Question...

so, I want to vote. But...
Do I vote now on gut instinct? A lot can happen in a week. Should I hold off and wait for the rest of this week and then vote? What's a lad to do?
What would you do IF you watched the show?

Frankly, I don't care if you don't watch it or why you don't watch it. But if you do, what do you think? Wait or go with your gut feeling Monday night straight after nominations?

May...

I know I'm a day early, but I just can't wait to get this month started. May is going to be by far the most expensive month of the year for me. I have way too many friend's and family birthdays coming up, a visit from my big sister, throw in Mother's day and an overseas holiday and we've got one costly month ahead. But it's all good stuff.

The header I've come up with this month is also my favorite one for the year so far. It's Tim Burton inspired. Not too convinced on the background colour for the content, so that may change, but for now we're putting up with the deep rich colour of purple.

Da posse...

Ok, sure there was just the three of us today in "da posse", but... Judo, Scarface and I went riding and enjoyed, what would have to be, one of Sydney's most spectacular days this year.
The temperature was perfect, the skies were deep blue, dotted with some high contrast white fluffy clouds and the mood was playful and mischievous.

We started bright and early, meeting out the front of mine. Up the pacific highway we rode and then weaved our way through some of Sydney's more green and hilly suburbs to the Berowra turn off onto the Old Pacific Hwy. First stop was the Road Warrior's cafe at Mt White. "The" bikers hang out on weekends. After a massive bacon and egg roll we headed through the back way, via Peats Ridge, to Wiseman's Ferry. This road would be a fantastic ride if it was in good condition. It was bumpy, stupid black hatchbacks took corners too wide and my kidney's felt like they had been king hit by a boxer. This made stopping at Wiseman's for lunch an even more enjoyable option... despite the lone solo singer at the pub who was more loud than enjoyable.

Sydney is truly one of the best cities in the world. On days like today you can't help but be thankful for what we've got. I think of today and I just smile. (Judo, yes, I'm pulling my "rat face" smile right now!) Thanks lads for a great day.

Root, shoot or marry...

This week I have some tasty treats for you.
The Men...
Jamie Oliver: The 31yo chef with a big ego, and a just as big heart. Never far from the publicity band wagon Oliver has used his wealth and fame for good and started the Fifteen Charity. A charity designed to train disadvantaged kids in the hospitality industry and give them a chance at making something of themselves. It also made for a good TV show apparently.
Curtis Stone: Another 31 year old chef. Listed in 2006 People magazine's sexiest men alive, Curtis has shown his passion for food and the outdoor lifestyle on the popular ABC tv program Surfing The Menu.
Ainsley Harriott: Aptly described as "happy-go-lucky" this TV chef has made his mark in cooking game shows. He has a knack of persuading reluctant members of the public to bring out their best (or worst) and cook in front of a live studio audience.

The Ladies...
Nigella Lawson: Restaurant owner, television show host, journalist and writer. You can find her listed in Wikipedia listed under "Domestic Goddess".
Kylie Kwong: The Sydney cook with style and vibrance. Kylie studied her trade in The Rocks at the world renowned restaurant Rockpool. She had a small run-in with the police in 04 when she ran a red light in Darlinghurst and lost her licence for 3 months for drink driving.
Giada De Laurentiis: The Italian chocoholic. Her killer looks caused some controversy during her TV debut when the network was accused of hiring a model to pose as a cook to host Everyday Italian. She of course is not a model, but a Cordon Bleu chef trained in Paris.

So, this week which one are you going to whisk in for a quick bite? Which one are you going to bake a fresh batch of arsenic cookies for or which one will you stand together atop your wedding cake with?

Jamie Oliver :: Curtis Stone :: Ainsley Harriott

Nigella Lawson :: Kylie Kwong :: Giada De Laurentiis

I'm loving this right now...

Quote from a movie (The Science of Sleep):

"Tonight I'll show you how dreams are prepared. People think it's a very simple and easy process, but it's a bit more complicated than that. As you can see, a very delicate combination of complex ingredients is the key...
First... we put in some... random thoughts. And then we add a little bit of reminiscences of the day mixed with some memories from the past. ... It's for two people.
Love... freindships... relationships... and all those ships..."

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Found :: alive
2. Male :: desire
3. Spoken :: aloud
4. Life ::, love and the universe
5. Tonight :: I'm enjoying a few beers.
6. Fingernail ::s down a black board.
7. True :: love never dies.
8. Give up :: Don't
9. Shining :: the light on broken dreams.
10. Everywhere :: I go, everywhere I go you're there.

Good news everyone...

