Windows Bullshit

Ok, so I wasn't going to post anything today as I don't have much to say, but I saw this on Sharkatude and had to put it up - enjoy......

Beautiful People

"Beautiful people - you know the garden's full of furniture, the house is full of plants" - Australian Crawl

I'm on a psuedo-health-kick. I know that I can become healthier, fitter and feel better physically. I'm not over-weight for my height and age, but I've got a beer gut in training. My daily exercise currently consists of walking up and down 3 flights of stairs to my apartment and a 7 minute walk to and from the bus-stop. I'm generally short of breath when I get home each day, so I know I need to increase my fitness level. And I smoke. Problem is, I'm a lazy prick so I'm going to start by focusing on diet and tackle the other two issues later.

If you want to get rich quick - develop a diet, hire a well known celebrity to endorse it (it's what they're there for after all) and sell it to the weekly trash mags or current affairs programs. There are millions of diets out there (I haven't counted them personally) cashing in on people's desire to loose weight, get healthier and look more attractive. Most of these are genuinely good, healthy eating diets which, when combined with regular exercise, promote long-term health and weight loss. Then there are those quick-fix diets which promise 10kg weight loss in a month by eating nothing but celery and lettuce. Sure, they deliver what they promise, but are no good for your health or for long-term weight loss and fitness.

The driving desire behind the plethora of diets is society's idolisation of the body beautiful. Ask a person who has started a diet as to the main reason behind it and their answer will almost always be "to loose weight". We have become so conditioned to images of beautiful people that it has become an obsession. Girls want to look like super-models, boys want to look like athletes. Girls want to date boys who look like athletes, boys want to date girls who look like super-models. So we end up with a society that is too focused on image and what is on the outside and loose our individuality and what is on the inside. Certainly, the desire to improve one's fitness and health is an admirable one - the fact that your body changes, becomes more defined, slender or taut is side-effect. Unfortunately, it seems that the desire and the side-effect have become reversed for many. Ever been into a gym that didn't have mirrors?

Me, I'm not going on any set, formalised diet - I like a variety of foods. Instead I plan on eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting back on fat and carbs and eating smaller portions. I may try reducing my alcohol intake, but that is very unlikely ;)


Songs played while writing this entry:
"Bow River" Cold Chisel
"Californication" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Forever Now" Cold Chisel
"(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" Powderfinger
"When I Rock" Thomas Schumacher
"Skylined" The Prodigy
"W.M.A" Pearl Jam

I Want My M-Tv

Last night I attended a street party hosted by M-Tv for the winner presentation of the one80 project. It was a good night - laid back atmosphere, free beer, good music, diverse crowd. To entertain the crowd, a couple of bands and a dj played before and after the official presentations. I was fortunate enough (?) to obtain a VIP pass which gave me access to the after-party where the band members and celeb judges got to hang out.

One of the bands which played was Temper Trap, a band I'd not heard of before but, I was told, are tagged as "the next big thing". I enjoyed the set they played, it was tight, fresh and pumpin. After taking advantage of the open bar at the after party, I settled down on a couch to chat with a friend. We were seated by the pool tables and were just contemplating racking up the balls when the guys from Temper Trap came across and claimed the table. No biggie - we hadn't laid any claim to the table but it turned out that table was missing a few balls. My friend and I offered assistance in locating the displaced balls and were ignored. A few attempts at good-natured conversation making later, it was apparent these newly discovered rock gods had no interest in associating themselves with us lower forms of being. Eventually, the high-priests of rock gave up on locating the balls and commenced playing with the few they had found. My friend and I, having identified ourselves as unworthy, continued our conversation on the couch but soon relocated after our heads survived a couple of very close encounters with pool queues. Most people playing pool in a crowded environment have the social etiquette to politely ask people to step aside when they are in the way of their next shot. It would seem that our rock god friends had no need for such politeness.

