...is the amount of time you have to commit to working for Active Assistance for the training course to be free.
Just talking to a British voice on the phone is giving me the itch to leave!
H is also keen to leave this 'bum town'. Hopefully we can coordinate some overseas travel together, when/if we both go. 3 things keeping me from caving to her requests and going on a trip now:
1. Uni. Semester starting soon, and if I'm going to plan to leave for 2 or 3 semesters then I don't want to miss any more than that, you know?
2. DW. Volumes could be written here.
3. Money. Well this is the main one, and perhaps the only real reason, because once I have the funds then I plan on dealing with #1 and #2.
"Dealing with". That sounds so harsh. "Overcoming the obstacles". Because a loving relationship is an "obstacle"?
I have finally managed to reconcile my two realities, into what sounds worryingly like a "life plan". I say worryingly, because naming a plan invites interference. However, it's better to have a plan than to have one side of my brain wondering about the logistics of when we have kids, at the same time as the other side of my brain thinks about leaving him. Because that's just confusing.
My end goal is to be with DW. With the knowledge that it's something that I've chosen rather than drifted into.
The first part makes sense, right? He's the best thing that I know. It might turn out that if I give myself a chance to find something 'better', I'll find it, but you know what? I think I'm pretty damn lucky. I think I understand when I hear people say, 'He's not Mr Perfect, but he's Mr Perfect-for-me.'
No, if I leave I don't think it'll be with the goal of leaving forever to 'find somebody better'. It'll be with the goal of coming back to what I suspect is the right man.
You could argue at me from both sides. If I want to be with him, why leave him? If I'm going to leave him, why bother saying how awesome he is and how I want to come back to him?
Here's the thing. DW was my first guy. I've never so much as kissed another (ok, one other). DW is the texting-in-between-classes, making-out-with-parents-in-the-next-room, eighteenth-birthday-party, cuddling-on-a-single-bed guy. At the other end of things, DW is the one I want to walk the dog with, furnish a house with, have a baby with. (You know what? When I thought we were going to break up, a while ago, I was in tears over the fact that he wouldn't father my children. That's, I don't know. Yeah.)
It's just the in-between stage that niggles at me. I don't want to jump from that first stage to the last, without anything else in between. I don't want to 'drift' into my life, I want to make a decision to commit to him, and an informed one at that. If I don't travel and have new experiences now for the sake of staying by his side I think I might come to resent him for that, and then nobody wins.
Aaanyway. Though well from done, this topic is premature. I shouldn't mention it to DW yet, since why stir trouble before you have to? If (when?) I leave, it wouldn't be for another year. A YEAR. That's a long time.
So. I've seen more movies since last time I posted. During uni time I'm notoriously bad for getting around to watching any movies - I tend to think, 'how could I commit to wasting 2 hours of my time in front of the TV! I'll just quickly check facebook and then get back to work' and then end up wasting 4 hours on the internet instead. So I'm happy to be getting up a reasonable tally here.
Bran Nue Day (seen with J) - bizarre! Huh. Made-for-TV, anyone?
(500) Days of Summer (downloaded by Dad)- good good. I liked the 'expectations' versus 'reality' split screen. Although, it caused me trouble when, after a moment of uncontrollable giggling while playing squash with DW, I tried to visualise myself taking the game seriously. Of course a split screen pops up in my head, with me being a squash star on one side and messing up serve after serve on the other side. That did nothing to curb my helpless giggles. I'll let you imagine which side of the 'screen' was accurate.
In The Loop - (seen with H) - funny, although you had to pay attention to keep up. Very British. Thumbs up.
A Serious Man (downloaded by dad) - weird. A bit too long. Not altogether bad, but not really... that good.
Dan in Real Life (borrowed from the library by mum) - nice film! Big nawws all round. Makes me want a big wooden house by a lake.
I'm going bowling tonight with my 'country' friend whose just gotten back from a month in Korea. Looking forward to it, we should have lots to catch up on. Will be good to see how the house party some other friends ended up after we left, too. (Now THAT was a good evening, complete with much Strongbow and chocolate licquer).
So, in short, it's time to eat some noodles and get moving.
--khere's kitchen rules.
