Shanathalas

She's Here

2009-03-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Our little baby girl is here. And as we have a new family member, we have a new blog. Shanathalas is being retired and you can follow us at the Canaussie Family Adventures. See you there!

UPDATE (NOV 2010): Our blog has moved to Noisy Penguins!

Best of 2008

2008-12-31T12:28:00.001-08:00

Well this is the post where I apologise for not posting in a while, but I won't because for a while there blogging was at the bottom of a long list of things I needed to get done. November at work was a nightmare. We were so busy, short half the team and I had to work so much overtime. It was a total lose/lose situation. While I might have been working ten hours a day, my boss made me feel I was slacking for not working 20. And then everyone telling me to take it easy cause I'm pregnant. So I had the double guilt of being both a bad employee and bad parent. Anyway, things settled down at work and now I'm on two weeks holidays over Christmas. This has literally been the snowiest Christmas on record for Vancouver. It was great for getting that Christmas feeling, but has made getting around difficult. It has warmed up a bit and a good portion has now melted, though it may snow again on Friday.

Anyway, on this last day of the year, I would like to reflect on 2008. Its been a great year for us both. The highlights:

Making a baby! This would have to be the highlight of the year for us. The speed at which we went from deciding we would try to get pregnant to actually being pregnant was a shock, but we recognise how lucky we truly are. And while almost seven months of being nauseous, faint and exhausted have been tough, I am so happy to have this baby in my tum.
Our Trip to Europe! After years of talking about it, we finally made it over there together. It was was a great adventure for us both and it was wonderful seeing both the awesome cultural stops and catching up with so many of our friends who now call Europe home. Looking back at our holiday photos fills us both with such wonderful memories.
Visits. While we didn't get as many visitors in 2008 as we did in 2007, Jai's folks, Ross and Margot, visited us in September for a week on their way home to Oz from France. It was great to catch up after so long, and to have Vancouver give them some solid sunny weather to see how beautiful this city can be. Also, my cousin James from Sydney moved to Seattle in the spring and visited us a few times this year as well. It was great to catch up with my clever, card-shark of a cuz.
New Bubs. Our friends Joe and Ellie had their first child, John, this year. And we currently know of five friends and family bubs due in 2009.

To my friends here in Vancouver; I feel lucky to have such great company. To my friends overseas; I miss you everyday, but am always thinking of you and value your friendship. I wish you all a very Happy New Year. May 2009 bring you all happiness. May we all get a more peaceful world, with less greed, hate, and madness.

Trying to Sleep While Pregnant

2008-11-24T22:25:00.001-08:00

Ever wondered how hard is it to get comfortable enough to sleep while pregnant? It's something like this:

Stupid in the News: Vol. 1

2008-11-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

Panda attacks man after he climbs into enclosure for a "cuddle"
Link courtesy BBC.

Malaysia's Muslims banned from Yoga
Link courtesy Sydney Morning Herald.

Redhead boy beaten on "Kick a Ginger Day".
Link courtesy of the Vancouver Province.

GMAIL Themes

2008-11-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

Stephen Fry once said, "Themes. What good are they?"

Well for me staring at a screen all day, themes are awesome. Especially in my email. Today google announced new design themes for Gmail. They're not available for all clients yet (myself included) but this preview looks pretty nifty.

LINK

Movie Review: "Let the Right One In"

2008-11-13T15:37:00.000-08:00

While I do consider myself a connoisseur of Vampire Literature and Films, I am the first to admit that very few vampire films show originality and that the majority suck*. However, I was so very pleasantly surprised by the Swedish film Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In). Set in the bleakness of 80s socialist Sweden, the film tells the tale of a lonely, bullied, 12-year-old boy named Oskar who befriends a sickly-looking girl who, having recently moved into his dreary block of flats, only comes out at night.

The friendship between the two is both tender and disturbing. As people in the neighbourhood start to disappear, Oskar and the cutely-name Eli (perhaps a reference to the famous Elizabeth Bathory) grow closer together. She suggests Oskar fight back against the nasty bullies at school, and empowers the boy to embrace the violence he has only imaged so far.

Shot with tungsten-tinged film and using a very short depth-of-field photography style, the mood oozes off the screen and into your spine. A pre-pubescent love story mixed with terrifying horror, this film is one of the most original vampire tales in a long time.

4/5 Stars.

*Get it? Clever, eh?

My First Knitting Project

2008-11-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Today my lunchtime knitting group went on a field trip to the yarn store to pick up supplies. I bought my first ever pattern, yarn, and circular needles. I figured with the baby coming I should make something for him/her. I spotted the perfect pattern; a little baby hat named "sprout". It looks just like May Gibb's Snugglepot and Cuddlepie characters.

This photo is how it's supposed to turn out. Check back in several months to see how a beginner knitter like me did. I've chosen a darker, more variegated green yarn, but hopefully it will still be recognisable.

I wonder if more posts like this will give the GenderAnalyzer a better hint that I'm a female?

Victory!

2008-11-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

And the world collectively sighs with relief...

Obligatory Election Day Post

2008-11-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

So I've not posted about the upcoming US election so far just because so many other blogs have had so many good posts on the subject. But with today being election day I feel the need to post this political commentary:

But seriously, he's got to win. As a long-time lefty, I share the same fear that our dreams will be dashed again as they were in 2000 and 2004. But I will admit that for as much as I have admired Al Gore, he ran a poor campaign in 2000. And in 2004, the option was John Kerry, who while an obvious better choice than Bush, was not a great choice.

But Obama is something special. A young politician who has managed to get a position that no one expected two years ago. To have come this far from such humble beginnings is remarkable. He's African American (literally), raised by a single parent, and without political connections. He speaks with such diplomacy, not in polarised concepts but seeing the middle way. The thought that someone with such a sense of the big picture could run what is still the most powerful nation in the world is truly refreshing. There is no option other than Obama. So I'm going to go with a positive prediction:

Obama will win the election today and the world will look back at this moment as the point where the world shifted in a better direction.

I'm Just a Girl:

2008-11-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

But I fooled the GenderAnalyzer! Following a link from Boing Boing, this web tool is supposed to analyze blogs to predict whether they are written by a man or a woman. My blog was analyzed and "We think http://shanathalas.blogspot.com is written by a man". Wrong! I'm a girl and I have the baby in my tummy to prove it. In fact, considering I just posted about being pregnant, I wonder what more of a hint I could have given the genderanalyzer? According to the poll on their site, it seems to be right only 56% of the time. Random guessing would give us better odds I figure.

Anybody else out there try it? How'd it work for you?

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Well we've been blessed with a gorgeous autumn so far. I've never seen a sunnier September and October in Vancouver. But I knew it couldn't last. The rain started yesterday and today its pouring. My heart goes out to all those little kiddies out there with their awesome, well-planned Halloween costumes that are about to be covered up by parkas and rain-jackets. I join in the communal whine of "Awe Mum!".

Luckily our Halloween plans are not too affected by the weather. As going out drinking and dancing isn't in the flight plan these days, a trip to the one of the awesome local club gigs is out. However, our good friends Rena and Elwood have invited us over to watch B-movies and play Rock Band 2. And they live in a house so I can totally give candy to the trick or treaters who brave the elements.

And using this photo to segue from Halloween, I am happy to announce that I have culled and edited through most of my photos from our European Holiday this past spring. Part One includes Paris and Dusseldorf. Promise to have the UK shots up shortly.

Worst food to drop into your keyboard?

2008-10-28T10:50:00.001-07:00

I just found out: oatmeal. Liquidy enough to really get in there fast and solidy enough to really make a sticky mess.

+1: We're having a Baby!!!

2008-10-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is probably not news to the viewing several out there, but I'm excited to announce our foray into the world of parenthood. I'm just on the cusp of my 20th week of pregnancy, hence my relatively limited posting over the past few months. Making a baby is exhausting; a full day of work just drains me to the point where eating dinner and sitting on the couch are barely manageable when I get home. And nausea and dizziness have firmly hung on to be dragged into my second trimester as well. Still, we couldn't be happier.

This morning we had our second ultrasound. Little baby looks good and far more baby-like than he/she did on the 13 week ultrasound. I'm already getting little kicks, punches and pokes in my belly. Even daddy got a to feel one last week.

