The Twisting Aether

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Early Rise
2007-04-16 03:16:00
I had to get up so very early this morning! It was for a job trial type thing (another one, yes). It was pretty good, it's for a company my friend works for and he was on today and showing me around. It is a pretty straightforward type of job, just good honest work. I hope I get it - the boss said she was waiting until some replies from a job ad come through because she spent $3000 on the ad, but my friend reckons she might just give me the job - I hope so! I'm sure I could do a good job.It was interesting getting up so early; it was still dark, in fact. My friend said he always feels like he's going to the airport when he gets up that early - I feel the same! Funny that. One good thing about starting work early is that there is not much traffic on the roads! Once the rush hour hits it takes forever to get to the North Shore; the job is over the bridge so I'm glad to skip the morning traffic.I'll let you all know how things turn out - it's about time a bit of luck went my way,...
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Famous on YouTube!
2007-04-15 09:24:00
My influence has snuck its way onto YouTube in a rather unorthodox and subtle manner.This video is about the word "literally" - as you may know from one of my earlier entries (here), the misuse of this word vexes me, and I found an example of Serena Williams claiming that rust was literally shedding from her game. As the story goes, I sent it to Literally, A Web Log where it was published with my name as a contributor (Alex Ogan also sent in the same example, so we share the credit).Well, if you watch to the end of the video, Jack cites Literally, A Web Log as a source for more examples of misuse of the word, and he mentions "literally shedding rust" as one of the examples to look for on the blog! Yay! It probably seems silly to get excited over this, but it made me feel cool, so whatever!Shane
More About: Youtube , Famous

Dan's New Undies
2007-04-13 07:16:00
New Zealand rugby player Dan Carter is pretty famous for his off-field pursuit of underwear modelling aswell as his impressive skills on the field. Ladies (and many gentlemen) are quite appreciative of his work for Jockey brand underwear! The latest line is out, which of course means some more juicy photo shoots.Surprisingly, Dan describes himself as rather shy in general off the rugby field, but enjoys the part-time modelling as a fun side project. Let's hope he keeps enjoying it for a long time to come!Shane
More About: Undies , Dies

Rain in the City
2007-04-12 07:24:00
I love rain. While it is annoying not being able to do outdoor activities that I enjoy, I just find rain and storms so invigorating. The sound of rain falling outside is soothing and strangely thought-provoking, and the air always seems so fresh after rainfall.Rain seems to put things in perspective for me. Often in life, as many people do, I get caught up on the little things and stress far too much as a result. Things like storms and looking out over the ocean (or both at the same time) serve as a reminder that there are much bigger and more powerful things at work in the world, and somehow it helps make me feel that no matter what might be worrying me in my life, things will be alright.It may seem a cliche, but I guess rain really does wash away my tears!Shane
More About: City , In the City

Movie: Wedding Crashers (2005)
2007-04-11 06:14:00
Directed by David DobkinStarring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Christopher WalkenWedding Crash ers is a star-studded romantic comedy, with a focus on the comedy. It combines a funny script with naturally funny and charismatic stars to form a hugely appealing, light-hearted film that was the sleeper hit of 2005.Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are in top form in this movie, and they really carry it from start to finish. Their chemistry is right on, and their characters remain likeable even when they do rather questionable things. These guys are a great comedy team, and the film also features some of their regular collaborators, such as Will Ferrell. Rachel McAdams has got to be one of the most promising actresses of her generation; she falls under the radar a lot of the time, but has been quietly building a name for herself by elevating potentially cliched roles above what they could have been, in films such as the excellent Mean Girls. Wedding Crashers is another good perfor...
More About: Movie , Hers

Flash Flood!
2007-04-10 08:14:00
On the news they were just reporting flash floods in areas of Auckland due to a sudden downpour this afternoon. I actually was driving when the downpour occurred, luckily just before rush hour traffic would have started to hit. During the rush hour large road puddles caused havoc as they are difficult to see when the whole surface is wet!I actually drove through a surprisingly large puddle by accident myself - I sent up a big wave of water! But thankfully nothing bad happened - my windows were up and the puddle wasn't as deep as some were; a poor Hell Pizza employee was on the news with the boot of his car doubling as an aquarium.It's just started raining again as I type - this storm came out of nowhere, it was sunny earlier today! It is that time of the year though! It's quite exciting.Shane
More About: Flash , Lash , Flood

