poetry in commotion...
Sunday, January 30, 2005
gah. I had this rant all typed up and in comes the sudden restart and I lose it all. I'm all ranted out right now so I won't bother to type it again, so here's a cute pic to tide you over while you wait with feverish anticipation for my next post.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Curtin
Ok, sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been too busy....doing very important things. Anyway, I went with my brother to Curtin Uni today to help him enrol, and I must say...that place sucks. Not just suck in a "Mid-priced Hoover" way, but suck as in "I'm a huge fucking black hole that not even light can escape from" suck. I mean, I've never really joined in the Curtin bashing since I've never really been there for any decent period of time, but I finally had a good look around today, and I believe my statements are valid, despite Curtin student's claims to the contrary. So, today, for your comedy amusement, here are some slogans I propose for Curtin:
1) "The Number One Consolation University"
2) "Sorry You Couldn't Get Into UWA, But We're Pretty Awesome Too"
3) "Trees Are Overrated, Roast In the Sun"
4) "Second Comes After First"
5) "Curtinnovate Yourself to UWA"
AHhahahahaa I'm so funny.. now I must run to avoid the Curtin lynch mob...not that they'll do the job properly like a UWA lynch mob.
*Runs*
P.S - sorry if I haven't been very interesting of late...but asides from thoughts to the contrary, it hasnt been wow, but just me in a more quiet thinking mood. Its something I can't explain...how can someone so loud become so quiet? Like I said, I'm a person of opposites. I'm loud and friendly or quiet and reserved...theres never a middle ground with me. So I'm a person of moods, and lately I'm in a quiet sort of mood. I guess I'm just feeling reflective about the last 3 years...the friends I've made and the friends I've lost, and the love's that could have been but never did. Sometimes I wonder how different my life I could have been just by saying something different at a crucial time, or doing something different at a crucial place. No regrets about the choices I made, but purely speculation. It seems to me life is all about periods of mundanity punctuated by moments of sheer drama, as if you're travelling a well trod road until you suddenly come upon a crossroads. And it also seems to me, it is the decisions we make during these moments that change the course of our lives, perhaps forever. Kinda scary isn't it? That our lives are dictated by a very few, but crucially important set of decisions at certain events, at certain points in time. Scary or exciting? I'm not sure yet, but this certainly is something I'll have to ponder....so I hope you can forgive me for being boring, and I'm sure we'll return to our broadcast of "interesting jaseypoo" sometime soon..
P.P.S - and for the love of god don't take that as a "Jase wants us to leave him alone on msn". I love talking to you all. While it may seem like I'm being facetious (sarcastic), in truth I find you all very incredibly interesting people. Unless you go to Curtin.
*Runs again*
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Looks Like You've Got a Case of The Blues
I got called in to work today at Southlands, and boy that place is messed up. The place is getting run into the ground by Glen (Chong is on holiday), no one wants to work, and evryone has their own personal issues. Add these to a lot of other people I know who seem to be feeling down, and it looks like everyone's got the case of the blues. I could say I'd be happy to talk to people if they have any problems, but to tell you the truth, I don't. Not because of what you're thinking, that I'm some sort of uncaring bastard, but because I'd be happier if my friends and loved ones had no problems at all. However, it goes without saying that if you do have problems, I'm always available to talk to, but you guys know that, and I know that I'm probably wasting my breath since there are some things people just don't want to talk about, and I do them no favour by pressing an issue which isn't my business to know.
What I will talk about, is the conversations I had while working, which while interesting, is bad because it's the sort of topic I get heated up about. Now, I tonight I worked with Andy and Ciaran, and Andy is the only other person I find working in Seafood that is capable of serious discussion about current issues that don't involve which orifice the guys would enter in that girl or which chick has the bigger rack in checkout. However, it's kind of a case of mixed blessings, for although there are a lot of things we can talk about, there are also a lot of issues in which we are diametrically opposed to, which I guess is not surprising given our relative profiles. Andy is a budding playwright studying arts in Curtin, and enjoys alternative music and classic literature. He has left wing leanings, though no overly so. While I share his interests in alternative music and to a lesser extent classic literature, I study commerce and politically sway towards the right. Anyway, it started off with one of the typical hippie throwaway statistics, something along the lines of "If every government and organisation on earth stopped spending on weapons, the total amount saved could feed, clothe and educate every child for the next ten thousand years", and how if it wasn't for the military the world would be a safer place. My reply was along the lines of "Typical hippie dreamland nonsense", which probably wasn't the best reply to such a statemnt.
