FROM 28.11.06
mood: happily sombre.
state i'm in: mellowing right out.
tune: pm dawn "set adrift on memory bliss".
this song, pm dawn's "set adrift on memory bliss", always gets me a little reflective and emotional. specifically, the song's about letting go of past attachments, allowing them to take their place in the recesses of one's memory. lyrically and musically rather avant garde for an early 90's hip hop artist.
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
baby you send me, baby you send me,
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
baby you send me, baby you send me,
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
the camera pans the cocktail glass,
behind a blind of plastic plants;
i found the lady with the fat diamond ring.
then you know i can't remember a damn thing.
i think it's one of those de ja vu things,
or a dream that's tryin' to tell me something.
or will i ever stop thinkin' about it.
i don't know, i doubt it.
subterranean by design,
i wonder what i would find if i met you,
let my eyes caress you,
until i meet the thought of missess princess who?
often wonder what makes her work.
i guess i'll leave that question to the experts,
assuming that there are some out there.
they're probably alone, solitaire.
i can remember when i caught up
with a pastime intimate friend.
she said, "bet you're probably gonna say i look lovely,
but you probably don't think nothin' of me."
she was right, though, i can't lie.
she's just one of those corners in my mind,
and i just put her right back with the rest.
that's the way it goes, i guess.
baby you send me, baby you send me,
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
baby you send me, baby you send me,
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
careless whisper from a careless man,
a neutron dance for a neutron fan;
marionette strings are dangerous things,
i thought of all the trouble they bring.
an eye for an eye, a spy for a spy,
rubber bands expand in a frustrating sigh.
tell me that she's not dreaming.
she's got an ace in the hole,
it doesn't have meaning.
reality used to be a friend of mine,
'cause complete control, i don't take too kind.
christina applegate, you gotta put me on.
guess who's piece of the cake is jack gone?
she broke her wishbone and wished for a sign.
i told her whispers in my heart were fine.
what did she think she could do?
i feel for her, i really do.
and i stared at the ring finger on her hand,
i wanted her to be a big pm dawn fan,
but i had to put her right back with the rest.
that's the way it goes, i guess.
baby you send me, baby you send me,
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
baby you send me, baby you send me, baby you send me, baby you send me,
set adrift on memory bliss of you...
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
stess weed
FROM 28.11.06
mood: mellow.
state i'm in: melloooooow.
tune: q-tip "even if it is so".
urbandictionary.com defines 'stress weed' as:
pretty much the crapiest weed around. it's usually brown, dry, and full of seeds. it doesn't have that nice, danky weed smell either. doesn't get you very high unless you smoke a shit load of it and even then, you can only get so high off of it. stress is also known for giving you a headache and making you sleepy during the come-down. the only plus about stress is that you get a lot of it for cheap, but most people don't even want a lot of stress. lots of newbies to the world of weed will buy stress because they choose quantity over quality.
dude 1: dude, i've got some bud.
dude 2: ha-ha! fuck yeah!
dude 1: i've got like, 9 G's! we're gonna get fucked up!
dude 2: nine G's? damn! how much you pay?
dude 1: $15
dude 2: what? fifteen bucks...aw, man! you didn't get stress did you?
dude 1: i don't know... i guess...
dude 2: hand me the sack.
-opens sack-
dude 2: *sniff* yup, this is stress alright...man...
dude 1: oh. so, should we smoke it?
dude 2: might as well..
mood: mellow.
state i'm in: melloooooow.
tune: q-tip "even if it is so".
urbandictionary.com defines 'stress weed' as:
pretty much the crapiest weed around. it's usually brown, dry, and full of seeds. it doesn't have that nice, danky weed smell either. doesn't get you very high unless you smoke a shit load of it and even then, you can only get so high off of it. stress is also known for giving you a headache and making you sleepy during the come-down. the only plus about stress is that you get a lot of it for cheap, but most people don't even want a lot of stress. lots of newbies to the world of weed will buy stress because they choose quantity over quality.
dude 1: dude, i've got some bud.
dude 2: ha-ha! fuck yeah!
dude 1: i've got like, 9 G's! we're gonna get fucked up!
dude 2: nine G's? damn! how much you pay?
dude 1: $15
dude 2: what? fifteen bucks...aw, man! you didn't get stress did you?
dude 1: i don't know... i guess...
dude 2: hand me the sack.
