i can has lolpeoplez now.

i blinked, and lolcats all of a sudden became lolpeople.

it's fantastic - i especially love these two. i'm still waiting for the lolpriests, tho (scarletscorpio and cvm?)

[pundit kitchen]

Cuteness Friday

The sun is shining. I can't help it.

1. Star Wars, explained by a 3 year old



2. Hey Jude - one toddler's interpretation



I know. Oldies, but goodies.

bad pun land - know the difference

in this case, wong should be right.

wright, however, may not be.

introverted social media alien

for those of you that know me personally, you'll know i started working for a very interesting interactive agency a few months ago.

now that i've made the switch from software to online media and advertising, my life is even more focused on the online world, especially how I can contribute to the different spheres of online life. i've finally bought my first ever wireless modem/router the other day (unfortunately, i've not yet set up a broadband connection at home for a few rather annoying reasons). i've added myself to twitter and have updated my RSS feeds. I've made an effort to use facebook more often and acquaint myself with a whole heap of social networking tools. I've even managed to learn a lot about google analytics and development tools, and can talk about viral marketing best practice with some confidence.

if you'd asked me the difference between HTML, ASP and ASPX a month ago, i would have had a blank look on my face. Now - I may not be 100%, but i'm getting there. I'm able to tell you all the wireless hotspots within a km of my house. I can look at a site and pull apart its components in a few seconds.

Learning all this stuff comes at a price, however. I'm constantly exhausted, and the whole new household settling in thing isn't really helping. To add to it, I've been running around like crazy: networking, farewells, birthdays, celebrations, catching up with old friends, etc.

The thing is, I'm feeling a little done with it all. I'm constantly in contact with people, and as much as I love everyone, it's all a bit much. I don't feel like I'm adding anything to my life in the end, and I just want some time to myself. I need to work out how often I should tweet, blog or IM and what for. I need to know that when I get home, I won't be so exhausted I need to veg out for a good hour or two before I look up (that's assuming I get home before 10, which lately I haven't been doing often enough). It's just not that useful for my health, or life in general for that matter. I want to feel like I'm contributing something interesting, and not just floating along and watching life go past.

So, I'm slipping off the social radar for a little bit. My room needs a reorganise. I have books to read, plays to watch and films to catch up on. Oh, and I haven't been to the gym in god knows how long.

I'm not interested in going out to a bar every second night for the opening of an envelope. I'm not interested in sitting around watching the latest reality tv bore me with its inane host and pathetic contestants.

I'd much rather do a few things around the house, maybe catch up with the odd person, and recollect my thoughts. In other words, it's time to collect some social surplus. Maybe then I'll have something truly stimulating to contribute.

if only madonna had been as popular when chornobyl exploded

I'm completely bemused, even if a little wary, by this latest round of celebrities sticking their noses into politics.

I mean, it was amusing when Madonna decided to save the world from nuclear waste with magic Kabbalah juice. It kinda makes sense that, as director of the STC, Cate Blanchett would be part of the 2020 summit, especially with regard to Arts. But Shakira, advising the British Prime Minister on educating the developing world?

Next up: Jordan (sorry, Katie Price) advising Thabo Mbeki on hygiene best practices for South African hospitals.

times like these, i need a cocktail

or five.

stupid me went on a date, and proceeded to be a total fool.

how do i explain this? i went for a lovely drink at one of my favourite establishments, met a lovely guy, you know the game. we went on a date to my current fave venue on king st, in newtown.

a few drinks in, we decided to go for a nightcap at the marlborough. while we were chatting away amicably, i went for the kiss.

except he stepped back.

i tried badly to recompose myself. after a minute or two, even managed to get the conversation going again. half an hour later, he dropped me off at mine.

i feel like such a moron, but i'm even more confused by the fact that the 'date' continued after my gaffe. i have no idea what to make of this whole thing.

on the up side, it is my first date in a while. maybe it's just like that first job interview after working in a role for years - it's like practice for the serious jobs you want to go for later. or else, it just proves that i truly am a masochist.

a case of the bloody obvious, please

Hmm... unusual day, creative activities, enjoying myself? No way - not on April Fool's...

Turns out not everyone wants to f**k you like an animal...

I'm not a fan of the RIAA or the MPAA or any of those fan-hating, moneygrubbing organisations whose sole existence seems to be to hunt down anyone and everyone to squeeze them for every penny.

So imagine my delight at reading this. It's actually something of interest that every muso who thinks that they must let the industry dictate how they distribute their tunes should read. Oh, and it may mean the occasional artist may get a little less precious about their intellectual property - hear that, Prince?

Which would you choose?*

*hint: gift ideas ahead.

I've blogged before about how much I adore Claudia introducing me to Cat and Girl.

Now, even though I'm stone broke from moving house and paying off an innumerable amount of bills, while waiting for some stuff to be completed at work, I did what one does when one is in such a hideous financial state: went window shopping on webstores for new t-shirts. And apart from the "dead presidents doing the Thriller" dance or "Ninjas can't catch you" t-shirts on the Dr McNinja store, pretty much everything is on the Cat and Girl store.

Of course, this comes to the most horrible of dilemmas: which one should I get?

There's the Future Corpses of America:



The There is no God:



Or The Babysitters' Club:



I mean, it's a really, REALLY difficult decision.

I guess this would be the Phil Donahue post

I came across two very interesting situations the other week. I'll try to keep as general as possible, as I don't want to name names.

A friend had her 'mother-in-law' accuse her of being the overly dominant one in her relationship, inhibiting her boyfriend's potential in life. The mother decided to do this at a dinner party, in front of the boyfriend's family.

Another friend, who has been dating a guy eighteen years his senior, has decided to break it off with his 'hot daddy' because he's uncomfortable with the thought of what his parents would think of his relationship - especially given the boyfriend has more in common agewise with them than with their son.

It seems like parents have this outdated model of masculinity they use to measure their children's relationships by. Basically, their son must call all the shots - or at least, pretend to listen to their partner's needs, then make the call as befits their own specific needs. There's no room in this vision for the other partner's goals or needs (if they get in the way of their son's), and their child's partner definitely should not in any way hold any power over their son - whether that be in terms of age, social standing, or financial status.

The thing they tend to forget is that relationships are full of all sorts of inequalities. The disparities in knowledge, emotional maturity, experience (in every aspect of life), income, age, ethnicity or subcultural alignment... whatever. They are what makes the relationship interesting, what attracts us to our partners. And yes, they can result in situations where one partner exerts a dominant role over the other. Maybe it's just the foucauldean in me, but one would hope that in a good relationship, these roles switch at times and reach a general equilibrium of some sort.

I guess the scary thought is that it's not just parents who harbour these assumptions - people will risk their own happiness by accepting them. Sides, provided you have a family, they will accept your partner (in some way) once they realise just how much you care for each other.

(This last point doesn't justify some family members' expectations that their son's partner needs to demonstrate love for their son in order to meet their approval).

Fuck, i'm such a hopeless romantic.