Thursday, August 31, 2006

I love you Twitchy WA.

Food for thought.
i. Saddam forced to watch South Park. Would he be branded an 'infidel' if he laughed?
ii. Profession: Clown. Reasons for death: Stress. Paradoxical, no?

[/end]

My Internet connection is fixed, thanks to one David Long. Apparently it was my Norton Internet Security/firewall issues that effed up my connection. That thing sure is a pesky one. I had previously uninstalled Norton cause it was way expired and the pop-up reminders were at least thirty seven kinds of annoying but somehow I overlooked that and it lived on, much like the paltry attempts at Paris Hilton launching a singing career (last I read, sales were positively suck-tastic which gives me a perverted sense of glee. How about you?).

Longman, being the Med-student-by-day/gravity-defying-tech-wiz-by-night that he is, left bits and pieces of all kind of goods as well. Within the silver casing of my seemingly innocuous Dell Inspiron 510m laptop lies a brand new edition of Norton Antivirus, LimeWire Pro edition, and Quicktime 7 Pro, thank you very much. Way to stick it to the man, eh? Additionally, I now have Azureus for BitTorrent-style downloads and a copy of High School Musical as well. Like, how many ways can you say "fuck yeah!!!!"?

"But Karen, with one gig of free space left on your hard drive, how ever did you fit that all in?"

The Longman, being the awesome fella that he is, is helping me burn my folder of Veronica Mars Season 2 with his DVD burner. Season two of Grey's Anatomy will be coming along my way shortly too. I know.. friends who are able to help you out and hook you up are the best kinds.

Finally, I've got my VideoDownloader for Mozilla to finally work and I'm saying hello to the Emmy '06 pre-filmed montage with Conan O'Brien and The Microsoft Training Video with Ricky Gervais reprising the character David Brent from The Office (BBC). "No, I did not have Conan O'Brien fall through the ceiling". Heh. The US version of The Office is really growing on me.

I am feeling gleefully sated. Also, I think I just might be hooked on this Internet gimmick thing. The past three days without Internet have ensured that my sleeping time went back to sort of normal, if sleeping at 9pm and waking at 4am is any semblance of normality. I'm pretty sure that now with the Internet at my fingertips again, it will all go to crap again. Nyeh, it's 3.14 in the morning, I'm pretty damn happy and that's enough for now.

p/s: I realise that my blog looks really undignified on IE. Maybe it's the screen resolution, but I guarantee you the Mozilla browser is the wonderbra to my blog's metaphorical boobs. Also, I hate IE. Once you go with the Fox, you never look back.

pp/s: Snow Patrol's version of Beyonce's 'Crazy in Love'. For a bunch of white Irish lads pulling the gangsta-act-rapping-sthick, ala Jay-Z, they're surprisingly effective (ie. good).
You heard me, right. I actually really, really like a Snow Patrol song. Oh, stop gloating Ad.

Monday, August 28, 2006

OMGWTFMotherfuc..

I hate that my my Mozilla browser isn't working.
More so, I hate the fact that I have to use Internet Explorer to surf.

I hate that IE has no tabs.
I hate that IE doesn't have my bookmarks.
I hate that installing IE 7 Beta (new tabbing feature!) is taking so damn long.

I also hate that while I can open regular sites, IE isn't letting me open any of my email inboxes, and I have important mail to sent asswipe.
Ditto my eBay account.

Most of all I hate the fact that I was bidding on some items that I really wanted to win on eBay and I think I probably lost it.

Goddamn technology. Anyone got any suggestions?

Friday, August 25, 2006

housemates

I have to wonder if one of my housemates secretly hate me. Because I tend to keep rather weird hours, I'm prone to doing housework in the middle of the night, the most common being laundry. Regardless of whether I'm at home in the day or the evening, the idea of doing laundry doesn't even enter the spectrum of my mind until it's past twelve am the next day. In College Square, where there are communal laundry rooms, it'd never bother anyone before. Three weeks ago I load the clothes in at one and Housemate B comes out and tells me nicely but firmly if I could do it tomorrow. Unfortunately the washing machine is already spinning so she goes back to bed noticably annoyed. I close the doors that lead to the washing room in the hopes that it at least blocks out some noise. Faux pas #1.

