her life.

So here we are..hoping to push on and beat this. One day at a time really is all I can commit to. Thanks to you who have been supporting our family, my parents and me. It means more than you will ever know.

Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa

2009-04-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

I often wonder, if Gilbert & Sullivan were alive today, would they be horrified at the 'rock opera'? Hair, Rent, We Will Rock You, Jesus Christ Superstar...would they have cut it in the world of HMS Pinafore or The Pirates of Penzance? Probably not....London Tabloids, referring to them as a disaster....and they'd say the same back then too!

I've been having a think about priorities lately. You seem to run through your life in such a hurry that you forget the real things that matter. The other morning when I was getting my coffee, a lady was complaining that her toast had been burnt and she had to wait for new toast...and how she was 'NOT IMPRESSED' she then went onto abuse the girl who burnt the toast, accused her of being smart to her and then demanded the owner apologise too. Wouldn't it be a great place if the worst thing anyone had to complain about was some burnt toast. I had to leave the cafe before my mouth began to incriminate myself.

Another thing I have come to realise is how important people are. I used to watch a lot of TV, now I would rather sit down with friends, switch the TV off and just talk crap for hours & have a big laugh. It is like medicine and soothes the soul. Friends and family are like a re-charge to your head space. Don't push them away. Embrace them, love them and share their energy if you're lacking.

purple monkey dishwasher.

Could this life get any more perfect?

2009-04-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

After a weekend like that I never thought things could get any better....they just did. I can't really say much, but 2 very important people in my life have outlined some absolutely perfect news to me....I am over the moon and sooo thankful.

My Easter was an unbridled success. We hung out, ate, movied and just enjoyed each others presence. Friendships are a beautiful thing. Sometimes they are under-rated and over looked. Don't leave your friendships untended...we all need good support!

I really did stick to my guns...my chocolate intake was kept to a minimum this Easter. I had a few bits here and there..but all in all not a lot.

Sorry my blogs are little....I'm tired :)

Big blogs with observations coming soon.

Easter...what a weekend

2009-04-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

I never imagined when I moved here from Sydney in Aug 06, exactly what this place would provide. I left behind my nearest and dearest mates and went off into the unknown. Along the way, since I arrived here, I have picked up some great new friends...never to replace the old, mealy to add to them.

These are some of the people I have just spent the last 4 glorious days with. What an Easter!! Family, Friends and loads of good times.

I'll blog more about it tomorrow....I'm tired, happy and content...must work tomorrow :)

Just so you all know....you made me the happiest I have been in a very long time this weekend...there were decisions I was poised to make that may have impacted a lot...but I've got some perspective back and that is a glorious thing.

Sorry Dorrie

2009-04-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well hello.....if words on a page could verbalise themselves on their own, these would say sorry for not blogging. Well in actual fact they just did say that in your head as your read them. Mind you this would mean you are admitting to having voices in your head which is just plain weird.

I have stepped out into the big wide world of ....DAHT DAH DAHHHHH contact lenses. Day 1 and 2 went a-ok....but when I got to work yesterday the real fun began. I had to re-focus my eyes to look at a computer screen. After a day and half of feeling like I wanted to hurl I think I have mastered it. The putting in was interesting. I used to have coloured lenses a while back, so I remember the technique. Still doesn't change the fact you're like some demon child trying to claw your own eyes out.

Carrot cake is such an under rated cake. I had a slice this even and enjoyed it with my large Chai Latte...thanks Dome Hillarys for such a bountiful pleasure as is Carrot Cake. I wonder if you could make zucchini or potato sweet cake that people would consume with as much gusto?

Ever had secret, one you could never tell. I'm in that position right now. I would never say anything, I am like Switzerland. The day I ever divulge a secret I carry as a burden with another is the day I loose credibility as a confidant. Remember to be up front, truthful and discretionary. These will take you a long way.

Live long and prosper....I'll blog more often :)

What would I do? Hmm

2009-04-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today, what would I give up for a day to get what ever I wanted. I suddenly realised the only thing that would matter to me would be coffee. I only have one a day usually, but that morning coffee gets me going. I once fasted coffee for a week....man I was cranky..SO CRANKY!! I soon realised I would need to find a new thing to fast....maybe something I already hate? Like liver...I could easily fast that!! Would that be fair enough? Some support here peoples!!

