Hmm, there are so many ways I could go with this.
I don’t regret much. I don’t regret the time I spent with Dan for the most part. I don’t regret doing many of the things I have done. I have had short-term regrets, like buying something worth more than I can afford or doing something stupid, but I really try to take the crests with the falls, and realise that not everything is going to be perfect. There is only one perfect world… a world of me!
Biggest regret? August 16, 2010
OK: your favourite director in the whole world comes up to you out of the blue, and asks you to star in his/her new film. Who is it, what genre of film is it, and what kind of character do you play? July 30, 2010
Hmm. I guess it would have to be Tim Burton, in a dark comedy, where I am a sadistic director of a company who has to fight the uprising of an evil group of socialistic councillors
Random Happenings July 22, 2010
So, I was sitting at home after a rather… uneventful day, and doing as I am want to do – cruising the interblahs. For some bizarre reason, I flick over to craigslist. Now, no good story usually begins with craigslist, but this on I promise to keep short and G-rated (how unusual from me. Here’s a fuck to make sure it isn’t, and maybe I’ll imply that I’m naked).
Anyway, I see an add for a guy asking to hang out, and I respond that I would be interested in doing so. I don’t know why, I might just have been feeling lonely for a moment. But, we got in touch, and in the end he came over to mine, we watched Thank You For Smoking, which is one of my favourite films ever and he had never seen, and then we stood in my minuscule kitchen and chatted about the problems with Sydney, and then I drove him home.
It was non-sexual in every way, it was like to friends catching up for an evening together. I feel refreshed for the experience as well 
Learning on the Job July 21, 2010
I’m going to begin this blog post with lessons I have learned. Why start at the beginning when you can start at the end?
Monday’s Lesson: Don’t stand anywhere where people can throw things at you. A Tomato from the third floor of an atrium hurts.
Tuesday’s Lesson: If someone doesn’t hate you, you’re not doing it right.
Wednesday’s Lesson: People don’t assume you’ve made an informed decision, even if you think it’s blatently clear that you have.
As most of the known world is aware, dear blog, I am the President of a student association. When I took on the role, I was aware that it is not all about standing on podiums, tea with the VC, and quotes in the media. About 50% of my job seems actually to be managing people. And when you have thirty people with thirty fairly sizable egos, each contending to be the most relavent person in your day, it is often hard to wade through the crap.
Last Night, we had a Council meeting. There has been growing disquiet around a number of issues, but what irritates me most is not the recognition of the problems but a systemic failure to fix them completely. Part of this problem lies in the nature of who we are as an organisation. Dispite a Council of 24, about 12 people are the ever-present student, rolling over from year to year, more part of the furnature than anything else.
It has finally been put to me this evening the way to get people to realise this. You have to spell out that you are not just dreaming up a solution, but that you have actually sat down and talked to people.
Ultimately, I feel like I am swimming in a cesspool, navagating a tender that thinks it’s an oceanliner, and with 23 captains that, whilst all blind, think they know the route better than I do.
I find you terribly charming. Have you always been this terribly charming or was it something you grew into recently? July 19, 2010
Someone finds me charming? Really? I’ve been trying to be ruder and nastier to people and everything. I would like to think I’ve always been this way, I don’t think it’s too recent
Saturday Morning Breakfast Awesomeness July 13, 2010
I love Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, but when I saw this comic I literally fell over laughing. I’ll let it speak for itself.
On the topic of awesome comics, here’s another of theirs:
No More – Hiroshima July 13, 2010
It’s been raining relentlessly in Hiroshima today, but given we only have one full day here, we set out to discover this city. First stop – an electronics store, where we discovered that electronics, particularly computers, are almost exactly the same price as in Sydney. I have been a little annoyed phone-wise, given the overprevalence of the iPhone, and almost complete lack of HTC stuff – obviously Taiwan and Japan are not on good terms. Anyway, we didn’t buy anything, given that I have no money and there was nothing I particularly wanted. Except for an iPad – I keep seeing them and want one just because it’s an iPad. I don’t think I would really have a lot of use for it, but it’s pretty.
