and then there's Blake (In stereo where available)

Today was simple. My head was buried under the covers when I heard my phone ringing (actually I thought it was my snooze alarm). Nuala was on the other end saying something about going out and buying things. I slowly wrestled myself out of bed. We completed her task, bought a new mobile phone for myself, ate KFC for lunch, watched a movie, and retired ourselves to some afternoon lounging. Good times. More please.

Earlier this week
While walking along William Street I noticed a sign for a noodle house on the side of what looks like an apartment block. Yen and I were starving so we checked it out. The business card for this place says Café Asia. It's not the most aspiring name when you want something good to eat but names can be deceiving. There is plenty on the menu. Almost every noodle dish had the word lamian written somewhere. Neither of us had a clue what lamian noodles were and we didn't want to try something we mightn't like. We were hungry and wanted needed a satisfying meal. My Fried Kway Teow was delicious and the beef was beautifully tender. I had received more satisfaction from this meal than expected which made me curious about the rest of the menu. The location is interesting since it's down a side street. I doubt they get much foot traffic aside from people like us who are curious. They also serve a variety of coffee which I decided to leave until I am with a more coffee conscious friend.

Browsing IKEA is a lot of fun for me. After half an hour of looking around I was trying to work out if a flat packed bookshelf would fit in my car. It would not. In the store I can see a million reasons (possibly foolish) to buy anything. I do love wandering through the displays and testing all of the furniture. At the end of the line we rewarded ourselves with those suspicious IKEA hotdogs. It did not kill me.

I bought Jenga for $13.

I spilt Boost Juice in the car. That wasn't fun.

I have caught up with the current season of Dexter. The direction they decided to take the show is interesting. I am in high suspense for the final two episodes.

I love the song Fade Into You by Mazzy Star. Peter introduced it to me as "that song in lots of movies". We didn't know what it was called but through the situational context and years of male bonding I actually knew what song he meant. We have the song now. I always have a moment to myself when it comes on. It makes me feel like I am in my own movie. That may sound cheesy but I think it's the coolest thing ever.

Late yesterday afternoon I donated whole blood for the last time this year. Yen said she'd come and donate too. I liked that idea because she was the one who came with me to my first ever donation at the beginning of the year. It was like completing a story. As I said to her, it's not necessarily a great story but it's a story nonetheless. She beat my donation time by three minutes, damn it. Afterwards we ate pizza. Wednesday night is pizza night at the bloodbank. Give blood, get pizza. I like that deal.

I made an appointment to donate plasma in four weeks. That will surely be interesting.

Today was the first day in three weeks I actually felt like I was on holiday. It's about time that feeling kicked in because it felt good.

Went out for tea this afternoon with Peter and received what I think was 'regular-customer respect'. The waitress was being very nice and we even received a good discount.

Tonight I had dinner at Zebra's African Steakhouse with a few classmates from my Korean units. We decided to each bring a guest along to make it more interesting. I invited Nuala (truthfully it was more of a demand than an invite) and she said she enjoyed herself. Zebra's never fails at pleasing my senses. I had the Stuffed Cheese Fillet: A thick fillet filled with blue cheese and topped with a creamy pepper sauce. It's one of the most expensive things on the menu and it was worth every cent. It wasn't the greatest experience though because they took a very long time to serve us. It wasn't even that busy. We had a theory that we were being treated poorly because half of our table didn't turn up.

Humid mornings make it difficult to clean the stubble from my neck. It might not even have been humid, maybe I was too hot from the shower. Either way one fact is clear - I hate shaving during the summer. It irritates to say the least. These days there is thankfully a lesser area to deal with. This beard keeps winning points with me.

The last few days:

Sometimes it feels weird to always be chronicling what I've done. I went through my archive last week though and was annoyed at large gaps with no information. I like to know what happened in any given portion of time. If there is no information then I'll never remember what I have done. It feels like lost time. Being able to read what I have done makes even the most mundane event feel worthwhile.

Impossible options do not exist. The idea behind them seems so outlandish that the notion overshadows the steps that would get you there.

A lie would be to pretend to be meaningful. The truth would be to tell you I was staring at my moustache when that thought came to mind.

