Happy 2008!

Another year down, another year where I have to work on New Year's Day.
I wish everyone a better year in 2008 than 2007 was.

The 2007 Raymo awards

We've come to the end of a pretty decent year of film and I saw 32 movies at the cinema.
It's a tough one to pick but it has been made easier by having five films rate a 9/10, I had four 8.5s and nine 8/10s so that's 17 of the 32 rating an eight or better. A quality year.
Here are the top five films of 2007.....

1. Reign Over Me
An absolutely stunning film about Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), a man who lost his way after his family was taken in the September 11 attacks. Sandler is amazing in this role. He's completely shut down and lives a life that revolves around entertaining himself without having to face reality. Until he meets an old friend who needs healing in his own way. A moving film about friendship and a deserved number one.
2. Into The Wild
The true story of 24-year-old Chris McCandless, who in 1992 donated all his money to charity and abandoned his life to discover America, and himself. Directed by Sean Penn, this film is breathtaking from the scenery, the brilliant performance by Emile Hirsch and the subtle messages about life it tells. In any other year this would be a clear number one but just misses out.
3. Breach
An acting tour de force with Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe facing off as a corrupt FBI agent and the junior brought in by the authorities to bring him down. The fantastic Laura Linney also shines here. Based on the true story of Robert Hanssen, they get the mystery of what happens at the end out of the way right at the start so you can get down to finding out how he came unstuck. Not a flashy film at all, very bleak in appearance but outstanding in every way.
4. The Simpsons Movie
A change of pace from the top three and this surprises nobody. Pretty much a really, really good 90 minute episode of the longest running animated TV show and it holds up. There are superhero pigs (well just one), dares, nude scenes and environmental distasters - just your standard Simpsons fare. Very fun, particularly if you're a fan like me.
5. Spider-Man 3
Some people thought there was too much stuffed in to this movie and it became a bit crowded. I see the point but maybe I am a bit biased because I love Spiderman in a favourite superhero kind of way. They handled Venom well and I thought Topher Grace was good in that role. I thought it was at least as good as Spider-Man 2.

So that's the top five and a pretty solid one at that. If you haven't seen the top three, as they weren't major blockbuster releases like the other two I wholly recommend them. If you like thought provoking films, excellent acting and a good drama they are well and truly must sees.

Honourable mentions go to: The Number 23, Transformers, Amazing Grace, Death At A Funeral and the hugely under rated Australian film Noise.
Surprise of the year: the infectious musical Hairspray.
Runner-up: the Australian league film The Final Winter.
Flop of the year: I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry - all the funny bits were in the preview. Sandler gets best and worst film of the year in a rare feat.

See you at the movies in 2008, a year which at the moment is looking a bit patchy with Prince Caspian looking a mid-year highlight.

Season 4!

Yesterday I picked up the long awaited box set of One Tree Hill season 4.
So I'm about to get back into the best show on the box (my box anyway, it's still not on normal TV and don't think it ever will be now) after what seems like quite a while away.
With season 5 starting soon in the States a lot of interest is in what happens in the second half of this season - the part I haven't seen yet.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

The 32nd and possibly last movie of the year for me is the family adventure National Treasure: Book Of Secrets starring Nicholas Cage as Ben Gates.
Now I didn't see the original, for reasons unknown at this time, but it wasn't tough to follow for a newbie.
Gates is searching for the Book Of Secrets, a presidential tome that holds the answers to all the big questions in the world but that the world need not know (apparently), to clear the name of an ancestor who was allegedly involved in the assassination of Lincoln.
Yeah it is far fetched. But you know it is also quite fun. The support cast is first class including Harvey Keitel, Ed Harris, Jon Voigt and Helen Mirren. But it is Ben's sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) that really impressed me. He was the comic relief.
This isn't the greatest film by any means but it is enjoyable, light, and good fun. Sometimes that's all you need in a movie. A 7 out of 10.
Coming in a few days is the all important 2007 review so stay tuned....

End of an era

OK, so a while back I eluded to making a decision on something I have been doing for a while. It's not an earth-shattering, life-changing decision (actually it is rather trivial) but when you've been doing something for 16 years and you decide not to it is quite momentus.
As most people know I am a bit of a music nut and since 1991 I have been compiling my own music charts, both because when I started it was fun and as a way to keep up with what was happening with music.
I have a rather thick folder with every music chart I have done since then including a top 100 for the year (except the last 2 years when I didn't do the end of year one) and I have a list of every song that has been number 1 and how many weeks it was there.
But, disappointingly, the music scene these days is pretty ordinary. Maybe I am just getting old, but a lot of the music out there now really doesn't interest me and seems to be dominated by inane rap/R&B stuff.
So as of this week I will no longer be doing my music charts.
It started in 1991 and my top five songs of 5/1/1991 were as follows:
1. Let's Make It Last All Night-Jimmy Barnes
2. Unchained Melody-Righteous Brothers
3. Disapper-INXS
4. Always & Ever-Southern Sons
5. I Touch Myself-Divinyls

The final chart, for the week ending 5/1/2008 is as follows.
1. Believe Again-Delta Goodrem
2. In Pieces-Shannon Noll
3. Touched By Love-Eran James
4. Misery-Good Charlotte
5. Into The Night-Santana featuring Chad Kroeger

Make of those what you will. My music taste is pretty eclectic but has remained fairly constant over the years. Following are some statistics about my musical experience in the last 16 years.
Most weeks at number 1: How To Save A Life-The Fray (21), Lift-Shannon Noll (20), If You Could Only See-Tonic (19), Over My Head (Cable Car)-The Fray (17), One Sweet Day-Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (16), Spending My Time-Roxette (15).
Most number 1's: Mariah Carey (19), Roxette (14), Savage Garden/Darren Hayes (14), Shannon Noll (8), Kylie Minogue (8).
Interestingly, my three favourite songs I'll Be There For You (Rembrandts), Hero (Mariah Carey) and Crash And Burn (Savage Garden) spent five, one and 13 weeks at number one respectively.
In a way it is going to be strange not doing this anymore but I see no point. There's only really 10 or so songs I like at any one time on the radio/video shows so doing a chart seems redundant. Plus, as you would note from some of the artists that have dominated I am a creature of habit and still like their music. Yeah, I am a dag. But the 80s-90s were just awesome for music and the 00s have not been as significant, except for a few artists here and there.
So there you have it, the end of an era. I am glad I am going out with a number 1 that I really, really like, a positive uplifting song and, at the end of the day, that is what music should do for you. Now if only I listened to myself on that one.....

Merry Christmas

Having awoken from an afternoon nap (which I think I have needed all day) I offer somewhat belated Christmas greetings to everyone.
It has been a strange one today, quite cool (weather wise) by our standards and while that is not something to complain about it makes it an unusual Christmas. But, nevertheless, a good one.

No Festivus miracles

I think that's a good thing. As a general rule festivus miracles tend to be rather unfortunate or uncomfortable and involved chance situations that you'd rather not have to endure.
So, in honur of Festivus 2007 I announce my grievances....
1. The politicians who kept sending the same propaganda to me on a daily basis in the last couple of weeks of the election. They know who they are.
2. The guy responsible for taking EI out of the quarantine centre and destroying the spring carnival.
3. Kylie Minogue for releasing a mediocre album as her comeback from cancer. C'mon the electronica stuff didn't really work for Madonna a few years ago, why will it work now?
4. Channel 7 for now showing the last 2 episodes of the current season of Heroes (thank God for the internet or I'd have to wait until February to see them).
5. Yet again Channel 10 for not showing One Tree Hill and to whoever is responsible for releasing it on DVD and making us wait until goodness known when (again thanks to importing things on your own we don't have to wait so long).
6. Magpies
7. The canteen ladies at work who refuse to carry out the simple instructions you give on how you'd like your toast spread.

That's all I can think of right now. Happy Festivus everyone!

Slight revision

It's one thing to be witty and clever unintentionally, or naturally.
It's another to be a try-hard.
In refocusing this blog I fell guilty of the latter.
So, now that I have realised I was getting ahead of myself thinking I could describe each post with a deftly placed song title was short sighted I am backing out of that pledge.
Call it a re-refocusing.
The content will still have more depth, most of the time, and I don't have to be a try-hard.

