Firstly we have Hugh Grant and Co. singing *Pop! Goes my heart!* from the Music & Lyrics Soundtrack.
*bis ({)(L)!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Songs of the week
Cannot be bothered picking out some art pieces for this week so I'm posting two songs that vanillabear and caramelbear said reminded them vaguely of me. Kekekeke
Firstly we have Hugh Grant and Co. singing *Pop! Goes my heart!* from the Music & Lyrics Soundtrack.
And now, *I told you I was freaky* from Flight of the Conchords!
Hmmm...makes me kinda wonder how I'm summed up by these two :P
*bis ({)(L)!
Firstly we have Hugh Grant and Co. singing *Pop! Goes my heart!* from the Music & Lyrics Soundtrack.
*bis ({)(L)!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Third place!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Movie adventure - 2012
The adventure we had before watching 2012 deserves an entry all of its own!
Markdod, Ahbreez, Annie, Brian Munich and myself trundled down to eat Grill'd burgers and watch the disaster porno, 2012 at 8pm. Despite rocking up over an hour early, the session was sold out! I blame this on it tightass Tuesday and spillover from boys who didn't want to watch New Moon. We nonetheless enjoyed our burgers immensely (mmmm Summer Sunset...) and contemplated what to do.
I was going to head on home because at 2.5 hours long, I wasn't really looking forward to catching a later session and then follow it up by catching a bus that comes once an hour and ends at midnight. I was convinced to hang around for an 8:30 session at the cashino by the offer of a lift home from Annie and Brian Munich. So we popped into the car and drove over to the casino...only to find that that session was also sold out!
Markdod noted that there was a session at Greater Union Bourke St. at 9pm, but this was kinda pushing it for Ahbreez and herself since that session would end very close to midnight. Nonetheless, we popped into the car and drove back to the city for that session. Brian Munich noted that that might have been one of the few times five people had driven into the cashino and not spent any money.
The guy at GUBS confirmed that their session was indeed not sold out, and so we settled into the retro discomfort for the next three hours. Our discomfort was aided by the weird theatre configuration, lack of allocated seating, and equally awesome and disturbingly sticky carpet.
Was it worth making the trip to three different cinemas to watch it? Read the review to find out!
Markdod, Ahbreez, Annie, Brian Munich and myself trundled down to eat Grill'd burgers and watch the disaster porno, 2012 at 8pm. Despite rocking up over an hour early, the session was sold out! I blame this on it tightass Tuesday and spillover from boys who didn't want to watch New Moon. We nonetheless enjoyed our burgers immensely (mmmm Summer Sunset...) and contemplated what to do.
I was going to head on home because at 2.5 hours long, I wasn't really looking forward to catching a later session and then follow it up by catching a bus that comes once an hour and ends at midnight. I was convinced to hang around for an 8:30 session at the cashino by the offer of a lift home from Annie and Brian Munich. So we popped into the car and drove over to the casino...only to find that that session was also sold out!
Markdod noted that there was a session at Greater Union Bourke St. at 9pm, but this was kinda pushing it for Ahbreez and herself since that session would end very close to midnight. Nonetheless, we popped into the car and drove back to the city for that session. Brian Munich noted that that might have been one of the few times five people had driven into the cashino and not spent any money.
The guy at GUBS confirmed that their session was indeed not sold out, and so we settled into the retro discomfort for the next three hours. Our discomfort was aided by the weird theatre configuration, lack of allocated seating, and equally awesome and disturbingly sticky carpet.
Was it worth making the trip to three different cinemas to watch it? Read the review to find out!
Movie review - 2012
Disaster porn!!! In the spirit of other movies such as Deep Impact, The Day After Tomorrow, and basically any other movie where we get to see the CGI widescale destruction of something comes 2012 - where we get to see the ENTIRE world destroyed!
