aimyperson

Smoker

2009-02-11T12:13:38Z

Our neighbour is a smoker and his exhaled cigarette smoke often wafts into our apartment. Annoying, but I can live with it if it's not too frequent I suppose.
However what I can't live with is cigarette butts flicked onto my balcony and I've found three in the last few days. This is not cool.

Just now I smelt again that familiar odour and wanting to avoid more butts being thrown on my balcony I went out there to stop it.
My body was spoiling for a fight, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest ready to.. I don't know what.
At first I couldn't locate the smoker and I haven't been sure if it's no3 or no5 that's doing it. Above me I couldn't see anything, nor to the right.. but I stayed out there enjoying the nice breeze. Finally I saw movement to my right and the dark shadow of my neighbour skulked back into his own apartment.

A few things occurred to me to say but I held my tongue not wanting to appear as angry as I had been. Now I feel quite triumphant about my non-confrontation and as Scott is busy on Vent/ffxi I have to report my joy here. :)

Just a link

2009-02-06T00:03:26Z

Nassim Nicholas Taleb: the prophet of boom and doom
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/economics/article4022091.ece?print=yes&randnum=1233293019614

Actually I wonder how long that article will remain online in that particular place..

Ten

2009-02-03T13:09:49Z

This year's new Channel Ten promo's are nice. Stylistically they're getting it right.

Immediately Ten looks different to Seven and Nine, whose promo's are usually set on a beach with the local talent awkwardly throwing the channel logo to each other Brady bunch style.
But Ten have gone with an understated score to their ad and the stars are natural, identifiable and accessible even.

Even the title screens for what's coming up next are done well. Not new ideas but seen in a new medium.
A line traces underneath the words on screen and angles around particular letter's curves to point and move you to the time. Simple and memorable.
The lower, middle and upper parts of the screen which had been displaying what's on now, next and later, drop away to show you the face of the main character in the program you're currently watching.
That's a children's book style. And it really works.
It seems like Channel Ten's design department would be an interesting place to work.

The only fly in Ten's ointment is their news.. but I don't like any TV news really, maybe SBS whose news anchors are hot. Sandra Sully has helmet hair for frak's sake.. helmet hair!

Psychedelic Obama

2008-12-18T00:38:07Z

Perhaps reading the Australian Magazine contributed to my dream as it contained several articles about Obama.

I didn't remember having it until I sat on the end of my bed, stared into my eyes in the mirror and noticed just how glassy with sleep they were.
And I got the image of sitting on some stone steps with Jess. The steps led down into some shallow water and on the other side of that was an indian temple, very colourful and very tall.
My sleepy memory slowly recalled the dream timeline and I realised this was the end of the dream.

In the beginning...

"We" are on a bus, of course the only people I can recall now are Obama himself and Jess but there are many on the bus. We're visiting people who voted for Obama in the recent election. First we visit a family but I don't remember that at all. Second we visit a Vietnam veteran's house. More of a trailer really.Obama is too tall for this small trailer and has to duck his head a little so as not to smash it on the door frame. His wife lets us into the lounge and we briefly and awkwardly wait until a young boy comes to fetch us outside to where we can see the 'vet' sitting at a pool table. Through a screen door in the kitchen and down two concrete steps to the veranda area outside the trailer. We join the vet and his son at the pool table, each of us to a side. The Vet is dressed in all camouflage and a cap is pushed down to his eyebrows. He offers us tea which we drink as he rambles about 'nam and why he voted for Obama.
Obama smiles very widely and laughs animatedly at the stories.
Obama's minders break up our meeting prematurely and herd us back onto the bus. On board we find out that our tea was drugged. There don't seem to be any ill-intentions or too dramatic side effects however and we continue on our drive.

Not too far down the road we take a side lane upon which we find the indian water temple. It must be the drugs working because we are in America, not India. Anyway, we pull up and mingle with the tourists. Taking photo's like regular people. I focus the temple in my camera's viewfinder ready to take a shot but I take a step forward and see it climbs higher and higher in the sky with more colourful designs all the way up.
I suggest Obama climb the steps a little so we can take his picture next to the temple.
We get the shot and we all go exploring the little/large/colourful temple. It turns out to be wooden inside and a maze.

And that is all I recall....

