The Twisting Aether

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Second Summer!
2008-03-23 04:14:00
I think this happened last year aswell... just when it seemed like summer was gone for the year, it's had a huge resurgence! This past week it has been consistently sunny, hot and clear. I don't really like the heat but it's been nice having some clear weather - actually makes it a bit cooler at night as the heat doesn't get held in by clouds.So far this Easter weekend I've just been catching up with a few friends - my friend Simon yesterday and I had brunch at a cafe called Benediction which is very popular and a good place to hang out. They do legendary milkshakes - the "Ultimate Espresso" one is awesome. It certainly brings me to the yard. After brunch we walked back to Simon's place and played Zelda on the Wii for the afternoon. I hadn't played on the Wii before but it was quite easy to get the hang of, and Zelda seems like a pretty good game.Today I caught up with another friend for lunch - Dylan. We went for lunch in Ponsonby, a place called Dorothy's Sister (obviously...
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Coming Soon: Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII
2008-03-21 04:32:00
I'm really looking forward to this game for the PlayStation Portable. It's been a long time coming and early response has been overwhelmingly positive, in terms of both story and gameplay. It's what we expect from Final Fantasy games. This one fleshes out the story of a character from the classic Final Fantasy VII - Zack. He didn't have much "screen time" in FFVII but was actually a key in the story, particularly his back story with Sephiroth and Cloud. We can expect to see many old friends from the FFVII story and I'm sure some new friends (and enemies) as well.The graphics look pretty great and the music in FF games is consistently good, but the main acclaim seems to be focussed on the gameplay itself, which is a good sign. Crisis Core comes out in New Zealand on April 4th and I'll be sure to have a pre-order in place to get it as soon as possible. The PSP console is enjoying a huge resurgence with this game combined with the critically acclaimed new God of War: Chains of Ol...

Scary Stuff
2008-03-21 04:19:00
Yeah, it really has not been my week. Someone tried to mug me last night! Geez, what it happening to the world? It was very weird. Funnily enough it was in almost the exact same spot here my car got crashed on Saturday. I was just waiting outside for my friend to pick me up, to go watch a DVD. Two guys rolled up in a car, one of them (a fat Maori guy who looked too young to be doing such things) got out and came up to me demanding my phone and wallet etc. "I don't think so," I told him. He just wasn't threatening enough - they would have seen me as an easy target due to my size, but of course they wouldn't have realised I am a lot older and a lot tougher than I look. Besides, I could have outrun and outdistanced this guy with hardly breaking a sweat.So, after various threatening behaviours they drove away empty-handed. I've lived in this flat for over a year and never had any hint of unsafeness in the area before, but then two things in one week. Madness. Not sure what's going ...
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My Poor Car!
2008-03-21 03:59:00
Well, it hasn't been the best week of my life! On Saturday night my poor car got hit. It was just innocently parked on my street (I was inside on the computer as usual lol). A nearby accident caused by a taxi driver (which also involved a car with an Indian family who luckily were not hurt) resulted in my car getting damaged. Luckily it's not as bad as the photo below... just a bunch of bad scrapes and minor dents, as well as a crunched door handle and a snapped side mirror (which is why I can't drive anywhere at the moment). The taxi company's insurance will be paying, but I wish they could pay me for the inconvenience and bus fares I have to pay as a result of this irresponsible driver's behaviour.Not my car, thank goodness.The taxi driver was unfortunately under the influence... not a good look for a taxi driver on duty. I hate having to sort out all the insurance stuff, and trying to arrange a time for my car to be fixed amongst work and Easter is not easy. It will have to ...
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Martina Hingis to Return to Court
2008-03-05 04:37:00
Tennis great Martina Hingis , the Swiss Miss, will return to the court for three exhibition matches in Liverpool this coming June, prior to Wimbledon. Look for big crowds in Liverpool as fans continue to hunger for a style of tennis that was sadly extinguished along with Hingis' career due to an injury-riddled 2007 season and controversy around a (rather questionable) positive cocaine test. Hingis' control-oriented, tactical and whimsical brand of tennis earned her 5 Grand Slams before she turned 19.Hingis has support from tournament director Anders Borg, who is a fan of Hingis' game and her 2006 comeback, when she surprised many by returning to the top 10, showing that a power game was not necessary to compete at the highest level even amongst increasingly powerful opposition. Borg even retains hopes that Hingis will one day return to professional tennis, as despite 2 retirements she is still only 27 and will only just be turning 29 when her current ban (which may be lifted or de...
