Most Strange

Trying to write a poem

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:27:00 +0000

[MASSIVE SPOILERS] - Like you care...

I've been meaning to post a poem I've been working on. I haven't, obviously. Why? Because the words can't live up to the inspiration for the piece. I really want to capture that grin that smiles so hard it cries- I want to express the melancholia of the coloured balloon, the darkness of true friendship and the terror of believing in yourself.

I want to pay homage to what is a satisfying children's novel, an allegory for personal growth, and a parody of what we expect from life. Penned by a philosopher; it's an essay about nature, humanity, capitalism and family.

And it's a video game.

Surprised? Probably not. Most of you are familiar with my unwavering interest in the works of Itoi Shigesato, and Nintendo: The Mother series.

I want to tell the story of Mother 3, in all of its heartbreaking, clownish, inspiring splendour. I want to bring you on that journey. But I can't. I'm not Shigesato Itoi. And most of you won't bother to play his magnum opus.

Not wanting to merely transpose its content into film, or printed medium, I resolved to show how the work could withstand the solemnity of reflective prose-poetry. I didn't feel my skills were anywhere close to the necessary standard to pay adequate tribute to Mother 3, so I figured I'd start small. I figured I start with a gimmick.

I'd tell the story in reverse, as a means of conveying the potency of the punch line- I would begin and end with the darkness and confusion. Where the game starts in the idyllic village of Tazmily, sees corruption take hold then would have Earth cleansed, I wanted to paint an image of the darkness receding. I started at the end- or a little before it:

In the mines a boy cries- mother gone, brother in arms
We find child suicide at the end of the arc

The Blue Marble- the stage opens with potential

Before darkness covers our friends stumbling in dark

In which act did we arrive? The tragic end.

The wording was too strong- I realised the audience hasn't had time to watch events build, and it's jarring to be left with words detailing a very specific despair, belonging to characters as yet unknown. We see a horrific scene, but we can't feel what we're meant to feel. It's just a scene so horrible, it lacks any reality to relate to the reader.

And "potential" runs off the tongue like dry Weet-Bix. It is a mess.

So I tried to capture a different time, just a little earlier in the story, as our heroes are hunting down the opiate that's keeping their fellow man captive:

Next our actors descend on the city of dreams

A farce carved of anachronistic legacy

Culminating in such a perverse wonderland

Its porcine king teaches a love of heresy

Again our film rewinds.

At this point, it became very clear that rhyming might not be such a good idea, especially if I'm going to use words like "legacy" and "heresy". I was too far into the poem and I still hadn't given a glimpse of the cartoonish whimsy present in the source material. Much of Mother 3's power is in its ability to make the player feel uncomfortable at the acts of terror carried out on the literary equivalents of gummi bears - all sugar and smiles. It feels wrong to see these characters, like gummi bears, getting their heads bitten off.

I tried rewriting parts of it, toying with the idea of losing the rhyme, or the meter, or both:

~~Next~~ our actors descend on the city of dreams, [alight with neon heralds, deception, a lustful projection (projection of what?)- guiding the moths to give up their life]

~~A farce~~ [One big, new toy] carved of anachronistic legacy, Culminating in such a perverse wonderland

[And at its helm, the] porcine king.

Again our film rewinds (make clear later on?).

With a little tweaking I was happier with the expression of what King P.'s Utopia represented. Mother 3 is at its best when it's telling a fable with the simplicity of Aesop, and the wonderfully vulgar "New Pork City" shows us what happens when the selfish boy next door gets everything he ever wanted.

I poured out and pawed over the verse again, to see what should come before, and where I should go next:

Our actors descend on the city of dreams,
Alight with neon heralds, deception, a lustful projection-
Guiding the moths to give up their lives

A monstrous child's toy carved of anachronistic legacy,
Culminating in such a perverse wonderland- And at its helm,
The porcine king.