It surprises me that a group of young aussie blokes at the start of their fame career show such disdain towards others. Certainly, society unjustifiably allows celebrities to abide by their own rules and regulations - but these guys were total no-ones in the not-so-distant past. How long does it take for the ego trip of fame to remove humility, decency, courtesy? Why do the ordinary folk of this world idolise people who demonstrate such low, inconsiderate, self-centred behaviour?

Temper Trap huh? Me thinks they've entered a different sort of trap. Good luck to 'em.


Songs played while writing this entry:
"Shoot to Thrill" AC/DC
"Last Exit" Pearl Jam
"Could Have Lied" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Blister in the Sun" Violent Femmes
"High Voltage" AC/DC
"Saturday Night" Cold Chisel
"Buddy Holly" Weezer
"New Years Day" U2
"Human Behaviour" Bjork

Aussie Aussie Aussie

"We are one, but we are many and from all the lands on Earth we come"
Unofficial Australian National Anthem

Yesterday was Australia day, a day to celebrate Australian colonisation and all things Aussie. It was a typical summer's day here in Sydney with blue skies, slight humidity and a pleasant harbour breeze. Myself and a few friends spent the day around Circular Quay and The Rocks taking in the festival atmosphere. There were FA/18's buzzing the skies, Red Berets parachuting over the bridge, bands, buskers and dj's scattered around the harbour and streets, ferry races and tall ships on the water and, of course, much beer flowing. And the Australian flag was being worn in a show of pride that I have never witnessed before.

Each summer, Triple J puts on The Big Day Out music festival. It tours the nation and New Zealand featuring leading Australian and international artists. In Sydney, the BDO is on the day before Australia Day and is a warm-up for the start of the long weekend. As such, the Australian flag is usually spotted among the mosh-pits and dance-floors of the festival. This year, in response to the race-riots of Cronulla, the BDO organisers requested that patrons leave their Aussie flags at home. The media naturally lurched onto this, dubbing the Australian flag "gang colors" in an attempt to stir the whole racism pot of hatred. Of course, Aussies being Aussies flooded the BDO grounds with Australia flags galore.

The spirit of defiance and national pride continued into Australia day with people of all cultural backgrounds sporting the Aussie flag in a show of unity. While the crowd at The Rocks was predominantly caucasian, there were Australians from all cultural backgrounds drinking and having a good time with their fellow residents. One of the friends I was with comes from a Sri Lankian background. Over a few beers, we discussed the cultural mix of the day and she advised that when she saw another person with dark skin they shared a glance of almost relieved recognition. It saddens me that one of my best friends felt that way, but placing myself in her shoes, I can fully appreciate why. We've all been in that situation where you feel like an outsider for some reason or another and all you hope for is a familiar face to put you at ease - someone else to share your discomfort. But the fact my friend should have to feel this way on a day to celebrate her country is a true shame. Our nation will never be truely united until we stop seeing colors, features and differences and start seeing people. And when that happens, what a truely great country we will be.

Happy Australia Day mate.



Songs played while writing this entry:
"It Doesn't Matter" Chemical Brothers
"All I Want is You" U2
"The Nosebleed Section" Hill Top Hoods
"Black" Pearl Jam
"No One Else" Weezer
"Loops and Tings" Jens
"Have a Drink on Me" AC/DC
"Polly" Nirvana
"Blister in the Sun" Violent Femmes
"Saturday Night" Cold Chisel
"Nightmare" Brainbug

I Love A Sunburnt Politician

Yet another hot, sunny summer's day. I have been missing summer badly. Normally, by this time of the year, we should have seen a bevy of 30oC+ days followed by 20oC+ nights... but not this year. Australia's weather has been, to put it bluntly, fucked up. In the past month the nation has seen snow, hail, floods, drought, bushfires, thunderstorms and heatwaves. Hell, throw in a plague of locust and all that is missing is a bunch of dudes on horses riding through the skies.

