So.... a car crashes into our garage today...



It happened as I was getting ready for work... Luckily, no one was hurt.. but it could've easily been so much worse, had there been kids walking to school, as they usually are at that time of the morning, or cars passing by...

The culprit was a sweet old lady from across the road.. She was pulling her car out of the driveway, but somehow managed to get her foot stuck on a newly laid mat in the car, and consequently floored the accelerator... She went straight across the road, and into the door of our garage, head first...

Luckily for the lady, we kept an old dining table inside the garage, and that probably saved her life.. Had it not been there, she would have hit the back wall, resulting in the whole thing collapsing on top of her...

It's strange to think that we've been meaning to move that table for a few weeks now... Our tardiness possibly saved this old lady's life...

Two things:

Mak - YOU'RE MY HERO! *

Riss - THANKS FOR THE LISTEN LAST NIGHT! :) **

-- o --

* The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic (HCC)... 111 km's of mental trauma.. 111 km's of complete and utter pain.. 111 km's that will have you screaming for mercy...

Of the 600 or so participants that started this gruelling race on Saturday, my good buddy, Mak, was one of them...

What he accomplished over the weekend was just incredible.. To go all that distance (65km in the end), all by himself, and all for a good cause.. well, I take my hat off to you, Master Mak... Personally, I had a lot of fun being part of his 'landcrew'.. and it's a day I won't forget in a long while...

It all started, of course, at Windsor... As the entrants and their crews readied their vessels.. there was this great sense of anticipation... Mak looked surprisingly relaxed, but as the start time (4pm) drew near, the nervous tension slowly set in and he could be seen saying a quiet prayer to himself...



The start was, in a word, spectacular... About a hundred canoes and kayaks set off on the 4pm start... Mak was one of only five crazy bastards that decided to do it in a single-man out-rigger... We must've heard the comment, "He's definitely got more balls than I do.." a hundred times throughout the day...

His aim of 16 hours to complete the course always looked a tad shaky... Not only would a time like that be a record for his OC1 class, but it would also beat many in the K2 class (2-man kayak)...

Our job as the landcrew, was to meet him at designated checkpoints along the Hawkesbury, feed him, dry him, encourage him, and most importantly.. make sure he's still alive... At the first couple of checkpoints, he was powering along and was on target to break the record...



More to follow...

"I'm just walking the mile, every once in a while I get a ride..."

It occurred to me.. that every time I try to do good.. or be good... I get nothing but problems/hassles...

Maybe I should just stay evil... I mean, I was born evil.. so I may as well stay that way... No point trying to change into something I'm not, right?

I'm Twenty-two... and I'm Evil...

"The ocean is full 'cause everyone's crying
The full moon is looking for friends at high-tide
The sorrow grows bigger when the sorrow's denied
I only know my mind
I am mine..

And the meaning, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
We're safe tonight.."

We are all exposed to the same cancer that breeds through society and rots away at our very notion of living... The senseless acts of the past year, and the decades/centuries previous, have shown that every individual is accountable... We can all make a difference.. and it has to start now...

"I can't be free with what's locked inside of me
If there was a key, you took it in your hands
There's no wrong or right, but I'm sure there's good and bad
The questions linger overhead.."

Standing still.. moving on.. moving forward... Whatever it is that you do, there is always a choice to be made - and this choice leads to another choice, and so forth... Questions always outweigh the answers...

"I let go of a rope, thinking that's what held me back
And in time I realise, it's now wrapped around my neck
I can't see what's next, from this lonely overpass
Hang my head and count my steps, as another car goes past.."

In the end.. it matters not...

"It's already been sung, but it can't be said enough
Love is all you need..
All you need is love.."

[Riot Act Lyrics]

Sometimes, you just have to wonder....

.. who is reading this blog...

.. what gives anyone the right to treat you like sh!t...

.. where this world is headed - Shooting at Monash Uni...

.. why a Mariah Carey song appears out of nowhere and next thing you know, you are singing it in your head... "when you walk by every night, talking sweet and lookin' fine, I get kinda hectic insi-a-ide.."

WHY???

Childhood Memory #319:

Was in a school play in Year 5.. I can't remember what it was about or what it was called, but at one point I was made to hold hands with this girl and we had to stand in front of the stage.. Her name happened to be Kimberley Burgess, so everyone teased us by saying, if we ever got married, her name would be "Kim Kim"...