At this point I wasn't sure where I was going with any of it. Should I return to a simple retelling, or could I start with confusion, then win the reader over as I filled in the gaps? Even the phrase "anachronistic legacy" was almost too much- it was mostly word play intended for those in the know- I didn't see myself having time to clarify its literal meaning later in the piece.*

I decided to have a crack at some cold, hard facts. How was I going to introduce the Magypsies? The Mr. Saturns? Rope snake?- all the colourful side characters that make Itoi's world so vibrant and twisted. And I needed to mention love. Love, as in adoration and service and camaraderie and self-sacrifice and loyalty - it needed to be referenced. Mother 3 is about love.

So that's how I started the next verse:

But we see love coagulates at the edges

Trans-gender, no gender, all gender- Magypsies!

Join a pink, mononymous, polysemous race

T'ward a battle of mind and colour and whimsy

It never feels good to start a line with "but". In school they drilled "however" into our heads as the correct and appropriate opening to a statement that runs contrary to the one proceeding it. But "but" fits. And what do you know- I'd returned to both rhyme AND meter.

But how was I to appropriately dissect this verse to explain clearly that I was talking about trans-gender immortals and naive, armless inventors that all carried the same name?

After this point, my lines descended into one-off plot points or turns of phrase that I felt might demonstrate my intentions:

Spines in the ground restore to life- and anaesthetic

and

The dragon sleeps through the unnatural warfare

I was tired of trying- and I was ashamed that I was tired of trying.

But it doesn't have an entirely sad ending. I had a different idea- one that was much less painful, but still showed my own desire to deliver a message. It would allow me to explain a little of why Mother 3 stays at the forefront of my topics of discussion.

My decision? To write about my inability to write about Mother 3.

Thanks for reading.

Evan

*The "Pig King" built his army with set pieces stolen from different time periods in Earth's "history". The city literally doesn't belong to the time it exists in.

Portal 2 Turret and Hayao Miyazaki & Studio Ghibli Piano Sheet Music Book

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:58:00 +0000

Thanks, Frase and Adi! It's so nice to be woken by machine-gun fire when a cat accidentally steps in front of this adorable sentry turret from Portal 2. A wonderful wedding gift!

We've had lots of fun listening to the cute comments the turret makes when it's found us, or when we knock it over. There's nothing like hearing "I don't hate you" after you've pushed over this adorable piece of Aperture Science (Read: Think Geek) technology.

Although we're yet to convince 'Cini of its value...

A few things arrived in the post today, and one of which I put straight on the piano stand and tried my best to belt out a tune- to no avail. It'll take me a very long time to get even one of these pretty pieces sounding any good. But I'm sure I'll get a lot of joy out of them when I do.

These are the songs in the book...

...And these...

...And these!

I hope you're having fun somewhere,

Much love,

Evan

Australia Day, Franz Porcelain Kathy Ireland Monkey Mischief Teapot, Tintin Market Scene Plastic Coffret and the Mother 2 Piano Book

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:44:00 +0000

Australia Day

For most people in Australia, the 26th of January is a day to kick back, have a beer and barbecue with friends and listen to TripleJ count down the Hottest 100. For others, it's a time to raise awareness of what we might be celebrating- "Invasion Day", when the First Fleet landed on our shores. For others still, it's a day to ignorantly lament the growing racial diversity of our nation, while harassing our newest arrivals to this land.

My wife and I were blessed enough to be able to engage in the first option with our beautiful friends, Jo and Richard, and their lovely children, Daniel, Grace and Esther- along with the kitten, Lilly, and the baby bird, Kiwi (which we helped name!).

It was the first truly Australian Australia Day my wife had celebrated, and our first as a married couple. There were Australian flags everywhere, hamburgers shaped like Australia, Pass-The-Parcel dress-ups (I'm hoping we get some of the photos soon) and plenty to drink.

It was great to share in the celebrations of our freedoms and the beauty of this country, and to remember those who aren't as lucky as us, who fight oppression without rest. We're very lucky to have new friends in our new home, not least of all because of their preposterously generous nature.

My jaw hurt from grinning when this was "awarded" us after the Pass-The-Parcel...

Franz Porcelain Kathy Ireland Monkey Mischief Teapot

This teapot is the first item I fell in love with in the Impress Tea House in Elmore, and still the loveliest teapot I've ever seen. Thank you so very much, Jo and Richard! It will be treasured and it will always remind us of our generous friends up north.

