Spice Girls reform - so where are the new songs?

The Spice Girls have announced they will reform and tour later this year in what was really the worst kept secret in music for a while.
Whether this is a good thing or not depends on how you felt about the Spice Girls during their few years at the top in the late 1990s. I have two of their three CDs and have seen the movie but everyone already knows my taste can be questionable at times.
I do recall watching a Spice Girls `concert' with a couple of mates at uni - with the sound turned down - and I also recall we quite enjoyed it.
I have to say I quite like a few of their songs but there's no incentive to buy the proposed `Greatest Hits' CD that will accompany their tour. Everyone who was remotely interested already has those songs.
So girls, if you're serious you've got to hit the studio and pump out something new.
Other bands to have reformed, like That That, have at least given their remaining fans something original when they returned. Have the Greatest Hits if you must, and I'm sure the record company has a lot to do with that, but new music is essential.
For the record, my favourite Spice Girls songs are/were: Viva Forever, Stop, 2 Become 1, Too Much and Mama.

Transformers

It's hard to know where to start.
We all know Transformers from the 80's cartoon and I for one never imagined a major motion picture. Well, well done Michael Bay.
The story revolves around Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) and an expedition by his great grandfather in the early 20th century that uncovered a top secret technological find - which turns out to be Megatron, leader of the Decepticons.
I'd never heard of Shia LeBeouf before but he's responsible for carrying this movie and he, I think, is the real star of the show.
Sam's in line for his first car and in the selection process is told `the car chooses you' and how right that statement was to be. His car was Bumblebee, an Autobot, and his selection of Sam was not by accident.
The Autobots are searching for the Allspark, a cube that holds the key to gaining control of the universe, and Sam's great grandfather's glasses hold the key.
Follow?
This is basically an action flick but I've got to say it's done very tongue in cheek and very much with a nod to the 80's and to several other popular franchises like Star Wars and the Terminator in particular.
Transformers shouldn't be a good film. It's based on a totally unrealistic premise that is also a cartoon but they pull it off. The sheer size of the Transformers is a bit too noticeable but that is also utilised in a very clever comic scene.
Like its catchphrase, there is `more that meets the eye' to this movie. A very entertaining 8.5 out of 10.

Tipping comp update

With just five weeks remaining in the racing season I am actually a chance of claiming my sixth title in seven years of our office tipping competition.
A couple of months ago I didn't think I had a chance and was sitting around fifth or sixth. After a couple of weeks of excellent results I am now equal second (third on percentages) and only two points off the lead.
The next five Saturdays will be highly competitive.

Change is supposed to be a good thing

There's been a lot of talk at work about changing things around and trying some new things.
I'm all for it and was asked for my input into what I think can be done. So I threw in some suggestions.
Some got shot down pretty quickly and others were well received.
I left work last week with the impression that some of my ideas would be embraced sooner rather than later but have so far seen no evidence.
It's all a bit frustrating when people are talking about trying new things and then the same people say things like `we can't do that'. It's so negative.
What's wrong with trying something a little different. Things have been done the same way for years and years and are becoming tiresome.
So to freshen things but, and provide a bit of stimulation for the workers and the readers, shouldn't meet with so much resistance.
One thing I learned quite quickly working with the people in my section is that they don't embrace change well and very much have a `can't do' mentality. It's easy to get sucked into that.
I really enjoy what I do and consider myself to be quite good at it. That did get me into a bit of trouble late last year but you learn from those kind of things. I can either be passionate about my job, because it is a passion of mine, and put 100% into it or just `get the job done' and not put any particular effort into it.
Its just that it can be a bit frustrating.

Somewhere In Between

One of my favourite songs, Somewhere In Between by Lifehouse, so I thought I'd post the lyrics. Kind of sums me up at the moment.