Showing posts with label movies/books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies/books. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Buff
Thanks to Christmas vouchers, generous Palace Nova offers, and my father's little downloading habit, I've seen a few movies lately:
The Lovely Bones (seen at the cinemas with mum) was bizarre. The part where the sister was in the murderer's house was thrilling and suspenseful, probably the best bit of the movie, but the end was just weird and felt a bit anti-climactic. Spoler: the girl's 'ghost' willed a killer icicle to knock the murderer over a ledge where he fell to his death. Really?
Sherlock Holmes (seen at the cinemas with H) was good, had a cool atmosphere to it (mm waistcoats) though felt long and a bit doze-inducing in the middle part. But maybe I'm turning into an old person who can't stay awake through movies. Further evidence of this tendency follows.
Up in The Air (watched at home with Mum and Dad) was also good, but I didn't expect it would be awarded so much acclaim. I mean, it was a good romantic comedy, and I like a romantic comedy as much as the next person, but 'best movie of the year', really? Then again, perhaps it made its mark in the final scenes, which I missed... a few pre-5 am morning starts and a too-comfy couch caught up with me because I did actually doze off during this one.
Avatar (seen in 3D with A and JY) started off good, dragged on the fighting scene way too long (embarrassed to say, another short doze may have happened, but I in my defence I probably could have slept through an hour without missing much) and then redeemed itself with a satisfying finish.
Invictus (seen with JG) was probably the best thing I've seen so far this year - sure, it was corny and predictable at times but it was easy to watch. Even though it was long I felt engaged every second, and everybody likes a happy ending. I liked that they showed the real people that the actors played, too - gosh, Morgan Freemon did an awesome job of playing Mandela. I had to look twice when they showed the real deal.
(Ok, so apparently South Africa didn't turn into a joyful harmonious land for ever after. Still. Nice movie.)
Transamerica (taped off TV) was interesting. It came a year or two ago so I won't bill it against Invictus for best viewing of the year, but I did enjoy it. For a movie with a controversial subject matter I can't really think of much to say about it: it just did what it did. Gender issues are always fun.
Soon to come... (500) Days of Summer, which Dad has downloaded for me.
I also recently read The Secret History (by Donna Tartt), which was the most addictive fiction book I've read for a while. I even bought it before reading it, which is not the way I usually roll. It was an $8 Penguin Classic, and I decided I should give the library a break and support cheap no-frills literature. I'm glad I did. The ending was a bit blah though. And I swear I thought Julian would end up being a more pivotal character. Oh well. Overall it was a good solid read.
Now I'm reading My Place (by Sally Morgan), which I began reading after finding it in the bookcase in Largs Bay and subsequently put on hold on at the library (there we go!). Haven't finished it yet, but it seems decent.
The Lovely Bones (seen at the cinemas with mum) was bizarre. The part where the sister was in the murderer's house was thrilling and suspenseful, probably the best bit of the movie, but the end was just weird and felt a bit anti-climactic. Spoler: the girl's 'ghost' willed a killer icicle to knock the murderer over a ledge where he fell to his death. Really?
Sherlock Holmes (seen at the cinemas with H) was good, had a cool atmosphere to it (mm waistcoats) though felt long and a bit doze-inducing in the middle part. But maybe I'm turning into an old person who can't stay awake through movies. Further evidence of this tendency follows.
Up in The Air (watched at home with Mum and Dad) was also good, but I didn't expect it would be awarded so much acclaim. I mean, it was a good romantic comedy, and I like a romantic comedy as much as the next person, but 'best movie of the year', really? Then again, perhaps it made its mark in the final scenes, which I missed... a few pre-5 am morning starts and a too-comfy couch caught up with me because I did actually doze off during this one.
Avatar (seen in 3D with A and JY) started off good, dragged on the fighting scene way too long (embarrassed to say, another short doze may have happened, but I in my defence I probably could have slept through an hour without missing much) and then redeemed itself with a satisfying finish.
Invictus (seen with JG) was probably the best thing I've seen so far this year - sure, it was corny and predictable at times but it was easy to watch. Even though it was long I felt engaged every second, and everybody likes a happy ending. I liked that they showed the real people that the actors played, too - gosh, Morgan Freemon did an awesome job of playing Mandela. I had to look twice when they showed the real deal.
