TTFN....

I understand about indecision, but I don't care if I get behind. People living in competition, all I want is to have my peace of mind. - Boston, Peace Of Mind

Hey everyone,
Off to Queensland in a bit. Writing this before I pack my lappy off. I know it's just for a week, but it's amazing how your mind associates an act with a feeling. In a sentence, packing makes me sad. So many associations...associations of leaving behind used-to-be loved ones, current loved ones- family, close friends, dogs, home... association of moving on, starting a new chapter, leaving behind lives. The act of packing evokes this for me. It doesn't matter that I'm only going away for a week to another 'section' of Australia, the doing rules the mind. If you get what I mean. Almost like how my dog Pluto whines everytime I bring out my big suitcase. Really. (Also it doesn't help that I'm listening to 'Classic Love-Songs' on WSFM!!)
Well wish me luck. I kinda need it. Those still in Oz, call me!! Last I checked, Brisbane is still in Australia. Which means my phone will still be working if..... *gasp* Charger!! (Lin runs off to pack charger in bag). *phew*.... The wonders of blogging.
Okay... Check on how I'm doing if u're bored. Results will be updated daily on this LINK
And cheer us on! UNSW Ladies lost the title last year, and our first seed is in China training for the Olympics so we're not in the best of form, but we're keeping our fingers crossed.
Adios amigos, if no internet at hotel, it'll probably be quiet here for the next week. But feel free to comment/email and i'll get back to u when I get back to you. :)

Poker Schmoker

Don't you draw the Queen of Diamonds, boy, she'll beat you if she's able. You know, the Queen of Hearts is always your best bet. - The Eagles, Desperado


Now would be a good time to introduce everyone to my brother.

Dearest Ko,
One-on-one showdown tonight, Went ‘all in’ with a Jack-King advantage over a Jack-10. The 10 appeared on The River!! What are the odds?!! And then there were the two 5’s, the 3rd appearing on the river as well. It’s a blue moon here in Sydney.

Something like 2%. That lucky bastard! I went in with snowmen but got beaten by 8-10 suited last night.

Ah yes. Snowmen made an appearance here too. In all fairness, we all had our moments. Full houses did it for me tonight. First time attempting no-limit, Last Man Standing. FUN.

Expensive, no? I suppose it wasn’t in ₤ so it would have been less painful.

Potentially, yes. But we only did $2 bets. Some of us are still STUDENTS. I told them you discovered my ‘tell’, (& that I have one). I felt scrutinized after that.
I also realize I commentate too much. I think I got that from you.

Use it to your advantage. Patience young Lin-akin. One cannot be a jedi in a day.

Yes Master Leong-Kenobi. Jedi is good. Rich jedi is better!

Best Before 2026

It's better to burn out, than to fade away. -Neil Young, My My, Hey Hey
As I opened the packet of 'Kasugai Roasted Green Peas' today, my eyes drifted to the 'ingredients' table behind as an attempt to check if they put green colouring in green peas these days. Instead, what caught my eye was the unexpected expiry date...

BEST BEFORE 06.01.26

Obviously, the possibility of them reversing the typical 'day' and 'year' sequence came to mind. But imagine. 2026. 20 years from now. I can't even imagine 10 years, let alone 20. Will a 43 year old Faz still be ringing me up going "hey ass!" (Or even better, Steve going "fuckyyyyy!!!") Will I be babysitting baby donkeys, llamas, wombats, lizards, piglets, ostriches? Will I be.....blogging?! Or will the Blogger world face the same fate as the Death Star. I know to some, the future scares/depresses you. Me, it just makes me go........ Wow. I wonder.

Which brings me to my proposition. You know the so-called 'best before' date on my green peas pack? 6th January 2026. Write it down somewhere. (Like in that 20 year diary you keep by your side) On that day, send me an email, with this text (from this blog entry) attached to it with the words 'Lin, I remembered'... and your current address of residence. Wherever you are, I promise I'll reward you with something that was worth you remembering after 20 frikin years. Something big. By my standards. And that's real big.

Perhaps I'm doing this as an incentive to preserve the friendship I currently have with you people, who have made a difference. Perhaps I am just too bored. Perhaps I am hoping to amuse myself when I am 42 years of age and have exceeded MY 'best before' period. I don't know....

All because of a dratted packet of Kasugai Roasted Peas. Which, in case anyone is interested, DOES contain artificial colouring -(Tartrazine Yellow No.5 and Brilliant Blue No.1 FCF).

Befuddled

If we weren't all crazy we would go insane.