You can still be free

Summer in Sydney - muggy, then rains, still muggy, sunshine, finally a cool breeze. Until it starts all over again.
Still, 26 degrees or so is a lot nicer than it could be. Enough about the weather.
Today was a bit surreal. I went out to Randwick races for the first time in what seemed like ages, it's probably been six months at least.
I was drawn out there to watch a particular racehorse, Takeover Target, race and he didn't let me down. Though there was an anxious moment there on the winning post.
A bit of an absence from the track lately for me meant I hadn't seen quite a few people I usually mix with so it was good to resurface and catch up with them.
A sense of freedom today.
It's been a pretty massive week or so and I've held up fairly well. Topping off a big week with another day out (and a trip to the races is equal to any working day) isn't something I've done a lot of this year. So be in a positiion where I seem to have no problem (to date anyway) with it is very enouraging.
That's about it, a nice day and here's to many more. By the way, tomorrow is Festivus - I will have to think of some grievances. But that's another issue.

* You Can Still Be Free is a song by Savage Garden

Standing still

Fear is an interesting thing.
It can make you do things you didn't think you were capable of. At the same time it can make you feel like less of a person, sometimes unable to function.
Over the past year I have swung in between both those descriptions. Much to my frustration I am unable to explain how it reached such extremes.
The times when you feel invincible, strong and powerful are awesome. When you feel weak, vulnerable and powerless are frightening.
Again, to my dismay, one day it's the former the next it's the latter and there doesn't seem to be a reason. OK sometimes there is a reason. My mind, like most people I imagine, can work overtime on things it really shouldn't.
It jumps on a bandwagon of thought and just runs with it until all possible scenarios have been brought to my attention. While insight is a good thing, too much insight is counter-productive.
I am trying to learn not to dwell on what has been. Focusing on now and what is to come is much more positive but again it depends what day I am on.
The bible says that worry won't add a second to a person's life but we still do it. We feel like it is protecting us from the bad things of the world. In the end worrying just makes us less surprised and more frightened of the unknown.
I've been through that. Am I out the other side?
I don't know. Some days I am sure it is behind me. Other days I am back at square one. Perhaps not square one but maybe square two or three.
I haven't been standing still completely. There has been definite, irrefutable evidence of steps forward. Not fast enough though.

* Standing Still is a song by Jewel

1408

Before I begin this review of the film 1408 I have to declare that I am a huge John Cusack fan.
Based on a Stephen King short story 1408 is about writer Mike Enslin (Cusack), a fairly lightly taken ghost and ghouls story writer who documents the scariest places to visit and such.
Then he stumbles upon the Dolphin Hotel in New York and the room 1408 which for unknown reasons continues to feature in suicide reports in newspapers. Enslin seeks out this room for his next spooky tale.
Enter the hotel manager (Samuel L Jackson, in what is almost a cameo role) who goes to extraordinary lengths (for `selfish reasons') to dissuade Mike from spending the night in 1408.
I think you get the drift from here.
This film is very intense. It's not scary nor does it attempt the tacky thrills of movies such as Saw and the so-called horror films.
It is unsettling when you realise what the movie is really about. If you see this one expecting to see some grand twist or explanation as to why the room as it is let me spoil it for you - there isn't one. It's not about that.
We all have a past and Mike takes his with him into 1408. That's where the real scares come from.
This is all John Cusack's film, as you would expect, and he doesn't disappoint for a second. One of the final lines in the movie struck me - `bad memories can't be thrown away, you just have to live with them' - and I think this is the moral to the story.
I'm pretty confident I haven't spoiled the story. There is no mystery to be unpacked. It's all about Mike. And it's all about us.
An 8 out of 10 and worthy of a look if it appeals to you.

A change will do you good

I've been thinking about this blog and have decided I am going to change focus and make it much less trivial that it is currently.
It isn't that I don't enjoy the content here, on the whole, but if I am going to continue I think it is of more value to make it more real.
The value there is for me, largely, but if through what I might say that someone out there reads (assuming others read it) and learns from my experience then that's a good thing.
I'm not going to say that every post will contain life experiences, deep insight or anything particularly exceptional but I am saying I intend from now to be more real than trivial, because I hate that a lot of the world is seemingly trivial.
I will attempt to have some fun at the same time. My favourite show at the moment, One Tree Hill (what else, after all I named this blog after it), gets all its episode names from song titles. So I'm going to try to head up each post that fulfils my new charter in that manner (starting with this one)*. I will still post my ever popular movie reviews and music comments, both because most people (including me sometimes) feel I missed my calling as an entertainment reporter.
Let's see how it goes....

* The song `A Change Will Do You Good' is by Sheryl Crow.

The Anthem of 2007

I participated in a survey on the Anthem of 2007 and am shocked and dismayed at the songs they proposed (ok it was a ninemsn thing but still).
Of those listed I could only rate Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry as a good song (though Silverchair's Straight Lines is a good song but I'm sick of it).
I propose the Anthem of 2007 is How To Save A Life by The Fray.
While I have an eclectic taste in music I don't like the crap that is being constantly at the top of the charts these days.
As a result, coming soon is an announcement that will see the end of an era....

Back at the track

It's been a big week and today it continued with a trip to the races for the first time in over five months.
It was great to get back out there and despite being pretty hot, I had a good day all round. Wrapped it up with a barbecue at a mate's place with a very nice bunch of people and it's been one of those awesome days.
Thank goodness it is Sunday tomorrow!

Die Hard and other random things

After almost 20 years I have finally seen Die Hard, yes the original action film starring Bruce Willis that has been sequalised three times (and funnily enough I have seen the three subsequent films).
And I've got to say it holds up pretty well despite being a product of the tragic late 1980s. That's largely due to Willis and Alan Rickman's character (he's a seriously under-rated actor).
So I enjoyed it and that blight on my movie credibility is now gone.

I was given the first series of The Chaser's War On Everything on DVD for Christmas by the family (yes I know Christmas is another 12 days away but I won't be there for it) and it is a very welcome addition to the collection. I haven't seen most of the first series as I only discovered the show on repeats earlier this year. The Brokeback Mountain - Christian Edition and Twenty20 Lawn Bowls were some early highlights and I'm sure there will be more.

My week off has flown by and it has been a good one. Caught up with a good mate I hadn't seen for a while on Monday, which was nice, and discovered he's planning to be part of a short term mission to Cambodia next year.

I bought the book Into The Wild, which the film I saw recently (and loved, reviewed further down the page) is based on. Have just started it so can't make any further comments yet. If you haven't seen the film, you're missing out on one of the year's best.

Plenty of festivities happening this weekend, hope there are enough hours in the days....

Ventilation

Time to breathe a bit.
I have a week off (well, technically nine days if you count weekends and nine days sounds better than five!) and while it won't nearly be long enough it is very well received.
Generally I am in pretty good shape (touch wood) and am doing my getting out of the ratrace ritual in a couple of days time.
As much as I have learned over the year I still need to learn how to cool off properly, how to switch off the mind and not get caught up in things I have no business being concerned about.
I have an extended break planned for March so this week off is just a freshen up so I don't go six months between holidays. If you call a week a holiday.
This time last year things weren't exactly brilliant and downward spiral is a pretty good description of where I was placed. Fortunately (again touch wood) I am nowhere near that kind of scenario and thank God for that.
Learning how to live is difficult, small steps are needed when, of course, giant leaps are what I want to take.

Not so Divine

Shock news today that Divinyls singer Chrissie Amphlett has suffered from MS for several years.
I saw her performing at the Idol grand final and she looked fine so it is a testament to her strength and determination. Hearing her talk about it today there have obviously been hard times, and there will be more, but given she's embarking on a national tour with the Divinyls says a lot about her.
Many of us could learn from her experience and I hope I can.

Into The Wild

Everybody is searching for something.
For Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) it's the great American adventure, to throw off the burdens of society and lead a free, basic life.
That freedom comes at a cost. But it's a cost that Chris doesn't realise, or at least refuses to acknowledge.
Directed by Sean Penn, Into The Wild is all class. It's a grand presentation starring nature itself, the breathtaking wilderness where society's rules don't apply.
Chris is a smart young man, university educated and a man who would have whatever he wanted in life, the life that the society he despises so much would give him. He's not destitute, as he points out, but he's very much running away from his life.
It is remarkable how naive Chris is, at least that is how he comes across when you consider what he is running from. Clearly he has been hurt but he also doesn't realise how what he is doing affects others. The reality of what he has done doesn't hit him until very late but when it does it is heartbreaking.
Along the way Chris, who changes his name to Alexander Supertramp, meets a number of interesting people including a hippie couple (one of which is the excellent Catherine Keener), a Scandinavian couple, an enterprising wheat farmer called Wayne (Vince Vaughn) and a lonely old man who takes Chris into his home and into his heart and begs Chris not to continue his journey to Alaska.
This is a long film but it doesn't really feel like it. It has to be a long film because to tell this story in 90 minutes wouldn't do it justice. Emile Hirsch, who I admit had never heard of before) is outstanding and he has to be for you to invest in the story. Into The Wild is warm, funny at times, but also very stark and real. It's a journey worth taking. A must see. A 9 out of 10.

