Friday, October 29, 2004
Bwa Ha Ha!
Dubya: Movie Villain of the Year
Well, voting is closed in Total Film Magazine's annual search for the year's 'best' movie villain. And the winner is....
None other than George W. 'Leader of the Free World' Bush! Dubya won the award for his portrayal in Mike Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, overcoming adversaries as varied as Kill Bill 2's Elle Driver, Spiderman's lastest (and I might I add, underwhelmingly soft) nemesis Doctor Octopus and the nefarious little Gollum.
.
None other than George W. 'Leader of the Free World' Bush! Dubya won the award for his portrayal in Mike Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, overcoming adversaries as varied as Kill Bill 2's Elle Driver, Spiderman's lastest (and I might I add, underwhelmingly soft) nemesis Doctor Octopus and the nefarious little Gollum.
.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Erotic Origami
Work has been very slow over the last few days. Mr. O skipped town to Korea for a week or so, taking with him my 20-page report regarding the recent trip to Australia and pretty much obliterating my workload for this week. Hence, I have been spending extended periods of time sifting through the wonderous thing that is the internet. Boy, they've got a lot of cool stuff on that internet!!
Anyway, I found myself bored and surfing through some articles on The Register. Among them was this article about the 'erection' of the world's biggest (10 foot) origami penis in London.
One thing I like about The Register is the useful links that accomany each article - you never know where you will end up! It could well be somewhere like Origami Underground, which proclaims to be " The place to find erotic origami on the web." (I will take their word for it.)
What I found really defied all description. This site has intricately folded pieces of paper in just about every suggestive, erotic and downright pornographic pose imaginable. People claim that I have too much free time because I am always surfing the net.
Makes you wonder what kind of lazy-ass job the creators of erotic origami do for a living...
Anyway, I found myself bored and surfing through some articles on The Register. Among them was this article about the 'erection' of the world's biggest (10 foot) origami penis in London.
One thing I like about The Register is the useful links that accomany each article - you never know where you will end up! It could well be somewhere like Origami Underground, which proclaims to be " The place to find erotic origami on the web." (I will take their word for it.)
What I found really defied all description. This site has intricately folded pieces of paper in just about every suggestive, erotic and downright pornographic pose imaginable. People claim that I have too much free time because I am always surfing the net.
Makes you wonder what kind of lazy-ass job the creators of erotic origami do for a living...
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
The Dead Horse
Tony, my esteemed colleague who sits opposite me has been doing a bit of research in the leadup to him spending another month at our floundering UK plant. In his travels on the information superhighway, he chanced upon "A Guide To Implementing the Theory of Constraints". While much of the site is serious business, pertaining to production management and the like, there was one section he found, and forwarded to me, which I have included below. On it's own, it is only moderately humorous. I can accept the fact that some people will read it and fail to find it funny. However, for people (like Tony and myself) working for a company that has a penchant for sado-necro-beastiality (that is to say "flogging the dead horse"), hilarity ensued.
Yippie-aye-o-kai-aye, motherfucker.
Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. However in business we often try other strategies with dead horses, including the following;
Buy a stronger whip.
Change riders.
Threaten the horse with termination.
Say things like, “This is the way we have always ridden this horse.”
Appoint a committee to study the horse.
Arrange to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.
Lower the standards so that dead horses can be included.
Appoint a tiger team to revive the dead horse.
Ride the dead horse “outside the box.”
Buy a commercial off-the-shelf dead horse.
Create a training session to increase our riding ability.
Reclassify the dead horse as “living-impaired.”
Compare the state of dead horses in today’s environment.
Change the autopsy report to declare that “This horse is not dead.”
Kill all the other horses, so this one will look the same.
Name the dead horse “Paradigm Shift” and keep riding it.
Ride the dead horse “smarter” not harder.
Hire outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.
Do a time management study to see if the lighter riders would improve productivity.
Declare that “No horse is too dead to beat.”
