Since I Gave Up Hope (I Feel A Lot Better)

I can't take credit for the today's blog title. It's from the the 1987 Christian pop album, I Predict 1990, by Steve Taylor.

Taylor had a way of summing up the post modern world we live in a sarcastic, albeit humorous way. His lyrics often left you thinking, can a real Christian say that? One of his better known songs, I Blew Up The Clinic Real Good, was about killing abortionists.

I guess what he taught me was that healthy cynicism is good. That looking critically at a situation often allows an opposing viewpoint, 'thinking outside the box' if you will. I hate that phrase, it's back in the 80s with lateral thinking and brainstorming. However the point is relevant, open mindedness is the new philosophy.

Think of Obama supporting Gay marriage, a black president supporting a fundamental human right 25 years ago was unimaginable.  It takes a long time for a society to open up to new ideas, but if we are to successfully transform into a more equitable and ultimately more liveable world, we will need to.

The Sweetest Thing

Happy Valentines Day.

Premonition

It's a fascinating time to be alive in the world at the moment. The politics, the weather, the geology; its all shaping for a most awesome Apocalypse next year.

Not even Nostradamus in his wildest dreams could imaging a world like we're living in now. Maybe through some obscure quatrain could he predict a future of so much and yet so little. The suffering and the ecstasy they all all contribute to a human condition that will be recorded forever and yet like all history miss-told and again repeated.

I find my refuge in reading, it's like watching a painter putting the finishing touches on a canvas, the finer details explained and left to the observers interpretation. It compartmentalises my thoughts, helps me expel my misconceptions and biases. Reading also gives me the ability to see other worlds, other realms where people exist and offer their realities to me. This is a gift from God, not in a dust old biblical sense, but it allows me to more enlightened while leaving my baggage at the door of at the proverbial cover of the book, which up until that stage I have judged the contents.

I am not a sponge soaking up my environment regardless of the emotion. I am a still, filtering the contents.

Another Martini anyone?

Guilt is a Useless Emotion.

It's a warm in day Auckland, at least 16 deg. I've just got back from checking the letterbox after washing millions of spiders webs off my car and I can safely say it's almost tropical.

I like the transition of the seasons. Spring is great. It reminds me of my youth. Hanging out at Oriental Bay, watching the world go by. Listening to music as loud as my ears could handle from my Walkman. It's a reminder of the past and a promise of the future. Something that wasn't that assured as teenager. I do long for those days though, life was much simpler. My responsibility was limited to myself and even then that was more of an obsession than any duty of care. The air smelled sweeter, music felt like it lived in my bones and friends were always at arms length.

Now I rinse cobwebs off my car after checking my own letterbox for bills and other unreasonable demands. Life is more cluttered, friends are more fickle; worried too about externalities that demand more immediate attention.

I'm conscious too that life is passing me by, what I want and need are now gulfs apart. I want security, freedom from my fears. Belonging is no longer as important as position. My life moves at the speed of sound and I'm glimpsing back at what it was. Depressing.

Self help and pop-psychology manuals tell me to make a plan. Create a routine and life will fall into place, is that any different from being young again?

Come Together

Struck down by a cold, more blogging soon. I promise. Thanks Rob for the link.

All My Colours

It's wet and cold in Auckland today. Not freezing, but the heater is on low to keep the nip out of the air.

My leg is still weak and slowly I feel my body being dragged down by the pain. I just want to walk again. Even to the letter box, where there will be a bill for warming my house. No, it's no a woe is me situation, more a cry of frustration that becomes louder each day. How I long to be normal again.

Tomorrow will be a better day.

Zimbo and zimbo and zimbo and zimbo and zimbo and zimbo and zimbo.

Slippery People (or Everybody Hurts)

No one likes pain except for a few emo's and religious nutters.

How we deal with pain defines us. It's said that some of the poorest people in the world are also the happiest, or at least smiliest. This maybe true because a lot of what we have in our western world disconnects us from what is real.

Pain therefore is more than just an inconvenience it reduces our consciousness to a feeling of being below our expectations. It makes us weak and to be weak is to lose.

Maybe I've been lying around with my feet up for too long. It's got me thinking though, there are worse things in life than pain.

Take my advice watch out for slippery rocks (and people).

More blogging soon.

Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)

Ok, so yesterday's post wasn't that nice. Funny, but not nice.

For something a little lighter check out my 80s music blog. Two new videos added daily. Requests taken.

More quick questions answered soon.

Who's Zoomin Who?

One of these is a right wing fascist. The other bleed his country dry. Not so different.

Dirty Laundry

Breaking News: Some Bullshit Happening Somewhere

***Language warning the F bomb is dropped a couple of times***

Reminds me of the coverage of Paul Henry recently. A new season of blogging will resume shortly.

Half A Minute

Today I'll introduce the 30 second book review, that's 30 seconds for you to read, not for me to to type. It won't be an analysis of the themes, story or plot; just my thoughts on the book. If you want a more in-depth review of the book I suggest Amazon.com, where everyone's a critic. Occasionally I may give a book stars, but lack of stars doesn't suggest 0/5, just my reluctance to put a book on a scale.

