Revival of the Long Lost Pictures

I gotta admit I've been wasting time on my computer, but then again - aren't they just perfect for procrastination? As much as I have to get three assignments done for school, I also have a short attention span. Could be from the cold draft that's carrying icy winds through my house, or just from having the concentration skills of a ADD teenager without any Ritalin. I've been cleaning up my picture folder, trying to discard the ones that just take up room and sort the others that I've decided to keep. But by doing that I've also stumbled across many images I forgot about, reminding me why I kept these pictures:

Only in the UAE - apparently the largest couch in the world, owned by a Skeikh in Abu Dhabi (the rainbow Sheikh I think...). I wonder if they'd use a ladder to get on top!


Speaking of Dubai, here is a recentish aerial photo of the city now. It looks like a whole new city to when I was there last (7 years ago). Those formations in the water are man made islands, littered with houses, shops, land to buy etc.



A sign for a Gynecology Examination in Shanghai, China :)



I'd love to own a set of these puppets!


A MacGuyver multitool, don't leave home without it.



I wonder if they still sell these. Though, the last book will tell us for sure whether Dumbledore is actually dead or not.

This week I've been wondering whether taking photos and accumulating them is more a female influence trait, or genderless. The people I know who hoard photos are female, yet the "photographers" who take the art seriously seem to be more of the male kind. Makes me wonder, is it the structure of our society that influences such things, or is it our personal agency of self identity and individualism that influences it more. Are happy snaps fundamentally a feminine trait? The debate continues - structure Vs agency.

<3

He's The Housewive's Friend

I love wacky, old skool signs and slogans that imply a lot more than what they intentionally mean. On my way to school every week, my wonderful bouncy bus bops along, passing many shops. But always one shop makes me giggle. After finally taking a picture of it, I wonder if it'll make you giggle too.

In case you can't see it says "Vince Martino... The Better Fruit Suppliers, The Housewife's Friend..."

Not just a sexual innuendo there, but also gender role discrimination! Ah the days before being 'PC' become second nature to most. How pre-post-modernised :)

<3

Music For Feeling Like You've Gotten A Scholarship

Today, as much as my head is still sore, I've had some wonderful news so I've been stuck in a pretty happy mood. The wonderful news = I just got granted a scholarship for the next four years at while I finish my course at university, which is just peachy for me since I wasn't really looking forward to having to work three to four days a week just to be able to survive better.

No real reason for mentioning about my good news, more so just because I'm grinning ear to ear at the moment and thought I should share this blissful feeling. So on that note, I think my songs this week should be catered to the idea of feeling happy, upbeat, and blissful.

10 Songs to Make You Feel Uber Wonderful:

The Polyphonic Spree - Reach For The Sun
I don't think it's possible to feel anything but happy when The Polyphonic Spree are playing. It's odd but their music is just so... positive. The ultimate in hippy choirs. And one hell of a live band to see (I had the pleasure of seeing them in 2005 and still remain in my top 10 live acts I've attended) if you get the change, I recommend it. This song has a moment where all these orchestra instruments flood into the song, which strangely reminds me of animals in the wild, and sunshine. Don't ask why, it just does. It also makes me feel quite uplifted too, no matter what situation, like a wave of serenity washing over moi. Hopefully it'll do the same to you.

Nicola Conte - Fuco Fatuo (remixed by Koop, sung by Earl Zinger)
Possibly one of my all time favourite songs, I lovingly refer to it as the 'one in one out' song since I didn't know the actual title for a long time. Nicola Conte is a famous Italian jazz pianist, and Koop are a famous downtempo/jazz/acidjazz group - together they make beautiful music. Earl Zinger provides fantastic raspy vocals, singing about trying to get into a club, Noah's Ark, and being told it was a night where you had to come in two's - a play on the idea of the biblical Noah and his famous ark. All I can say is listen to this piece of jazz, it's divine. Though it may not seem too bliss-inducing to many of you, I love this song more than words can express :)

Common - Pop's Rap III... All My Children
My partner and I debate often about whether the music for this song is based on a Fela Kuti song, since it sounds incredibly similar. Unlike Common's other tracks, being him rapping, this song is actually Common's dad speaking over the top of a great backing track (with vibraphone!). The message is great, giving praise and love to his children. And with a son like Common, you'd be a proud dad. Even without Pop's rapping over the top, the music stands up perfectly on its own. Cruisy jazz, almost in loops.