Call the dead horse a “joint venture” and let others ride it.
Provide additional funding to increase the horse’s performance.
Do a cost analysis study to see if contractors can ride it cheaper.
Purchase an aftermarket product to make dead horses run faster.
Declare the horse is “better, faster, and cheaper” dead.
Form a quality circle to find uses for dead horses.
Declare that “This horse was procured with cost as an independent variable.”
Get the horse a Web site.
Yippie-aye-o-kai-aye, motherfucker.
That Quake
As it turns out, that recent quake hit a 6.0 on the richter scale, about 250 km NW of Tokyo. No wonder we felt it.
It even made it into the Australian news!
It even made it into the Australian news!
Unceremonius Dumping
Autumn (or 'Fall', for those of you who feel the need to unmercifully mutilate the English language) appears to have been unofficially dropped from this year's calendar. Summer, having long outstayed it's sweltering welcome was barely waning when I left the country just over a forthnight ago. Upon my return, it is becoming clear that Winter is calling all the shots now. (Ok, granted, temperatures are still only ranging between 10 and 20 degrees C, but it's not even bloody November yet!)
I must admit, I am a fan of Autumn. Clear, blustery days, multi-hued foliage and a collective sigh of relief at the departure of Summer. It would appear that (in Japan at least), myself and other Autumn enthusiasts have been well and truly shafted.
As if to let me know that I am onto them, the forces of nature just blessed our office building (and probably a fairly wide nearby area) with a pretty decent tremor. Enough to get some of the Japanese staff here reaching for their bright orange 'Emergency Kits' (consisting of a hardhat, some non-perishable food and god-knows what else - I haven't been issued with one). Of course, it is probably just one of dozens of aftershocks following the recent large quake up in Niigata. I have resigned myself to the fact that anything capable of pulling this building down around my ears will lay waste to enough of Tokyo that pretty much everyone is screwed to the point where an orange cloth bag will be of little comfort.
That is assuming I don't wind up freezing to death first.
I must admit, I am a fan of Autumn. Clear, blustery days, multi-hued foliage and a collective sigh of relief at the departure of Summer. It would appear that (in Japan at least), myself and other Autumn enthusiasts have been well and truly shafted.
As if to let me know that I am onto them, the forces of nature just blessed our office building (and probably a fairly wide nearby area) with a pretty decent tremor. Enough to get some of the Japanese staff here reaching for their bright orange 'Emergency Kits' (consisting of a hardhat, some non-perishable food and god-knows what else - I haven't been issued with one). Of course, it is probably just one of dozens of aftershocks following the recent large quake up in Niigata. I have resigned myself to the fact that anything capable of pulling this building down around my ears will lay waste to enough of Tokyo that pretty much everyone is screwed to the point where an orange cloth bag will be of little comfort.
That is assuming I don't wind up freezing to death first.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Beers, Van Helsing and Earthquake Avoidance
My last few days in Australia were tops by all accounts. Buffet dinners, burgers at the Hard Rock Cafe (which is exactly what restaurants would be like in heaven, except more expensive), fish and chips on the beach at Burleigh and a few quiet beers in front of the telly while watching Van Helsing.
Let me say a few words about Van Helsing. In my humble opinion, it was poor. Not 'beggar child on the streets of Calcutta with torn clothing and holey shoes' poor. More like 'an overhyped movie with a couple of big-name actors that you expect a lot from, but in fact find that the coolest part of the movie is the closing credits' type of poor. In the films defense, the closing credits were pretty well done. The are a number of reasons why I didn't like the film, and Hugh Jackman and David Wenham's ridiculous accents are only minor ones. The story itself was devoid of merit, Frankenstein's monster redefined 'whiny, irritating bitch' and Van Helsing's magical crossbow with unlimited ammunition that came from nowhere infuriated me.
