Happy New Years

So I never actually knew what the hell people sang Auld Lang Syne for. I know my great-grandma and her daughter call each other up at midnight to sing it to each other, which is freaking adorable. Translated, it means "old long since", or more literally "long long ago" or "days gone by".
Here's the English translation of the song from Robert Burns' original Scots verse (taken from the wiki article)

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old times since ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS

So...ahem...there you have it I guess. I don't remember running about any slopes, picking daisies or paddling in streams this year. I did forget old friends, and drink some pints. This evening I'm sure that I'll drink some more.

I always like to spend new years with the people I care about the most, so tonight I'll be with my boyfriend and my two little brothers, playing xbox and chilling out. At midnight we'll go up to the top of the cemetery hill near my house and watch the fireworks over the city.

So here's to 2009 surpassing 2008 in every way. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the massive effort involved in remembering to write "09" everytime I write the date.

Current obsessions

At the moment my head's in a weird place and I have not a lot to say, all I've been doing is looking and taking it all in. So here's a few things that are taking over my brain at the moment....

This blog post by Kate Harding about cyberbullying, please have a read. The second half of the post struck me especially hard and I really haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. It implores men to not condone or just stand by while other men make "jokes" about women being horrible. Except it says it a lot better than I did just then. I was reminded of it while watching SHITTY stand-up comedy with my teenage brothers, who got totally enraged at these idiots going on and on about women being terrible. It was really heartening to see them feel that way, because most other guys I know would have laughed right along, and worse, thought the jokes were funny. I'm just really glad that my little brothers have grown up to be people that I really love and admire.

This interview with Angelina Jolie and Clint Eastwood, interviewed by Andrew Denton on Enough Rope. Count me in Team Angelina dude. She is so intelligent, and caring and wonderful and fuck all the haters man, she can adopt as many bebbehs as she wants, because she can care for them all. I don't care much for her movies, cause truthfully, it's been a while since I saw her in something I liked...aside from Tomb Raider...but I love her outlook on life.

Zoe Bell, stuntwoman (youtube clip) - she's awesome, she could kick your ass, there's not a lot more that I can say here except she's my hero.

Peachypan, my housemate's friend Fee's store. She sells the most adorable stuff, "cute things for you and your hair". Must save up and buy all of it.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, awesome short story that I first listened to in a New Yorker podcast a while ago. Great to listen to on the bus to work and silently freak out over.

ZooBorns. Pictures of baby animals.

ROLLERGIRLS. I am buying rollerskates and learning to skate this year, and hopefully after enough time I can join a roller derby league. I search through flickr for hours just looking at Rollergirls and god, I am so in love with every single one of them. Look through my flickr favourites to see all the best photos I've found.

So I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I got to spend a week at the coast with my family enjoying far too much free alcohol and ham. I'll end with a pic of what I got for Christmas.

2008

I was inspired by my housemate's vids of his "roundup" of the year (find his youtube channel here) and thought I'd have a go at summing up a year that I have found went really fast and I can't quite remember.

I saw in 2008 at a party at an amazing mansion in the country outside Townsville. I almost didn't go to the party, but I am so glad I did. We turned up this huge seemingly abandoned mansion, walking around trying to find everyone else. Eventually we opened a door where about 15 people were sitting around playing guitar hero on a huge projector screen. It was an amazing night, I was freshly single, completely happy and ready for the new year.

I have lived in five different houses this year. I moved to Brisbane in February from my parent's place in Townsville - my first day in Brisbane was Valentines Day.
I spent the first few months of my time here making awesome friends, going out of my comfort zone and never saying no to hang out. I drank so much that eventually my legs started cramping up every time I walked, like my body was trying to cripple me so I couldn't walk to the bar....but I showed it who's boss.

I met my awesome boyfriend Aaron and had fun times being adored again. I had a Tarantino party for my birthday where everyone got wasted and silly. I moved out of that house a week later into a house in Morningside with Lachie and Bowie. About two months later I moved into Aaron and my best friend Pan's house just around the corner. It's a crazy shambling run-down co-op house where every night I'd wake up and have to chase a possum off my bed. I spent two weeks wanting to die from having super-flu and losing my voice.

