Archive for September, 2005
Unexpected Conversations
Posted on September 29, 2005, by soph, under God.
Some guy I’ve never seen before comes up to me at work yesterday and whispers, “Do you go to SIB?” (I say whisper because he really is very, very soft-spoken.)
“Yes,” I say, about 10 decibels louder. And almost as an afterthought, “Why?”
Turns out he was visiting SIB last Sunday and he recognized me. So I ask the obvious, “How was it?”
He pauses, so I know it’s not good.
He’s from a brethren church you see, and while SIB worship only occasionally registers on the liveliness scale, it’s far more than what he’s used to. He terms it “different perspectives on morning service” (he refers to church as morning service).
“I can understand that,” I say.
He pauses again, so I know it’s still not good.
“Well,” he says. “There was also the speaking in tongues. The Bible has very clear verses on speaking in tongues, especially during morning service.”
I nod. I’m perfectly okay with people having opinions that differ to mine, (unless of course they refer to my arts degree in derogatory terms).
“And this is going to sound really sexist,” he continues. “But I don’t think women should be allowed to speak during worship.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“I’ve never quite known how to say this to a girl before,” he tells me. “I know it must sound very sexist but the Bible does have verses that speak about women covering their heads in worship and not speaking out.”
I think about my spaghetti top that I wore last Sunday. He must have thrown a silent convulsion when he saw me. And I must have looked quite harmless sitting behind my desk to warrant this.
But for the record, we had a perfectly amicable conversation, especially considering how things could have turned out were I an opinionated and violent Christian feminist.
“Don’t be a stranger now,” he said as he left for Marketing (which explains why I’d never seen him before this).
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Rockstar INXS - My Swan Song
Posted on September 27, 2005, by soph, under Movies Music TV.
If you still have no idea what Rockstar INXS is, please find out. Or you can not care, that’s fine too.
After browsing through much of the final four weeks - I would have gone on but my ears were starting to hurt from the earphones and I didn’t really wanna watch Rockstar till 5pm no matter how big a fan I was, here is my quick list of must-sees in no particular order, conveniently short so you have no excuse and bearing in mind that I only watched but a sprinkling of the 11 weeks’ worth.
1. “Imagine” by Jordis Unga in Week 8
Sent chills down my spine. More on “Imagine” and John Lennon later.
2. “Live and Let Die” by MiG in Week 8
Watch this if only to see that one note he held for over 40 counts, though I reckon the song was pretty darn good anyways.
3. “Baby I Love Your Way” by MiG in Week 6
The only video I saw from a week earlier than 8. Highly recommended by a colleague who raved endlessly and made me listen to it on her computer previously. I suggest you watch it before listening to it. Watching it has made me a true fan of MiG now. Weirdly enough, his appeal to me stems partly from the fact that he’s married and wore his wedding band throughout the competition. He also plays the piano for this song, which really makes me wonder what is it about a man who plays guitar/drums/piano that makes (most) girls fall in love. I don’t see the same effect on men when girls play musical instruments.
4. “Trees” by Marty Casey in Week 9 and 10
My favourite of the final four’s original compositions. Very catchy. And I like the lyrics.
Back to John Lennon.
What is it about Lennon that drives so many to be cult followers and another to kill him? I don’t really know much about him, and I have never been a fan of the Beatles, but there is something about him that stirs something within me. I’ve decided to attribute it to a combination of his song “Imagine” - which I totally love, and the fact that he was assassinated (don’t ask, I don’t know why).
“Imagine” is a beautiful song. It’s sings of so much hope, and that makes it a sad song all the more, because you know his hopes will never come to pass. It is the song of a dreamer, of one who is seeking a better world, and it is sad because you know the world he seeks does not and will not exist.
The lyrics in “Imagine” sound almost communist, so why did a Cold War generation living in fear of communism worship it? Did the fact that he was an Anglo megastar supercede the communist tenets of his song? Perhaps it was because he was one who dared to dream, and in those dreams he carried the hopes of a people living in fear and unrest. He sang of peace, equality and a brotherhood of the human race, of living life without suffering, hunger and fear (the fact that he wanted no wealth and no religion, no countries no heaven and no hell must have escaped the masses). Perhaps they were attracted, not to the ideals of which he sang, but because he had ideals in the first place. I don’t know. But this I do - the John Lennon memorial in Central Park New York is a mosaic bearing only one word - IMAGINE. And that song still stirs something within me every time.
Imagine by John Lennon
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one
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Diary of a Turtle Day
Posted on September 27, 2005, by soph, under Career.
9.35am
Arrive late at work. It appears I’ve overestimated how quick I would be at getting ready this morning. I usually arrive by 9.20. Usually.
