over it

some ppl really need to take responsibility for their items better. and when someone asks them to seek clarification on a process so that it saves time and money in the long run, does not mean they're only saying that for fun.

also i fucking hate it when ppl say not to worry, they'll take care of it - it's their problem, but then asks you to take care of it for them while they fly out of town.

tomorrow better have some good news, otherwise there's going to be a flood sale of damaged furniture.

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{ double ugh }

funny how the discovery that your fruit icecream has been eaten by your whingey, whiney, already significantly obese, and stupidly lazy fuckwit of a flatmate ruins a perfectly contentful day.

but i really shouldn't get mad. i did neglect it in the freezer for over a month. next time i'll just have to mark it. it's just so infantile to do it that way though, but then i guess so is bitching about it online and not talking to her about it.

fuck it, i'll just ignore her for the rest of the month. it'll make me feel better (for the time being).

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{ ugh }

i've been riding in to work lately, three days last week and most likely another three this week. it's been very enjoyable but even though it ends up being about an hour every day i ride, i still managed to gain a kilo of weight. bah! indeed. i used to get up early and go to the gym, do a good hour's worth of decent cardio/weights and now, nothing. sometimes i really really hate change.

i guess i'll just have to reduce my snacking during the day and figure out whether i've still got a gym membership. actually, perhaps i should get a trainer until other major expenses start to come in. and maybe i should get more sleep, and stop stuffing around at night with meaningless stuff. i guess stopping WoW was a good start.

or was it?

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{ whoa }

almost forgot about this place. i like the new surrounds,
still reminds me of facebook, but the cleaner version.

maybe next time.

actually i will add a few things.

firstly, i need a new keyboard. this old mac keyboard from the 90s is getting a bit fidgety. something that compliments the new macbook pro sitting right next to it. but considering that's still being paid off, i'll have to be happy with the current state of my typing tool. i guess if i really wanted to, i'd swap the G15 from my pitiful P4 and use that instead.

just came back from holidays (well about a fortnight ago) and i'm now keen for more time off. i just find it hard to stay awake in the office of late, and there's no real reason why. i like my work, it keeps me occupied, and it's not Word (for the most part). maybe it's just the upteenth revision on an important project that has no direction whatsoever.

there's the B2B to try and get fit for (and i am soooo going to cark it halfway). i'm planning to cycle in and out of work to help, but maybe i should just figure out whether my gym membership is still valid. and maybe i should start eating properly instead of quick packet meals. speaking of which, i think those packet noodles are wanting to go out. hmm, nice way to end the day.

maybe more positive end note next time.

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//hello new year//

There's something about watching Muz and Chaza play that makes hearts (and probably pants) throb. So when Muz got on top of Chaz 6-7/6-1/6-2, I was wondering, who was the real winner out of this?

Oh now it's highlights of Kuz v. Ags...

Time for cricket methinks.

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{{{electioneering}}}

I just had my voting all over and done with, and it wasn't without some minor disappointments.

Firstly, they really need to open much, MUCH earlier than 8 a.m. Considering we've had 6 weeks of electioneering from the two major parties, with some of the minorities having a bash, you'd think people would be clamouring to get to the polls and get voting out of the way before they go shop at DFO for some discounted imitations superior quality factory seconds. I mean, there was a serious line-up at the polling booths by 7:30! So next time, election committee, start at 5.

Also, it was amazing how many people next to me in the stalls were asking questions on how to fill out the cards! Okay, only two, but still, I thought the stalls were a sanctum of silence. I guess the senate paper was a bit confusing, with 65 people to allocate numbers to. Then again, there's a series of text at the left hand side giving you an option of either 1 number above the line or all 65 below. But I guess, the 18 pt 'EITHER' wasn't good enough for the lady to my right. She ended up just ticking one at the top. Not a "1" tick, but an actual check mark. Nice way to get your vote uncounted.