In the year 2009, solar flares are causing a disturbance in the action of neutrinos (cough), leading to the rapid destabilisation of the Earth's crust and movement of tectonic plates. Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is running a race to try and save the human race before that happens. In the year 2012, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a failed writer, now acting as a chauffeur to Russian oligarch Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric) and his family and girlfriend. Curtis is also separated from his wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and the movie picks up when he attempts to take his two kids Noah and Lily camping at Yellowstone. In an attempt to find the romantic place in the park he shared with Kate, Curtis finds that the lake has evaporated. He also meets Dr. Helmsley who tells him it's classified, and a conspiracy theorist (Woody Harrelson) who tells him that the world is about to end but that the rich people have created ships to keep themselves alive. Random earthquakes are happening on a greater scale and frequency all around the world and the boarding process alerts Yuri that it's time to go. An offhanded comment by his shitty kids makes Curtis realise that the crazy theorist was CORRECT! and he heads to LA to try to save his family. We are then treated to TWO HOURS OF SEEING THE WORLD BEING DESTROYED IN SPECTACULAR FASHION!!!!
As with the Transformers movies and various other BDFs (Big Dumb Films) reviewed here, you should know exactly what you're buying into when you hand over your money for that ticket. Anyone expecting a plausible plot, an excellent script, and prize-winning acting from this...well, the Yuri is excellent when he delivers the *It's Russian* line...but otherwise, I think you need to examine how and why you select films.
2012 is highly enjoyable mush in which we get to see an earthquake literally tear up LA and plunge it into the ocean. It's awesome watching all those skyscrapers explode! Other highlights include watching Yellowstone explode Mt. St. Helens-style, the SS. John F. Kennedy capsizing onto Washington DC., the dome of St. Peter's collapsing and crushing everyone in the Vatican, tsunamis ruling the world, the list goes on. They've put a lot of money into the CGI and many very amusing destruction sequences ensue!
As you can probably tell, I enjoyed myself immensely! My main complaints are thus:
6.5-7.5/10 (The 6.5 is because of the discomfort rating)
In the year 2009, solar flares are causing a disturbance in the action of neutrinos (cough), leading to the rapid destabilisation of the Earth's crust and movement of tectonic plates. Dr. Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is running a race to try and save the human race before that happens. In the year 2012, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a failed writer, now acting as a chauffeur to Russian oligarch Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric) and his family and girlfriend. Curtis is also separated from his wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and the movie picks up when he attempts to take his two kids Noah and Lily camping at Yellowstone. In an attempt to find the romantic place in the park he shared with Kate, Curtis finds that the lake has evaporated. He also meets Dr. Helmsley who tells him it's classified, and a conspiracy theorist (Woody Harrelson) who tells him that the world is about to end but that the rich people have created ships to keep themselves alive. Random earthquakes are happening on a greater scale and frequency all around the world and the boarding process alerts Yuri that it's time to go. An offhanded comment by his shitty kids makes Curtis realise that the crazy theorist was CORRECT! and he heads to LA to try to save his family. We are then treated to TWO HOURS OF SEEING THE WORLD BEING DESTROYED IN SPECTACULAR FASHION!!!!
As with the Transformers movies and various other BDFs (Big Dumb Films) reviewed here, you should know exactly what you're buying into when you hand over your money for that ticket. Anyone expecting a plausible plot, an excellent script, and prize-winning acting from this...well, the Yuri is excellent when he delivers the *It's Russian* line...but otherwise, I think you need to examine how and why you select films.
2012 is highly enjoyable mush in which we get to see an earthquake literally tear up LA and plunge it into the ocean. It's awesome watching all those skyscrapers explode! Other highlights include watching Yellowstone explode Mt. St. Helens-style, the SS. John F. Kennedy capsizing onto Washington DC., the dome of St. Peter's collapsing and crushing everyone in the Vatican, tsunamis ruling the world, the list goes on. They've put a lot of money into the CGI and many very amusing destruction sequences ensue!
As you can probably tell, I enjoyed myself immensely! My main complaints are thus:
- I know that one of the staples of this genre is to kill main characters, but I was really upset with the carnage! It was noted by fellow spectator Brian Munich that this movie was really good at making you bond with certain characters...and then kill them in such a fashion that you couldn't even hope for their survival! Heartbreaking.
- Ignoring Australia! Why is Australia ignored in these movies? I think it would have been awesome to see a tsunami wash into the desert and turn Uluru/Ayers Rock into an island! Or an earthquake split the Harbour Bridge in two! Think about it - great CGI sequence in my head right there.