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Post Secret
2008-02-17 07:36:00
PostSecret is a pretty cool blog, where people send in anonymous self-made postcards with confessions on them in the mail. It's probably quite interesting for the post people who encounter them while doing their work. Some of the cards are funny, some are sad, some are touching, some are a bit bizarre! Here are a few that struck a cord for me.Gee, I want my last year back too. 2007 was a big letdown!Shane
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Pet Peeve - Making Religion "Hip"
2008-02-04 05:32:00
Christianity in general is especially guilty of this, one of my biggest pet peeves! Note that I am atheist or agnostic myself, but pretty accepting of other people's various beliefs. But one thing that really annoys me is when people try to make religion "cool" or "hip". It's a bit too much like propaganda for my liking - they tried it on us back in my early school days, with some rap song about "J.C." to try to get the little kids thinking "Man, this Christianity thing is super cool."There seems to be more and more of this lately. Many a Christian is no longer comfortable with their own religion in today's society and feels the need to make themselves look cool by making Christianity look cool, but in doing so perhaps lose a bit of integrity. That doesn't really bother me on any kind of moral level, other than making me lose a bit of respect for those individuals. It does annoy me when people use the "Jesus is cool" lines on children who will actually be affected by it. Parents...
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Yay, rains!
2008-02-04 05:27:00
It's been a pretty hot and rain-free summer so far in New Zealand, although I wouldn't say "dry"... as it has been very humid! But just now we finally had a big downpour... at my house at least! I texted someone only 20 minutes drive away and they are just having a light shower. It's the first really heavy rain we've had in a long while, though the past few days had a few showers.Personally, I love rain! While sometimes it is inconvenient, there's nothing like being inside and listening to it fall, or watching it even. Sometimes it's even fun to get caught out there!Shane

New Stuff!
2008-02-03 04:11:00
Went to the shops this afternoon and bought some new stuff! I got a wallet, first and foremost, because mine was quite seriously falling apart. I'm surprised I didn't lose any cards or money! Actually I did leave my Eftpos card at the gas station a month or two ago but that was not my wallet's fault... it was my fault! Anyway, the new wallet is a bit more compact than the last one. Since I bought that one, New Zealand's coins have changed and they are now smaller, so you don't really need as much wallet space. Also, I don't carry that much cash, I usually just use my Eftpos (Debit) Card.I also bought a new shoulder bag - also because my old one was starting to fall apart a bit! Gee I really needed this new stuff... lol... I was probably looking a bit bedraggled with my collapsing wallet and bag before. Honestly, don't know how I didn't lose stuff. Maybe I was just extra careful, knowing that my wallet and bag were in such precarious condition. I'll have to remain vigilant,...
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Computers
2008-02-03 00:48:00
Man, computers can be so frustrating! Mine has decided it doesn't want to give me any sound from now on. So, no sound for me. It's amazingly annoying, and I can't really figure out what the problem is.Computers really need to WORK BETTER. I've had my share of computer problems already, why can't someone else have a turn!Shane

New Job!