Me in Glasses

2008-11-06T01:38:40Z

Today I visited an optometrist and $390 later I am getting some glasses for reading / computering.

and me in them...

Apparently I'm a little long-sighted, more in my right eye than my left too. Huh..
Here's hoping I can say goodbye to tired, tired eyes.

Xmas

2008-10-23T12:25:38Z

Skins season 1 & 2
The Wire - tv series, all of it~
Dexter season 2 & 3

Book by David Sedaris. Particularly 'when you are engulfed in flames'

DVD versions of movies I don't own but would like to...
Happiness
~~James Bond's, all of them~~~
The Breakfast Club
Planet of the Apes original movie

aimyperson @ 2008-08-15T00:41:00

2008-08-15T00:47:17Z

Olympics!!!!

As one of the bloggers on TV Squad said "They have yet to invent an Olympic sport I won't watch"
Which isn't entirely true for me because I've turned off some of the Handball matches I've seen. Perhaps I'm missing some intricacies in the sport but it really just looks like running and throwing a ball.

I saw some beautiful Men's diving and gymnastics yesterday. I'm very jealous of the skill of these athletes. I'm not as flexible as I once was :P

Track and Field starts today ^_^ I have a full day of couch sitting ahead of me. Interspersed with Wiiiiii though.

In ffxi news Ataramith continues being a giant douchebag and Reyals decided to quit having heard nothing about his hacked account from Square :(
I'm going to make a Cooking with Yul blog somewhere to keep track of my pile of gil and the quest for a morrigan's robe. mmmmmm... refresh.

Ok, laundry to do before the olympics begin so hello and goodbye LiveJournal that I never update.

Crone dream

2008-03-08T08:00:17Z

As I wrote it 11am-ish this morning.

Four friends investigate an old abandoned station. Why?
A long narrow walkway, paved, finally opens into an arched area. Rooms lead off. Just wooden doors to the right and left but double glass doors straight ahead.
Arched open area is leafy and on closer inspection covered in rats.
A body, stiff, missing it's eyes is discovered under the leaves.
A/My mobile phone lights the area.

Some of us want to go immediately but one looks through the glass double doors and sees taxidermied/stiff beaver/animals sitting on chairs and lounges and having tea. As we pass through the doorway my phone light switches off and it starts playing an interactive reflection/movie of where I am.
As my light dies the ones in the room come on. There are no beavers! and it's beautifully, if creepily, furnished. Many things we each want.

Arguments about leaving/staying as we explore further. One girl always leading finds another door, wooden and sort of hidden in the wall. The room behind is unlit at first and we can hear/see the scurrying of more rats.
As we step in, the room lightens and an old crone/bag lady (not there before! Now no rats!) stands and asks who we are to tramp around uninvited in her place.

I stammer apologies while backing out. Friends however step further in to talk to her. I grasp one of my friends shirts before they get too far and pull them back through. "She's creepy! This place is wrong, let's all leave"
My phone continues it's odd behaviour.

Crone shuffles through doorway. "No, no, you cannot leave" she says sinisterely "I never have guests" smiling.
Conversations and odd behaviour from friends ensue. Tea is made by one of my friends at the decrepit old lady's suggestion.
I remain lucid and wonder why no one asks about the dead man outside, and all the rats.

Crone gets her special ingredient for tea. They look like long skinny curly fingernails as she walks by the flowery lounge I/we sit on. But everyone else says cinnamon. I deliberately spill my tea in the doorway. She is angry.

I walk around room with my mobile phone and wait. Friends are all in the other room with crone. One by one they drift out. Now each fixated on the one thing they want so much.
Crone shuffles my way.
I'm staring through the glass double doors wanting to leave but now seeing a vast lake beyond the arched area.
Touching me she says she knows it's hard to accept my father is dead but he's been missiong for a week and she knows he is gone.
"What! how do you know about this, how could you know!"

I pace by the doors but am distracted by a beautiful sight. There are water horses galloping and leaping and playing across the surface of the lake. They crash forward like waves and roll back as the sea does. There are water people among the horses, helping, herding them.
The beauty pushes my grief into tears and I cry watching the spectacle.

I don't know how long I sleep but I wake to a gentle push on my shoulder. I'm outside and the horses/people have all frozen in position. Beautiful. Two men stand by me.
"One touched by us must join us"
Sadly realise I must. Think of my lost friends and family and smile as I walk onto the lake holding each waterman's hand.