The Six Sacred Stones

I have just last night finished reading the latest Matthew Reilly novel The Six Sacred Stones.
It continues the adventures of Jack West Jr, the Aussie renegade hero from Seven Ancient Wonders.
I have to say Stones is an improvement on the previous book. But it is also a shade frustrating in that it is clearly the middle novel, so Matt hurry up finishing the next one.
If you're not familiar with Reilly's Indiana Jones-style action adventure novel they are well worth reading. I'm not a great reader myself but ever since he gave me a copy of Ice Station about eight years ago I've been hooked.
There are two exceptions to his style in the eight novels he has released and they are Contest and Hover Car Racer. Contest would make an awesome movie, a sci-fi thriller set in, of all places, a library. I can also see Hover Car Racer as a Disney film.
Most of the books well and truly push the boundaries of realism but they are fiction and I guess no less realistic than most action movies. As I said, bring on the next on - I want to know what happens!

Reflections, part II

I've been thinking about whether or not I have moved forward in this past year.
Now November isn't the usual time for reflection but about this time in 2006 I did a bit of a roll call on where I stood and concluded that I wasn't overly happy with the results.
Clearly I have taken some positive steps.
Some things that appeared very difficult, seemingly impossible, a year ago are now not only plausible but have been achieved.
What is even clearer is that for every step I have taken in one direction there seems to have been three or four in another direction. At times, not always.
I'm not saying I'm going backwards, more forwards but with detours.
One thing I really feel is missing seems harder to reach.
I was asked by a friend recently if I'd ever had a broken heart. I gave a vague answer, something along the lines of `not in the same way you have', but the truth is that it happens a lot more regularly than I'd like. Probably still in different ways.
I also wonder if I am capable of what is required to sustain such things.
Where to? More forward steps, definitely, but when is not so certain.
Sometimes I feel God is well and truly in control and other times I feel he is not. Today has been one of the days I felt him in control. It has been, largely, a very good day. There has been some disappointment, mainly thanks to my own emotional flaws.
But good days are easy to handle.
It's the not so good days that are a challenge.

Labor wins

Looks like we have a new champion (so Homer Simpson would say).
Labor has won the election much easier than I thought and the PM appears to have been a prized scalp in his own seat (of which I am a part). Though that result is still not completely confirmed, but the computer has been calling it a Labor win since about 8pm.
Now it's up to our new government and prime minister to deliver what they promised _ or they will be duly booted out come 2010.
Over to you, Kevin....

It is done

I have voted.
Oh happy day!

Top 10 ways to freak out your roommate

Found this on an old email.


10) Every time your roommate walks in yell, ''Hooray! You're back!'' as loud as you can and dance around the room for five minutes. Afterwards, keep looking at your watch and saying, ''Shouldn't you be going somewhere?''
9) Talk back to your Rice Krispies. All of a sudden, act offended, throw the bowl on the floor and kick it. Refuse to clean it up, explaining, ''No, I want to watch them suffer.'''
8) Move everything to one side of the room. Ask your roommate if he knows how much an elephant weighs, and look at the floor on the empty side of the room with concern.
7) Tell your roommate, ''I've got an important message for you.'' Then pretend to faint. When you recover, say you can't remember what the message was. Later on, say, ''Oh, yeah, I remember!'' Pretend to faint again. Keep this up for several weeks.
6) Collect hundreds of pens and pile them on one side of the room. Keep one pencil on the other side of the room. Laugh at the pencil.
5) Draw a tiny black line on your nose. Make it bigger every day. Look at it and say, ''The hair, it's growing. Growing!''
4) While your roommate is out, glue your shoes to the ceiling. When your roommate walks in, sit on the floor, hold your head, and moan.
3) Make a sandwich. Don't eat it, leave it on the floor. Ignore the sandwich. Wait until your roommate gets rid of it, and then say, ''Hey, where the heck is my sandwich!?'' Complain loudly that you are hungry.
2) Buy some knives. Sharpen them every night. While you're doing so, look at your roommate and mutter, ''Soon, soon....''
1) Collect potatoes. Paint faces on them and give them names. Name one after your roommate. Separate your roommate's potato from the others. Wait a few days, and then bake your roommate's potato and eat it. Explain to your roommate, ''He just didn't belong.''

Whatever It Takes

The video to a great song by Lifehouse called Whatever It Takes .
A couple of questions though.
Jason Wade has gone blond, what's with that?
Where's the rest of the band?

Gotta say though, seeing a watermelon explode is pretty cool.

Express post

Yesterday, around 4pm, I posted an item (not a regular letter) to Tamworth expecting it to reach the destination Wednesday or Thursday at the earliest.
To my surprise it arrived there at 9.30am this morning.
Yes, that's right, a package posted at 4pm arrives in country NSW some17 hours later and it wasn't even express posted in those funky yellow bags. You can't send a letter within Sydney that quickly.
While there's plenty wrong with a lot of things in Sydney, clearly the postal service is a finely tuned machine. (Probably not, but it's nice to think so sometimes).

Chaser vs TodayTonight

This is what Channel 7 has been going off about. The Chaser boys can go too far at times but they come off looking okay. Can't say the same for the Today Tonight reporter. I almost feel sorry for him then I remember the type of gutter program he works for.

It's official...

...I'm sick of the election.
Can't we just skip to November 24 and get it over with.

Fraggle Rock does Tubthumping

This is borderline ridiculous but it's good if you want to brighten your day with a chuckle and a trip down memory lane. It's Tubthumping , Fraggle Rock style.
I enjoyed the Fraggles as a youngster. Good clean fun.

Funbusters target Santa

This is political correctness getting way too far out of hand.
According to the news tonight, Santa is being discouraged from saying `Ho Ho Ho' as tradition has it. Apparently it scares the kids and, get this, could be seen as offensive to women.
I'm yet to see a kid above the age of about 2 be scared of Santa, particularly of his greeting, and the second thing is just ridiculous.
And Christmas is still six weeks away.
Ho Ho Ho!

Death At A Funeral

Comedies don't normally come with the title Death At A Funeral but despite the odd name it's a comedy classic.
You certainly don't expect to be in hysterics when the opening scene is the delivery of a coffin, the wrong one no less, to the house of the grieving widow. It does take a little while to hit its straps but when Simon (played brilliantly by Alan Tudyk from Firefly) is accidentally given an hallucinogen instead of valium the movie really takes off. Simon isn't a member of the family but is dating the deceased's niece and is savagely disliked by her father.
There's so much to go into but it's Simon's increasingly weird behaviour, which culminated with me (and others in the audience) applauding one scene near the end, that sets the scene for some of the biggest laughs I've had in a cinema this year. The film isn't as deliberately lowbrow as something like Good Luck Chuck or Blades Of Glory but as it is set in England and stars a mainly British cast it has a bit more class than your average Hollywood comedy.
And it shows.
I won't give anything away here. This is a riot, one of the funniest films I've seen in years and done with a bit of class. An 8.5 out of 10. Don't miss it, but be warned one or two scenes are a bit off.

When You Are Near

When You Are Near , one of the great songs by outstanding Christian artist Jeremy Camp. Co-written by Jason Wade of Lifehouse (so you know what ball park we are talking about how good this song is), When You Are Near is a great uplifting experience.
Have a listen, here are the lyrics.

There's no need to say a thing
When I'm before you
In this silence I feel refreshed with peace
Break this noise that binds the voice that tries speak
Open up my eyes to see Your gracious sovereign reach

It's hard to talk when I feel that you are near
When all is quiet it's the beauty that I hear
This hidden place where I know that you calm my fears
I know that you've washed my tears

The seasons of change I've faced
Have never left me wounded
Only scars of hurt but never deeply rooted
This healing I have felt no burden can replace
Redemptive hope has been the story of my pain

Chorus

All is lost without the breath of life you give
And you give so much
I want nothing more than you so here's my heart

Chorus

Headlines

It's the new Spice Girls video, Headlines (Friendship Lasts Forever) and it's okay, just.
The Boob, I mean Spice Girls are back and they really could have put more effort into the song and into the video.
I mean, they had distinct characters within the group and have not returned to them for the video. It's just an excuse to wear the skimpiest outfits they can find.
I didn't think that was what the Spice Girls were about.
The song has nothing on their previous songs like 2 Become 1, Mama, Viva Forever, Too Much and even Goodbye but it will probably do well.

