Link Envy

Blogger Existentialist Crisis #17

Because I feel very close to you, I've decided it's Share Time.

I just discovered that one of my favourite bloggers of all time; someone I admire, someone who I read daily, whose comments I fill with bon mots that glisten like diamonds, who I would almost consider taking up drinking again for just so that we could hang out on their porch and get trashed and talk about boys and how much we love, love, love Mr Ben Affleck (even in the heavy times) and hate, hate, hate Tom Cruise...

(Sorry, give me a moment. I need to pull it together...)

OK, so, imagine if you will someone else from this person's Comments Community goes and gets themselves a blog. Gets some traffic, you even help 'em out a little, link to 'em and send 'em some readers. Show them some kindness.

Here's the kicker, not only do they (let's call them 'Johnny Come Lately') get themselves a shout-out entry, but their very own sidebar link.

Yes folks, I have fallen victim to Link Envy. Now if you'll excuse me, there's poetry to write and a few more Patsy Cline disks to work my way through.

Helsinki - Fashion Capital Of Finland!

My first reaction to this picture was "Oh, no..." I feel very, very bad for this (probably) perfectly sweet and otherwise (possibly) functional young man.

However, what I do require, is for someone, anyone, to explain to me what "My style is incoherent, cheap and ethical..." means. I mean, I think I grasp the 'incoherent' part.

Finally, in this cavalcade of 'style', one of those whacky Finns!

Hypotheticals Time

Hey kids, let's play the hypotheticals game! Let's imagine for a moment that:

a) You are a huge fan of tv show, which we'll call 'Firefly'

OK, got that? Right. Then, let's say, the show was axed but fortunately after a couple a couple of years wait:

b) They made a movie about it, which for argument's sake we'll call (for want of a better name) 'Serenity'.

OK, so, let's pretend that:

c) Unbeknownst to you, there was a special preview of this new film, two months before it was due to to be released,

Now, remember that you've been waiting for this film for ages, OK, then let's pretend that:

d) A bunch of people you know, got to go to this preview and you didn't.

How are you feeling right now? I thought so.

[Actually, all joking aside, I am happy for them. No, really I am. Mostly.]

The Best Adjective To Describe My Weekend...

...would be 'SWEEEEEET'!

As if the blast of premature Spring weather wasn't enough to make for a good weekend, in addition:

• Friday night was a fun party at Chez Harry, with a bunch of old friends that, as it turns out, included the crowd from the For Battle! blog.
  
• Saturday was a whirlwind of inertia, web surfing, desultory attempts at housework and a couple of hours of data entry at the Buddhist centre.
  
• Sunday was a most excellent visit to the Chinese Gardens of Friendship with Bodhi, and his daughter Ashley. Tea and cakes were had, fish and birds were fed, lots of photos were taken and a good time was had by all. [Photos to come in the next day or two]
  
• After the Chinese Gardens I walked the hour long walk home from the city in the beautiful sunshine, pottered around the house for a few hours and then headed off to my friends John & Judy's house for dinner. I got home about 10pm and then sat down to watch the final episode of Outback House.

Like I said, sweet.

The Other Kind Of 'Outing Oneself'

What's weirder: a) finding out that a bunch of people you know have a group blog, b) walking into a party and having everyone greet you by your 'blogging name' or c) all of the above?

Oh, I pick c)!

It's not bad, but it is a bit weird. I kept this blog kinda quiet, partly in case I ever wanted to write hand-wringing, pearl-clutching, hair-tearing entries about how horrible life was - you know, the sort of stuff that you would be embarrased if anyone you knew ever read. Diary stuff. Thankfuly life hasn't thrown me that sort of situation, and in hindsight I would probably never write such an entry anyway.

So when I left a comment on their blog last week, after following a link I stumbled across at a mutual friend's blog, I knew I was 'outing myself' as a blogger.

It's fine and dandy, the world didn't end after all.

Somber Angel

The theme at Photo Friday this week is Somber.


Headstone angel. Camperdown cemetary, NSW, 2004.