People who know me should know two things about my sleeping habits; 1) I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere and 2) I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. Oh alright, I'm a very heavy sleeper. So with regards to fact number two, it should come no surprise that it often takes me a while to notice that my alarm clock is ringing. That means my alarm clock blares repeatedly until I wake up, say fifteen minutes later than the original time it was set. Two weeks ago, I woke up at 8.34 am cause someone was knocking on my door loudly. My alarm woke Housemate B up and she was definitely none too pleased about that. Since then, I have been relying on the alarm feature on my mobile phone. Faux pas #2.

I have a habit of letting the dishes pile up before I tackle them. There are approximately five plates for the three of us in my apartment here. So far I've gone up to two dirty dishes and five pieces of cutlery before I started washing up. Luckily for me, if they've noticed my laziness they've yet to say anything. Possible faux pas in the future.

Of course, while I may be lazy, noisy and loud, I have my redeeming qualities as well. Last week I was on clean-up duty and damn if I didn't do a good job. For possible future housemates, keep in mind that when I clean, I clean. Also, I'm considerate enough to buy the good toilet paper that doesn't feel like sandpaper on your ass.

-----


I saw a video of someone snowboarding on vimeo and that totally put me in the mood for some Buller action. Screw working over Spring Break if it means me racking up quality time in the mountains, I figured. Then Spags mentioned something about how snowfall has been abominable this year. I go online and find out that the last time it snowed was August 04 and even then it was the majestic cumulative height of two inches. Goddammit, just when I finally made up my mind to go snowboarding this year. I was going to take the perfect video of me going down Bourke St. oh-so-smoothly-and-righteously.

What a bummer. Guess I'll just stick to my McJob.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

The Anti-Christ himself.

Meet Roy Lee.

Who, you say?


- Did you laugh at Hollywood's attempt at plot advancement in The Ring when the marbles that fell magically created an arrow, thus enabling Naomi Watts and her hopelessly clueless ex-husband to move on to Act 3: Scene 5?

- Did you pass your time fantasizing about what would Buffy do while watching Sarah Michelle Gellar 'be terrified out of her wits' in The Grudge?

- Did you weep while watching The Lake House not because of Keanu "Handsome Plank of Wood" Reeves but for the fallen memory of the original?

- Did you shake your hands at the heavens and yell out "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?" (or the cyberspace equivalent of that) when you found out that Hollywood was going to bastardized Infernal Affairs? Putting some pretty boy blonde hair may draw in the masses but fuck will it mess up a legendary movie and how.

Roy Lee; executive producer, nifty businessman, bastard extraordinaire.

According to this article, his sales pitch is this:

"[Lee] would explain to Asian distributors that their films would probably never sell in America, because Americans hate movies with subtitles, and that they would make more money selling the re-make rights anyway."
Erm, one, way to generalize the American audience, asswipe. And two, the Asian market in itself comprises of different countries and a wide range of languages and if it don't bother us here where we amount for 61% of the world's population, why the hell should we bend over for America? (Run on sentences are more apparent when I'm livid)

Yes, yes, I get that Hollywood is widely seen as the pinnacle of accomplished movie-making and to make it there is to be a god, but to have your product mangled and maimed six ways from the original, is that really worth it? Also, I get that Hollywood is a commercial enterprise where demand/supply meets (though not always consistently) and Roy Lee is merely another business man trying to make a quick buck so don't try to spin that argument on me.

What troubles me so is the quality of the remake is so often substantially inferior to the original. The original Ringu had less 'shock value' but christ, when that girl came out of the TV.. if you watch it again, pay close attention to her movements. Da-yum! And I suppose you could argue that the quality of the movie is really the resposibility of the director and editting team. But really, you want to rip the heart and gut it good to kill the hydra, not cut of one of it's heads.