My last night in the country also involved a few slightly rowdier beers at Barsoma in the Valley. It was Troy, Franger and a bunch of other people's birthdays, and a small group had made it out to celebrate. (There was a house party component, but Kat and I didn't end up making it.)
Oh, somewhere in there I actually did some work too....
The night was generally pretty nice and cruisy, with a sprinkling of jeering laughter when Jezza managed to turn on his charm and both repulse and annoy our waitress, who turned out to be the manager's wife. It was worth it for the verbal dressing-down he recieved. After a number of Stellas and a deftly stolen Corona, Kat and I headed back to Lady E's place and crashed.
The next morning was an early one, and accompanied by tired groans. Despite the lethargy, we made it out to Brisbane International in time to stand in line behind a school group of Japanese students. Who were travelling in their school uniforms. On a Sunday. There are just some things about the Japanese I never will, and probably don't want to figure out.
The flight itself was relatively uneventful, but in order to annoy me, JAL felt the need to subject me to Van Helsing for a second time. When I am king, they shall be first against the wall. Radiohead style.
Anyway, I made it back to my flat, exhausted and crashed.
I woke in the morning, prepared for work and as I walked out the door my phone rang. It was my mother calling to see if I was OK. I asked why.
Turns out that Niigata prefecture (a good few hundred clicks from where I am) was the lucky recipient of one of the strongest earthquakes in recent Japanese history. With over twenty dead and 2000 injured (according to this morning's Japan Times) I am not inclined to argue.
Evidently, I survived - and (slightly dissapointingly) so did my workplace. Much to my surprise, I had actually done a fair amount of work while I was in Australia, and found myself with about 25 pages worth of notes to type up and compile into a report. It should be ready sometime tomorrow. Maybe.
Let me say a few words about Van Helsing. In my humble opinion, it was poor. Not 'beggar child on the streets of Calcutta with torn clothing and holey shoes' poor. More like 'an overhyped movie with a couple of big-name actors that you expect a lot from, but in fact find that the coolest part of the movie is the closing credits' type of poor. In the films defense, the closing credits were pretty well done. The are a number of reasons why I didn't like the film, and Hugh Jackman and David Wenham's ridiculous accents are only minor ones. The story itself was devoid of merit, Frankenstein's monster redefined 'whiny, irritating bitch' and Van Helsing's magical crossbow with unlimited ammunition that came from nowhere infuriated me.
My last night in the country also involved a few slightly rowdier beers at Barsoma in the Valley. It was Troy, Franger and a bunch of other people's birthdays, and a small group had made it out to celebrate. (There was a house party component, but Kat and I didn't end up making it.)
Oh, somewhere in there I actually did some work too....
The night was generally pretty nice and cruisy, with a sprinkling of jeering laughter when Jezza managed to turn on his charm and both repulse and annoy our waitress, who turned out to be the manager's wife. It was worth it for the verbal dressing-down he recieved. After a number of Stellas and a deftly stolen Corona, Kat and I headed back to Lady E's place and crashed.
The next morning was an early one, and accompanied by tired groans. Despite the lethargy, we made it out to Brisbane International in time to stand in line behind a school group of Japanese students. Who were travelling in their school uniforms. On a Sunday. There are just some things about the Japanese I never will, and probably don't want to figure out.
The flight itself was relatively uneventful, but in order to annoy me, JAL felt the need to subject me to Van Helsing for a second time. When I am king, they shall be first against the wall. Radiohead style.
Anyway, I made it back to my flat, exhausted and crashed.
I woke in the morning, prepared for work and as I walked out the door my phone rang. It was my mother calling to see if I was OK. I asked why.
Turns out that Niigata prefecture (a good few hundred clicks from where I am) was the lucky recipient of one of the strongest earthquakes in recent Japanese history. With over twenty dead and 2000 injured (according to this morning's Japan Times) I am not inclined to argue.
