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& The Lover                                                                                                                                   & Grief                                       of Justice            of Fire         



Thursday, May 31, 2007

Visitor Service Officer for the Journey to the Afterlife
I've volunteered as a Visitor Service Officer for the Egyptian exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA. Not too sure what I'll be doing, I suspect mostly welcoming people and offering them brochures on the gallery or something like that. But I'll get to learn all about Egyptian art and things like that so it'll be really cool. They're going to have Egyptian antiquities from the Louvre on the Afterlife and it's going to be the first time in two decades that the Louvre is sending stuff to Australia so it's going to be so hell awesome (ahem, excuse the pun). I'm excited, I can't wait!

Lashes like Cleopatra's
Guess where I've been this week? At a beauty salon, getting lash extensions. Yep. They're one of the companies advertising with us, so I was sent down there to have lash extensions and then write up about it in the paper afterwards. The rooms were pretty cool, they were designed to look like spas with frangipanis and all those piles of neatly rolled white towels and rattan wall decorations. But I think the worst part of it for me is having to lie there without opening my eyes for 45 minutes while the artist applied each individual artificial lash one by one to my eyelashes! I thought it was going to be, like, maybe fifteen minutes or something. After I had closed my eyes, I asked "so how long does this take?" and she went "oh, about an hour or so." And i was like "WHAT?" and she added, "Probably about 45 minutes." And during this time, I can't open my eyes at all? "Nope."

When someone tells you you can't do something, you just wanna do it. I was DYING to open my eyes, I felt as if I might go mad if I didn't. I had to keep talking to her to keep myself from opening my eyes and then after that I shut up and started thinking about other things to try and distract myself. It wasn't too bad after a while but I don't think I'd be patient enough to sit through that again.

The lashes aren't too bad either - they're long, black and curly so they're really gorgeous. And I don't have to curl them or put mascara on them! (Not that I've ever curled my lashes myself anyway). And they last for about a month or so and fall out with your natural lashes so that's no problem. The only gripe I have is that they irritate me when I'm taking a shower or washing my face because my eyes get a little stingy. Also, they're supposed to be made of silk but they actually feel kind of hard. I get poked with my lashes everytime I dry my face with a towel or try to rub my eyes. In a way, it's kind of good - my lashes stop me from rubbing my eyes.

Opinion? It's really cool but I don't know if I'll ever get them done again. We'll see if I miss them too much when they're gone.

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Bead Me Up, Scottie, I'm Coming Through.
Last weekend I went to an arts and crafts and bead fair with my sister. It was pretty fun ... I decided it was time for me to start making my own jewelry because I've always wanted to, sometimes there are just some things you want but you can't get because no one else has designed it yet! It was pretty pricey getting started though, all those little things and the pliers and all that can add up to quite a bit. And I probably spent more than I should. Actually, I've spent way more than I should have over the past five days. That's it - no more shopping for me!

Anyway, these are the first items I made.




I love my new dragon earrings. I like the way the dragons are shaped, curling so, as if they're alive, as if they're moving. They're cool.

I might change the chain on the butterfly necklace though because if you look closely, you can see the little hole at the bottom of the pendant, so I can actually make a more creative necklace using that extra hole as well. But, hey, I'm a beginner, so I'll take it slow now and make changes later. The best part about all this is that I can also now repair some other jewelry that I have which has been damaged in some way or other.

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Tuesday, May 22, 2007

As of the moment, I am loving the Gym Class Heroes.



How great are their songs? The first I ever heard of them was when I saw their Cupid's Chokehold video. How cute are those two little cupids? Then I heard some of their other songs and I liked most of them just as much. And how hot is Travis? Hot, hot, hot. Rawr! That's kind of like what the Gutter Philosopher's hair would look like if it grew out some more.



Cool hair, awesome jacket.