I hung out with my mate Scottie tonight. We went to a local shopping centre, that looked like a building site. Karrinyup Shopping Centre must be going through some renovation stage, half the food court was boarded up....I imagined that the muffins I wanted were still hiding somewhere behind building boards.

One thing I have noticed in the lat few day, is out come the scarves and jackets. The temperature drops ever so slightly and it's panic stations. Sale of heaters shoot up, people are wearing fleecy jumpers and scarves and soon to be ear muffs I reckon. One thing I CAN'T stand in winter...people who wear a short sleeve shirt and a scarf...WHY? It's OK, please continue...it amuses me :)

And by the way...what is THIS?

Going for the Amish look? Off to bake some bread?

My Nana used to do this when she would set her hair and go out with rollers in her hair...ah fashion and all its quirks :)

Also, you think that the make up artist would try to make this poor lads face less shiny...you would fry an egg with that reflection. Gordon Ramsay would wheel him in to flambe the new dessert on tonight's menu....poor guy!

I also imagine him wearing skinny leg jeans and some boating booties. Jump on the bandwagon much?

I was trying to think of a way to make extra money tonight. I thought I could become a party organiser. I would enjoy something like that. Coming up with a theme and decking the place out with decorations along those lines. Maybe in the future, we'll see.

So all me old Dukie's and duchess's, take warning from what I've to say, be minding your own as you touchesses, or we'll find you in Botany Bay.

Iced Mocha Frapachino Macchiato on Soy.

2009-04-01T08:06:00.000-07:00

I was at Dome tonight, having dinner with a friend. When who should walk in but a couple of the local town drunks....laughing and thinking everything they were screaming to each other in conversation should have been on centre stage at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. The babbled something to the girl behind the counter, ate some cold chips off a plate from someone who had long left (they aren't the quickest in clearing tables) and then swayed out laughing about something to do with 'coffee YEAAHHHHHHHHHH'....I also seem to come across the most random people.

Later on I met up with some friends for coffee and cake...fun times. Good News story?.......Matt? We chatted about Antique Roadshow...oh I mean choices....was great to hear others perspectives. My Chai Latte was pretty decent as well.

I arrived home this evening to find Zorak from Space Ghost climbing my wall. He was actually a mini version of Zorak. I tried to catch him, but he was having none of this. I swear he would have been hurling abuse at me, if only I could of heard this little shrilled voice of distain. As I tried to catch him he fell away and under my bed...he is now either dead, gotten away or is poised waiting to take his revenge as I sleep by stabbing is microscopic little stabby arms into my cheeks as I sleep. I hope it is the last one....that might be exciting.

So the long and short...what is going on? Is my bedroom now Taronga Zoo? I feel like the animals are coming to visit. First a lizard that a woke up to see up on my wall the other morning and then some bizarre crawly thing and now Zorak....what is the deal?

I've noticed of late that car yards are doing it toogght, due to this economic downturn. They are offering anything to get people through the door....$3000 minimum trade in on any car....makes me wonder something....if you can offer that now, why not before? John Hughes could! I see right through your glass house walls. Why not offer me some rustproofing that my car doesn't even need, or some kind of free meal voucher...oh oh I know. How about a wind tunnel booth with fake dollars I can grab to take off my already inflated car price....ah thank God for capitalism!!

Ciao for now!

Can I have a bite??

2009-03-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

So today was back to work Monday. I woke up feeling quite good about life after a super weekend with friends. Was fine up until 3pm....and all I wanted was my bed to lay in. I'm glad I haven't caught this virus doing the rounds like some vomiting night watchman with a case of the trots to you'd rather set fire to yourself than catch. My friend Ash in Adelaide has succumb to it's alluring weight loss methods. Poor Ash!