Everyday this week I was goading my mind for stimulus but it was a write off.

Saturday morning I got together with Nikki for tea. That was superb. We sat there and chatted for almost two hours. It might have been longer if I didn't have to leave. As far as flowing conversations go this was very good. It was probably made easier because of the five years of information we know about each other.

I had been window shopping all week and on Saturday afternoon I finally spent some money on gifts. I bought some shirts for myself and at the same time came up with a theory about why the male section of some stores are so small. I took the time to walk around and look at the dismal amount available for myself while Tutti frutti was trying some things on. After looking at everything five times, some of the special offers didn't seem so bad. They had me! That must be how they do it. Women take you into the store and the waiting time while they are in the changing room is just long enough to make a man buy clothes. Tricky devils.

That night Peter, Tracy, and I watched Long Way Down (episode 3). It difficult to like this series as much as Long Way Round but we try. After watching, a night drive with Peter followed and completed this Saturday. I was noticeably tired at the end. It's been a long time since we two men have gone for a drive at night.

Today I had lunch with Yen and two of her friends. It was nice meeting new people and getting to know them. The food was your typical dim sum menu but I didn't manage to eat as much as I usually would. The inside of the restaurant (Oriental Inn) is very plain and they squeeze as many people in as they can. It's not bad but not as good as the other dim sum restaurants I have been taken to. I'm attempting to get some extra time with Yen before she leaves us for the distant land of Canberra.

I've watched a few movies recently and I'll quickly mention two of them.

Babel - I enjoyed watching this but there was something missing in the way they bound the stories together. The Mexican story seemed out of place in the overall concept of a film about language diversity. I was never sure if I was supposed to be paying attention to the children or the Mexican lady. The other two stories held together on their own very well. The whole experience was good but there was a problem in story delivery that stops this movie from being great. Also the unexpected slew of good endings took away a lot of the emotion that it had initially built up.

Transformers - I'm not even going to link it. It was two hours and fifteen minutes of rubbish.

I found out I have to delay all my plans by six months or so to finish a unit at uni. After changing my degree there is one unit outstanding that only runs in first semester next year. It's a shame it does not run during the summer break. There is more to this but I will not go into it because the whole situation annoys me.

Yesterday, after enrolling, I suggested lunch because I'd been hungry ever since we left my house. Nuala insisted I ate something very fatty. After a quick look in the Carousel food court I ate a plate of deep fried goodness from Mandarin Duck. My plate was loaded with all of those bad things people cringe at. The sort of food you know isn't good for you because you can't stab it with a plastic fork without the fork breaking. It was good.

A few people have been a bit concerned about the 12kg I've lost this year. I had put it down to stress but decided (while getting my Hep booster) to ask the doctor about it. He got me to have a few blood tests which came back normal so he eventually agreed with me that it is most likely stress induced. This means that with time, food, and exercise it should all come back. It'd be nice for my trousers to fit snug against my waist again. I look forward to it.

Last night I watched Control at the cinema with Judith and Peter. It's about the life of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division. I feel it would be a good movie for anyone unfamiliar with the story. I was entertained but slightly bored because I've heard his short life story a few times before. More than anything it gave me the urge to watch 24 Hour Party People again.

Thursday felt like the longest and most boring day ever. I got up, did a load of laundry, started reading a book, watched a movie, exercised, went for a drive, ate lunch on the Canning River foreshore, went to the shops, came home, exercised again out of boredom, sat around wondering what to do - and it was only 15:00! After all of that I just wanted it to be bedtime and to start my next day.

I've started to be a tiny bit more active in organising activities with people. I love Peter and Nuala and the individual time spent with each of them but as to not have them get sick of my company I felt I should whore myself out, so to speak. Only I'm not very good at organising things.

Hands up if you hate hayfever.

I'll have to go and buy some shirts seeing as the weather has started to bounce towards 30º. I'm still in winter/spring mode. Before long summer will end and I still won't have bought anything new because I always delay going shopping for clothes.