Earl Zinger - Escape From Ibiza
This is kinda like big band samba with a British guy singing over the top, kinda like music that could be accompanied by go go dancers. But the beauty to this song is the actual story told via the lyrics of the song. Zinger tells the story of a trip to Ibiza, and eventually trying to get off the island. There are immense amounts of Ibiza references to clubs, DJ's, the crowds, drugs and assorted tid bits. By the end Zinger sounds desperate to get off the island and you kinda feel sorry for him. Still, the story is funny as hell and well done. If you can name all the references, please let me know! According to my partner, the Ibiza references are pretty spot on.

Hird - Keep You Kimi
One of my old housemates loved this song to bits, and often it would be playing in our lounge. He passed the love onto me. A jazzy piece with a bop, some double bass and beautiful vocals by Yukimi Nagano (who strangely sounds more like a soul singer than a Japanese girl). The keyboard over the top sounds more like drops of water than a keyboard. Hird are a Swedish act that create downtempo/jazz tunes, beautiful sounding and very relaxed - otherwise called cafe/lounge music. Often they use Miss Yukimi as well. The song's words are pretty, and would work as a good soundtrack to city life at night time I think. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just music to drink something to. Either way, Kimi will get to you :)

Jazztronik - Arabesque
Jazztronik is a Japanese DJ who ultimately creates latin-influenced jazz creations. My partner came across Jazztronik about a year or so ago and we both fell in love with his albums. Normally in each of his songs there is a variety of musical influences, and Arabesque is no different. It sounds like a mash of Japanese scales, flamenco, gypsy music, tribal percussion and electronica. There are flutes, there's clapping, samples of scatting, violins, and pianos amongst other sounds. It sounds very similar to 'Spain' by Chick Corea in some parts. I wonder if that was an influence. I suggest finding more Jazztronik songs if you like this, you won't be disappointed.

Yma Sumac - Gopher
This is my praise for my total love of what I like to call cocktail music. The mondo/exotica period of music from the 1950's, big band and calypso like. Yma Sumac was the voice of many mondo songs of that time, with her voice having one of the largest vocal ranges of the 20th century (more so than Mariah Carey). You would know her voice, her songs, this one included, are famous for being in TV programs, ads and films. She is of Peruvian decent, and just divine. I wish I could be miss Sumac, and then go sing with Pink Martini. Defiantly good music to drink cocktails to while swooning around in beehives.

Sublime - 5446 Thats My Number/Ball and Chain
There's always those bands you grow up with, that give you some meaning to your teenage life and that is the fundamental band all your friends love. Sublime is that band for me, and to this day my high school friends and me still love all their songs - reminds us all of many parties and teenage shenanigans. This song is partly original, partly a cover (5446 originally is a famous reggae song by Toots & The Maytals) and is two songs put together as one. Probably my favourite song off their first album (40oz To Freedom, highly recommended) and an all time classic uplifter for me. Sublime were a reggae/dub/punk/acoustic/funk/hip hop trio that were, like the name states, sublime until the singer Brad Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996. Pity, he was a gem :/ Anyhoo this is a mixture of reggae and ska, with a touch of punk and dub.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Sugar Daddy
So this is a song from the fictional band, and subject of the wonderful film Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I sometimes forget that Hedwig is just a character, and not a real person. Pity, I do adore Hedwig so much. This song is basically a country sounding song, sung by the transsexual that is Hedwig, about a sugar daddy. This is by far one of my favourite Hedwig songs, and somehow always makes me smile on the bus. If you've not seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch - go see it! A rock musical odyssey about a transsexual's life and botched sex job (hence the 'angry inch'). One of my all time favourite films, and a must see-and-sing-along.