The next stop was the A-bomb dome, Peace Park, and Museum. It is repeated several times throughout, the bombing of Hiroshima at 8.15am on August 6, 1945. I have always been against war, even before I was tested by Socialists, and the site of the A-bomb dome (which used to be a city landmark & trade centre) is a reminder of this. What really got me, though, was the museum. One section had items of clothing and the audio tour told stories of the people who were in the blast – their skin melting off, their bones showing through, writhing in pain in the street, charred corpses. It went on, and on, and by the end of it I wanted to throw up. I cannot believe that anyone thought it was a good idea to do this. It was beyond an extreme action. When I came out of the exhibition, I was so moved, I wanted to do something. Then the pain kicked in, and I crumpled into a ball. Chronic pain conditions are not fun.
However, given I was with my parents, I charged headlong forward, and off to Hiroshima. Hiroshima is a beautiful city, and I recommend it to anyone with a day to spare in Japan. You only need a day, there’s not a lot to do here otherwise, but it is worth the trip.
An extract from The City of Hiroshima Peace Declaration, Mayor Tadatisho Akiba, August 6, 2009
“That weapon of human extinction, the atomic bomb, was dropped on the people of Hiroshima sixty-four years ago. Yet, the hibakusha’s suffering, a hell no words can convey, continues. Radiation absorbed 64 years earlier continues to eat at their bodies, and memories of 64 years ago flash back as if they happened yesterday.
Fortunately, the grave implications of the hibakusha experience are granted legal support. [...] The Japanese national government [...] should lead the world as standard-bearer for the movement to abolish nuclear weapons by 2020 to actualise the fervent desire of hibakusha that “No one else should ever suffer as we did”.
[...]
[W]e support President Obama and have a moral responsibility to act to abolish nuclear weapons. To emphasise this point, we refer to ourselves, the great global majority, as the “Obamajority” and we call on the rest of the world to join forces with us to eliminate all nuclear weapons by 2020. The essence of this idea is embodied in the Japanese Constitution
[...]
Once the Protocol is adopted, our scenario calls for an immediate halt to all efforts to acquire or deploy nuclear weapons by all countries, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which has so recently conducted defiant nuclear tests; visits by leaders of nuclear-weapon states and suspect states to the A-bombed cities; early convening of a UN Special Session devoted to Disarmament; an immediate stare to negotiations with the goal of concluding a nuclear weapons convention by 2015; and finally, to eliminate all nuclear weapons by 2020.
[...]
To nurture this growth [in global democracy] and go on to solve other major problems, we must create a mechanism by which the voices of the people can be delivered directly to the UN. One idea would be to create a “Lower House” of the United Nations made up of 100 cities that have suffered major tragedies due to war and other disasters, plus another 100 cities with large populations, totalling 200 cities. The current UN General Assembly would then become the “Upper House”.
On the occasion of the Peace Memorial Ceremony commemorating the 64th anniversary of the atomic bombing, we offer our solemn condolence to the souls of the A-bomb victims, and, togther with the city of Nagasaki and the majority of Earth’s people and nations, we pledge to strive with all our strength for a world free from nuclear weapons.
We have the power. We have the responsibility. And we are the Obamajority. Together we can abolish nuclear weapons. Yes, we can”
Queering the world July 13, 2010
So, I’ve been at Queer Collaborations in Wollongong, which was a fun experience of sharing information, networking, and more hooking up than you’d find at Bodyline on a Friday night. Here are some interesting things from the past week:
uniq
The team down at Monash have began a beta website for a National Queer Online Network – uniq. It currently resides at uniq.kror.org, but as their business is finalised, it is going to http://www.uniq.org.au, a fully functional company. It is a brilliant idea, and I recommend that all Australian Uni students join in and be a part. This is an excellent way of connecting the whole of Australia into a Network, much simpler than the ongoing yahoo groups with students or no network at all. OK, so it sounds like I’m having an orgasm over it, but it is a pet favourite of mine.
OK, so that’s it. Really, I think I’ve reached the point in life where I have heard most of the ideas already and they seem to be repeating. But it was still a good conference, I enjoyed the lack of Socialists (who despise EVERYTHING), the time was well spent, and I generally just felt like it was a good time.