The young Australian rider Casey Stoner won last night's MotoGP. Prior to this race he was only 1 point behind Rossi on the leader board. This win puts Stoner 10 points ahead of Rossi. If Rossi doesn't finish in the Top 6 in the next race (China) Stoner will maintain his position above him on the table.
My other favorite rider, Melandri, is currently sitting in 5th position.
Only two more races to go (China and France) before I hit the track in Italy and with any luck see my dream finish: I'd like to see a Stoner, Melandri, Rossi finish in that order. Why?
Stoner because he's our Aussie rider.
Melandri... well here's a picture... just because he's my favorite rider and Rossi because he's a Yamaha rider. Plus it'd be good to see the Italian home crowd go nuts when an Aussie beats the two Italians.

Uninteresting...

... that's this weekend. But I did have fun.
I went for a ride this morning, very early. I couldn't sleep in so I jumped on the bike and visited one of my fave places in Sydney. I rode over to Port Botany and sat on the cliffs and just chilled out and watched the divers and ships pass by, pondering life, love and the universe.

I also managed to ride down a street 3 minutes before the police decided to pull me over and make me wait for an hour or so until a protest march passed. So I sat there in the gutter next to my "impounded" bike while the marchers passed by pondering life, love and the universe...

Root, shoot or marry...

We’re getting kinky this week.

You have the chance at a ménage à trois with some of the world’s most famous couples. This week it’s a package deal. Nothing really needs to be said about these couples, because it’s all been said before. They have become a singular identity.

So, whose meat in the sandwich are you going to be? Which two birds are you going to kill with one stone? And which dynamic duo will you join to become a tremendous trio.

Remember, if you only want to go for one of them the partner’s coming along too.

Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

David and Victoria Beckham

I'm loving this right now...

The clip is beautiful, the album is equally as beautiful... and the lyrics...

Hearts A Mess
- Gotye

Pick apart
The pieces of your heart
And let me peer inside
Let me in
Where only your thoughts have been
Let me occupy your mind
As you do mine

You have lost
Too much love
To fear, doubt and distrust
(It’s not enough)
You just threw away the key
To your heart

You don’t get burned
(’Cause nothing gets through)
It makes it easier
(Easier on you)
But that much more difficult for me
To make you see…

Love ain’t fair
So there you are
My love

Your heart’s a mess
You won’t admit to it
It makes no sense
But I’m desperate to connect
And you, you can’t live like this

Love ain’t safe
You won’t get hurt if you stay chaste
So you can wait
But I don’t wanna waste my love

Flirt!

Pink Shirt Thursday.

Bad mood Wednesday…

This morning I didn't get out of the wrong side of bed, but when I left for work something wasn't quite right.

I almost lost it at work this morning and was close to chucking a "designer's" tanty. I mean really, how many times can you change a straight line for someone before you go "Oh for god's sake! It's a line, it's this long and it's grey! What more do you want? What? Another 2 pixels!?!?!" And so I calmly stood up from my chair and walked out. I needed some fresh air or I was simply going to loose it. I walked around trying to gather my thoughts. I was puzzled. I couldn't think of a reason for my foul mood. Why was I cranky? Why the short fuse today? I had no idea. That just added to my frustration.

And then it dawned on me: I was wearing the shirt I hate the most. Yes, that was it. How shallow. I have not managed to get my work shirts cleaned for a little while and was down to two shirts to choose from this morning. The one I'm wearing and a pink one. Tomorrow being "Pink Shirt Thursday" the choice was easy. Today - The horrible white one. I just can't stand business shirts that are not tailored and bunch around your waist like some horrible women's 80's bubble skirt. Not a good look on a male! So that prompted me to go and do something else I really don't like: clothes shopping in the city. But I now have two new shirts that will be cleaned tonight along with the rest of my shirts so I can destroy this ugly white one and my ugly mood along with it.

Oh, what a surprise...

yes, I'm eating at Yoshinoya again. Those people who understand me know that I'm a little bit of a creature of habit. However, a little known fact about me is that I like to spice things up occasionally and take a risk. Well, tonight was one of those nights. As you can see from the picture: I added a fresh egg!
*dramatic music * Dunt dunt dahhh.

AND, not only was it something new for me, it was a taste sensation!

Unconscious Mutterings

1. Freeze :: Mofo
2. Naturally :: is not always the best way
3. Painting :: oil
4. Merits :: Good on you
5. Ironic :: Isn't it?
6. Survival :: of the fittest
7. Cow :: Don't have a ...
8. Anchor :: around my neck
9. Sisters :: are doin' it for themselves
10. 70 :: 30

I'm loving this right now...

Saturday night I went to the rugby to see the Waratahs V Reds. It was probably one of the sloppiest games of rugby I've seen ever. Anyhoo, after the game I went for a few drinks at a pub/bar that I hadn't been to on a sat night before. Well, it was great. The crowd was very understated cool and I loved the music. It was very 80's indie influenced. Very much my sort of sound. I was introduced to one of the Dj's, Chloe, she was one of the spunkiest chicks I've met in ages. Very sexy. In fact most of the crowd there were very spunky. Although, there were a couple of emos in the corner and the phrase "What have you come as?" was uttered by my mate... For the past few weeks I've been re-discovering some tunes from my past including early Kate Bush and some Morrissey and The Smiths. When this song below was played on sat night over the decent sound system it brought back some beautiful memories and this song has been on high rotation in my brain ever since... One of my all time faves.