Go ahead and ruin Battle Royale, why don't you? Just one more notch on your bedpost of "Asian Movies that I've Fucked Over."

[/add on]

At time of post, Roy Lee has yet to acquire the re-make rights yet, so there may still be hope.

Also, I am quite the rabid fan of Battle Royale. Not so much the movie but the Anglosized manga comics. What is Battle Royale? It's a Japanese novel that became a manga series that was made into a new manga series with English words that was made into a movie that developed cult status that will most likely be re-made in Hollywood should Roy Lee get his way.

Depending on which outlet you first accessed that film, the story is set in a future Japan that is in a state of quasi-anarchy due to their economic collapse. The government subscribes to the rule of totalitarianism to keep the people in check and free will is non-existent on the streets of future Japan. To keep the teenagers in school, the government has created a reality-TV type programme called Battle Royale, where one class in year nine will be randomly selected to participate in. The premise of Battle Royale is simple; the kids are shipped off to an island where the last one standing will be proclaimed winner and allowed to go home. I use the term 'last one standing' in the most literal sense. Survivor of the the most savage and depraved, each student is faced with the moral dilemma, to kill or be killed, and if you do kill, how do you choose who to kill first?

It gets you thinking about your friends and the people who you trust. Should push comes to shove, can you take not only a life, but your best mate's? How sure are you that your friends are playing you? How would you feel if your friend had no reservations in killing you off if it meant their survival? When I first came across Battle Royale, it was through the movie. I spent a good thirty minutes after the movie discussing who could do the dirty deed. What I got from it was that apparently guys who have completed their national service will be most likely to to have no qualms about killing anyone regardless of moral dilemma. Something about how the army has brainwashed them to think like a survivor and act accordingly. How true that is, I don't know, but it sure does freak me a little to think that there may be some truth in that hypothesis.

I love the Anglosized manga and the character, Shinji Mimura, even more. An intelligent jock with a ice-cold demeanour and an unattainable aura of cool, Mimura's teh man!!!111!! So it kills me to think about some pretty blonde hair, blue-eyed twentysomething actor taking on the role of Mim. Christ, they'll probably re-name him Bob or something. Oh, Mim, how the mighty will be horribly casted and misplayed.

----------

Since I'm still not quite over the movie, here's a simple equation to sum up how I feel; Brick > Donnie Darko. Booya.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Spags Lee: Celebrity doppelgangers.

Celebrity doppelganger #1: Julia Stiles
Celebrity doppelganger #2: Erika Christensen
Celebrity doppelganger #3: Joss Stone

Your belated birthday post. Here's me doing that 'if you comment, I shall comment' thing since you missed out on my earlier one.

1. Something random about Spags Lee.
By extension you would look like Erika Christensen too because she is generally considered the Hollywood doppelganger of Julia Stiles. Home-brewed Malaysian doppelganger power to you, mate!
[/edit]: Ditto Joss Stone.

2. Challenge you to try something.
Eat the Reese's 'Nutrageous' chocolate bar. Too many times I have gone, "Oh, this is excellent. Must tell Ad", only to remember that you're fervantly anti-nut products. I'll get it for you, you eat it and realize that your dislike towards nuts is completely irrational, yes?

3. A colour that I associate with you.
Right now, purple. Only because your blog is probably the purple-est page in cyberspace currently, surpassing the likes of the official Cadbury website.

4. Something I like about you.
Sheesh. Too many. I like the fact that you're the embodiment of the modern day geek girl; wacky, pop culture-obsessed, TV-addict with a creamy centre of heart, humility and guts. I also like how you're up for sharing but should a person encroach on your space, you're not afraid to tell them to get their heads out of their ass and piss the bloody hell off. How do I know this? Re: below.

5. First/Clearest memory of you.
Form One, during recess, you told me in so many words to piss off and get my own fries and quit stealing yours. Heh.