Life's Good

4.25pm and I have just returned from lunch, which was had down by the water, sitting in the unusually Spring-like Winter sun.

Hah, there are worse ways to spend a Friday.

The 5 Question Meme

This came via Larry at The Love Lemming. (If you haven't read his blog, go do so immediately. It's fantastic.)

So here's the drill. As part of this meme you get to request 5 questions from me. Just read the instructions at the bottom of post and send me a comment requesting some questions. Please be patient, it may take me a day or so to post your questions in the comments.

1) Have you made the world a better place?

Alright, starting with the big questions!

I would sincerely like to think so. I'm trying very hard to live a compassionate and ethical life, and by doing so to play my part in trying not to cause suffering for others, and to also try and reduce the causes of suffering. I don't just mean suffering at the gross level, hardship etc, but subtler forms of mental suffering as well. Anger, jealousy etc. In Buddhist terms you harm yourself when anger, hatred, jealousy, and other negative emotions, arise.

One of the things that initially drew me to Buddhism, and is at the core of Buddhist teachings, is the focus on compassion teamed with wisdom. Caring about others, and having the wisdom to do it in a skillful way. At risk of getting all theological, the type of Buddhist school I belong to is called Mahayana, and is primarily concerned with working towards liberation from suffering for all sentient beings. The first step of this is tidying up your own mind; so that your habits of judging, anger, desire etc are reduced. It's an ongoing process, but understanding how everyone responds to kindness, warmth and affection helps reinforce that we are all more alike than we are different.

2) Who is your favorite Firefly character?

There's actually a few, but I think if I had to name one it would be Wash, the pilot. I find him cute as a button, and I love his mix of vulnerability and wiseass.

I have a soft spot for Jayne too, not least of which because I think Adam Baldwin is hot, but his character also has some great quirks. Just so you don't think it's all about the guys, I also love Kaylee. For me she is the 'heart' of the show in many ways.

3) Where is your least favorite place to be kissed?

Um, I actually had to think real hard about this because there are few places that I can think of that I haven't enjoyed being kissed... I guess, maybe the back of the neck if I'm feeling ticklish. Maybe I should ask for volunteers to test the theory?

4) If you could replace a single body part with a new one of your choosing, what part would it be?

Jeez, just one? OK. This will make me seem like I have 'short man syndrome', but I'd replace my legs with a slightly longer model. I'm only 5'4" and don't mind being this height, but sometimes it's just inconvenient. Supermarket shelves for instance... oh, and that time I had a 6'5" boyfriend, all number of inconveniences there.

5) What is your favorite song?

Ack, this is hard. It changes quite often.

I think 'True Colours' by Cindi Lauper would have to be it, if I must name just one. I think it's a beautifully written song, and I love the sentiments of it. I've heard other singers cover it and it doesn't quite have the same effect, it has to be Cindi's vulnerable, slightly plaintive singing for me. (I love 'Time After Time' from the same album also.)

Does that make me sound sappy? So be it!

Now your turn!

Instructions:

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying “Interview me.” (”Blow me” or “Eat me” are not acceptable substitutes.)

2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person’s will be different. I’ll post the questions in the comments section of this post.

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Thank You Baby Jeebus!

...for the new crop of students attending the intensive English language school in my work building. Two special shout-outs to you for the Brazilian guy with the 5 o'clock shadow and the really, really tan Finnish guy with legs for days.

If you are talking to your Dad, please pass on the message - Nice work.

Thanks Global Warming!

We've been having a little mini-Spring in the middle of Winter here in Sydney, and well, I'm loving it. Cool to cold mornings and evenings, and mild sunny days with blue skies. I'm trying not to think too hard about what this dry weather means for my garden, or water restrictions in general. My attitude is very much 'glass half full', when the reality is that the water level in the glass (to extend the metaphor) is actually dropping alarmingly.

Winter is never that cold in Sydney by international standards, but even still it's nice to be able to go to work in a light cotton jacket and not feel cold. Last night I walked home from work, about an hour trip, and ended up stripping off my jacket as it was quite mild and I was working up a sweat. My behaviour changes quite dramatically with the weather too. Maybe I'm a candidate for SAD (Seasonally Affective Disorder)? This past week I've felt more like eating healthy foods instead of winter 'stodge', eating more fruit especially, feeling brighter, and generally being more active and wanting to exercise more.