2008-01-29 09:41:00
Some of you may know I started a new job last week at a bank call centre for credit cards! We are just training at the moment but it's all going quite swimmingly so far, and I'm actually having a really good time learning everything and getting to know my workmates, particularly my fellow trainees who I'll be spending a lot of time with over the next 5 weeks.I feel a bit more in my element than I did at my old job, if only because I feel my brain is being put to a bit more use, and I feel like it's a big step up and a big step forward for me. Here's hoping things keep going well!Shane

Old Friend
2008-01-29 09:35:00
There's nothing like hearing from an old friend. I was most pleasantly surprised to hear from one this past weekend, a friend I haven't seen for over two years but who is often in my thoughts. I'm not sure what will come of it, but I hope we'll be able to catch up and maybe get to know each other more, as I was always a bit sad at how we left things way back then.I won't go into too much detail but here's to you my friend, and hope to see you soon!Shane
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Congratulations Novak and Maria
2008-01-28 09:51:00
Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova took the singles crowns at this year's Australian Open. It was a pretty fantastic tournament all round, with plenty of spectacular matches and shocking upsets and finally two champions that very few would have picked at the very start as champions - both would have been expected quarter/semifinalists, but they really performed well to take home the coveted title.Novak made his way swiftly to the semifinals without dropping a set and with minimal fuss. He then made surprisingly quick work of world No. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets to set up the final with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a surprise finalist much like Marcos Baghdatis two years ago and Fernando Gonzalez last year. Tsonga took the first set with some spectacular play but was unable to continue his form throughout the match, and Djokovic stepped up the ante to take the next two sets. The fourth set was an arm-wrestle as Novak struggled with a hamstring injury but prevailed with a dominant perfo...
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The Wheel Of Time - Robert Jordan
2008-01-28 01:42:00
Robert Jordan 's Wheel of Time series is one of my favourites. I first started reading them when I was 15 or 16 but stopped for a while - now I have reread the ones I read back then and am moving on through the series! I was sad to hear in September that Robert Jordan passed away as a result of a long illness, while he was in the process of writing the final book in the series. I'm sure the story will be released in some way but it's a shame he wasn't able to get it finished.The series centres around three young men from a tiny farming village called Emond's Field, in the isolated Two Rivers district. When their remote village is attacked by vicious monsters during a bitter winter that has failed to turn to spring, they are launched on an adventure along with two of the women from the village and some mysterious visitors who aided their battle against the monsters. The three young men, who were born within weeks of one another, soon discover that events which affect the entire w...
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ASB Classic Round-Up
2008-01-05 06:17:00
Lindsay Davenport continued her successful post-baby comeback today, capturing the ASB Classic singles title here in Auckland. She routed popular Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-2 6-2 in the final, not allowing Rezai the time to set up her power game, which was so impressive throughout the week. Davenport's victory brought a conclusion to a fantastic week in the singles tournament, with many great matches.One of the big stories of the week was the sensational run of New Zealand's own Marina Erakovic. Erakovic scored an easy first-round victory over fellow Kiwi wildcard Ellen Barry, before thrilling the crowd by taking out pin-up girl American Ashley Harkleroad in a tight two-setter to reach the quarterfinals. Then came the big one - an epic quarterfinal battle against top seed Vera Zvonareva. Erakovic dominated an out-of-sorts Zvonareva in the first set, taking it 6-3. Then Zvonareva found her range to take the second 6-2, and twice served for the match in the third set at 5-4 and 6...
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ASB Classic 2008
2007-12-31 08:38:00
The time is here for the WTA's stop in my home city of Auckland! The ASB Classic is held in the Parnell district near the Auckland CBD in the first week of the season - in this case 31st December through 5th January. I went today (Monday) as well as seeing the qualifying over the weekend (which is free to attend), and I will be attending the final on Saturday!Although the ASB Classic is only a Tier-IV tournament (the lowest tier of WTA tournaments) it attracts a high number of quality players due to its position in the calendar - there are only two weeks at the start of the season for players to warm up for the Australian Open. Last year Jelena Jankovic took the title but she is unable to return this year due to her ranking being in the top ten.This year the Classic has lured its biggest drawcard ever - former No. 1 and 3-time Grand Slam champion Lindsay Davenport, who is returning to the tour after having a baby last year. Her ranking is at 72 but is rising quickly after winning 2...
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Movie: Atonement (2007)
2007-12-25 23:10:00
Director: Joe WrightStarring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoyAtonement is easily the best movie I have seen in 2007. Granted, I haven't seen as many movies as I would have liked, but this one was so far ahead of the rest that I don't fancy the chances of too many movies challenging it for supremacy. It is a well-constructed, beautifully filmed masterpiece featuring great performances and sumptuous production.The thing that struck me most about Atonement is that it was very brave in changing tone and setting throughout the film. It begins as a stoic and lush period piece featuring a large estate, engaging characters, excellent costumes (see Keira Knightley's green dress above) and a well-structured plot that unfolds deliberately and stylishly. The film later becomes a romantic and sweeping, yet brutal, war epic. The shift is bold and almost a shock to the system - as much for the viewer as for the characters in the film whose lives are suddenly thrown into disarray.Especially impres...