Also, breakfast sausages and rolls didn't come quickly enough. As I walked out of the voting area (whichI had given them ample amount of time by playing with the senate paper) I could smell the wofting aroma of unidentified meat wrapped in thin edible rubber invading my nasal cavities,. However, I was already pushing my way out of the lathargic pack animals, that is the voting public on a Saturday morning and it was too late to turn back (to be honest, with election line ups, you never want to turn back). Now, if they had opened at 5, with the sausage stand already sizzling at 5:30/6 a.m. they would've made a killing. There were a lot of hungry looking faces there that deserved a nice great big juicy fat-in-a-roll. Alas, this was not to be, ...but luckily there's a bakery just down the road so I'm hyped up on Choc Croissant right now.

Come to think of it, I have a long Saturday ahead, so I might grab another one.

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>>>>_<<<<

...all i can say, is that i've never seen so many media-player-like visuals on display as there was on this year's Australian Idol background.

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::.::melbourne::.::

have just come back from the last day of the indesign conference in brunswick, just north of where i'm staying at the moment. i've been having a really good time so far, and there's three more days to fill up, so i might head off to the famous exhibition at the state library and to the markets on the weekend.

anyway, back later, as friday night events await.

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he's back yo!

in short, since i have a bad case of jet lag, accommodations were brilliant, both in queenstown and christchurch; the skiing was awesome, the weather was crazy (beautiful one day, blizzard condition the next); the scenery was fantastic, regardless where we went; lots of funny happenings along the way; flight home was cancelled, so delayed by another day, reaaally early start to get to the first flight just to rush frantically to get the connecting flight; and now back home, checking the mail and sorting some shit...well, sorting the bedsheet for a long nap.

will fill in more when my head stops spinning.

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\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////

Well it was my last day of work yesterday and, funnily enough, I got sent home earlier than usual because there wasn't anything on for me to do, apart from this one job my boss was waiting for and said he'd call me to come in and do it (but never did). So I only managed to send one farewell email to a client. I really should send the other clients one too but I'll see how I go. It feels weird to be leaving, having worked at that place for such a long time, but, like my friend said on the phone just now, the world is my oyster. Cliche, yes, but reassuring nonetheless.

Another issue coming to an end is my cold for this season, which is good considering I have a bit of a walk to do tomorrow morning. Unfortunately for mum, it's only just started so she ended up missing out on Miss Saigon tonight with my sis and cousins. I feel really sad for her because she never really goes out to movies and musicals and I think she was really looking forward to this one. Hopefully there's another chance to go since it's on until the 26th.

Anyway, time figure out what I need to pack for the NZ trip and what my spending budget is. Eek!

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chicken noodle soup, hot chocolate and pan's labyrinth

when you wake up with coughing, runny nose, a fever, and joint pains, it *might* be an indication to call in sick and stay in bed. and when there's a marathon (which you may not run all the way) on sunday and a flight overseas in 8 days awaiting, then it's definitely a priority to get better.

now i have really bad sinuses, the kind where it either gets really runny or really clogged. not sexy i know, and i'm sure the kleenex company isn't sad about it, either. but trying to sleep while turning from side to side like a sausage on a bbq really isn't all that pleasant. so after persisting for about an hour and a bit, i decided to give up and get something to eat. fired up the gas oven and made some packet chicken flavoured noodle soup, boiled some hot water and got a nice cup of hot chocolate (and bits of dark mint chocolate), and finished off with a couple of slices of toast. then, pulled an entertaining dvd while having operation: recouperation luncheon.

ok everything was going really well up until the entertaining dvd part. i could've opted for a repeat screening of goblet of fire, or 5th element. no. instead, i decided to watch pan's labyrinth, which i hadn't seen before. now, i bought it because it got great reviews by some of the big wigs of movie reviews including david stratton's and margaret pomerantz. it's got fantastic costumes and special effects that doesn't overpower the rest of the movie, a great director in del toro, and the actors were all very good. but i should've known that something set in a war-torn country nearing the end of WWII was going to be heavy viewing. and *spoiler alert* when the girl dies in the end, that was the cherry on the icing. as a movie that you would want to see with a partner or whatever, great, excellent movie to watch! but as a sick person, forget it. you might as well watch reruns of WWF's best match ups from 1987 or watch donnie darko.

but at least my fever's gone (scarily quick), now to work on the damn chesty cough.

