Wednesday, June 29, 2005Increasing social phobia!I have a deep-seated phobia of retail staff. The worst are sports-shoe salesman, everything goes sympathetic overdrive around them. Ironic, because I love sports-shoes so DAMN much. I think it's been a slow, insidious process. Firstly, most retail staff are not helpful. -> "Can I help you?", they say. "yea, i've been staring at these two boxes of VCRs and apart from being different brands they sound nearly exactly the same but they cost different... why?", I say. ... [retail guy starts staring at boxes as well for a few minutes] "ahh... well, it's because they're different brands..." ("yea, i know, i can stare at the boxes too!" I think) Secondly, I think they have a position of authority and I am disenfranchised by a system run by dictators. "can I help you?" actually means "if you have no shopping agenda or purchasing power, why the hell are you in my store?" Yup, I know, I'm the one with the problem. Anyway, now for today's tale, it has strengthened my retail paranoia. I was browsing the vitamin section of the supermarket-style Roy Young Chemist, Chatswood. "Can I help you?", says the overweight, middle-aged, bespectacled Trogg-man "No, I'm right..." (i avoid all conversation with "bad people"). I meet up with my mother and we go through the large store getting vitamins, soap, toothpaste and other assorted health and hygiene products. Trogg-man starts following me past the vitamin section and into the moisturiser area. That's odd. When I stop, he stops. When I move, he moves. We walk amongst the toothpastes and dental floss, he's still following me, it's been two aisles! Surely he doesn't suspect I stole something. I'm totally hanging out with my mum buying dental floss! Mum asks if i've run out of soap. "yea, I just run to the Nivea Range an aisle over." So i dash off and out of the corner of my eye, I see Trogg-man's momentum shift from hiding behind boxes and vague interest in oral hygiene into high gear, running up to the Nivea range and then into a dead stop when I am in direct view, again. Then I skip back to mum. "That man's following me", I mumble. "i know.", mum mumbles back. always lurking a few step behind and trying to stay out of my view. He doesn't make eye contact but stalks me (always within a 2m radius). Hovering and feigning interest in his surrounding but only having eyes for his victim-consumer. This goes on for the entire shopping experience. [at least 15 minutes] I am freaking out! It's all gone terribly wrong! I'm being stalked but Trogg-man. He's going to GET ME! palpitations ... the sweats ... the panic ... We pay at the cashier... Mum has racked up over 150 bucks in stuff. She pays. We are about to work out. "Is that everything?" Trogg man, Thin-haired and sweaty, hovers behind my right shoulder. . "yea, that's it..." confused I am... We walk out. SURREAL... posted @ 11:57 PM EST [link] [No Comments] Tuesday, June 28, 2005No, it's can't be... really.. Mahboob is that you?Today, I worked in an emergency dept. The first doctor i talked was an intern..what was his name? ... "Mahboob". Where was he from? ... "Bangledesh". 'nuff said. I saw a lady who had a fish bone stuck behind her uvula (dangley bit in back of throat). I thought Coca-Cola may help. But, alas, the waiting room vending machine only had pepsi. Pepsi Max did not work. I pulled it out under direct vision with forceps. The nurses debated if there is a difference between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Any cola-drink aficionado will tell you there is a vast difference... Surely even the pH is different. posted @ 01:02 AM EST [link] [No Comments] Sunday, June 26, 2005Nothing SundayDidn't go to the gym. Went to juggling in Hyde Park. No one turned up. Instead went to pub with Mark S.