As my brother-in-law once said of me, "I've never seen anyone as enthusiastic about monkeys as him."

Mother 2 Piano Book

Today, in the mail, another piano book arrived, and this one is much more at my current level. Mother 2 (Earthbound) contains some of the best music every written for a videogame, and the simple, but strong melodies lend themselves very well to piano renditions, both simple and complex. It's a beautiful (and cheap) book for anyone who's interested and has some cute images of the original clay models used for the guide book and advertising. You'll probably recognise the four on the back from their plastic reproductions by Banpresto that I recently purchased.

And do you know what I've just noticed? There's a notation guide in the back that teaches beginners how to read music! How cute is that?!

Off I go to play some of this lovely music, but not before I show you the pretty gift I received from my sister after her return from France...

Tintin Market Scene Plastic Coffret

Fiona knows I love Tintin, and I love toys, so she bought me this cute plastic scene of Tintin at the market inspecting the model of the Unicorn. There is an assortment of bric-à-brac modelled around him, with the masts and rigging of the model ship printed on transparent plastic. It's very cute, with Snowy scratching behind his ear. My sister sure knows me well- Thanks Fi!

In the background, on the cardboard display, you can see the pick-pocket, the detective, and at least one thug- it's very cute, indeed.

I hope you take time out to celebrate how lucky you are. Get some friends, and some food, and spend some time enjoying each others' company. I highly recommend it.

See you soon,

Evan

Cowboy Bebop sheet music

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:54:00 +0000

Taking a break from toys, and the poems I've been writing - but never from geek-ism - today I present you with my latest project! As you may know, we recently got a piano as a wedding gift, and both of us have been playing almost every day. This morning the piano book I was most excited about arrived!

As you can see, it's the Cowboy Bebop piano book!

Honey likes the smell...

The notation is great for a beginner like me!

Although, without a stiff book stand,
I may need to photocopy all the songs I intend to play...

So pretty!

The first song I shall attempt will be "Flying Teapot"... So wish me luck!

*Hugs*

Evan

"We've been here longer than you..!"

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:35:00 +0000

...was the reasoning our neighbours gave recently in response to our request that they try not to kill each other- but I think it's also a fair description for most racism. For some reason mistreating others is the right of the majority.

After a most pleasant weekend with my folks, and little sister - making desserts, eating home-made pizzas and watching BBC dramas - we came to a point where officers of the law had to be called in. We established that hands around throats and swinging fists didn't offer the best environment to raise the tiny child that was present, nor guaranteed its safety.

After hearing that line (the title of this post) given as the reason the couple over the fence were entitled to continue their screaming and punching, I started thinking about many things, not least of all my own safety and the potential repercussions for involving the police. After securing all the doors, I gave thanks for the joy my wife and I share and how great it is to know that dedicating our lives to something bigger than ourselves takes away some of the all-consuming self-centredness that constricts the view of many or our neighbours. I hope the couple received the wake-up call they needed, and they might soon see their child's future as something they can rally around, united as a family.

A wonderful present returned to me today after I got it framed. Thank you so much, Jackson. It's beautiful.

Here you see the lead character from Disgaea 4, Valvatorez, along with three other members of the cast. The game so far has been hilarious, and I adore the little figures that came with it, which I showed in an earlier post.

For now, I'd like to return to the home-made pizza, and a lemon tart!

I hope you all get the rest you needed to prepare for the New Year. See you soon!

Evan

P.S. Use the following images as an example:

Experimental cooking

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:13:00 +0000

After the last post about my Chocolate Pudding recipe, I thought to myself, I really should upload more experiments... Especially when they work! And yesterday I was lucky enough to succeed with two more.

The first was a complete success! I loosely followed a chocolate biscuit recipe and modified it in an attempt to make it into a "rocky road" biscuit. I increased the cooking time, after adding lovely things like nuts, glace cherries and white choc chips.

As you can see (but not taste, sadly) they turned out pretty enough, and they were delicious, too!

