Life in reverse

I was looking to see how other people did page counters and kept on hitting the "Next Blog" icon. Took me hours cos there were some really "interesting" ones and felt obligated to at least read some of them, seeing as I was pillaging their blog for information. Most of them had lots of angst and pain in them but you get the odd humourous one, like this one http://thedirtylawyer.blogspot.com. It's really quite funny. A bit self-centric (said the kettle) but then, what is a blog supposed to be, eh? Anyway, I got to thinking. These blogs have links to previous blogs but in reverse order, so for me to read one's blog, I was traversing it backwards chronologically. Kind of weird. Would have been a better experience going the other way. Or maybe there is a setting somewhere which I havent figured out yet. Kind of like Memento, the movie.


Speaking of which, I was driving past Ivanhoe and was tempted to stop at one of the 2 local Japanese restaurants which I use to patronise, on a semi-regular basis. I hadnt been there for like almost 10 years. The last time I got stuff there was quite eventful. It was almost 3pm and I hadnt had breakfast nor lunch. So I walked in and ordered the chicken tonkatsu. Lady goes into the kitchen and said very politely, "Sorry, we dont have any more of that", I pointed to another dish, "Sorry again". This was repeated a few times and finally I gave up and said, "What do you have?". She looked really embarassed and said, "My husband (the cook), doesnt want to sell you anything". WHAT!?! WHY?!? "Because he saw you buying sushi from the other Japanese restaurant and he is a very proud man". HOLY COW! Anger, humour, hunger, humiliation and disbelief alternately coarsed through my head. I thought these sort of stuff only happened to stand-up comedians. I didnt know what to do. Laugh, cry, rant. In the end, I just sort of mumbled "Uh, huh" and shuffled out of the place, trying to digest what the schmoook had just taken place. Anyway, I didnt stop and promptly drove past. I wonder if they're still there.

Closer?

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder", they say. I think there is some truth to this *but* there comes a point in time where the other proverb kicks in, which is "Out of sight, out of mind". When does this take place? I dont know but I hope it's soon (no visions of "Love in the Time of Cholera" happening, in case you were wondering.... heh, heh). I wonder how many adages (is there another word for these?) contradict each other. eg. A rolling stone gathers no moss versus Nothing ventured, nothing gain. Hey.... isnt google wonderful... Lookee here. By the way, they also say 'Sports keep you fit'. So take everything 'they say' with a pinch of salt. "Absinthe makes the mind go yonder". Errr... I made this up all by myself.



Poor Kylie. Hope all will be well soon. I really do. There is a plaque in the local library that said she donated some money to it back in the early 80s. And poor Doug Wood. Sandro reckons that it is a good sign that they shaved his head cos if they wanted to behead him, it would have been easier with hair (ie. something for the executioners to hold on to. Gruesome? I know.) and they know this. Hence, no hair means beheading unlikely. Schappelle? Channel 9 had some TV audience poll and via that worm thingy (viz the federal elections), the audience think she's innocent. They should trial cases like this I reckon. And God, if you're reading this blog, make it rain soon.

I'd borrowed Closer on DVD. What a brutal movie. I felt emotionally quite raw after watching it. It was quite an OK movie but it was pretty savage. All the characters were so deeply flawed, just like in real life. Reminded me a little of The Ice Storm, though it is nothing like it. Probably from the harshness of the potrayals.

Also went for this German movie with Simon called 'The Edukators' at the Como. What a badly laid out building. As the Chinese say, 'Very bad Feng Shui'. The cinema has been recently refurbished. Really posh toilets though. Anyway, in the movie, the female character had a car accident with a Euros$100k Merc and being uninsured, all her waitressing salary goes towards paying off the owner, who has 3 other posh cars. And this brought back some unpleasant memories. In August 2002, travelling on Barkers Rd towards the city, approaching the Barkers and Auburn Road traffic lights, I noticed this car on the perpendicular road to my left gently move. Being green for me, I made no big attempt to slow down and then to my horror, I realised it was not just a slight roll of that car. As it approached me, I decided to accelerate and remember thinking to myself, "I think we'll *just* miss each other". On impact, my Forester did a 180 degree turn and when I stopped I was on the other lane facing the direction I came from. Very luckily there was no traffic, otherwise, it would have been like being in a pinball machine. The front panel, the passenger door and the back passenger side door was damaged. That's right. Smack bang, dead center! I dont see how I could ever have thought we'd miss each other. Anyway, she was a P-plater and she had been on the phone with her mother and being distracted, ran the red light. It was only days later when I realised that if I *hadnt* accelerated when I did, I'd have probably killed her as I'd have hit her Colt side on, on the driver side, at 60km/h. This way, she hit *me* side on, on my passenger side. I still shudder when I think of this. I dont know how I'd have coped if I'd killed someone, and I dont even like the taste of most hard liquors. Kahlua is ok, Baileys? Bottom line, she was uninsured. I dont think her parents were very well off either (I had to give her a lift home as her car was non-functional). AAMI took care of the repairs and as I understand it, it was around $12000. I wonder how long it took her to pay it off.