9.40am
Check emails. Nothing much in Hotmail today, just an email from an ex-OCFer who wanted to know what magazine I was working for. How did he even know I was in the industry?
Well, I subscribe to an ex-OCFers yahoogroup for graduated Melbourne Uni OCFers. Most of the time, the emails I receive are from OCFers a few generations past looking for other OCFers a few generations past, discussing motherhood or some spiritual topic, or just catching up. I stopped reading about 37 emails ago. Then one day I saw an email from a peer - the first one of my age to actually respond to the ongoing flurry of communication, and my interest is piqued. Turns out it’s a discussion about course choices and whether our current jobs are actually related to our degrees. And then I see it: the offending reference to an arts degree - my arts degree - as “$100,000 for a piece of toilet paper”.
Now people who know me well enough will know that I Love My Arts Degree. I would make it into a t-shirt ala I “Red Heart” New York if I could. My university years were the most intellectually stimulating, eye-opening, perspective-challenging, memorable, precious… (I could go on forever) years of my life thus far, and no one picks on my arts degree, least of all a 30-something year old engineer who knew nothing about it.
And so it was that I’d finally been riled out of silence.
To make a long story short, I responded in self-contained defence and revealed I was in the magazine line, which subsequently led to said email 4 paragraphs ago.
9.52am
Read about Aussie political happenings, Aussie terrorist threats, Aussie girl still locked up in an Indonesian jail - MSN news.
10.14am
Surf blogs and miscellanous links.
10.55am
Blog.
11.20am
Decide to drop by Rockstar INXS for a spot of reading and videos.
12.40pm
Still at Rockstar INXS watching some more videos.
1.15pm
Blog.
It’s not like this everyday, I promise. It’s just that deadline was yesterday and I’ve pretty much wrapped up work for our December issue (yes, we do our December issue in September. The result is a bunch of often very chronologically confused people). And I do intend to be productive after this. Really.
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Linky Links
Posted on September 27, 2005, by soph, under Web Stuff.
It’s a bit of a slow day today. Thank God for lil’ things that pass the time AND bring a smile to your face:
Anti-telemarketing Counterscript
And for gorgeous women who speak foreign languages:
I must say, all that casual newsreading attire does brighten up the worldly happenings considerably. Though I don’t know about the professional, I-know-what-I’m-talking-about image newsreaders allegedly possess.
Many thanks to my sources, Dave and Zakky.
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No More Christian Nice Guy
Posted on September 27, 2005, by soph, under God.
Interesting. Very interesting indeed.
And isn’t it ironic that the very institution that preaches freedom from the world, is the institution that we also seek freedom from. Could this be the new cry of a captive species?
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More.
Posted on September 24, 2005, by soph, under Married.
Over two months and the pics are still coming…
Nel, these are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. No worries about the wait, though I am totally excited about seeing the rest of ‘em.
Oh and for the rest of you, I think this link might take you to more.
Am blown away.
Huge thanks again, Nel.
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The Difference Between Russell and Tom
Posted on September 20, 2005, by soph, under Celebrities, Movies Music TV.
Russell Crowe is a phenomenal actor. His films of recent years have been compelling, rich and memorable. But we don’t really remember him in those films. Instead, we remember stories of a courageous gladiator, a relentless navy captain, a schizophrenic genius, and now, a boxer that inspired a nation.
Tom Cruise is cute, looks good in just about any hairstyle, is set to wed Katie Holmes come Christmas Day, oh and I think he played a samurai once. Yes, that and the cop in the Mission Impossible franchise. And War of the Worlds.
You see, that’s the difference between Russell and Tom. Russell becomes the character, Tom is just, well, Tom.
Watching Cinderella Man last night, there were times when I swear I forgot it was Russell Crowe in there. Instead, I saw James J. Braddock - the Great Depression boxer that fought so his children could drink milk. I rooted for him, felt for him, and cried with him. I wanted Jimmy Braddock, as they called him, to win. And I watched spellbound, amazed at the strength of a human spirit.
Last night, I saw Mr. Braddock himself, right out of the 1930s.
Yuchun will not agree with this. He’s still in awe of Tom Cruise’s wrong-way-up aerial stunt in Top Gun. Yep, that one from the 80s. Sure, the guy is cute, and he does draw crowds. But something is missing, and now I know what it is: he’s too good-looking to be a good actor.
When Russell acts, you forget that he’s Mr. Crowe, husband to Danielle Spencer and currently in trouble for allegedly throwing a telephone at some New York hotel clerk. Because when Russell acts, you only see who he becomes on the screen. The reason he does that so well, besides the fact that he’s an outrageous talent, is because his looks are unassuming enough to be transformed into any character. He can be the fighter, the nerd, the downtrodden or the arrogant.
