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

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

Late last week I walked away from a terrible coffee. Weak, terribly made, soulless, shite. These are all words I would use to describe this abomination. If I ever see that barista at the bar, I'm walking out. There is no second chance draw for her.

Today I found the original Russian version of Solaris on sale and while snapping up that bargain I also purchased the not-so-cheap Sealab 2021 Season One.

Today we drank more tea in class, Arrowroot Tea. It was falsely advertised to me. I was led to believe it was bitter, that fact made stronger when Judy mentioned she didn't usually like it. So with this in mind I took my first sip. Sugar. Sugar. Sugar. I could not taste anything but sugar. Apparently Koreans have quite the sweet tooth, especially with tea and coffee. This was a bit of a shock to me, a man who never puts sugar in his drinks. The tea came in the form of powder which apparently has everything you need in it. I was given some packets to take home but I don't know if I will ever drink the sickly sweet contents.

It was one of those days. You know the ones where it's all fine and dandy until a piece of paper reminds you how many hours of work you have to do before you can truly relax. Translate this, translate that, don't forget to translate these too, oh and remember to get that presentation ready. It is no surprise my brain is so muddled at the moment.

I do enjoy having somebody experience a movie for the first time which you are already familiar with. It often gives you a fresh perspective or simply renews what you once thought of a movie. Saturday was a day for exactly that. I re-watched High Fidelity and Nuala watched it for the first time. It is a movie I see multiple times every year. Unfortunately by doing so I have become used to the characters and no longer look into the story as much. This time I found renewed love for it. The company I was with made me see it in a different light. More attention was given to the dialogue and I noticed a few subtle points I had forgotten about.

Over the past couple of years I have been watching movies and focussing too much on them being a feature. Focussing too much on how well they pit themselves against others within a certain genre. I had forgotten the relaxed feeling and interest in seeing what a movie has to offer me through its visual story telling. Sometimes if I am watching a very good movie I will remember how I used to feel but more often than not I just let the stories gloss over me. This leaves me only partially satisfied. Saturday managed to light a small fire within me again. I hope to recreate this with other movies.

Later we went for a coffee. The barista was a girl I have always seen in the kitchen and had spoken briefly to on occasion. While she was making my coffee I started to think this may be the first time she has actually done so. This filled me with excitement for you see lately the coffee at The Globe has been weak in regard to quality. It has been a fluctuating problem there for many months years now. What was brewed for me was actually one of the better cups of recent memory. This made me want to savour the contents longer than I usually would which meant we were sat in the café for quite some time. Longer than my standard quick visit when I am with company and more like the length of a visit when I am by myself. After many points of conversation we headed for Planet books. There were a couple of things I was tempted to purchase but I managed to hold back.

Sunday was a struggle with translations. It has been a wee bit longer than a month since last doing this kind of work and I had lost some of the automatic skills gained earlier this year. I've found myself once again relying too heavily on the dictionary for words and meanings known to me for over two years. It took a lot of effort to find my way to the end of the task.

That night I joined the lovely Swiss family Isliker for dinner. I was four minutes late and with them being the Swiss this meant that Peter was about to give me a call to check on me. Tracy jokingly added that if it was five minutes minutes they would have had to start calling the hospitals. Don't be late if you are meeting the Swiss.

I enjoyed my first Raclette. This involved placing cheese on a small pan with onion and seasoning and then letting it sit under a stove type device in the centre of the table. This device is for everybody and there are small compartments for everybody to put there pans. Whilst your cheese melts you could cook pork, bacon, and sausage. When the cheese had finished melting you could then pour it over your potatoes and enjoy. Various pickled items were also on the table to eat. The experience was similar to something I once had at the Trefry household which I was led to believe was a Dutch meal.

This morning I sit here trying to finalise some translations and wonder what this week will bring. Something typical or something different?

I bit the inside of my bottom lip last week. It would heal if I could stop accidentally chomping down on the swollen area in my mouth every other day.

A few days ago I drove past an Icecream Van that had overheated. It looked like Mr. Whippy was on fire. This was the same day the first of two trucks fell over. The world was falling apart!

Bought new clothes earlier this week. They look good but the collars on the shirts feel like sandpaper around my neck. I also bought a couple of new DS games to keep me amused.