The Smiths - "There is a light that never goes out"

Beautiful storm.

This afternoon this storm blew in from nowhere and it left with the most amazing fresh smell of rain. Very beautiful.

Tonight I caught up with two of my mates for dinner. I took the advice of another friend and we tried a Mexican restaurant in Crows Nest that none of us had been to before. It was great. Really enjoyed the company and the fajitas were "make your own" and the tortillas were just melt in the mouth. MMMMmmmmm. Very tasty. Not too sure about the Mexican beer though.

Root, shoot or marry...

Be a good sport and take part in this week's RSM. We have a distinctly Australian feel (Sorry international guests, but if you’re a sports fan you might know these names anyway).

The Men:
The Thorpedo, now retired from swimming, has recently been grabbing headlines after a French newspaper reported he gave a sample during 2006 that showed abnormally high readings for testosterone. "Sacre Blue" cried Ian Thorpe as he proclaimed his innocence and vowed revenge on the source of these reports.

Mr Humility, a former World #1 tennis champion. Pat Rafter is well known for his freakish ability to return serve and his good nature both on and off the court. A very modest and religious man he remains one of Australia’s top tennis legends.

What can I say about Mr Txt? Love him or loathe him, Shane Warne has become THE greatest bowler of all time. He invented a new bowling technique called the “flipper” and taught the country that phone sex was not just limited to voice conversations. His antics off the field have given him a reputation for things other than his bowling techniques.

The Ladies:
Layne, general top sort and regarded as the best women’s surfer of all time. She has recently won her 7th World title. She founded Aim For The Stars Foundation to financially help girls and young women achieve their ambitions.

Madame Butterfly. I remember going into a chemist one evening in my old hometown and the women behind the counter said to me "Do you know who I just served? It was that lovely Susie O’Neill". She is one of this country's greatest swimming stars, a great sports commentator and a "lovely" lady.

The girl from Queensland with a big heart and strong determination is regarded as a role model by many and as a symbol of national reconciliation. Cathy Freeman managed to create great debate and controversy by breaking protocol and waving both the Aboriginal and Australian flags after winning the 400m at the 1994 Commonwealth games.

So this week: Who will you pick to share the shower in the locker room with, load the starters pistol with real bullets and aim it at and who would you want to run that race of love with to the end?

Ian Thorpe :: Pat Rafter :: Shane Warne

Layne Beachley :: Susie O’Neill :: Cathy Freeman

Pink Shirt Thursday...

Along with some fellow bloggers, I took up the Pink Shirt Thursday option. It seems that Thursday has been deemed the day that pink shirts can be worn without ridicule or being shunned from the general populous.

Inspiration strikes...

and you just have to run with it sometimes. I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton and Danny Elfman. Tim Burton is visually a creative genius and Danny Elfman is audibly a creative genius. I watched Edward Scissorhands tonight for the first time in over 10 years. It amazes me how beautiful this film really is and how I'm re-discovering it and it's meanings. Danny Elfman creates the most beautiful musical score to accompany this film. In fact, every piece of music he composes has a quirky surreal quality to it. He has created music for a lot of Tim Burtons films and this adds to their fairytale beauty.

Over the long weekend I dug out a score of music which has been a favorite of mine since I played it on the piano way way back in primary school. I sat down in front of my mac and decided to create my own Elfman inspired Muzbot orchestrated version. The original score was written in 1895 by Sir Edward Elgar and he could have never foreseen that his score would ever sound like this... It's a little rough around the edges and I haven't finished it yet but I hope you enjoy:

I call my version : "March of The Muzbots"
The Snow - Sir Edward Elgar

The edge...

is where I spent a bit of the long weekend. Both physically and emotionally I think. There's a bit going on in this lad's head at the moment about life, love and the universe. I went looking for a few Geocaches yesterday with my mate Judo. Two of them were located very close to the edge of cliffs. I really enjoyed being right on the edge of the one at Oxford Falls, but after all the rain we've had the night before it was a bit slippery and I think Judo wasn't too keen on me being that close to the drop. I think I was nearly roused on at one point for being a little to careless close to the edge. I have a lot of faith in my bush walking shoes. (Sorry Judo).

The pic is the location of one of the tricky Geocaches. I've walked to find this one once before and was on the other side of the wall and realised that to get to the cache I would have to walk around the edge of this to get to it. Nope, that was not going to happen. This time the idea was to approach it from the same side as the cache, but we were foiled because the gates were closed for the public holiday. Better luck next time I guess.