- Jimmy Buffett, Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

Adjective:

• perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
• confused and vague; used especially of thinking
• stupefied by alcoholic drink

Befuddled is the word of the month. Perfect to the last drop. I feel like I am sensitizing myself to the world and yet I feel numbness. 'Tis a funny feeling. A bit like an insect bite on your foot that you want to scratch so badly but when you finally scratch it, you don't feel it. Hmmm. Work is not that bad, but I am diving too deep in to everything and taking it all too seriously. Or am I? Actually, there is a shitload to do. I think It is just me attempting to pull a fast one on myself. Training is draining... hey that rhymes. 4 hours worth today. But I am getting use to the adrenaline that will be constantly pumping through my body for the next couplof weeks. Which is not good at bedtime. I need to find that off switch. Phonecalls at 4 a.m amuse me. I hope you enjoyed your dumplings. I also discovered that I really like the smell of Voltaren. Somebody kick me. I think I need to get the feeling in my fingers and the feeling in my toes back. Or see my German shrink again. Yes, befuddled is the word for September. Perfect to the last drop.

Will he wonk ya?

For who could hate or bear a grudge, Against a luscious bit of fudge?
-Augustus Gloop, Danny Elfman, from soundtrack of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.

This is way overdue. But I just had to...For those who haven't watched it, no big givaways or spoilers, I promise....

A review of the most recent Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie on the account of one who has read all of Roald Dahl's books, a few times through, one who has seen the old Charlie & the Chocolate Factory movie at least thrice and one who is an avid Tim Burton and Johnny Depp fan. This might mean I may be inclined to be biased...of course I'd love this, no? Well also note that expectations were high, so did the movie live up to it? :



The Goodstuff:
-I loved it that Fudge-mountain was depicted as in the book!! (something the old film lacked)
- Visually, it was stunning. Psychedelically bizarre.
- THE glass elevator! Somebody show me the set prototype!
- The surrealism and some might say 'fakeness' of the movie was exactly how I envisioned it to be from the book. I reckon Dahl is not your average kids-book writer. His wit and extremities make you doubt his true intentions ;)
-They say the movie lacked soul. I don't think that's the point of it. Roald Dahl is about wit and humour, not about tears and warm fuzzy feelings.
-Casting. Depp never ceases to amaze me. Highmore, I adored since his role as Peter in Finding Neverland.
-As I said, I love Tim Burton's work. I agree with the decisions he makes as a director. I can almost imagine him saying 'NO, the Oompa Loompah's will NOT be cute. Lets get Deep Roy (a somewhat awkward looking actor..did you know he had a small role in Return of the Jedi?!) and just multiply the fellow.
- The music, I particularly enjoyed. By Danny Elfman - who also did, check this out... music for The Simpsons, Men In Black, Batman Returns, Spider-Man, Desperate Housewives, Chicago...
- Roald Dahl's new lyrics to the Oompah Loompah songs. H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.

The Not-So-Goodstuff:
- Willie Wonka reminded me too much of a Michael Jackson spin-off at times.
-I felt the ending was a tad bit rushed. Could have made the film longer. Perhaps there were complications (kid's attention spans etc...blah, i don't know)
- The coat hangers, when they first entered the factory, were cooler in the first movie. (yes I notice the weirdest detail)
- I'm still not sure about the evil daddy dentist part. (SARUMAaaan) Will not give it away, but yeah....:)
- Tim Burton is a bit of a demented freak - I think smart kids will seriously be scared watching this show.

All in all, the squirrels, Oompahs breaking out in to song, an ode to Good Morning Starshine?!, The Buckets' house, Augustus Gloop, oh man.... What can I say, when Burton, Depp and Dahl collide, it'll be sinful NOT to watch this. Lin liked it. :)

Nazi Woman

Nazi woman nazi woman
Wiping up the floor
Nazi woman nazi woman
Going bout your chores

Nazi woman nazi woman
Have you no dream or goal?
Or do you derive pleasure, yelling at leisure,
When we pass you by at Coles?

Nazi woman nazi woman
Should I understand?
The pain you go through just to earn
A scanty sum in hand?

Nazi woman nazi woman
Rudeness is no excuse.
To transfer the weight of your broomstick
To someone else’s shoes

Nazi woman nazi woman
I guess I’ll never get it…
The hardship of your life,
That justifies this shit.

Nazi woman nazi woman
Enlightened me you have,
For what is pain in back…
compared to pain in ass?

Optimism is my best defense.