THE ARIA AWARDS

The Lowlight:

- Merrick & Rosso..

The Highlights:

- Kylie, Kylie, Kylie.. and Kylie...

- Kasey Chambers, John Butler and co with "True Colours"

- Kasey Chambers winning Best Album!

- and last but not least, the return of D.Johns and silverchair...

Trying something new tonight...

Let's just call it "B.U.I." for now...

Right.. I'll start off with my round of golf on Saturday.... < insert start of dream sequence here - you know.. the one with the wavey screen and the dreamy music.. umm.. think of Wayne & Garth running across the screen going all wobbly.. >

'Twas another beautiful day in old Sydney town... Met up with GLG (and Mr.GLG, and Mr. GLG jnr) to shop for a birthday pressie in the city.. It was a fleeting encounter, but effectual nonetheless (ok.. she had something in mind already)... But this was just the beginning.. Pike had a big day lined up for him...

Eeck! Traffic... Who knew it would take over an hour to get from the city to Auburn? As usual, Pike had to make up another excuse for being late... Although he had a valid reason on this occasion, it was undoubtedly a case of "the boy who cried wolf"...

Pike's nemesis, "J", was ready and raring to go... It was the first time for either one of them to play at Rosnay's (Auburn Golf Course)... Little did they know..... < insert screech sound - you know, the one that a record player makes.. when a dream sequence comes to a sudden halt.. >

Ok.. I was getting sick of that bullsh!t... Anyways, let's continue.....

I started off with a pair of double bogies (a seven, then a five)... My usual sluggish opening to a round.. and I didn't make my first par until the 5th hole... But holes 5 to 9 were quite possibly the finest five holes I have ever played... Had my putting game decided to join me on Saturday, it would have been one incredible day... Three definite birdie chances went begging... All were close (damn close!), but the ball just wouldn't drop... So I had finished with a 43 (10 over) on the front 9...

Coming back in, was an entirely different story, however... The only highlight was a nice 4-iron shot off the tee against the wind on the par 3 13th... But again, I failed to capitalise on the nine-footer for the birdie... Another 'okay' shot was a 9-iron 120m approach on the 15th.. The ball landed a foot away from the hole, which I was reasonably happy about.. but I couldn't help wonder where my long-game had gone for the day... The back 9 was an appalling 52... As the shadows became longer, so did Pike's face...

Which brings me to the question.. "Why do I love golf so much?"

I believe it first started when I read about the life of the late great Ben Hogan... A masterful shot-maker.. His abilities to read a golf course is still unmatched to this day... He epitomises what golf is all about - concentration, balance, and self-belief...

When I set myself up for a shot, flashes of Hogan, Woods, Nicklaus, Snead.. all the great players of the past and present.. enter my tinkering mind... At the top of the back-swing, a calmness surrounds me... For a brief moment, there is nothing else in my existence, except the ball, and my desire to caress it... As the club-head makes its way down, I visualise the white ball sailing through the air... This is where it all happens.. One little jink.. one little stutter can mean all the difference..... And there it is! Straight as an arrow.. right down the middle of the fairway... You hear a crazed American's voice cry out, "YOU DA MAN!"...

I wonder what goes through the minds of the pro's.. What could the likes of Vijay Singh, and the Elk (who I believe have the purest of golf swings in the game today) possibly be thinking of, as they conjure up another beautifully shot? Is Tiger merely thinking, "I'm gonna hit the crap out ya!" as he smashes the ball over 350 yards down the fairway?

The mind bloggles...

Right.. I can feel the alkihol wearing off... I'll stop here...

Breaking stories from CNNNN...

- Time machine manufacturer says new model will be ready by 1960..

- Anti-Israeli sentiments taken as anti-semitic..

- Crocodile Hunter wins his 8th He-Man lookalike award..

- Couple who met on the internet disappointed by one another in real life..

- John Smith gets Hotmail account; offerred johnsmith29745830020@hotmail.com..

- Fully sick hoon makes skidmarks in underpants..

- Christians enter game console war with "Praystation"..

Money...

Money is good...

Money is what Pike shall have...

Money...

M.O.N.E.Y.

The return of Redondo...



Pike's all time favourite football player, Fernando Redondo, is due to return for AC Milan in just a matter of days, after being out with a knee injury for the past 2 seasons...

From the very first time I saw him play (in a World Cup qualifying game in '93), I continued to be completely mesmerised by the Argentine's silky passing skills and elegance on the football pitch... He will be 34 next year, but from all reports, the "White Prince" is willing to play for another season, if his return to top flight football is a successful one...