-opens sack-
dude 2: *sniff* yup, this is stress alright...man...
dude 1: oh. so, should we smoke it?
dude 2: might as well..
bon voyage scotty
FROM 22.11.06
mood: just happy.
state i'm in: realising my dependence on the net for pretty much everything.
tune: a new funky generation "the messenger".
scott left for melbourne indefinetely today. i guess it won't really sink in for a while that he's gone. we can chat on the phone still, and on msn (when optus gets its shit together). but no more bottles of wine over dinner, no more pizza cafe, no more movies, no more hanging out at the pool, and a host of other things we do every so often.
farewell to the conversation - the arguments, the drunken rants, the passionate debates, and the wholehearted agreements. farewell to the speaking of soooooo much shit also - gonna miss that. farewell to someone who i know i can rely on when i need, and a friend in need at other times; someone that i know inside out, so well, and so comfortably, where to say nothing in one another's company is to speak a thousand words with someone else.
we have shared love and laughter, tears and trauma, sin and shame, fun and fantasy, innocence and imbecility. in all, we share an immense friendship that through hard work has endured a great deal, and will continue to do so. 1700 kms will hardly be the biggest hurdle to face our bond.
i guess i could say 'good luck', or 'take care', or 'you know where i am if you need me', and all would be true. but on the subject of our bond, and also scott's life ahead, i would prefer to let winston churchill's words speak on my behalf. granted he was speaking of britain's condition in the second world war, but then scott himself says 'it's war' when concerned with his struggle with mediocrity in life.
'this is not the end. it is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning'.
bon voyage boy. xoxo
mood: just happy.
state i'm in: realising my dependence on the net for pretty much everything.
tune: a new funky generation "the messenger".
scott left for melbourne indefinetely today. i guess it won't really sink in for a while that he's gone. we can chat on the phone still, and on msn (when optus gets its shit together). but no more bottles of wine over dinner, no more pizza cafe, no more movies, no more hanging out at the pool, and a host of other things we do every so often.
farewell to the conversation - the arguments, the drunken rants, the passionate debates, and the wholehearted agreements. farewell to the speaking of soooooo much shit also - gonna miss that. farewell to someone who i know i can rely on when i need, and a friend in need at other times; someone that i know inside out, so well, and so comfortably, where to say nothing in one another's company is to speak a thousand words with someone else.
we have shared love and laughter, tears and trauma, sin and shame, fun and fantasy, innocence and imbecility. in all, we share an immense friendship that through hard work has endured a great deal, and will continue to do so. 1700 kms will hardly be the biggest hurdle to face our bond.
i guess i could say 'good luck', or 'take care', or 'you know where i am if you need me', and all would be true. but on the subject of our bond, and also scott's life ahead, i would prefer to let winston churchill's words speak on my behalf. granted he was speaking of britain's condition in the second world war, but then scott himself says 'it's war' when concerned with his struggle with mediocrity in life.
'this is not the end. it is not even the beginning of the end. but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning'.
bon voyage boy. xoxo
monkey med
FROM 21.11.06
mood: quite contrary.
state i'm in: i love days off :-)
tune: sandy rivera feat. haze "changes" ben watt's lazy dog remix.
sandra's intern boyfriend david described cardiology as "monkey medicine" when we were discussing it saturday night. i couldn't agree more.
it's not that i dislike cardiology. it's great actually. you get to make an instantaneous (if only temporary) difference to a patient. they think that the doctors and nurses are the bees knees, ending the crushing pain their chest, and the feeling of impending doom. but there is no real thinking, no deep reasoning. perhaps in a bygone era?
patient comes in with chest pain, in a painfully typical pattern. ST elevation on ECG? T wave inversion on ECG? troponin elevated? pain responds like magic to GTN under the tongue? yes, yes, yes, yes! hey presto, you have an MI (aka heart attack). the patient gets an angiogram, then likely a stent, and with their 3 point plan (to which they are remarkably unlikely to adhere) to better carvdiovascular health in the future in hand, walks gingerly out the front door.
it's all so simple. sure there is the odd interesting case, where the patient's recovery is compromised by some complication such as diabetes or renal impairment, but the work is largely just plumbing.
not sure if i want to be a plumber, even if it is a rich one.