Eric Sartie - Je Te Veux
Eric Sartie is a famous 19th/20th century French composer, with many famous pieces. This, however, is my favourite piece by him. To describe it simply, it reminds me of bike riding through villages and countryside in France on a warm day. That's probably the best way to describe this piece, a warm Frenchy bike riding song. With just a sole piano, it's enough to sooth the savage beast. I wish I could play piano like this, but alas I'm just too impatient.


So there's 10 songs for your audio pleasure. I think the next time I'll have a theme. Maybe the greatest intro's of songs... I could think of a few there. Or maybe the best of cocktail oddity music. Stay tuned, same bat time, same bat channel.


<3

eBay Horrors

Everyone seems to love eBay. Why? Cos you can buy and sell without having to leave the comfort of your home. You can sell half your life while in your pyjama's, or add to your collection of random paraphernalia while sitting in bed. But more and more people are getting ripped off via eBay, with dodgy bidders and even dodgier sellers. With the Internet being a faceless medium people contact others via, you really can do anything. eBay has many loop holes people jump through, and obviously don't get penalised properly. I've had a couple of friends scammed via eBay, even my partner has had some horrible eBay experiences. But nothing compares to what I'm about to show you.

Judge Judy vs eBay Scammer

This clip is a Judge Judy case of an eBay seller gone wrong. Firstly, if it's on Judge Judy it has to be pretty bad. I base arguments on the premise that 'if you went on Judge Judy, who would win?' She's a bitch, true, but she's a justified one. The people they get on there are pretty low on the human spectrum. In this case, the seller is a total... well.. idiot really. All she needed was to say "I know you are so what am I" and it would have taken the cake. Sure, Judge Judy didn't let the seller tell her case, but really do we need to hear something blatantly idiotic?

Have a giggle, and remember there are people like that on eBay!

I have Watched A Lot Of Cinema Recently...

I've been having some pretty shocking migraines this week, topped off with a very sore right side of my face and possible ear infection (well it feels like it at least). Why? Because I have some shocking teeth that need to be ripped out of my skull, it seems. Two fillings that have fallen out, some impacted wisdom teeth (they certainly feel like it) and others rotting away, it's time to see the dentist. But you see, I'm a wuss for seeing the dentist. I can't think of anything worse than teeth pain, really. It freaks me out in movies, and it certainly freaks me out in real life. However, I must bite the bullet and go see one this week otherwise I might have to be like Tom Hanks and ice-skate a tooth out myself, which I don't think I have the nerves for. For now I'm dosed up on painkillers, but still my face throbs away - I just can't bring myself to disregard the warnings on my packets of Nurofen, and chow down as many as I feel like. Yet 6 doesn't seem to be doing much... hmmm..

So that's my explanation of why I've not updated this in a few days - I just haven't been able to bring myself to sit in front of this here monitor for so long. But today I aim to write a couple of things at least - music post and some mini film reviews. Film reviews first, for once!:

Mini Film Review - or Films I Have Seen Over the Last Couple of Weeks, Reviewed in a Couple of Sentences:


Trailer Park Boys: The Big Dirty
Not a bad film, if you love the TPB as much as I do. Tailored to both hardcore fans of the series and newbies to the show - but not as funny as some of their series. Ricky and Lucy finally get married, trailer park styles. And they try and pull off the best job of all time - stealing change. 4 stars out of 5

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Odd and enjoyable, there's 3 stories in Tristram Shandy: the making of the movie, the movie itself of the life of Tristram Shandy and the camera following Steve Coogan's time while making the movie. It has some very witty humour, very confusing bits and overall is an interesting film. Not the best Mike Winterbottom film, but original... that's for sure. 4 stars out of 5

The Inside Man
Went on a small Spike Lee kick this week. Inside Man is about a flawless bank robbery, and the stupidity of the police handling the situation. Really well done, made me think that robbing banks was easier than it looks. Worth checking out! 4 stars out of 5

Sucker Free City
Another Spike Lee film, this time about gangs in San Fransisco. Filmed interestingly, shows 3 different gang areas and how they all intersect. Didn't really like the sudden ending, or what strong point Lee was trying to get across. Worth watching though if you like gang films. 3 stars out of 5.