The second experiment was in the vein of Sophie Grigson's Parmesan Cake, but with tomato, curry powder, black and white pepper, and various other goodies. Next time I make it (and I will!) I'll add more baking powder to compensate for all the extra wet ingredients and flour. I compensated, but not quite enough. For some reason, when it's heated up, it loses its denseness, and I imagine it would taste marvellous with Vegemite.

*Edit* It does!

We had a wonderful dinner at our friends' new house, and I'm looking forward to sharing many more. One thing that spooked me was a cat we saw in the house next door. Now, I'm pretty sure Honey was originally a Bendigo cat, but I've never seen two cats resemble each other more closely than this cat we saw and our Honey, and to emphasise the improbability of that, here's a picture of Honey to remind you:

It would seem impossible, no? They MUST be siblings, and I intend to investigate further in the future.

I hope the New Year is treating you well!

Love, Evan.

P.S. I'm such a sook- I got a little sad last night thinking that Honey (who is the most joyful, happy kitten in the world) is away from her siblings... Which probably doesn't make any sense, considering how young she was abandoned. Silly me.

Chocolate pudding addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Do you have some chocolates sitting in the cupboard that have started to separate and bloom? Do you hate the white powdery ick that makes them taste funny? Do you wish you could go back in time and eat them before we came to this awful scenario?!

Of course not! You sensible people never leave chocolates in the cupboard for months or years, because chocolate is so irresistibly delicious!

But if, like me, you just married someone who is good at maintaining a healthy near-chocolate-free routine, then this recipe might be useful:

Chocolate Pudding: Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 handfuls chocolate(s)
90g butter
1/3 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup SR flour
3 eggs

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and while this is happening...

2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a bowl, stirring half way [2 x 30sec @ ~750W]

3. Add the sugar and the melted (or at least getting there) chocolate to the saucepan, along with almost all the flour. Turn off the heat and mix all the ingredients together.

4. After a few seconds of cooling time, crack the eggs into the mix, and stir in thoroughly, then add the rest of the flour to help integrate the eggs.

5. Bake for around 8 minutes (or longer if you want it more cake-y, less saucy) in either individual oven-safe bowls, or a loaf pan lined with baking paper.

6. Serve with ice-cream!

I made up this recipe because I don't like following prescribed methods of cooking (I love to experiment in the kitchen- I read recipes to know how ingredients react, then make up my own) and I needed to use up those icky chocolates that were left over from years before. It tastes amazing, and I doubt I could ever be bothered with any other chocolate pudding recipe after this one. 3-4 minutes of work and 8 minutes cooking? Heck, yeah!

This recipe can also be easily modified, and once you have an idea about the consistency of the mixture, feel free to add whatever you like. For example, the pudding pictured above is an Orange Mocha Chocolate Pudding I made two nights ago, replacing the chocolate with orange chocolate, and adding a sachet of Malaysian white coffee powder. It was amazing.

Kitty Gym!

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:10:00 +0000

Thanks, Rob and Divz- it's beautiful! Honey loves it, and when the others wake up, I'm sure they will too!

Honey knows something's afoot...

Isn't it pretty?!

Which devious scheme shall I enact?!

Honey, the bell-ringer.

Quite roomy. Not bad here on the ground floor.

It's so much fun having all these friends always around us. There's nothing like waking up to a kitty trying to get under the blankets, or the sound of jingling bells tearing up the stairs. They truly are a pleasure to have around.

Kitties, toys and music!

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:03:00 +0000

Last week we welcomed a new member of our (ever-growing) household. Puccini, the Devon Rex - previously owned by a family friend, and finding the situation with a new baby to be unpleasant - now lives and plays in our large house, sometimes snarling, sometimes purring, and other times sleeping on a lap for a few minutes, only to wake up, hiss, then bite whoever's attached to the lap. Puccini likes to keep things interesting.

At first we kept him away from the other feline inhabitants of the house, but after only a few days he was happy to play with his new friends- only very occasionally freaking out, yelling then storming off. "Young cats these days..." he murmurs...

Aaaaaand... *Chomp*

A couple of posts back we met The Chosen Four, plus Porky. However, these aren't the only new inhabitants of our bookshelves.