- It's a very long movie. I know that it's very long just to satisfy my desire for disasters and carnage but 158 minutes in a very uncomfortable seat (curse and bless you, Greater Union Bourke St!) made me want some of the sequences to be shorter. Sacrilege, I know.
6.5-7.5/10 (The 6.5 is because of the discomfort rating)
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Oh, wheel-y?
There's a ferris wheel on Birrarung Marr that I've been meaning to ride on for the last few years but never did for whatever reason. H was back for the weekend so he was roped in for some touristy things on a lovely overcast day.
H checks out the wheel for structural deficiencies.
Well...it looks safe and sound.
Southbank with the cage obstructing the view.
Again with just a bit of cage obstruction.
Looking towards the MCG and Tennis Centre (bring on this summer of tennis!)
Some Collins/Exhibition skyscrapers
H acting his age.
I think the ride goes for about 15 minutes and they pause it so the cage sits at the top and you can have a nice look around. I'm sure it'll look better on a sunny day or at night when all the lights are on. Because it was raining when we made our way down there, we were the only people on the wheel at the time. I'm a little surprised they were willing to run it for only two ppl but *shrug*. As we were getting off, a mother and daughter couple were about to get on, probably because we had given it our seal of approval *nod*.
I actually don't go down Birrarung Marr much (I hate the gravel) but there's also a really cool playground down there with swings, hammocks, a climbing rope pyramid, and mini-climbing wall! Naturally, I had to climb all over the stuff so I can assure you the equipment can ably support the weight of an adult female and therefore also gets my seal of approval!
H checks out the wheel for structural deficiencies. 
Well...it looks safe and sound. 
Southbank with the cage obstructing the view.
Again with just a bit of cage obstruction.
Looking towards the MCG and Tennis Centre (bring on this summer of tennis!)
Some Collins/Exhibition skyscrapers
H acting his age.I think the ride goes for about 15 minutes and they pause it so the cage sits at the top and you can have a nice look around. I'm sure it'll look better on a sunny day or at night when all the lights are on. Because it was raining when we made our way down there, we were the only people on the wheel at the time. I'm a little surprised they were willing to run it for only two ppl but *shrug*. As we were getting off, a mother and daughter couple were about to get on, probably because we had given it our seal of approval *nod*.
I actually don't go down Birrarung Marr much (I hate the gravel) but there's also a really cool playground down there with swings, hammocks, a climbing rope pyramid, and mini-climbing wall! Naturally, I had to climb all over the stuff so I can assure you the equipment can ably support the weight of an adult female and therefore also gets my seal of approval!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Painting of the week - Olympia by Manet
Edouard Manet, Olympia, 1863Musee d'Orsay, Paris
(Source)
(Source)
After the Venus of Urbino last week, I thought this would be a nice piece for the week. Olympia clearly references Titian's painting through the composition of the work - the bed, presence of the maid, animal at her feet, and of course, the pose. But unlike Venus whose relaxed pudica gesture was intended to titilate, Olympia's tensed hand is a defensive concealment.
Also unlike Venus, Olympia's identity has never been in question. Statistics from the 1860s indicate that while the city has a population of approximately one million, Paris had about 35,000 registered and an unknown number of unregistered prostitutes. Working girls often acquired psuedonyms of which Olympia was a common name. Needless to say, when Manet submitted this painting to the Paris Salon, outrage ensued.
Victorine Meurent, the model in Olympia, also posed in an number of Manet's other paintings including his other outrager, Dejeuner sur l'herbe.
Also unlike Venus, Olympia's identity has never been in question. Statistics from the 1860s indicate that while the city has a population of approximately one million, Paris had about 35,000 registered and an unknown number of unregistered prostitutes. Working girls often acquired psuedonyms of which Olympia was a common name. Needless to say, when Manet submitted this painting to the Paris Salon, outrage ensued.
Victorine Meurent, the model in Olympia, also posed in an number of Manet's other paintings including his other outrager, Dejeuner sur l'herbe.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Nature is my enemy
The weather is turning hot (well, it is coming into summer) and I hate it! Apart from my apparent inability to sweat properly due to ichthyosis vulgaris, mosquitoes love me and my O+ blood. H thinks it's also a case of Viet cuisine being awfully tasty in warm weather. But the really shit thing is the immune response I have in response to the little bastards.