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2007 in Review: Tennis
2007-12-25 03:36:00
Player of the Year - Male:Roger FedererNo surprises here, it was another dominant year for Federer as he won his usual three Grand Slams and Masters Cup. Some uncharacteristic losses stopped 2007 from being his best year yet - two losses to Guillermo Canas, a loss to Filippo Volandri and two to David Nalbandian, aswell as the usual couple of defeats at the hands of Rafael Nadal.Runners up:Rafael Nadal Novak Djokovic Player of the Year - Female:Justine HeninAgain, Federer's female counterpart had another sterling year on the tour, adding a further two Grand Slams to her resume and winning 10 titles despite missing the start of the year in order to deal with her divorce. I found Justine much more likeable this year as a player and a person after seeing her go through these problems as well as reuniting with her estranged family members. It was also amazing to see her take out both Williams sisters (the other two Grand Slam winners of the year) in succession at the US Open on her way...
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Coming Soon: The Twisting Aether Revamped
2007-12-17 08:44:00
I'm back online after a long hiatus involving computer problems that took some time to get fixed. All is back in order now, so watch this space as I plan a bit of a spruce-up here in my blog in time for the New Year. A lot of it will depend on my blogspot prowess (which is somewhat lacking at this stage, but I hope to improve upon that). In any case, I hope to personalize this blog a lot more to make it better reflect my interests, and make it a bit more dynamic.Wish me luck!Shane

Attack of the Note Sheep
2007-09-08 15:06:00
When doodling goes bad.Shane
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Emu on the Run
2007-08-28 10:22:00
Apparently, one had better look out for emus in Wisconsin. One escaped from a farm, allegedly having been chased by a coyote, and found itself being "corralled" by Walmart employees in a shopping carpark.I like emus... so I'm glad it didn't get run over! Apparently the emu's name is Myron.Shane

Coming Soon: US Open 2007
2007-08-22 05:31:00
This year's US Open starts next Monday the 27th of August. It is the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, and is always an exciting one to watch due to the high quality of tennis and the great atmosphere in New York, particularly the night matches which are conveniently on in the New Zealand afternoon time. I like the blue hardcourts they have been using for the past few years - very easy on the eye when watching on television.Last year's champions, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova, come into the tournament on the back of some healthy victories in top tournaments leading up to the US Open . Sharapova has been slowed down by a shoulder injury this year but she seems to be regathering her form just in time for the Open. Federer has looked slightly vulnerable at times this year but always comes to the party at the big tournaments.Will Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic challenge Federer's supremacy at the US Open this year, or will the Federer-Express roll on? Can Sharapova produce a...
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Yeah...
2007-08-21 12:28:00
We had a win tonight at Tuesday indoor netball... it was a pretty comfortable win but still took a good effort from everyone. I enjoyed the game a lot! Another game tomorrow night, so here's hoping for a double "V" this week!I'm a bit nervous about work tomorrow... we have some bitch from the head office coming in to do her periodic check-up on the store, so we've been doing lots of detail cleaning and stuff like that to try to get things in tip-top shape. Not that things were that dirty or anything, but it's stuff you wouldn't normally think of on a normal day. And she'll probably still find stuff to whinge about - apparently she just loves to move everything around and rearrange the place to her liking. It's not as though she has to actually work there or anything so I don't see how she can be such an expert on where things should be.It should be alright, but probably not much fun. Looking forward to getting it over and done with, actually!Shane
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Nailbiter
2007-08-15 11:58:00
No, this isn't about my annoying habits. We had a good win at indoor netball tonight, having been down by quite a lot at the start of the game we came back to tie it during the last quarter and score the winning goal in the final second of play. We weren't in the lead for the entire match until the buzzer, the final score was 25-24.It was also a game played in good spirit... competitive but plenty of good attitude shown by both teams.It's kind of late so that's all for today! Hope you're all having a good week so far.Shane
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Congratulations Novak!