I'm trying not to worry too much about all the upcoming trials and tribulations. As we live in a tiny one bedroom, we'll have to move either before or shortly after the bub arrives. Also, a year of reduced income.

Ironically, this little bub will be a Canadian citizen before Jai or I. Dual-citizen at birth; nice one.

Anyway, expect this blog to be slightly more baby-focused in the next little while. Still, I will keep the geek quotient up with stuff like this.

So How Good is Your Eyeballin' ?

2008-10-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've always thought my ability to judge measurements by eye has always been pretty good. Turns out, I was right. The eyeballing game is awesome in its simplicity. Though I have always considered myself math inept, I've always had an aptitude for guessing measurements that are real. My best score for one run through is 1.91, but the game has you run through three times and then averages your score, so my best so far is 2.59 (which got me into the top 10 out of the last 500 games). Maybe I should have been an architect?

Try it!

The Red Ring of Death

2008-10-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

The xbox 360 owners out there know what we're talking about.

I hate microsoft.

Goodbye Nyac

2008-09-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Nyac, the Vancouver Aquarium youtube star and 20 year-old survivor of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill passed away today. I'm very sad. Who will Milo hold hands with now?

The Bug

2008-09-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

So I have finally been bitten by the knitting bug. I resisted it for so long; trying to stick to my resolve of not picking it up simple because it's cool again. But after some of the great gals I work with organised a "loopy lunch" to sit and knit or train n00bs like me, I thought I'd give it a go. So Nicole patiently taught me how to cast on and now I'm knitting. So far its not actually anything than a serious of uneven rows with the odd dropped stitch, but soon I'll be knitting real things. I'm looking forward to buying my first pair of bamboo needles and picking some brightly coloured yarns.

Best Birthday Cake Ever.

2008-09-12T09:15:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a while, lots of mostly ups and few downs happening in RL at the moment. However, I just had to post this. One of my favourite blogs is passiveaggresivenotes.com , and today they features this beautiful sample:

The only thing that could top this off is if this cake makes it onto another one of my favourite blogs, cakewrecks.blogspot.com.

First Day of School

2008-09-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of the school year. As I battle with the hordes of students to catch a bus to my on-campus job, I am once again shocked to see how young first-years are these days. I swear they must be 12 years-old. The campus is full of wide-eyed yungin's looking lost and confused. The frats are busy attempting to recruit impressionable young men outside the Student Union Building.

And while there is technically 19 days of summer left, autumn is definitely in the air and the leaves are already turning.

I Love...

2008-08-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

This post is a little viral in that I stole the idea from Jen, who stole the idea from pinsandthimbles . A writing exercise where you write 25 things you love in specific details. It reminds me of the opening moments of the film Amelie, where the narrator outlines what Amelie and her family "aime".

My list:

I love cuddling with Jaime.
I love listening to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees.
I love eating eggs benedict on a lazy Sunday morning.
I love listening to the sound of crisp, red leaves swishing around my feet on a cold, sunny autumn morning.
I love the smell of a fresh Christmas tree.
I love listening to crunch of snow beneath my feet in a world blanketed with snow.
I love sitting in a big comfy chair with a good book on a rainy day.
I love the infectious sound of Jaime giggling.
I love arriving off a flight to be met at the arrivals hall by the smiling faces of friends and family.
I love watching cats chase laser pointers.
I love the sound of rain landing on our tent when we're safe and warm inside.
I love pulling the caps off all the jars in our spice rack and smelling the rich spices.
I love sitting round a campfire chatting with good friends.
I love that in French my husband's name means "I Love".
I love walking on a white, powdery-sand beach in the sun.
I love the satisfying "click-thunk" noise SLR cameras make when you take a photo.
I love warm toast with butter and Vegemite.
I love my mum's roast chicken dinners.
I love floating on water.
I love the smell of bergamot in a really good cuppa earl grey tea.
I love watching the scenery go by when travelling by train.
I love when something makes me have a really good belly laugh.
I love the sound of a well-played cello echoing through my heart.
I love the costumed children, the smell of firecrackers, and the pure cold and dark of Halloween night.
I love being caught up in the moment.

Artists I Like: Renee French

2008-08-24T17:45:00.000-07:00

I came across this artist's blog a few months ago. I love the simplicity of her pencil drawings. And the recurrent bee theme is awesome.

Link: Renee French

Jonesing for some gaming

2008-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Online Surveys & Market Research

I'm testing out some polling applications. There is no write in vote, so if you choose "other", you can always vote in the comments.

Heatwave

2008-08-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

Its been very hot lately. Today's high is supposed to be 34 degrees, which could set records for this area. All night I dreampt about Vegemite. For breakfast I had three pieces of toast with butter and vegemite and now my tummy is happy :)

Please Stand By

2008-08-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Ok, I think now I have all the bugs sorted out of my new template. It should be working now, but if anyone finds any problems, please leave a comment about it. Cheers.

My new template is a tad problematic. Should have things sorted soon.

Obligatory Olympic Post

2008-08-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

First off I'd like to go on record saying I don't agree with the modern Olympics. It seems like a tremendous waste of money that could go to helping a larger number of people. If the world still needs the Olympics, they should do it the old fashion way; men wrestling naked on the steps of the acropolis of Olympus.

But as is the way of my information addiction, I cannot help but absorb the news of the current Olympics. CGI fireworks, stand-in cuter-than-life singers and giant basketball players aside, one cannot miss the medal tally. Its nice to see smaller countries getting on the scoring board; Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and even Togo all have medals. Good for them. But know who's missing? Canada, that's who. Which wouldn't be quite so pathetic if it weren't for the fact that we will be hosting the Olympics in less than 18 months time.

Now I know what you're all saying, "that's the winter Olympics", which is true. Let's hope Canada can improve itself in that traditional forum. But considering 90% of the population of Canada lives within 200 km-wide strip in the SOUTH of the country, where everyone gets a pretty decent summer, and sports like soccer, swimming, and baseball are so popular, you would think we'd be able to pull in at least one medal.

If Canada doesn't pull it's socks up soon, it's going to look pretty lame.

Take That Inbox!!!!

2008-08-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't really put much interest into paring down my inbox in my gmail account. The search function in good, and there is so much room it's not like I have to actively delete stuff. Still, last month Jaime managed to shame me into feeling that I shouldn't have 2800 emails sitting in my inbox. Though I have pretty good faith in the gmail search, I still don't like to just archive stuff without putting some label on it, so it took me a while, but I now have a paltry 27 emails in my inbox.

Just Like Riding a Bicycle

2008-08-05T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last month I received my Climate Action Dividend from the British Columbia government. The idea is that the government slaps an extra tax on petrol and then pays everyone in the province a $100 bribe. Anyone with a vehicle then uses said cheque to pay for their more expensive petrol. But for those of us without cars, we can use it to make some kind of purchase that will benefit the environment.

So I decided to buy a bicycle. I can't really call it a benefit to the environment as I don't drive (dedicated victim of public transit) and will not be using this bike to commute. Not because UBC is a good 10km from my house, and it almost all up-hill, but rather because riding your bike in traffic is fucking dangerous! While I admire the hordes of folks who do it, I would never. While you might be in the right most of the time, car/truck is always going to win in head-to-head battle.

So my new noble stead is merely for getting some exercise. I have the benefit at the moment of living across the street from the beach. And the beginning of the seawall bicycle path. Which means almost ten kms of beach on one side and forest on the other. And while you have to watch for other cyclists, rollerbladers, skateboarders and pedestrians who don't understand the difference between walking path and cyclepath, there are no cars to deal with at all.

While my eco-bribe only covered 1/5th the cost of my bike, I am very happy to have a bike again. My old all-terrain mountain bike is moldering in my dad's garage in Canberra and according to him is not worth shipping over. My new one is super-comfy. Shocks on the front, shocks under the super-padded seat. My only regret is that I umm-and-awed too long and missed out on the 2008 model which was bright red. The 2009 was black and more expensive, but is comfortable to ride and that's the most important thing.