Fears and pet peeves

I can't help but be concerned at the moment. The bug hasn't run its course just yet, if that is in fact what it is, and I am awfully frustrated.
I actually went to work today - for an hour - before I decided it was a bad idea and came home. More than anything else tiredness was the issue, despite having had a few good nights sleep in a row, and I was nodding on the train on the way in.
In the end I fell asleep on the couch this afternoon. I don't feel horribly ill or anything but just off, at times I'll have spurts of energy then get tired again. The best thing for this I'd say is rest and the doc said to come back to see him on Thursday if I hadn't picked up.
What all this is raising, of course, is my intense fear of going through what I did almost 12 months ago. While I'm pretty sure that this is not a recurrence, given the lack of symptoms at the moment, it scares the hell out of me.
Some prayer for my state of mind, more than anything else, would be handy. If this is a bug it should run its course soon. I'm just one of those people, maybe it's a guy thing, that gets really frustrated and impatient when I'm sick. I just want to be better and productive.

It's that time

Cup time is here and although I'm still battling the bug (apparently there's one going around at the moment) it's always a great race to watch.
For the record my tips are:
1. Purple Moon
2. Master O'Reilly
3. Mahler
4. Zipping
The usual disclaimers still apply.
The doc gave me a day or two off so hopefully I can shake the bug off pretty quickly and I'm sure resting is much better for it than dragging myself to work.

Bugged

Somehow I attracted a stomach bug late this week, not too severe seemingly, and it hasn't been overly pleasant. After seeing a doctor this morning I was told to rest for a couple of days.
So, of course, I went to work. It's the one Saturday in the year we have to work with the Melbourne Cup coming up on Tuesday.
I got through the day okay in the end, though struggled a bit late in the piece. Part of that was probably being hungry but as I had a limited diet to choose from for a few days I elected to wait until I got home.
Hoping for a good night's sleep again tonight.

Brothers & Sisters

I've started to re-watch the fantastic Brothers & Sisters on DVD and, even though I am only a few episodes in it's amazing how high the quality of this show is.
Bring on season 2 I say.
A couple of interesting special features including an episode not seen before that was supposed to be the second episode of the series. Also it was amusing to watch Matthew Rhys (pictured) interviewed. He does an American accent so well you wouldn't know he's actually Welsh.
It really is a laugh to listen to him. I reckon he's just about the best character in the show.
I also picked up Transformers this week and have finished watching Love My Way season 3. I'm loving series 2 of Heroes (supposedly fast-tracked from the USA) as well. From that you'd think all I do is watch TV, I assure you it's not the case!

The week ahead

We're coming into November and the early part of that month is always busy in my industry.
Yep, it is nine days until the Melbourne Cup and thus the start of two excellent weeks in racing starting with Derby Day this Saturday coming.
Having tipped the Cox Plate winner I'm pretty happy so now it's on to Flemington.
I have to admit it is a bit surreal this year with no racing in Sydney due to the EI outbreak but hopefully we are only a month or so away from a resumption. Normality will take a bit longer.
I don't know about others but I find the first day or so of daylight saving to be an adjustment. Things just feel a bit weird. I like the extra light in the evening and the extra darkness in the morning.

Good Luck Chuck

Think There's Something About Mary and you're in the right ball park.
Good Luck Chuck is a laugh out loud comedy about a guy who was cursed as a child to never find true love.
Since a fateful game of spin the bottle, Charlie (Dane Cook) is doomed to always be the guy before the right guy, so much so he is deemed to be a lucky charm.
When he meets Cam (Jessica Alba) he is no longer satisfied by endless one night stands.
This is not the best movie going around, you know that from the very start, but it also makes things clear at the beginning what type of movie you're in for.
If you liked Mary, you'll like Chuck. Simple as that.
The humour is crude, at times a bit too crude, and it doesn't hold anything back. There's also some graphic scenes and at least one scene I've never seen in a feature mainstream film. But, bottom line, it's a great laugh. If you expect lowbrow comedy you won't be disappointed.
But don't, whatever you do, attend this movie with your girlfriend or someone who could potentially be. It's a guy film. Grab a couple of mates and have a laugh.
A 7 out of 10, it was just that funny.

Strange day

It was certainly an interesting day.
Silly arguments, resignation threats, over-reaction, drama - not your typical Friday.
I should know better by know but I just couldn't help but bite today and things spiralled in a scary direction from there. So far did things get out of hand I at one point threatened to leave my job on impulse as I was frustrated with the way events unfolded today. Not for one second did I give thought to what I would do had I gone through with it.
In short I learned a lesson and was given some advice that could be very timely. I tend to get concerned about things that are out of my control at work whereas I should be concentrating on my work and letting other people worry about themselves.
Maybe it was just the end of a big week and people were a bit out of sorts. TGIF, hey.
Let's hope we're (especially me) all over it by Monday.

Did the Chaser go too far?

A lot of column centimetres and air time has been taken up by the Chaser's `Eulogy Song' from the other night where they poked fun at a host of personalities who have passed on.
Their point was that people who weren't exactly squeaky clean are made out to be perfect, or `top blokes', after death. I think mostly that point is probably correct but who is squeaky clean really?
Most of the outrage will tell you that the song was offensive. I didn't find it offensive but then again I'm not close to anyone mentioned in the lyrics so have no personal attachment to it. What I can comment on is that it wasn't particularly funny. I got a laugh or two but overall the song was pretty poor if they were truly trying to be funny.
To re-raise a point I made a while back, is the Chaser team slipping? They seem to be going for cheap jokes in place of things that require some thought. I think they might be trying too hard to be outrageous.
As far as I'm concerned they haven't crossed the line but I'd be more concerned about them falling over the edge of being considered not funny any more.

Welcome back Kylie

A slight change of direction but the new Kylie single 2 Hearts is definitely a grower.
Nice to see some guitars and a different sound and if this is something like what we can expect from her new album then it will be very well received.
Welcome back, Kylie.

Hairspray

Musicals are very hit and miss at the best of times.
Hairspray is very much a hit. Set in the 1960s where impossibly wholesome looking people weren't as wholesome as they looked and where integration was a dirty word.
John Travolta might have top billing in this infectious musical, playing a woman well but not well enough that you don't laugh everytime he says something, but the star of the show is Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. She doesn't fit in. She's overweight and short and unpopular but she loves to dance.
She's impossibly happy and effervescent and has something about her that just makes you smile. Michelle Pheiffer, doing her best Lara Flynn Boyle impersonation, is far too thin but suitably bitchy as Velma Von Tussle, producer of the Corny Collins Show. James Marsden is Collins and Tracy wants desperately to dance on his show, even though she would stand out and not in a good way.
Then there's Zac Efron as the dreamboat Link Larkin. I'm sorry but he's far too good looking for anyone's liking but such is the incredible nature of Hairspray it doesn't seem to matter that it is weird and unlikely how he falls in love with Tracy so quickly.
Basically this film is a hoot. You laugh at John Travolta (more at him but a little with him I suspect), your feet can't help but tap to the music and the singing, and it's just a great load of fun.
One of the most surprising films of the year, guaranteed to make you smile and leave the cinema feeling good. As much as I like a good drama, sometimes it's necessary to have a stick of candy. A very entertaining 7.5 out of 10.

Silly season begins

After weeks and weeks of a faux election campaign the real one has begun.
So we have six weeks of politicians telling us what they promise to do IF elected. After what we've been through with the NSW Government and its debacle after debacle it makes it hard to want to swallow anything these guys throw at us.
One of them will win and very little will change, most likely.
My mind for the election was made up five seconds after I voted in the previous election. Actually, as I was voting for the previous election. So unless someone can guarantee to make me a millionaire or have a superpower, or something like that, my vote ain't changing.
Bring on November 24, if for no other reason that we can have fewer politicians misleading us to our faces.