25th Hour
I love Edward Norton, and he's great in this as an ex-drug dealer who has a day to live before going to jail. You end up feeling for the protagonist, Norton, even though he's a criminal by trade. I enjoyed this immensely. 4 stars out of 5

Idiocracy
A film by Mike Judge (office space, king of the hill, beavis and butthead) that is pretty funny. About a man who's frozen for 100 years only to find he's the smartest man on earth because only the dumbest have been breeding. It it was real, the future looks bleak. 3 stars out of 5

Snakes on a Plane
Yeah so we watched this because we thought, why not. And the film is about as good as it sounds. All you need to know is that there's many poisonous, pissed off snakes on a plane with Samuel L. Jackson. Best line - "Snakes on crack." 1 star out of 5

Miami Vice
Since Michael Mann directed the film, I thought it'd be alright. But if anything it was more confusing. Colin Farrell has a shocking accent, Mann has his trademark blue tones and the story is a bit average. But then again, I never liked the show much. 2 stars out of 5

SWAT
Don't even bother. Nothing can save this film. Colin Farrell is shocking, and Samuel L Jackson is his usual hard ass yelling righteous black man self. 1/2 star out of 5.

Hot Fuzz
I love Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead, Spaced) and this film is really really good. It's basically a homage to the apparent best cop films of all time - Point Break and Bad Boys 2. Pegg plays a great hard ass, serious cop, in a small Cornish town where people are getting brutally murdered. Highly recommended if you want a great giggle. 4.5 stars out of 5

Harsh Times
Directed by David Ayers, the man who wrote Training Day, this film is great. Pretty messed up but great! Christian Bale plays an ex-military nutjob who rolls gangs, takes drugs, gets drunk and vicious with weapons while trying to secure a job with Homeland Security. Fantastic acting, despite the intense story plot. 4.5 stars out of 5

Taxi (1, 2 and 3) - the french series of films
Written by Luc Besson (The Professional, The Fifth Element) the Taxi series (4 films in all) are very funny and action packed. The main premise is about a taxi driver with a souped up race car taxi helps out the fumbling police, catching the bad guy in each film. But there's a continuity, joint smoking, great action sequences and lotsa French humour. Highly recommended for a giggle. 4 out of 5

Banlieue 13
Another film written by Luc Besson, this one is set in the future about a district in Paris that is riddled with gangs. A prison inmate and a cop must go in to diffuse a bomb and save thousands of people. This film has some fantastic stunts in it, mixing Martial arts and parkour together. Interesting concept, great action. 4 stars out of 5 (mainly for the use of parkour)

Pan's Labyrinth
Everyone loves this film, but I sadly was disappointed. I expected more. The Spanish love gruesome films, and this certainly is depressive subject matter wise. The special effects are interesting, kinda like watching a Tool video clip, but the story itself is gruesome and very depressing. You'll either like the film or not like it. 3 stars out of 5.

Gangs of New York
Scorsese put 25 years of research in for this film, and it shows. Mainly about a battle between Irish immigrants and 'native' American's of New York, the film highlights the life back then and what else was going on in America with the Civil War. Leonardo Di Caprio has a pretty shonky accent, Daniel Day Lewis is AWESOME as the antagonist, Cameron Diaz doesn't do that bad an Irish accent either. Maybe not the best Scorsese film, but one worth watching. 4 stars out of 5

Night At the Museum
Another Ben Stiller film. I personally don't like Ben Stiller much, unless he's in a Wes Anderson film. This is pretty stereotypical Stiller, with children's and obvious humour and slapstick comedy. It's entertaining, at most. I reckon the dinosaur was the best part. 2 stars out of 5

Déjà Vu
A Jerry Brockheimer film - that should say it all. Apparently a sci-fi thriller, I found this film tedious. Denzel Washington always plays a good cop, and in this he goes back in time to stop a bomb exploding hundreds of people. If anything, the budget went on the action sequences and special effects. 2 stars out of 5.