Cuil & Flickriver

2008-07-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering what other people's experiences have been like with Cuil (the new search engine created by a few ex-googlers). The first day I tried it I basically got a recurrent "our server is too busy" message, though I do like the minimalistic black home page. Today I actually managed to get some results. Having cuiled* "shanathalas", a name that so far only seems to be proprietry to me, I ended up with much different results than when I google that word. Google generally top rates this blog, and references to it, followed by a lot of my flickr pages. However cuil's top listings for "shanathalas" bring up references to my flickr photos, but not on flickr, but rather flickriver, a new flickr app. It shows no reference to my blog, but notes my existance on the blogrolls of metalmonkey and on other friend's blogs. So in other words, just random pulls, rather than any relevant listing.

Flickriver as an app is quite nice to look at, but then again, I think the same effect could be created by a dark background on the regular flickr site. I've been expecting a "make background black" button from the flickr folks for ages.

What do you think?

* I can't very well say "googled".

Nicely said

2008-07-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of sustainability-themed blogs at the moment. While many of them are very good, sometimes they can leave one feeling more overwhelmed, frustrated and downright depressed with the state of the earth and the massive change it needs to save it. But this post today by No Impact Man really brought home a powerful yet simple message.

A New Job!

2008-07-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Hey All, just a heads up that I have got myself a new job. I'm still at UBC, but I have fallen back into the loving embrace of IT (read: get paid a decent wage). I will now be working for the Office of Learning Technology, as Applications User Support. I start on the 29th. Looking forward to it. While I will miss working in the Archaeology Lab, I know that the project I was on will end eventually and then I'd be out of work.

July 7, 2008

2008-07-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

To all my friends overseas, I miss you all so very much right now.

The Circle of Life at the Aquarium

2008-07-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver Aquarium is one of my favourite attractions here in Vancouver. Its one of the few things that is awesome no matter what the weather is like. All of our mates who've visited us have been dragged there. So this past weeks they've had good and bad news.

The Bad News:
There 15-year-old stellar sea lion named "Tag" just passed away from cancer. He was a real character and always enjoyed amusing the visitors by sticking out his tongue and splashing people with water. He leaves behind 11 I'm-very-sure-saddened female sea lions. Here's a photo I took of him in better days:

The Good News:
Qila, one of the beluga whales who was herself born in the aquarium, gave birth to a baby. While I am not a fan of whales in captivity, I am happy that this baby seems to have been born healthy, and that Qila is able to take care of her/him. This baby beluga is the first beluga to be born to an aquarium-born beluga.

Photo: Vancouver Aquarium

Totorex: my Spore Character

2008-06-22T22:55:00.000-07:00

So now that Jaime has his old pc up and running again, I was able to try out the Spore demo character creator. It actually has me excited about this game again. Hopefully they don't delay it any further before it comes out. It has a lot of potential.

Making Science Fun

2008-05-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

From the European Commission. (Link from New Scientist Blog)

Home!

2008-05-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

So we're home. Jetlag is hitting me pretty bad so will have to leave a longer post for later. However, I would like say that this was the best holiday ever!!! So many awesome sights to see, so many great friends to catch up with (and we even made a few new ones). Hats off to all the awesome hosts who put us up.

I can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow morning. Have no idea how I'll cope. Looking forward to sleeping in our own bed tonight though.

In Scotland

2008-05-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

So we have travelled to the higher latitudes to the wonderful city of Edinburgh, and we are staying with our friends Tancred and Evelyn. Edinburgh has been the most laid-back and relaxing city we've been to so far. We've seen Edinburgh Castle, Mary King's Close, lots of Scottish Baronial architecture and had a walk round Holyrood Park (though we haven't managed to climb Arthur's Seat yet). And we have indulged in the local gourmet delight that is the deep-fried Mars bar: a unique culinary experience indeed!

Merry Ole London

2008-04-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

So we've made it to the UK. It actually took us less time to get from Dusseldorf to London than it did to go from Heathrow to the Docklands, but we made it to our next temporary home staying with our friend, Aoife, who has been a fabulous host.

Today we took in the British Museum, and saw Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Buckingham Palace and even saw some Canada Geese in St James Park. This evening we were shown to the Prospect of Whitby for dinner by our good friend Falsedan and his lovely girlfriend, Aija. We enjoyed a lovely pub meal and drinks, though the pub was so old and the floors so sloped, you had to hold on to your drink lest it slide off the table.

Tomorrow were going to try to get to the Tower of London.

Photos

2008-04-27T23:50:00.001-07:00

Hey all, just letting you know that I posted a few photos of our trip to flickr.

In Deutschland

2008-04-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

So we made it to Düsseldorf! Five hours on the trains from Paris and then last night we were eating roast pork and drinking copious amounts of German beer. Its great catching up with Steve and Alex and their little bub, Emily. Today we checked out the Rhine river, the mustard museum and watched the Chelsea v Manchester Utd. game.

Five Days and 700 photos later.

2008-04-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

That's right folks: 700 photos. Paris has been awesome! I've managed to see almost everything I set out to see (I've left a somethings for the next time I come to Paris). My favourites have been:

Notre Dame Cathedral. Imposing by today's standards, but can you imagine what it would have been like to most folks in the old days before high rises? I must confess that I actually started to weep when I first entered this amazing edifice. Today we climbed to the top of the tower, which had an awesome view, gargoyles and a whopping bell.
Museum of the Middle Ages. A lot more relaxed that most other museums, and a great collection of medieval arts and artefacts, including the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry.
Saint Chapelle. Gorgeous stained glass and medieval decoration.
The Catacombes. The feeling one gets in those dark tunnels with all those dead is indescribable.

Anyway, my ordinoteur is telling me its almost time. Will post more from Dusseldorf. Might even get some of my photos on flickr at that time too.

à Paris

2008-04-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

We are here! Just had my first french coffee and croissant. Our hotel is lovely and from our small balcony we have a beautiful view. To the right: Notre Dame Cathedral, to the left: the dome of the Pantheon. Anyway, off to sightsee!

PS - French keyboqrds qre retqrded!

The Itinerary

2008-04-16T07:36:00.000-07:00

So just a couple more days til' our holiday. Were rushing around like frantic madmen trying to get all our various crap done before we leave. I've been burning the midnight oil trying to get the ASBC website done before I go, but I think I'm fighting a losing battle. This morning I woke up with a migraine for the first time in a long time, which was upsetting. Hope it's just a one-off. Poor Jaime had an epic journey on transit to get to Coquitlam yesterday, but came home the victor with a new jacket.

But for those who care, our itinerary is:

April 18: Fly from Vancouver to Paris
April 25: Train from Paris to Dusseldorf
April 28: Fly from Dusseldorf to London (into terrifying Terminal 5 :(
May 2: Train from London to Edinburgh
May 9: Train from Edinburgh to London
May 9: Train from London to Swindon
May 18: Train from Swindon to Heathrow
May 19: Fly from Heathrow to Vancouver

It's gonna be awesome!

The Whole Paperwork thing.

2008-04-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Step 1: Find all your paperwork currently strewn through the house.
Step 2: Place on table.
Step 3: Sort paperwork.
Step 4: File paperwork away in file folder.

As usual, I'm halfway through step 3 and have completely run out of energy. I now fall back into this pattern:

Step 3a: file away the small amount of paperwork I've sorted.
Step 3b: push all the rest of the paper in a massive pile. Hide somewhere in the house.
Step 3c: Wait a month, attempt step 1 again.

Two Sides to Every Coin

2008-04-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

So one of my favourite sites is Cute Overload, a totally sappy site devoted to cute animals. Having a bad day? I always recommend 10 minutes viewing Cute Overload; it always lifts one's spirits somewhat. However, the other day I came across Ugly Overload, a site dedicated to butt-ugly animals. While a lot less cute and fluffy, it is very interesting and I must say better laid out with better quality photography and a lot less lolcats. Ugly Overload showcases bittersweet animals like this terrifying ring-tailed lemur baby (the do grow up to be quite cute):

14 Sleeps til Europe

2008-04-04T07:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so very excited! I busily getting things ready for my trip. Having picked up and read the Lonely Planet guide to Paris, I now realise that I will not be able to do/see it all. So I ask you, the viewing several, to leave your comments of what you loved most about Paris and what's not to miss.