Still Feels Good - the review

It's the long awaited (if you can call a couple of months long awaited) fifth album from US country rock group Rascal Flatts

and they are still in good form.
On first couple of listens this isn't as instantly likeable as Me And My Gang was with a powerhouse opening track and several real stand outs.
Still Feels Good is a bit less out there than its predecessor. It's more in the vein of Feels Like Today, the album prior to M&MG. More ballad focused, I guess.
Now I will never knock a good ballad and there is something about the country ballad that seems more heartfelt than your pop/rock song.
The opening track is Take Me There and it is a solid enough opener, the title track is a nice song as is Winner At A Losing Game.
A couple of comparably very different ballads close the album with How Strong Are You Know, a break-up song, and It's Not Supposed To Go Like That, a stirring story of young lives lost. I've always disliked country music, at least until I came across the Flatts, but there really is something about it that has more depth than pop (though some would argue that wouldn't be hard).
Incidentally, this is my 400th post. I think it is fitting that it is a review of a new CD by one of my favourite bands.

It's time....

D-day is fast approaching. Keeping an open mind.

Rush Hour 3

Lets just hope it ends here. Rush Hour 3 was okay but it just looked tired.
Again Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker return as the odd couple detective team and you can't help but wonder why Lee (Chan) would want to have anything to do with Carter (Tucker) after the first two movies.
That aside, Chan isn't as young as he used to be and you can really tell in this one just by the amount of stunts he's involved in (or not involved in to be more to the point).
Chan didn't really look like he wanted to be there. Either that or the script was that thin.
On the plus side it is still entertaining, though not as consistent as the earlier ones, and there are a few very good action scenes (one in particular involving a cab and a couple of motorcycles).
The highlight for me was the French taxi driver who hates Americans. He was great fun.
Rush Hour 3 has its moments, is a bit of fun and really its just on 90 minutes. You can do much worse. But it has nothing on the earlier films and any other film of its genre I have seen this year. Plus Chris Tucker is really annoying. A 6 out of 10 and let's hope that is the end for Rush Hour.

Is the Chaser jumping the shark?

Since I became acquainted with The Chaser's War On Everything from the end of their last series I have found the show extremely funny.
However, since they have become more widely known they seem to be losing their edge.
Not as consistently funny, some of the skits are so obviously badly set up and everyone knows who they are so they aren't able to ambush people as easily as before.
They do have their moments. Tonight's rave party bit at the end was great. But it took about 10 minutes or so before I managed an out-loud laugh. (I really love the Crazy Warehouse Guy and there isn't enough of him lately).
After the APEC stunt (which was hilarious and scary at the same time) they are in the limelight and that's detrimental to their show. I smell the money from Channel 7 being too good to refuse for what I fear could be a sinking ship.
Love the show boys but am very concerned.

Acupuncture

I'm currently half way through a six week stint of acupuncture and I've got to say the guy doing it has worked some minor wonders.
He's been concentrating on energy and digestion and it seems to be working. I'm not feeling anywhere near as tired as I used to and the stomach action isn't nearly as annoying.
I'm doing six weeks then re-evaluating it with a view to possibly continuing it.
While I have done acupuncture before it hasn't been consistent and that might be the difference. Either that or the person doing it before wasn't doing it right.
I came across this guy by chance, it's amazing.

One Tree season 5 trailer

I haven't finished season 4 yet, not even half way through, but the trailer for OTH season 5 is just awesome.
Rather than just follow the usual path to college and therefore fade into mediocrity, One Tree Hill skips college and picks up four years later. Genius. And also leaving a lot of stories untold. Bring on the DVD release of season 4!!!! And then bring on season 5 of the best show on TV (that's not actually on TV in Australia, but what do Channel 10 know anyway).

Rush Of Fools

I've come across a good Christian band called Rush Of Fools and they are well worth checking out.
I spotted their debut album in a catalogue and went online to check out a couple of songs. Naturally I now have the album.
The opening track Undo is a good indication of what you're going to get with this American band.
The lyrics, after one listen, are meaningful and God-centred (largely). Again just one the sole listen my favourite tracks are Undo, Your Love, All We Ever Needed, For Those and Already.

Go here to read about the meaning behind the songs. I find this helpful from time to time and you can see where they are coming from.

Some lyrics to Undo:

``I've been here before and here I am again, Standing at the door, praying you'll let me back in

To label me a prodigal would be only scratching the surface of who I've been known to be.

Turn me around, pick me up, Undo what I've become. Bring me back to the place of forgiveness and grace. I need You, need Your help I can't do this myself, you're the only one who can undo what I've become...'

Check them out.

It's about time

Well today the Iemma Government finally announced a financial assistance package for the horse (not just racing) industry - around $7 million! This pales in comparison to Queensland's assistance for its industry of four times that amount - and NSW has the largest number of people affected.
Talk about fiddling while Rome burns.
This Government is really showing itself as very uncaring and self-interested and the opposition should take notice. I've only ever voted for the opposition once and that was when I was in a safe seat of theirs and couldn't see the point in voting against them. But Iemma and co's response to this crisis (and they still want to hold World Youth Day at Randwick, but don't get me started on that) has me absolutely livid.
They really have no idea - hospitals, public transport, toll roads, public roads. They can't get those right now they aid in crippling the racing industry, a sector which provides hundreds of millions of dollars to their coffers. Guess what the money is used for, well some of it, that's right roads, hospitals, schools etc etc.
The flow on effect is going to be savage. But they don't care, do they.

The new Rocket Man

Aussie soul singer, and one of my faves, Eran James has been selected to support Elton John on his upcoming Australian tour.
Makes me more interested in going...

These are a few of my favourite things....

Fave time of year: autumn (March and April specifically)
Fave year so far: 2000 (awesome New Year's, Olympics, Wheel Of Fortune, new job)
Fave movie: Wonder Boys
Fave food: lasagne
Fave drink: cranberry juice
Fave pastime: horse racing
Fave pastime that doesn't involve horse racing: walking along Bondi beach with my mate Craig
Fave song(s): `Hero' by Mariah Carey, `Crash & Burn' by Savage Garden, `I'll Be There For You' by The Rembrandts
Fave TV show (all time): Friends
Fave TV show current: One Tree Hill & Brothers and Sisters
Fave Simpsons episode: Homer The Heretic & Lisa Gets An `A'
Fave non-Simpson Simpsons character: Ralph Wiggum
Fave female singer: Mariah Carey
Fave male singer: John Mayer
Fave band: Lifehouse
Fave bible verse: Philippians 4:13

Backing down

Today started like any other but half way to the train station all of a sudden my back started to really hurt. I pressed on and made it to work but in quite a deal of discomfort.
After about an hour and a half I came home and went to the doc, then to a physio. Interestingly I was told that some of my ribs were out of place and were causing the muscles to spasm hence the pain.
So after a bit of prodding and such I'm all taped up for a couple of days. Still hurts a bit, probably not as much as earlier, and I'm told it will take a bit of time to settle. Amazing how such a little thing, and I don't recall straining anything on the way to work on the process of getting ready, can cause so much discomfort.

Hangin' Tough

I know it's a bit daggy, but this song is typical of the 80s pop, catchy, and unfortunately I still like it.
I bet most of you do too....

Ten Songs About Love - the review

It's all about the deepest and most honest emotion - love.
Easily my most anticipated album of the year, Eran James delivers the goods - and then some.
While the album title Ten Songs About Love is slightly misleading - there are 12 songs on the CD - there is nothing misleading about what you're supposed to feel listening to it.
For the uninitiated, Eran James is just 18. However, he possesses, in my opinion, the most amazing voice. Soulful, spiritual, warm and classy, it's just hard to believe the sound you hear comes from someone so young.
I loved his first album, Reviewing The Situation, which was largely covers and a couple of original songs and really was unpolished. Perhaps that was the intention because it showcased that voice. I still liked it, but the follow up is 100 times better.
The single Touched By Love is an awesome song, as I commented a while back, but the CD opens with the beautiful Halo (I could be wrong but this really appears like a tribute to his mother, who died during the making of the album, and if so it is heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time).
There's less of the jazzy stylings of the first album here, it's just been wound back a notch in that respect but this doesn't make the music any less classy.
My favourite tracks are Halo, Touched By Love, You Know When It Feels Right, I Still Do, Ten Songs About Love, and the sensational closer The World At Your Feet.
This guy just blows me away. Such a positive vibe from the words and the music is a change from the pop production line we get too much of these days.
I could go on and on and on, this is one of the albums of the year. If you're curious check him out, you won't be disappointed.

Storm earn their shot

Melbourne , despite beind unimpressive, beat Parramatta to make the NRL grand final, played next weekend, today.
The Storm have been the best team all year and deserve their shot at the premiership. Just some advice boys, from an armchair expert, the game goes for 80 minutes.