Swordfish
Operation Espadons, as my partner calls it. Not a bad film, John 'Scientologist' Travolta plays a pretty good villain, Hugh Jackman plays a great hacker - though he is daggy at some points. Halle Berry has a boob shot, and there's some pretty expensive action sequences. Entertaining. 3 stars out of 5.

Peeping Tom
I had to watch this for a class at school. It's a famous, controversial film from 1960 by Michael Powell, about a voyeur who's fetish is filming people being murdered. Interesting film, especially from a voyeur perspective, and if you like Hitchcock-like films. 4 stars out of 5

The Science of Sleep
The latest from Michel Gondry, I enjoyed this film muchly despite being confused for a lot of it. The story is a bit everywhere, but the visuals are amazing - more like watching a video clip than a film for parts of the film. Gael Garcia Benal is wonderful, and speaks in French, English and Spanish. 4 stars out of 5.

Crank
Another Jason Stratham film, this is a non-stop intense roller-coaster of action. Stratham is injected with a poison that means if his heart rate drops below a certain rate, he'll die. Basically the whole film is about him keeping his adrenaline levels up in order to get revenge on the person who injected him. A hell of a ride to watch. 4.5 stars out of 5.

Underworld: Evolution
The first Underworld didn't do anything for me, and this continues to do nothing for me. It's basically a lot of vampires fighting werewolves, and talking about how both came to be. There's an overly long sex scene with Kate Beckinsale and Scott Speedman, which I think is for the directors (and Beckinsale's husband) viewing pleasure more than anything. Beckinsale's character becomes a new species of vampire too. I like a good vampire film, but this isn't one of them. 2 stars out of 5.

Letters From Iwo Jima
Clint Eastwood's other film dealing with the battle of Iwo Jima (the other being Flags of Our Fathers), though this is from the Japanese perspective. And it's fantastic. Moving and easy to get wrapped up in, the film doesn't portray the Japanese as being unjustified, cruel soldiers. It highlights how unprepared the Japanese were, and how the Imperial Army left the soldiers to die. Highly recommended! 4.5 stars out of 5. (just make sure you get a copy with the RIGHT subtitles, not Engrish)


There was many other films too, but I've either forgotten I watched them due to being too long ago or them being too shocking to remember. On average I'm watching 2 films a night - yes I am a film fanatic. Along with that I have also been keeping up with the recent series (as shown in the USA recently) of:

House, MD
Heroes
Supernatural
Lost
The Simpsons
Family Guy (sometimes)
Law and Order: SVU

Gotta love the Internet.

Next film review post - I plan to watch Shortbus (if I can finally convince my partner to watch it), The Libertine, MirrorMask, Perfect Creatures, and other assorted films. Who knows what I'll whip out of my bag of movie tricks.

<3

All Hail the Mighty House

There are a few actors I love in the world, and not just because they're all very easy on the eyes - mostly it's their talent. Hank Azaria, Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Hugh Jackman and my newest rekindled love for this wonderful man:

That's right - the magnificent Hugh Laurie. More famously now known (in America mostly) as the cynical Dr House, yet I grew up with Hugh Laurie on our TV screens at home (thanks to my mum) as the bumbling socialite idiot Bertie Wooster in Jeeves and Wooster (with Stephan Fry playing his more intelligence butler Jeeves ) and in Blackadder (The Third) as the Prince Regent, one of his best roles I believe, and Lt. George (in Blackadder Goes Forth). Also it must be noted he had a great guest appearance on The Young Ones in the University Challenge episode, famously saying 'Rah-rah-rah, we're going to smash the oinks!' with Emma Thomspon, Ben Elton and Stephan Fry. If you don't know any of the above listed shows, I pity you and demand you to go out and get your hands on copies of these GREATEST of the great in British humour.

Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent in Blackadder the Third

Mr Laurie is a highly talented man, not just actor. Originally starting out as a champion rower for Cambridge University (following the footsteps of his gold-medal winning rowing father), he then branched off into comedy with, most notably, Stephan Fry. Many stage shows, TV shows, and works with other famous comedians, he rose to stardom within the UK. From there he branched out into films and the rest is, well... what we know today. But did you know he was also a highly talented musician? I didn't until a couple of hours ago. Hugh can play a mean guitar, killer piano and sings wonderful satirical songs. He even plays in two bands - one is Lenny Henry's band, with Henry and Ben Elton's wife Sophie among many others, and the other is called Band From TV with other actors from American TV (they mostly do covers I believe). I cruised around on YouTube before and found some wonderful clips of Hugh Laurie's musical talents, which I thought was worthy of sharing.

'Mystery', written and performed by Hugh Laurie
'The Sophisticated Song', performed on A Bit of Fry and Laurie
'Too Long Johnny', performed by Laurie on A Bit of Fry and Laurie
'There Ain't The One Way', performed on A Bit of Fry and Laurie


Here are some other clips worth watching:
Shakespeare Sketch with Rowan Atkinson
Laurie's appearance on The Young Ones as part of University Challenge.
A scene from Jeeves and Wooster
Spoon Bending sketch, with Stephan Fry
As the Prince Regent in Blackadder


You should love Hugh Laurie by now :)


<3

Praise Be to the Shower Products

So this blog is about pop culture, I should include more than just media related items. Although I have quite a large fondness for media - being music, TV, film, books, websites yadda yadda yadda - there is more to pop culture than what the media has to dictate. Today I decided it's about time I gave praise to some girly things. Yes, that's right - girly. I, being a girl, should indulge and praise the femme side of moi, which I don't nearly do as much as the next girl. I believe it's about time I did.

Today's girly praise is going to be for wonderful, delicious, lovely smelling shower things! What am I talking about? Shampoo, soap, conditioner, cleansers... the works! Things to make your skin feel brand new, fresh and so clean, and leave you smelling like buttercups and cupcakes.

I recently decided to treat myself to some 'expensive' (by my standards, anything over $6) products in order to help with the shocking condition of my hair and skin. After walking past the shop many times and being invited in with their overpowering wonderful smells, I ventured into Lush to spoil myself for the first time in a veeeeerrrry long time. Lush is wonderful - not too pricey and natural ingredients are used. Their products smell divine and leave you feeling environmentally friendly and super clean. While there I indulged myself in some fantastic shampoo, lovely light conditioner, some sweet smelling body jelly (soap, but in jelly form) and a fresh face cleanser. They have left me feeling so clean I think it's about time I gave them some praise:

'Big' Shampoo - the hair revitaliser

I have been every colour hair dye has to offer, and as much as I am proud of my colourful lock adventures, it has left my hair pretty worn out, damaged and fine. For a while I was using various shampoo's found at my local supermarket, never really venturing to splash out past what Safeway or Coles had to offer. The end result was my hair being limp and stripped of it's black dye (once you go black, you never go back). The split ends were building up and there wasn't much volume or texture to the mop on my head. Then I came across this - this wonderful shampoo that cleans, replenishes, adds volume (I always wondered why they call it volume) and also massages your scalp. 'Big', designed to breathe life back into the follicles. It makes your hair shine so much that it blinds people. It's like someone has turned up the volume in my hair to 10. It's truly wonderful. And the best bit - chunks of sea salt that feel great on your skull, massaging away all the dead bits clinging to you for dear life. With real lime juice, coconut oil, sea salt and seaweed, it smells divine and probably tastes alright too. If you're like me and need a kick with your hair, go buy this for around $26 for 330g

Veganese Conditioner - Light and Lemony

For years as a teenager I didn't see the point in conditioner, but as an adult I now do. For me it mainly helps with untangling my hair without too much pain or brushing involved. Most conditioners I've used in the past have been really oily feeling, laden with oodles of moisturising agents. Veganese, however, is different. It's lighter and not so oily, and smells deliciously of lemon. And like the name suggests, it's totally vegan. A good ender to the washing hair routine.