Musical delights July 12, 2010
So, I’ve got some new albums recently, and I wanted to put downn my thoughts about them.
Kylie Minogue – Aphrodite
Kylie returns to her form with this new album, picking up on a combination of dance tracks that suit disco and slow dancing. All the Lovers, the first single off the album, is up-beat and beautiful, and I am sure it’s being spun at Stonewall more than once a night. The other tracks are not as noteworthy, but the flow across the album is lovely and makes me feel sexy. Talking off, this feels a little bit like an album you would put on when you’re going to have sex, the rhythm flows in such a way that it could match simple sexual activity. Obviously, it doesn’t flow quite so well for a BDSM session… but I don’t think she was writing for that.
Janek’s Rating – Seven Gold Hotpants
Scissor Sisters – Night Work
I love the Scissor Sisters, they have a great sound and a wonderful stage presence. This album is an excellent adventure throught their sound. Their first single, Fire With Fire, is a little routine and dull, but their other tracks are exciting, and the whole album is mixed supurbly, giving a wonderful voyage through the world of the band. The new drummer who took over from Paddy Boom fits in seemlessly with the band, which is good. Tracks like Running Out have me frequently spotted dancing around (much to the chagrin of my mother, I did this in the middle of Shinagawa Station in Tokyo). While not their best music (I still love their eponymous first album), it’s music that it exciting and I can listen to a few thousand times through.
Janek’s Rating – Eight Old Joannas
Sia – We Are Born
Sia had me in tears, quite literally, with Breathe Me at the end of Six Feet Under. So began a love affair with this Aussie Songstress. This album has no crying moments – in fact, it’s not really that good. She has a beautiful voice, but the album seems to let her down with a series of songs that haven’t clicked with me. You’ve Changed and Clap Your Hands have been put on frequently on triple J, which I don’t begrudge them, but it means the magic of the songs has gone for me. I don’t think she has the form from her first album, Colour The Small One, or even some of the moments from Some People Have Real Problems.
Janek’s Rating – Four Sweet Potatoes
Moving Pictures Seen When Moving July 12, 2010
Whenever I fly somewhere, I try to engourge myself in the films on the plane. This time, partially due to an 8.30 flight, and partially due to a week in Wollongong, I got onto the plane and collapsed into a heap, sleeping for the first five hours or so in fits. I did catch Alice In Wonderland and How To Train Your Dragon, though. I started watching Date Night, and stopped when I saw Steve Correll. That man irritates me with his acting and face and voice and I feel like jumping into the screen and strangling him. Not my favourite actor. Mum and Dad watched Valentines Day, and I saw a guy at one point naked strumming a guitar – but given the rating that was all you could see, so a sigh and I decided not to watch it. Nonetheless, here are my reviews of the aforementionmed:
Alice In Wonderland
Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter. Those three names alone generally indicate a brilliant film. I remember a review, though, commenting on Mia Whatsit as Alice being a little week, and I agree completele. She had absolutely no screen presence. None. I can’t even remember what she looked like. The film stared Johnny and Helena, with Anne Hathaway being… well, Anne Hathaway, and Stephen Fry being Stephen Fry, and Alan Rickman being Alan Rickman. It was an homage to great actors in Tim Burton style. The plot was weak, the script often poor, and I didn’t care, because it had all the right people being themselves and generally having a fuckfest on the screen and I loved it.
Janek’s Rating – Seven cakes that make you shrink.
How to train your dragon
Children’s films generally irritate me. Their moral standpoint, their presence of children – why would anyone want to watch these things? Nonetheless, and despite the screaming child a few seats away, I put this on, and while I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. The animation was brilliant, and I liked the ingenuity shown by the boy in developing a solution to the dragon’s lack of tail wing. The moral element – Why kill when you don’t know the other person’s story – which rings true for, oh, I don’t know, EVERY WAR IN THE HISTORY OF EVER, was a little different from the usual push, be good, which was still there to a degree.
Janek’s Rating – Five dragons