Epilogue...

Evil lady has three more rats and one more beaver/animal.

Fun with Itouch

2007-12-26T12:51:11Z

Scottie gave me the very unexpected gift of a new little toy for Christmas.
I typing this entry out on it. It... I can't go on calling itit. I hereby name thee barry.
Anyway barry is fairly intuitive, typing is still awkward but the auto-complete / spell-checker is nice.

I'm so tired.. I'll conclude this experent here for now but I'll tap out another entry on barry soon.

Vigilant Silence

2007-12-02T11:53:17Z

That little two-word combo popped into my head just now. I was reading my eight new emails thinking that I never, and I mean never, initiate random email crap with the people in my address book.
My two lovely work friends, Renee & Linda, constantly are sending me forwards, or should I say 'fwds'
I do read most of them (excepting the ones I received already, several years ago) but they are all terrible versions of chain letters.

ack, people incoming.. write more later

Just a picture

2007-11-04T22:52:09Z

http://www.dannychoo.com.nyud.net/fauna_detail/eng/466/Japanese+Text+Books/

aimyperson @ 2007-10-17T09:00:00

2007-10-16T23:03:08Z

I think I may have left my mobile phone charger in Fernleigh. I know I took it with me, but I'm not sure if I actually got it out and charged my phone while I was there however now I can't find it here. Well, at least it's not where it should be. Let me know if you've seen it please Jess.

Dimethicone

2007-10-16T13:28:36Z

There I was thinking my hair was silicone free by staying away from the Pantene when a little comment from Linda made me google search the chemicals on the back of my hair care.
And what do you know, Dimethicone is science for silicone.
For future notice, Palmolive 'naturals' uses silicone to make your hair feel silky.
DJ's un-fancy for me.

No wonder my hair is so shithouse when I don't straighten the life out of it.

Carol

2007-10-01T23:52:15Z

Carol started working at DJ's about two months ago and seems to have learned very little in this time.
She has a basic knowledge of the switchboard but still regularly transfers calls while the call she's trying to transfer is still on hold.
She continually asks me the codes to enter into the access program for the DJ card and when I begrudgingly tell her ASMW or ARNL she types in ASNW and ARML! I suggest she consults the guide to the right and she still gets it wrong.
I think she must have very bad eyesight though. She can't read the list of phone numbers on the wall in front of her and so she has a list that litters our desk instead.
On Friday last she took so long to do the bags that she and Linda were still finishing them up after 5:30! We have a new record holder.
She's 50-something and annoying. She has a man (I know his name but I won't bother repeating it) who has a son and they live all together in a house with a pool. I know all about her brother's last birthday and her sister's white-ant riddled almost new house. I know all about her grandchildren (4 now, or soon..) And I don't want to know! Yet she tells me anyway.
A gift wrap that takes me less than 5 minutes will take her 20 because of all the talking.

Wow she irritates me..

aimyperson @ 2007-10-02T09:02:00

2007-10-01T23:03:44Z

Hey Jess, thought you might find this interesting too.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokogiak/sets/1425737/with/69578390/

aimyperson @ 2007-09-12T10:13:00

2007-09-12T00:23:01Z

I had a brief exchange with a lady at a coffee shop in West End this morning that left me pondering. Scott and I were just finishing up our coffees and about to leave and so I offered today's Courier Mail to the lady attempting to rescue an Australian from the bin. She thanked me and asked if it told us all about Johnnie Howard resigning? I said sadly, no and that the liberal party were all behind John again now.

She seemed so fervent in her hope that he was leaving that it reminded me how many Australians aren't fans of the current government. And also served as another mental notch that yes, Howard will lose this coming election.

Very nice coffee shop by the way, sort of quiet residential street with lots of trees down near the ferry.

2007-09-10T12:45:51Z

Just finished watching the movie Next with Nicholas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel and sundry other actors.
It's not that it's a bad movie it's just that the acting, particularly from Nicholas, is terrible.
It has an interesting premise, that the main character, Frank Cadillac, can see 2 minutes into his future. Story borrowed from Philip K. Dick btw.
In the hands of some other actors this may have been a better movie.