On Sunday, Nuala and I went to Golden Century for a long deserved Dim Sum lunch. I ate too much. I think one of the fun things about going there is to see how much you can eat. I love it. Sunday was a hot day and that coupled with a full belly eventually created tiredness. When I got home all I wanted to do was nap.

Last week Peter and I got around to watching Planet Terror and Death Proof. I quite liked them even though they are both atrocious movies. That's the point though, isn't it? It's understandable to me why so many people hate them. I have rewatched Death Proof and enjoyed it more the second time. I claim it's the dialogue and music but I cannot deny the allure of Sydney Poitier (Jungle Julia) and her stems. I am a man after all. Peter and I have been briefly discussing why I like John Carpenter movies and it's the same reason I enjoyed the Rodgrguez and Tarantino Grindhouse movies. The stories are poor and the acting is worse but in the end they are fun to watch.

I've been trying to write an entry on people skills and socialising but it's proving very difficult.

I must remember to go and get my Hep Booster shot this week. In fact I will call and book it now.

On Wednesday I watched The Butterfly Effect. It was surprising because I had no idea what to expect from it. All I really knew about the movie was who plays the lead character (and that was enough for me to not watch it until now). I found that the structure of this movie teeters on a small amount of dialogue by the doctor. It either explains everything or causes one giant continuance error. Basically I think ( spoiler ). The hollywood style and stale camerawork is a shame. Overall though I found the movie (and Amy Smart's bubble butt) to be enjoyable. It was a very good choice by Nuala to show this movie to me. I predict it will one day have the status of a midday movie that some networks will play on school holidays. Much like The Goonies or Logan's Run which were always shown when I was younger.

Tuesday afternoon I was in the city with Yen and Sehee. Yen knew I wanted to look for new shirts so we ended up going shopping. Both of them helped to pick some shirts and they made me try them on! I usually do the typical guy thing of using blind luck instead of trying things on. It was beneficial to do it their way because we managed to weed out the not-so-good items. I bought the two shirts that we all agreed were best suited to me. I think the girls realised how men get a tiny portion of a shop compared to women. Most stores for both sexes have about one quarter of the shop for men and three quarters for women.

Over the next few hours we wandered aimlessly around Borders and other stores. We met with Kim, Sehee said good bye, Tiff showed up after work for 5 minutes, and then a moment later Nuala joined us for half an hour or so. Unfortunately Nuala couldn't stay with us for very long. So Kim, Yen and myself went to dinner. Il Padrino's was the winner. I had a Pizza with fresh tomato, onion, and cheese (number 42 on the menu). It was superb. We were given a good discount on the meal simply because they forgot to put cutlery on the table and the manager saw me getting up to fetch a fork for Kim. We also realised that it was almost one year ago that the three of us got together and ate there. This was like reliving an old event.

It was 1400 when we met in the city earlier that afternoon and that evening we finished our dinner at 2130. Those hours flew past very quickly. We said farewell to Kim and then I took Yen home. That was the end of the night. As far as unproductive days go, it was a good one.

This morning I changed the batteries in my beard trimmer and quivered in fear with the raw power I held within my hands.

Taking a break from the tiresome university work of late I agreed to join a bunch of friends at the cinema on Friday night to watch Hairspray. I enjoyed most of it and only cringed at a few things, one of which was John Travolta. Watching it made me wish I was well versed in the songs so I could sing along. After the movie I wanted to watch more movies that I could sing along to but that of course was not going to happen. The seven of us visited Fast Eddies for a place to chat with each other. It was brilliant to catch up with Sehee and Kim again because it has been too long a time since I have seen either of them.

Today was highly unpredictable. Nuala dropped by after an appointment and we just kind of kept coming up with things to do. Go out for tea, go to Jb's, go to Planet, watch Rushmore. OK so that may not sound like much but my mind is still in a bit of a whirl from how the day spontaneously progressed and eventually ended. I decided to make today homework free and I am so very happy I did.

Tonight I went to see Peter and I brought along Léon to watch. It is a movie I always enjoy and has what could be some of Natalie Portman's best acting. We were interrupted towards the end to pick up a leggy 1920's dressed Tracy and bring her back to the house. Later, after a brief discussion of what to do next we settled on watching Pick of Destiny again. There is some terribly lowbrow humour but we still seem to love it. This viewing marked the first time we have used the subtitles to help us better sing the songs.