And in the end, I did get some Tori tickets, off eBay. What a thrill. I think I enjoyed the buying process more than the concert. My adrenalin was still pumping 30 mins after the event. They were pretty good seats, Row C, dress circle. The concert was a little disappointing. It'd have been better if she worked the crowd a bit more. But it was just play the piano, sing, applause, lights on. Liesl reckons it's cos I hadnt been listening to her new album frequently enough. Sigh, maybe she's right, but I dont think so. I did quite liked her version of "Cant Get You Out of My Head". I rate the concert about 75/110. Meaningless, but I thought the Cat Empire concert was more fun.

Adventure? Friend rang me Friday night cos her door lock broke and she had no phone, coins etc.... so had to scoot over there. Man, I was already tired after having just ridden home against a head wind and it was *cold*, temperature wise. Anyway, rang the locksmith and $132! just to get in. A lot I thought, initially. He turned up at 10pm and left at 1130pm!!! Not much finesse, more brute force and he had the Sex and the City theme as his mobile ringtone. Not very macho. He had to break the door handle, left a little damage on the door frame but we got in, eventually. Sigh.

Bis spater.

Da blues

Hmmm... First Paul Hester, now Rene Rivkin. I dont remember this many high profile suicides so close together. Must have been really disturbed to want to do that, especially with Paul as he had 2 young children. I wonder if one "inspired" the other. It's quite sad. And then, we let the darkness creep in.

Funnily enough, a week after my bicycle "time trial", I am still not fully recovered. My quads feel quite fatigued. It was *really* easy to talk myself into taking the train into work instead for the week. I didnt expect such a level of exhaustion, but it's pretty obvious if I really think about it.


Liesl's talked me into accompanying her to go see Tori Amos. $110 + b/fee!!! For this money, I'm expecting to be let into her dressing room. Good thing I was asked to work this weekend. This will pay for the ticket, just. Now the only other problem is getting some tickets. They're all sold out. Heh.
Am furiously listening to Tori's new album so I will be familiar with the new stuff, in case she plays it. Despite her (Tori's) protestations, some of these songs remind me a lot of Kate Bush. I quite like the title track, "The Beekeeper".

I'd bought a birthday present for a friend. But embarassingly enough, the item has not arrived in time for the event. So it'll have to be a belated birthday present. Just have to stall the presentation. What is it? It's an anagram of "ME PAL PRY 3?". Heh... how appropriate, eh? Intially, I was going for a beanie copter but I had no idea how hard it is to find one in Melbourne. Plus for some unknown reason, she guessed it?!? I dont remember ever telegraphing this information, and she did remark that it wont fit under her motorbike helmet anyway. Which begs the question, why arent there any motorbike helmet copters? I wonder if there is a market for this out there. If anything, it'd be *so* cool.

Ah well... such is life.

April, April

Funny how so many months names are also contemporary girl's names. April, May, June. Dont know anyone with those names personally but I do know an Augusto.

Anyway, April has been pretty hectic physically and emotionally. Good sleep has not been forthcoming :-( I become conscious at about 5am-530am and there is not enough time to get quality sleep and too much time to just get up and hang around. Maybe that's why my hair is falling out.


I see Schapelle is still knee deep in it. Despite the high profile of this case in the media, I see 9 geniuses decided to try their luck as well.
Quote from http://theage.com.au/articles/2005/04/29/1114635751856.html
"""
Czugaj said he did not know what was in the packages that were strapped to his body. "I didn't have a clue. I had no idea of what it was. They still didn't tell us," he said. "I thought it might have been the ingredients to make drugs or something like that. I didn't think it was heroin. Stupid me."
"""

Stupid? Let's see. Some stranger in a foreign country wants you to strap items around your body in order to conceal it. It might be that I'm paranoid but I would be *freaked* out! Stupid? Moronic, more like. What's more is that they were only paid $5000 + the air tickets. AUD$5000!?!

And what of this "mastermind" the media keeps referring to (one of the 9 arrested). What mastermind would board the same plane as his mules? If I was the mastermind, I would be back in Australia somewhere, untraceable, laughing my head off.

Anyway, locally, have been to a few events.
Shows - Maria Bamford (was ok. Thought it was going to be stand up. Pretty funny still.), Cruel and Tender (too complex for me. Couldnt get into it. Had some extra tickets for some friends but they never showed! Hi M.), Cat Empire (this was fun. Bought their new CD at the venue). Had a spare ticket here but couldnt even give it away.

Movies - The Sea Inside (I liked it), Interpreter (Nicole's hair irritated me to the point of distraction. That woman cannot act. Nice smile though.), Young Adam (was ok, bleak, depressing, futile, like most movies from Scotland, and as in most of his movies, you get to see Ewen's Schwanstuecker.).

Am not normally this active, just an anomaly. Sigh.

Have continued cycling to work. I finally got around to installing the cycle computer I bought. It's a curse. I keep timing myself based on the previous day's ride. My best average speed travelling on the Gardiners Creek bike trail, from Toorak Road, all the way to Swanston St, is 27.8km/h. Try as I may, I cannot break this. I think it's the bike that's holding me back. :-)

Hopefully, May will be kinder to me (and less hectic).