I went to the beach tonight for a walk with my mate Kieran...it was such an awesome evening....the sun was setting and it was slightly overcast. The wind was blowing in so hard I swear I could smell the Cape Malay Curry cooking in Cape Town on the wind. There were these two ladies, who had come down prepared with fold up chairs. They were rugged up as if they were about to embark on Mawson's Antarctic Exploration trip. If I was to take my dog to the beach, I sure wouldn't sit down and watch her run around. And I thought I was lazy.

Is personal body hygiene too much to ask for? I had to get off at Warwick to change trains. So there I was minding my own business, the train pulls up, on I get and I am greeted to a smell so repugnant it would have made Pope Benedict renounce his faith while screaming 'there is no God!!' The air was so thick with the smell of unwashed, BO ridden putrescence that you could of cut it with a knife and fork and chewed every bite. Seriously no matter which way I turned my nose was met with this objectionable stench. So if you can smell yourself and wonder if it's bad...YES IT IS....do something about it you filthy little urchin..LOL.

I was thinking of a new TV show concept. The Scotty Wheeler want a wife. We bring together women from the 4 corners of the globe to woo and impress Scotty in order to find him a long and lasting relationship. Episodes would include...in the kitchen, can you keep up with Scotty & Let's go to Hippo Creek...the food eating contest.

Ok kids....have a grand night and speak to you next time. And if you're the owner of a White Ford Capri with the licence plate 'jiggles' please return to your car, because it is crap.

Later.

Oh what a night...late December back in 63

2009-03-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

Woah Silver.......wow what a weekend. Great times with good friends having good times. It' always a shame when weekends draw to a close...I sometimes secretly wish I would open my eyes tomorrow and it would be a trick and it was really Sunday again. How good would that be? A week of Sundays, your very own Groundhog Day...over and over and over...how sublime.

It amazes me how people just seem to feel awesome by trying to out-do each other. It makes me laugh at this aspect of human nature...the good ol' art of 'Oneupmanship'. People trying to out dress, out phone, out shoe, out TV, out car, out spend, out dine each other. I reckon if I felt the need to live such a shallow existence I'd probably want to exit this world. Sure I like a comfortable life, but I find other things that make me happy. Things that if I lost all my money I would still find happiness in....family, faith and friends....that's all I really need :)

I was remembering my Grandfather today. Awesome man who had a huge impact on my life. He taught me the values of honesty and integrity. Of owning up to your mistakes and shortcomings. That no one is any better than anyone else, and you have to right to speak to a CEO of a huge company just the same as a street cleaner. Every night before he and my nan would go to sleep they would say this simple thing to each other...'Good night sweet heart, God bless, I love you...see you in the morning'. No matter what had happened during the day between them....no matter if they were cranky over something...always the same for the whole of their married life. Now that is togetherness.

So Mum is home from hospital...the hole in her leg is WAY bigger than I imagined it would be. She is on morphine and getting round on her zimmer frame, I ask if she is off to bingo. She gets frustrated cause she fells so useless. Isn't it funny how they feel like that....after years of bringing us up, isn't it the least we can do to repay the favour?

Well parting is sweet sorrow but run I must...well not literally as I am laying in bed and trying to run in a laying position would be pretty pointless...although quite funny. Speak soon and have a great week peoples.....and in the words of Boney M 'Ra-Ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian queen, there was a cat who was really gone...' like me...good night

Here you come again

2009-03-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Why hello!! I have had a few nights off blogging...my apologies, but a small thing called exhaustion got in the way. On Wednesday night I got a call from my sister. My niece, who is 2, had a high temp and was lethargic and couldn't stand..so we rushed her to the hospital. I stayed till after midnight until she was seen by someone finally. I got to bed just after 1.30am and had to be at work in the morning. I went is, exhausted and listen to people complain about nothing really....I love the fact that I don't announce my issues to the world at the time...I sit and quietly realise how much people who have nothing to complain about annoy me...yet make me laugh on the inside at the same time. Get over it :)

My friends and I used to dine out alot when I lived in Sydney. We enjoyed going to places that were the measure of good food and great surrounds. I will never forget, one night we went out to a mexican place called 'Vera Cruz' in Cremmorne. The review said 'Think of every Mexican meal you've had...and forget them' so we were very eager to see what was on offer. We arrived in style in our Pakistani chauffeured cab. Rolled out and poured ourselves through the door and into a clinically white world of long shared bench tables. Our waitress was eager to please, although she kept thrusting her amble breast region almost into my face when explaining the menu 'Lime working with chillis and coriander for an infusion...' it really could have been draino working with ratsack for all I could focus on....I think she could have sold me a broken down car in the process. I had the steak that had been marinated in lime juice and tequila for 48 hours....obscenely unreal!