(Ok, so apparently South Africa didn't turn into a joyful harmonious land for ever after. Still. Nice movie.)
Transamerica (taped off TV) was interesting. It came a year or two ago so I won't bill it against Invictus for best viewing of the year, but I did enjoy it. For a movie with a controversial subject matter I can't really think of much to say about it: it just did what it did. Gender issues are always fun.
Soon to come... (500) Days of Summer, which Dad has downloaded for me.
I also recently read The Secret History (by Donna Tartt), which was the most addictive fiction book I've read for a while. I even bought it before reading it, which is not the way I usually roll. It was an $8 Penguin Classic, and I decided I should give the library a break and support cheap no-frills literature. I'm glad I did. The ending was a bit blah though. And I swear I thought Julian would end up being a more pivotal character. Oh well. Overall it was a good solid read.
Now I'm reading My Place (by Sally Morgan), which I began reading after finding it in the bookcase in Largs Bay and subsequently put on hold on at the library (there we go!). Haven't finished it yet, but it seems decent.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Read, see, do
It's the 'coming together of biology and biography' which fascinates him, and its that fusion that he translates so well into books. I'm loving Oliver Sacks at the moment. Recently I finished Seeing Voices, and many times I had the urge to throw the paperback at people, gibbering that they just have to read it, have to know about this or this. I've got a bookmark in Awakenings (one of his most acclaimed, but so far not quite as profoundly interesting as Seeing Voices or The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat) and Musicophilia is sitting on my desk after I picked it up from the library holds desk today. Although I've seen some criticism of his heavily footnoted writing style, it's this which is one of my favourite things about him. His writing and people don't exist in stand-alone little capsules, but are always connected to informational asides, commentary, reflection, counter-theories, a place in time. You get the feeling there could always be more - that he wants to keep going, 'which reminds me!' and 'by the way, another interesting thing about that is -'
On the fiction side of things is Lionel Shriver. I read We Need to Talk About Kevin in greedy gulps. Once I'd finished it, though, I didn't have much desire to dwell on the text itself, although I did immediately jump to read reviews and online discussion. While I didn't find The Post-Birthday World as immediately absorbing, after a few chapters in I started really enjoying it. It was more indulgent than Kevin, I felt, not as meticulously edited, more like Shriver was just enjoying herself writing it. Perhaps because it was so lengthy, by the time I finished I could hardly believe there wasn't any more to read - I had grown quite fond of the characters and read the final chapter twice before eventually setting it aside. I felt like I should be able to google 'where are they now' or something. Oh, and Lawrence? Not completely unlike DW, I have to say.
I've got just two nights left of that chilled first-half-of-the-semester feeling, I think - on Friday I'll have a take-home exam and research assignment, sigh. BUT I have some good news under my belt already... 90 HD for client interview! Was so stoked. Am so stoked - not just the mark, but for what it's for. Yaaay.
What else has been going down? Life has been pretty chilled, with cold rainy nights meaning nobody's been too up for big nights out in town. There was the Royal Show, with plentiful free food and wine - well, the wine wasn't plentiful, but it was free. Leaving town in H's Datsun, squeezed next to a tyre in the back seat. Sustainaball, with op shop clothes and Bollywood dancers and catching up with some less frequently-seen friends. Our friend the 'councillor', a denouncer of all things fair trade won the prize hamper, hahah. There were some nice days out with the girl friends - markets and boat rides at Port Adelaide, seeing the movie 'Adam' in town. I've watched DW and the boys play indoor soccer and get beaten, and had those nice post-game car chats and sweaty-haired kisses.
There are a few things to write about and to ponder that may not be as fluffy and nice, but maybe I'll save that for another day. I like ending on kisses (again).
--khere is a blurry photograph of your favourite night.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Google Map It Up
For some reason I've been reluctant to write lately. Forging intimacy with my words has not appealed to me. This will be short, because I have my sexy Principles of Public Law lecturer to listen to. (Seriously, sexy in the I-want-to-be-her way. Young, pretty but hardline Consitutional Law academic.)
