Thursday, July 5, 2007
Springfield, here we come!
Check this out. This is so cool. To promote the new Simspons Movie some 7/11 in the good ole U.S. of A. have been converted into Kwik-E Marts complete with Buzz cola and the Freeze Geezer!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Our awesomest trip to Cairns!
So Eduardo and I took a trip up north to escape the winter chill of Melbourne. My brother Tony is currently posted in Cairns with the Bureau of Meterology who are lovely enough to put him up in a four and a half star resort for the duration of his tour of duty. See included photo of bathroom with TWO basins!
The resort has four swiming pools although we only swam in one plus the 'so big it is almost a pool' heated spa. On arriving at midnight I didn't expect to enjoy the warmer weather straight away but surprisingly it felt quite balmy even at that hour of night. We spent many an evening sitting out on the balcony knocking back a few beers. (Note slightly drunken squinty looks on faces)
Cairns is a very small town - feels like the size of Frankston.....possibly less bogans, although every bogan in town turned up for the Monster Truck Rally!!!! Having never been to such a high brow cultural event before I was quite excited to be in the presence of such magnificent machines. Here is a pic of one of the trucks done up to look like our favourite cartoon character Scooby Doo! The driver of this particular vehicle was the rip old age of 15! Not old enough to have a normal driver's licence but allowed to drive a monster truck. That's Queensland for you!
The whole monster truck rally was an interesting experience. We all had to stand up to sing the national anthem before the fun could begin. I haven't had to sing it since high school! There was also a medley of Australian songs during the massive fireworks display at the end of the evening including 'True Blue', "I Still Call Australia Home' and our all time favourite Johnny Farnham singing 'Your the Voice'. I tell you what it's enough to make you want to rush out and join the national armed forces. Of course Monster Trucks themselves aren't much of a show(!) so they brought out the Jet Vans. Just your average everyday courier van with a great whopping jet plane engine plonked in the back. You would have to be pretty stupid to want to drive one of those things around but it certainly made for family fun-filled entertainment.
To balance out all that high octane excitement we spent some time strolling through the botanical gardens which were conveniently located just behind the resort where we were staying. Everything is green and lush up there. It was lovely to see. There was an awesome boardwalk that ran for half a kilometre where you could appreciate all the massive trees and spiders(!) Here is a lovely shot that Ed took of some vines hanging down from the canopy.
Ed and I also managed to get out on the Reef for a day of snorkelling (getting coral cuts and trying not to throw up on the boat!). Snorkelling was great. The reef was amazing. All the colours that you see on the nature documentaries, much better than the bleached coral just off Tioman Island in Malaysia. We saw a turtle and I even got to feed it some tasty turtle food. It bit my thumb as I wasn't quick enough letting go. Luckily they don't have a vicious bite. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos because all the ones of me only had half a turtle in it plus I could barely tell that it was me behind all the snorkelling gear so no one else would even know if I put a photo of someone else in instead. Needless to say it was an awesome experience and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately Ed didn't realize when he was over the reef and managed to get some coral cuts on his thighs. Luckily they didn't get infected but they did look nasty for a few days.
One afternoon we headed north past Palm Cove and spent some time at the beach. Ed was mad keen to get some fishing in after lugging his fishing gear up from Melbourne. He caught two fish, both Tailerfish, one which he threw back because it was too small, the other which we cooked up for lunch and was delicious! Here is the happy boy after his triumphant catch.
On our last full day in Cairns we headed out of Cairns down to the Tully River about two hours drive south to do something I hadn't done since Year 10 of high school which was about 14 years ago! White water rafting. It was wicked fun. I was provided with a piece of string to tie my perscription sunglasses to my head so that they would not be lost to the rapids. It worked surprisingly well. In all of the photos of our rafting Ed has his eyes closed which is totally understandable as he is right at the front of the raft and thus receiving the full brunt of the white water. I meanwhile (because of the glasses I'm sure of it. You can't see the fear in my eyes!) look like Jackie Onassis going on a cruise. I couldn't get over how composed I look. I certainly didn't feel it!
Throughout our week or so hanging with my brother in Cairns we managed to drink our way through two slabs of Coronas not to mention the Jagerbombs (a shot of Jagermeister in a glass of Redbull energy drink) we were drinking out at the clubs. I was in need of some serious detox on arrival back in Melbourne!