Today I travelled to Kings Park for Nuala's birthday bbq. The location is still so foreign to me even though it is one of the great landmarks in Perth. It was easy enough to find my way. Once there I joined some other friends and chatted for a few hours. I left slightly before the event finished to head beyond the northern end of the freeway.

I managed to be an hour late to a housewarming/engagement party for Peter and Tracy. I met Steven again, an old acquaintance from my web development days. It was odd seeing somebody from all those years ago. He asked if I was engaged or married yet. It is understandable why he would assume such things. So much has changed.

Later in the evening many people had left but the nurses who remained decided to take claim of the entertainment room. With not much left to do Peter, Markus, and myself travelled the 45 minute drive from Clarkson to Mt. Lawley. Yes, for a coffee. We made our way down the freeway singing along to Roxette. We enjoyed our renditions so much that it hurt our throats.

There is a possibly for playing tennis this afternoon if the weather permits. Actually in my case it's less playing and more just trying to hit the ball. If that doesn't pan out then I'll be here watching Six Feet Under and devouring Pizza. I think I'll be happy either way.

Last Friday night I went to The Moon to spend some enjoyable time with Nuala and Weeena. We ate kalamari and wedges, neither of which were particularly good. There was much grimacing about my want for a proper coffee at a good café but I somehow managed to get my way (a small victory for me!). We went to the Globe to fulfil my needs. Our night of conversation seemed to be drawing to a close but we all wanted to do something more. I drove the ladies up to the Zig Zag so that we could look over the city. We sat there for an hour listening to music, trying to work out what certain city lights were, and having random conversations. In truth I could have stayed there until the early morn but could see the tired eyes in the passenger seat next to me. I think it was about 0030 when we decided to end the night. I still feel I am new to the Zig Zag even though I have been there six or seven times in recent years. It's a great spot to go at night when you don't know what to do.

Sit, listen, think, speak, enjoy scenery. That seems to be who I am. I love it, perhaps too much. Does that make a person boring? Maybe. Probably.

I may have to purchase More Brain Training. The 100 new sudoku games sold me. I miss doing one of those per night before I go to sleep.

I want to go to karaoke to sing one or two Journey songs. If they don't have any Journey I will be upset.

Today I enjoyed a impromptu fun day with Nuala. It has been a long time since I've last gone to the movies. The seats are so uncomfortable. While wriggling around in the seat I was watching Rise of The Silver Surfer. We had decided to watch it since it was about to begin when we arrived at the cinema. Coincidentally, last week I watched the first Fantastic Four movie. After having viewed both movies I think they are fun but the writing is terrible. When the name Mark Frost appeared on screen as a screenplay writer I thought we may be in luck. This was false hope. These movies have led me to believe that Mark Frost may have been the reason behind every dull side story of Twin Peaks. Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) wore too much eye makeup in the second movie. When in doubt people should always remember the following quote:

Boy In Police Station: You wear too much eye makeup. My sister wears too much. People think she's a whore.

After the movie we enjoyed some lunch at The Queens. No, 'enjoy' might be the wrong word. It was enjoyable to remove the feeling of hunger but the Chicken Burger was not worth the exorbitant $18.60 price. I'll not order one again. Afterwards I talked my way into having us quickly go to the Globe for a coffee. Score.

On my way back home I decided to boisterously sing along to Sinéad O'Connor. I realise some people may be able to hear me outside of the vehicle but I don't care much about that anymore.

I was having a drink at the café tonight and was the only one sitting outside. Maybe it was too cold for the other people who had nestled themselves inside the heated shop. In truth it has been a while since I've been there by myself at night. They were playing (at a slightly higher volume than usual) the Big Calm album by Morcheeba. Part of The Process started playing when I sat down. As it played I came to realise that I suddenly understood the lyrics. It was enjoyable to sit there watching the rain lightly cover the road whilst listening to music with a warm beverage in my hands to keep me warm.

The final seven episodes of The Sopranos start soon. One day in the distant future I will have to start buying the DVD's for all the seasons.

I'm thinking of forcing myself to like soy milk because I miss eating cereal as a late night snack. Meh. Maybe not.