I can't be losing sleepover this, no I can't
And now I cannot stop pacing
Give me a few hours I'll have this all sorted out
If my mind would just stop racing
Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening
This is over my head but underneath my feet
Cause by tomorrow morning I'll have this thing beat
And everything will be back to the way that it was
I wish that it was just that easy
Cause I'm waiting for tonight and then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between
What is real and just a dream
Would you catch me if I fall out of what I fell in
Don't be surprised if I collapse down at your feet again
I don't want to run away from this
I know that I just don't need this
Cause I cannot stand still
I can't be this unsturdy
This cannot be happening, yeah
Cause I'm waiting for tonight and then waiting for tomorrow
And I'm somewhere in between what is real and just a dream

So small, so powerful

Last night I stubbed by small toe against something, hurt like you wouldn't believe.
It's now all bruised and I had a limp for a while today. It's amazing how such a small part of the body can cause big invconvenience.
Looks like it's fine, I'll keep an eye on it in the next 24 hours or so, but I'll have a technicolour toe for a few weeks it seems.

Thinking out loud

I'm considering closing this blog...

Blades Of Glory

I don't think I've laughed this much in a cinema in a long time.
The ridiculous figure staking film Blades Of Glory won't win any awards from critics but it's worth the price of admission for the laughs alone.
Will Ferrell plays Chazz Michael Michaels, the bad boy of figure skating and the nemesis of Jimmy McElroy (John Heder).
After tying for the gold at the world championships a fight erupts and they are banned for life.
Years later a crazed, yet weirdly likeable, fan discovers a loophole that will allow the object of his obsession to return to the ice - by pairing up with Michaels.
You can imagine what happens from there.
Yes, it's all so wrong and stupid but you have to laugh. It's done quite tongue in cheek and while being quite lowbrow it doesn't scrape the bottom of the barrel.
John Heder, of Napoleon Dynamite fame, is surreal with his blond locks and very feminine appearance while Ferrell is doing his usual, though considering I refused to watch Talladegah Nights he may have gone up a cog after his brilliant turn in Stranger Than Fiction.
Bottom line, this is very light, a tad uncomfortable for the guys in places but not for the reasons you are probably thinking.
For sheer entertainment and laughs it gets a 7.5 out of 10. You can do a lot worse.

Aussie wins at Ascot

Miss Andretti claimed the crown of Australia's best sprinting racehorse winning the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot overnight.
Not only did she win, she smashed the course record for the five furlong event.
Impressive.

Royal Ascot

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, 12.05am in fact, four Australian racehorses will vie for the title of the nation's best.
The race is not being held in Australia, as the time suggests, but at Royal Ascot in England. Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Bentley Biscuit and Magnus will be part of a 21 strong field in the King's Stand Stakes run over 1000m.
It's a tough event and will be very interesting to watch.

Economic cost of IBD

A report released today reveals the true cost if IBD to Australia. It's a stunning figure and one even I wasn't aware of.
The report says cases of IBD are more prevalent than epilepsy and multiple sclerosis and on par with schizophrenia. It also says that the psychological impact can at times be compared to the amputation of an arm. Interesting reading.