Tonight I finally experience some of the fine dining I have missed since I moved here. I had dinner at 'Halo' with the Greenwoods....great food and great company! I had the prawn salad for entree, the steak for main adn then the panacotta for dessert. $100 bucks a head...but worth it :)

I'm Enery the Eighf I am...Enery the Eighf I am I am!

2009-03-24T06:20:00.000-07:00

On my train this morning I swear I saw someone who looked like those stylised tudoresq paintings of Henry The VIII...on closer inspection I realise it was actually a woman....on even closer inspection she had what looked like facial hair....and then I woke up to get ready for work.

I moved to Perth from Sydney with no expectations for it ever working out how it has. I hadn't even visited before I packed up and across the country I came. Who could have foretold the way this have played out. I am very happy indeed...Perth has been a place where I feel like I've come alive. Sure Sydney has everything you need plus everything you want....all day, every day. But one thing it lacked is the kind of connections I have found here. Certain people who have added a richness to my life...some who I know now will be with me for life...you know who you are babycakes!

The fashion of today is still on the tangent of 80s slick with a re-invention vibe for today. Some is great and captures a piece of 80s kitch that I did enjoy. Think 80s Aussie Rock and you will know what I mean. The Triffids, Died Pretty, The Saints, Go Betweens, Celebrate Rifles, INXS, ganagajang etc..watch a clip on RAGE late at night.

I do recall people saying 'My God if the 80s comes back again, kill me!' I wonder if anyone has ever taken up that offer. 'Well you said KILL YOU...I didn't think you meant metaphorically'. I wonder if that would work as defence..."But your honour, she said if the 80s comes back to kill her'....'OH...why didn't you say before...CASE DISMISSED'.

My dog Bella thinks that she's a person. She is a little Pomeranian cross with a Silky Terrier....so she thinks she rules the roost courtesy of small dog syndrome. She tries to talk to us I am sure of it. But I wonder what she is trying to say? I wonder if she could be like Lassie and help us out of a burning car or something. Or would she find a bone she had buried and run off to chew that first? Secretly maybe this is her world....the world of dogs. Maybe they let us think we rule the world....but in actual fact we're under their mind control.

So from me and Albi the Racist Dragon...good night and good night and ciao......and bye.

It's opening time down on Fascination Street

2009-03-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Who will ever forget the immortal words of The Boomtown Rats - Tell me why, I don't like Mondays!...I wanna shoo-oo-oo-oot..the whole day down. Bit of a downer of a song isn't it. I myself quiet enjoyed my Monday today. It was fresh, it was raining and it was funny. What drugs am I on I hear you ask? Well other than a hefty dose of Peri Peri sauce from my Nandos dinner mixed with a trace of Ibuprofen....I my friend am just enjoying life.

Went to visit my Mum in the hospital today. Was good to see her...we're hoping she'll be home by Thursday. My mate Scotty dropped by to see how Mum is doing. His Mum is on the floor up, having her own battle. I popped up to say hello and met the most classy and humble lady. She is a gem! It's amazing you know when you're in a hospital the things you find to amuse yourself. I played a game of seeing how many times I could sanitize my hands in a 2o minute period, while walking around the floors waiting for the doctors to finish up with Mum. I lost count at 46....mainly because I thought I might be admitted as a patient for showing signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Have you ever been on a train and noticed that odd person who seems to stare at everyone? Josh brought this up before. I often find them having a good old stare at me. I feel like saying to them 'YES! You're right....it is me...here is my autograph'...there is also the compulsive stander. People who even when there is a vacant seat they remain standing. I suppose standing for 2 minutes isn't really a big deal. But man if there is a seat I am in like Flynn. There is a girl I often see on the train. Her hair has so much hair spray in it, the slightest gust of wind and I fear it would break off...she also wears so much make up it seems like she would be at home in a dramatisation of Custer's last stand as Chief Sitting Bull. I'm not sure why girl think that look is appealing. Unless of course they think the clown-whore look is back in style. She looks like she would be a bombshell with normal hair and less makeup....such a shame.