Te he he - April Fools

2008-03-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

So every April 1st usually catches me by surprise, leaving me no time to properly set up a good gag and making me fall back on stale jokes like "look out the window: it's snowed!"*. But this year I managed to have master plan just pop into my head. I have cleverly rigged up our large Halloween decoration spider above the inside of our door to our coffee room downstairs at work. Wayne, who is a great sweetheart of a man, but a bit of a trickster who likes to play jokes, is the one who always goes downstairs and opens the door to make coffee. I can't wait til a large purple spider drops on his head tomorrow morning!

Wayne and the spider last Halloween:

* Jokes on us: it was snowing two days ago.

Cherry Blossoms and Snow

2008-03-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

So it’s March 28^th and it’s snowing in Vancouver. I’m not complaining, especially in light of the amount of snow they have back east (metres and metres of the stuff), it’s just so strange to be getting snow here when it’s almost April. Late in arriving this year, the pink cherry blossoms and yellow daffodils are now covered in snow and looking kind of sad. I shan’t expect the snow to stick around long. Sadly, I didn’t have my camera with me today, but in lieu of photos, I’ve written a bad haiku:

Early spring snow falls
Onto the cherry blossoms
Cold flowers shiver

Why I Love Glass

2008-03-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

I came across this short demonstration of the odd properties of the "prince rupert's drop" on boing boing. Glass is magical stuff.

Daylight Savings

2008-03-10T08:06:00.001-07:00

It sucks. I'm already late for work.

Good Night Sweet DM

2008-03-04T15:55:00.001-08:00

Sad news this morning: Gary Gygax (the founder of Dungeons & Dragons) passed away. Though I am a newcomer to world of D&D, I must confess a love for the game. In this crazy hectic world of impending doom, super-business, unsatisfying work and general grrrr, it is nice once a week to meet up with your geeky-pals to shoot the shit, share some food and drink, and to feel the satisfaction of putting the smackdown on a bunch of nasty orkses.

Penny Arcade sums it up best:

Spring Has Sprung

2008-02-24T22:27:00.000-08:00

While the true calendar start to spring is still over a month away, today was indeed the first day of spring. It was a balmy 12 degrees, the sun was shining and so I went walking arm-in-arm with my best bub along the seawall and down to Stanley Park. It was glorious. We saw our first daffodils and both honey and bumble bees of the season. I took some nice photos of the Vancouver spring.

Then we came home and watched the Academy Awards, but I'll keep mum on that until our friends downunder have had the chance to watch the show on time delay.

My Dream Sitting Room

2008-02-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

I came across this amazing blog post on building for your books on Ectoplasmosis* the other day. This is just the most amazing looking housing for books. I dream of one day having enough space to present all of our book collection, which is currently spread across two continents.

*Warning: while this article is decidedly harmless, a good portion of what you see on Ectoplasmosis is indeed Not Safe for Work.

Scary New Dinosaur Found

2008-02-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

From the National Geographic website:

Newfound dinosaur Eocarcharia dinops grew to about 25 feet (7.6 meters) long.

It had powerful limbs and 3-inch-long (7.6 centimeter-long) blade-shaped teeth, likely for disabling prey and severing body parts, according to a study released on February 12, 2008.

The dinosaur's brow was also massively swollen, giving it a menacing glare. Scientists speculate that the feature may have been used by the reptile and related species in head-butting contests over mating rights.

Eocarcharia was a carcharodontosaurid, meaning it was from the family that gave rise to some of the largest southern predatory dinosaurs, matching or exceeding Tyrannosaurus rex in size.

Wouldn't like to meet this guy in a dark alley.

Be Kind Rewind Trailer zanyness

2008-02-14T00:15:00.000-08:00

I am so looking forward to the new "Be Kind, Rewind" movie. I am an avid Michel Gondry fan, and a massive filmophile, so this looks great. But if the trailer was not great enough:

Michel Gondry decided to take a page for the movie, and reshoot the whole trailer again with himself playing all the roles:

Hiiiiiiiiilarious!!!!

Awesome New Site: Flickrvision

2008-02-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

Just finished my Writing for the Web course, which was awesome. My teacher was fantastic; I thoroughly enjoyed it. But along with imparting lots of knowledge, my teacher alerted to me a fabulous new site. Most readers may already know this, as I am often last in the loop, but in case you haven't already, check out http://flickrvision.com/ . Its like a marriage between Flickr and Google Maps. And for those who also like twitter, there is the associated site of http://twittervision.com/.

Somehow these two sites (especially when viewed in 3D) really emphasize how interconnected we all are on this planet. I love the internet.

Rudd says Sorry

2008-02-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

While people have many opinions on this event, no one can say this was not an historic moment. Personally, this makes me proud to be Australian (and it's been a while since I've said that). Saying Sorry is important, and now we need a plan to right the wrongs our government has done to the indigenous peoples. I hope they will set up a Resolution project like they have here in Canada. Though I hope they can come up with something that is more than just cash hand-outs. That does not solve the problem.

Favourite Music Videos: Human Behaviour - Bjork

2008-02-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

Was talking to someone the other day about this video and received blank stares. Apparently, they had not seen this awesome video. So I present it for the viewers out there, and start my series on my favourite music videos.

PS. This is Michel Gondry's first music video.

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

2008-02-07T23:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone. It's Year of the Rat.

I like Rats :)

We Are Go!

2008-02-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

OMG, OMG! We just bought our plane tickets to Europe! We are actually going. Its so exciting but I'm so anxious about getting enough money, especially as I'm not sure about my whole job situation. Still, this is something we really have to do.

The plan is to hit Paris, Düsseldorf, London, Edinburgh (and the highlands hopefully) and west england and maybe even Wales. And of course visit a whole bunch of friends we have living over there. This is awesome.

Good News X 3

2008-01-24T07:55:00.000-08:00

Got to acknowledge the good when you get it:

Good News for Me: I achieved my target of cataloging 10 000 artefacts at work. On what would have been the last day of my six-month contract (it's now been extended indefinitely).

Good News for Friends Here: Our friend Rob has just officially become a Permanent Resident of Canada. He never has to go back to the stinky States if he doesn't want to.

Good News for Friends There: Our friends Joe & Ellie are expecting their first baby. This is wonderful news and I know they're going to be great parents. Congrats guys :)

So it's the last day of the year.

2007-12-31T11:25:00.000-08:00

It may be cliche to say it, but this year sped by so fast. Which is not surprising as I pretty much spent the first half of the year recovering from my broken foot and DVT. So this didn't leave as much time as I would have liked for achieving my goals. My greatest disappointment this year was not making it to Europe for Abby & Pete's wedding in September. Financially, this year was a write-off; between the all the physiotherapy bills, non-working recovery time and working at the museum, I've done very poorly in the money department this year. But I have to say that overall I am left with a feeling of achievement when reflecting on the year.

Though a day has not gone by when I haven't experienced a lot of pain from it, I have pushed my broken foot to get back to normal. The day I had my cast removed after ten weeks, I walked (or more limped) the 25 blocks back from the hospital. A few months later I managed to start getting to ballet classes again, and a couple of months ago I took up flamenco dancing. My foot it is still all mangled and "clicks" with every step, but I'm gonna make it do what feet are meant to do. Next year I'm gonna start either indoor soccer or floor hockey again.

Career-wise I managed to finally get a job in my industry here in BC. Working as Research Assistant for the Archaeology Lab UBC has been a great experience. I have personally cataloged 8500 artefacts in five months. Talk about a crash-course in First Nations material culture. This project will be winding down 2008 and hopefully I will be moving on to finally start working in the Historical Research Analyst position I was hired to do last year. I will miss working for the museum, but will enjoy the bigger paycheques.

Relationship-wise, it's been a tough year for us. We've had injuries, bad finances, family-issue crap and even immigration nightmares working against us. But even so, I can honestly say that every day I grow to love my hubby even more. He is my rock (well, a really cuddly rock).