Be aware

I don't see myself as a crusader for any particular cause, nor do I want to be a poster boy for anything but I feel I must spend some time on this.
June 18-22 is Australian Crohns & Colitis Awareness Week. If you click the link it will explain better than I will here exactly what Inflammatory Bowel Disease is.
What I will explain here is my experience of living with IBD, a condition that is not life-threatening a large majority of the time but one that is very much lifestyle threatening.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with Crohns Disease after a short, sharp period of illness that followed some on and off unexplained ailments. They were soon very much explained.
The night before some test results I became intensely afraid of cancer and had to have my doctor say the words `you don't have cancer' to be satisfied.
While that was a relief, what he told me I had was hard to understand. I'd heard of it vaguely, by name, as most people have but didn't really know what it would mean. Initially everything seemed surreal and I had an insense feeling of unease.
How has it affected me?
For me the effects have been more psychological than physical (touch wood). When the condition has been active, which has happened twice since diagnosis, the physical effects included weight loss (I lost about 9-10kg both times), appetite loss, severe tiredness and different bathroom habits. Some people get pretty bad pain, fortunately I don't at this stage. The biggest effect has come in lifestyle. While generally I can and do still do pretty much everything I did before disgnosis I tend to have to be more wary of certain things.
Why should awareness be raised?
Unlike some conditions, it isn't obvious that someone has to deal with conditions like this. By that I mean unless you are physically sick you don't look sick. But that doesn't mean it isn't having an effect. The nature of IBD is that it can come and go. There can be years between `flares', but also some people never have perios of remissions. It's been six months since I got over the physical side of my last `flare' of the disease and only now am I feeling good. In the time between now and then I have worked (with a couple of breaks) but haven't always been on my game.
What can you do?
I have found that some people go out of their way to understand what is going on in an effort to accommodate you if need be. Those people are priceless. Simple understanding and support are the most important things anyone can offer.
Others just say `I've heard of it but don't know much about it'. If you're in that latter category I urge you to spent a few minutes learning. I sincerely hope you don't have to deal with this issue but it can affect anyone and you probably know someone who is.
An American guy called Josh Golder has made a film True Guts which features people living with IBD. I am yet to see it but hope to.

So there's something of what I experience. To this point I consider myself one of the fortunate ones in that while it has been and is a difficult thing to manage it is well within the manageable range, according to the doc, and therefore I haven't had to take any `serious' drugs. I hope it stays that way.

The half-year movie report

So far in 2007 I have seen 12 films at the cinema. That number is down on the norm by four or five I'd say but the quality has been pretty good.

In chronological order:
1. The Holiday 8/10
2. Stranger Than Fiction 8/10
3. Rocky Balboa 7.5/10
4. Hot Fuzz 7.5/10
5. Reign Over Me 9/10
6. Shooter 8/10
7. The Number 23 8.5/10
8. Spider-Man 3 9/10
9. Noise 8/10
10. Pirates Of The Caribbean:At World's End 7/10
11. Shrek The Third 7/10
12. Breach 9/10

Plenty of films to come including Blades Of Glory, Transformers, Harry Potter 5, Die Hard 4 and of course the long awaited Simpsons movie.

The challenge

It's called many different things.
During the week I was told by the doctor that I was again in remission. I knew that already but it's great to have it official as it were. Remission is a strange description but one that many people will be familiar with. To me the more accurate description is dormant.
The big challenge for me now is to keep it that way for as long as possible. Last time it was about 18 months but I spent much of that trying to pretend there was nothing to accommodate.
This time around I'd like to think that I am much better equipped.
I have to recognise that there are limits but that they don't need to be as strict as I have been keeping them.
I have to be sensible about things like diet, exercise, rest and relaxation and incorporate them as effectively as possible.
I have to draw the line with work and make sure I don't overdo it. This is a tough one because I really enjoy my work but that was my downfall last time.
I have to learn not to freak out so much. Again this is not easy because I think that the unconscious mind is a lot more powerful than we give it credit for.
What's great for me is to be returning to work after a break that was by choice and not dictated by meltdowns or illness. It's also great to have been feeling pretty good most of the time.
As I said, all this is the big challenge. By mastering it life should be a lot easier than it has been.
At least that's how it should be in theory.

The holiday is over

Well almost. The weekend still counts, doesn't it?
It's been a good break. I haven't done anything major but it's nice to be off work and in decent shape for a change.
Kinda looking forward to going back.