Evidently, I survived - and (slightly dissapointingly) so did my workplace. Much to my surprise, I had actually done a fair amount of work while I was in Australia, and found myself with about 25 pages worth of notes to type up and compile into a report. It should be ready sometime tomorrow. Maybe.
I'm OKAY!
Well, I have made it back, safe and sound. I will post something a bit more substantial later on when I get a moment.
I should report that despite large typhoons and some of the worst quakes in years, both my house and my person are totally unscathed.
Expect something a bit less brief regarding the final few days of my last Australian jaunt in the next day or two.
I should report that despite large typhoons and some of the worst quakes in years, both my house and my person are totally unscathed.
Expect something a bit less brief regarding the final few days of my last Australian jaunt in the next day or two.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Landed Down Under
Well, after a few days back in the country, I have to admit that it feels good to return. Even if the weather has spontaneously decided to piss down rain all day. I am a little surprised as to how much has changed at work since last time I was here (this time last year). I guess a lot can happen to a large property development in that kind of time-frame. It will certainly look impressive upon completion.
In true Japanese company fashion, I landed Friday morning and (barring a minor incident involving my girlfriend's car, a hill and a towtruck) headed straight into the office. It turns out that despite the fact I was tired as hell (I lack the ability to sleep well on planes - managing to get 3-4 hours only that night) I had timed the return well - work was throwing a party for a couple of staff who were leaving that afternoon. So, after a few hours of catching up with all the staff during work time, I spent a few hours catching up with my Australian beer consumption and attending a barbeque on the verandah at work. Good stuff.
All this of course, paled in comparison to my Saturday. After being suitably impressed by Lady E's (my GF's mother) new apartment on the river in Bris Vegas and catching up with Lauren in the City, Kat and I watched Shaun of the Dead at the Myer Centre Cinemas headed out to party at the Geekhouse. I must admit, that I was suitably impressed by the film. In many ways, I would describe it as an English cousin of the utterly fantastic and generally underrated Australian movie Undead. If you get the chance, check it out.
Anyway, as predicted, it was a great night, full of alcohol, conversation, Soul Calibur 2 and the occasional bit of controversy (as well as several conversations about vaginas). It was great to catch up with all the guys after so long - I should try to do so more often in the future. At some stage, I might put a photo or two up. I'll see how I go.
The next day, armed with a slightly queasy stomach and a greater knowledge of cervixes and thrush, Kat and I hung around to watch Dawn of the Dead (another great zombie movie, although I must admit that I preferred Shaun of the Dead myself). Once the credits had rolled, and John carelessly sacrificed a beer to the footpath, we did some shopping in Queen Street and headed back home.
Sometime during the night, a stupid amount of rain arrived, saturating everything in sight and making my day at the office a little less interesting, with luck it will let up soon, but I believe it is forecast to stick around for a while. Still, regardless of the weather, it's great to be back on the Gold Coast, if only for a few more days.
In true Japanese company fashion, I landed Friday morning and (barring a minor incident involving my girlfriend's car, a hill and a towtruck) headed straight into the office. It turns out that despite the fact I was tired as hell (I lack the ability to sleep well on planes - managing to get 3-4 hours only that night) I had timed the return well - work was throwing a party for a couple of staff who were leaving that afternoon. So, after a few hours of catching up with all the staff during work time, I spent a few hours catching up with my Australian beer consumption and attending a barbeque on the verandah at work. Good stuff.
All this of course, paled in comparison to my Saturday. After being suitably impressed by Lady E's (my GF's mother) new apartment on the river in Bris Vegas and catching up with Lauren in the City, Kat and I watched Shaun of the Dead at the Myer Centre Cinemas headed out to party at the Geekhouse. I must admit, that I was suitably impressed by the film. In many ways, I would describe it as an English cousin of the utterly fantastic and generally underrated Australian movie Undead. If you get the chance, check it out.