Then I had the good fortune to move in again with my most favourite housemate ever, Bowie.
Finally I feel at home, I've unpacked all my suitcases for the first time since I moved here. I love my house, I have two pet rats, my boyfriend lives with me and I'm just really settled.

I started a course in IT, I'm writing again and I bought a camera. I'm trying to get a little experience in everything. I like being creative. I love taking photos of anything.
Right now my family have come down from Townsville to spend the entire school holidays here, so I'm so excited to be spending so much time with my little brothers.

Next year my plans include saving up for an overseas trip at the end of next year, more writing and finishing my IT course in the hopes of getting a promotion at work. I've signed up for singing lessons starting in January and hope to get involved in a band, and I'm also looking into taking skating lessons and boxing. I want to play roller derby and kick some ass!

I'm happy with everything I've done this year. I'm blessed to have met the people in my life, and I'm excited to get to know the new ones better. I'm glad to have finally settled down and found the time to do things I want to do on my own.

Final thoughts: The only people who play their music extra loud when I'm trying to sleep or relax, only ever play extremely bad obnoxious music. Aussie hip-hop and techno? I guess if you play anything loud enough that it ruins your hearing, of course it'll sound good.

Discussions

Addendum to my last post - a discussion with my brother, about things we hate at home. I'm glad I have someone who feels the same way as me about living with other people.

that's like my whole house
i am the mother figure
they boys get home from work, and the kitchen is clean, the dishes are done
Tash:
yeah, me too.
but man...****'s got the flu
and he's got this thing where if the bin is full
he'll just keep piling stuff on top
so the bin is piled with disgusting used tissues
and i'm just hoping that they'll be gone by the time i get home otherwise i'm gonna have to sass him
Nick:
housemates are so shit
Tash:
i know what the fuck, it's like none of them ever learned how to just fucking clean up after themselves
cept *****. he's an angel.
Nick:
you'd think that after seeing how much you clean, and how easy it is, they would feel bad, and atleast try
i spend, at the most, 30 minutes... dishes, kitchen tops, table tops, and sweep the floor... and the house is much better for it
Tash:
nah dude, the mind doesn't work like that. YOUR mind works like that but all they see is someone cleaning up after them
Nick:
and another thing...
people that leave an empty roll on the toilet roll holder...
Tash:
WHAT THE FUUUUCK
or people who don't buy toilet paper at all....let alone contribute to buying anything else in the house.
Nick:
it's like, if you had enough energy to get out of bed, but can't be bothered changing a toilet roll... somethings wrong there
Tash:
man, something's just fucking wrong with housemates straight up. i seriously don't get other people.
like, is there something wrong with ME because i'm not doing this?
oh man, but the worst housemate ever that i despised the most was *****
Nick:
breaking everything
Tash:
the toilet paper thing...
if she ran out of toilet paper, instead of putting the roll in the holder
she'd put it on top
Nick:
yeah, i think **** does that too
Tash:
it's the little things man....the little things that make you really snap. if you've got enough energy to put it there, why not put it on?
oh dude, ***** never dries his hands on a towel
Nick:
i can kind of understand that
Tash:
no, wait
the doorknobs get all wet
then he comes in and dries his hands on me.
Nick:
huh... well... i was about to say that, when i smell a towel/tea towel that hasn't been changed for weeks, it kinda makes me want to gag
Tash:
hahaha
ohhh i get all stabby when i see someone spill something on the floor then use the tea towel to wipe it up.
Nick:
yeah, we've only got 4!
and i'm the only one that washes them!
Tash:
sigh
the main thing in my house is the bins. that's what gets to me most.
Nick:
the entire kitchen is my private hell
Tash:
hahaha
Nick:
mainly the sink and fridge
the kitchen is cleaner after i've cooked, than after **** has cleaned
Tash:
hahahah
Nick:
i just don't understand what is wrong with that man. i clean up as i go, and it's EASY...
but after he's finished with the kitchen, there will be shit all over the counters, dirty cutlery everywhere, the milk/butter/something of mine that needs to be in the fridge will be sitting out
he forgets what he's doing half-way through it. like, once (i've probably told you), he was bringing in his washing, and half-way through... like, literally half-way - he had taken one of two pegs off a bed sheet - he went inside and read a magazine... and then went back out an hour later
okay, i'm getting carried away
Tash:
hahahahha
no it's cool man.
i'm going to do a blog post about share house ettiquette
i just need examples and things.
How Not to be a Fuckhead while living with Other People
Nick:
haha, sweet
finding our kitchen cloth submerged in greasy water, in a pot that could've been easily cleaned right after cooking but has been left so that everything is caked on and requires scrubbing, in a sink full of food scraps and dirty water
rather than dry, on the side
Tash:
yeahhh...dude i didn't use the kitchen for a couple of days and when i went to cook dinner one night, i cleaned it first, and i found a pan in the sink that had mold on it.
Nick:
eww
Tash:
and we have a DISHWASHER
Nick:
yeah, it doesn't even work if you try not to use the kitchen
actually, i'm thinking about saving up, and eating out for two weeks
Tash:
hahaha
Nick:
see what happens
gotta find all the cheap spots
and dinner deals
pub meals are my best bet
everything with a side of chips
Tash:
i hate the most when people use my stuff in the kitchen, like my good bowls and pots and stuff, then don't wash them. ***** ruined a cookie tray i'd just bought by burning the cookies then not cleaning the tray. it sat on the bench for a week before i just cleaned it myself.
Nick:
haha yeah, **** is slowly ruining ****'s colourful frying pan, but i don't see it... all i ever see is **** inspecting his pan, and being more and more disappointed
Tash:
awww
Nick:
he digs into the teflon with the spatula
it's all scratched up
and we had an oven tray that now can no longer be clean - there is oil on it that will not come off
Tash:
i haven't opened that box of saucepans mum bought me cause i'm too scared of what **** will do to them.
i think i might use them, clean them, then put them back in the box.