Optimism is my best defense.
- Rod Stewart, Baby Jane
Injured my lower left back during badminton training on Monday. GAHHHHHHHH
I know it could be worse, but for a moment this afternoon, or maybe even a few moments, I was frustrated....
I was in pain. Realized the injury was getting worse.
I couldn't bend down to pick up the milk let alone lift it out of the fridge.
I have a massive monster of an ass due Friday.
It dawned upon me that I might not be able to make it to the Australian Uni Games in Brisbane in 2 weeks.
The damn physio put me on hold and the on-hold music was crap.
A certain donkey was scaring the jeepers outta me by saying I might be paralyzed if I'm not careful..
I felt like a bloody grandmother.

And then, it got better...I got out of bed and said hello to the world. I put on some Simon and Garfunkel and bobbed to "I am a rock. I am an iiiiiiiisland." I received a parcel from my patron angel in Nottingham containing something that made me laugh out loud at the post office. (If you're reading this, you will not believe how brilliant your timing was. Truly touching. I will remember this.) Also the physio visit was positive. They said that with ample theraphy, drugs and stretching, I will make the 2 weeks deadline. For the moment though, I have to be a brussel sprout and lie in bed all day. Wheee.

Moral of the story? We're all gonna be bloody grandmothers before we know it. It's not fun. Be grateful if you're reading this with a fully functional body. At least you don't have to worry about whether you've misplaced your DENTURES or right eyeball just yet...

Now... to find a pain-less sleeping position. How tough can this life get? :)

Animania

I set my monkey on the log, and ordered him to do the Dog. He wagged his tail and shook his head, and he went and did the Cat instead. - Bob Dylan, I Shall Be Free #10

I've thrown myself deep with mucho passion in to this photography project working with the animals and keepers at Taronga Zoo and will be posting up some of my personal favourites here from time to time. I love it. And I almost feel attached to some of the animals... Anyone interested to come with me for my next visit? I would honestly be there everyday if I had the time. Just observing and shooting.
Managed to get behind the scenes with my 'final year uni student doing a big photo-journal project' status (hah) and a letter from the uni. Met some trainers, keepers, suffered an emu peck in the stomach, touched the biggest roach in the world, had a python wrap around my camera because apparently it was attracted to its texture, warmth and shine...it was awesome!

Most of all...the outcome of the photos have blown me away. I've been incredibly lucky in capturing some really good moments. Most are in black and white, based on tutor's advice and also personal preference. I just think they look better in B&W, with the random pin-hole effect that was created. (dodged sides)...
I've focused on 3 main themes, 'Animals in Captivity' - Shots of the animals and their expression and characteristics within their confined space, the 'Keeper-Animal Relationship' - self explanatory, and 'Observing the Observer' - the emotional relationship between the visitors and the animals.

Here are a few from 'Animals in Captivity' -








Here's one I thought worked better in colour :) :

Doctor, I can't frown.

If you smile at me I will understand, cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language. - Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Jefferson Airplane, Wooden Ships

This is in response to some of the somewhat cheeky comments posted up poking at the fact that I can't frown. For the record, I've been noted to crinkle up my forehead twice in my life. 2 TIMES. There was however no recording device available at the moment and I could not sustain it for more than a minute. So no evidence was documented... *mutter mutter*
But WHO WANTS TO FROWN ANYWAY??!!
Quote: Frowning causes your neck and facial muscles to tense up and this in turn reduces blood flow to the skin, which is in part responsible for causing facial lines and wrinkles prematurely.

Also, did you know that smiling requires a lot less effort and energy than frowning? It takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile. So why bother.....right?!?!

Fine fine, i'm just a little spiteful that I'm frown-stunted. But hey I do other things to express discontentment... like....yeah, jumping up and down on the spot. It's the exercise without the wrinkles.
Common guys, you can't believe how hard I've tried. *sniff* you don't know what it's like to not be capable of giving others dirty looks....

*side note: Sausages make you thirsty. Especially Steve's. (don't you reckon, Clara?) My mouth is stll dry from yesterday.

The struggle.

We're just lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year.
- Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here

Temptation to crumble
Strength? a fumble…

As the drizzle fizzles on the pane,
Thoughts stream through again
But end it will, just like the rain…
Till then, perhaps these nights will pass
Less and less questions I shall ask
Sanity I must sustain
Therefore this space from knowing, I will maintain.
I search for solace in its simplest form
So I can truly move on.
Yes I’ll attempt at this again
Yet I know that it will be in vain.

Truth lies in shadow, To be discerned only by sunlight as it travels across the sky, Shining from a variety of angles. This moment-to-moment sense of endless possibility is the basis for hope.