Breach

Knowing the ending of a movie you a watching in the first minute can take the sting out of it, but that's not the case with Breach , the true story of fallen FBI agent Robert Hanssen.
It is established in the opening that Hanssen is guilty of selling classified information to the Russians over a period of 20 or so years up to 2001.
Scarily portrayed by the excellent Chris Cooper, Hanssen is a devoted husband and Catholic and goes to church regularly. To the untrained eye he is the all-American good guy.
This certainly fools Eric O'Neill (Ryan Phillippe), who is a wannabe agent sent in by the FBI to bring down Hanssen. It is an unlikely pairing. The first thing Hanssen asks O'Neill is to tell him five things about him of which only four are true so he can pick the lie. Interesting.
O'Neill quickly feels out of his depth and approaches agent Kate Burroughs, played by the fabulous Laura Linney, demanding to know what he is up against.
Hanssen invades O'Neill's life, unsettling his marriage and making him constantly have to second guess himself. At one point O'Neill says `I'm telling so many lies I'm having trouble getting things straight'.
Phillipe is not known for his acting ability. But like he did for Hayden Christensen in Shattered Glass, writer and director Billy Ray brings out the best in Phillippe. Acting alongside Chris Cooper demands nothing less than brilliance and Phillippe delivers and delivers big time. He is outstanding in every way and certainly matches Cooper step for step. The movie was probably released at the wrong time, otherwise I'd say Phillippe should be up for a best supporting actor nod.
Breach is not everyone's cup of tea but it's safe to say if you liked Shattered Glass you'll like this. It is bleak, not flashy at all and requires concentration. But the rewards are there. A very strong 9 out of 10.

Contemplation

The biggest thing bugging me at the moment is, put simply, that I don't know where I stand.
Yes that is a broad generalisation, here's the detail.
....with myself.
It might sound strange but I've had such a ride in the last six months or so I'm not sure if I'm me anymore. I've been through scary low points to somewhat normal but am generally stuck somewhere in between.
....with Church.
A while back I decided I needed a break from my home church of over five years. I felt like energy was being drawn out of me by going there. Two Sundays ago I went for the first time in about 10 weeks and it was nice, though a shade odd to be there after so long but that was probably just me. I still don't know where things sit there.
In no way have I loosened grip on my faith, if anything tough times make you stronger, and I should point that out.
....with friends.
When things get really difficult, you know who you can count on because it becomes obvious. Obvious because the ones you can't count on tend to disappear. They don't call, don't check in, don't visit. That's hard to take.
....with health.
Perhaps that will become a shade clearer tomorrow but with so much upheaval I have become a bit spooked by all these crises. I'm generally pretty good but health isn't all about the physical stuff.
....with where I am headed.
It's all uncertainty when it shouldn't be so foggy. There should be a clear direction but all there is are circles.

When push comes to shove you taste what you're made of. You might bend till you break 'cause it's all you can take. On your knees you look up, decide you've had enough. You get mad, you get strong, wipe your head, shake it off. Then you stand. (Rascal Flatts' Stand)

Weekend tidbits

Half way through my holidays at the moment. It's a nice break and I don't really mind the rain (aside from the obvious good aspects) because it is conducive to rugging up with a good film.
So I've been trying to do that.
My only issue with the rain is that it has prevented me from taking my daily walk, aside from today when I took advantage of a break in the weather and some sunshine.
My first foray into a film was Catch A Fire, the film set in South Africa starring Tim Robbins and it didn't do anything for me. Glad I passed on it at the movies after some early interest based on good reviews.
I have some episodes of Lost to watch this week so will try to slot them in somewhere.
My recent interest in country music with the band Rascal Flatts has continued. While I'm still right into the wonderful Me And My Gang CD I have picked up their two previous albums Feels Like Today and Melt and they are quite good (though I have only listened to them once so far).