So as this year draws to a close I will make some resolutions:

Get our asses over to Europe. We're aiming for April/May as its less expensive to get there then and less full of tourists. We just have to do it.
More time creative/learning pursuits. I was so lucky to get a new camera last year, so I really need to start actively creating photos. Also on the learning front: thanks to free UBC Continuing Education I will be studying Introduction to Computer Programming. I will find out if I suck at it, or totally love it.
Make a real effort to keep in touch with people more often. Maybe rekindle friendships that I have let lapse. And make more new friends here in Vancouver.
Live more hopefully. I've really be living like there's another drama round the corner (cause there totally has been!) but this year I'm going to hope for smooth sailing. I've got a good feeling about 2008.

Happy New Year everyone!

Cute Animals of the Net' on Strike

2007-12-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

This is quite amusing. Particularly the "Scab" kittie.

Today begins the Eating Season

2007-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ah Christmas. This is my current "free food" Calendar:

Today: Faculty of Arts Lunch at the Golf Club
Tonight: Media Group (Jai's Dept) Dinner at a French Bistro
Tomorrow: Elizabeth's ornament making party
Monday: Museum of Anthropology Lunch at a local College
Wednesday: Museum of Anthropology Dinner at a swank club
Following Wednesday: Lab of Archaeology lunch at a Greek Restaurant.

Good thing I'm taking two weeks off at Christmas - I'll need it to get over all that hard work.

The Stress List

2007-11-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

...ahem...so, hello. Remember me? I use to blog here but have gotten so far behind in everything I have to do that of course my poor blog was forgotten. It was on my to-do list. There was A LOT on my to-do list. It was so intimidating, and I thought I'd found some help in the form of lovely little productivity blogs like Ririan Project, Productivity 501 and Lifehacker. Unfortunately, the lovely "top 10 blah to blah" tips didn't help me but instead I ended up with "Read my RSS feeds" hovering on my to-do list (as I currently write I have a tab open advising me that I have 1000+ feed articles to read (gulp!). So the to-do list has been retired and is now reincarnated in my new "Stress List". It isn't just a list of what I have to do, but of all the things I'm stressing over having not done. Using the categorization technique I learned in my time management class back at ole Usyd, I have developed four categories and corresponding ink colour:

Crimson "I'm always in the Red" ink designates urgent actions that are financially dependent i.e. paying very overdue bills.
"Terrifying" Torquoise ink designates urgent actions that are energy and time rather than financially dependent i.e. building a new website for the Archaeological Society I am now volunteering with.
"Procrastinating" Purple ink designates non-urgent actions that are financially dependent, i.e. taking driving lessons so I can get back on the road after eight years.
"Hopelessly-forgetten" Hot Pink ink designates non-urgent actions that are time and energy dependent, i.e. tidying up my paperwork.

So lets see if this new "I'm stressed and I'm not going to pretend I'm on top of it" list works any better. At least I can now scratch "post to your blog" off my list.

My Bet to win Melbourne Cup:

2007-11-05T09:12:00.001-08:00

Purple Moon. I like the name :)

Sense of Cautious Optimism Returning

2007-10-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

So to catch up, thanks for all the well wishes. I am certainly behind in my blogs, email, and flickr. So we are now comfortably ensconced in our new tiny apartment in the sky. Both Jaime and I are feeling much happier about our surroundings. My health has improved and almost all the effects of the allergy have departed. We still need to get some new bookshelves to unpack all our books and cds, but at least we are now feeling we are in a place we can finally unpack that stuff.

Other good news: civic workers strike is almost over! By almost, I mean that 2 out of 3 of the unions have settled. So garbage collection is starting again, and most importantly for us, the community centres will reopen meaning the gym, swimming pools, ice rinks and dance classes - hooray. The librarians are still on strike and I wish them the best with their negotiations as their key issue is wage equity for a female-dominated industry.

We have managed to see a plethora of great films: 3:10 to Yuma, Eastern Promises, and Elizabeth: the Golden Age. Though somehow I have yet again missed the entire Vancouver Film Festival.

I have volunteered as the Membership Secretary for the Archaeology Society of British Columbia. Not sure what exactly I've gotten myself into, but I'm hoping to help them discover a little thing called the 21st Century.

So October is for me again my month of renewal and rebirth. It is the end of one year and the beginning of another. This week we have Jaime's birthday celebrations, and then the week after that, a week of Halloween events including the wonderful "Parade of Lost Souls".

Thanks for the positive thoughts everyone - it must be working.

Also, it's nice to see the new faces on crackbook :)

Double Happiness

2007-09-29T11:36:00.000-07:00

The internet has recently served me up not one, but two lovely little morsels. And coincidentally, both involve the wonderful Stephen Fry. First off, I was delighted to see that Stephen Fry has started a blog. A very gifted writer, his blessays (blog essays, as he calls them) on such things as the iphone and the nature of fame are fabulous reads. It is my new favourite blog.

Secondarily, while channel surfing the other day, we came across this lovely little children's show called Pocoyo. Made in Spain using a C.G.I. style that mimics claymation, the show tells lovely little tales of Pocoyo ("little me"), a mischievous but delightful little boy that reminds me so much of our good friends' gorgeous son Dante. I am rarely impressed by children's television, but I haven't seen anything as good as this since the likes of Sesame Street or Pingu. And who narrates the English version of the afore mentioned Pocoyo?: Stephen Fry! I could listen to that voice all day. And thanks to youtube, I have been able to watch many episodes of Pocoyo. Ones like this:

Where? When? What?

2007-09-25T22:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence. Our move did not work out so well. The new place we moved into turns out to be an absolute dump, so after some scrambling we will be moving again on Monday. We shall be renting an apartment in the same building as mum. Its nice as its on the 20th floor across from the beach, but it means moving out of the community we like and into downtown, which isn't ideal. Still, we couldn't stay here.

To top it off, I have been offline due to a severe allergic reaction. The doctors think it was to antibiotics, seventeen days after I started taking it. So I once again found myself in the hospital, where I was literally in the waiting room from hell. Imagine a poorly-lit, smelly waiting room. Populate it with an angry junkie, a homeless man, a concussed bike-courier, a man with the worlds stinkiest, ugliest fungal-infected toe nails, and me and my long-suffering husband. The TV was stuck high out of reach with no remote-control, so I could not turn off the back-to-back episodes of Dog the Bounty Hunter, followed by Criss Angel. My feet and hands swelling up like balloons and paralysis in my legs. Fun, fun, fun. Follow by five days of steroids and antihistamines. Now I am learning the pain of Prednisone withdrawal.

However, I am hoping things are on the upswing and next week I will find myself in a new home and in less pain.

Cause someone else started it first...

2007-09-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

followed this link off another blog. Found out just how nerdy I am. I'm the Nerd Queen apparently. At least my dork score was lowest.

Spetember 1, 2007

2007-09-01T06:47:00.001-07:00

Today is Abby & Pete's wedding over in England, and I was supposed to be there as Maid of Honour. Instead I'm packing up house and getting ready to move in two hours to less nice but less expensive apartment. I had so hoped and planned to be there for Abby. Its so disappointing to have a goal you work to toward and not achieve. So much seemed to conspire against us this past year; trouble with steady work, massive health issues, and work visa problems, but I still held out hope we would make it to Europe. I guess it will have to be next year now.

Abby will walk down the aisle in ten minutes. Have the best day Abby & Pete - I'm there with you in spirit.

YAY - My Hubby gets to stay!

2007-08-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, Jaime did indeed get his work visa for Canada again. It was a nerve-wracking drive over the border and back, but it's a huge relief now. We've got one year and two weeks to get his permanent residency sorted. Jaime goes back to his worker bee status on Tuesday!

Tuesday: D-Day

2007-08-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow we are driving down to the border with the states, taking Jaime across, and hoping that when we cross back into Canada that they'll issue him a new work visa. If they do, he'll be working in the next few days. If they don't, Jaime will not be allowed back into Canada at all and he will have to go back to Oz. Its a tough decision to make. All his paperwork is in order, so they SHOULD issues the visa, but immigration can do whatever they like, so they can choose to screw us. And then I would spend the next six months alone while Jaime waited in Sydney for his Permanent Residency to come up. Wish us luck!

But the real question is: Do I try to sleep tonight with all this weighing on my fragile mind, or do I stay up for the Lunar eclipse at 3:00-4:00am?