Well short but sweet tonight. I am a bit drained from worry about my mum and I need to catch some zzzzz's. I feel of late that I am sleep enough hours, but never feeling refreshed. Maybe I need to go into space in suspended status...sleep for a year and come back. Although it would just be a year older and nothing much else I would imagine.

Take care and I'll be back real soon....and if you can help out on the white elephant stall be sure to see Helen Rosenbaum straight after the Yom Kippur lament.

Sittin on the dock of the bay

2009-03-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

What a glorious Sunday. Woke up refreshed and pushed off to church. Filmed Sunday Extra and felt like it all went off with out a hitch...super speedy and productive. We had lunch at Hogs Breath, Joondalup. Man the steak is good there, quite tasty...cooked by a lady whom I saw through the open kitchen door. Seemed like she could take on Danny Green and win and hold the title for quite sometime. She was one of those type of eastern European looking women. Ya'know crush Brazil nut shells between their thighs. The music on offer on the 'video jukebox' was hot hits of the 80s....ahhhh at least they played some Style Council...shout to the top doo doooo oh yeah SHOUT TO THE TOP!!

I wonder how I would handle celebrity. I guess the way I look at this prospect now, would be sooo different to if it ever happened. Now I look at celebrities and wonder why they are complaining about being in the spot light...they chose this life style. But on the other hand, I do understand that sometimes privacy is breached and people are over the top...quite disappointing.

Do you reckon gladiators in ancient Rome would of had a union? Something like the CFMEU or the AWU. Maybe led by a character called Kevin Renoldus. Would they have been given holidays and sick leave? I guess the ultimate sick leave would be....ring ring "Hi yeah, terribly sorry Terberculous can't come to work today....yes I know but he's got that issue....remember that tiger mauled him and he was impaled with that Triton...yes yes I'll have a doctors note! OK thanks bye". How could you have a dinner break when you're about to kill a man. Whistle blows....off to eat lunch....back on and assume positions....'ummm now where were we...oh yeh I was about to drive a spear into you' STAB!!!

So off to work tomorrow...here's hoping all goes well :) I am very content with this weekend. Spending some quality time with loads of people and some really close friend....they have really completed me...and I love youse awll!!

So I'm off....and I'm leaving too. And so I bid you a fond Burkina Fasoian farewell and say 'see ya later ya bloody flamin mongrel'

Duplicity

2009-03-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have just arrived home from the Warwick Vitascope Hall. On tonight's playbill was the newly released film starring Clive Owen and Julia Roberts called Duplicity. This movie has so many twists and turns it was nauseating. Some what like a dodgem car ride after eating too many sweets. As the film ended I felt a sense of haze and confusion...like the movie had just had intercourse with my mind. Now I'll have you know, the ending...still had nothing on the brain bender that is The Usual Suspects....but it was unreal none the less.

Ah tomorrow is a day of double edges. Sundays are notorious for making you feel at ease cause you've just settled into the groove of the weekend and then BANG...the realisation that Monday is just around the corner. Sunday is a like a big dog...all happy to play with you in the morning and then come afternoon and into evening, he gets cranky and ends up savaging!

I was thinking today about the existence of alien life on other planets. If you believe in such things or not is irrelevant....I'm telling the story, so go get your own blog! But really if there were aliens up there, why on EARTH (pardon the pun) would they bother with us? By all accounts we fight and can never get along, we are destroying our planet at an alarming rate (according to global warming theorists) & who would want a planet where the likes of Lady GaGa and Lindsay Lohan reside. I think we could make a perfect deterrent for them, instead of sending off messages of peace, in the hopes we won't get incinerated, we should have shipped off digital files of the Paris Hilton album. I am sure they would have listened, grabbed a huge black marker and put a huge NO over the top of our planet on their maps.