Last week I got one on my knee and this is what it looked like without scratching, about 10 minutes after the bite.
You can see the classic signs of a Type I Hypersensitivity right there - the raised wheal in the centre surrounded by red flare (outlined) caused by vascular leakage. It kinda looks like computer game alien.
Later in the week, I acquired some more bites on my legs and they ended up looked like this.
You can see the flare on these bastards very easily! Having the bites so closed to each other caused localised oedema in my legs so they looked all lumpy and actually kinda hurt to touch. Curse that IgE/Mast cell activation!
I'm currently in the last phase of the reaction. The bites aren't itchy anymore, but all that red vascular leakage has made my legs look like they're covered in bruises.
Okay, that's all I needed to whine about!
Last week I got one on my knee and this is what it looked like without scratching, about 10 minutes after the bite.
You can see the classic signs of a Type I Hypersensitivity right there - the raised wheal in the centre surrounded by red flare (outlined) caused by vascular leakage. It kinda looks like computer game alien.Later in the week, I acquired some more bites on my legs and they ended up looked like this.
You can see the flare on these bastards very easily! Having the bites so closed to each other caused localised oedema in my legs so they looked all lumpy and actually kinda hurt to touch. Curse that IgE/Mast cell activation!I'm currently in the last phase of the reaction. The bites aren't itchy anymore, but all that red vascular leakage has made my legs look like they're covered in bruises.
Okay, that's all I needed to whine about!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
First day at work!!!
I've been an professional employee before, and I've been an employee of the university before...but today was my first day as an official PROFESSIONAL employee of the university!
I'm now working as Laulita's personal lab slave - indeed, when I came in this morning, she'd already written a list of tasks she wanted me to do! Nothing too arduous, check temperatures, make buffers, etc. I'm slowly working through the list, I think about half of them are done. *nod* And before you all think I'm slacking off by writing this blog during working hours, it's currently my lunch break. Muhahahahah!
And yes, I'm aware the Ph(u)D isn't done yet. But a girl needs moolah to eat and buy herself pretty things!
I'm now working as Laulita's personal lab slave - indeed, when I came in this morning, she'd already written a list of tasks she wanted me to do! Nothing too arduous, check temperatures, make buffers, etc. I'm slowly working through the list, I think about half of them are done. *nod* And before you all think I'm slacking off by writing this blog during working hours, it's currently my lunch break. Muhahahahah!
And yes, I'm aware the Ph(u)D isn't done yet. But a girl needs moolah to eat and buy herself pretty things!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Movie review - Julie & Julia
Food porn. I love it. And Julie & Julia has it in SPADES!!! Ooh la la! Even if you don't like watching cooking (hell, what kind of freak are you?!) at least watch it for Meryl Streep's performance as Julia Child.
Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is frustrated writer now public servant whose job involves dealing with post-911 issues. It's a crap job and she cooks to escape it. After going to lunch with some more successful 'friends', she decides to cook her way through all the recipe's in Julia Child's seminal cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a calendar year and following her husband's advice, keep a record of her progress. Interspersed within are episodes retelling of Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) arrival in France with her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) and introduction to French food, her time at Le Cordon Bleu school, and attempt to get her book published.
Oh. I loved this movie :D I totally understood Julie's cooking as way of soothing the savage beast within (nom nom nom), and I loved experiencing the joy of French food and learning the language through Julia's eyes. *sigh* I want to go back :D The Julia part of the story dominates J&J largely due to Streep's performance. Always an excellent actress (duh), Streep takes what could be some pretty annoying personality traits (the singsong voice, the way she carries on etc) and makes them endearing and amusing! Also noticeable is the chemistry between Streep and Tucci (reunited from The Devil Wears Prada). Not the most attractive couple, what is apparent through their story is how attracted and in love they are. Although I kept remembering that Tucci is about 10 years younger than Streep and was a little surprised when I found out that Paul Child was about 10 years older than Julia. *shrug*.