From time to time, of course, the fabric of hope is torn
And all we see is the blackness beyond.
By then, even booze does not respond…

Where have all the goodstuff gone.

See the tree, how big it's grown, But friend, it hasn't been too long... It wasn't big.
-Bobby Goldsboro, Honey
-Chirpy chirpy cheep cheep by M.O.T.R.
-You've got your troubles by the Fortunes
-Love Grows (Where my Rosemary Goes) by Edison Lighthouse
-Fool fool fool by Ray Brown
-Daddy don't you walk so fast by Wayne Newton
-Dream Lover by Bobby Darin

All were on my playlist tonight. Someone please tell me you've heard of at least some of 'em. I've always had trouble looking for folk who listen to as much old stuff as I do. Not just 'Platters/Elvis' oldstuff but those real classic rarities that are often overlooked...

I miss discussing music with my dad. He's a real connoisseur. Mumzee gets annoyed at the amount of old records we still have lying around. And considering the thinness of a record...you can imagine how many it'll take to cause a clutter.

It wasn't so much about the beat or the layers to the songs, back then. Well the genre of 60's classics I listen to aren't about that anyway. I'm sure there were alternatives around. It was about the sincerity of the presentation and the story it told. Also, a lot had to do with positive ideals. Truth! beauty! freedom! and above all things lurrrrve... :D It could just be a singer and his guitar... and you would be able to relate. It would be worth you saving up 2 dollars or so a week just to get that record of THAT song because it was YOUR song. What i'd give to go to a concert back in those days with 'em high-on-Beatles chicks.

Speaking of which, I went to see 'The Hollies' and 'Gene Pitney' when I was in Nottingham. Great stuff, especially the Hollies - excellent guitarist and lead vocals. (they were the ones who wrote He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother). Gene was a bit rusty, but the novelty itself more than made up for it. Also, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison first class impersonators in London which were both bravo. You see, as opposed to modern artists, these guys actually have a high standard to comply with, as these legends have established their music through decades. So it's almost always worth paying good money for. I remember having to forfeit a Manic St. Preachers concert and not eating out 2 weeks straight to make myself feel better about splurging on that Gene Pitney gig. :P

Amusing thing is, most of the time, i'm part of the 4% of the crowd who are under 25 years of age. Throw that in with the 2% who are ASIAN, that makes me...the only bloody 22 year old Asian in the crowd. Gee it feels great to be different. Bah.

You know that screechy version of 'Lonely' + rap, by Akon playing on the radios?

Here's something said by the original writer of the tune, Bobby Vinton....

"Why I wrote 'Mr. Lonely. I wrote that song while I was in the army. Still today I think it relates to a lot of G.I.s. It'll be around for a long time" -Bobby Vinton

Something to think about. Go download his version of it and tell me if you can feel the emotion oozing out of his words.... and if it touches you too. (LimeWire search: Bobby Vinton, Mr.Lonely) And that voice control.... That's quality for you...tsk tsk...tough to come about these days. That's why they have to let a frikin' chipmunk do it...

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees.

- Eric Clapton, Tears In Heaven

Frikin' 3 a.m in the frikin' morning and I can't bear to look at another plan, section, elevation, drainage diagram, yada. So I resorted to this. 15 minutes of blogging to stress release. Words have always been somewhat comforting to me. And I think I dosed on too much tea and dried fruit. My mouth feels like it's stuffed with tea leaves and soaked with raspberry cordial. blehhh....

Sometimes I curse the person who invented the concept of time. Meaning minutes and seconds in a day. Why do we have to frikin dissect every teeenyweeetle moment in to frames of tick tock tick tock tick tock just to stress ourselves out further. Grrrgh. Why can't we just leave it to the good ol' sun... It rise, we rise. It fall, we have dinner. Then everything in between, we make up along the way. Winter come, cold get-hungry-fast weather, sun set quicker, we can have dinner faster. see? It makes perfect sense. Grrrgh.

I got annoyed at Microsoft Powerpoint at Steve's just now for insisting to 'Americanly' change my 'colour' to 'color' every time I typed it out. And when I didn't obey, it messed up my slide colour coding by highlighting AND zigzagging it in RED. It was like saying to me...'THERE. Take That. Haaahaaaa, u can't do anything about it haaahaaaa, text all red and squiggly now. haaaahaaa.' I know i know, I can change the settings. The point is, I was genuinely mad at it. It's been awhile since a program made me throw my hands up in the air saying "what's your frikin' problem, dude??"

Break over. Back to work. No time to lose. Time can make you frown. Time can be a tease.