And they're coming heeere! On Gwen Stefani's tour! Now, this is a concert I won't mind shelling cash out for. Problem is, I can't think of anyone who'd be willing to come with me to see Gym Class Heroes and Gwen. Maybe GCH, but not Gwen. Sigh. If anyone would be willing to accompany me, message me ASAP!

I'm just listening to Mazzy Star's Sweet Jane and that reminds me of Natural Born Killers because the song was featured there, and that reminds me of Woody Harrelson. And that reminded me of how I recently found on he was in Cheers. I nearly fell over when I found that out. From the pub where everybody knows your name to a Natural Born Killer! I bet that's the kind of transformation Justin Timberlake is searching very hard for. :)


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Monday, May 21, 2007

I just saw an article on Mars bars and how they were going to include animal parts (apparently rennet, which comes from the stomachs of calves) in ther chocolate, only lots of vegetarians protested and now they're not going to anymore.



I love Mars bars. They're my favourite chocolate bar, I prefer them to Snickers. Yum yum. I should really grab one to much on tomorrow in support of Mars. I haven't really eaten much chocolate since Lent, when I decided to abstain from chocolate. I know people who fast, quit drinking and abstained from meat and all that so I thought I'd better put in my two cents worth of sacrifice too. Although, I did end up eating chocolate two or three times during Lent. Oops. But, hey, at least I didn't have at least one a week which was what I was on before Lent came along! Although after Lent came Easter when that darling Gutter Philosopher got me a giant chocolate Easter egg. There's still tons of it in the fridge and everyone's sick of me giving them boxes of oddly-shaped milk chocolate pieces that came from said egg. But I'm well pleased anyway. Thank you, Gutter Philosopher! *Muah*



And speaking of food companies in the media, poor old Ribena has gotten its vitamin C claims completely whacked when two NZ teenage girls doing a science project or something found that the Ribena ready-drink didn't have the amount of Vitamin C it claimed it contained. Now we're getting all these really apologetic Ribena ads on TV. Don't worry, Ribena, I love you still because I loved you when I was a kid and I drank you for the taste and for those cute little Ribena berries and not so much for the health issues. But I have to admit it's a little hard to trust Ribena now because if their tests haven't been measuring up all this while, you really don't want to know what else they haven't yet discovered lurking in their drink. Cue Jaws theme. Dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum-dum. DUM-DUM.

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We watched Acccepted and 16 Blocks this weekend. Both turned out to be pretty good movies, actually! Mos Def's character in 16 Blocks is the best. And I ate lots of chips. I have discovered this totally addictive French Onion chips in the Spud Market in Baldivis which are the BEST. They're so salty and yummy, Niv and I have been attacking them without stopping. The Gutter Philosopher rolled his eyes when I bought two bags this weekend and threw them into his trolley of healthy fresh fruit and vegetables but he ended up eating some as well - like usual!

I am also looking for chamomile tea. Now that winter is here, I am looking for yummy teas, maybe caramel lattes, which are the only kind of hot coffee I will touch because it's sweet and doesn't taste like coffee. I'm always reading about herbal teas and I want to try them to see if they're any good. I'm a bit doubtful about the taste but I've read that chamomile tea has a nice apple taste to it so maybe I'll try that first.

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So my company has moved us all to a big old drafty building that apparently used to be a very famous brothel. I am almost afraid to touch anything in that place. The bathrooms are horrible. I haven't dared to use the bathroom yet, prefering to make a mad dash for the train station restrooms, but I know someday I will be forced to and I am very much dreading that day. When it comes, you bet your ass I'll be lining them seats with loads of toilet paper and spraying disinfectant everywhere because I really have my doubts anyone else has gotten around to doing any proper cleaning before we all moved in. And I have already heard one horror story about the bathroom from Justine. Trust me. Not good. Or hygienic.

Second of all, the kitchen is just as bad. Thank goodness we are surrounded by all kinds of bakeries and restaurants and cafes now, so there's a definite improvement in variety restaurant-wise then when we were back in our old offices surrounding by nothing but fast food. Oh, yes, you can get pretty sick of fast food when you're surrounded by it 24-7. Especially when you sit at a desk all day and realize you need to start eating healthy in order to avoid qualifying for the next Biggest Loser!