An Epiphany

2007-08-19T11:13:00.000-07:00

And then just like that, I realised I like the White Stripes.

I Will Return

2007-08-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for no posts in a while. Its panic stations here with Jai out of work, us about to be homeless because of the lack of reasonable-priced accommodation (Damn You Olympics!) and to top it off, Dad, Sam and the step-mother staying with us.

Anyway, for those of you waiting for replies to your email, I promise to get to them soon.

But in the meantime, take a moment to grieve for the Yangtze River Dolphin.

The Calm Before the Storm

2007-07-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while: my new job is a closed network, so no interweb at work. Great for my productivity, but bad for keeping up with my blogging, rss etc...

The good news is that my new job is great. The team is made up of really good people, my work environment is fabulous and I'm learning a lot. The bad news is that the day I started, Jaime found out that the extension on his work visa has been denied. So as of Monday, he's not allowed to work, and had lost his job (you know, the one he loves and gets loads of positive feedback etc...). As it was total bureaucratic snafu, he can reapply and should get his visa back in a month or two, and his work will likely take him back then. But in the meantime, we are living on my now very poor salary. Why can't I just have a little time without major stress in my life.

So no going to England for Abby and Pete's wedding :( which is so disappointing.

We have to move out of our apartment and likely move back into mum's one-bedroom apartment again.

Jaime gets paid out all his holiday pay, but obviously can't actually go on a holiday.

Plans for holidays are put on hold again.

Plans for studying are on hold again.

Plans for kids are on hold again.

I'm beginning to wonder if our life will ever get off hold. Can't we have a time period without massive stress for just a little while?

The Chernobyl Legacy

2007-07-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Chernobyl Legacy by Paul Fusco could be one of the most moving and deeply disturbing photoessays I have ever seen. I must admit that with all the problems of global warming, I did for just one second start to ponder the rhetoric of politicians like John Howard putting forth nuclear energy as the solution to the world's energy crisis. But how can anyone even think of building reactors after viewing the horrific, widespread, and longterm consequences of just one reactor meltdown. The fact that Australia, which can't even get a 19th century invention like trains to run without accidents, is even considering it boggles the mind. There has just got be better options than this.

I remember when as a child I first came to understand what nuclear bombs and reactors were. I was eleven years old and it terrified me. I began to have "mushroom cloud" nightmares and would become paralyzed by fear of nuclear war. At age 13 I saw the news reports about Chernobyl, but did not come to realise the true consequences until many years later. In the nineties, with the easing of the cold war, the dismantling of apartheid, and increase of global awareness, I had a genuine feeling that the world moving to a better place and further from the threat of nuclear radiation. But now the world is entering scary territory. Politicians are putting nuclear energy back on the table, and people are eating it. Where is the outrage? Where is the fight against this? Is it because people in the 60s and 70s weren't worried about losing power for their iphone that they were in the streets about this? I would rather raise children in a world with no electricity (humans managed without for 4.6 million years) than to see these abominations on the earth.

Here is the Link : Make sure to listen with the sound on as the commentary is vital.
(warning: this has some pretty disturbing images).

Baby's First HDR

2007-07-09T12:59:00.002-07:00

Now that I'm getting comfortable with Ookpik the dslr camera, I am giving HDR photography a whirl. In a nutshell, it's taking the same shot at normal, over and under exposures and then combining them into one photo. This gives it a greater depth and all areas of the photo are exposed properly. It can look over-done, but properly created images are stunning. Anyway, here is my first HDR (created using photomatix; I used the free version, hence the watermarks):

Crazy F*&^$n Weather

2007-07-09T11:49:00.001-07:00

Now after all the shit weather our recent and not so recent guests have had to endure, it's nice to see the sun. Makes one happy and let's one see the local mountains, trees flowers etc... But this is kinda of crazy. To all the folk who don't believe it gets hot in Vancouver, I give you this weeks weather forecast:

Yes, that's a 33, 34 and 35 coming up this week. I had to double check I hadn't inadvertently checked Sydney's weather. In the interior of BC the forecast is for 38 and 39.

Still, it's a good week for it. I have a week off before I start my new job and I'm pretty much slacking off, so it's nice to have some good slacking off weather.

2007-07-05T10:53:00.001-07:00

So I joined the David Suzuki Foundation's Nature Challenge. Its only a small thing, and certainly nothing "off the grid", but it's small steps. Most of which of I'm already doing. But they say" Word of mouth is our most powerful tool", so here I am promoting a it. Looking at the Challenge, I can assess how I am doing a reducing climate change:

1. Reduce home energy use by 10%.

I am working on only having lights on when I need them. I'm also reducing the amount of time I spend on my computer (I quit WOW).

2. Choose an energy efficient home and appliances.

As an apartment in a concrete building, our insulation is pretty good. But our appliances are appalling. The fridge is a giant old beast that runs noisily all the time, and the drier does not vent very well and is incredibly inefficient. Unfortunately, as tenants, these are not our appliances, and as these appliances are technically still working, we cannot get them replaced. I have countered this by hanging as many things to dry as possible, and by running the fridge on low, keeping the fidgee-part relatively empty and the freezee-part very full (this is the way fridge work efficiently).

3. Replace dangerous pesticides with alternatives.

I don't have a garden *sigh*. My house plants are basically bug free.

4. Eat meat-free meals one day a week.

We've been trying to go farther with this anyway. While I doubt I will ever be able to go completely meat free, I am trying to make it the exception rather than the rule. I already go meat-free several days a week, so I'm doing well with this one.

5. Buy locally grown and produced food.

I've become a lot more conscious of this issue, and I am going to try to pay more attention to this when shopping. Luckily we've got a lot of good markets near us with lots of healthy, local produce. This will be harder in the winter though, as a lot of Canada's produce is imported.

6. Choose a fuel-efficient vehicle.

I don't have a car. My feet aren't very efficient, but at least they don't pollute.

7. Walk, bike, carpool or take transit.

I've been public-transiting for decades. At the moment I have to catch three buses to work, which isn't much fun. But in my new job it will be one express-bus ride. I miss walking to work though, like I did at Sydney Uni.

8. Choose a home close to work or school.

Well I just chose a work that's closer to my home so "hooray". For a lot of people this isn't a viable option. But the long commutes some people make these days are nuts.

9. Support car-free alternatives.

Well, I already do. but I'm thinking of buying a bicycle. It will be uphill to work, but then downhill home :)

10. Learn more and share with family and friends.

I think that's what I'm doing at the moment.

OMG: My Dream Job

2007-07-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have just been hired as a Research Assistant to the Laboratory of Archaeology at UBC. Its so exciting. I was really starting to get despondent about the career part of my life. While the job is not great paying, and is only for six-months, that is huge in archaeological terms. I will be doing what I love. My student loans have justified themselves. I'm almost too excited to talk. all I can say is that THE MILKY BARS ARE ON ME!!!!

The Visitors Part 2: DJ Dasein Rocks YVR

2007-06-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

After Guy and Anna winged their way home to Oz, the Vancouver experience continued for Leon. We were lucky enough to be treated to Leon DJing at the local goth/industrial club, Sanctuary. It was great, he went off. A longer review, including video can be found on Metal Monkey. Jaime also showed Leon the Vancouver Aquarium, and how to severely damage your liver with alcohol in Seattle.

While My Cello Gently Weeps

2007-06-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

I been having a go lately at consciously changing my thoughts towards more positive things, but it's not easy. I have had the (dis)advantage of a substantial education and labour under a terrible addiction: Information. As much as I know that reading the news, surfing the net or watching tv will only give me more information to deal with, I cannot help myself. This has led me to a terrible state of anxiety over choice.

Those who watch the Sopranos* might find AJ's behaviour of the last season annoying, but I sympathise very much with the "everything's going hell so why bother" mindset. I mean, how can a few fluoro bulbs and catching the bus to work compete against China opening a new coal power plant every week?! Buying eggs almost sent me into palpations the other day. I could find eggs from happy chickens that got to run around in green fields, and I could find eggs from chickens that weren't fed other chickens. But do you think I could find eggs from frolicking chickens that didn't have to eat other chickens? NO! So I had the agonising choice of condoning battery hen farms or risking mad-chicken disease some day**.