I'm ready for Spring, bring it on!

Ask Yourself These Questions:

Do well scrubbed boys in short-sleeved white shirts make you hot?

Are you convinced that a healthy dose of sexual repression will make a budding homosexualist beyond dynamite in the sack?

Tired of asking "Please Master, may I have one more?" and feel like asking "Please Elder, may I have another?"

Seen Latter Days and developed dirty, dirty little fantasies?

Well maybe you should Date Lance.

[Link via the fully recovered Mormon Dooce.]

Sort Of A 'Pimp My Dog' Style Conversion

This absolutely cracked me up:

How to turn a Doberman into a Poodle.

Although on one level I was also thinking "Poor puppy!" Hey, doesn't he just look like he's loving it.

Delicious

Since Saturday my dear sweet friend Robbie has been in town for 5 days of R 'n R, luxury hotel pampering and catching up with friends, and leaves today to go home to Melbourne. Robbie and I have been friends for something like 21 or 22 years now, and have seen each both go through major life changes, waistline changes and boyfriend changes. Yeah gods I love this man (but not in a dirty monkey love sort of way). We could not see each other for a year or so and would literally just pick up from the last sentence we spoke to each other. There are few people I can laugh with as much as I can with Robbie.

Last night we had a couple of drinks and then headed off, for one of the best Thai meals I have ever had, to Thai Pothong. Tamarind Tofu (with lashings of chilli and garnished with deep fried garlic slices) and then a vegetable Green Curry. I would marry that Green Curry if I could, it was that good.

Robbie is off travelling again (hey, thank you Trust Fund!) and over dinner we hatched some possible travel plans for late 2006. I want to go to Kopan (in Nepal) to do a 30 day course of Buddhist teachings in November 2006, and Robbie wants to see parts of Tibet and Nepal. I threw in a side trip to Sikkim in northern India, if we can swing it. Of course we all know what this means, saving. Urgh.

I'm busting out of my skin with thought of the possibilities.

Take Me Where I Cannot Stand

Woot! The Aussie 'Today Show' played a teaser trailer of Serenity, the new Firefly movie. OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod, OhmyGod...

Please, could someone get me a cold compress?

The good news is that it looks like it will be getting a theatrical release here in Oz, and even better news that it sounds like the release date is roughly the same as the States. Late September (or late Birthday Month as we like to call it 'round these parts). All the original cast are on board, everyone looks mighty fine and some ass gets kicked. It looks like River and Simon feature heavy in the storyline, and Summer Glau gets to add a couple of extra dimensions to her character.

Cool.

A Very Special Bond

If you have read this blog for a while now, you might remember me mentioning the two year course in Buddhist studies that I have been doing. Last week Term 3 for 2005 started up, roughly marking the half way mark of the course. I was sitting in the class last night, as we listened to teachings, asked questions and laughed along with each other, and it struck me just how close I have come to feel towards this group of people.

As the course is done in a modular format, some of the students have come and gone depending on the module, but the majority of the students in my current class have been doing the course for a while now. Some of the students I have gotten to know really well, and some I don't know so well at all, but even if we aren't 'friends' as such I feel a bond with all of them. A sense of community. We are all asking the big questions of ourselves, opening ourselves up to new ideas and ways of seeing, and frequently discussing our 'inner lives' in class.

When people ask me how I am, or how things are going, I get a sense of real interest not just a polite piece of chit-chat. Likewise I have found myself feeling a genuine concern for some of my fellow students, and feeling honest joy when they have had whatever success has come their way.

In Buddhism we talk about 'The Three Jewels' of Buddhism; The Buddha (specifically our own inner buddha nature, or potential for elightenment), The Dharma (the teachings) and The Sangha (the community of 'spriritual friends'; monks, nuns, teachers & fellow students). All are of equal importance.

I guess what I have discovered on an emotional level, is just how true this is and how much having a community of 'spiritual friends' would become important to me.