6. Animal that you remind me of.
Is this really necessary? Monkey. Hamster. Depending on the situation, it varies.

7. Something I've always wanted to ask you.
If Dave Rygalsky from Gilmore Girls had a showdown with Seth Cohen from The OC, who will come out victorious?


Monday, August 14, 2006

Dial-up users beware.

Like there's anyone left. I know. I have become one of those snobby broadband owner who thinks they're the end all of Internet speeds. Man, it feels gooooooooooood!

As mentioned on my tagboard, I will be posting some pictures as relief for the weary eyes. I really need to work out the text/picture balance.

Here's a few I like.

















Movie poster for Brick. The movie poster ties in really well with the movie.


I will stop talking about it once the awe wears off, I promise (while totally keeping my fingers crossed).



















He grew up well. Anyone who watched 3rd Rock from the Sun and is female will agree to that. Must control fangirl tendencies. Squee.

He is too cute. He looks scarily like Heath Ledger though. Of course brunettes come out tops when push comes to shove, as they should and always will. Unless brunette in question is Orlando Bloom. I will have to reconsider my stance should he come into the firing line.


















"I think Keanu Reeves said it best when he said.. Whoa"


Seventeen years, three installations of Matrix and a much parodied kung-fu move later, Keanu Reeves remain the idol of wannabe-dopeheads of our generation. No? Wyld Stallyns, baby! Anyone else would be criminal, of course. Sean Penn in Fast Times ain't got nothing on the man. On a side note, what the hell ever happened to Alex Winters, the Bill to Keanu's Ted?















"Oh, we fear Keane alright. Look at us shake in our wee little booties."


Like I stated before, I think the video for 'Talk' is just simply too cool. It's pretty hokey and not completely relevant to the song, unless them being robot food is supposed to signify the importance of communication especially in the vacuum of space? Who cares. It's got a robot. It's got Coldplay. I'm sold.













Screencap for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
.


I know that the background is the product of skilled FX technicians, but it's just darn pretty. Maybe this is what a Siberia-like planet somewhere out there in the galaxy looks like when one of their many suns set. Yes Karen, and manic-depressive
robots really exist too.

And just so that you don't scream bloody murder, this is me.
















Well, mostly.

So it wasn't much of a cam-whoring session. But then I don't really do camwhore. It's moviewhore-dom for me all the way, and you know it. Also, my uniform is currently wet. Maybe next time, eh YM?

*none of the pictures here belong to me. All credit given to random sites off the internet and the Chairman.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

'Thick as what all.

I think I surprised even myself when I decided to get dressed and catch the 9.40 screening of Brick. The clincher was the fact that I had ran out of toilet paper. And since the supermarket and the cinema is in the same building, I decided to make it a two-for-one run.

Holy ba-jesus. It was everything I thought the movie would be, with the added bonus of really tight editing and effective visuals. For those of you to lazy to download or even click the IMDb link below, here's my attempt at a brief summary and review.

The movie follows Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a scruffy-looking, bespectacled, highschool loner through, what can only be described as the most hell-ish week of his life. It starts with a phone call from his ex-girlfriend, Emily, who he has severed all contact with after their break-up three months ago. Played by Emilie de Ravin of Lost fame, she is hysterical and non-sensical on the phone, spouting code words that escape the vocabulary of Brendan. After two days of trying to track her down, he finds her dead under a tunnel with no explicit reasons. Unsettled by her sudden demise, Brendan sets out on a no-holds-barred quest to find the a reason, any reason, behind Emily's death. Relying on his accomplice, The Brain, he spins a web of half-truths, false-bluffs and witty quips to discover the truth, but finds that all is not clear in these murky waters.

Made with a budget of US$500,000, first time writer/director Rian Johnson, certainly put every single cent into good use as established in the tight frames and the even tighter editing. The cinematography plays up the suburban-esque qualities of Southern California with a twist: where the sun don't shine, the gritty surrealism lies. Brick is created within the neo-noir genre and the gutsy scenes and Shakespearan-like quality to the script is a true testament to that. Of coruse, having said that, I should probably add that the only noir-related anything I have to base this on is Veronica Mars and Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Does Dick Tracy and Roger Rabbit count?

