Anyway, my mum and my sister Michelle did their level best to spend the better part of the GDP of Burkina Faso at local retailing establishments. That faint rustling sound you may have heard was the sound of a thousand Wellington shopkeepers simultaneously rubbing their hands in glee.
Michelle's scrapbooking zeal continues unabated so she had me manacled to the PC for a few hours over the weekend, scanning and printing further copies of old photos. One that wasn't so old was this little gem, taken in the latter part of 1974 if I've managed to put the right date on my youthful good looks:
That bear is still rattling around at home somewhere ... much more frayed and gnawed at than in that photo if truth be told. And didn't I have just the best taste in chemises you've ever seen? Personal stylists were two a penny back then, of course.
‹ 30.9.03
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In the most surprising cult TV news of the week, it appears as though Doctor Who is returning. With scripts to be penned by Russell T Davies (of Queer As Folk fame, no less). Could be very interesting indeed.
‹ 29.9.03
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I'm sure you all remember those dancing hamsters from a few years back ... weren't they just the cutest? (ahem). Perhaps the most disturbing derivative and that little zeitgeist slice has to to be The Vegemite Dance. It may put "a rose in every cheek" but it'll have you wanting to put "a fist in every monitor" before you know it.
Anyway, Marmite is much nicer ... that's the Antipodean version not the British one, which I could never quite bring myself to try. Still, I wouldn't go flinging it around my pumpkin and feta parcels, despite the manufacturer's exhortations. Oh, and our Marmite is known as Vitamite in the UK, for the purposes of trademark infringing avoidance. Full of useless facts, me.
‹ 28.9.03
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Thanks to the lovely Cheryl for the alerting me to the big news of the day: your humble author's website is one of the world's 20 best blogs according to The Sydney Morning Herald. So, welcome Sydneysiders ... I guess I should try and find something interesting to say now ...
[N.B. Thanks to the power of the almighty Fairfax media group, the same article appears to have run in The Age too ... gidday to the Melbournites as well!]
‹ 28.9.03
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The Integrated Taxonomic Information System has the scientific name of every organism known to exist. On our kitchen bench right now: a bunch of Zantedeschia aethiopica and three Citrus sinensis.
‹ 26.9.03
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An interesting statistic reported in Richard Dawkins recent Wired piece, "Religion Be Damned":
A Gallup poll in 1999 asked American voters the following question: 'If your party nominated a generally well-qualified person for president who happened to be an X would you vote for that person?' X took on the following values: Catholic, Jew, Baptist, Mormon, black, homosexual, woman, atheist. Six out of the eight categories secured better than 90 percent approval. But only 59 percent would vote for a homosexual, and just 49 percent would vote for an atheist.This is mentioned in the context of the word bright becoming the new term for "a person with a naturalistic world view". The good professor is also talking about it in The Guardian. So is bright the new gay? We shall see, o bright ones.
‹ 22.9.03 / 0 comment(s) ›
So it looks as though Christian Bale is set to become the next Batman which could prove interesting (especially given that the as yet untitled flick is being helmed by Christopher Nolan (of Memento and Insomnia fame)). It appears Mr Bale's been getting in a bit of early practice with the costume too. Holy murderous rampage Batman!
‹ 19.9.03
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Oh dear ... it seems as though our Australian friends are distinctly uncomfortable about having the logo of perennial outdoor wear manufacturer Fairydown emblazoned across their chests. Apparently, there are "homosexual connotations" associated with the word "fairy" which Ocker males "don't feel happy with". The whole kit-and-kaboodle has been rebranded "Zone" so as not to avoid their delicate sensibilities. Good grief.
‹ 18.9.03
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And no, I didn't win $17,000,000 on Saturday. Drat.
‹ 14.9.03
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Ever wondered what $17,000,000 looks like? Well, look no further. And yes, I will be buying a ticket this Saturday.
‹ 11.9.03
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Nice write-up on Wellington in the Guardian:
Life can be tough for a city tucked away at the bottom of the world. Wellington, New Zealand's capital, knows how it feels to be the last kid to be picked for the school sports team. It has been through years of virtual obscurity, skulking in the shadows of its bigger and brasher neighbour, Auckland, and the tourist honey traps of Australia and Fiji. Diplomats winced when told they were Wellington-bound and even Kiwis would turn up their noses at a trip to their capital. Not any more.
New Zealand has a minor obsession with the way it's perceived through foreign eyes, but a little bit of validation every now and then is no bad thing in my book.
‹ 8.9.03
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A week or so back, my sister had me scanning some old family photos for a scrapbooking project of hers ... here are a few of my line in their heyday:
 Nan Hore |
 Grandad Hore |
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 Grandma Pannett and Granny Dobbie |
 Grandad Pannett |
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So those are just a sample of the genes that make me who I am ... and a fairly handsome mix they are too.
‹ 7.9.03
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Hands up who remembers the Mummenschanz episode of The Muppets? (that's this one). That's some freaky shit to absorb when you're just a wee'un. [a random thought prompted by flicking on to the reality dating show total car crash that is Mr Personality aka So I Married A Power Ranger]
‹ 3.9.03
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'Puter geeks in New South Wales, beware. You could be liable for a hefty fine for getting your keystrokes out of whack. Consider yourselves warned.
‹ 3.9.03
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