OTH: All These Things That I've Done

Another cracking episode of One Tree Hill, the seventh in season 4, which sees a lot of action in a short space of time.
Peyton is still freaking out about her stalker and can't even fathom going to school. Her half-brother Derek tries to toughen her up and has a go at Lucas for `babying' her.
Rachel is up to her delicious tricks and outs Brooke's affair with her teacher to the principal.
Haley tries her hand at babysitting and Deb gets arrested for trying to buy several prescription drugs with a forged script.
Mouth, easily one of the best characters, prepares for his date with the surprisingly appealing Gigi and then is faced with a dilemma when invited out for a date with a model.
The centre of the episode, though, is Nathan's involvement in a gambling scam designed to eliminate his debt to a rather unsavoury acquaintance. Nathan asks Lucas (pictured) to do the unthinkable and help him rig the game, which he reluctantly does but vows `never again'.
The season 4 finale airs this week, I'm still a way off that and it's really hard not to look ahead out of turn. But knowing a full 22 episodes of season 5 have been ordered helps ease the urge to rush.
The networks (and a heck of a lot of people who watched shows like The O.C) don't know what they are missing.

Shrek The Third

There's no other way to describe it but the much hyped third movie in the series, Shrek The Third , is a disappointment.
Where do I start?
We pick up not too long after where Shrek 2 left off. Fiona's father is dying (I found it very weird that he was a rather small frog) and he leaves Shrek in charge of the kingdom of Far, Far Away, much to Shrek's chagrin.
After a death scene to rival one from the original Buffy movie, the king eventually coughs up that there is an heir. Shrek, not wanting to take on the responsibility of being king, sets off to find him.
In the interim, Prince Charming rallies all the fairytale villians to take over the kingdom. The Prince seems to have a disturbing habit of performing plays about his conquests (or prospective ones). Also disturbing is how Donkey and the dragon have managed to have children.
There are some funny moments in the film, it's not a dud by any means. There's just nothing new here. They've already done it, twice, and it's looking tired and forced.
Knowing there is already a Shrek 4 in production, let's just hope they lift their game a bit.
I wouldn't say don't go and see it if it interests you but don't expect anything mind blowing. A 7 out of 10, tempted to go a shade lower.

Downside to all the rain

I don't want to be a half-full kind of guy but I found a downside to all this great rain we are having.
Travelling back to Sydney today on the train, we were forced to stop at Maitland and were transferred onto a bus because the track was flooded. Ironically I took the train because I didn't want to sit on a bus. Then again I could have driven but that raises all sorts of other issues that I won't go into here.
The water laying on the ground along the countryside was amazing to look at and hopefully will make a massive difference, streams were flowing that haven't in ages.
Anyway I was about two hours late home since the train was halted. Small price to pay for the best rain we've had in ages I know. Let's hope there's more of it.

My take on The Secret

Much has been said and written about The Secret and it has even been sent up on The Chaser.
(Just an aside, I thought the Chaser's send-up was hilarious.)
Having read the book myself, just this week, here's my 20 cents worth.
I don't see how it's a bad thing to have a positive attitude. It can't be a bad thing to feel good. People should lead lives of abundance.
Would you rather have your head filled with thoughts of doubt, worry and fear or of joy, love and laughter. It's an easy call.
Getting to the latter point, however, doesn't appear so easy at least to me.
Yes it comes across as new-age mumbo jumbo and is a shade repetitive but maybe that's the secret to getting your head around The Secret. Who knows, it's probably different for each individual.
I think if one was to take on board what The Secret is putting forward they would have to have a clear view of what they expect and why they are doing it. I say this because the book claims to have the key to curing all bad things in life, simply it seems, by having a positive attitude and trying to feel good.
As I said I don't think it is a bad thing to be positive, in fact I am certain life is a lot easier when you're not weighed down by life.
So I think if one was to try The Secret they should do it simply to try and enjoy life more, and if all the amazing things claimed in the book follow then great. I've got to say that it says you should do things that bring you joy, whether they are meditating, eating chocolate or running a marathon. I've got to agree. Life's too short not to enjoy the things you like.
I'm not going to bag The Secret, in fact I don't see any harm in having an outlook that promotes enjoyment and feeling good.

TGIH

How does two weeks holidays sound?
To me, pretty good. And when I was asked if I wanted to take holidays who was I to turn them down. So I have two weeks from now R&R.
The big difference between now and the time off a while go should be obvious and I'm pretty happy about that.