I won't go into the particulare nuances of the conversation, but I will cover all the diiferent points raised during this heated debate. Lets begin with that statement. The world would be a safer, happier place without all this spending on weapons. You'd agree perhaps, how it could be better spent on feeding the poor, how all this spending was a needless waste of money, or somesuch inane comment on the issue. However, there are several problems I have with these sorts of staements. That is, they fail to acount for human behaviour, and worse, is the same trite nonsense spouted by every hippie without thought or comprehension. My answer is this; the spending on military is just as important to the wellbeing of people as food and clothing is. Why is that? Let me give you a hypothetical scenario - 1939, the UK, Russia and US cut military spending to nil, and feed and clothe all those poor people in AFrica/Asia and any other impoverished countries. What could happen? We could be living under the iron fist of fascism, with Big Brother watching our every move. It is the curse of humanity that our diversity is our greatest strength, and our greatest weakness. There are many who want to be healers, helpers, artisans and builders. Yet, thre are many who would wish to become kings and conquerors, to wield the power of life and death and become, in their own way, a god. Food an clothing are important, but so is freedom. We could have everything in the world, but what would be the use if we had all our decisions made for us? We will never have true freedom, for such freedom is one without laws to limit our conduct, and freedom without consequence is prone to abuse. However, the freedom to live as we see fit without impinging on the freedoms and rights of the others, the freedom to make our own decisions to choose what we want, is the freedom that is just as essential to our health as food and shelter is. Ever seen a caged animal? They don't live as long as the free ones. Its not their bodies that die first, but their spirit. Without spirit, we are but empty husks adrift in a sea of misery.
Now what really annoyed me wasn't just that statement, but tangentially, the mindless filth that spouts from arts students and other assorted wannabe objectors, adamant in their support for an ever so stylish cause without research nor thought. This is especially true of those wearing their Che Guevera shirts while screaming "Free Palestine!", often with some play or reference to a "Final Solution" or some equally vehement anti-Israeli rhetoric. I won't get started about the Middle East, because it's something I'm passionate about, and if I start I won't stop. What I will say however, is why is it everyone screams for a "free palestine" . What is it about their plight that makes them so special to arts students/protestors everywhere? Why is it the plight of the rebels in Aceh gets no mention, despite the fact that indonesia, a supposedly democratic country and a "model example of secular rule that incorporates all the tenets of Islam" continues to occupy them without consent, and destroys their native jungle/forest with large stripmines, proceeds of which never reach the natives, as they continue to live in impoverished conditions in muddy villages. Their crops are also washed away by floods due to deforestation and the dams built to power these mine sites. This is the same country whose military, according to a Human Rights Watch report, is attributed to a role in "extrajudical executions, "disappearances," torture, and collective punishment, as well as its efforts to restrict fundamental rights of expression, assembly, and association, particularly with regard to a student-led organization called SIRA (an acronym for Sentral Informasi Referendum Aceh or the Aceh Referendum Information Center.)". This is also the same country whose military sponsored pro indonesian militia to terrorise the East Timorese, and when losing the election, stripped the place bare before they withdrew. Don't let me mislead you, both Indonesia and GAM (one of the Aceh's many freedom movements) are equally guilty in their human rights abuses, but the fact remains, one side is being occupied against their will by another. Yet where are the slogans denouncing Indonesia? Why are they fighting for a (questionable) cause half a world away, while a subjucated peoples battles for freedom practically on our doorstep?
Theres usually always a moral in every one of these rants of mine which you have to seek yourself, but I'll tell you today's one. Don't ever follow a cause without thinking about it first. Never support something you don't know much of, no matter how it seems right outwardly. Just because everyone is supporting that cause doesn't mean you have to. The whole point of those protests are to bring to light injustices people never knew existed. We already know about the Middle East, how about we support our neighbours closer to home, whose struggle remains unlamented nor supported. So the next time you see some jumped up ever-so-righteously-indignant arts student/hippy rave about Palestine, ask them about their thoughts on the Aceh issue. Chances are they won't have a clue what you're talking about.
"A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Monday, January 10, 2005
For Jess!
It has come to my attention that jess, bless her heart, still reads this blog. Moreover, she finds it interesting. I know. So in honor of this revelation, here's an interesting article named: *drum roll*
10 Things You Should Probably Be Doing Instead Of Reading This Stupid Blog
1. Sing Hakuna Matata
2. Start a crappy blog of your own
3. Read a book about ninjas and pirates
4. Watch a cartoon about ninjas and pirates
5. Laugh at pictures of goths on the internet
6. Make me dinner (cos my mom didn't)
7. Watch something funny on tv (not Rove)
8. Read up absolutely everything on the most useless and boring topic you can think of, like the origins of rubber bands
9.