--------------------
hired a car (a mitshubishi 380, not bad, the leather was sweet) and took a pleasant drive with suffien up to the sunshine coast. first through the hinterland (where suff's "wow!!!" became louder and louder the higher into the mountains we got), then back down the blackall range through nambour and to coolum beach. deepfried seafood and chips for lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach as the sun set over the hills behind us. it was a really nice sunday.
dropped into mum and dad's on the way home for ice cream with the muscat we bought at one of the wineries along the way and to play around with the 380. mum and dad had a drive each, then i hopped into dad's recently tuned up pug 306 - even though it's not the sporty model (a la the red XSi - RIP) it was still like getting out of a 747 and into a fighter jet. the pug's responsive and alive - what you ask, she does, and with precision. a brilliantly put together machine.
here's some sunday pics…
on the way up the blackall range.
coolum beach - genu valgus in the background (med joke, sorry).
me.
bloody asian drivers.
mood: quite contrary.
state i'm in: i love days off :-)
tune: sandy rivera feat. haze "changes" ben watt's lazy dog remix.
sandra's intern boyfriend david described cardiology as "monkey medicine" when we were discussing it saturday night. i couldn't agree more.
it's not that i dislike cardiology. it's great actually. you get to make an instantaneous (if only temporary) difference to a patient. they think that the doctors and nurses are the bees knees, ending the crushing pain their chest, and the feeling of impending doom. but there is no real thinking, no deep reasoning. perhaps in a bygone era?
patient comes in with chest pain, in a painfully typical pattern. ST elevation on ECG? T wave inversion on ECG? troponin elevated? pain responds like magic to GTN under the tongue? yes, yes, yes, yes! hey presto, you have an MI (aka heart attack). the patient gets an angiogram, then likely a stent, and with their 3 point plan (to which they are remarkably unlikely to adhere) to better carvdiovascular health in the future in hand, walks gingerly out the front door.
it's all so simple. sure there is the odd interesting case, where the patient's recovery is compromised by some complication such as diabetes or renal impairment, but the work is largely just plumbing.
not sure if i want to be a plumber, even if it is a rich one.
--------------------
hired a car (a mitshubishi 380, not bad, the leather was sweet) and took a pleasant drive with suffien up to the sunshine coast. first through the hinterland (where suff's "wow!!!" became louder and louder the higher into the mountains we got), then back down the blackall range through nambour and to coolum beach. deepfried seafood and chips for lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing on the beach as the sun set over the hills behind us. it was a really nice sunday.
dropped into mum and dad's on the way home for ice cream with the muscat we bought at one of the wineries along the way and to play around with the 380. mum and dad had a drive each, then i hopped into dad's recently tuned up pug 306 - even though it's not the sporty model (a la the red XSi - RIP) it was still like getting out of a 747 and into a fighter jet. the pug's responsive and alive - what you ask, she does, and with precision. a brilliantly put together machine.
here's some sunday pics…
on the way up the blackall range.
coolum beach - genu valgus in the background (med joke, sorry).
me.
bloody asian drivers.at home in the iLC
mood: hollow, but filling with relief.
state i'm in: the gutache has passed, now i know i am not getting any results today.
tune: the hum of 40 eMacs.
ok so things are still up to shit with the home internet. in the UQ iLC now hoping to get exam results, but alas, SoM haven't released any yet... i mean, it has only been 5 weeks since exams concluded. give them some time i suppose.
just me and the hum of near on 40 apple computers and a beasty air conditioner.
i have brought a bunch of blog entries on my usb stick from home that i had intended on posting by now. so without further ado...
state i'm in: the gutache has passed, now i know i am not getting any results today.
tune: the hum of 40 eMacs.
ok so things are still up to shit with the home internet. in the UQ iLC now hoping to get exam results, but alas, SoM haven't released any yet... i mean, it has only been 5 weeks since exams concluded. give them some time i suppose.
just me and the hum of near on 40 apple computers and a beasty air conditioner.
i have brought a bunch of blog entries on my usb stick from home that i had intended on posting by now. so without further ado...