Amy Adam's (another great actress) is also great at showing how frustration is the catalyst for the endeavour, how it sucks her in and frustrates but ultimately how it fulfills Julie. More snappy and curt than Julia, it is harder to warm up to her character. Sometimes I couldn't help thinking that she should get over it - living in Queens and having a meal fail is not the end of the world. By the end however, you're really cheering her on to get to the end and bone that whole duck to serve up to dinner! There's also great chemistry between Adams and Chris Messina as Julie's husband Eric.
As you can see, I've reviewed the two parts separately. It reflects my main criticism in that J&J seemed at times more like two separate movies mashed together. I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed like the colours and quality of film were better in the Paris sections than the NYC ones? Or you know, maybe Paris really is just a prettier and more magical place :P. The Julie section is a little bit weaker than the Julia bits, but that's probably due to Meryl's portrayal having such force of personality that she overshines the grittier, less sympathetic Julie. Also, at 123 minutes...it's probably a bit long and drags a little in the middle. Otherwise, I loved this movie!
Yumm-o!
7.5/10
Julie Powell (Amy Adams) is frustrated writer now public servant whose job involves dealing with post-911 issues. It's a crap job and she cooks to escape it. After going to lunch with some more successful 'friends', she decides to cook her way through all the recipe's in Julia Child's seminal cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a calendar year and following her husband's advice, keep a record of her progress. Interspersed within are episodes retelling of Julia Child's (Meryl Streep) arrival in France with her husband Paul (Stanley Tucci) and introduction to French food, her time at Le Cordon Bleu school, and attempt to get her book published.
Oh. I loved this movie :D I totally understood Julie's cooking as way of soothing the savage beast within (nom nom nom), and I loved experiencing the joy of French food and learning the language through Julia's eyes. *sigh* I want to go back :D The Julia part of the story dominates J&J largely due to Streep's performance. Always an excellent actress (duh), Streep takes what could be some pretty annoying personality traits (the singsong voice, the way she carries on etc) and makes them endearing and amusing! Also noticeable is the chemistry between Streep and Tucci (reunited from The Devil Wears Prada). Not the most attractive couple, what is apparent through their story is how attracted and in love they are. Although I kept remembering that Tucci is about 10 years younger than Streep and was a little surprised when I found out that Paul Child was about 10 years older than Julia. *shrug*.
Amy Adam's (another great actress) is also great at showing how frustration is the catalyst for the endeavour, how it sucks her in and frustrates but ultimately how it fulfills Julie. More snappy and curt than Julia, it is harder to warm up to her character. Sometimes I couldn't help thinking that she should get over it - living in Queens and having a meal fail is not the end of the world. By the end however, you're really cheering her on to get to the end and bone that whole duck to serve up to dinner! There's also great chemistry between Adams and Chris Messina as Julie's husband Eric.
As you can see, I've reviewed the two parts separately. It reflects my main criticism in that J&J seemed at times more like two separate movies mashed together. I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed like the colours and quality of film were better in the Paris sections than the NYC ones? Or you know, maybe Paris really is just a prettier and more magical place :P. The Julie section is a little bit weaker than the Julia bits, but that's probably due to Meryl's portrayal having such force of personality that she overshines the grittier, less sympathetic Julie. Also, at 123 minutes...it's probably a bit long and drags a little in the middle. Otherwise, I loved this movie!
Yumm-o!
7.5/10
Painting of the week - Venus of Urbino by Titian
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio), Venus of Urbino, 1538Uffizi, Florence
(Source)
Continuing on from the pudica theme, Venus of Urbino is an example where the gesture is clearly there to titillate rather than conceal. In fact, the way that Venus has her hand slightly curled over her pubis so enraged (or entertained?) Mark Twain that he wrote a fairly entertaining account of it. Venus is a pretty interesting piece due to its infamy and there's a lot of academic debate about various aspects.
The painting was commissioned in 1538 by Guidobaldo della Rovere, Duke of Urbino. The pose of Venus is clearly modelled after Giorgione's Sleeping Venus, in particular the controversial hand gesture. Other indications that this is Venus (the Goddess) are the flowing blonde hair and the roses in her hand. However, there are many other items iconographically associated with Venus that are missing, e.g. Cupid, oranges etc.