Could this lack of writing/desire to write again be in any way related to being an 'INTJ'??? Because apparently I am. A mastermind. I've also been pseudo-analysing my friends and have concluded that H is an ENFP (yes, I've just thrown that real name out there but screw introductions, just read a few Myer-Briggs profiles) and DW is almost certainly an ISTJ. Being of the analytic nature myself (or a product of reading too many girly magazines, one of the two) I sought to find relationship correlations between the different types - surely that had been done, right? One website said too many similarites were bad, the other said the more in common the better - but noted that a difference in 'intuition' and 'sensing' was one of the more troublesome differences. Hmm.
Well, it appears DW and I have been digging each other enough to make it work for two years. Pull out the party trumpets, people. In honour of my latest lame obsession, let's celebrate with some relevant insights:
"Daily concerns are likely to be well-provided for by [DW]. If other concerns, such as emotional needs, are pointed out to [DW] as important issues for their mates, [DW] will rise to the occasion and add the task of addressing these needs to the internal "list" of duties."
"Sexually, [Khere] enjoys thinking about intimacy, and about ways to perfect it. [Khere's] greatest potential pitfall is the tendency to think about things rather than doing them, and her difficulty reconciling reality with her inner visions."
"[Khere] is constantly embarking on "fix-up" projects to improve the overall quality of her life and relationships."
"[DW] usually has an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun."
"[DW] is interested in security and peaceful living."
"Under stress, [DW] may fall into "catastrophe mode", where he sees nothing but all of the possibilities of what could go wrong. He will berate themselves for things which he should have done differently, or duties which they failed to perform. He will lose his ability to see things calmly and reasonably, and will depress himself with visions of doom."
"No nonsense" in both food and clothes seems characteristic of [DW] who tends not to be attracted by exotic food and beverages, or places. "
...Anyway, you get the idea. We're digging it.
Woot... I'm going to Burra tomorrow! Or Clare Valley, if you want to be vaguer and more fancy-sounding. A couple of days away, girls' time with my two best buddies. Shall be good. Shall be especially good if the conversation is not a constant moan about guys, because... well. Because that's boring, and I have the luck to be removed from that mode of thought. And if I have to validate my friend's idea that it's a 'sign' that nothing has worked out with other guys and it 'proves' she should wait around for her very-over-it-ex... well, that may not be my idea of fun.
But let's be positive, eh! Drinking lots of wine and exploring towns and sleeping away in a cottage has got to be fun.
Damn it, I think I've missed the boat on listening to that lecture. I'm sleepy from today's early start and need to start getting ready for dinner with DW soon. Hm. The last few days I've been pretty good about following a self-imposed schedule, actually, and I gave myself bonus points for actually doing work at uni during the holidays. Today may have to be a write-off though.
Because I have decided to use this page as a record of my most enjoyed books/movies and the like, a note to all: Watch The Changeling! It's very good. I can lose my attention span in movies sometimes, but this one kept me engaged for every second. Plus I'm a sucker for real-life thrillers. And Angelina Jolie is credited with a sharp rise in felt hat sales.
That is all.
--khere gives a gift to society by putting her ideas into useful form
Could this lack of writing/desire to write again be in any way related to being an 'INTJ'??? Because apparently I am. A mastermind. I've also been pseudo-analysing my friends and have concluded that H is an ENFP (yes, I've just thrown that real name out there but screw introductions, just read a few Myer-Briggs profiles) and DW is almost certainly an ISTJ. Being of the analytic nature myself (or a product of reading too many girly magazines, one of the two) I sought to find relationship correlations between the different types - surely that had been done, right? One website said too many similarites were bad, the other said the more in common the better - but noted that a difference in 'intuition' and 'sensing' was one of the more troublesome differences. Hmm.
Well, it appears DW and I have been digging each other enough to make it work for two years. Pull out the party trumpets, people. In honour of my latest lame obsession, let's celebrate with some relevant insights:
"Daily concerns are likely to be well-provided for by [DW]. If other concerns, such as emotional needs, are pointed out to [DW] as important issues for their mates, [DW] will rise to the occasion and add the task of addressing these needs to the internal "list" of duties."
"Sexually, [Khere] enjoys thinking about intimacy, and about ways to perfect it. [Khere's] greatest potential pitfall is the tendency to think about things rather than doing them, and her difficulty reconciling reality with her inner visions."
"[Khere] is constantly embarking on "fix-up" projects to improve the overall quality of her life and relationships."