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
a.w.o.l.
mood: hot and restless
state i'm in: sticky, but about to jump in the pool... aaaaaahh.
tune: care of poddles jr, donny hathaway "the ghetto".
ok so my home internet has been down for over a week. i am told optus are at work fixing it, should be done within a couple more days... a couple more days!! scoundrels!
back in a few days then, til then, i'm a.w.o.l.
state i'm in: sticky, but about to jump in the pool... aaaaaahh.
tune: care of poddles jr, donny hathaway "the ghetto".
ok so my home internet has been down for over a week. i am told optus are at work fixing it, should be done within a couple more days... a couple more days!! scoundrels!
back in a few days then, til then, i'm a.w.o.l.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
US mid-terms
mood: deflated.
state i'm in: finished "embracing the trash" for the night.
tune: gabrielle "sunshine".
can i say that i am pretty darn happy with the results of the midterm elections in the US this week. despite the fact that the democrats are pissweak, it's just great to see the republicans cop a "thumpin'" across both houses. i suspected the house of representatives would go to the dems, but didn't expect the senate too also.
clearly george w bush has failed in iraq - further to this is the resignation of donald rumsfield, bush's man in the pentagon. i have to wonder now that US policy toward iraq is in tatters, where my little country stands. we have no policy, other than to follow mr bush as a dedicated 'coalition of the willing' member. if the US changes it's policy, will john howard backflip moments later also, as if on commmand? just a reminder of how truly useless our government is.
my favourite little tidbit from the midterms however has to be the outcome in some backwater county in south dakota. democrat marie steichen won the race for county commissioner of jerauld county, SD. only problem is that ms steichen has in fact been dead for two months. for some reason her name remained on the ballot paper, and constituents sure as hell weren't going to vote for some lame duck republican one more time. so, out with the old, in with the dead. congratulations ms steichen.
state i'm in: finished "embracing the trash" for the night.
tune: gabrielle "sunshine".
can i say that i am pretty darn happy with the results of the midterm elections in the US this week. despite the fact that the democrats are pissweak, it's just great to see the republicans cop a "thumpin'" across both houses. i suspected the house of representatives would go to the dems, but didn't expect the senate too also.
clearly george w bush has failed in iraq - further to this is the resignation of donald rumsfield, bush's man in the pentagon. i have to wonder now that US policy toward iraq is in tatters, where my little country stands. we have no policy, other than to follow mr bush as a dedicated 'coalition of the willing' member. if the US changes it's policy, will john howard backflip moments later also, as if on commmand? just a reminder of how truly useless our government is.
my favourite little tidbit from the midterms however has to be the outcome in some backwater county in south dakota. democrat marie steichen won the race for county commissioner of jerauld county, SD. only problem is that ms steichen has in fact been dead for two months. for some reason her name remained on the ballot paper, and constituents sure as hell weren't going to vote for some lame duck republican one more time. so, out with the old, in with the dead. congratulations ms steichen.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
wow
mood: worn out.
state i'm in: one of the most amazing days ends.
tune: lionel richie "easy (like sunday morning)".
got into scrubs... washed hands... masks, hairnets, gloves... in go me and nic... patient gets prepped... cut, cut, cut... through layers of fat, faschia, mucles... pop goes the uterus, amniotic fluid like a little fountain...
out comes a brand spanking new baby. it takes its first breaths, lets out a small cry, cord is cut, neonatal examination, bub goes pink, rugged up like a caterpillar and safely in arms of mum and dad.
one very amazing morning, seeing two beautiful bundles of innocence arrive into the troubled world. one day they will walk; maybe one day they will rule. a blank slate.
for a good 15 minutes after each birth i remain completely speechless. mum touches Baby G's face gently... no words for this, i just feel a small tear well in the corner of my eye. i guess you had to be there.