When Tom acts, you simply cannot forget that you’re watching Tom Cruise. He screams superstar when he’s on screen (just like he does when he’s off it). And I’m not making any comments about his acting prowess, but the man is just too damn good-looking. He reeks of Look-at-me-I’m-gorgeous-and-I-know-it.
Think about it. When you go to a Russell Crowe film, do you go because you know it’s going to be a good story, or because you want to drool over him? People watch his films because they know something magical is going to happen - I know I pestered Yuchun to watch Cinderella Man because I knew it was going to be a gem. Now think about a film that stars Tom Cruise. Do you go because you know it’s going to be a sterling portrayal, or because you just need some eye candy for a couple of hours (and I don’t blame you, we all need some of that).
Tom Cruise never done nothin’ to me, but my vote goes to Russell Crowe any day.
And just in case it wasn’t bleeding obvious, Cinderella Man is an awesome, awesome film.
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Just A Thought
Posted on September 20, 2005, by soph, under Uncategorized.
You know you love someone when… you hardly talk to them but they’re always in your thoughts.
True or False?
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In My Head
Posted on September 17, 2005, by soph, under Psychobabble.
“That’s the problem with you Malaysians. You have no confidence in yourselves, no drive to succeed. When I ask you if you think you can win, you tell me ‘Maybe. I don’t know.’ That’s a stupid answer. That’s why you can’t win. You should say yes. If I ask someone whether they want to be the best in Malaysia and they say yes, I won’t coach them, because they’re not aiming high. They just want to be the best in Malaysia. I want them to be the best in the world.” - a tennis coach.
Maybe that’s our problem huh? We’re just too content with mediocrity. We don’t seek adventure, we don’t explore the unknown, we shun risks, in short, we just don’t live life. We’re content to graduate university and get a job, like our life’s mission is to get a stable income for thirty-five years before we wait to die. Oh and in between it would be really, really nice if we could sort of find someone to procreate with during said thirty-five years. So the next generation could do the exact same thing we did.
Don’t get me wrong, I know how important money is and I know not everyone has the same privileges. I don’t advocate unemployment and I am definitely not against getting a good education. But must we really plod our way through the sunrises and sunsets, fighting to stay in the Status Quo because come on, we can’t do anything daring, crazy or unusual.
I believe everyone has something that makes them come alive. The problem with most of us is, we don’t know what that is, because my grand-aunty told me I have to grow up and become an accountant so I can make lots of money because that’s what my cousins did and my neighbours’ daughter did and my distant uncle’s adopted son did…
You should get my drift by now. This isn’t an entirely new peeve. You know, our ancestors started out so promisingly. It took a helluva lot of guts to get onto a dodgy boat to a destination you never got to Google before deciding you would seek a better life there. For all they knew, Malaya was full of cannibals and everything was just a pretty lie. But someone decided to step out of the status quo. Someone decided to try something new. Someone decided to just aim a little higher.
And boy am I glad my grandma did (though technically it wasn’t entirely her bravado seeing as her mother just put her on the boat and waved goodbye).
Thanks, great-grandma.
Okay, so maybe it’s a slightly different context. Maybe it was a matter of survival and life and death, I don’t know. But the principle is the same. And it’s nice to know our ancestors were pretty cool people.
Having said that, since when and how did pursuing your dreams, exploring the world and living life to the full become uncool? I mean, come on, you don’t really believe it is everyone’s dream to sell their soul to some ungrateful firm for thirty years and do nothing else do you?
You don’t have to earn a million dollars, see the world and own a private jet. You don’t even need to become a rockstar. It would be so refreshing just to see someone waxing something other than the rhetoric of the status quo and doing something, anything, different.
Or am I just being too idealistic?
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Saturday Afternoon.
Posted on September 17, 2005, by soph, under Psychobabble.
Four hour long brunches. Knowing I’m not the only one. And you’re right - they are so uninspiring.
Dissecting. Analysing. Hell, just Thinking.
I told you I’m a PseudoIntellectual.
Each time I am reminded of how much I miss the same cynicism, the honest questions, the shared past. In short, just connecting. And I am reminded of how much I have changed.
I wonder what they will say if they know it actually physically repels me sometimes. But I refuse to believe I am any worse than them, because right now, that refusal might just be my only hope. And hope is always good.
I still wonder if I’m arrogant with age. Were we once like that? If things were unchanged, if I were unchanged, would I have said the same things and feel the same way?
I think not.
And so I do not feel bad. Because I’m through with that. I stand by what I say.
Thank God for Friends That Are Family. Damn I miss you all.