Today
1455
I dawdled to my class from the opposite side of the uni and was consequently a bit late. That right there shows you how much I dislike the unit. I can't stand been late for anything. More to the point I got a little more sunburnt than I already was. My skin just doesn't know what to do with sunlight so it goes red and hopes nobody will notice.

1320
Met with Nuala and shared a basket of wedges at the Curtin tav. I am not ashamed to admit that was my first time in the tavern. It only took me 3.5 years and a quick invite for lunch to walk into the establishment. The wedges were good and the aïoli sauce was strong on the garlic. Hang on... was having me not pay for the wedges a ploy to make me pay for our next meal? Cheeky Monkey.
We chattered away and wasted our precious time before each of our classes started at 1500. Due to a bad timetable I'm not very social with uni pals this year. So this was a good change of pace that I completely encourage.

1130
Met with the Korean club at uni. We worked out a few things regarding a sort of Korean awareness seminar and then decided to talk further over a karaoke session. Yep, I said Karaoke.

1100
Had to park in temporary parking (dirt bowl). 15 minutes of circling the carparks and I found no free spots. There was somebody parked in two bays at the education student carpark. Another person had scrolled 'learn to park' across the windows with a bright green marker. Good.

Wednesday
2120
Had a cinematic type of moment while doing a quick dance in Planet Books.

2030
Went to the café again with Peter and Markus. Markus is a fancy man who orders drinks named after the capital of Austria. We spoke to one of the co-managers again. It's interesting to find out what is going on or rather what will be going in regard to our favourite coffee house.

When I got home today I was absolutely knackered. This is probably due to the heat and the test I had. After a snack of crackers, cheese, and pickle I grabbed the apple remote and placed myself in a comfortable position on the couch. As the music went over me I became more and more tired. Eventually I needed to eat because my stomach was complaining which is all it seems to do lately.

I was ready for bed at 20:15. My intentions were to stay up tonight finishing things but I got to a point where I threw my arms into the air and said, "Fuck this. I'm going to bed". Not two minutes later I received a message on iChat from Peter. It was an invitation for a coffee run. Could this be a sign, I asked myself. Should I not go to bed so early? I agreed to this outing and we ventured to our regular haunt.

Last week we were served with nothing but superior cups of coffee. Since we oft get a mediocre brew I found that I welcomed the change of quality. Tonight the same barista put herself behind the machine metalic des dieux. Apparently the apparatus superum had been serviced and cleaned today. We were told to expect nothing short of brilliance. A few sips later we felt the need to wave our arms to attract the attention of the barista from our seats outside. We gave her a thumbs up to signify that once again we were happy with what was concocted for us on this night. We thanked her for the continued quality and in turn learnt little bits and pieces about the place. Apparently she co-manages the café with another barista whom I am familiar with. I like getting to know the person who makes my coffee. It's like talking to the artist who has just painted you a picture.

This ramble was enjoyable to write.

I received my Blood Donor card today. I am A positive. 31% of Australia is A+.

I started off the day by defeating the Aztec's. Tomorrow the French are going to feel it. I swear like a sailor when playing Civilisation.

Next point of call was the Apple service centre in Mt. Hawthorn. I was dropping off my recalled iBook battery. I wouldn't be mentioning this if there wasn't a dishy Indian looking girl working the counter.

On the way to uni I stopped at the Globe to treat myself. I say treat myself but I'm there about 5 times a week. It's not so much a treat but more a routine.

When I got to uni I realised that I was actually there an hour early. I went for a walk and exhausted myself.

There is a job offer on the notice boards for Hong Kong. I'd jump at it if I didn't have to finish this year.

The people who were meant to help me sort out the class registration were another lot of lunch-lady Doris types.

- What's your problem?
-- I have a clash.
- They are classes from two different departments aren't they?
-- No.
- You need to see a unit co-ordinator
-- You mean Steve Pavey?
- I don't know.
-- <sarcasm>... thanks for all the help</sarcasm>

So I went to see Steve. In true fashion he wasn't there. Any DOLIE student knows that Steve's full time job is dodging any student that is thrown in his direction.

I was meant to go and buy some DVD's but I forgot. Maybe that's a good thing.

Oh and I watched Children of Men yesterday. Loved it.