This is great news for me, as it gives me a chance to fulfil my dreams of seeing him live in action at the San Siro in Milan next year... Fernando is definitely up there with my other true heroes - Mark Waugh, Isiah Thomas, Greg Norman, Stefan Edberg and Andrew Ettingshausen...

Last year, Redondo offered to forsake his salary, as he believed it was unfair for the club to pay him while being sidelined with injury... The club vice-president, Adriano Galliani, promptly refused the offer and described it as an incredible gesture by a true professional of the game... That sort of thing just does not happen in this day and age, and it proves that he is a champion on and off the field...

San Siro... Here we come!!

"I know I was born, and I know that I'll die..
The in between is mine..
I am mine..."

Stop feeling sorry for yourself..
Get out there and make the most out of it...

Various snappies taken with my new toy over the last few days..

 

 

Superman.. a martial arts expert?

A flying Lex Luthor??

Yep.. It's possible... JJ Abrams' draft script of the upcoming SUPERMAN movie...

Footnote: JJ Abrams also wrote the scripts to Armageddon, Regarding Henry, and is the creator of the TV show, Alias...

BUSHLEAGUER

How does he do it? How do they do it? Uncanny and immutable.
This is such a happening tailpipe of a party.
Like sugar, the guests are so refined.

A confidence man, but why so beleagured?
He's not a leader, he's a Texas leaguer.
Swinging for the fence. Got lucky with a strike.
Drilling for fear. Makes the job simple.
Born on third. Thinks he got a triple.

Blackout weaves its way through the cities.
Blackout weaves its way through the cities.
Blackout weaves its way ,....

I remember when you sang
That song about today.
Now it's tomorrow and
Everything has changed.

A think tank of aloof multiplication.
A nicotine wish and a Columbus Decanter.
Retrenchment and hoggishness.
The aristocrat choir sings,
"What's the ruckus?"
The haves have not a clue.
The immenseness of suffering,
And the odd negotiation, a rarity.
With onionskin plausability of life,....
And a keyboard reaffirmation.

Blackout weaves its way through the cities.
Blackout weaves its way through the cities.
Blackout weaves its way ,....

I remember when you sang
That song about today.
Now it's tomorrow and
Everything has changed.

The End

Well, it's finally here... The final season of The X-Files...

Like most X-Philes, I have mixed feelings about it.. I mean, we all agree that it has gone on for 2 or 3 seasons too long.. but it will also be sorely missed... It's hard to fathom a world with no new episodes being churned out by the CC (Chris Carter) TV Factory...

Syndication..

DVD Boxsets..

Permanent Hiatus...

Tuning in to the season opener on Saturday night, I was thinking to myself, "I have no freaking idea what happened last season..."

We see some dude trying to pick up Lucy Lawless at some seedy bar.. Yes, that's right, Xena the Warrior Princess herself!! Naturally, I'm still scratching my head....

Now, getting rid of Agent Pendrell is one thing (ok, that was ages ago now).. but changing the starting credits is just unacceptable!!! What the frig were they thinking?!! They have kept with the same haunting start sequence for 8 years.. Why do they have to change it for the ninth and final season?!? Sure, DD is no longer on the show.. But all you have to do is just cut that bit out... *sigh*

Right.. it's coming back to me now.. The "miracle baby"... Some military-engineered-genetically-enhanced-super-race of humans (why does that sound familiar?)... and of course... THAT KISS...

My take on the whole baby-thing is this... It's Mulder's.. It has to be...

If you asked me 3 years ago, whether Mulder and Scully should consummate their relationship, I would have said.. "nope.. never gonna happen..." But the 'shippers have convinced me that there is no other way to end the series... In a lot of ways, XF is the greatest love story ever told.. and along with Roy & HG.. Mulder & Scully must go down as the most romantic couples in TV history...

And this tiny baby.. baby William.. will at last bring peace to the world.. and perhaps even the universe...

Ok.. where was I? Oh yeh, the starting credits....

A whole bunch of other stuff happens, like seeing Doggett, Reyes, AND Xena naked.. but not all at the same time... baby William showing that The Force is strong in him... and you know.. stuff...

Believe it or not.. Agents Doggett and Reyes are starting to grow on me... They may have just done enough to keep my interest up until the return of Mulder and.. The Truth...

We shall see...