the power of new life. new life.
state i'm in: one of the most amazing days ends.
tune: lionel richie "easy (like sunday morning)".
got into scrubs... washed hands... masks, hairnets, gloves... in go me and nic... patient gets prepped... cut, cut, cut... through layers of fat, faschia, mucles... pop goes the uterus, amniotic fluid like a little fountain...
out comes a brand spanking new baby. it takes its first breaths, lets out a small cry, cord is cut, neonatal examination, bub goes pink, rugged up like a caterpillar and safely in arms of mum and dad.
one very amazing morning, seeing two beautiful bundles of innocence arrive into the troubled world. one day they will walk; maybe one day they will rule. a blank slate.
for a good 15 minutes after each birth i remain completely speechless. mum touches Baby G's face gently... no words for this, i just feel a small tear well in the corner of my eye. i guess you had to be there.
the power of new life. new life.
Monday, November 06, 2006
good, clean fun!
mood: same as before.
state i'm in: also same as before.
tune: heather small "proud"
a passing thought before i mention my elective.
saddam hussein's trial has come to a head today, the 6th of november. the american mid-term elections are tomorrow, the 7th of november. presently, the republicans stand a very good chance of losing the house of representatives, maybe even both houses of congress. i just wonder if mr hussein's sentence will give the impression of "progress made" in the pushing of shit uphill that is the american campaign in iraq.
a pure coincidence of dates i am sure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
my favourite quote of the elective thus far:
Dr O: "yeah, young mr R fell and hit his head hard on the machine as he was being put into the MRI."
Dr H: "well, no better place to do it really."
-----------
whilst on the subject, here's some random funny MRI pics. for those unaware, this thing is a giant magnet that can suck a pacemaker our of your chest, or a metal hip from your pelvis. unfortunately, tragic accidents have happened.
----------
neurology is pretty cruisy. everything is 10 or 15 minutes late, free lunch on offer if you need it, take a couple of hours off to go shopping, see some patients, head home early, have a chuckle at the PWT (not exactly a medical abbreviation), wish Mrs P a safe journey home to england.
rarely are the patients "sick" so to speak. true they have their share of problems: demyelinating disorders, such as multiple sclerosis; neurotransmitter receptor deficiency disorders such as myasthenia gravis; electrical disturbances such as epilepsy. but these patients are suffering with chronic debilitating disorders, not sicknesses, and tend to do so with remarkable resilience that i have immense admiration for. there is no shit, piss, spew, snot, blood, or anything else dirty for that matter. all in all, good clean fun.
----------
second favourite quote thus far:
as "the stroke team" (that includes me, hehe) scurries around the wards we pass a bed with the curtains drawn.
Dr H: "ooh, there doing a lumbar puncture..."
we all peer in, and a second later:
Dr H: "struck gold!"
a few drops of cerebrospinal fluid drip into a waiting test tube. the patient glances toward us with half grin, half grimace. not sure if she shared Dr H's candid approach to the sharp iatrogenic pain in her lower spine.
----------
best part of the elective thus far:
Mrs P is an 81 year old woman from england. she was in australia when she had a stroke affecting her left side and also her ability to express herself adequately in words, a condition called dysphasia. my first thought when i read about her was what on earth is an eighty-odd year old woman with risk factors doing travelling to the other side of the world.
when i finally met Mrs P, other than the difficulties mentioned above, she was a spitely and clever woman, feisty yet eloquent. i had just been having a long chat to one patient, and was about to leave that room to find another patient to talk to when Mrs P caught my attention. she was in the bed by the door and was smiling at me with a face i could not refuse. so we had a chat, and i got to know why she was here, and about her delayed flight home. i was very impressed in her character, as she spoke with pride about the achievements of her daughter in telehealth, where health advice is given via telecommunications to those in remote parts of the state.
had another good chat today, and she spoke (with increased ability compared to last week) about some of her life thus far. she studied natural sciences at cambridge from 1943-46, before working in a research institute in the united kindgom. then her and her literati husband took off to the united states. she changed direction, moving into ecology and conservation biology of the salt marshes of the eastern seaboard. global warming poses an immense threat she believes.
