Monday, May 30, 2005
Spider solitaire
me fave pasttime on the comp when i get tired of starin' at torrent d/l rates & messin' ard with msn messenger. clickin' on a deck of cards, draggin' them fr one pile to another till ya get a complete suit... how i wished life's as orderly! its not some mindless clickin' game like minesweeper mind ya there's lotsa thot and method involved here okie?i think my addiction to spider solitaire can be attributed to whats left over of my obsessive compulsive behaviour. no more arranging shampoo and bath bottles in the bathrm so the labels all face the same direction. no more arranging pens in popular bkstore by brand and colour and type. or arranging dosh in my wallet... notes by denominator coins by size. no no no now i do spider solitaire. I arrange the cards in order, one by one, stack by stack, suit by suit. It is all to do with organisation. Woe betide if I fail!
and of course i do. whatdidya think? i'm playin' agst the comp for gdness sake...
no one's perfect!
lux at 12:22 am
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Like a ukelele
I have been mucking around the net the past couple of weeks, scouting for good music to help me through my tests and essays (which sadly, are still victims of my procrastination), and I managed to dig up some great finds. Which I willingly share and publicise on this little webbie of mine. +>First up, Jack Johnson. I heard him in a cafe as I was munching down a choc coated cookie. He's Hawaiian, was a prominent black football player and now, in my opinion, an excellent vocalist. He's good chillout music - quite languid, very soothing and gentle on the ears. Great backup band. So extremely catchy.
Recommend: Losing Hope; Sitting, Waiting, Wishing; Taylor; Good People.
Next The Cat Empire! Melburnian (please don't mistake this as a blatant show of patriotism. it just feels good being able to namedrop individuals related to my makeshift homeland) and a quirky blend of funk, hiphop, jazz and a dibdab of ska. I do not think labelling the music does much justice but if we do not do it no one will understand where we're coming from right? Well this band delivers solid, un-mainstream material. Fun and fun somehow always reminds me of Basement Jaxx and that silly Romeo video.
Recommend: Hello Hello; Sly; Manifesto.
Finally Morcheeba. Alright they are nothing new and I am not too enthusiastic over them. But I want audio ambrosia right so they will do well for now. Portishead is too depressing and eclectic for me now.
Recommend: The Sea; The Great London Traffic Warden Massacre; Women Lose Weight.
Alright now that I have nothing more to talk about I'll return to my China readings and begin some tedious notetaking.
lux at 9:29 pm
Friday, May 20, 2005
Pan toilets
There are many politically-inclined individuals in my uni, with the queer community being the most vocal and active amongst the lot. If you do not know what 'queer' is (I didn't quite till I came here, and all of a sudden, queer took on another meaning besides unusual) you will after reading this extract adapted from a pamphlet distributed on Pan Toilet day.What are pan toilets?
Toilets open to people who identify as woman or man, and anyone who's in between, has transitioned from one gender to another, has 'fluid' gender, is genderqueer, or rejects the gender system.
Why? whywhy?
They provide more choice for people by providing a space that doesn't enforce the gender binary. This benefits trans, intersex and genderqueer people who feel unsafe or uncomfortable in gendered spaces. Pan spaces create awareness that the gender binary is a social construction and not a 'natural' fact of life.
What can I do to help?
Visit the website (scroll down for I kindly provided the URL) to get PAN templates to make stickers to put on toilet doors.
As a stunt claim an existing toilet as pan for the day and give out info (if everyone claims a cubicle as sit of the day, then virtually All toilets will be pans for the day.. innit?).
Take part in awareness events like Genderf*#k Day, May 18 (crikey this entry's 2 days too late).
Who's against Pan?
The 'threat' of pan toilets critiques how sexism and queerphobia are used to protect mainstream culture and systems. The sexism and heterosexism that goes on in our public toilet system is a small cog in a complex social structure... yadda yadda.
So what we're supposed to feel more vulnerable and insecure just 'cos some queersupporters, or as they'd prefer pansupporters, want more sexual 'equality'? Some Alex fellow was quoted as saying 'My toilet at home isn't gendered.', for sure it isn't! University mates, just because they breathe the same air as you and bond with you as they complain about the horrendous canteen food, are not necessarily family.
Now should you ever decide to initiate Pan campaigns in your uni, you'd find this quote from the pamplet mildly inspiring if not amusing: Some people like to say that sex and gender is in between the ears and not between the legs. (ello?! sex is very much what's between the legs).
Contact http://groups.yahoo.com/group/appetitefordeconstruction/www.qc05.com
*And please no non sequiturs like What or who's a queer?
lux at 8:06 pm
Monday, May 16, 2005
Original Sinsuality 2005
I attended Tori afterall and those 120 minutes of her was worth every cent of the AUD110 ticket, and a lot more. I was plonked down, all alone with only a fur-trimmed jacket and striped slacks to keep me company. Thankfully I wasn't the only one feeling high-and-dry in Hamer Hall. Everyone looked like they were at least comfortably 10 years older than me... a fact that wasn't lost on me throughout the evening. She entered, placed both palms over her head and did a bow to the audience. Her signature red locks fell freely over this most artful white/light green frock she was wearing. It was almost empire-cut (cos I don't know if it was, it just seemed so), had a bow at the back and fell chop-chop to her knees. She wore a bright red tank under the dress and a pair of red wedges to match.It was a one-woman show, with her playing the grand piano, organ and electronic keyboard throughout the night. The first song of the night was Amberwaves from Scarlet's Walk. As she crashed the piano keys, she lifted her right knee and bowed over the piano. The spotlight shone down on her, illuminating her red hair dramatically. So began her show.