According to Rona Goffen, the piece was supposed to be an 'instructive' present for the duke's young wife, basically telling her that to be a good wife, she had to be up for the nookie. In support of this hypothesis is the domestic scene in the background of maids rifling through some cassoni (bridal chests) and the dog at Venus' feet. Dogs are iconographically considered a sign of fidelity, and this dog was also seen in a portrait of Guidobaldo's mother. But the dog is sleeping - taken as a sign of infidelity, and it also made an appearance in a later painting by Titian of Zeus' seduction of Danae.
(Source)
Continuing on from the pudica theme, Venus of Urbino is an example where the gesture is clearly there to titillate rather than conceal. In fact, the way that Venus has her hand slightly curled over her pubis so enraged (or entertained?) Mark Twain that he wrote a fairly entertaining account of it. Venus is a pretty interesting piece due to its infamy and there's a lot of academic debate about various aspects.
The painting was commissioned in 1538 by Guidobaldo della Rovere, Duke of Urbino. The pose of Venus is clearly modelled after Giorgione's Sleeping Venus, in particular the controversial hand gesture. Other indications that this is Venus (the Goddess) are the flowing blonde hair and the roses in her hand. However, there are many other items iconographically associated with Venus that are missing, e.g. Cupid, oranges etc.
According to Rona Goffen, the piece was supposed to be an 'instructive' present for the duke's young wife, basically telling her that to be a good wife, she had to be up for the nookie. In support of this hypothesis is the domestic scene in the background of maids rifling through some cassoni (bridal chests) and the dog at Venus' feet. Dogs are iconographically considered a sign of fidelity, and this dog was also seen in a portrait of Guidobaldo's mother. But the dog is sleeping - taken as a sign of infidelity, and it also made an appearance in a later painting by Titian of Zeus' seduction of Danae.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Au revoir, zver muzhik
Today, one of my husbands decided to take a ride (with me) away from the playing field and into the sunset.
He played his last professional match, losing 4-6, 7-5, 4-6 to Juan-Martin del Potro, in the Paris Masters. *sigh* Marat and Paris, two of my favourite loves and I'm not there to be with either :'(
But now that he's not constantly on the Tour, we're gonna start making those babies that he wants and that I'm happy to give him.
Pfft, what do you mean, you have plenty of time to find the right woman? I'm right here!!!
Y tebya lyublyu.
He played his last professional match, losing 4-6, 7-5, 4-6 to Juan-Martin del Potro, in the Paris Masters. *sigh* Marat and Paris, two of my favourite loves and I'm not there to be with either :'(
But now that he's not constantly on the Tour, we're gonna start making those babies that he wants and that I'm happy to give him.
Y tebya lyublyu.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Happy birthday, Eurostar!!! I *heart* you!!!
Can you believe it? The Eurostar turns 15 this weekend! :D To celebrate, the powers that be are throwing a birthday party of sorts and it's possible to win tickets to it - just go to this website here. It feels like yesterday that I was watching the two tunnels meet under the channel when the French and British workers shook each others' hands. I also remember when the French kicked up a fuss about it being called *The Chunnel* because they felt it didn't adequately reflect the French bit. Hehehe. Incidentally, the French name is Le tunnel sous la Manche (the tunnel under the Channel). Even as a Francophone, that's not very catchy.
When I was planning my first trip around Euroland, I was adamant that I HAD to travel from Paris to London via The Chunnel. Some people were all *Eh? But you can get a plane ticket from Paris to London for like a pound.* Maybe so. But that doesn't take into consideration the time and ticket costs required to take to get from various budget airports! Why do that when I could get from the centre of each city in less than 3 hours?! In fact, its just over 2 hours now that it's moved from Waterloo to St. Pancras!
Checkin' out Gare du Nord in Dec 04.
Wow, look at all that crap I'm bringing. Wouldn't have been able to take that as hand luggage on a plane!
I remember being all :D when you felt the train kick in and go fastfasterfaster! and then my ears popping as we went under the Channel! WooOOooooOOoo! Seriously, oh so cool. When the Great European Adventure 2007 kicked off in ...er...2007, Lydia, Pooey and I did it all again - centre of London to centre of Paris. It was so sweet, I could barely contain my excitement while I was on the choo-choo!
So excited, I had to hide it from the others...
before showing it to the world!
