move over Enya

The cd cover on the right is one that i've seen hundreds of times. Im not sure who actually owns it, but its the kind of CD that pops up all the time when people are running things like group reflections/meditations and at devotional gatherings and what not.

Well, while getting some other music off someone for a quiz - she kindly copied over a bunch of other stuff, that happened to include this album.

And so it sat on my iTunes playlist for about a week - where I subconsciously judged most of it (except "Dante's prayer") as "boring" worthy of an automatic next... but since then Ive been listening to all the songs a bit more.

And you know what - I dont care that she's almost 50 (I had to google that, I thought she was a lot younger) - but im loving this voice. (sorry - cant think of a better place to link than Amazon.com where all the "sample" are mostly instrumental - but Im sure half of you own the cd).

Seriously - it is just so relaxing, and promoting of reflection (??? cant think of what actual word to use)... me fail english - thats unpossible.

I think im gonna buy this next time I see it for sale.

more random photos

As I was posting that previous post, I was checking out some of the other random photos on my phone. (note: Phone - so thats why they are crappy quality, and also note that the people at O2 are complete jackasses, coz they chuck in a 2.0 megapixel camera, but dont give it the 'insulation'? required to cancel out the phones radiowaves (or something like that which a techno-buff told me recently... I have no desire to know these things)).
(I dont know whats so special about American Cheese, or why someone would advertise it on their remote control storage device, but I thought it was cool).

bring on the early morning starts

Look, I know giant beer mugs have been around for ages.
And I know giant novelty coffee mugs have too - but I finally got my first giant mug - a Starbucks "London" one (from my Uncle in Atlanta - go figure).

First thing to acknowledge before you look at that photo is that I do not have a small head. In fact, I dont know many people with a head bigger than mine - So i just reckon the mug is massive.

Finally I can start drinking the 600mL of real coffee that I probably need each morning. (not that Im addicted to the stuff, I went cold turkey for a few months this year - great way to clear the system).

Which one are you?

There are two types of people in the world:
Those that prefer Snatch, and
Those that prefer Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.
Which one are you?


For the record - I prefer Lock Stock (watched it again tonight).
Its not as funny, and doesnt quite have the same level of interesting characters - but it is just so much more clever, that I enjoy watching it more.
(and I have to admit that maybe its the whole "low budget" non-hollywood feel as well).

Socks & Clocks & aah shocks

Time for a multi-blog.

First up - I made my showbiz debut last night at musarts (a range of musical performances held at the Baha'i Center of Learning in Myaree)... playing a sock. Ok, i was just helping Sam in his "ventroliquism" as the MC. Kind of a shame that most people recognised my voice, but it was still a bit of fun.

Daylight Savings - I officially hate it.
All you easterners may have other ideas - but i have never seen a point to it. Why should the clock dictate your life? (Outside of work). We've never had any issues in not having daylight savings - why introduce it now?
Seriously - all it does it make me spend half an hour trying to change all the clocks in our house - and now I still have to do all the cars. And Im sure that a bunch of people would have turned them the wrong way - so whats the bet that for the next few weeks people are using Daylight Savings as their excuse for being 2 hours late.

And finally - shocks. (well, not really - but i couldnt think of another word that rhymes)
Its funny how med. gives you a different view on things.
Today I saw a license plate: "CIN 2" (sorry, i couldnt take a photo).
Surely it just meant "Cindy" or something - but to every med student out there - it means something completely different. (unless of course if she really was publicising the results of her most recent Pap Smear)

Whats your deepest fear?

I wasnt expecting this, but I heard a great quote in the movie Coach Carter.

Its basically at the climax of the movie - where a group of high school basketball players decide to stop all the crap and do the study needed to get into College, and its by one of the most troubled students.

Apparently this is from a poem by Marianne Williamson:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

The Departed

Saw The Departed last night - good movie, but there were a few things about it that got on my nerves.