2007-08-14 11:56:00
Rising Serbian star Novak Djokovic had a scorcher of a tournament in Montreal last week, claiming the Rogers Cup title in amazing style; he beat No. 3 Andy Roddick (seeded 5th as the seedings were set before Roddick's win in Washington DC the previous week) in the quarterfinals, and No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semis, before posting his biggest win yet by beating No. 1 Roger Federer in a tense final 7-6, 2-6, 7-6.This is Novak's second Masters Series title... for those of you who aren't too familiar with these things, the Masters Series is a top-class catalogue of nine tournaments throughout the year, second only to the four Grand Slams and the Masters Cup (a year-end elite invitational tournament) in terms of prestige, ranking points and prize money. Novak won the Miami Masters event earlier this year and can add Montreal to his resume.Many see Novak as a future No. 1 player, and so far this year he has been one of the most consistent performers on the tour, really being the only p...
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Blogging From Mum's
2007-08-13 08:01:00
Yep, so I'm at my mum's house right now. I have a work dinner tonight and Mum's place is much closer both to work and to the restaurant we are going to (which is a Mongolian restaurant called Ghengis Khan). I've just finished showering and all that, so I'm ready to roll. I don't have to be there for another hour, however, so... blogging it is!Delicious Ghengis for dinner...Other than work, things have been pretty busy lately. As you can probably tell from the distinct lack of blogging recently. Whoops. Sometimes I'm just too tired and can't be bothered to blog! Nothing too terrible has been going on, but more generally it has been hectic and challenging, which is not an entirely bad thing, but a bit of respite once in a while would be very welcome!Of course, a lengthy time without blogging leaves me with a head full of ideas and a back catalogue of news and movies to tell you all about! Assuming I don't pass out on my bed every day this week, there should be some action goi...
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Fun Words - Volume 3: "Masquerade"
2007-08-11 14:21:00
Okay, so we all know about those Masquerade parties. They look like fun, but I've never been to one, and they are not what this entry is about! I'm talking about "masquerade" as a verb. It is loads of fun as a verb.With this word around, you don't just pretend to be something. You masquerade as something. I didn't just go to the birthday party dressed up as Prince Charming. I went to the party masquerading as Prince Charming. The fun quota is raised exponentonent... expenon... exponentially by virtue of this gem of a word.Masquerade as a semi-intelligent person and use masquerade as a verb today!Shane
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Rotorua
2007-07-19 03:57:00
Well, it's been rather a busy week! I've really been all over the place! First things first... last time I posted I was just leaving for Rotorua.The drive went pretty well; I stopped in a town called Matamata for lunch, it's about 2 hours from Auckland and it's about another hour further to Rotorua, so it's a good spot for a lunch stop. When I was little we always used to stop there on our way to visit my nana in Rotorua, so it also involved a great deal of nostalgia. In fact, the entire route I drove was the exact same one that we always used, so it was good fun seeing all the landmarks again.In Matamata I felt like a total freak! All the rurals had to stare at the city boy (me). It's not like Matamata is that tiny, it's just a totally different culture to Auckland and the people behave differently. The children there have not been taught that staring is rude yet. Lol. I stared back at a little girl and she got scared... haha.On the way... a rest stop with a viewI arrived in...

Be Back Soon!
2007-07-12 02:00:00
I'm just about to head off for a drive South to Rotorua, one of my favourite places in New Zealand. I'm visiting some old friends there for the day and will probably head back up tomorrow - it's just a mini holiday! It'll be good to get out of Auckland and drive on the open road.I'll post more about it when I return! See you soon!Shane
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Cars = Money
2007-07-11 06:16:00
It's great having a car, but it's always nerve-wracking come Warrant of Fitness time. Usually I have no problems except maybe a light bulb that needs replacing, but this time I got a whole bunch of stuff that needs replacing... which means I have to spend a crapload of money I don't really have!Hopefully it won't totally break the bank... I have to pick it up tomorrow and see what the damage is... wish me luck.Shane
More About: Cars , Money