I've been listening to Skid Row's debut album (because I can), which includes the "classic" I rember you...

 

The album was made in 1989, which makes it 18 years old. And one of the other hits on it is called "18 and Life"...And eerily that track just started, just as I was writing about it!!

 

I remember head banging along to this album in high school...ooooo

 

And it happens that Sebastian Bach from Skid Row will be touring with Guns N Roses next month. Not that I would go.

This is the first time I've blogged about a dream (I think), probably because I can actually remember the details this time. I don't really believe they mean anything, but its fun to see what the internet has to say about it.

 

-walking around with 2 friends (male can't remember who, female friend from clubbing days who I haven't seen or thought about for many years)

-we were walking around late at night (possibly after midnight) and ended up at in the street where my female friend once lived.

-the houses weren't the real ones though.

-as we reached a house at the end of the street to visit someone the female friend with me turned into another female friend of mine (I don't recall if the male friend stayed the same or also changed)

-the street and the houses were slummy and run down.

-it was very dark and shadowy

-i started getting a bad feeling, but not sure what

 

-we walked through the property (there were no fences or gates), passing rubbish, old mattresses and things like that along the way.

-we turned back for some reason I can't remember (perhaps no one was home, or, we just thoguht that the street was majorly dodgy!)

-as we started walking back down the street a man appeared out of nowhere

-we ignored him and continued walking

-next thing I know he has a knife pressed against my back and demands, get this, our mobile phone batteries!!!! not the whole phone, not wallets or jewllery. Batteries...oh well, each to their own.

 

-not wanting to get stabbed, I did as he demanded (as I did so, he mumbled something about being able to get $100 for it. wow!!!)

-just now, my female friend bolted (in a really slow, unco sort of way, like her shoes were too big or something)

-my friend running away didn't please Mr thug. He sliced across my lower back and went after my friend.

-At the sight of the angry, knife weilding (and faster) thug running after her, or, I would hope, the sight of me curled over in pain, she stopped, knowing she was not going to get away

-luckily someone somewhere saw this and screamed and woke up the neighbourhood

-the thug decided not to risk being caught and ran away

 

-suddenly we were not in the same dark street anymore. we were now in a brightly light city (like new york or vegas) where its night but there were people and traffic everywhere

-I'm not sure why but I found myself running around looking for a cop car. I saw 2 drive pass on the main rd so I ran after them in traffic

-as I lost sight of them another cop car passed in the opposite direction, back towards the scene of the crime

-so I turned around and chased after that one.

-at this stage I don't know how I felt. I didn't feel pain and I wasn't exactly pissed off. maybe just puffed from running

-I ran along the main road and just as I was about to pass a side street I saw the thug running into the same intersection. We both stopped as we spotted each other. For a brief moment you could here a pin drop.

-but before you know it, he turned around and ran away.

 

Unfortunately, that's where the dream stops. I pay no attention to dreams (this wouldn't surprise those who know me), but I was curious about what things in dreams mean. The following interpretations are from http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary

 

 

Just testing trackbacks to a uni friend's live space.

I bought a bunch of bananas from the market for "cost price" of $6.95/kg. I don't care if its not really what the stall paid for them. It sure beats $12.00.kg.

 

It's been soooooooo long since I've a had a banana. Haha...

 

P.S. You wouldn't believe it. I made another pita bread pizza last night and AGAIN, I forgot to take a photo.

 

 

 

I've recently discovered the joy of making my own pizzas with pita bread. I swear I will never make pizzas with normal dough bases ever again. I just love how the edges are so crunchy. I made a simple one today with salami, cheese and red onion. I experimented with putting a little salad dressing on it and it turned out awesom!! It was olive oil, balsamic, chopped garlic, seeded mustard and french mustard.

 

It wasn't until I finished it until I remembered that I wanted to take a photo of it. This is the empty plate:

 

 

 

I can't believe the crocodile hunter has died. It was a "freak accident" where got stung by a sting ray.

 

Like many others, I'm feeling the same sad emotions as when Princess Diana died.

 

Steve Erwin may have been a bit of a knob sometimes, but he was all heart. He did so much for conservation, and to educate others about animals in his own special way. He was a great ambassador for Australian tourism, too.

 

He died doing what he loved, but he will be greatly missed by this world.

 

I just hope his wife Terri, and their kids will continue his legacy.

 

RIP Steve

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I just remembered something about my first day at boarding school. My uncle and auntie took me there and all the year sevens were shown around the area and the different buildings. We visited the headmaster's house for a cup of tea or something. When he asked me which house I was in, I didn't know what he was talking about (there was three of them). Having only been in Australia for less than 3 years at the time, I didn't understand the concept of different houses (although there was something like that in the primary school I attended in grade 6, in which the 4 home groups were named after the 4 surrounding streets). I just remember feeling embarrassed that he had to explain it to me.

 

That Sunday was my first day at a boarding school I didn't really want to go to. The next day (although I have no memory of it) was the first day of a high school I didn't want to go to.

I don't understand or like Star War movies, but even I laughed when I saw this:

 

 

Well, not quite a police dog. Its a sheriff drug sniffer dog.

 

Someone close to me just told me:

 

"I don't like people who play guitar and sing who are not professionals".

 

That's not very encouraging for me, considering I'm trying to learn just that.

 

And funny, the comment coming from someone who's from a karaoke culture

 

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/student-medical-notes-prompt-inquiry/2006/07/17/1152988472768.html

"MORE than a quarter of RMIT's business students from China used medical certificates to defer exams or assignments, prompting the university to consider investigating the doctors that issued them."

This is an obvious problem but no one wants to admit it. The unis want to investigate but they need the money from international students.

The student union is of course defending the students, saying that its not the doctors that need investigation but why the students are getting sick.

I know for a fact that there are certain doctors that are famous for writing docs certs like its no body's business.

Chinese are one of the hardest working cultures on earth. Taking sickies are not taken lightly in the workforce. But maybe students (especially in the younger generation) are getting slacker. And they will continue to get away with it because no one wants to create any controversy.

I've had many uni friends studying IT from China and they wouldn't take a day off work unless their limbs were falling off. Maybe the RMIT business students are different. Would be interesting to see the stats from other institutions.

I'm not growing my hair, but I'm too lazy to go get it cut...I can't seem to style my hair the same way more than once which kind of sucks because I can never recreate a style that turns out well.

 

I end up putting so much crap in my hair trying that at the end of the day it is still rock hard.

 

One night I got bored and used a brush (for the first time in a long time) to brush out the product...

 

My other photos are in my flickr page (link on the right)

 

Portals are no good unless there are people using them. Poor participation of new portals is not uncommon. I think it basically boils down to several general factors:

 

1. Poor user analysis

2. No/not enough user involvment in designing stage

3. Poor usability

      And to quote Jakob Nielson, who describes usability as having five attributes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

but couldn't. I have this photo and I wanted to relate it something about comparing apples and oranges. Having a brain freeze...