Have you ever wondered about some of the foods we eat? How would somebody have come to the conclusion to eat certain things. What was going through the mind of the first person to eat and egg for example. "Oh wow, what's that thing I just saw pop out of that chickens butt!! I know I might eat it!!" OH BUT YES OF COURSE!! And what about weird foods, like sea urchin roe and offal? Is it really necessary? I mean take liver for instance. People are eating an organ that purifies blood...sounds a bit Count Dracula for me!

Tonight at Topolinis, before the movie, we had Italian for dinner. The name of the restaurant gave away the type of food, didn't it? damn! Our wait staff were great. I felt like one of them was so over eager to clear tables, I might loose my meal on the first bite. One thing I can't fault them for is their staff, ever eager to please...nice to see. Table service is pretty lacking in Perth. I sometimes feel like I've stepped into the orphanage in Oliver Twist. Please sir can I have some more? MOOOREEEE!!! I mean how dare we the paying public fork out the cash to come along and support their business.

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, tomorrow I'll miss you, remember I'll always be true. And then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday, and I'll send all my lovin' to you!! GOOD NIGHT AUSTRALIA!! (guest on Johnny Young Talent Time choose to stay at the Hyatt Regency, but we force them to stay at the Mooney Ponds Caravan Park).

I like Bing Lee

2009-03-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

I was chatting a Josh about the adverts in Sydney for Bing Lee Discounts. They're a discount electrical appliance store. They use the tune "I like Chinese" as their music for the ads and always feature father and founder Mr Bing Lee. He comes on and speaks in a really cool accent about "Howr grood his appriance straw is"...I wonder why some can make fun of their racial heritage, yet other are highly offended. Do you think it's cause the Lee's are now mega rich from doing it? In this same vein I remember an Indian Restaurant in Caringbah called "Curry Munchers". Here was yet another family from overseas being comfortable enough to use a racial slur to their advantage. And in the Sutherland Shire, a place which is primarily full of W.A.S.P's (white Anglo-Saxon Protestants) it seemed to have worked. The place was always packed, full of local Aryan seed noshing down on their curry being served by Indira Gandhi look-a-likes in their full sari regalia...great to see!

The other day I saw a landscaper measuring up a desolate piece of dirt near a newly opened monolith to the common man...the high rise apartment. I marveled at his prowess, measuring and sitting down to calculate how much space was there. I walked past later on, after his return and he was in the process of laying out lush turf. It was a fitting tribute, as it was St Patricks Day....so green and lush. Reminded me of the green hair dye I have used in the past. This guy had calculated so precisely that everything fitted to the dot! Well done! Don Burke would be proud.

When I was little, say five or so, I would NEVER want to eat the peas in fried rice. We would go to our local Chinese Restaurant in Brighton-Le-Sands. It was called "The Slow Boat"....I often imagined a slow boat, what did that mean? Were they purposely being slow or was it in some way a defective sailing vessel?...but I digress. In order to get me to eat those pesky peas, my parents told me lies from Satan's armpit..."oh no....they aren't NORMAL peas, they're special peas...the Chinese call them SOOMIE PEAS!!" LIES HAHA!! and as an eager to please five year old, I lapped it up. Probably why I hate so much now.........Peas of course!

At about the same age we went on a train journey Sydney to Mackay. There was only sit up available between Sydney & Brisbane. So there we were, Mum & Dad myself and my sister Leisa. Four seats facing each other. When it came time to bed down, our parents took a double seat each and Leisa and I snugged down on the floor in our sleeping bags. When I awoke, my Mum was still asleep with her mouth wide open. And much to my amusement, my Dad had neglected to wake her up before the soviet bread lines began to the dining cart. So a line of people were passing snickering at my mothers relaxed sleeping position. She was horrified when she woke up and realised!