Next, all the floors slant. And I mean SLANT. It's really obvious, especially when the door at the head office is closed and you can see the really superhuge gap where the floor slants under it. The wall-pillar in our office also has a very noticable slant to it so the walls aren't straight either. And our offices are located on the second floor so I really don't want to think about how stable these walls and floors are. No one had better walk heavy on these floors!

It is now the beginning of winter and that's not a great time to be moving in because it's so drafty and we have no heating. Everyone is freezing now, especially poor Dana because she is right next to the door of the office and everyone leaves it open when they come in so she kind of freezes there. And she's tiny and skinny and gets cold easily (even in our old offices which are like heaven compare to this new building) and has loads of work to do so it can't be easy for her.
Next, we have this glorious backyard, which we can view from a door on the second floor, where our offices are, leading down a very scary and shaky looking flight of steps to what looks like a jungle with a couple of huge satellites (for the radio station whom we are sharing this wonderful office space with) and lots of boxes and junk. I can only wonder when the giant rats would start to move in. But the back stairs will be a great place to push down anyone you don't like. "I don't know what happened, he must have tripped and fallen down the stairs, breaking his neck! Poor old dude." We already had one casualty during lunchtime last week: Dana's fork.

Oh, I shouldn't be so negative. After all, everything has its good points. The place is kind of Gothic-like, with curliques and stuff all over the ceiling and walls, and it's got plenty of mirrors in the most unlike places, which makes you wonder what kind of random activities they got up to when this place was reveling in its whorehouse glory, there's even a cupboard with mirrors all over it in one room. And a shower in the bathroom upstairs that nobody dares use because you don't want to know what happened in that shower either! And I finally have a window in my office, after working under sickly floruscent lights for the past several months. The window has not been washed for ages so everything looks a little hazy and gray, like LA or KL, but hey, I have a view. Of lots of shophouses. And my bank's main headquarters in the distance. It brings a whole new meaning to keeping an eye on my money at all times!

But when I go to work tomorrow I will be sure to dress warmly. I will also try not to drink too much water. And I will definitely keep an eye out for any Giant Rats.

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Letter to my Joy (oh how I think of you as I toil! / in the soil).

Circley Square, first of all, I went to look at your website and I love it with that adorable cow with its teats hanging out and all those white loopy writing on the top. You should definitely get a job as one of those people who design websites for other people - I don't know what they call them these days. A WebMistress. Very dominatrax-y and sadomasochistic, which we all know will suit you! And I hear that these website designers charge shitloads for making just one webpage - so there could very well be lots of money in this for you!

Second of all, if you ever do the live-fish-preservation thing, yeah, tell me what happens!

Third of all, I would be posting all this in a comment on your blog but now it's a battle between me and the comment part of people's blogs. I've been trying to read thousands of comments on other people's blogs but for some reason they will never load on my computer, so that sucks ass, and yours loaded but Blogger told me it was an e-mail, and I wasn't sure if I would be sending you an e-mail or a comment, and then it got all to much for me, and all the fearsome IT-ness of it all scared me so I just went quietly back to my own blog and am now writing this post just for you. :)

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Saturday, May 12, 2007

Today I was researching on ancient methods of preserving fish (don't ask why) and came across this interesting bit of information.

Apparently, according to Keeping Hearth & Home in Old Massachusetts, a great way to preserve a live fish is to grab the fish out of water, pour a little brandy down its throat, stuff its mouth with brandy-soaked breadcrumbs and pack it in straw. The fish will remain in a torpid state for 12-15 days and when you put it back in water, it will come alive again in 3-4 hours.

Yep, that's one of the golden facts that every woman in the 19th century was expected to know.

I guess it would have come in useful if you were moving house and wanted a more convenient way of carting your goldfish along on the trip without transporting it in a cumbersome bowl of water.