"[DW] usually has an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun."
"[DW] is interested in security and peaceful living."
"Under stress, [DW] may fall into "catastrophe mode", where he sees nothing but all of the possibilities of what could go wrong. He will berate themselves for things which he should have done differently, or duties which they failed to perform. He will lose his ability to see things calmly and reasonably, and will depress himself with visions of doom."
"No nonsense" in both food and clothes seems characteristic of [DW] who tends not to be attracted by exotic food and beverages, or places. "
...Anyway, you get the idea. We're digging it.
Woot... I'm going to Burra tomorrow! Or Clare Valley, if you want to be vaguer and more fancy-sounding. A couple of days away, girls' time with my two best buddies. Shall be good. Shall be especially good if the conversation is not a constant moan about guys, because... well. Because that's boring, and I have the luck to be removed from that mode of thought. And if I have to validate my friend's idea that it's a 'sign' that nothing has worked out with other guys and it 'proves' she should wait around for her very-over-it-ex... well, that may not be my idea of fun.
But let's be positive, eh! Drinking lots of wine and exploring towns and sleeping away in a cottage has got to be fun.
Damn it, I think I've missed the boat on listening to that lecture. I'm sleepy from today's early start and need to start getting ready for dinner with DW soon. Hm. The last few days I've been pretty good about following a self-imposed schedule, actually, and I gave myself bonus points for actually doing work at uni during the holidays. Today may have to be a write-off though.
Because I have decided to use this page as a record of my most enjoyed books/movies and the like, a note to all: Watch The Changeling! It's very good. I can lose my attention span in movies sometimes, but this one kept me engaged for every second. Plus I'm a sucker for real-life thrillers. And Angelina Jolie is credited with a sharp rise in felt hat sales.
That is all.
--khere gives a gift to society by putting her ideas into useful form
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday.
Feeling floppy. Went to Supermild last night, which was as superly mild as the name suggested. There was an outside area to chill and talk (in the perfect end-of-heat-wave weather), a bar where it didn't take long to be served, space to sit down, retro music and a small woody dance floor which was curiously lacking in groping and grinding.
I've just been watching Rove, which has been a rare occurance since about 2003. Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long: cute. Especially Ginnifer! New girl-crush. On the other hand, Amanda Kerr. The word vacuous comes to mind. Rove asks her a question: Does she prefer to be the giver or getter of surprises on Valentines day? She's like, "...Huh! Every day should be romantic, right? Like... why just be romantic on Valentines Day? That's like, what I think. About Valentines Day."
You know who else is hot? Callie. She is so in my hypothetical threesome. Whereas Ginny and I, we wouldn't work in that way, you know? That's more of a 'want to be' than a 'want to be with'.
Wouldn't it be awesome if cats could be trained to use their kneading behaviour for back massages? If you do have to get up for work, tired and quivery and slightly queasy, being woken by a cat purring and treading and kneading all over your back is the best way to ease into the day.
You know what? I did that survey at the start of the year about 2008, and one of the questions was about best book read. Let me just clarify that two books I read in 2008 were so notably awesome that I have to amend my previous post to tell you about them. One was called Dead Centre, an investigative look into the Joanne Lees/Peter Falconio case.
(http://www.holisticpage.com.au/DeadCentre_RobinBowles%7C9781863254045... Ok, I need to learn how to make 'proper' links).
The second was As Nature Made Him, about David Reimer, a man who was raised as a girl after a botched circumcision. Nothing I candescribe in this sleepy state does this book, full of conflict and questions and bizaree real-life characters, any sort of justice, so just read it. Actually, I think this one wins best book of 2008, or maybe one of the most absorbing books I have ever read.
I'd say that the authors simply let the fascinating stories of both of these books tell themselves, but its a credit to all the planning, interviewing and investigating that the final products can read in that way. Both stories suck you in: I read case notes from the former at work, and now have difficulty accepting 'remembered' evidence from any victim. I was completely gutted when, after finishing the tentatively uplifting conclusion of the latter and looking up John Money on wikipedia, I discovered that David had committed suicide some years after the point where the book finished.
Ok, I'm done. Early morning shifts, nights out... I'm going to sleep, and hopefully for a long time.
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