posted @ 08:47 PM EST [link] [1 Comment] Thursday, June 23, 2005Isolation is for Chumps
posted @ 07:17 PM EST [link] [No Comments] Wednesday, June 22, 2005Shane...Get a Job!In the last few weeks, I have registered with the NSW medical board and also joined the ranks of LOCUMITIS: a locum agency for doctors looking for one-off short-term jobs. So I will soon be dotting around the NSW countryside doing a few days to a few weeks in various hospitals. Sounds like a juggling video opportunity. And, for those who don't know (and not for those who don't), I'll be in Perth for the month of August for Danni's Birthday, Simon and Al's Wedding and the Production of a top-secret australian juggling DVD. posted @ 02:38 PM EST [link] [No Comments] Monday, June 20, 2005Protocols of Zion and the Fall of FujimoroProtocols of Zion (2005): best movie of the festival so far. Synopsis Film-maker Marc Levin explores anti-Semitism in today's USA with humour and appropriate outrage. Levin's journey starts with the urban myth that no Jews died in the 9/11 attacks - they "knew in advance and didn't turn up for work". He interviews people on the street who talk of Jew York and its mayor, "Rudolph Jew-liani". He meets the US National Alliance leader who talks of the "Jewish" media magnate Rupert Murdoch. He learns that "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", a piece of anti-Jewish propaganda written in 19th century Russia, is selling like hot cakes from NY newspaper stalls. "Entertaining and substantial enough to attract at least a portion of the Michael Moore audience." - Variety The Fall of Fujimoro (2005): also totally worth watching. Synopsis For a Japanese-born politician to lead a Latin American nation for 10 years is unusual enough, but Alberto Fujimori's story is stranger still. Peru's president between 1990-2000, he is now wanted by Interpol for kidnapping, corruption and murder. This gripping tale should appeal to even those who habitually disdain political docos, laced as it is with tales of the cocaine trade, Maoist guerrillas and a wife who stood against Fujimori for office - without warning him. "The Fujimori story has enough unlikely melodrama for six Italian operas... A smart, insightful and revelatory portrait of one of the late 20th century's more enigmatic world leaders." - Variety posted @ 09:03 PM EST [link] [No Comments] Location: Customs House, Sydney It's been a tough weekend. Drove down to World Juggling Day, Canberra on Friday. World Juggling Day 2005 was mostly shows by Warehouse Circus, Mark D. winning nearly all the competitions and not much juggling. The unofficial WJD after party was surely the highlight of my weekend. It was all about Nic's house, random jugglers and Cooper's Stout. It was totally rock'n'roll! There were feats of marble-lous construction, heavy drinking, in-depth discussion of juggling, T-shirt design ideas and too much Turkish pide. There were jugglers from Canberra, Sydney, Warehouse Circus, Pog Circus entertainment and Perth. 'Twas trei cool! Sunday was all about being hung-over and recovering. It started with breakfast discussion about religion. (Shane did not have any breakfast cos he woke up still a little drunk.) Then coffee at Gus's and Cafe Essen (jugglers were dotted around both cafes). then nauseated Shane in the back seat of the car to sydney. Currently, I've gone back to the Sydney Film Festival. This morning was about "Kindergarten", a doco about kids in China. Pure class! The film just cut footage from a Kindergarten without voice-over commentary or explaination Anyway, after, went for a wonder. Got caught up at the "Card Shaq" taking to a Sydney Boy's High graduate (1996) about basketball card collecting in 1994 when it was a craze. Apparently, the NBA finals were being played as we spoke because he was getting updates via the internet. Now i'm at the Sydney Customs House at Circular Quay. It has a model of sydney city in it's foyer under the perspex floor and has the internet for free! How cool is that! Click on [extended entry] for Kindergarten synopsis. posted by @ 02:03 PM EST [more..] [No Comments] Thursday, June 16, 2005Gluk Gluk!Howdy. Took me the whole day but gluk.com.au is finally an officially lauched website. (totally annouced on rec.juggling today). I dunno if i'm nauseous because of looking at the computer screen for a few hours straight or from eating one too many salmon patties chased by a guniness and then the third coffee of the day. All i know is that the website has warm earthy tones (brown) and more juggling talk so that I don't have to ramble about juggling on this blog. (yeah like that's gonna happen!) So far, watched four great movies at the Sydney Film Festival. They were all phenomenally great in thier own way. They were: 1) Music from the Inside Out (2004): Documentary about the Philadelphia Orchestra. 2) A Day Without a Mexican (2004): Story of strange weather systems that suddenly cause the disappearance of all Mexicans in california and the aftermath. Funny, emotional, political, etc. A complete package! 3) A State of Mind ?2003?: Documentary on two young gymnastic girls growing up in North Korea. Great to see North Koreans upholding socialist values and having a healthy hatred for American imperialism. Unfortunately everything in North Korea is named after Kim Il Song and Kim Jong Il (AKA "the general"). 