10. Compile a better top 10 list (consisting of 10 actual points)
Or you could get a copy of Dear Blossom by Janet Seidel, an australian jazz singer. Her song "Once Upon a Summertime" is currently my song of choice at the moment. However I'm enjoying the album thoroughly as a whole....Here's a line from "You Fascinate Me So"; "You're like the finish of a novel that I finally have to take to bed". Delicious
P.S Harry Potter 6 The Half Blood Prince will be released 16 July, 2 days before my birthday! woo I can't wait. I hope Hermione ends up with Harry. I hate Ron.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Saturday, January 08, 2005
working in action while a million miles away
I've been working a whole lot this week, but I won't bore you with that. What I DO want to bore you with however, is that instead of working, I've been juggling ideas for my first creative piece for the new year. It's titled "Love Ballad For the Modern Materialist", and aims to critique the crass commercialism and rampant materialism in society today. I can tell you an apple ipod will feature in it somewhere.
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Happy New Year
Happy New Year everybody! Hope everyone enjoyed last night as much as I did, even if certain people don't like me enjoying the occasional cigar on NEW YEARS. Anyway my hand is still stinging from last night, which (for those that weren't there), resulted from yours truly doing something pretty idiotic involving 2 mates and a fall from a height on to broken glass. While the cut didn't worry me that much ( I was bleeding a lot), I was worried whether there was any glass in it, so all the guys came along with me to the first aid station and the women there bandaged me up, despite refusing to the believe the moronic tale of self injury that was sadly the truth. I was hoping to get some sympathy actually, (because I'm really just a little kid who likes to be fussed over by women) but sadly, none of that was forthcoming, not even my mom (whose reply to my statement "mom your baby is injured!" was a perfunctory "Evil baby"). Even when not just 10 minutes ago, I cut my pinky on the same hand from the glad wrap serrated edge. No doubt a fiendish ploy from my evil stepmom (she has to be) to knock me off.
Anyway, here's a list of New Years resolutions I've made up. I've decided to make a small number of big goals instead of huge numbers of small ones:
1) Put on 10-15kgs
2) Be more careful with what I say. Lately I've really been saying a lot of stupid things that have probably infuriated the women on many occasions, so I'm going to cut back on that this year.
3) Not bring up Rebecca's sister. It was funny at the start, but I think I've pushed the nevelope far enough, so I'm going to reverse from that trend this year. While this is related to the above resolution, I feel its important enopugh to warrant its own numerical value. So no more Rebecca's sister, and more hot Munro sister talk. Did I tell you about Isobel...?
4) Get fitter. I've started thi year, and I guess for the betterment of myself I should continue to do so this year.
5) Return to my spiritual/creative roots. While I never lost touch of that, the last half of '04 I got so caught up in things that I didn't get a chance to write as much as I should, or meditate on things. To tell you the truth, this blog has been over 90% of my own personal writing last year, so I want to change that this year, and also take more time away from the rat race and just...meditate, ponder, like I used to do. On a similar note, I will try to continue to combine creative fiction with real life journalism in this blog that I'm sure you all love (and by all I mean "one", and by "one" I mean none, without the n). I will continue to push the envelope of humour in new exciting ways however, by using more "edgy" words like "nigger", "fag" punctuated by the word "fuck", alongside humor content like "Have you ever notice white people are like....., and BLACK people are like THIS ....."
6) Seek to convince everyone I invented something stupid but widely known, like Hakuna Matata
Predictions for this year:
1) Bec will start a fight with me, despite her best intentions not to.
2) Rebecca will get annoyed at me one way or another
3) I will play more world of warcraft (yes yes, call me Captain Obvious)
4) The new season for the OC will suck
5) I still won't like hip hop
6) Dan will still be a jerk, and lootwhore his way through Azeroth
7) The few remaining people who still find me funny will realise I'm not, and feel ashamed they ever did
8) I will conquer the world, but no one notices because they're all watching the OC
Anyway, that about wraps it up, thanks for dropping by, and I hope you enjoy your New Years weekend :).
WEE WEE WEE show's over I'm tired.
P.S - Have you ever noticed white people are like white, and NIGGERS are FUCKING like black?" Woah thats edgy "I'm fucking Chris Rock" humour right there, and like Chris Rock, not funny.
P.P.S - toy soldiers on 8.30 tomorrow night is one of the greatest movies. Ever.