Ratatouille

It seems Pixar can do no wrong. Ratatouille is not their best film but it's a pretty damn good one.
The hero is Remy (Patton Oswalt) a rat who, despite the disgusting reputation of the rodent, longs to be a chef. He has a nose for food, not garbage or leftovers but cuisine, and is somewhat ridiculed by his rodent family.
He is seprarated from pack and ends up in Paris at Gusteau's Restaurant, a once high class eatery that has faded in popularity after being savaged by the critics.
It's up to Remy to save the day in a manner that is at the same time hilarious and heartwarming as it is very unsanitary, shall we say.
I tend to refuse to see any animated feature (aside from the Simpsons Movie of course) that isn't made by Pixar - and for good reason. Everything else is inferior.
From Toy Story through Monsters Inc, Cars, The Incredibles and others in between, Pixar always hits the spot. It amazes me how they can give a rat a personality, make him likable - even adorable - and make you want everything to work out.
Perhaps it's the more universal themes they explore rather than the tools they use, but Ratatouille is quite surreal. Much more so than Cars or Finding Nemo. Perhaps the stigma associated with rats has a lot to do with it.
Like I said, Ratatouille isn't the best Pixar film but it is worthy to stand in the collection. You'll enjoy it, guaranteed. A tasty 8 out of 10.

Punching bag

Today was one of those days when I wish I had a punching bag at home.
The frustration level was very high.
It really gets me when people complain about things going badly, work wise, yet are willing to do nothing to try and change that.
I have been throwing in some suggestions for improvements/changes at work and been well received generally but then they become in the `too hard' basket because noone is willing to change things as they are nice and comfortable.
My workplace is littered with people resistant to change, which is strange as I work in a global communications company. But today, man, I really wanted to explode. I'm sure I wasn't particularly pleasant to be around for much of the day. I've calmed down a bit now but the big issue remains.
Now, where's my punching bag???

Shame on Iemma

News today that, despite the equine influenza that is crippling the NSW racing industry, the Iemma Goverment has pressured the DPI into letting people enter Randwick and undertake some preliminary works for the World Youth Day festival next year.
This is the festival that shouldn't be at Randwick but the Government doesn't seem to care about that. It seems the livelihood of tens of thousands of taxpayers aren't as important as a visit from the Pope for a few days.
This is the same DPI that busted a trainer for driving an unauthorised track across a racecourse and a jockey who wanted to use the same skull cap and vest he used in a different state the week before.
Double standards anyone?
Aside from the shocking disregard for the quarantine status of Randwick, and the potential for the spread of EI by allowing outsiders into the restricted area, the Government has really shown it doesn't care about racing, despite the millions of dollars in generates.
To them it's a cash cow they'll milk for everything but sell out if it means a quick buck.
Among all of this, the new racing minister Graeme West has gone missing. He was hailed as the savious of the racing portfolio but has disappeared just when his division needs leadership and someone to stand up for the people.
Fortunately racing has great leadership in Racing NSW but they're fighting an uphill battle against a Government that has abandoned them. Shame, shame, shame.

Turn It Up - the review

By far and away the best thing to have come from Australian Idol, Shannon Noll continues to widen the gap between himself and other Idol alumni with his third CD, Turn It Up.

Much like Kelly Clarkson, the inaugural American Idol winner, Shannon continues to up the ante. Not winning Idol was probably the best thing that ever happened to him.

I've got to admit he had me sold when he covered What About Me, the 1982 classic that I grew up with. His first album, That's What I'm Talking About, was good. His second album, Lift, was outstanding.

This third release has grown on me significantly between first and second listens and I expect it will continue to impress me further the more I play it (and it will get played a lot this coming week).

I'll get the neagtive out of the way first: Shannon, where are the lyrics? Printing the lyrics really helps you connect with the songs and just printing one verse or one chorus from each song is not good enough.

I've got to admit the opening track Loud still hasn't grabbed me. I like it, perhaps I was expecting another Lift which opened the previous album. Everybody Needs A Little Help is a solid track, earmarked as a surefire hit by some reviewers, but it's not a standout at this stage for me.

After two listens, the highlights for me are Breakdown, Only Thing Missing, Won't Let You Go and Sorry Is Just Too Late - all of which are on the second half of the album. So I guess I can say if the first few songs don't grab you initially stick around because it gets better.

As stated earlier, this is a genuine grower. It's just going to get better. Shannon can carve out a long career with the sound he has established for himself and the likeable Aussie country boy background, and just edge in the soft rock direction.

So when you pick this one up, Turn It Up!

(By the way, I believe it's Shannon Noll's birthday tomorrow so I hope it's a good one!)

New leadership

The ALP unveiled its election strategy today as the PM began his backpedalling on what he said during the week about retiring mid-term if the government is re-elected.
My feeling about this election, whenever it will be in the next couple of months, is not so much whether the government can win it but whether the opposition can lose it. They lost the unlosable GST election a decade ago so it can be done.
I don't comment much on politics, in fact I really prefer to ignore it, but I thought this warranted a mention.

The Final Winter

More than just a movie about rugby league, The Final Winter is one of the better Australian films I've seen in recent years.

To Mick `Grub' Henderson (Matt Nable) rugby league is life and when he is faced with the reality that his career is ending he's left wondering what he's going to do.

And it doesn't matter that he has a wife and two daughters because most of the time he doesn't see them, just the game and how he's devoted his life to it. Added to his woes is the news that his brother Trent (Nathaniel Dean) has just been signed to the club he's devoted his life to. Mick and Trent rarely see eye to eye, stemming from when Mick was forced into the role of provider and surrogate father for his family.

As Trent so touchingly points out `I didn't want a father, I wanted a brother'.

Set in the 1980s, before rugby league turned professional, The Final Winter is a raw film about loyalty, passion and mateship - and a love of the game based around the Newtown Jets.

Matthew Johns plays coach Jack Cooper and while it's hard no to picture him as the clown, lovable as he is, he has become since retiring from the game, he puts in a solid performance.

Matt Nable also wrote the screenplay and he's captured a unique time in Australian sport beautifully and poignantly. As the film points out, Grub is a fictitious character but the era he represents is not.

The graphic and confronting football scenes add another dimension to the film. It's a side of rugby league that is filtered to us as viewers - we don't feel a lot of the hits the guys put on each other. Admittedly also the game has changed a bit since the 80s and some of the toughness has been diluted from the game (the contested scrums are a prime example and a bit of a hobby horse of mine).

I thought the film was thoroughly believable, engaging and a shade moving. Not bad for a game where a bunch of blokey blokes thunder into each other for 80 minutes a week. Very much a quality Aussie film and an 8 out of 10.

Testing the water

I posed a question last week that, cryptic as it was, needs some serious answering.
Nobody else can answer the question, it's an answer I have to come up with myself. So the time is looming when I must settle it.
Exactly how I am going to come to a conclusion I haven't exactly worked out. Actually, I have a fair idea I'm just not prepared to announce that theory here.
When it comes down to it the question probably has already been answered for me, I just have to find out for sure.
That's coming soon.....

Listening to...

Here's my top five songs at the moment*.

1. On The Verge Of Something Wonderful-Darren Hayes
2. Dance Floor Anthem (I Don't Want To Be In Love)-Good Charlotte
3. Big Girls Don't Cry-Fergie
4. Dear Mr President-Pink
5. First Time-Lifehouse

* this list doesn't include Eran James' Touched By Love as yet as it hasn't been officially released yet.

Take racing seriously

On July 13, I wrote a comment piece in the Sportsman slamming the NSW Government for their bad handling of the racing portfolio.
This is what I wrote, I have more to say in the light of the EI crisis but I thought this is good background.