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sick, tired, something old, something new

when one gets sick on a weekend, i'm sure one will end up either in bed or close by to the tv. with a laptop, i did both. it was pretty annoying since i really wanted to get out and about, especially all the things i need to get done before the NZ trip in about two weeks' time. instead, i watched some episodes of HIMYM and checking out several Youtube channels including:

• Macapulenta
  
• some Illustrator tutorials
  
• Paperlilies Art
  
• a monster a day
  
• Ortopilot
  

like tv (pay-tv/cable more so) there are so many channels and videos on that site that are just utter bollocks so it's really nice to be able to watch decent content now and again. so that was the weekend, in the middle of the Cordal tablets, Vicks on the nose and the restless nights.

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mr pot pot and the potterisers

after having a pretty full day on saturday just running around, i managed to read the last chapter of the harry potter sevenilogy; harry potter and the deathly hallows. it was pretty good but it wasn't as good as the previous books. perhaps it's the fact that there won't be any more potter stories after this. or maybe it was fatigue that set in after a straight 9hr readathon (with a 15 min lunch break).

oh and yeah i finished it on the same day.

it started off pretty much on the run as the feel at the beginning definitely continues from the end of the last book (the half blood prince). voldemort is now stronger than ever, his followers are increasing, he's gaining more foothold in various high ranking institutions and fear is growing amongst the wizarding and non magical communities. pretty dire stuff, and fair enough, it was pretty bleak in the previous book with dumbledore's funeral, the break-up with ginny, and the whole search-for-the-horcruxes-and-possibly-die-in-the-process feeling lingering at the end of book six.

there's a lot that goes on, and harry does another /emo in this but i didn't find it as annoying or as reoccuring compared to the nancy git he was in order of the phoenix. and it seemed it was such a rush in some places that i think i completely lost track of things happening. the most annoying part was when characters just died and it felt like i missed a page or two on how it happened (i still don't know how tonks and lupin carked it). saying that, though, i think it's one of those books that needs to be re-read just to get all the detail properly, since it's a really busy and hurried book (regarding the storyline, not the writing style).

i must say though, that chaos near the finish was brilliant and it wasn't really because of the harry and voldemort duel, but of how pissed the other supporting characters got when fred died and when they thought harry died. that'll definitely be worth watching in the big screen.

in the end, it answers a lot of questions that cropped up on the sixth, and in a way, it finished off the story of snape's character very well, where you gain a lot more empathy towards a man that people hated, or were very weary of, from the start. i'm not sure if i liked the '19 years later' part at the end, but in a way, it had to be put as a finality. it would be a bit silly, and definitely out of writing style, if another book appeared to continue after this. so after all that, it's been a great series of writings. easy to read, fun to imagine, and now, onwards with the film (and hope they don't stuff it up).

** addendum **
there's a number of spoiler links going around saying such and such dies on this page. problem with that is not all the books have the same number of pages (yes, referring to the english versions). the one i have, i bought from big-w (isbn 978-0-7475-9105-4) which is only 607 pages but apparently it's just under 760 pages. so although they say that some people die, which are true, you still won't know how or where direct from the pages they say unless it's the same version.

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transformers

i just came back from watching the movie and it was awesome x lots! so i'm going to do a review just for the hell of it.

quick low-down, this movie is about good and evil and about saving the planet. 'nuff said. the only difference this time is there's robots involved. ok ok terminator also had them, but these were cooler. way way cooler.

so let's start with the most obvious. megan fox, who plays mikaela danes. yes, she is hot. she reminded me of a younger krista allen but whether or not that's a good thing, i'm not sure. she has a more-than-meets-the-eye type of character yet her overall appearance reminds the viewer that transformers were predomiantly aimed for the males. nothing really tells us that she's actually acted in several other movies prior to this one but she holds her own. although a little strained at times, she seemed to gel with shia's character, sam whittaky, effectively enough. i think part of her character's charm is that she does end up having a chemistry with sam, but without being gratuitously obvious.