Anyway, as predicted, it was a great night, full of alcohol, conversation, Soul Calibur 2 and the occasional bit of controversy (as well as several conversations about vaginas). It was great to catch up with all the guys after so long - I should try to do so more often in the future. At some stage, I might put a photo or two up. I'll see how I go.
The next day, armed with a slightly queasy stomach and a greater knowledge of cervixes and thrush, Kat and I hung around to watch Dawn of the Dead (another great zombie movie, although I must admit that I preferred Shaun of the Dead myself). Once the credits had rolled, and John carelessly sacrificed a beer to the footpath, we did some shopping in Queen Street and headed back home.
Sometime during the night, a stupid amount of rain arrived, saturating everything in sight and making my day at the office a little less interesting, with luck it will let up soon, but I believe it is forecast to stick around for a while. Still, regardless of the weather, it's great to be back on the Gold Coast, if only for a few more days.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
Live from Narita International Airport!
I have nearly an hour to kill before my flight, but I daresay this will be a brief post. I don't really have a great deal to say. I must admit, I was suprised how quiet Narita was tonight, I guess late flights on weeknights tend to attract less passengers. I prefer it like this. I think Japan would be utterly wonderful if half the people here migrated. To the moon. Permanently. Cut down all the crowds and lines and congestion, and this place would go off like a punk rock frog in a polka-dot sock.
I was actually expecting to be a little more enthused about this trip, but right now I am a bit sleep-deprived (something that won't improve on the plane - at least I have an exit row seat) and I know that I have to work at least half a day tomorrow, regardless. Still, it will be good to be back on Aussie soil for a few days.
Well, I think I might go and play with my laptop and update the tracks on my MP3 player before I board.
I'll see a few of you in the next few days.
I was actually expecting to be a little more enthused about this trip, but right now I am a bit sleep-deprived (something that won't improve on the plane - at least I have an exit row seat) and I know that I have to work at least half a day tomorrow, regardless. Still, it will be good to be back on Aussie soil for a few days.
Well, I think I might go and play with my laptop and update the tracks on my MP3 player before I board.
I'll see a few of you in the next few days.
John Denver Style
Well, in the next 12 hours I will be leaving, and it shall be on a jet plane. I managed to endure the crowded train journey to work with my suitcase and laptop in tow. I am forever thankful that God blessed me with a penis, and consequently the ability to travel for 10 days with relatively little luggage. The people on the train were probably happy about it as well - the luggage part, I mean.
So, here I am, sitting at my desk tying up the numerous loose ends that need to be dealt with before I go away. Boy, I can't wait until I have my own secretary.
As for my travel plans - (for those who actually read this blog) - I will be at the Geekhouse in Briz Vegas from 6.30 on Friday, armed with a plethora of Pocky. John and the boys (bless their little hearts) have gone to the trouble of throwing some kind of hoe-down together for me, and I am greatly looking forward to it. Pizza, Beer and Soul Calibur. Ahhh... the memories.
I'm sure at some stage in there, I will actually have to go to work and do all that kind of thing, but I intend to make the most of this little company-funded trip.
I have made prior mention of the demolition work going on over the road, and they are really getting stuck into it now, what used to be a fairly normal looking office building is now resembling a bomb site. If I remember, at lunch time I will snap a photo of it and post it - I would do so now, except that I think my bosses would get wise the fact that all this busy typing has approximately zero to do with my job.
Oh well. I suppose I should get back to my loose-end-tying.
Look forward to the next post, as it will be from Australia! Woo! (Ok, I know that makes absolutely no difference to the reader, but hey, I don't care.)
So, here I am, sitting at my desk tying up the numerous loose ends that need to be dealt with before I go away. Boy, I can't wait until I have my own secretary.
As for my travel plans - (for those who actually read this blog) - I will be at the Geekhouse in Briz Vegas from 6.30 on Friday, armed with a plethora of Pocky. John and the boys (bless their little hearts) have gone to the trouble of throwing some kind of hoe-down together for me, and I am greatly looking forward to it. Pizza, Beer and Soul Calibur. Ahhh... the memories.