The BOM staff have advised that all this is not due to global warming, which I'd buy if it wasn't happening on a global scale. Everywhere around this fragile planet the weather has been unseasonable, unpredictable and generally unfriendly. Strange that a government funded body would play down the possibilities of the current weather trends being related to global warming.... being an election year and all.... When An Inconvenient Truth hit cinemas here, the government did its predictable thing and made like it was actually concerned with global warming. Of course, no real changes have been promised to be implemented until after the election. After all, why go spending money now to start fixing a problem which will impact current and future generations when you can use it for leverage?

Unfortunately, this is the start of 2 not-so-pleasant trends for 2007. 1 - unpredictable and possibly devastating weather patterns, and 2 - predictable and soul-devastating political spin. It will be a year of seeing farmers continuing to suffer from the drought, consumers paying increasingly higher prices for groceries and smiling politicians making empty promises.

Sometimes though, there is a glimmer of hope and goodness when someone (or something) puts their money where their mouth is. Woolworths has been running a series of adverts for the past year or so promoting themselves as major supporters of Australian farmers. Being the cynic that I am, these ads have left me cold as the majority of products sold in large supermarkets are imported or made from imported produce. And then Woolies had to go and launch National Drought Action Day - a day where all profits from all Woolworths stores nationwide will be donated to the Country Women's Association to support rural families struggling from the drought. Onya Woolies!



Songs played while writing this entry:
"Their Law" Prodigy
"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" De La Soul
"Here I Come (Drumapella)" CJD Project
"Amphetamine" Drax
"Come and Die" Therapy? & Fatal
"Once" Pearl Jam
"Gimme The Car" The Violent Femmes
"Seven Days & One Week (Club Mix)" B.B.E
"Scared (Scared of Tomorrow Remix)" Slacker

Easy Like A Sunday Morning

It's hot today - 36oC in Sydney town. I plan on doing nothing but sitting on my ass all day (tho I may jump in the pool for a bit). Tomorrow is Monday and I have a shit load of work to get through. I contemplate logging into work from home and getting some of the smaller, menial tasks done but I really can't face it on a hot, Sunday afternoon. This is my time, time to be me.



Last night I went with some friends to see Deja Vu which was not too bad. Nothing outstanding about it, but nothing much to dis-like either. I normally steer away from Hollywood blockbuster type movies, but I like Jerry Bruckheimer's movie style (Black Hawk Down is one of my favourite movies).

I downloaded the first season of Weeds yesterday and watched the first 3 episodes when I got home from the movies. This has become my favourite tv show for the moment, even though it's not being screened on television here currently. Channel 9 is going to screen the doco that Steve Irwin was filming when he was killed. It had to happen eventually. No, fuck that - they were going to do it eventually. There is no essential point or purpose behind the screening of this doco other than the exploitation of Steve's death. It's their marketing platform on this one. They are blatantly promoting it as the documentary Steve Irwin was filming when he died. I don't have the energy to do a full rant on this, it's too hot. I think one word sums it up - bullshit.

I also watched Wife Swap USA which I recorded while I was out. It is easy enough to write the show off as a trash reality program, but I see a lot more in it than 2 fast-fame seeking families embarrassing themselves in public. To me, Wife Swap provides an insight to the way people, families, relationships actually are. It also makes me question what sort of man I am, what sort of relationship I want and what I am looking for in a wife. Give it a chance, you may be surprised - I certainly was.

If anyone is actually reading this, perhaps you could help me out with a couple of issues I've experienced since creating this blog?

1. At the bottom of my template, I have installed a visit counter from Tiny Counter but as you can (or cannot) see, it does not display. Or does it? I can't see it in my browsers - both IE 7 and Firefox. Tiny Counter provides free, no conditions counters and has no real support desk so I'm shit outta luck. If you can see the counter or know of another free, no advertising required counter provider, please let me know.
   