So our trip to Cairns was great fun and a much need break from Iceland (as Melbourne is now dubbed).
The resort has four swiming pools although we only swam in one plus the 'so big it is almost a pool' heated spa. On arriving at midnight I didn't expect to enjoy the warmer weather straight away but surprisingly it felt quite balmy even at that hour of night. We spent many an evening sitting out on the balcony knocking back a few beers. (Note slightly drunken squinty looks on faces)
Cairns is a very small town - feels like the size of Frankston.....possibly less bogans, although every bogan in town turned up for the Monster Truck Rally!!!! Having never been to such a high brow cultural event before I was quite excited to be in the presence of such magnificent machines. Here is a pic of one of the trucks done up to look like our favourite cartoon character Scooby Doo! The driver of this particular vehicle was the rip old age of 15! Not old enough to have a normal driver's licence but allowed to drive a monster truck. That's Queensland for you!
The whole monster truck rally was an interesting experience. We all had to stand up to sing the national anthem before the fun could begin. I haven't had to sing it since high school! There was also a medley of Australian songs during the massive fireworks display at the end of the evening including 'True Blue', "I Still Call Australia Home' and our all time favourite Johnny Farnham singing 'Your the Voice'. I tell you what it's enough to make you want to rush out and join the national armed forces. Of course Monster Trucks themselves aren't much of a show(!) so they brought out the Jet Vans. Just your average everyday courier van with a great whopping jet plane engine plonked in the back. You would have to be pretty stupid to want to drive one of those things around but it certainly made for family fun-filled entertainment.
To balance out all that high octane excitement we spent some time strolling through the botanical gardens which were conveniently located just behind the resort where we were staying. Everything is green and lush up there. It was lovely to see. There was an awesome boardwalk that ran for half a kilometre where you could appreciate all the massive trees and spiders(!) Here is a lovely shot that Ed took of some vines hanging down from the canopy.
Ed and I also managed to get out on the Reef for a day of snorkelling (getting coral cuts and trying not to throw up on the boat!). Snorkelling was great. The reef was amazing. All the colours that you see on the nature documentaries, much better than the bleached coral just off Tioman Island in Malaysia. We saw a turtle and I even got to feed it some tasty turtle food. It bit my thumb as I wasn't quick enough letting go. Luckily they don't have a vicious bite. Unfortunately I didn't get any photos because all the ones of me only had half a turtle in it plus I could barely tell that it was me behind all the snorkelling gear so no one else would even know if I put a photo of someone else in instead. Needless to say it was an awesome experience and I highly recommend it. Unfortunately Ed didn't realize when he was over the reef and managed to get some coral cuts on his thighs. Luckily they didn't get infected but they did look nasty for a few days.
One afternoon we headed north past Palm Cove and spent some time at the beach. Ed was mad keen to get some fishing in after lugging his fishing gear up from Melbourne. He caught two fish, both Tailerfish, one which he threw back because it was too small, the other which we cooked up for lunch and was delicious! Here is the happy boy after his triumphant catch.
On our last full day in Cairns we headed out of Cairns down to the Tully River about two hours drive south to do something I hadn't done since Year 10 of high school which was about 14 years ago! White water rafting. It was wicked fun. I was provided with a piece of string to tie my perscription sunglasses to my head so that they would not be lost to the rapids. It worked surprisingly well. In all of the photos of our rafting Ed has his eyes closed which is totally understandable as he is right at the front of the raft and thus receiving the full brunt of the white water. I meanwhile (because of the glasses I'm sure of it. You can't see the fear in my eyes!) look like Jackie Onassis going on a cruise. I couldn't get over how composed I look. I certainly didn't feel it!
Throughout our week or so hanging with my brother in Cairns we managed to drink our way through two slabs of Coronas not to mention the Jagerbombs (a shot of Jagermeister in a glass of Redbull energy drink) we were drinking out at the clubs. I was in need of some serious detox on arrival back in Melbourne!
So our trip to Cairns was great fun and a much need break from Iceland (as Melbourne is now dubbed).
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Mother's Day 2007
My brother, the Pony was down from Cairns the week prior to official Mother's Day so we decided to cheat and celebrate early with a day trip to Luna Park. Yay! We all had a lot of fun. Especially Mum who rode on the Spider (which is also known as the Octopus) three times! Here is a pic of Mum and me psyching ourselves up for the ride ahead. It turned out to be a very spinny ride as we obviously had the right weight ratio to make our little arm pod spin continuously.