I don't buy the romance plot. Jessica Biel, twenty-something, falls for Nicholas Cage, fifty-something. And it's not even just the age difference, that can work if there's chemistry between the two actors, which there definitely isn't here.
Julianne Moore is underused and hams up the few scenes she is given.
And finally Nic... good old Nic, what has happened to you?
I used to like his swagger, now it looks more like a lop-sided gait. And now the more I see him the less I want to see. I wonder if he's had cosmetic surgery of if he was always so devoid of expression and it just worked for me in the past?

********************************************************************

Two days ago I made one of the most awesome consumer choices of my life. And I'm not overstating the impact at all.
For the low low price of $35 I procured a set of wireless headphones that plug into my tv.
It's embarrassing how much I love these things. I only press two buttons and they tune themselves to whatever signal is coming from the tv at that moment; digital set-top box, x-box, dvd player or just plain old analogue tv.
Of course being such a cheap brand there is some feedback at times and they do run on AAA batteries (but so far I'm pleased w/ the battery life, 4 or 5 hours and counting) but these minor negatives do not detract from my joy :D

aimyperson @ 2007-09-07T13:25:00

2007-09-07T03:29:07Z

I wrote this about two weeks ago and this scrap of paper has just been clogging up my left jacket pocket since then.

Ode to a toilet cubicle.

Stall at the end
I visit you still
and am disappointed again

Two weeks or more
"out of order"
displayed upon your lid

cubicle with the wall
and furthest from the door
I miss you, old friend

Just a bit of silliness to amuse me at work really.

Underrated books to look for

2007-09-07T03:24:19Z

Amanda and the Million Mile High Dancer (1985)

Carol De Chellis Hill

This is a rare blend of feminism, adventure and quantum physics. A brilliant, philosophical and athletic physicist, Amanda Jaworski is in training to be the first person to journey to Mars. With her magic cat, Schrodinger, Amanda goes on the ultimate space odyssey. She finds herself in a battle for her life and her planet with the greatest seductress of all, the Eleven Million Mile High Dancer, a being from 40 million light years away. I have never read anything else by CDC Hill, or even heard of her since, but this book is riveting - intellectual, entertaining and unique.

Philip Pullman

The Balloonist (1977)

MacDonald Harris

My candidate for revival is a book by the American writer MacDonald Harris, who died in 1993, and none of whose 16 novels remain in print. Why he isn't better known I simply don't understand, because he's outstandingly good.

If I have to restrict myself to one novel (and it is difficult) I'll nominate The Balloonist - an adventure story, told in the first person, about an expedition by balloon to the North Pole in 1897. It's leisurely, it's subtle and reflective, it's funny, it's accurate and fascinating about the technical business of flying balloons and meteorology and the mysteries of early radio; there's a love story that is tender, sexy and ridiculous all at once, there are characters who are firmly conceived and rounded and surprising, there's an immaculate and jazz-like sense of rhythm and timing; but best of all there's that sensation that comes so rarely, but is as welcome as a cool breeze on a hot day when it does - the sensation that here is a subtle, witty and intelligent mind that really knows how to tell a story.

Actually, it's almost impossible to read any of Harris's first pages without helplessly turning to the next, and the next. I'm astonished that he's not far better known.

Labyrinths (1971)

Christopher Okigbo

Labyrinths is an interlinked volume of poems. Christopher Okigbo was an extraordinarily gifted poet who died in 1967 during the civil war in Nigeria. It is his only volume of poems, a meditation on everything from our origins to our obscure destinies; it's autobiographical; and it's a piercing lament on war. I think of him as our Lorca. He belongs to that class of poet who brings out one work and that work is a world. It says everything he needed to say in his lifetime. It should be read by everyone in every country. I can't think of him without the shadow of tears in my heart.

Incandescence (1979)

Craig Nova

Incandescence was Nova's third novel after The Geek and Turkey Hash (remarkable novels in their own right). These three novels established Nova's unique voice and in Incandescence, it reached a perfect, cool pitch (never wholly replicated in Nova's subsequent work). Incandescence reads like a cross between Albert Camus and Don DeLillo: it haunts and disturbs, resonating eerily in your mind, at once bleakly realistic a nd full of strange sardonic philosophical riffs. There has been nothing quite like it in contemporary American fiction.