4) Enron: the smartest guys in the room (2004) Based on a book of the same name written by Fortune reporters: Bethay Mclean and Peter Elkind, this movie explores the policies of outright fraud and nondisclosure that lead to the collapse of one of the biggest companies in American corporate history. It shows how white collar crime was basically endorsed by banks, accountants and the government so that they could make more money. The power of money, ambition and success totally screws with the honest worker. Bethay Mclean is totally kick-ass! Otherwise, other great highlights of the week so far: posted @ 08:49 PM EST [link] [No Comments] Monday, June 13, 2005Let's Play, "Name medical doctors who are in non-medical fields"Got any more? Post them in the comments. posted @ 10:51 AM EST [link] Saturday, June 11, 2005QuickieDirections for cooking frozen gnocchi (as per Italian pasta guy from Haberfield) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. boil water in large pot with some salt. Boiling means rip-roaring bubbling not just a few pissy bubbles. (the more water there is the better) 2. Put in gnocchi (still frozen, do not defrost) and stir for the next few minutes to stop sticking to each other or pot. 3. When majority of gnocchi start floating to the top. (that means not a few and also means not all) then they are done. 4. Drain gnocchi thru sieve. (no need to rinse with water) 5. Serve with whatever sauce you want. posted @ 11:33 AM EST [link] Monday, June 6, 2005spelling bee on ESPNI went to the gym today. They have cable TV. The American National Spelling Bee was showing on ESPN which was exciting because I thought "Spellbound" was one of the best documentaries ever. Anyway, the first child i saw had a really hard word she didn't know but she fudged her way thru and spelt it well. then the commentor said something like "she's also a juggler which is probably helped her juggle the letters to spell the word!" i was like, did i reaelly heard that from ESPN or was that only something i made up because i've been a little juggle obsessed? By the way, this morning was all about b22420420 (where b=11). Excitement? Geekdom? whatever it is, it's definitely different to 74400. In other news, it's really easy to get an ABN and set up a domain name. It took me about one hour and a hundred bucks and by the end of the week, www.gluk.com.au will totally be Shane's little online store for at least the next two years. posted @ 09:30 PM EST [link] Extreme Tracker: Amusing Search Engine Referrals (try these at your own risk) For those of you that aren't aware. This site is using extreme tracking (located at the bottom of the site) to collect information on visitors. It is free and basically acts as a counter of visits among other things. It's been active for the last 6 days and this blog averages 8 hits a day. Boring! But what's more interesting is the way people find this site. Especially through search engines. google - skateboarding australia cool blog (first page of results) google - nigella bites pudding (third page, last entry) google - wierd ass (5th entry) google - jamie oliver sticky toffee pudding (8th entry) google (in Australia) - Anthony Gatto (1st entry) google (in Australia) - barrista film blog (1st entry) how wierd is that people come to this blog through skateboarding, pudding, wierd ass and others. SO TIRED. Dale came for the weekend. He leaves on Monday. There was a lot of talking being done when he was around (especially by me) and arguments a plenty. Also there were multiple juggling times, coffee times, and beer times. But not much sleep. Today I went rock climbing for the first time with Dale, Mark and Katherine. I put on the harnass and it was fine but i was warned about "package" issues. Rock climbing was cool fun! Climbed up (being 15kg less helped) and totally made it to the top a few times. From the spotter's prespecitive, there is a lot of time staring at someone's arse. BUt all it all it was very exciting and i'll do it again. anyway, i'm exhausted, too much physical activity and mindnumbing arguments! The next person to mention juggling and siteswaps will totally get dragon punch street fighter-style to the head! posted @ 02:29 AM EST [link] Saturday, June 4, 2005522 vs 3 vs (4x,2) (2,4x) (how esoteric? way esoteric!)Have you ever stayed up past midnight debating siteswaps (mathematical notation with siteswaps)? I have. What is the real difference between 522 and 3. What defines a physical manifestation of a pattern. Is it really defined by the viewer? by the creator? Does a pattern change it's intrinsic nature by how it's described by the creater or the viewer? Or does it just exist unchanged and whatever you call it ultimately is all semantics? Aren't definitions and describing stuff just a way of making sense of, communicating and simplifying what is actually a complicated, intangible quality/essence. Dale arrived yesterday. He thinks that i've turned crazier than when he left me last. I'd have to agree with him. At the moment, I'm not sure whether i'm slowing going mad or i've become more thoughtful. In any csae, i'm definately more excited. Sometimes I'm juggling in the backyard and i think, "am I practising pirouettes OR am I just some guy spinning in circles by himself" I guess both! Restuarant Review: Peace Harmony (29 King St, Sydney) [Vegetarian Thai Cuisine] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peace Harmony usually follows from a few pints down the road at James Squires Brewhouse. Dale and I have been twice and it's always fantastic. The lighting is fluorescent but the staff are ultra-friendly. And you can't beat meals that are 7 bucks and a entrees (eg. spring rolls) are a roughly a buck a piece. The curries are of moderate chilli but maximum flavour. Other menu items include various stirfries and noodles. The Ideals of vegetarianism permeates the menu and posters on the wall which for a non-vegetraian didnt feel intrusive, but i felt welcoming. Anyway, all in all it's a great place to go for a cheap good feed. posted @ 02:56 AM EST [link] |
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