Yeah, I'm a little bitter

Well I'm here to remind you of the mess you left when you went away...

Shit housemates the world over, I curse your souls to hell.
In this post I am going to explain how incredibly easy it is to act like a mature person and live harmoniously in a house with other people. That is, if this were a perfect world and the other people lived the same way. Which is never the case. Because most people are fuckwits. Such is the folly that is sharehousing. So take heed, a few tips...

-We may be friends before moving in together. We may not be friends much longer after that. Granted, I will always consider you a friend, but I will forever disrespect you as a person once I see you at your darkest hour, in a pool of your own filth. Them's the breaks.
-Don't touch my stuff. Unless we've discussed it beforehand. Respect other people's possessions. I once had a housemate who repeatedly used my razor, even after me telling her not to. How does she know that I don't have AIDs? Srsly.
-Clean up after yourself when you cook. Does it really need to be said? Another housemate of mine liked to cook GIANT bowls of rice (my rice), then not eat any of it, and leave it in the fridge for weeks. Another point to this is that sometimes, there's only one bowl, or one pan, and when it's covered in mould from not being cleaned by the person who last used it, no one else can cook.
-It's safe to say, if you didn't buy it, don't fucking eat it.
-Parties on weeknights? Get a fucking job uni kids.
-It's seriously not that hard to clean. It takes half an hour at most. Oh I forgot that you had to spend that time sitting on the couch staring at the TV that's not even turned on.
-No, you don't need to download 50 games per week. Once again you've put us over the download limit. No it's okay, we enjoy dial-up speeds. No, really.
-TAKE OUT THE BIN. DEAR GOD, JUST TAKE IT OUT. You know what happens when you don't take out the bin? Maggots.

Above all, and encompassing all these things, is just be considerate to your housemates and take some fucking responsibility for yourself and your home. Because that's what it is. A home. Maybe to you it's a hotel, or a place to hold parties and occasionally sleep, or leave all your belongings at, but for the rest of us, it's a home, and we have to live here all the time. My parents live too far away for me to run away to.