Herbalism Face Cleanser

I've done my time with skin stripping face cleansers, or ones that are all talk but not much show. I often have bad breakouts, usually due to hormonal imbalances at certain times of the month, and as much as I sadistically enjoy destroying these red dots of doom, I'm starting to not want to destroy my skin anymore. Herbalism is a clay - you take a small bit, rub it in your hands with water and then go crazy all over your face with the green concoction. It has almond meal and rice bran to rub away the dead skin, flower petals, rosemary and chamomile, and powdered herbs all wrapped up in china clay. It's gentle but effective. It's lovely smelling and easy to use. And lasts you a long time. I'm yet to try the other types of cleansers they have, but was told this would be the best for my skin type. I agree for now :)

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly

I saw this and thought I just had to try it. It's an odd concept - jelly soap. And I mean jelly (or jello for you Americans) like the wobbly uber sweet kind you can eat. This, however, I don't think you can eat, even tho it smells delicious and very sweet like cupcakes and candy. The jelly is an interesting idea - you can freeze it, chill it, or just use it at room temperature (I recommend the freezing of it). It wobbles, it cleans, it feels oddly nice against your skin and leaves you smelling like candy and sweetness. Try it out, you'll love it!

So there is my homage to the shower products that have recently made my shower-time wonderful. I actually look forward to getting clean and fresh everyday, no matter how pissweak the water pressure from my showerhead is. If you have Lush store in your city, I implore you to go look, try and buy from them. Or if not, try their online shopping.

Speaking of showering, it's time for mine now so I bid you adieu.

<3

YouTube Funnies

There are many funny videos on YouTube. Here are some for you to enjoy:

Interpretation of 'Fucking Hostile', by Pantera (Warning: Metal music)


Norman Gunston's Tribute to ABBA - Australian style.
(70's Australian Comedian/Tv Personality)


Circle Circle Dot Dot - Jamie Kennedy and Stu Stone
(Lego videoclip of their rap)


Wishmaster - the misheard lyrics


Irrational Exuberance, aka Yatta!


Yatta - the original by Japanese 'boyband' Green Leaves.
(Yes, I love this song, and it's got nearly naked Japanese men disco-ing)



Enjoy!
<3

Keywords from IMDB.com

My partner sent me a rather funny link. It's all the keywords listed for the movie Underworld: Evolution. I thought it was worth a mention:)

How gruesome is this film?

Edit: This film isn't really gruesome, more boring really. I've never been a fan of over-hyped blockbuster vampire serials. Unless they're done well of course, which Underworld isn't.

Sites To Entertain

Similar to the post before, I've found some more websites for you lovelies out there to roam around on. Nothing depressing, in fact it should all be sunshine and lollipops for you to look at. So to take the edge off being over-saturated with the bleak future humans may face (if we don't change our ways), here are a bunch of sites to entertain:

Current Entertaining Sites Found:

Dark Passage
This is a great site a friend sent to me years ago that I forgot about until about a month ago. It's basically a photographed catalogue of abandoned buildings across America, and some in Europe. There are mental asylums, discarded hospitals, Nazi tunnels, sewers and so much more. The photos are amazing to look at, and sometimes haunting to look at. I recommend getting lost on this site, maybe even while in a dark room on a windy night... ooOOOooh.

Christopher Walken Clips
I love Christopher Walken, and I especially love how he talks. Nothing compares to a quote or stare from Christopher Walken. So why not share the love. This site has many clips of his speeches, quotes and other tidbits from various films and Saturday Night Live appearances. Go listen to him speak the way that only Mr Walken can.

Ricky Gervais (official)
Ricky Gervais is a very funny man, hands down. So go check out his official site and what he's done. I highly recommend his stand up comedy DVD's, 'Politics' and 'Animals'. Very, very funny man.

Virtual NES Games
What more could you want, virtual old school Nintendo games from back when Street Fighter and Double Dragon were cooler than cool. It has over 400 games there, and many old favourites like Bubble Bobble. You'll be sucked back into a time warp playing these gems.

BookMooch
Similar to Bookcrossing or Postcardcossing, this is a swapping books site. You swap one of your books for something you want from someone else. It's free to join and you are able to get books based on a point system. Interesting though if you love books and don't mind them being 'well loved'.