I'm sure at some stage in there, I will actually have to go to work and do all that kind of thing, but I intend to make the most of this little company-funded trip.
I have made prior mention of the demolition work going on over the road, and they are really getting stuck into it now, what used to be a fairly normal looking office building is now resembling a bomb site. If I remember, at lunch time I will snap a photo of it and post it - I would do so now, except that I think my bosses would get wise the fact that all this busy typing has approximately zero to do with my job.
Oh well. I suppose I should get back to my loose-end-tying.
Look forward to the next post, as it will be from Australia! Woo! (Ok, I know that makes absolutely no difference to the reader, but hey, I don't care.)
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
ANOTHER Trip to Australia?
You heard it here first folks, not only will Australia be once again blessed by my presence from the 15th-24th of this month, but I'll be back in early December too!
At this stage, I have no dates, but I need to be in attendance at a Board Meeting on the 2nd and 3rd of December. It is pretty likely I will fly in on the 1st and back out on the 5th, but that all has to be sorted out. Either way, I should have a free Saturday night in there somewhere...
Two trips in such a short span of time. My, Australia. Aren't you lucky!!
At this stage, I have no dates, but I need to be in attendance at a Board Meeting on the 2nd and 3rd of December. It is pretty likely I will fly in on the 1st and back out on the 5th, but that all has to be sorted out. Either way, I should have a free Saturday night in there somewhere...
Two trips in such a short span of time. My, Australia. Aren't you lucky!!
Saturday, October 09, 2004
It's Official. Japan is Trying to Kill Me.
As uncharacterstic as it is for me to post outside of work hours, I have a couple things to mention to the world, and a whole lot of free time in which to do it.
Firstly, allow me to address the attempts on my life:
Earthquakes - quite frankly, as someone who is not used to seismic activity, these things freak me right the hell out. The other night there was a relatively large one, it rated a 5.8 at the epicenter ( a few hundred k's away), but did an adequate job of shaking my room and knocking one or two things off my shelves. Of course, when you are lying in bed, trying to get some sleep and forces of nature are throwing your shit on the floor it doesn't bode well for a good night's sleep.
The other, more recent (and particularly overt) attempt will occur today, as Typhoon Ma-On (a category four typhoon) sweeps through Japan. Reportedly, the strongest typhoon in a decade. Whoopee. Category four is sign blowing over, roof tearing kind of wind, so that is going to be fun for all concerned.
Stupid weather.
To make matters worse, the typhoon has DIRECTLY caused my social events for both this evening, and tomorrow night, to be cancelled. Bastard.
Speaking of social events, Belinda, Takuto and myself went out for a few beers after work last night (I forget how many a few equals, but it was a repectably large number). Not content to merely eat and drink, we went to a bar and played some pool - which was great except for the fact that Belinda and I are inept at the game, and Takuto, well, isn't. Regardless, a fun time was had by all and I made it home on the last subway train.
In other news, my trip to Australia is CONFIRMED for the 14th to the 24th. I arrive in Brisbane about 7.30 am on the 15th and will fly out around 8.30 on the 24th.
I will try to catch up with as many people as possible while in town, but with at least one party and a possible visit to the Indy, I can't promise anything. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in this area, assuming I am not buried under debris or blown away before then...
Firstly, allow me to address the attempts on my life:
Earthquakes - quite frankly, as someone who is not used to seismic activity, these things freak me right the hell out. The other night there was a relatively large one, it rated a 5.8 at the epicenter ( a few hundred k's away), but did an adequate job of shaking my room and knocking one or two things off my shelves. Of course, when you are lying in bed, trying to get some sleep and forces of nature are throwing your shit on the floor it doesn't bode well for a good night's sleep.