And buying a coffee?! Paper cups from dying trees, Styrofoam poisons the earth and our bodies. Are the beans fair-trade? Was the soil organic? Does the cafe treat it's employees fairly? Is it owned by some terrible multinational corporation that sells cigarettes, arms and Celine Dion albums? These are demons I wrangle with for every choice of my adult life.

But I am rallying my thoughts for a full-frontal assault on despair. It's not easy, my brain has had a mind of its own for far to long, and my ability to control thoughts is weak. But I will be training up the neurons. To this end, I am announcing a new series to my blog: Why I like being human.

Next time on Shanathalas: "Why I Like Being Human Part 1: Music".

*Having seen the last episode I can't decide whether I absolutely hate it or if it was absolutely brilliant.

** I chose the Free-Range; I hope the happy little chook thinks of me when my brain goes to mush!

The Visitors Part 1: Phileas Fogg's got nothing on them

2007-06-10T19:23:00.000-07:00

We've been blessed with many visitors from the homeland lately. First up, Guy & Anna stopped by Vancouver for five days on their way home from their ten week trip round the world. It's been so great to see them. Even though the weather was crap, there was still plenty to see and do (and eat). We were able to show them the Vancouver Aquarium, the Museum of Anthropology and to take in The Taming of the Shrew at Bard on the Beach.

We even managed a Vancouver gathering of "Guys Urban Gaming Society", with locals Rena and Elwood joining Guy, Anna, Leon, Jaime and myself for a rousing evening of boardgames, witty banter and much drinking. Just like old times.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and yesterday Guy and Anna flew home to Oz, misplacing June 11th somewhere in their travels. Thanks for visiting guys; I'm missing you already.

But stayed tuned for the further adventures of Leon in Vancouver...

Brain for Hire

2007-05-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

So I did it...I weighed up the pros and cons and listened to some very sage advice posted on my blog. I initially thought I would suck it up and hang on here until I found something else, but it wasn't working. I was becoming so demoralised and my blood pressure was high enough to make it sound like a all-drums death metal band had moved into my head. I usually do the pragmatic, careful thing; I am a Taurus after all. But I figure that I have developed a massive fear of making the wrong decision. And so it's time I take a chance. So this morning I gave my notice. I ran the gamut of feelings: fear, courage, nervous, failure, success, release and worry.

I think one of the biggest factors for leaving was that this job hindered my ability to look for others. And as Aoife pointed out, temping can open a lot of doors. I was offered more work by many of my temping assignments and I was doing a great job impressing IBM when I was temping with them, until I broke my foot.

And another factor that arrived last night: A note that our lease ends in two months and our rent is going up another 75$ a month. As our rent was already far too expensive, it now means we really have to move. Which is ironic, as I have had a few doubts about the place since we moved in, and had only just made my peace with its faults and decided I wanted to stay there. But moving out in a way is liberating. Much of the reason I felt pressure to stay in this job is due to our high rent. Now we may be able to get cheaper rent (hopefully staying the nice area we live in). So now is the time to be, as Dan comments, a True Warrior.

But yes Jen, finding a new job is one problem; finding a new career is another...and the subject of a soon-to-come post.

OtterCam

2007-05-25T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Vancouver Aquarium's best feature in my mind is the sea otters. These guys are so cute, and very popular. So I guess that's why they've set up an ottercam. They already had the belugacam, and I guess they wanted to build on the success of the recent video on youtube of Nyac & Milo holding hands:

This is so cute. And its not just a rare event, I've been watching these guys hold hands for years. There's something decidedly human about holding hands.

Tiny Icelandic Woman Rocks Out

2007-05-24T11:07:00.001-07:00

Imagine if you will, a beautiful forest surrounding a placid lake. A gorgeous sunset, a brilliant half-moon and pink wispy clouds. Lush thick grass, a teletubby brass band, and tiny woman belting out the tunes like nothing else. Yes, last night Jaime, Rob, Rena and I took in the Björk concert at Deer Lake Park. It was a great evening for it. I've been a long-time Björk fan but never seen her live, and I gotta say that I was impressed. Her voice is even stronger live than it is recorded and she knows how to put on a great show. She played mostly from her latest album Volta, which sounds similar to her earlier material, particularly the use of brass instruments. I particularly like Earth Intruders and Innocence. She also played some old favourites of mine such as Army of Me and All is full of Love. Each song followed by a tiny "sink-yu" (like a cat sneezing; I firmly believe that Björk is in fact a selkie) to the audience. My only complaint is that she didn't play my favourites Human Behaviour (AKA The Teddy Bear Song), and Big Time Sensuality.

Good job on winning the tickets Jai :)

I'm about to quit my job

2007-05-22T13:31:00.001-07:00

I'm not good at making decisions. Especially big ones. And lately it always seems I take the wrong path. So I am working out the pro and cons. Advice is clearly appreciated.

Should I Stay:

I need money.
Its not that hard a job.
It’s a 35 hour workweek.
Pay is slightly better than temping.

Should I Go:

This is clearly not the job I thought it was.
I will be leaving them further in the lurch if I quit down the line.
I will not be allowed time off to spend with my visiting friends.
My security clearance might be coming through after all, though I’m not sure exactly when.
There is no progression possible.
I am learning nothing.
I am not challenged.
Everything here is painfully paper-based.
I have to get up at 6:30am and catch three buses to get to work.
I can get temping work (closer to home).
I receive no guidance or supervision.
I’m bored.
Moneys not that good.
While the people I work with are nice enough, I do not fit in at all (All middle aged women from the suburbs).
Leaving this job gives me more time to interview/apply for others.

Actually, looking at that list I know see that there is far more "I should go"s than I should stays.

Update

2007-05-18T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to all the kind folk who have been wishing me well. My angiogram did indeed go ahead this past Monday. There were some pretty serious complications, but to get to the good news first: the procedure did not give me a stroke (my biggest fear), and the angiogram seems to show that I do not have a Dural AV fistula.

The two major complications? The puncture in my Femoral artery did not want to stop bleeding when the catheter was removed after the operation. My blood pressure plummeted; I went into shock and was about thirty seconds away from a blood transfusion. Luckily, the doctor was able to stop the bleeding and my BP improved, negating a need for transfusion.

The second complication was an adverse reaction to the contrast dye they released in my blood vessels. The procedure involves the doctor running a small wire through the femoral artery in the leg, up the aorta and into the neck, and then he releases the contrast dye into different arteries and takes x-rays at the same time. As my body took considerable exception to the contrast dye, it felt like Drano going through the vessels. The burning pain was the most excruciating feeling I have ever endured. And they had to do it over and over in different veins. This essentially caused a migraine in every blood vessel in my head. Needless to say, I spent the next seven hours throwing up. Its four days later, my head is still ringing and my vision is still all fucked-up* . Ironically, the pulsatile tinnitus has gotten much worse, evidentially from the irritation to the blood vessels.

So the outcome? They found nothing they can treat. The radiologist, who was a really sweet guy from Melbourne, says there was some possibility of a dehiscent jugular bulb (say that 10 times fast!), but he would need to do another CT scan (without angio or dye) to confirm. Even if they confirm it, it doesn’t sound treatable and is unlikely to cause a bleed. My cow of a neurologist had never heard of it, or a few medical terms like “bedside manner”, so I don’t think I’ll be following up with her anymore. So the end result is: I’m not likely to have a major bleed in my brain anytime soon, but I might have to live with the sound of my “telltale heart” for the rest of my life.

But to end on a positive note; now starts a long-weekend, Jaime won us Björk tickets and I have a shiny new camera which I have named “Ookpik”.

*There is no real concrete way to explain what your vision is like after a massive migraine. Those who suffer them know exactly what I mean. Those who don't, consider yourself lucky.