Mrs P told me that she appreciated me encouraging her to speak about her past.
the medical history is the important history to the medico, but it is a different history that matters to the patient. in the medical setting, i believe both need to be respected. all the best Mrs P.
state i'm in: also same as before.
tune: heather small "proud"
a passing thought before i mention my elective.
saddam hussein's trial has come to a head today, the 6th of november. the american mid-term elections are tomorrow, the 7th of november. presently, the republicans stand a very good chance of losing the house of representatives, maybe even both houses of congress. i just wonder if mr hussein's sentence will give the impression of "progress made" in the pushing of shit uphill that is the american campaign in iraq.
a pure coincidence of dates i am sure.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
my favourite quote of the elective thus far:
Dr O: "yeah, young mr R fell and hit his head hard on the machine as he was being put into the MRI."
Dr H: "well, no better place to do it really."
-----------
whilst on the subject, here's some random funny MRI pics. for those unaware, this thing is a giant magnet that can suck a pacemaker our of your chest, or a metal hip from your pelvis. unfortunately, tragic accidents have happened.
----------
neurology is pretty cruisy. everything is 10 or 15 minutes late, free lunch on offer if you need it, take a couple of hours off to go shopping, see some patients, head home early, have a chuckle at the PWT (not exactly a medical abbreviation), wish Mrs P a safe journey home to england.
rarely are the patients "sick" so to speak. true they have their share of problems: demyelinating disorders, such as multiple sclerosis; neurotransmitter receptor deficiency disorders such as myasthenia gravis; electrical disturbances such as epilepsy. but these patients are suffering with chronic debilitating disorders, not sicknesses, and tend to do so with remarkable resilience that i have immense admiration for. there is no shit, piss, spew, snot, blood, or anything else dirty for that matter. all in all, good clean fun.
----------
second favourite quote thus far:
as "the stroke team" (that includes me, hehe) scurries around the wards we pass a bed with the curtains drawn.
Dr H: "ooh, there doing a lumbar puncture..."
we all peer in, and a second later:
Dr H: "struck gold!"
a few drops of cerebrospinal fluid drip into a waiting test tube. the patient glances toward us with half grin, half grimace. not sure if she shared Dr H's candid approach to the sharp iatrogenic pain in her lower spine.
----------
best part of the elective thus far:
Mrs P is an 81 year old woman from england. she was in australia when she had a stroke affecting her left side and also her ability to express herself adequately in words, a condition called dysphasia. my first thought when i read about her was what on earth is an eighty-odd year old woman with risk factors doing travelling to the other side of the world.
when i finally met Mrs P, other than the difficulties mentioned above, she was a spitely and clever woman, feisty yet eloquent. i had just been having a long chat to one patient, and was about to leave that room to find another patient to talk to when Mrs P caught my attention. she was in the bed by the door and was smiling at me with a face i could not refuse. so we had a chat, and i got to know why she was here, and about her delayed flight home. i was very impressed in her character, as she spoke with pride about the achievements of her daughter in telehealth, where health advice is given via telecommunications to those in remote parts of the state.
had another good chat today, and she spoke (with increased ability compared to last week) about some of her life thus far. she studied natural sciences at cambridge from 1943-46, before working in a research institute in the united kindgom. then her and her literati husband took off to the united states. she changed direction, moving into ecology and conservation biology of the salt marshes of the eastern seaboard. global warming poses an immense threat she believes.
Mrs P told me that she appreciated me encouraging her to speak about her past.
the medical history is the important history to the medico, but it is a different history that matters to the patient. in the medical setting, i believe both need to be respected. all the best Mrs P.
right out of my mouth
mood: yep, still relaxed.
state i'm in: full of chicken & salty fish frid rice :-)
tune: jamie cullum "get your way".