On this same trip, I demanded a meat pie for breakfast. Now for those of you who watched Today Tonight yesterday evening, you will now know the humble pie is actually not quite as bad for you as first thought. Less fat than a lot of other take-aways. Maybe I was onto something at the ripe old age of five. Dad went to fetch said pie, after some hand wringing and heated discussions that would put a Jewish family get-together to shame. Upon his return, he pulled the pie from it's wrapper, pushed it thumb into the centre, and poured tomato sauce into the hole. It was begrudgingly present to me, and my reply? "I don't want a hole in my pie"..OF COURSE! Even the food critic at the age of five, how dare he not realise the travesty of a hole in my pie. Dad told me to eat the pie, I stuck to my guns not wanting a hole in my pie!! After a few minutes of arguments backwards and forwards, and careful diplomacy on my mothers behalf...a new pie was fetched and I was to process it's goodness any way I liked!!

Ah blogging is such a great therapy....why I didn't do this sooner is beyond me!

Enjoy squires.....enjoy!

Turdsday!

2009-03-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well what a day it turned out to be. Woke up blinded much less by the light but more so by a headache....one primarily induced by lack of sleep and lots of worry. Sometimes I feel that I whip myself up into a frenzy of emotion, something I need to address, yes granted! Sometimes it serves as quite a cathartic experience in the end...not much fun as it is happening. I did have a few good power naps as the day went along, so started to feel decidedly better in the afternoon.

Finally the evening rolled around and felt a lot better. So much so I felt I was able to venture out with some friends. We hit up a casually slow round of mini golf at the local Joondalup course. I was informed by my friend that the course in actual fact used to have a biblical theme to it. Each hole once had a bible verse attached to it...very hard to imagine now but I can see it as plausible. We also had some great Chinese at a place called Mr Ho's. Very good service! It was good with alot on my mind today with family and their health issues that I really didn't want to be alone.

A good friend once told me, if I want to learn about something then I should just research it myself. He said that's what he does....what a great idea! I think my first project might be a home brew kits. I've always wanted to do this, but never bothered. Maybe I'll make it a cider plant and I can take Strongbow on at it's own game. Purely on a micro-scale....I can supply to my circle of friends...yeah I can see the headlines now "Multi Million Dollar cider company down the tubes due to local producer price war!". I could be the cider baron of Duncraig...the potentate of alcoholic apple nectar.

We have a production tour at work tomorrow. It's where we get clients and prospects together to have a look around and see what we can do and how their job might run. At least I am glad that I will be there...I am quite partial to a good chin wag with some good people.

Well it's good night from me and good night from dem one's....and as they say in gay Pari.....Adios Muchachos.

Five Minutes

2009-03-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

Hmm...so today it was brought to my attention how bigger deal 5 Minutes can be. Leaving work 5 minutes early has suddenly become an issue after doing so for 2 years! Even though you start early and work in your lunchtime....tough. It made me think about other things that can take 5 minutes.

In 5 minutes you can heat a microwave meal, make a phone call to a loved one or wrap a present to give to a friend for their birthday. You can say 'I love you' 300 times (once per second if you're quick). 5 minutes can mean the difference between seeing your first child be born and missing the spectacle all together.

5 minutes really is something we take for granted. We see 5 minutes as not long enough for some thing but too long for others.

All I can think is 5 minutes may have been all the sun exposure my mother needed to end up with a melanoma that has now plagued our family for the last 2 years. She has another operation tomorrow to remove 3 tumors, we thought it was all fixed....we were wrong. So my apologies if I feel your complaint about 5 minutes doesn't seem significant to me.

On the train this morning I was looking at the pattern in the fabric on the seats...looked like explosions of fireworks over ans azure sea. Crackling and fizzing in time to the oohs and ahhs from the crowd below. People laughing and sighing in pure ecstasy. Oh how I'd love to be there watching the lights...drifting away into moment.

Two months until I am in Brisvegas for the wedding of the century. Ra and Rich are FINALLY getting hitched. So excited about going over too!! Will be great to see old friends and relive old memories. Very stoked as I can buy something online from the gift registry!! YAY!