And here is a pic of us mid-ride spinning madly.
My sister enjoyed showing off her horse riding skills on the carousel. Here she is busting some Jackie Chan moves.
And here is the Pony being his wacky self, although top marks for going on all the rides after a big night drinking with the boyz.
Here is my sister and I riding on the 'G-Force', which tuned out to be really boring, so we had a conversation through the whole ride.
And finally here is a pic of all three kids whacking the crap out of cute little animals in the games tent. Poor things, they never had a chance!
And a great day was had by all!
And here is a pic of us mid-ride spinning madly.
My sister enjoyed showing off her horse riding skills on the carousel. Here she is busting some Jackie Chan moves.
And here is the Pony being his wacky self, although top marks for going on all the rides after a big night drinking with the boyz.
Here is my sister and I riding on the 'G-Force', which tuned out to be really boring, so we had a conversation through the whole ride.
And finally here is a pic of all three kids whacking the crap out of cute little animals in the games tent. Poor things, they never had a chance!
And a great day was had by all!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
What is in a name?
So my mum is changing back to her maiden name - Hudson. Recently she asked me if I wouldn't mind if she did so. I think that it is a great thing for her to do seeing as how she and my father have not been together in about ten years now - why should she hang on to his name? It's possibly the first overtly feminist thing my mum has ever done, although I know she's always been a feminist, just a quiet one. You know the sort. She just does things her way instead of talking about it all the time. It was only later, on reflection, that I realised it would mean that my mother would not have the same last name as myself or my siblings. As someone who doesn't plan to change my name (even if hell freezes over and I do end up getting married) I think retaining the name you were born with is a good way to go. Of course this is generally your father's name anyway and pays no respect to your mother's side of the family which isn't particularly fair. When mum told me about changing her name, I briefly thought about taking my mother's maiden name, as why should I keep my father's name when he is only half of who created me but then I wouldn't be appreciating his side of the family. The only way to get around this dilly of a pickle is to hyphenate but where does it end? If I was a hyphenation of my parents' last names my last name would be Hudson-Auden, then if I were to have children I would use both my name and my partner's name which would make the poor little tacker's last name Hudson-Auden-Cowper-Yates. Phew. What a mouthful. Clearly that idea isn't going to work for very long. So in conclusion, naming sucks and is never a true representation of who you are and where you came from, but does it really matter anyway?
Watch out for those obese babies!
Whilst travelling home from work last night on the train I was reading a very intellectual and stimulating journal, not sure if you've head of it - it's called MX (free tabloid from the people that give us the excellent Herald-Scum). So as I was devouring the cutting edge journalism found within, I came across an article that was discussing how a link has been found between levels of Leptin (a protein hormone) and obesity. It seems that the more Leptin you have, the less obese you will be. Now scientists have found that there is a certain level of Leptin that babies receive from breastmilk but of course this isn't enough to combat all the obese babies we have running around, so other scientists (working for big evil food corporations that produce baby formula) have decided that babies should be getting more Leptin than nature provides and have upped the level of Leptin that babies receive in baby formula. Thank god! Now there will be no more excuses for having fat babies! Come on! Talk about starting early on getting a complex!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
We escaping Melbourne winter (briefly)
Yay! So I've just booked tickets to go visit my brother Tony in Cairns where he is stationed for six months whilst working for the Bereau of Meterology. It's tough, really. He has to rough it in a four and a half star resort for the whole time which work pays for! So Eduardo and I are going for a visit at the end of June to escape Melbourne's winter which we will have endure for a month at that time. Although it's already getting a little chilly around here. It's gonna be great. Maybe we'll go sky diving or white water rafting or scubaing, like my brother did this week and met Wally the giant mauri wrasse! See pic below.
Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Hello out there. Let me start by saying a big sorry for not posting in, like, forever. I know, I suck big time. It's just that I've had a mountain of paperwork (or should that be labwork) to do. Blah, blah, blah, get on with it! So Eduardo and I went to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival last Thursday night and we saw two shows. First up was Tim Minchin, who we had never seen before but he'd won heaps of awards so I figured he couldn't be all bad. Turns out he's f*#@ing excellent! He's not just your regular stand-up comedian. He is an accomplised pianist (yes, I said pianist) and singer/songwriter to boot! So his show is entertaining musically as well as being hilarious. Perhaps part of why I enjoyed his show so much is that at the age of 32 he is going through a very similar stage of life to myself. All the references and anecdotes I found strangely relevant (except perhaps the one about how he worries about whether he could perform sexually with another partner after so long with one partner, if for some reason his wife died or got a degenrative disease). Hmmmm not sure about that one. So any way his show gets a big 5 thumbs up from me.
So after that Ed and I were concerned that the next show wouldn't be as good and would leave us feeling disappointed. Not to fear, Ross Noble is here! This man is uber crazy. He said it himself when he said "If I ever get Alzheimers no one would notice". Ross's show went for over two hours with him talking non-stop about anything and everything in a very haphazard way. It's hard to describe his style, it's a bit like Billy Connelly on speed perhaps. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I laughed until I was crying. I laughed until I felt weak. I was trying to imagine what it would be like to live with him. I'm sure with him there is no on/off switch. I think I would probably kill him after five minutes. But for a two hour show it was awesome. I also give him five thumbs up.
I know it seems like I'm a bit easy when it comes to reviewing shows but most of the people that know me know that I am quite critical, especially with films. I have an ongoing debate with a friend about Daredevil the movie (the one with Ben Affleck) and how it is possibly the worst movie ever! He maintains that it is actually a very good film and he (supposedly) should know as he studied film at the Victorian College of the Arts. B'ah what does he know? The kid playing the young Daredevil (or whatever his name is) before he grows up and becomes Ben Affleck is much more convincing as a blind person than Ben Affleck will ever be. On reflection, perhaps it is Ben Affleck that I just can't stand. So anyway, where was I? A friend asked me which comedian was funnier and I found that Ross Noble made me laugh more (although a lot of the time it's because he is just so bizarre - I was just speaking to my brother who went with me to see Ross at the Festival a couple of years ago and the only thing that either of us can remember about it was something to do with facial meatflaps - hmmmm, don't ask me) but that I preferred Tim because with him you get to watch a music concert as well as laugh (I apologise for the length of that last sentence, if it was in an academic essay it would have to be ripped to shreds, but this is my blog so I'll do what I want, of course I realise that this whole rant thingy is making it even longer, oops again!). So, anyway the festival has been awesome and I highly recommend going to see either of those shows.
So after that Ed and I were concerned that the next show wouldn't be as good and would leave us feeling disappointed. Not to fear, Ross Noble is here! This man is uber crazy. He said it himself when he said "If I ever get Alzheimers no one would notice". Ross's show went for over two hours with him talking non-stop about anything and everything in a very haphazard way. It's hard to describe his style, it's a bit like Billy Connelly on speed perhaps. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard. I laughed until I was crying. I laughed until I felt weak. I was trying to imagine what it would be like to live with him. I'm sure with him there is no on/off switch. I think I would probably kill him after five minutes. But for a two hour show it was awesome. I also give him five thumbs up.
I know it seems like I'm a bit easy when it comes to reviewing shows but most of the people that know me know that I am quite critical, especially with films. I have an ongoing debate with a friend about Daredevil the movie (the one with Ben Affleck) and how it is possibly the worst movie ever! He maintains that it is actually a very good film and he (supposedly) should know as he studied film at the Victorian College of the Arts. B'ah what does he know? The kid playing the young Daredevil (or whatever his name is) before he grows up and becomes Ben Affleck is much more convincing as a blind person than Ben Affleck will ever be. On reflection, perhaps it is Ben Affleck that I just can't stand. So anyway, where was I? A friend asked me which comedian was funnier and I found that Ross Noble made me laugh more (although a lot of the time it's because he is just so bizarre - I was just speaking to my brother who went with me to see Ross at the Festival a couple of years ago and the only thing that either of us can remember about it was something to do with facial meatflaps - hmmmm, don't ask me) but that I preferred Tim because with him you get to watch a music concert as well as laugh (I apologise for the length of that last sentence, if it was in an academic essay it would have to be ripped to shreds, but this is my blog so I'll do what I want, of course I realise that this whole rant thingy is making it even longer, oops again!). So, anyway the festival has been awesome and I highly recommend going to see either of those shows.
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