i am not an avid 'family first' supporter. not a supporter at all actually. occasionally the party tosses policy ideas at the media that sound reasonable, and as though they have the interests of many australians (especially those that are members of a nuclear family, of course) at heart. but these are generally just fodder for the masses at best (e.g., a strong stance on petrol prices). other policies are complete hot air; party leader steven fielding's policy on asylum seekers for example - tell me precisely what does "a strong system, but a fair system" mean when mr fielding puts forward the party's policy on the matter. doesn't actually tell me anything really. and the remainder are just verification of the parties firm roots in the christian right. forgive me if i am wrong, but i was under the belief that church and state were separate.
last week a hacker managed to infiltrate the party's website and post the following page on mr fielding's blog. more embarrassing still was the fact that it was at the advice of 'the age' newspaper that family first became aware of the event.
click for larger image
took the words right out of my mouth 'mr campbell'.
state i'm in: full of chicken & salty fish frid rice :-)
tune: jamie cullum "get your way".
i am not an avid 'family first' supporter. not a supporter at all actually. occasionally the party tosses policy ideas at the media that sound reasonable, and as though they have the interests of many australians (especially those that are members of a nuclear family, of course) at heart. but these are generally just fodder for the masses at best (e.g., a strong stance on petrol prices). other policies are complete hot air; party leader steven fielding's policy on asylum seekers for example - tell me precisely what does "a strong system, but a fair system" mean when mr fielding puts forward the party's policy on the matter. doesn't actually tell me anything really. and the remainder are just verification of the parties firm roots in the christian right. forgive me if i am wrong, but i was under the belief that church and state were separate.
last week a hacker managed to infiltrate the party's website and post the following page on mr fielding's blog. more embarrassing still was the fact that it was at the advice of 'the age' newspaper that family first became aware of the event.
click for larger imagetook the words right out of my mouth 'mr campbell'.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
alternate routes
mood: a little inebriated.
state i'm in: staring into a puddle.
tune: turin brakes "the road".
this time about a year ago, i was counting down to the day i would hop on a jet plane and take off for distant continents, on a life-affirming journey (although i didn't want to think of it as such at the time).
how different life was. simple, yet infinitely more reckless.
it strikes me how differently we live our lives depending on the social circumstances we find ourselves in.
imagine your life, and how it might be, if some things had have been different. if you didn't get into that course, or took a different job, or dumped that person a year or two earlier than you did? would it actually be different, or merely superficially.
if the boyfriend or course or job was different, would your life have been significantly different or superficially so? the same life can be led largely the same regardless of the specific partner/course of study/job. you will lead the life you want to lead, given what lies ahead can be knowingly predicted to a fair degree, even if not in the enth detail.
subcounsciously, we make it for ourselves every day, and the so-called "centres of our world" are only incidental, chosen by us to suit the direction in which we have chosen to take. do we then go on to make them the true centre, or do we remain the centre, and adjust these variables to suit the flow? are we selfish if we remain the centre around which we place the "variables" of our life? are we magnanimous if we place a thing other than ourselves before all else? is one more human than the other, unique to a particular generation, or a type of personality or character, or would anyone do the same under the same circumstances?
state i'm in: staring into a puddle.
tune: turin brakes "the road".
this time about a year ago, i was counting down to the day i would hop on a jet plane and take off for distant continents, on a life-affirming journey (although i didn't want to think of it as such at the time).
how different life was. simple, yet infinitely more reckless.
it strikes me how differently we live our lives depending on the social circumstances we find ourselves in.
imagine your life, and how it might be, if some things had have been different. if you didn't get into that course, or took a different job, or dumped that person a year or two earlier than you did? would it actually be different, or merely superficially.
if the boyfriend or course or job was different, would your life have been significantly different or superficially so? the same life can be led largely the same regardless of the specific partner/course of study/job. you will lead the life you want to lead, given what lies ahead can be knowingly predicted to a fair degree, even if not in the enth detail.
subcounsciously, we make it for ourselves every day, and the so-called "centres of our world" are only incidental, chosen by us to suit the direction in which we have chosen to take. do we then go on to make them the true centre, or do we remain the centre, and adjust these variables to suit the flow? are we selfish if we remain the centre around which we place the "variables" of our life? are we magnanimous if we place a thing other than ourselves before all else? is one more human than the other, unique to a particular generation, or a type of personality or character, or would anyone do the same under the same circumstances?
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