The twenty something hours this all took place in are the most interesting hours of my week.

For three days last week I did not set a morning alarm. I did not need to. Apparently if I do not then I will not rise until after midday (bladder dependent). This is good information to know.

I was going to wait until the end of the week to post again but I feel I have enough to fill a nicely listed post.

Monday

Met with Peter at 0900 for Coffee and breakfast. Later we had lunch at Chatters. I ate a lovely Beef Omelette.

Met with Yen at 1400 to catch up and chat while enjoying ourselves at a café with drinks. We didn't have a long time out but we (or at least I definitely) had a fun time talking about this, that, and everything else.

Nuala suggested we get a coffee after she finished work. I agreed to this because it seemed a good way to end a day. We sat outside saying the things that we say whilst enjoying our coffee and tea.

I must point out that all three beverages consumed were from The Globe. Although it was fine at the time, I have since felt the need to not go back for a long while. It is time to focus on other locations on the street.

Tuesday

Staying inside completing some of many university tasks made me ache for some fresh air. Late in the afternoon Peter shined his light in my direction for a possible outing. Soon I came up with the idea of once again visiting Leaf. This, if I may say so, was a brilliant idea. Not only was I sick and tired of The Globe but it once again reminded me how good tea is. I drank a pot of Arctic Fire, an old favourite of mine. It is much better value than going for coffee, a mere $1 extra for a pot with about 3 cups worth of tea. I will be going back more often.

Wednesday

A dim sum lunch. I was looking forward to this so much and it certainly did not disappoint. I ate and ate until my stomach was poking out as far as it could. Yet I still wanted more. The cast of characters at the table included myself, Nuala, Marie, Weeena and new face by the name of Yen, a different Yen to the one I know. We were there munching on the many items of food for quite some time. Unfortunately for me they had run out of Egg Tarts when it was time for desert. As luck would have it though, Nuala kindly offered me half of her Ginger... Tofu... stuff... I actually can't remember what it was exactly - only that it was a warm and yummy desert.

To end the night I agreed to watch The Royal Tenenbaums. This movie has always been on my hate list. It didn't make much sense in my mind that I could hate it that much though. You see I love Rushmore and also like The Life Aquatic very much. After giving The Royal Tenenbaums one more shot I now respect it so much more. The writing, acting, sound of guitar, and camera work are all things I love about Wes Anderson movies. I will one day have to see Bottle Rocket, and more and more am I looking forward to the release of The Darjeeling Limited.

I look forward to the rest of this week.

Tags: coffee, dim sum, food, leaf tea merchants, marie, movies, nuala, peter, tea, the globe, the royal tenenbaums, waking up, weeena, week, wes anderson, yen, yen2

Today I put my mouth around a scrumptious burger (accompanied by some lovely chips) from the university tavern. It was surprisingly good and almost worth the ~$12. I was having lunch with Nuala before my class and as predicted I was late for the Pop Culture unit due to my need for not rushing but instead enjoying my food. Obviously I don't have my priorities correctly aligned because I should in all essence rank a lecture above socialising. Not in this case though. My thought process was directing me to eat, chat, and be merry. Even when I said good bye I was but one nudge away from skipping the class entirely.

When I walked through the lecture room door I was a bit perplexed by an American fellow standing up front. My lecturer is Chinese, who was this loud man? He was a guest speaker who was wildly passionate about history and the arts. He was comparing WWII Germany to current day China. It was interesting. He had many good points and delivered them with intensity. It is a shame he was so very American. Occasionally he would say something that would grate against my own view points and make him seem overly smug. This American man (who I did not get the name of) reminded me a lot of the character Henry Fool.

Next week is free from tuition but thanks to my level of education it feels like a long tightrope to traverse. In the past I would leave things until the final moment and focus all my energy in these final moments to finish everything. Now it takes me many days to complete some tasks. All I want to do is sleep, watch movies, and lounge but maybe I've done too much of that with my life already.