Its a crime movie adapted from a Hong Kong film - Internal Affairs, and has quite the star-studded cast. (DiCaprio, Damon, Nicholson, Wahlberg, Martin Sheen and Alec Baldwin, plus Anthony Anderson trying to be serious).

Basically, youve got your cops (Baldwin, Sheen, Wahlberg) who are after the top Irish mobster (Nicholson), and 2 guys straight out of state police training (DiCaprio and Damon) have roles on both sides.

Its a nice, complicated movie, filled with twists and turns, and its hard to pick what happens to each character.

Now, without saying too much, I will mention the two things that bugged me about this movie:

1. The language. C'mon - normally i accept a degree of swearing in a movie - but this one was just getting ridiculous - and most of it was pretty pointless.

2. The ending. They put so much effort into building characters and plot - and the middle part of the movie was great - but the ending really just left me going: "umm... Ok".

the Slow Drive

I have this random thing that I do when I drive - and im just trying to figure out if anyone else has ever done the same thing.

There are certains times when Im driving (eg. tired after sport, or a late night, as well as other random times) that I'll head off of Stirling Hwy and take the back streets home.

Now - normally when someone takes the back streets its so they can avoid traffic, or speed... but I do something different:

I sometimes just drive really, really slow (normally around 30-40, and sometimes im almost just idling by the time im on our road).
I use that as like the final warm down after whatever i was doing.

Honestly - has anyone else ever done this?

2/3

talk about stress relief.

The last few days ive been like this:





And as of about half an hour ago, ive been like this:








I just found out that I passed 4th year of med - 2 to go.

Im not outwardly elated or anything - but it is like a blanket of stress just lifted right off me.
Problem with this years results were that:
1. I was not overly confident about 1 particular exam (a practical exam that kinda covers everything), and
2. If you fail that exam you dont find out the normal way - you get a Phone Call (which would've been yesterday), and have to spend your summer in the hospital.

Part of me was sure that i was gonna get that phone call - and i actually sat by the phone all day yesterday (ok, i was watching DVDs).

So - what am I gonna do today?
Same thing I try to do everyday, pinky - Try to take over the world

Rottnest Island

Went to Rottnest today - for the first since a Baha'i Summer School about 10 years ago... and I dont think the place has changed At All.

I was a bit apprehensive if it would be worth the $37 ferry ride (25% off) ... and it wasnt helped on learning that Persians are definately not the only race who have issues with punctuality (Thanks to Bal, Jeff, Shermin and Varun who were the only ones actually there on time)... but ended up with 13 of us there, and it was heaps of fun.

Went to Pinky's, The Basin and Geordie Bay... ate lunch at Red Rooster... and kicked some quokkas- oh the memories. (okay, i never did the last one - we actually only saw about 6 quokkas all day - but we were in the main corner of the island, and coz we were only there for 6 hours, didnt go around).

Did all the usual things - played cricket, built a sandcastle (ok, i just destroyed it... but the credit for building goes to rhuju, jing, mike ma etc.)... even chucked in a bit of singing on the beach for good measure.

Couldnt we have done all this at cottesloe - yeah probably, but its different when theres no-one else around and your on "Rottnest".

One of the cools things was that their was a bunch of kids on their school excursion: they were with us on the Ferry there and back, and I think we ran into them at one of the beaches as well. Not really cool - but it fully took me back to my Year 7 excursion to Rottnest. Oh, and one of the teachers fell asleep on the ferry back and everyone (kids and teachers) were just taking photos making fun of him... oh, to be back in primary school.

All in all - a great day, and I hope its not another 10 years until I go back there.
(oh, and we realised that we couldve stayed the night for just $11 more each... that would've been well wicked).

Oh - and I think im burnt - after putting on a bucketload of sunscreen (and reapplying after lunch as well)... this Aloe Vera better work.

Bring on Borat (hells yes)... and OSCE results (i might cry) on thursday.