   
2. The majority of my readers come from My Blog Log (hi guys and thanks for your visit!) which is a service I subscribe to. For some reason when I access http://www.mybloglog.com/, no page is displayed. However, if I change the URL to mybloglog.com, I can view the page, though without any formatting. Again, I have tried this in both IE7 and Firefox with the same result. I've emailed My Blog Log support but have had no response to date. Any ideas?

That's it for today - time to jump in the pool I think. Hope you have a pleasant and relaxing Sunday to recharge your batteries for another week.


Songs played while writing this entry:
"Re:Evolution" Shamen
"Breaking the Girl" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Dreamer" Living Joy
"Old Mother Reagan" Violent Femmes
"W.M.A" Pearl Jam
"Iris" Goo Goo Dolls
"Hot" Purveyors of Fine Funk
"Dub Plate Pressure Remix" Sniper feat MC GQ
"Yesterday" Guns N Roses

Variety show

I detest David Letterman. For me, he embodies all that is wrong with the USA and tipifies what non-Americans percieve Americans as being. Arrogant, self-centred, egotistical, shallow and just not funny. (Big generalisation there I know and no offence intended the good, honest folk who live in the USA - but really, your country's public image is letting you down bigtime. If you don't believe me, go ask a non-American who lives outside of the States what they really think of the USA.) Fortunately, I have been able to live in blissful ignorance of Letterman for the past few years as his show was relegated to a late-night timeslot well after I had gone to bed. But not tonight....

Most of the western world knows that a great man named Steve Irwin died last year in an ironically suitable accident. Steve left behind his pleasant wife and 2 children - Bindi and Bob. Unlike the respectful privacy that the media showed to Willy and Harry after the death of Dianna, the Irwins have been constantly in the spotlight since Steve's death. And Bindi has been the main focus. The media has been having a field day, helped greatly by the fact the Bindi has an overwhelming desire to take on her father's cause (noble) and keep both it and the family in the public eye. Problem is, Bindi is all of 8 years old and no 8 year old should get everything they want. Kudos to Terri for keeping it together and encouraging her child to persue her dreams - but for fuck's sake, she's just a kid. At the moment, the media is lapping it up while Steve's death is still fresh in the public's mind but sooner or later (and probably sooner), the media will find something else to pull at the public heartstrings and the crowds will start to thin at Australia Zoo. And where will that leave little Bindi? Thank God she has a family who loves her and will support her once the media has milked her for all she's worth.

So what does this have to do with Letterman? Tonight Channel 10 chose to screen Letterman during prime time purely because Terri and Bindi were appearing on his show. To maximise the heart-string pull and hype, 10 ran a heavy commercial campaign promoting the special event. As I mentioned earlier, Letterman is usually on at a late timeslot so most family types don't, or rarely, see his show. A lot of Australian families and kiddies would have tuned into 10 tonight to see Terri and Bindi and were subjected to 40+ minutes of mindless, humourless Letterman drivel as the Irwins were the last interviewees to appear on the show. I think a lot of families would have given up by the 20 minute mark, sent the kids to bed and switched over to the tennis.

If you break this saga down to a basic synopsis it would read as follows: Man dies, daughter has her heart set on continuing her father's legacy, mother allows daughter to do this, media seeks ratings so capitalise on the child's desire, public has an interest in the deceased's family so watch a 1 hour television show that has no more than 10 minutes of content they are actually interested in. Is there no depth too low that the media will stoop to in order to get ratings? Appears not.

RIP Steve.



Songs played while writing this entry:
"Breakfast at Sweathearts" Cold Chisel
"Nightmare" Brainbug
"Indifference" Pearl Jam
"Glorified G" Pearl Jam
"My Michelle" Guns N Roses
"Der Klang Der Familie" 3 Phase feat. Dr Motte
"Boss Dub" Shamen
"Ugly" Violent Femmes
"Immortality" Pearl Jam
"Under the Bridge" Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Have a Drink on Me" AC/DC
"Single" Everything But The Girl