Plus, if this really does work (which I am tempted to try but I'm so squeamish I probably won't even be able to hang on to a slippery live fish that's fighting for its life long enough to pour brandy down its throat), I want to know what the exact science is behind this method. Will getting a fish drunk enough and feeding it breadcrumbs really keep it alive? Will it work with tequila? Maybe a little Hanh's beer?

If anyone does try this, tell me if it works!

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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Hooray!!!


I've finally managed to sign onto blogger. FINALLY. For the past couple of nights, I don't know why but everything on the Blogger homepage loaded except for that one crucial little square where I'm supposed to sign on. It was really annoying.


I was talking with the Lost Smoker the other day, getting updates on his life, and told him that for a guy who hates soap operas and TV dramas like the O.C., Melrose Place, the Bold and the Beautiful, etc., his life was awfully a lot like a soap opera. It's practically the stuff that TV scriptwriters dream about. I don't know why it's like that, all these things just keep happening to him. It's not as if he even goes out and looks for them. He's like a magnet or something. A soap opera magnet. Haha! That's damn ironic for him.


Anyway, it was so funny what happened to him the other day. He was supposed to film a documentary with his group for film class and they took off into the wilds of WA - okay, to one of those towns outside Perth - to film this guy who charms snakes or plays around with snakes or something. A snake guy. Anyway, what happened was that the snake guy ended up getting bitten by a snake while they were there. I said something along the lines of "That would really make great footage for your documentary" but unfortunately they didn't get it on film.


Hmm. It just occured to me that I forgot to ask whether the snake guy was all right. At that time, I was really just laughing my head off. Hmm. That doesn't say much for my caring human nature.


I'll ask the Lost Smoker the next time I see him. Better late than never, no?


Speaking of better late than never, I just realized I forgot everyone's birthdays that happened in March. Sorry, all you Pisceans!


I really need to get one of those birthday calendar things otherwise I'm going to keep forgetting everyone's birthdays. I also assumed I had forgotten my dad's birthday but luckily that's just coming up and my sister just reminded me so we are going to send a French blueberry cheesecake to him through this delivery company along with flowers for my mom on Mother's Day. Because men are so incredibly difficult to buy presents for. Honestly.


Let's see. I wished Circley Square a happy birthday a few days ... or maybe a week ... after her birthday. Apple's and the Lost Smoker's aren't until June or July-ish ... everyone else's isn't until the end of the year I think ... I feel really guilty about missing my brother's birthday. But I know what I will do - I will buy him the hardcover copy of Frank Miller's 300 and post it to him along with a card begging for forgiveness.




There!


If you were a 15-year-old male, you'd like this won't you? I hope. Or maybe he's 16. Crap. Maybe I'll send him a Sin City book too. That'd get his blood racing. I think my brother needs to incorporate some badass into his character. It'd be cool to give him one of those adrenaline presents, like a day of rock climbing or white water rafting or something but that'd be wasted on him, he won't even go.


Maybe I'll get him a tattoo. If mom doesn't kill me first. Or try to kill me later.

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Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Alan Johnston banner

Poor old Alan Johnston. Let's hope he's okay.

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I just remembered: last week, Yahoo had a big headline on its "featured" section and it said "Did USA torture?", referring to after the 9/11 event and the lead-up to the Iraq war.

Did the USA torture?

Like, is that a question?

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Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Oh, check out the effect of the picture I put on the post below.

This is the very first time I have ever posted a picture using Picasa on Blogger. The first time Picasa came onto Blogger, I got scared of it because it just looks unbelievably complicated, well to me anyway. Technology always scares me. But either they've made it easier to use since or it's just me taking the effort to press the little image button in the tools section and realizing it was easy to use after all - so voila! I'm excited. More images should be coming up soon.

I am also putting spaces between my paragraphs. That might help to make things easier to read. Everyone complains that there are too many little red words on a black background but I like my layout and just can't be bothered to change it right now. The fact that I'm actually updating my blogs is effort enough right now.