I cannot rave enough about this movie. I have waited a while for it to screen on cinemas in Australia, and it has delivered on all fronts matching my extremely high expectations for it. The casting is perfect. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the only 'big name' in the film proves that he is one of the few mid-twenties actors of today who is willing to look past 'ball&tits-type-PG13 Hollywood movies' that plague too many screens across the world and pursue meatier roles. To be fair, maybe he lacks the all-American jock look. Or maybe he just exercises a little wisdom in choosing roles. The others in the film are relatively unheard of, but they deliver solid nuanced performances that add to the overall viewing pleasure of the film.

Top marks. I'm going to watch it again next Monday for the cheaper ticket prices as the dialogue was a bit thick to swallow in some parts. Anyone who dislikes watching movies alone is more than welcomed to come.

After watching the show, I had twenty minutes to do my grocery shopping. I came out with snacks and serviettes (cause they're cheaper than actual tissue paper. I'm a cheapskate. Go figure) and naturally, I forgot the toilet paper. Serviettes may be effective for not breaking when blowing my nose but they're surely damn rough on the ass. (Fourth time? I AM GOD.)

Yet another.

Things I have done in the past week:

-Watched the complete second season of Arrested Development. So. Worth. Every. Painful. Cackle.

-Watched a shitload of South Park. I made my sister watch the 'Scott Tenorman Must Die' episode and she says I speak like Cartman. That means I either sound like a fat, manipulative eight year old or the bastard child of a hermaphrodite. Pardon the lack of ecstasy on my part, Gill.

-Accidentally stumble upon a porno that was deceptively labled 'Cartman's Club'. Oh god, my virgin eyes. I can't help but feel that I wouldn't be so scarred if I knew ahead that the video was a porno. It's like horror movies, they don't bother me much cause I've already psyched myself out and I know that the Big Bad is coming. Had I known that the big penis was going to be penetrating two women in different orifices, I probably would be like, "Oh. That's what you call big? Puh-lease boy." And now I have managed to scar you, the reader. It's like The Ring. Pass it on.

-Had chicken soup and a mixed veg dish from Adeline Lee. I love that the SkinnyMonkey is here. Karen thanks you!

-Watched The Weather Man, Elizabethtown, and Lord of War. I shall gripe about these later so that I can have the satisfaction of ranting about it without making y'all skim through it. I'm nice that way.

-If you can't tell already, my last week has largely been confined to my bed, hence the past two days has been spent on regaining the ability to use my two feet again. It's been tough going, but folks, I think I'm going to be alright.


Things I need to do now:

-Catch up on a shitload of reading for my classes. The downside of taking a break is the work you got to pick up when you get back to the rat race.

-Buy more toilet paper. Re: below.

-Buy more tissue paper. I'm at the flu part of my cold, where I gain the use of my voicebox again but have constant mucus clogging up the airways. I wish I knew how to spit. I have a feeling if I spat out the phlegm instead, there would be less mucus regurgigating in my system and thus less to blow out. And now I have scarred you twice. Booya! Y'all know I'm back.

-Stop drowning my rice in light soy sauce. Being at the stage where I'm all clogged up, my tastebuds have gone all screwy as well. My kidneys will probably pay for this someday.

A big THANK YOU! to everyone who wished me well, be it through the tagboard, email or SMS. Let me know if you'd like a keepsake of this event. I'll send over a used tissue. Don't worry, I've got more than enough to go around so no petty squabbling kids. (Third time anyone? Who's your daddy!)

In other news, Brick has finally opened here. To see what IMDb has to say about it, click here. Hmmm. There's one at 9.40pm later tonight. Oh, the temptation. And then there's Confetti. I guess the question is, how lazy am I really? Oh, if only the answer isn't immediately transparent.