100 Healthy Dishes

This winter I've been quite lazy in the kitchen; eating way too much pasta and then a month or so ago when I got sick with bronchitis, and then work got crazy, even relying a bit on the dreaded delivery pizza. My bad.

So it's with a certain amount of delight that I found these recipes. When I get home after a hard day at work I'm really not up for making anything too overly complicated, and cooking something fabulous for one just seems... well, sad. I enjoy cooking, but during the week convenience is king.

Good news is that there seems to be a good percentage of vege-ma-tarian options in there too.

Please Make Me Turn Off The TV, Or I May Never Leave The House

Actually I left the house quite a bit over the weekend, and spent an inordinate amount of time going to bars and nightclubs, but never let the truth get in the way of a blog entry.

I watched some amazing tv over the weekend, especially last night on the ABC:

• First up, my favourite (and yours, no?) Outback House. Last night's episode had it all; shearers!, storms!, shirtless Adam pumping the wool baling machine!, annoying sulky maids!...
  
• Next up was the wonderful Sherlock Holmes and the Case Of The Silk Stocking. Great BBC drama with two fantastic leads, and I love, love, love Rupert Everett. All effete drug addicted detectives should look so good.
  
• Last night's Compass was a fantastic, and thought provoking, documentary about the people who are volunteering their time and effort to try and unravel the humanitarian mess that is the Australian goverment's refugee policy.
  
• In non-ABC related media news, I also stumbled across a DVD of one of my favourite films of all time, Frank Capra's 1937 film Lost Horizon. This nicely restored print has much of the footage which was cut from the film returned to it, after the original 132 minute version was deemed to be too long. The basis for this version was a surviving 132 minute sound track, which was used to guide the restoration. 7 minutes of the footage has been lost forever, but those sequences have been replaced with photo montages of the scenes that don't detract too much from the film, and the soundtrack gives a good indication of the action. Fabulous.

Go Give Him Some Loving

When I started this blog my inspiration came in part from two very nice and popular bloggers, Deb over at Freakgirl and Max at Lots of Co. Aside from their own writing, one of the other really enjoyable things about both blogs is the interaction that happens on their comments. In fact it was coming up with a 'handle' to distinguish myself from another commentor called Andrew that made me create 'The Other Andrew' as a title.

One of my fellow commentors, who quite often comments here too, is Michael E. Funny and sexy, daddy's gone and got himself a brand new blog. It's baby steps time, so why not go on over and check him out. After all, everyone needs a dose of performance anxiety at least once in their life.

Attractive

This week's Photo Friday topic is Attractive.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you Marcello. Drag show dancer at The Imperial Hotel (which I wrote about here) and dead-set Hottie McHotterton. Once again I'm posting a poor quality pic, but with all that compact and muscled flesh on show, does it really matter?


Somehow he even manages to make a pink cowboy outfit look good. Marcello, The Imperial Hotel, 2003.

Deep down, I'm very shallow.

A Brimful Of Mystery Solved

Disclaimer: I fully understand that this post is quite possibly of interest to me, and only me, but what's it all about if it isn't about me? Right?

Before going out on Friday night I was playing a dance remix album, and sort of bopping around the house getting ready. You know, as you do. One song that I have always liked , and there is a remix on this CD, is 'Brimful of Asha' by Cornershop. Now I like this song, but I have never understood it. Brimful of what?... What's on the 45?... I have never been home to Mr Comprehension on this one.

Anyhoo, I was sort of half listening to the lyrics when I heard:

I'm dancin' behind movie scenes
Behind those movie screens
Asha Bhosle
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
From the morning past the evening to the end of the life

A classic 'Ah ha!' moment. Not only is the song about something dear to my heart (Bollywood movies) but the whole focus of the song is a singer I admire greatly, Asha Bhosle. She's about 72 years old now and still going strong. If you have ever seen a Bollywood film, and you saw an actress 'singing', chances are you have heard Asha Bhosle. She gives depth and breadth to the term prolific.

I read somewhere that she is the single highest selling recording artist on the planet, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is true.