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Kate Moss has launched her new and eagerly awaited Top Shop range today, which is causing serious fashion frenzy in London.
It's causing a little frenzy over here too, in my little fashion-hungry heart. If I was in London, I would be one of those fans queuing up and getting giddy over how I was going to lay my hands on something designed/inspired by Kate Moss.
In case you haven't noticed, I looove Kate Moss. When I was a kid, there was this little quiz in, I think it was Clotheshow, and it was called 'What Supermodel are You Most Like?' Anyway, I was apparently most like Kate Moss. At that time it annoyed me because I didn't really know who she was then and would rather be more like Claudia Schiffer or someone else. Then I saw her in that famous Calvin Klein ad. Then I saw more pictures of her.
God, does that woman have style! It's a fact: Kate Moss has style like no other woman. It's completely effortless. Sienna Miller is nothing compared to her - in fact, I never was taken with Sienna's style because I've always suspected Sienna is more of a trend-follower rather than a trendsetter. That's always a little *a little!!!* try-hard effect about her that Kate Moss so does not have. I mean, come on. When Kate puts on a pair of boots, people rush to buy them so that (I think it was Vivienne Westwood), who had initially taken those boots off the line, had to put them out again because just so many people want them. And it's not just boots but tops, dresses, sunnies, etc. I don't remember Sienna ever inspiring that kind of fashion craze, at least not in the way Kate has.
Sadly, though, I have to admit that I don't enjoy seeing fashion shots in magazines of Kate as much as I used to. I love those old pics of her back in the nineties, especially those that Corinne Grant took of her. The new ones aren't so awesome. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly but I do suspect that it may be because she doesn't have that dewy-fresh quality she used to have as a teenager. I also suspect it might have a lot to do with her party-heavy lifestyle. I've seen pictures of Claudia Schiffer that were taken just last year and Claudia looks exactly as she used to back in the old supermodel days, her skin looks awesome, and let's admit it, Claudie doesn't smoke, drink, stay up late or party hard. Or maybe it's the tan, I'm not too fond of how tanned Kate is these days. But despite all this, I do still like the papparazzi candid shots of Kate. It's true what they say, you can never make Kate look as good as she does in real life.
Anyway, back to Kate Moss's Top Shop range. The Brits love it though the Americans are apparently not so into it. But I have to agree with Telegraph writer Hilary Alexander who says they're just missing the point. Also, British and American cultures prompt different opinions sometimes. Elizabeth Jagger, in an article on her wardobe with Vogue, once said she could put together a little pelt mini she had with leggings and high heels (or something to that effect, it was a while since I read that article and I don't have it with me right now, so please mind the inaccuracies) and walk down London and it would be okay whereas if she wore it in New York, they'd think it was a trashy look. Of course, as I said, the article was written a few years ago and now the leggings look is everywhere so that may not be the case but my point is: there are cultural differences.
So what's great about Kate Moss's new Top Shop range? From what I've read, there's a floral print dress that everyone is snapping up. I've scrolled through the offerings on the Top Shop website and I like the bias cut satin skirts and the waistcoats. The waistcoat would be so great for winter over here in Perth.
Here's to Kate Moss!

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I was scrolling through ninemsn.com.au's celebrity gossip when I came upon this little piece below:

'Also involved in a culture clash is rapper Snoop Dogg, who yesterday was barred from entering Australia for Sunday's MTV Australia Video Music Awards. His LA lawyer spoke out today, saying he poses no threat to the country. "It's really too bad," said Donald Etra, who represented Snoop Dogg in a gun and drugs case in a Los Angeles court earlier this month.
Too bad — because he's a celebrity. At least we know immigration has a policy against letting people in whose criminal records are a mile long.'

That's really funny considering that it was criminals from England who are the foundation of Australia's society. And the fact that criminals are some of their national heroes, like Ned Kelly, the Bra Boys and the guy from Waltzing Matilda.

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