My Visual DNA

2007-05-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Cause no one can own a string of numbers

2007-05-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

2007-05-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

Mum, Jaime, Ross and Margot gave me the most awesome birthday present ever: the Canon XTi Digital SLR camera!!! I'm still in shock. It was such a surprise to receive such an extravagant present. And not only did I get the camera, but my friends Beppie and Dave gave me an additional special lens as well: a good-quality Canon 50mm f/1.8. Thanks so much guys; I feel almost undeserving of such an amazing gift. But it's exactly the camera I've had my eye on and I've been longing for a digital slr for so long. And now I'll have no excuse not be to out there taking amazing photos. I'm going out this weekend to take my camera for a spin. Saturday is International Dawn Chorus Day so in theory I'm getting up before sunrise (the night after celebrating my birthday - yeah I know, it's not going to be easy), and on Saturday night I'm accompanying mum to the wedding of one of her friends. So I have two events that are perfect for practicing photography. So in a few days, keep watching this space.

I love Cute Overload

2007-05-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need a couple of minutes of bunnies.

via Cute Overload

So sad

2007-04-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

I try not to despair at the state of the world, but honestly, we don't deserve this planet.

More time in hospital

2007-04-26T11:54:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Well, I hadn't expected this (though I really should have): I got bumped. Symptom of the over-stretched medical system in British Columbia. I arrived at 7:30, got all dressed up in sexy hospital gown and booties, and lay on a stretcher for four hours. They were just about to start my IV line and then I was told that due to a broken machine and several emergency patients they hadn't expected, they couldn't do my angio today. I have to come back in two weeks. Considering how stressed out I was about it, I really wish it had just been over. Now I get to string the anticipation out even longer.

..................................................................................................................................

Tomorrow I am going in for a cerebral angiogram to find out what is causing the turbulence in the blood vessels of my head, making me hear my own pulse 24/7. All jokes about medical procedures aside; I’m really terrified. Not only do I have to be awake for the procedure, there is a small but real possibility of complications leading to bleeding, strokes and death. Currently, the most likely culprit for the sound is a dural arteriovenous fistula. So after two years of this horrendous sound, tomorrow we will find out whether its:

a) Nothing. This is less of possibility now that the doctors can here the bruit in my head. Half of me wants it to be nothing, as brain malformations are really scary. But then again the thought of hearing my own pulse for the rest of my life sounds miserable. But if it is just some odd trick of my anatomy, then I guess I will work with my osteopath to see if we can minimize the sound.

b) Something treatable. This most likely includes a dural AV fistula. Generally they can be fixed either with angioplasty or brain surgery. The other half of me wants this, because even though it’s kind of scary, a solution is possible.

c) Something not treatable. I guess the leading candidates are tumours, cancer or dead cells. This is also less likely, as I have already had two MRI/MRAs and customarily big nasties like this tend to show up on these type scans. None of me wants this.

Anyway, saving any bad complications I should come out of this with an eight-hour rest in the hospital, some bruising, a half-brazilian*, an answer to my problem and some hope that it can be resolved. Wish me luck!

*To get to the carotid artery, they feed the catheter into the femoral artery, through the heart and into the neck. The femoral is accessed where the thigh and groin come together. Fun, eh?

X-Patriot?

2007-04-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

expatriate: a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence.

The Expat Women site have just invited me to list on their site (thanks gels) that focuses on woman living as expats. Its given me an opportunity to reflect on my own expat status. I have essentially been a expat from the age of one. My Aussie parents moved to Canada in search of snow and adventure when I was a bub. And even though I grew up with Canadians, Aussie culture was mixed in with my development via my folks. While not obviously different, I was often noticed for strange turns of phrase. I always identified as an Australian living in Canada. Then when I moved back to Sydney in my twenties, I felt more like a canuck living in Australia. Everyone identified me as a Canadian, and poked fun at my odd ways. Now that I've moved back to Vancouver after eight years downunder, I don't know who I am nationally. I am culturally both Australian and Canadian. While I generally have the Canadian trait of being very polite, I also have the Aussie nature to tell things like they are and not beat around the bush. Example: "Excuse me, sorry to be a pain but you're being fucking wanker. Thanks kindly".

My accent is a bizarre mix of Aussie-Canuck that can only be called mid-pacific. Oddly, people here in Vancouver tend to think I'm English, and the folks in Australia thought I was Irish. I've noticed that I've developed a slight stutter at times when my brain comes to a fork in the lingistic road. Example: "Can you please pass the .... tomato sauce/ketchup". And I very much enjoy mixing my Canadian and Australia colloqiullisms i.e. "I'm flat out like a lizard drinking, eh" and "Don't be such a hoser, mate".

But honestly, if Australia and Canada went to war today and I had to choose a country, I don't how I do it. Both countries are beautiful in their own way. Australia is an ancient dry, weathered rock, with red earth, white sands, and blue gums. Canada is a noobie geography with growing moutains, temperate green rainforests and vast snowfields. Sydney is a lively sprawling city with beautiful beaches, many cultures and opportunities. Its also polluted, scorchingly hot and ultra-corporate. Vancouver is relaxed, friendly, and temperate with beaches, mountains and multiculturalism. Its also dark and rainy three months of the year, losing its soul by virtue of being Hollywood North, and a little physically close the States for my liking. Sydney is a trendy nightclub with glitz , smoke and neon. Vancouver is a coffee shop with comfy chairs, a good view and Amsterdam treats*. I'm enjoying living in Vancouver at the moment. Its fun, relaxed, beautiful, clean and stands to handle global warming much better . But not a day goes by when I don't miss my friends and family back in Oz. I wish I could could walk through some time-vortex wormhole and visit my brother in Canberra or have a drink down the pub with my mates from the uni. I miss you all so much. I don't want to have to choose.

And luckily I don't have to. Since 2004 Australia has formally allowed dual-citizenship. And now I am on a mission to get my Canadian citizenship (I'm just a permanent resident currently). Once I have that, I can truly call myself a Canaussie.

*You know what I mean.

The Animated Bayeux Tapestry

2007-04-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Bayeux Tapestry
Uploaded by dekku

My Sweet Babboo

2007-04-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Jai and I have been married for one whole year now. It’s amazing to think. It seems both like yesterday and a million years ago. And while it’s been a tough year, we are both so happy together. We seem to have had an over-abundance of “poorer” and “sickness” in our first year of marriage, and while life’s potholes always appear in our way, we are always able to lift each other up. I could not hope for a better hubby. Thanks for your patience, humour and love this past year (and indeed the six years before that). Happy Anniversary to my sweet babboo.

PS: Thanks for all the yummy sammiches :)

A little something from the Gossip Column

2007-04-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

While I certainly don't want to move into Perez Hilton territory, and bring down the tone of my own blog*, I can't let this juicy morsel of gossip pass without comment. Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai got married yesterday (to some bollywood star I've never heard of). Why do I mention this? It allows me to state publicly that I think Rai is probably the most beautiful woman in the world. Though my bread isn't buttered on that side, if I was into woman, this would be my ideal. With the world's most beautiful eyes and a gorgeous smile, Rai is in my mind a living work of art.

*Cause it's totally highbrow, eh?

Everyone pile on the bandwagon

2007-04-11T14:14:00.000-07:00

The Canucks, Vancouver's Pro Hockey team, is in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, after missing out for three years. The quarter finals start tonight against the Dallas Stars. The rounds are best out of seven, and the playoffs will go on until June I believe. Vancouver has never won the Stanley Cup, and has only made it to the final round twice. The last time was 1994 and when the Canucks lost in game seven of the final round to the New York Rangers (stinky Rangers), Vancouver had a it's first proper riot.

Let's hope things are more peaceful and successful this time. After years of supporting the Canucks, even when they sucked, it would be a thrill for them to win, especially now that I'm back in Vancouver. And I think they've got their good luck charm: Jaime, the Aussie Hockey Fan.

Quality of Living Survey

2007-04-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

Mercer HR Consulting has published their Quality of Living Survey for 2007, and Vancouver has come in third best in the World. Apparently Vancouver would be best-in-class if it weren't for its crime rate. We tied with Vienna, and were bested by Geneva and Zurich. Hats off to Düsseldorf (congrats Steve and Alex) for tying with Auckland for fifth. Sydney came in a very respectable ninth. Edinburgh wasn't listed, but I think that must be because with a population of less than half a million, I doesn't count as a city (sorry Evelyn & Tancred).

Most interesting was the fact that every Canadian city scored better than all the U.S. cities surveyed. I have a feeling that has something to do with medical coverage and social safety nets.