Right. Onward to the reviews. These three movies have been relatively high on my 'Must Watch List' since I missed out on them at the cinemas. Neither one of the three have similar themes, and each had completely different directors with differing visual flair, although coincidentally enough all three had narrations throughout the film. But what I really want to rant about is Elizabethtown. I was hoping it would be one of those movies where the critics ravage but I like. But oh, Cameron Crowe.. how you have failed me.

Karen's List of Things That Went Wrong in Elizabethtown:
1. The minute the movie started you had the protagonist's voice over. While I'm usually pretty wary of films that kick off this way (could they not think of a better opening scene?), I don't mind if it is short, snappy and if it serves to reel in the audience's attention as opposed to a long drawn out back story to serve the plot. Compare this:

Lord of War's opening lines: "There are 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11? [snappy, and simply too cool]

and this:

Elizabethtown's opening lines: "Yadda yadda yadda. Spasmodica." [I swear, even if I paid myself to remember it, I couldn't.]

Point being is that opening voice overs, if required at all in the film, needs to be at least sort of memorable or attention-grabbing. Etown did not have that. You had Bloomboy walking around muttering "I'm fine" to anyone who caught his eye while serving his inner voice over the speakers. I reckon the "I'm fine"s was enough for an opening scene. We get that things are NOT fine without the constant v/o.

2. The voice overs that ran through out the movie was acceptable. What was not acceptable was Bloomboy's need to enunciate every. single. gorram. word. What should be a nice accompaniment to the plot became a grating experience that made me put my player on fast forward. Thank goodness I was watching the DVD.

3. Bloomboy's hokey American accent I could take. Props to anyone of a different nationality trying to do a different accent for a movie that ran for over 2 hours. For anyone griping over his accent, listen harder to Kirsten Dunst's midwest/southern accent. It was playing peek-a-boo with the audience throughout the movie. There in one scene, gone in the next two.

4. I understand that Cameron Crowe has a particular affinity towards inserting quality music into his films. Thanks to him, a bus ride is almost incomplete without a mass karaoke session of Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' today. But Etown was like a two hour music video. You could have cut out half the music and that'd still be too many songs in a movie.

5. The neverending sequences where the characters do something charming and the music swells. Just too damn many. The longest phone call ever made in the history of cinema, almost surpassing Cellular (and mobiles were actually crucial in that film). Cheesy family sequences were a dime a dozen.

6. The romantic chemistry in the movie was actually believable and almost likable. Unfortunately for every two seconds that Bloomboy and Kirsten Dunst were on the screen together, there were eight minutes of other 'quirky' family member-typre characters. Bad Cameron Crowe, bad! Which leads me to my next point.

7. So far as I understood, this show was supposed to be one of those 'the journey of a man who on the verge of the biggest crisis of his life, gains a new perspective and finds a new girl to boot'. A personal roadtrip movie, if you will. Garden State with less charismatic leads. What I found confusing in this movie then, is the fact that the only thing he gets from all that is the girl. Any new perspective that he might have gained was from his interactions with KDunst. Hell, the whole thing with the family was absolved by someone else. So why not cut out three quarters of the family crap and stick in more romantic moments? Pa-sheesh. Misdirection on CCrowe's part or just complete confusion on mine?

8. Has Bloomboy ever heard of emoting? I don't think so cause his eyes had only one expression througout the entire film. Boy, your brows may furrow till the Kingdom come, but you're not fooling anyone. Them eyes absolutely need to transmit some kind of emotion, especially if you want to stay in this line of work.

I guess I really should have taken Michelle's advice. You know something is really bad when a fan of Bloomboy can't even stomach the show. Till next time Cameron Crowe. I'll keep watching Almost Famous and think of better days to come.

Monday, August 07, 2006

I is sick, emm kay?

I is sick. I is having cold. I is having no voice + cough + runny nose. I is hoping that I would have something very lethal, almost biohazard-like, but the doctor is scoffs at me and say I is having common cold. It damn. I is say nothing worse than having ill and having run-of-the-mill the sniffles.