Infinite Wheel
I get stuck on this site all the time. Basically it's got a few games where you make your own dub music with samples by playing interactive flash games. There are some great dub samples there, and the flash games are cute.


I hope these take the edge off and entertain you somewhat :)

<3

Sociology Lives Online

There are many things in life that are important; information that needs to be passed on and on and on round the the world until the message is made obvious. Sociology is a fascinating topic, especially since everyday life, human behaviour and the interactions between both are what makes up most of the day to day humdrum of society. And how our modern society is now is even more fascinating.

I've watched a fair amount of documentaries about peak oil and gas, the Iraq war, 'terrorism' and other related topics over the past year or so, and more recently watched one about private corporations involvement in this Iraq war going on. It's disgusting how much money is generated, and how much the government has to pay for corporations like Halliburton to run below average services. Anyway, that's off the topic a bit. What is on the topic is how much the Internet is filled with useful and insightful information related to the above social and economic problems humankind is facing.

The last week I've been surfing online and come across some great sites I'd like to share with you, that hopefully will enlighten and inform you all like it has for me. Some are amusing, some are scarily informative, and others are use interesting. So now, onto the site listing....

Peak Oil, Apocalyptic, Cloning and Population Related Sites:

Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash
My friend sent me this link to look at a while ago, and it drew me in pretty much. It's scary, not in a graphical or gruesome way but just how humankind is heading towards. The site tells you how it is, and how we'll be effected due to the oil reserves becoming all used up. I recommend this site for a great source of chilling information. Be warned though, your outlook of life might change.

World Overpopulation Awareness
Overpopulation and population control is what I'm all about, in a nutshell. It's what I'm working towards at school and hopefully in a career - informative family planning, future overpopulation prevention and population control. So I know this is me pushing my own agenda, but it is a really important topic that needs more discussion and promotion across the globe. After global warming/climate change, this will become the next major issue humans face. This site is very informative, about actions taken across the globe currently and future endeavours. Hopefully it'll open some eyes to what our future could hold unless we discuss how to lower the birth rates.

The Volunatary Human Extinction Movement
This is not everyones cup of tea, but it's interesting to say the least. It's a group of people, a movement really, who pledge to not to procreate or not to procreate anymore than they already have. It talks about some interesting concepts dealing with birth and death rates, and basically trying to save the human species by maintain a period of no procreation to level out humans impact on the Earth. I found this site really interesting, and the concept I support. But don't hate me because I do, it's all voluntary - no one has taken away your right to give birth yet! Still, kudos to those who are willing to not add to the billions that inhabit this planet already.

Exit Mundi: A Collection of End-of-World Scenarios
Another friend sent me this link, and I had a great time giggling at the possible outcomes of humans. Its basically a collective of apocalyptic and doomsday predictions we face. Mostly seemingly satirical, there is also a truth behind a lot of the listed predictions. For example, in 2007 the Earth is meant to be sucked into a black hole that we created in a lab in Switzerland. It may not happen, but the research to create black holes is. Go look and see when we will all be destroyed.

Clonaid
Ok so this both scares and amuses me. Scares me because if it is true, then that's a scary road to go down. Amuses me because it is run by a group of Raelians - if you don't know about the coo-coo Raelian religion, go here. Basically the site is a company that claims to have cloned humans, 13 in fact, and will clone one for you at a hefty price of over $200,000 USD. Yet there is no proof of their clones, to the disappointment of the UN and US government (who have been trying to suss out if Clonaid is true or now). The fact that an extreme cult like religion claims to have cloned humans is rather unnerving, more so than the fact that humans could have possibly been cloned. They promote the idea of being about to live immortally, which personally creeps me out. Anyway, go check it out for yourself and see what you make of it.


So enough depressing things for now. I personally like reading the morbid, but I can see why it's not everyone's cup of tea. If you have found related sites that I might become absorbed in, please send them over. Otherwise, I hope you find some sound information in those listed above.

<3