Pooey didn't understand my excitement at the time.
At the end of 2007, the London terminal moved from Waterloo to a new and sparkly one at Kings Cross/St Pancras. Unforch, I didn't take any pics of the station (dammit) because I was stressed out at how long it was taking me to get a cab from OKR and then worried about the crappy London traffic. So stressed that when I got to the station, I checked in right away. Foolish me. But the ride was worry-free (as usual!) and I revelled in the sing-song bilingual trip.
But I'm not the only one filled with love for the Eurostar! Pooey soon understood my love when she took it to meet me in 2008 and again then she went and infected Fen-Fen with the love when they went to Paris this past October (without me. *sniff*).
You've certainly brightened up our lives, Eurostar. Happy FIFTEENTH birthday!!! xoxo
When I was planning my first trip around Euroland, I was adamant that I HAD to travel from Paris to London via The Chunnel. Some people were all *Eh? But you can get a plane ticket from Paris to London for like a pound.* Maybe so. But that doesn't take into consideration the time and ticket costs required to take to get from various budget airports! Why do that when I could get from the centre of each city in less than 3 hours?! In fact, its just over 2 hours now that it's moved from Waterloo to St. Pancras!
Checkin' out Gare du Nord in Dec 04.Wow, look at all that crap I'm bringing. Wouldn't have been able to take that as hand luggage on a plane!
I remember being all :D when you felt the train kick in and go fastfasterfaster! and then my ears popping as we went under the Channel! WooOOooooOOoo! Seriously, oh so cool. When the Great European Adventure 2007 kicked off in ...er...2007, Lydia, Pooey and I did it all again - centre of London to centre of Paris. It was so sweet, I could barely contain my excitement while I was on the choo-choo!
So excited, I had to hide it from the others...
before showing it to the world!Pooey didn't understand my excitement at the time.
But I'm not the only one filled with love for the Eurostar! Pooey soon understood my love when she took it to meet me in 2008 and again then she went and infected Fen-Fen with the love when they went to Paris this past October (without me. *sniff*).
You've certainly brightened up our lives, Eurostar. Happy FIFTEENTH birthday!!! xoxo
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Link Dump
The aircon isn't working in my house for some reason and it is therefore too hot for me to think of something to post here. Instead, here are some things to tide you over
Do you like acquiring trivial knowledge? Do you like finding out strange things about the world? Then AtlasObscura is for you!
When you really can't be bothered getting into xmas but everyone expects you to.
PENIS POWER!!!! (seriously, watch this video, although it's NSFW)
and PENIS POWER, THE REMIX!!! (again, NSFW)
Do you like acquiring trivial knowledge? Do you like finding out strange things about the world? Then AtlasObscura is for you!
When you really can't be bothered getting into xmas but everyone expects you to.
PENIS POWER!!!! (seriously, watch this video, although it's NSFW)
and PENIS POWER, THE REMIX!!! (again, NSFW)
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Sculpture of the week - Medici Venus
Roman copy after Greek original, Medici Venus, First Century BCUffizi, Florence
(Source)
(Source)
The Medici Venus was discovered during excavations of Hadrian's Villa near Rome and taken to Florence in the 17th century. Due to the dolphin at her feet, it is believed to depict Venus as she emerges from the sea following her birth. Because it is a copy of a Greek original, many variations of the work exist to varying levels of quality. The Medici Venus is located in the Tribune Room of the Uffizi (under the cupola).
Although the arms had been broken off, they were restored by Ercole Ferrata and is a two armed variant of the pudica gesture - Venus is allegedly covering herself out of shame but also drawing attention to what she's covering. This same gesture is seen in other ancient Venuses such as the Capitoline Venus, and in Renaissane paintings such as Adam and Eve's Expulsion from Eden by Masaccio and The Birth of Venus by Botticelli.
Although the arms had been broken off, they were restored by Ercole Ferrata and is a two armed variant of the pudica gesture - Venus is allegedly covering herself out of shame but also drawing attention to what she's covering. This same gesture is seen in other ancient Venuses such as the Capitoline Venus, and in Renaissane paintings such as Adam and Eve's Expulsion from Eden by Masaccio and The Birth of Venus by Botticelli.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
When Awesomeness met Epilepsy
One of the (few) perks of being a scientist is that these big biotech companies often come to the uni trying to convince us to use their products rather than a similar product from their competitors. Sometimes to convince us that they are awesome, they'll try to bribe us with food and little goodies - usually things like pens, notebooks, stressballs...I once scored two mugs from Corning and a pair of binoculars from Molecular Probes/Invitrogen.