What are you staring at, Elvis? I fed you this afternoon.

(Elvis is my pet axolotl. I have yet to reach the stage of 'seeing dead people...walking around like regular people'....)

A warm welcome to all you cool bananas..

I get high with a little help from my friends.

-The Beatles, A Little Help From My Friends

I have decided to make this blog fairly personal... I like to think that i have reasonable control over who reads the shit i put out . I mean, I've always been rather conscious when it comes to who was reading bubblog. I mean, i shouldn't really care. There's nothing too revealing in it anyway. Not that I've got anything to reveal... Not that anyone really cares.

Oh. Except maybe the penis entry. That got a lot of people going "*gasp* Lin! U said penis in public!*" Well guess what....penispenispenis. There. You know, for those of u who remember that psychology course I took 2 years back...Psychobiol of Sex, Love and Attraction? They made everyone in lecture stand up and start and end conversations with the word 'penis'. So it was like "penis, hi, how are you today, penis? long time no see, penis." It was great. Takes away the taboo of the word which shouldn't really be there in the first place. Okay, maybe it's rude. But just because u use it in public, does that make you rude straight away? I meant, use the word 'penis', in public... Not the ...penis itself. Oh that would really be... quite rude...

...and then I stretched...

No matter what you do, you'll never run away from you.

- Paul Revere and the Raiders, Kicks -

Just got this pic back from Noosphere. I was a ridiculously cute kid. Somebody tell me otherwise. It's almost embarassing. Then again, I kinda wish I had stayed that way. I hope my kids get my dimples.

Clara Faz and Steve, I'll never hear the end of that kid video of me dancing with mucho passione~ will I? And dear John, may your lips be sealed about a certain recording of mine forever.

And yes, when I said this blog was gonna be more personal, I not only meant more exclusive, but literally more of myself and my life chucked in. What can I say, I learnt to love myself before I learnt to like others. But of course...I'm not one to neglect entertainment....

Maybe we're all Sellers...

You can't fight the tears that ain't coming, or the moment of truth in your lies. When everything seems like the movies, yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive. - Goo Goo Dolls, Iris

Today I watched the life and death of Peter Sellers with the bunch. I was tired as hell but I sat through the whole damn thing, engrossed. I was touched. The gentle sort. Not because it had a sad ending or that he died. It was because I understood. I understood how it must have felt to be an entertainer and to live and die for the sake of entertaining others until you lose control of your own life. And I emphatized. Reality becomes distorted and identity a question mark.

I am by no means comparing myself to Peter Sellers. I am just saying I could relate.

But just imagine if our lives were to go down a similar path. Imagine if we live and let die just to entertain, amuse, until you shut out your personality and your soul. What is identity anyway? So they say Sellers didn't have one, as his actions and attitude toward life revolved around his movie characters. But isn't that who we all are? A collage of influences, an epitome of variable characteristics. Perhaps the only thing we have that he doesn't, is control. Control over creativity, character, influence and lust. Perhaps he had too much creativity, character and lust that it couldn't help spilling out and taking over his actions. Perhaps he was possessed by himself. So who's our greatest enemy, now?

Love movies that spring thoughts and stuff.

And I've always been a Geoffrey Rush fan...

Jubilee Library

There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed. Some forever, not for better, some have gone and some remain.

- The Beatles, In My Life -

This was my college (Jubilee Campus) library building in Nottingham Uni. It's the coolest floating piece of timber I have ever come across. Below it is the massive duck pond which I frequented pretty much most evenings to feed 'em quackers. (I even knew the swans by name)
This is also where I spent my time so-called studying. The interior is a single lift running up the core, and a spiral ramp running through the building with bookshelves on either side. I frikin' miss the place. My brother made me promise to go back to the U.K to visit after I graduate. I'm psyched.

That's the way...

The future is so bright that I have got to wear shades.

- Timbuk 3, The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

AHhhhhhhhhh
This is more like it...
The freedom to write whenever I want to, without worrying about harassing people's mailboxes with 'em gawddang Friendster automated messages. This probably means more random info, write ups, photos, links, reviews... short posts, laments, anywhere, any time of the day. Yeeeehaaa...Let the B.S flow baby....

I like this. I like this so much youse cannot stop mese from liking it any more than I like this. I like this even before you read the words 'I like this'. I like this with so much liking of this that you cannot imagine how much I will not be like this, liking this. I like this ten times more than I like the fact that I am liking this. I like, THIS MUCH like this.

(inspired by the little thingimajibbery with bigeyes in Madagascar..)