another great (and hard to miss) aspect of the movie were the special effects. the animation of the robots was superbly done, and the way they were placed within the surroundings of a real life city/area was fantastic. gone are the simplistic and box-like structures from the original cartoon. they had a number of slowed down sequences which really added to the dramatics of the movie. even the transformation process was massively complex in itself. and if you've seen or followed the original cartoons, you'll also notice a familiar sound at the beginning, even though it doesn't quite make it throughout the rest of the movie.

cinematography was dynamic, lots of movement but it didn't give me that same nauseating feeling i had when i first watched n.y.p.d. blues. i did notice a few too many repeated techniques that was clost to being laboured, like the sun-shining-in-the-background scenes where you'd expect another lens flare affect to happen. once again a minor part of the overall movie.

the script was smart and witty and showed that the writers didn't want to alienate older generations of transformer fans. there's a number of funny subtle jokes and one-liners that the audience really took in nicely. a friend who watched it last night warned me of some corny bits, and i think part of it was from the narration style which introduced and ended the movie. there was a few things that seemed rushed, like very little introduction to a number of the human characters that persisted throughout the movie, even at just over two hours in length. however, keep an ear out for some little bits of lines that somewhat paid homage to hasbro.

what made it stand out the most for me was the way it was very down-to-earth. sure 15/20-foot robots were smashing and blowing things up, but the human elements were still so poignantly shown. conventional weaponery that seemed to hold its own against a barrage of out-of-this-world technology. there weren't massive space ships hovering around the area, and i think the fact that the robots were disguised as every day objects made it more 'believable'.

so in summary (cos i'm really sleepy now)
likes

• animation and effects
  
• smart and witty script
  
• strong storyline
  
• action cinematography and movement
  
• the voices were very close to the original
  
• prime shows his sword briefly
  
• the fox
  

• product placement crept into the dialogue a number of times
  
• corny lines popped up now and then
  
• devastator was a solo robot (i was hoping to see the whole constructicon combo to form him)
  
• some introductions were rushed, and some didn't feel detailed enough
  

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i am!

when one is bored, one gives one a title of great magnificence!

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Baron Alexander the Purple of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

ya totally!

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i love advertising

just before shutting the teev off, i see an ad on channel ten from ebay.com.au with the song "1 2 3 4" by feist showing some actors in a trolley cart going down a luge slalom hill.

um. ok.

apart from the lyrics "one, two, three, four, five, six, nine, and ten / money can't buy you back the love that you had then" what does the rest of the song have to do with shopping on ebay?!

"sweetheart, bitter heart / now I can't tell you apart / cosy and cold / put the horse before the cart" - 'zomg! it has cart! it fits perfectly!'

way to go and ruin another song, fuckwits. i love advertising.

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Safari sans OSX

This blog is being posted using the new Safari browser for Windows. And it looks...okay. For some reason, the customised front wouldn't show the text (all that came up were lines) so the customisation had to be turned off (it works fine on the OSX version). Google Talk contacts while using the browser still doesn't appear, which is the same on OSX. Still, it's early days and I'm sure a few thousand people will let Apple know of the bugs.

In the meantime, I'll be Firefoxing for now.

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when i was a youuung boy...

For some unexplainable reason, I had the Split Enz song "6 Months in a leaky boat" (clap clap, clap clap) in my head all day at work. I had no idea where it came from, except thinking about my friend's flatmate's drumkit. Go figure!

Anyway I Youtube'd the clip/song and found it...but the intro was too long, so I opted for the Belle a Capella version instead.

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+-[O.O]-+

funny thing i saw the other day, an abc ad for a local radio station appearing on commercial tv. weird huh?

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>.<

A couple of little things made today a bit more challenging than per usual, but managed to get through it (sort of). I was very happy with my reassessment yesterday but felt the results of the new workout schedule this morning so no gyming today :( I'll try to tackle it tomorrow morning instead.

Can't wait to catch up with an old friend tomorrow, and hopefully things will be more positive and productive as well.

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