I apologise for the massive vent this post has turned into, but I'm fucking bitter, and I think more people need to know this. I've had so many shit housemates. Sometimes I think I'm uptight, but I know there's others out there who have the same problem. It's just that the majority of people in sharehouses AREN'T that kind of person. My conclusion from all this?
I was meant to live alone with 50 cats.

The distant future, the year 2000

The uncanny valley is a scale depicting the way humans react to facsimiles of humans - robots, puppets, anime that are created to look human. A less humanoid robot would be judged as a robot pretending to be human. A more anatomically correct robot is instead judged not as a robot but as a human doing a poor job at acting like a normal person. The fact that the entity looks almost fully human makes non-human characteristics stand out to a viewer. A point is reached between "barely human" and "fully human" that creates a feeling of repulsion. This point, or ebb, is called the uncanny valley - see the chart below.

I explained it to my brother thus; we find Woody from Toy Story more likeable than a robot whose face is essentially human because we can tell that the robot's face isn't quite human, it's imitating. Woody is not anatomically correct, therefore more likeable.



What I'm trying to say here is that Nicole 'Stoneface' Kidman lies squarely at the bottom of the uncanny valley. This is why I am not going to see Australia. So please don't ask me to go with you. The thought terrifies me.
"Hugh Jackman....help....can't....move....face...."

Dad

please be philosophical
please be tapped into your feminity
please be able to take the wheel from me
please be crazy and curious

papa love your princess so that she will find loving princes familiar
papa cry for your princess so that she will find gentle princes familiar

please be a sexaholic
please be unpredictably miserable
please be self absorbed much (not the good kind)
please be addicted to some substance

papa listen to your princess so that she will find attentive princes familiar
papa hear your princess so that she will find curious princes familiar

please be the jerk of my knee i've fit you always
you finish my sentences I think I love you
what is your name again no matter i'm guessing your thoughts again
correctly and I love the way
you press my buttons so much sometimes I could strangle you

papa laugh with your princess so that she will find funny princes familiar
papa respect your princess so that she will find respectful princes familiar

please be strangely enigmatic
please be just like my....

If you leap awake in the mirror of a bad dream.
And for a fraction of a second you can't remember where you are.
Just open your window and follow your memory upstream.
To the meadow in the mountain where we counted every falling star .

I believe a light that shines on you will shine on you forever.
And though I can’t guarantee there’s nothing scary hiding under your bed.
I'm gonna stand guard like a postcard of a Golden Retriever.
And never leave ‘til I leave you with a sweet dream in your head.

I'm gonna watch you shine.
Gonna watch you grow.
Gonna paint a sign.
So you'll always know.
As long as one and one is two.
There could never be a father;
Who loved his daughter more than I love you.

Trust your intuition.
It’s just like goin’ fishin’;
You cast your line and hope you get a bite.
But you don’t need to waste your time.
Worryin’ about the market place
Try to help the human race.
Struggling to survive its harshest night.

I'm gonna watch you shine.
Gonna watch you grow.
Gonna paint a sign.
So you'll always know.
As long as one and one is two.
There could never be a father
Who loved his daughter more than I love you.

Friday Night Drunk

Just a quick one because I feel like telling people to watch Hairspray because it makes you feel happy.
I'm interested in self-portraiture, but I have no idea how to make my photos look as good as the people's on flickr. I'm still trying. See below. Yes I installed photoshop for the first time. Yes I made my skin green.
I'm drinking brandy, lime cordial and sprite. Anything green must be good.
My favourite song at the moment is "Let's Do It" as sung by Alanis Morissette - by the way, how much does Alanis rule the entire world? If you don't believe me, check out THIS vid and try to prove me wrong.
Just finished reading Kingdom of Fear by Hunter S Thompson and I must recommend it - sort of an autobiography, he's an amazing person, made me laugh out loud on the bus at times.
I'm going to see Billy Joel tomorrow night and you are definitely jealous right now.
Night world.