Doctor say inability to no type right is not correlated with cold. He say I will always silly regardless of health. I say, "You is probably right. Can I have my MC now?" He say, "Yes. Also avoid eating foods that contain dairy as it will not help with your phlegm." I is think, "Ohhh."

Dinner I had with my sister for birthday it was hers on 06 Aug. I tell her, "croak croak cough wheeze snort croak." Translation: "Don't call me unless it's important for it hurts to talk." Stupid idiot calls me later in the day, not once nor twice but five times. When I is don't pick up, she is texting message, "Call me when you get this mess. I am very worried." I is thinking, "#$@&#!!!11!!!!!" When she is calling again, I say, "croak cough cough wheezing croak effing idiot?!" Meaning of course, "Did you not understand what I told you, you effing idiot?! Sister is older, yes, but still stupid as ever.

I is quite grumpy, in case you no notice. I want watch Arrested Development, but laughter equals pain. Ditto South Park and Monty Python. So how is I supposed to feel better? I watched The Weather Man, and that only made me depressed. I is thinking I might as well watch Closer and Requiem for A Dream to complete cycle of depression. But I no have the DVDs with me now. Sigh. Somedays you cannot just win.

I is came across preview for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Throat hurt very much now. I is might as well go watch South Park episodes now.

I mangle English language enough for today. 'Til next time.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

"But memmmmmmmmmmmmmm..."

1. While at the ATM machine, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the balance in my account was remarkably larger than what it was two days ago. Neat-o! When I came home from uni that day I had mail from the people at the Australian Tax Office. Turns out my tax returns have been, well, returned. Combine that with my weekly paycheck, it makes for a really lovely sum. Most excellent!

2. I started training crew this week. For three hours for three consecutive nights, I teach them the fundamental things for front counter; serving, dealing with customers, communication with the back crew, dining etc. Ex-trainers and managers tell me I have to pull out my inner bitch and make sure I drive them hard to ensure they get it all. The first night, I'm friendly. The second, I'm professional and by the third night, I'm a slave driver. It's shockingly draining to explain every. single. damn. thing. to a trainee. The simple things I'm a regular pro at now, I have to break down to minute details and force feed them the information, with the hopes they get at least 75% of it all. It's no wonder I'm absolutely burnt tonight.

3. Should the trainees mess up in the future, the heat is on me. Stupid new responsibilities.

4. The Arctic Monkeys gig was tonight. I had two offers for tickets but I had to turn them down because of the damn training. I want to be pissed, but I'm really just too tired to raise a ruckus about it. I know I'll be feeling the pain in days to come. Just as a safety net, I'm going to avoid reading the newspaper tomorrow. The reviews are probably going to be raving about them.

5. One of the managers that I like is leaving. She was strict, yes, but very very competent. Hell, she probably created a whole new meaning to the word 'slave driver'. Aggresiveness be damned though, she was a superb manager. The crew that worked past their initial intimidation of her will miss her no-bullshit, work-hard-before-you-play-harder perspective.

6. My sister texts me with a message that ends with "DON'T BOTHER CALLING ME CAUSE I'M TOO ANGRY TO TALK TO YOU!!". I reply, "wtv. l8rs." If you know me, you'll know that my text messages are never filled with abbreviations of any kind. I like my 'you's with the y and o, and my 'are's with the vowels in them. What can I say? A ridiculous statement breeds an equally ridiculous reply. I swear, the new folks that she hangs out with have such high-school mentality. I warned her about it, but oh hell.. guess it's rubbing off in the end.

7. I am going to take a hot shower and watch South Park till my eyeballs bleed or I fall asleep. Whichever happens first, I'm game.

Oh goddammit gorrammit. I just realize that it's 12.18am. So much for calling Ad at the stroke of midnight.

Happy 20th Spags. I'll dedicate a post to you later when I'm not feeling like the mildew that collects on wet shower curtains. Like your present, it will most probably be late. Sorry, mate.