The other, more recent (and particularly overt) attempt will occur today, as Typhoon Ma-On (a category four typhoon) sweeps through Japan. Reportedly, the strongest typhoon in a decade. Whoopee. Category four is sign blowing over, roof tearing kind of wind, so that is going to be fun for all concerned.
Stupid weather.
To make matters worse, the typhoon has DIRECTLY caused my social events for both this evening, and tomorrow night, to be cancelled. Bastard.
Speaking of social events, Belinda, Takuto and myself went out for a few beers after work last night (I forget how many a few equals, but it was a repectably large number). Not content to merely eat and drink, we went to a bar and played some pool - which was great except for the fact that Belinda and I are inept at the game, and Takuto, well, isn't. Regardless, a fun time was had by all and I made it home on the last subway train.
In other news, my trip to Australia is CONFIRMED for the 14th to the 24th. I arrive in Brisbane about 7.30 am on the 15th and will fly out around 8.30 on the 24th.
I will try to catch up with as many people as possible while in town, but with at least one party and a possible visit to the Indy, I can't promise anything. Stay tuned for more exciting developments in this area, assuming I am not buried under debris or blown away before then...
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Two Trees Do Not Constitute a Political Issue
I have no problem with the fact that, at times, I come accross as as insenstive arsehole. Which is why, I don't mind broadcasting my opinion of this article over the Internet. For those of you too lazy to click the link:
Trees on Latham walk 'to be felled'
October 07, 2004
THE giant Tasmanian trees visited by Opposition Leader Mark Latham would be destroyed within months under Prime Minister John Howard's forestry plan, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
"The 83m-high Gandalph's Staff in the Tolkien Forest, along with the Cave Tree which can accommodate 30 people in its hollow, will be a pile of woodchips," Senator Brown said.
Bob Brown, is attempting to make some kind of political issue over a pair of (albeit large, and undoubtedly picturesque) trees. It is narrow-minded thinking like this that really makes me wonder how the Greens have enjoyed their recent upswell in popularity. Let's think, for a moment, what these trees have done for education, health care or national defense. Oh, that's right! Not a goddamn thing! If the area that they grew in was of any national significance, it would have been labelled accordingly, probably long before Howard's reign began.
Granted, they may bring in a few tourism dollars here and there, but let's look at the bigger picture here folks, what kind of party can base a political argument on the continued existence of a pair of trees? Do I inherently WANT them to be woodchipped? No. But using their imminent destruction in a political point-scoring move is stupefyingly, brain-sizzlingly, cross-eyed-insectly retarded.
The election is on Saturday Bob. If you are going to get into political arguments, can you please make sure they pertain to something of, at least, marginal importance. I hear a lot of people are interested in going to school and recieving health care. Why don't you try those issues for starters.
Trees on Latham walk 'to be felled'
October 07, 2004
THE giant Tasmanian trees visited by Opposition Leader Mark Latham would be destroyed within months under Prime Minister John Howard's forestry plan, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
"The 83m-high Gandalph's Staff in the Tolkien Forest, along with the Cave Tree which can accommodate 30 people in its hollow, will be a pile of woodchips," Senator Brown said.
"These 500-year-old trees which were given nationwide publicity when the Opposition Leader visited the Styx Valley, north-west of Hobart, are due to be cut down this financial year and will be if John Howard wins on Saturday."
He said the trees and the wildlife they harboured were national heirlooms.
"Their safety is in the hands of every voter," Senator Brown said."
Bob Brown, is attempting to make some kind of political issue over a pair of (albeit large, and undoubtedly picturesque) trees. It is narrow-minded thinking like this that really makes me wonder how the Greens have enjoyed their recent upswell in popularity. Let's think, for a moment, what these trees have done for education, health care or national defense. Oh, that's right! Not a goddamn thing! If the area that they grew in was of any national significance, it would have been labelled accordingly, probably long before Howard's reign began.