The Luck Factor,
Why some people are luckier than others and how you can become one of them.
Max Gunther, Harriman House Ltd. 2009

This is one book that can be summed up by it's subtitle. The operative word is 'become'; you become lucky, it's not something you can search out and get. In a sense the old axiom 'you make your own luck' is true. Lucky people put themselves out there and they become lucky. In a scientific age this may seem obvious, however this book shows that luck is more than just chance.

There is always randomness which to an extent can be backed up scientifically, outlier events do happen. What most interested me was the authors ideas on physic theories and synchronicity. Ok the review is getting to deep for 30 seconds. I will say that the last chapter titled "The pessimism paradox' was the most enlightening.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's an easy read and took my brain down some provoking paths (not hard to do). Like does God really answer prayer and why do good things happen to bad people? (and vice versa)

Ouch, my brain hurts.

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

For David and Nick. Book review next week, if you're lucky.

Fade to Gray

Boy, what a week that that was. Soccer, Aussie PM's, movie piracy. They all featured on the front pages (or should that be homepages) of newspapers across the country.

The issue of stealing other peoples stuff always interests me, so I'll make that today's topic. I will say that I haven't seen Boy yet, I want to see it though. I won't be downloading it like the hundreds of others that are right now.

I saw the director of Boy, Taika Waititi interviewed on Campbell Live a couple of nights ago. He was responding to questions about piracy. We said he was disappointed, but also complimented by the fact that people wanted to steal something he made. In contrast the FACT guy (who represents the Motion Picture Ass., suggests that people are suffering because of piracy. 70 million dollars.... blah, blah, blah.

Firstly it's not piracy. There's no Johnny Depp or canons or parrots called Poly. There's just a few geeks with laptops siphoning zeros and ones of the internet. OK, some some Islanders flog a few DVDs off at 5am in a freezing car park, somewhere in Otara. Most of these people would have never bothered normally, it's more of a snatch and run. A crime yes, ruining other peoples lives, NO.

Secondly, this is more of an indictment on our society that says that intellectual property is owned by rich bastards (like Sony Music et al.) who can afford to have it nicked. The current models are not working. Neither party, copiers or rich bastards should not be taking the moral high ground. Digital content is here to stay, let's work at getting a fairer system for sellers and buyers. The thieves will always be around.

Have a great weekend.

Wrong (or I should Be So Lucky)

I'm reading a book called The Luck Factor, by Max Gunther at the moment. It's an interesting read that explores the role of luck in measuring the outcome of our lives.

Luck is a concept that interests me. Not the superstitious kind of luck; rabbits feet and crossed fingers. No, I'm thinking more of the make your own kind of luck. Like right place right time or even that wonderful word serendipity. People who have 'lucky' lives have to extent made good decisions. They haven't necessarily planned their lives out, although at points along their journey they have taken the better path.

The Protestant work ethic is based on luck, it suggests that if you put yourself out there, work hard, then God will bless you. In fact most religions have an aspect of luck to them. One theme is constant and that is to live a good life. This doesn't explain why bad people are lucky, except to say that luck may be indiscriminant.

I'll share more insights once I've finished the book.

It's Tricky

There's a story in today's NZ Herald that reads:

Two failed finance company directors have been suspended from the Institute of Chartered Accountants after being found guilty of conduct unbecoming to an accountant and breaching its code of ethics.

I find it interesting that the NZICA suspend its members on the grounds of breaching ethics, however an ex-partner of law firm DLA Phillips Fox (and banned Five Star Finance director), Marcus MacDonald still practices law from his waterfront home in Greenhithe.

Double standard, of course not. Law is about money, not ethics. Just because he's a liar shouldn't stop him from being a lawyer.

Little Lies

This story has to be the most poorly reported item I've seen in a while.

Childless homosexual MP utters to his partner "I wish they would shut up".

Right wing blogger takes offense. Fairfax put their own spin on a non-story.

Fairfax are so desperate for stories, they now trawl blogs. Report the news loosers!

It reminds me of this skit on The Extras.

Fat Of The Land

The marketing geniuses at McDonald's and Weight Watchers have struck a deal.

McDonald's are going to pretend to be healthy and Weight Watchers are going to take the backhander. Boy does that suck, big time. Often people loosing weight confuse less calories for better nutrition. Anyone who has read Fast Food Nation will know that McDonald's is total crap. If they can save a half cent but it compromises the nutritional value, they will. McNuggets are the worst of all their products. Deep fried beaks and a**holes.

Shame on you Weight Watchers.

Revolution

Real blogging stuff coming soon.

It's now official, there is nothing Lego can't do.

Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Click on the image if you want to get a better look!!!!!!

For Dave. Daves 4 Life!!!

Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Waiting for the Sirens Call

Just because I love rambling, angsty Britpop.