The set list was obscure, even for someone who has listened to almost all of her albums, save The Beekeeper (which I've been slow to warm up to given the lacklustre reviews from my friends). She mainly played songs from Beekeeper like the title track, Parasol, The Power of Orange Knickers amongst others. Older selections included Happy Phantom and Horses and Rattlesnakes. Now tell me those are her most well-known songs to date. Twelve years and several albums later, Tori wasn't going to compromise by playing what the audience probably wanted. If you aren't hardcore Tori enough, sorry but you'll just have to forget about humming along and just appreciate her showsmanship.
I thought she was a spectacular vocalist and pianist. She was awesome with the improvisations. At times, like for Beauty Queen/Horses she'd play both the piano and organ at the same time - which seemed very sexual to me (imagine: in order to play both instruments she's to work both pedals right? ...). Her knack for performance aside, I thought she could've included more upbeat songs. I was really hoping to hear her sing Cornflake Girl and Bliss live... or at least Snow Cherries From France. But no! she decided to go for a more moody, sombre setlist. Not that I'm upset but well, fans want different stuff sometimes.
For me the highlight of the show came from her tribute Don't Dream Its Over for the Crowded House drummer. It was requested from a fan through email. I dont know who the drummer is, don't care, but her rendition was lurvely. I tried looking it up online but guess no one bothered to record the song down... yet hehe. Tori fans if you do come across that classic, grab it cos it's worth a good 4 -5 mins of your time. She also sang Puff the Magic Dragon. Cute and friendly the title may sound, it was actually much more depressing in reality.
She ended with Silent All These Years, not my fave track though it seemed to be most everyone esle's. I dunno why. Well it was the only encore song outta the four she performed which I could immediatley recognise, so I figured this was Tori's concession for the fans. Of course we lapped it up like we did almost all her songs.
As I walked out I saw a good handful of punks and goths, in full length red leather trenchcoats and black platform boots, and I quietly wondered how does Tori fit into their punk/goth lifestyle? Many fans also had dyed bright red hair as some form of visual tribute to Tori. So farny the fans. For me, camera-less and fiercely reluctant on splurging 25 bucks on a tour programme booklet which had more pics of Tori than writing (looks arent her selling point), I came home with a ticketstub and the image of Tori bent over the piano with light beaming down on her, seared into my mind.
lux at 4:57 pm
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Gastronomy lessons in Oz (III)
Well let's continue talking about food. All the asian groceries you get you are of substandard quality Plus they cost many times more than what I get back home. Therefore my body is not tensing up not only because of the cold weather...The 'pearl' barley here tastes nothing like the real pearly ones back home. I made barley gingko soup but it tasted quite awful because the barley grains were rough and big. Just awful - imagine chewing round wheat grains in your mouth (if they come round that is).
Soya bean milk tastes flat. Okie its not as thick and not as sweet than the ones back home which means less syrup and less soya beans used... sounds like a healthier alternative? But come on it doesn't taste as great?!
Indo Mie (and other brands of instant noodles). Well something got lost in the MSG flavouring as they got transported from Asia into the Dry and Deserted continent.
I shouldn't be bitching and complaining so much because having kaya, Chu Qian Yi Ding instant noodles, Pokka Peach tea, guilinggao and Hello Panda and Yan Yan beats having none at all; save dire cravings at night while mugging. I think I'd been less bitter and ungrateful if they didn't charge me so much for it. And please don't lecture me on the need to offset higher tax rates/import costs blah blah. I'm one helluva ignorant, unreasonable customer!
lux at 11:13 pm
Monday, May 09, 2005
doomed
I'm going to watch Tori alone. I'm doomed to solitude. Everyone esle will look cosy with a concert partner and I'll be doomed to solitary I-love-Tori-and am willing to pay 100 bucks gloom.lux at 11:39 pm
Monday, May 02, 2005
When we get a bit... unpredictable
I was doing readings for my Love, Family & Sexuality sociology module and came across a handful of interesting quotes from this article entitled 'Scientific Discourse and Aging Women'.There is no typical menopause, there are as many menopauses as women.
- Iris Murdoch, The Good Apprentice, 1985
I should observe, that though this climateric disease is sometimes equally remarkable in women as in men, yet most certainly I have not noticed it so frequently, nor so well characterized in females.
- Henry Halford, "On the Climateric Disease," 1813
Why do Western women make such a fuss about menopause"
- Asked by Jap gynaecologist at a Florida conference, 1985
lux at 9:27 pm
Sunday, May 01, 2005
this blog of mine is in a lull. i feel lethargic just typing out an entry. so i'll just recommend some choice finds i've made over the past 24 hours.peeps with mental hangover should check out Peaches' The Teaches with Peaches and Chicks on Speed.
ps: pls dont be too literal when reading what i just wrote. ie. dont apply complex terms like 'analogy' or 'metaphor' cos my mind is working on very simple logic right now.
lux at 12:25 am