I do have an obscene amount of shoes. Reminds me of the words of Kenneth Slessor, your find it ugly...I find it lovely. My shoes are me :) They herald to the world 'here he is...the well heeled vagabond'..and that I am.

Missing Sydney. Sometimes wish things had panned out differently. I enjoy Perth...well more over I enjoy the people I've met. If I could combine the two in some parallel universe I think it would be a many splendored thing.

Easter soon. I am going to make a concerted effort to purchase Chocolate Bilbies. Not only am I helping to protect and re-populate the Bilbies in the wild, I am supporting Australia made. Darrell Lea all the way. I remember Darrell Lea when I was a kid. Going to the Royal Easter Show and getting their bag to take home and prize and consume a tiny morsel at a time to ensure it lasted as long as possible. Ah life was less complicated then. Back the 5 minutes seemed like an eternity....not an inconvenience.

Good Night Australia

For goodness sakes...I got the hippy hippy shakes

2009-03-17T02:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends, Lovers & Family!!

Today was your typical Tuesday. Not quite hump day but still with the murmurs of Sunday swirling round your head.

Tuesday is a good day. You know that you've survived Monday and are almost to the top of the hill. Ready to ride down the other side and into another glorious weekend.

Speaking of hills. I sometimes equate my life to that of being poised at the top of the biggest hill in town....ready to ride down at high speed on a bike with no chain and no breaks. Now this prospect for some may seem like a scary one....but for me I relish such events. More over I attack them with the wanton disregard of a 12 year old doing dangerous bike tricks for his mates....albeit a poor attempt.

How can one learn how to roll through the good times if they don't first take the white knuckle ride of 'HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO'.....ah lovely.

Mmm how good is chicken schnitzel? To the person who created such a bounty of loveliness....SAL UT!! I am sure when Field Marshal Radetzky of the Austro-Hungaian army introduced the original schnitzel to the people of Milan in 1857...he could never have realised how far reaching the effects of this would be. Now here in humble Perth, one can dine on such deliciousness any day of the week.

I often wonder about MSG and why it is added to food. I am sure when the clams and other marine life are being boiled to create Mr Campbell's oft sought after Seafood Bisque they could barely have known the insult about to beset them. Not only did they loose their life to feed the likes of we.....they are no being told..NO SORRY...but you're not TASTY enough....here's the Mono Sodium Glutamate flavour enhancer 621.

OK so that's the ramble for today....this is me signing out...love and brown rice!

J :)

caramelldansen monday

2009-03-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

Wow what a monday. I woke up with the usual lack of expectation and even less enthusiasm. It is Monday after all.

Out of bed, drink my juice and eat my yoghurt...then off on the train to work. 'On the next train to G' my sms read. It was from Josh...my Monday morning train partner. I wished the G stood for something exciting like Greenland or Goulashtown. Alas no it wasn't to be as the 6:45am slithered it's way into Greenwood station.

I spotted Josh and was trying to get throught the throng of midget ladies, stabbing with their stiletto elbows, rushing to get the last remaining seat. Finally I reached him....and much to his bemusement I was wearing my sunglasses while the sun was not yet up. "It's how we do it in Sydney Josh...we also sip macchiatos and read thin books really quickly"...if only.

Got to work and listened to the same old same old....'wah wah I something something' I loose interest and move on....'how was your weekend?'....do you really want to know or are you just making conversation.

It is amazing. 11am rolls round and I feel strangley good! I am happy and content. I have lunch...conincidentally it's stroganoff. Well I guess it's not much of a coincidence because I picked it myself and knew exactly what I was in for.

Home again, home again...clippity clop. Sitting on my bed typing and chatting. Wondering what to do on the weekend coming. Story of my life...rush through the week to get to the gold and the end of the rainbow.

Maybe that is how we rush through life. We don't treat everyday as special. We don't look for the golden nuggets Mon - Fri...only expecting to find the gold on the Sssssssssssssss days.

Hmm find my family. Love this show. Watching people reconnect after years. I used to love watching people in the arrivals hall of Sydney International. Seeing loved one's reconnect and see each other after a long time. Such a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Well this is me signing out....until next time, Good day, good evening and good night!