On the Waterfront
2007-04-10 06:04:00
I just got back from a job trial at a cafe on the waterfront of Auckland facing out towards Rangitoto Island. It's a pretty nice place, so I hope I get the job! Also I hope I get the job because I need income!This is pretty much what the view looks like from the cafe, although you can also see the beach and road of course. Not a bad view to look at all day! The people are also pretty cool at the cafe, so I do hope I get it! I should hear back soon... presumably. The girl who was working with me said I did well and made lovely coffee, so that's a good sign.Shane
More About: Front , Waterfront

Summer Returns!
2007-04-09 06:35:00
For a limited time only...We've had a resurgence of warm, sunny weather the past couple of days. It seems a bit like Summer is giving us one final gasp before fading away for the year, so if you're a summery person, make the most of it! I did so by playing some tennis yesterday and today out in the sun. It's also great weather for beaches and stuff like that, if that's your thing!Enjoy it while it lasts! I like Winter, but we may as well enjoy a bit of fine weather while we've got it.Shane
More About: Return , Turn

Happy Easter
2007-04-08 07:28:00
Just a quick note to say "Happy Easter " to everybody, I hope you all have a good one - and travel safe!I stayed in Auckland for Easter this year. I didn't really have anywhere to go, so I just caught up with a friend last night and played a bit of tennis today. I didn't even get any Easter eggs! Woe is me! I'll have to buy myself one once they go on sale when the holiday is over. Or maybe I'll buy myself a bunny so I'll always have a friend for Easter!Shane
More About: Aster

Rove Is Back!
2007-04-06 06:14:00
Rove Live returns to New Zealand television tonight. It airs live in Australia on Sunday nights (having moved from Tuesday) but here it plays on Friday nights. I have good memories of the past few years watching it on Friday nights! For those who are unaware, Rove McManus hosts this variety show with lots of celebrity interviews and light-hearted humour. At the end of 2006, he cancelled the final two shows of the season when his wife died after a long battle with cancer, and it wasn't certain whether he would return or not after having been through such an ordeal. But thankfully, he has returned for a new season of his popular show.Jennifer loves Tim Tams...So, if you're wondering where I am tonight... I'm probably sitting back with a pack of Tim Tams watching Rove! I'm looking forward to it!Shane
More About: Back , Rove

Sexy? Dumb? Annoying?
2007-04-05 06:17:00
I was just flicking through the TV channels... on E! there was a show called "101 Sexiest Supermodels". It seems like a pretty stupid and obsolete topic to me! What's next... Dumb est Blondes? Most Anno ying Australian Politicians? Ugliest Babies? Honestly...
More About: Sexy , Annoying

Acceptance
2007-04-05 05:32:00
I've just been having some random thoughts in my overactive (at times) mind lately.So many people struggle for acceptance in the world, particularly minority groups, such as racial minorities (particularly immigrants), religious minorities, gay people, or those with mental illnesses. Fortunately, the overall trend in recent decades has been towards the acceptance of all of these people for who they are, although there is still a way to go. Unfortunately, for acceptance to be complete, we must first accept each other within any minority we are a part of, and I don't think we are quite there yet. How can we ask acceptance from the world when we don't grant it to one another?To explain this a bit better, I'll use an example that is relevant to me personally. As a gay person (a sexual minority), I obviously would love to be accepted for who I am by the majority population. But, I would also like to be accepted for who I am by other gay people, and this is unfortunately not always th...
More About: Acceptance , Accept

Thames, New Zealand
2007-04-02 03:52:00
It was a spur of the moment thing - my friend Mike asked me last night if I wanted to go to Thames with him this morning, as he was going there for a little while for work. I decided to go along for the ride! I had been to Thames twice before; once with family on our way to Whangamata (a beach town), and once during our school camp when I was 12 as it was near the camp site.It was a misty morning, as you can see from these pictures - low clouds were around and a little bit of rain here and there. I love seeing low clouds covering the tops of hills and mountains; it's one of my favourite sights! On the way I also spotted a turkey farm, an ostrich farm and many pukekos (my favourite bird, for those of you who don't know it already)! And of course there were a lot of cows, some sheep, and a few horses. Thames lies at the base of a large area of water between the northern part of the North Island of New Zeal and and the Coromandel Peninsula. This area of ocean is called the Firth of ...
More About: Land , Alan , Ames