Well Invitrogen came to uni about a fortnight/three weeks ago to promote something. I toddled along for the free cake (mmmm, cake) when I saw they had some cute stressballs. This was around the time I was having those nightmares, so I was pretty stressed. Anyway, I wanted a stressball but to get it, I had to fill in a questionnaire relating to what they were promoting.
I think the questionnaire went something like *Do you do PCR? (No!)* *Do you do protein analysis (No!)*...basically I answered No! to all the questions. I submitted the form, got my stressball, took same cake, was one happy Mally. A few days later, I got an email saying I had won a prize from answering that questionnaire and would I be around to receive it. I wasn't so it was dropped into my pigeon hole. Basically, it's a plastic beer glass that flashes coloured lights when you push a button at the base.
Well Invitrogen came to uni about a fortnight/three weeks ago to promote something. I toddled along for the free cake (mmmm, cake) when I saw they had some cute stressballs. This was around the time I was having those nightmares, so I was pretty stressed. Anyway, I wanted a stressball but to get it, I had to fill in a questionnaire relating to what they were promoting.
I think the questionnaire went something like *Do you do PCR? (No!)* *Do you do protein analysis (No!)*...basically I answered No! to all the questions. I submitted the form, got my stressball, took same cake, was one happy Mally. A few days later, I got an email saying I had won a prize from answering that questionnaire and would I be around to receive it. I wasn't so it was dropped into my pigeon hole. Basically, it's a plastic beer glass that flashes coloured lights when you push a button at the base.
It was so cool, I took it to drinks for people to use!
The view when using it.
As awesome as the cup is, everytime someone tried to drink from it, I think our eyes started flashing and people got headaches. So awesomeness produced epileptic fits in all us science nerds but who cares? Free cup!!!
The view when using it.
As awesome as the cup is, everytime someone tried to drink from it, I think our eyes started flashing and people got headaches. So awesomeness produced epileptic fits in all us science nerds but who cares? Free cup!!!
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Time to give up?
Don't worry, this is not about my Phd! (Although I do feel it is time to give it the heave-ho). This is about when to concede that a garment can no longer be worn.
A few months ago, Pooey bought me a tierd skirt from Primmy. I really liked it and wore it a few times before throwing it into the washing machine. It came out incredibly wrinkled! No worries. I'm not terrible at ironing (hi Lydia!) but I had enough faith in my ability to make it presentable.
I'm not sure how many times I've attempted it, but I'm about to give it up and throw it out. This is what the skirt looks like.
But I don't want to concede defeat yet!!! I will admit I feel pretty stupid about not willing to give it up. Because Primmy is a store that sells things so cheaply that it probably utilises third-world slave-labour, the skirt probably cost about 10 quid at most (about $20) and the low quality work is probably contributing to why I can't iron it. So, should I bother trying to investigate ways to iron it or should I just chuck it out?
This poll will run for a fortnight!
A few months ago, Pooey bought me a tierd skirt from Primmy. I really liked it and wore it a few times before throwing it into the washing machine. It came out incredibly wrinkled! No worries. I'm not terrible at ironing (hi Lydia!) but I had enough faith in my ability to make it presentable.
I'm not sure how many times I've attempted it, but I'm about to give it up and throw it out. This is what the skirt looks like.
But I don't want to concede defeat yet!!! I will admit I feel pretty stupid about not willing to give it up. Because Primmy is a store that sells things so cheaply that it probably utilises third-world slave-labour, the skirt probably cost about 10 quid at most (about $20) and the low quality work is probably contributing to why I can't iron it. So, should I bother trying to investigate ways to iron it or should I just chuck it out?
Monday, November 02, 2009
Is this true?!
You Are an Oddball |
 You tend to be understated and under appreciated. You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way. People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little. Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know. Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid Your power color: Silver Your power symbol: Square Your power month: April |
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