WHEN is the NSW Government going to wake up and take the racing portfolio seriously.The state's department of liquor, gaming and racing website says its responsibility, among other things, is to ``support the growth and economic viability of NSW racing''.
By kicking the horses and trainers out of Randwick for 10 weeks on the eve of the 2008 spring carnival surely hosting Pope Benedict XVI and 500,000-plus pilgrims is going against its charter.
Perhaps if premier Morris Iemma and his new racing minister Graham West can convince the pontiff and his followers to stick around and have a punt it could be seen as aiding the economic viability of racing.Consider what the World Youth Day festival, which actually runs for about a week, has the potential to do to racing at NSW's premier track.
There's the inconvenience to the trainers having to uproot and shift their horses, many of which will be Group One class gallopers preparing for the spring.
There's the potential that owners could be lost to the trainer and/or the state with the disruption. Consider the impact this could have on the spring carnival and on the Randwick track itself, which has already had more than its share of problems.
Closing Randwick also means closing the Kensington track which means we lose two racecourses for 10 weeks -- consider the impact on Canterbury, Rosehill and Warwick Farm racecourses from extra workload.
There's the loss of turnover as its is perceived by TAB Limited that punters bet less if the races aren't at Randwick or Rosehill. If the AJC moves a Randwick race meeting to Warwick Farm it must compensate the TAB for loss of revenue.
Talk of compensation for all parties involved is welcome but there's no way anyone can put a figure on the actual cost until the event is over. No-one knows the extent of the damage to the track (the WYD website says Sydney is mild and dry at this time of year), the loss of turnover and revenue and all the other factors.
Then there's the logistics.
Anyone who has been to Derby Day at Randwick, which regularly attracts 50,000 people, knows what a nightmare it is to get around largely because the government decided to sell off an important piece of adjoining land.
They're talking 500,000 people or more descending on the area, one which lacks infrastructure. Is everyone going to catch a bus? The Government says it is too late to move the event. We're just on a year away.
Surely it can be done.
Sydney Olympic Park was built to cater for large crowds -- Randwick has already proven it can't handle them.
The Government must realise they can have their cake and eat it too with this event -- they don't need to cripple racing and the livelihoods of many of its participants to host the Pope.
Like so many other things in racing, one thing you can say for sure is that this wouldn't happen in Victoria.Can you imagine the VRC agreeing to close Flemington for 10 weeks ahead of the Melbourne Cup Carnival so its surface can be destroyed and its carnival compromised?
As Richard Freedman said recently on 2KY, the Victorian government would close an airport for the event before it even considered messing with the racing industry.
Their government knows how important racing is to the state.

A question...

Where do we go from here?

In summary

Aside from a week of no racing due to the EI outbreak my short hiatus from work has been a good one. (Some would say that forced break from the races is good for me. I can see their point.)
I'm also feeling pretty well (touch wood) on the whole. The trip away was really good for me and despite it not being a massive deal it proved to me that my limitations aren't as great as I had led myself to believe.
I haven't worked out what the next step is yet, but I'm sure it will come.
But I'm looking forward to going back to work, as much as everyone needs time away from their jobs I really do enjoy what I do. It keeps reminding me of a line in Michael J Fox's book Lucky Man which was something like `if you love your job you'll never work a day in your life'. I see what he means.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Who is Jason Bourne? It's the question the Matt Damon character has been asking for three films now and in The Bourne Ultimatum we finally learn the truth. Sort of.
Bourne, who was last seen at the end of Supremacy in Russia, is hunting for the men who know his past and , as in the other films, this takes him all over the globe in remarkably quick time.
Still on his case is the CIA. Pamela Landy (Joan Allen) was the one chasing Bourne in the earlier film but she's been outranked by an agency bent on killing Bourne and anyone else who gets in the way.
When Bourne learns of project Blackbriar he finds the key to unlocking his past.
That's the plot, which sadly is a little secondary in Ultimatum compared to the first two. There's certainly plenty of action and cool car chases (well one cracker in particular).
In the end, do we really learn who Jason Bourne is (or was). Yeah we know his name is David Webb but that seems insufficient. In the end, Jason Bourne is Jason Bourne as he turned his back on Webb long ago. I don't think there's any big secret or spoiler there.
The Bourne Identity raised the bar for this genre of film, which is why Mission Impossible 3 sucked so badly. The third (and seemingly final as Damon has apparently said no to any more) film is no better than its predecessors but it is well worth another journey into the world of Jason Bourne. An entertaining 8 out of 10, but it could have been heaps better too.

Who We Are - the review

The fourth album from my favourite band, Lifehouse , is a worthy addition to the collection so far and one that definitely grows on you.
Initially slightly disappointed the album, Who We Are, compares well with the previous, self-titled, album which interestingly ended with the words who we are (from the song The End Has Only Begun).
I have extolled the virtues of Jason Wade as a songwriter many times and he has again floored me with some of his lyrics. But I will get to that shortly.
The CD opens with Dissaray and the first single, First Time , and they are solid soft rock tracks but we come into the third song Whatever It Takes and things changed for me. Essentially a love song about two people trying desperately to salvage what they have in the face of a break-up. This one kind of feels like a follow up to Hanging By A Moment depicting the end rather than the beginning.
The title track is fine and fairly self-explanatory and track six The Joke has quite an interesting sound. Then we get into the A grade.
If you ever liked Lifehouse, particularly tracks like Everything, it comes as no surprise that Wade produces a corker in the track Easier To Be . While Lifehouse don't lay claim to being a Christian band Wade's background has been well exposed and he often writes Christian songs disguised as secular (of sorts) songs and the aforementioned Everything is a prime example.
Easier To Be is the Everything of this album and is simple, beautiful and moving.
`We speak in silence, words can't break, it feels like we are, falling awake, in a place and a time, of our own, yeah yeah, you make it easier to be, easier to be me. It felt like the world fell from my feet, gave up on myself, you didn't give up on me...'
It's almost a shame Easier To Be isn't the last track as it would be a perfect ending. We get a few standard rock tracks before heading back into deeper waters with Storm .
`If I could just see you, everything would be all right, if I'd see you, this darkness would turn to light. And I will walk on water, and you will catch me if I fall, and I will get lost into your eyes, I know everything will be all right..'
We get two bonus tracks in Australia, Keep The Change and I Want You To Know, of which the latter is definitely the better.
A band like Lifehouse could have easily fizzled out after a debut number one single and successful first album but they have continued and there's certainly plenty of life left in this group. At least I hope so. Jason Wade and Lifehouse produce music with soul and heart and that is something sorely missed out there.

The new Delta

I have to admit to a soft spot for Delta Goodrem not because of the cancer battle but more because I found her very appealing both musically and, shall we say, superficially. Actually, not so superficially because that's exactly what I'm about to decry.
I found her appealing because she had the wholesome, girl you'd take home to mum look about her. And I like that very much.
So it was with some concern I heard of the impending return of the `sexier Delta', knowing that when previous girls next door changed their image they both looked worse, in my view, and appeared to sell less if not immediately but eventually. (Recent examples are Britney Spears and Mariah Carey).
Anyway, Delta is back with a new song called In This Life which sounds pretty good I must say. However, I have never had a problem with her songs - even the last album Mistaken Identity was excellent and contained several cracking songs. I was initially concerned by her sexy photo shoot for Cosmo, which was shown in the paper last weekend, as I thought she was far too heavily made up (I don't claim to be an expert but i know what I like) and looked like a poor rip off of Faith Hill who was photographed with a similar look to the above photo but managed to appear much classier.
When I saw Delta on Enough Rope earlier in the week my concerns were lessened slightly but we'll just have to see what image is put out there when the single and album are released.
Suddenly `discovering' your sexy side isn't going to suddenly make people go crazy for her again, if I were her publicist I'd be looking back at Innocent Eyes and rediscovering classic Delta. But that's just me.

The crisis deepens

The news that eight thoroughbreds at Randwick have tested positive to EI today effectively closes the track for about two months.
So the spring carnival in NSW is gone, pretty much, and it remains to be seen if the virus spreads further afield to training centres that have so far escaped. Given that the majority of the infection in Sydney has been centralised around Randwick means there is a good chance of containment to that area.
These are the worst fears of the racing industry - hopefully now things can be contained and the virus can burn itself out.