Things That Are Wrong - Volume 2: "Grizzly Murder"
2007-04-01 06:51:00
I was in Whitcoulls bookstore today looking at the DVDs, and I came across the Saw II DVD. I don't particularly like the Saw movies, but I had a look just because I had seen part of it on TV a few days ago and was curious what the blurb on the back cover says about the movie. Apparently, it is about a series of "grizzly" murders. I wasn't quite sure if the grizzly bears were being murdered, or were doing the murdering themselves - the blurb did not specify.A "grizzly" murder? Or a murderous grizzly?Of course, I realised that they meant a grisly murder, not a grizzly murder. They had meant to highlight the gruesome nature of the killings, not to imply that they were performed on (or by) a bear. I'm not too sure how this one slipped past the editors!Shane
More About: Murder , Things , That , Wrong , Thing

Movie: Hotel Rwanda (2004)
2007-03-31 09:14:00
Directed by Terry GeorgeStarring Don Cheadle, Sophie OkonedoHotel Rwanda was a movie I caught on TV a few weeks ago, and I'm very glad I did! I remember hearing a lot of fuss about this movie when it was new, but I never got around to seeing it. It is a powerful movie based on the true story of a hotel manager in Rwanda who accomodated over 1000 refugees of the brutal genocide that occured in the 1990s. The film is focussed on the events at the Milles Collines Hotel and the amazing deeds of Paul Rusesabagina, but also shows the valiant efforts of the few foreign organisations that came to help, such as the United Nations.One of the most impressive things about this film is the incredibly well-developed characters, including the many supporting roles. While it helps that a lot of them are based on real people, credit must be given to the writers and actors who do a brilliant job in this film. Don Cheadle is amazing in the lead role, but Sophie Okonedo is also superb as his wife Tat...
More About: Movie , Anda , Wand

The Week
2007-03-31 09:02:00
Man, it's been a pretty crazy week, hence the lack of updates on my blog! On Tuesday I had a trial for a job at a cafe in Newmarket (a pretty nice shopping district about 10 minutes from the Auckland city centre). It went pretty well and I've been having training and settling into the rhythm of things there throughout the week. So, hopefully they like me and will let me work there full time! I should find out more tomorrow.Today I had netball training for almost four hours (!), so I've just been chilling out for the rest of the day! I actually got a little bit sunburnt... usually we train indoors but we didn't have the key to the gym so we had to use the outdoor courts nearby. As I wasn't expecting to train outdoors (and because the weather has been mostly rainy and cloudy lately) I didn't have any sun protection! It's only mild sunburn though, a bit pink and tender on my face!Shane
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Sony Ericsson Open - Miami
2007-03-25 13:49:00
In tennis, the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Miami opened play last week and will conclude this coming weekend. Much like the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, the tournament is played over two weeks and the men's and women's draws are played during the same weeks (as with the Grand Slams). So far there have been a few upsets, with seeded players such as Tommy Haas, James Blake and Patty Schnyder losing their second round matches after first round byes.Roger Federer is the defending champion in Miami, and he has already improved on his Indian Wells defense by winning his first match! He was upset in his first match two weeks ago by Guillermo Canas, but today beat Sam Querry to advance. Top women's seed Maria Sharapova also advanced. Some of my favourite players enjoyed wins, namely Martina Hingis and Richard Gasquet.Who's that watching the tennis?! Tiger Woods is friends with Roger Federer - two men who dominate their respective sports and unite with a shared respect and...

I Learned Today - Volume 1: "Furries"
2007-03-25 09:53:00
Apparently, some people get off on people-dressed-as-animals. These "furries" like to dress up as animals and engage in all kinds of furry fun.Sexy...?I can't say it's something I'd get into myself. But I guess if people want to dress in animal costumes and ravage each other, they aren't really harming anyone by doing so. It does seem quite ridiculous though!Shane
More About: Today , Learn , Volume , Learned , Furries

Things I Dislike - Volume 4: Overcooked Food
2007-03-25 09:21:00
My flatmate decided to cook tonight. This is usually fine and a much appreciated favour, but on this special evening he opted to char, boil and nuke everything into oblivion, then try to pass it off as dinner.The lamb chops tasted very weird, seemingly courtesy of some misplaced herbs and too much time sizzling away in about a centimetre of oil (I have no idea why). Hopefully they weren't rancid or something, though I wouldn't be all that suprised.Piled unceremoniously next to these blackened chops was a large mound of vegetables that had been boiled so vigourously and for so long that they were completely devoid of taste, nutrition, and the ability to retain shape when gently nudged.To top it all off - a huge steaming pile of pasta-from-a-box that had been microwaved so much that I dared not throw it off the balcony lest our flat be quarantined due to the presence of nuclear fallout.I wouldn't want to discourage people from cooking for each other, as in general it is a nice thin...
More About: Food , Over , Things , Cook , Like