Granted, they may bring in a few tourism dollars here and there, but let's look at the bigger picture here folks, what kind of party can base a political argument on the continued existence of a pair of trees? Do I inherently WANT them to be woodchipped? No. But using their imminent destruction in a political point-scoring move is stupefyingly, brain-sizzlingly, cross-eyed-insectly retarded.
The election is on Saturday Bob. If you are going to get into political arguments, can you please make sure they pertain to something of, at least, marginal importance. I hear a lot of people are interested in going to school and recieving health care. Why don't you try those issues for starters.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
I Love My Work.... for a change
It's official, I am the happiest I have ever been while on the job. Why? Am I bipolar? No!
Am I getting a business trip back to the Gold Coast from the 14th to 24th of this month?
Much more likely.
The kicker? It may become a bimonthly ritual, as Mr. O feels there is a need for someone to make regular visits to our Aussie operation, and 'someone', in this case is 'me'.
Fucking brilliant. I never thought it was physically possible to be THIS happy about work.
Am I getting a business trip back to the Gold Coast from the 14th to 24th of this month?
Much more likely.
The kicker? It may become a bimonthly ritual, as Mr. O feels there is a need for someone to make regular visits to our Aussie operation, and 'someone', in this case is 'me'.
Fucking brilliant. I never thought it was physically possible to be THIS happy about work.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Sake, Sleeping and Shimokitazawa
As weekends go, my last one wasn't bad at all. Friday night was a bit milder than expected, as my plans for a night of drinking and playing pool with a Takuto and Belinda from work were postponed. However, this didn't stop me going to my local yakitori haunt and getting liquoured up on sake with a couple of the regulars.
Unfortunately, the weather changed for the worse over the weekend, and last weeks temperate, sunny days have been replaced by cold, wet and generally unpleasant rain. Being housebound, I attempted some cleaning, but spent most of my time either asleep or reading a book. I did venture out for my Japanese lesson, which was spent working my way through a few newspaper articles.
While that may sound like a pretty elementary thing to those of us from an English-speaking background - reading a newspaper here is a real pain in the arse. Positively infested with Kanji, it will be a few more months (at least) before I am tacking the local paper with any kind of gusto. Ah well.
Sunday was a fairly boring day, the night however was quite a lot of fun. It was Danielle's birthday, so I met her, Dawn along with a whole slew of other people that I had (but mostly hadn't) met before and we went to a bar in Shimokitazawa. Not just any bar, some kind of odd, under a tent, with a live classical guitarist and a double bass type bar. It was pretty funky, and after a few drinks everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time. Or maybe it was just me.
Either way, by the time we finished there, sang some karaoke and drank a little more - I was able to chalk it up as an overall fun experience. Shimokitazawa, while about an hour from my place, seems to have some pretty cool bars and restaurants. I may return at a future date to do a little selective sampling.
Unfortunately, the weather changed for the worse over the weekend, and last weeks temperate, sunny days have been replaced by cold, wet and generally unpleasant rain. Being housebound, I attempted some cleaning, but spent most of my time either asleep or reading a book. I did venture out for my Japanese lesson, which was spent working my way through a few newspaper articles.
While that may sound like a pretty elementary thing to those of us from an English-speaking background - reading a newspaper here is a real pain in the arse. Positively infested with Kanji, it will be a few more months (at least) before I am tacking the local paper with any kind of gusto. Ah well.
Sunday was a fairly boring day, the night however was quite a lot of fun. It was Danielle's birthday, so I met her, Dawn along with a whole slew of other people that I had (but mostly hadn't) met before and we went to a bar in Shimokitazawa. Not just any bar, some kind of odd, under a tent, with a live classical guitarist and a double bass type bar. It was pretty funky, and after a few drinks everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time. Or maybe it was just me.
Either way, by the time we finished there, sang some karaoke and drank a little more - I was able to chalk it up as an overall fun experience. Shimokitazawa, while about an hour from my place, seems to have some pretty cool bars and restaurants. I may return at a future date to do a little selective sampling.