The equine influenza crisis

I've sat back and read some of the letters to the newspaper regarding the outbreak of equine influenza (EI) in Australia in the last week.
As someone with a vested interest in the racing industry I've got to say I'm pretty appalled at some of the reaction from the public to the plight of the industry, which is the third largest in Australia. And this is a crisis, but one that can be overcome.
EI is not a fatal disease for horses, it's much like the flu we get. It knocks you around for a short time then goes. The trouble with EI is that it is incredibly contagious and can be carried by people, on boots, clothing and even in the air. So this is why it is important to restrict the movement of horses to stop the spread of the disease.
So far, despite the fact that all horse racing in Australia has been stopped (except for Darwin) for almost a week, no racehorses have tested positive to EI and if this trend continues the chances of it spreading further are diminished. EI has been spread through the leisure industry, showjumping and equestrian horses, a sector of the horse industry that isn't as regulated as racing.
That's why racing has tightened the screws quickly and no thoroughbreds have yet been infected. As every day goes by, with an incubation period of 2 to 5 days, those chances are reducing.
Make no mistake, the racing industry is hurting even though everyone understands that this must be done. Politicians, even Peter Costello, have acknowledged the damage to the economy that having no horse racing, and therefore gambling on horse racing, will do. As each week passes the damage is greater. Revenue that racing receives from gambling is important to the running of the industry but more important are the livelihoods of the trainers, jockeys, strappers, trackwork riders etc, very few of whom are well enough off for this period not to make a big detrimental impact on them financially. Then there are the other industries that are connected to racing like catering, security, fashion, it goes on.
And this all at the start of the spring racing carnival. The time of the year when people who care little for racing suddenly hit the track, when the international focus turns to Australia, when the biggest prizemoney is on offer and when the most money is spent by the average punter on racing.
What has disgusted me about the correspondence in the papers has been the fact that people are saying that gambling is evil etc and the racing industry deserves this to happen to it. I guarantee that every single person who has a beef with racing on this point knows of someone who has been affected in some way by the outbreak.
I personally am not interested in the motor industry, or fashion for example, but I don't wish hardship upon them.
What people have to remember about gambling is that racing is only a part of it - poker machines and casinos are far greater evils than racetracks.
As it stands racing is set to recommence in Victoria, SA, WA, Tasmania and the NT on Saturday. Best case scenario for NSW and Queensland is Saturday week but subject to some pretty strict conditions. All this is dependent on the lifting of a no-movement of horses order by the DPI on Friday afternoon. This will happen unless there is an outbreak in the other states but it will remain in NSW and QLD.
I certainly hope things can start to get back into action this weekend, as someone interested in racing another Saturday like the one just past is not desirable, and get the industry back on its feet. But it is going to take a long time to recover and the spring carnival might well not be the same this year.

One small step...

Well I returned today from my holiday and am happy to report I came through the challenge I set myself last week in good shape.
The challenge was this. Instead of catching the train I drove. While it sounds simple driving some five hours is something I haven't done for about three years, for reasons which should be reasonably clear to most.
Anyway it turned out to be no problem and while I am yet to feel significantly different I do feel that it was an achievement. One small step, well two actually considering I drove back as well (naturally).

The great smoothie disgrace

I bought a banana smoothie this afternoon - or so I thought. It turned out to be nothing more than a milkshake and I was them only put half a banana in the mix.
When I challenged them about it I was told that bananas were too expensive at the moment. I pointed out that upstairs at Woolworths they were $2.60 per kilo so I wasn't buying that excuse. Having had some awesome smoothies (for less money as well) while I was away I declared I wasn't buying anything at the particular shop again.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

This is one example of a movie which looks awesomely funny in the trailer but disappoints once you see it.
That's the best way to sum up I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, starring Adam Sandler.
The basic concept, for those who don't know, is that Larry has failed to update his benefits to his children in the event of his death when his wife passed and is faced with his kids having no support should anything happen to him. Long story short he calls on his best mate Chuck (Sandler) whose life he saved during a fire fighting job to help out in an odd way.
He signs over his benefits to Chuck after declaring the two had formed a `domestic partnership'. They get investigated and are forced to pose as a gay couple.
I've got to say they went to some lengths to prove they were a couple and you're left wondering why. The Canadian wedding scene was one example.
Anyway there are laughs here but not as many as first thought. Jessica Biel is nice. I can't go any higher than a 6 out of 10.

Challenge accepted

Without going into detail, on Friday I'm taking up a challenge.
It's not something that in itself is difficult but something that became difficult due to circumstances of a couple of years ago.
But I've decided there is now no reason why I can't try and am going to give it a go. Like I said in theory it will be fine but it is something I really need to do, partially to prove it to myself, to feel a bit more `normal'.
I'm looking forward to Friday, for several reasons, but the challenge is an enjoyable activity (of sorts) and hopefully will help ease the restrictions on my boundaries. Most of you know what I it is but it's fun to be a bit cryptic from time to time.
Wish me luck!

This Delicate Thing We've Made

The long awaited (by me) third solo album from ex-Savage Garden frontman Darren Hayes has arrived and, after about one and a half listens I present my verdict.
Some have said this is the album that they have been waiting for from Hayes. I personally thought that his previous album, The Tension And The Spark, was very satisfying though at times a shade depressing.
There's very little of that on This Delicate Thing We've Made, an indulgent 25-song opus which on the whole is excellent.
On first listen there are a couple of songs I immediately dismiss as utter crap, particularly the second last song on disc one called Bombs Up In My Face - aptly named I think because it really does blow. Strangely he follows that song with a cracker in The Great Big Disconnect.
There are some outstanding songs here, most notably Who Would Have Thought?, Sing To Me, The Sun Is Always Blinding Me, The Great Big Disconnect, Lucky Town, I Just Want You To Love Me, Words, The Tuning Of Violins and the single On The Verge Of Something Wonderful.
Looking at that list - if this was a single album and all those songs were there it'd be one of the best albums I've heard.
There are probably a couple more songs that will appeal but haven't on first listen - I found that the case with the previous album. Plus that's harder when they don't include the lyrics.
Overally, musically, this is a real pleasure to listen to. While 25 songs is probably too many at least you're getting value for money. Like `Tension', though I reckon this won't be a commercial success which is a shame, but Australia doesn't seem to have embraced Darren Hayes since Savage Garden split. Shame, but I still like what he's done (aside from the video clip to `On The Verge...', which is really appalling).

Not much to tell

Don't have an awful lot to add at the moment.
I'm listening to some of my music on the computer (Mariah's Fly Like A Bird is playing as a write this). I have a week off work coming up shortly which will be great.
The warmer weather over the last little while has been great, I've enjoyed taking the barefoot walks in the park nearby again (a great summer favourite of mine) and feeling the warmth of the sun has been great after such a cold, wet winter. Of course, like every year, it will get cold again before it gets warmer.

Die Hard 4.0

Check your grip on reality at the door when you see Die Hard 4.0 because over the top doesn't quite cut it as a description in the latest adventure of John McClane (Bruce Willis).

That's not saying it isn't entertaining and spectacular just not realistic - at all. But in the end what do you expect from a Die Hard movie made in the era of high-tec special effects and action movies that have to outdo the previous one.

McLean takes on the seemingly inocuous task of escorting a computer hacker (played by Justin Long) to be questioned and is caught up in a plot to shut down the country by a disgruntled government computer expert Thomas Gabriel (played brilliantly by Timothy Oliphant).

Also have to say that Kevin Smith, creator of such cult films as Clerks etc, has a great role here as a middle-aged computer geek whose cyberspace handle is Warlock.

The generation gap is quite humorously handled between McLean and his reluctant sidekick and the daughter Lucy is the obligatory family member/breautiful woman to be rescued. I don't mean to appear cynical because I really did enjoy the film.

And you will to, if you take it for what it is. Not in the league of Transformers, or I suspect the upcoming Bourne Ultimatum, but a solid 7.5 out of 10 for sheer entertainment value.

Eran James' Touched By Love

Do yourselves a favour and listen to this great song. It's called Touched By Love and it's by an 18-year-old guy called Eran James.
I've been a fan of his for a while thanks to his cracking debut album called Reviewing The Situation, which was released a couple of years ago.

He's got a new one coming out this month called Ten Songs About Love and what I've heard so far I like very much and I can't wait to get my hands on in.

His music is soulful/jazzy at times and certainly easy listening and I haven't heard a classier voice in a long time. Can't believe he's so young.

Human touch

Interesting article here confirming the benefits of human touch to people. Living in a place like Sydney, where people tend to keep at arms length, can be isolating. Now I'm not saying we should be hugging people on the train or bus or whatever. But the power of a simple touch is seemingly good for you.

Mind games

To what extend does the mind rule what's going on in your body?
I've been battling with that question lately as I've experienced a period of discomfort that seems to have no medical (physically) basis.
Through a bunch of tests over several months I have been continually told `there's nothing wrong' yet the symptom still remains. It settles for a while then returns at unpredictable times (one of those being the recent present).
I'm no stranger to a bit of health anxiety but, on the whole, I haven't felt particularly anxious for a while, at least not consciously, so it is all a bit strange. This episode has only served to highten my awareness of such issues.
So I wonder whether there is a part of the mind that is causing this. And assuming it is, how do I get it to settle down?
As I said a while back I tend not to pray for myself too much, at least I try not to, and always leave myself until last. Perhaps this is serving to teach me something. If there is nothing symptomatic of anything remotely serious (that I don't already know about) that should be enough to settle the mind. But perhaps I've been so shaken up by everything that has happened this year I am yet to completely settle down. I hope it is that simple.
I think I am pretty good at perseverence and I know that God doesn't test you beyond what you can handle.