We have Nicholas D. Wolfwood, the travelling minister. He's the only man whose skill with a firearm could ever compare with...

Vash! The hero from Trigun! Sporting his iconic hand gun, red coat and round glasses, we see him in all his infinitely-pose-able glory.

Here's a wedding present from my sister that captures both me and her very well. I love toys, and we both adore The Muppet Christmas Carol. Here we have Bob Cratchit (Kermit) and Tiny Tim (Robin) singing joyfully on their way back home for the Christmas Eve meal.

And here's the rest of the set! The Ghost of Christmas Present, Robert and Jacob Marley (Statler and Waldorf), Fozziwig (Fozzie Bear) and some ice-skating penguins. A lovely collection!

One thing we really enjoyed in Singapore was The Tintin Shop! Here's our latest wall decoration, featuring Snowy chasing a lizard!

And the marvellous gift, courtesy of the Best Man- A 10 figure set of Disgaea 4 toys, which came with the game, a soundtrack, an art book, a guide and stickers! I love stickers! Thank you so much, Jackson!

Can you spot the live one on the table? 'Cini can!

Testing out our fabulous new pizza stone is... Adam and I! Thanks, My Love for cooking us pizza! It had goats' cheese, eggplant, and all sorts of goodies.

What's this? A Moroccan tea set? Such beautiful colours! Apparently we shouldn't clean it (to keep it authentic) and the dirt will add to the flavour. After receiving this gift from our friend Cass, we decided we really need a display cupboard in the kitchen to display our growing collection of teapots.

Last night we had an impromptu dinner party, and the evening's success can be attributed wholly to our guest, Chris's swan trifle! So pretty! Chris is the fellow who hand-made (over several months) a gift of 1000 paper cranes!

We have so many amazing friends! We have these beautiful kitties, courtesy of Jo and Richard, of Impress Tea House & Gallery fame!

Here's our bookshelf as of this morning, but I don't expect it to stay this way for long...

After waiting MANY months for restock, my Ouran poster arrived! Now the music room is looking even more lovely!

Wait, what was that you saw? A piano?! How did that get there? Thank you for everyone who contributed towards our amazing digital piano (St Paul's Choir, Jiapei & Michael, Vong, Jess, Berenika and Ray & Anne Moore)! It's been a real treat playing again, and listening to my wife's performances.

Thanks to everyone who shared in our wedding celebration and thank you for all the exciting gifts! Our house is looking beautiful, and we're so grateful for all our friends! I hope this new year is full of joy and learning and good friends.

Much love,

Evan

Last-Minute Maid of Honour

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:24:00 +0000

One aspect of getting hitched that has been at the forefront of my mind since we started the whole caper is the instant expansion to my "family". I've been nervous about cultural differences - never between me and my wife, we always try approach everything with the goal of growing together, so I'm secure in the knowledge that we can overcome anything, if we work to honour each other - but the expectations of her family have made be jittery. And in many ways I've been right to be nervous.

But there has been one amazing spark that's given me hope for good relationships with her family; that spark was the last-minute Maid of Honour.

This young woman is my wife's cousin on her father's side- a girl who I have so much hope for. She has so much potential, but it would be so easy for that flame to be extinguished in the environment she's subject to. She's the daughter of a wealthy paediatric surgeon, with a mother who uses her as a play-thing, and despite her mother's best efforts to push away from the ingrained urges that say "she's mine, and she (along with our properties and purchases) defines us and our standing in the community" she still manipulates and controls her. Her mother's combination of endearing and manipulative (despite some efforts not to be) is a deadly combination.

I'm told she's "come so far". Every time I engage in conversation with my immediate in-laws concerning how much she's under the thumb, I'm told not to bother because "she's already improved so much." This concerns me deeply. Firstly, it lays blame on her, rather than the oppression she's subjected to. Secondly, this pessimism parading as optimism could stunt any progress towards seeing who this woman can be. My prayers for her are that she will see through with her own dreams, never thinking to fulfil any role for the standing of the family. I would see her marry someone outside her culture- someone who will cherish her and lift her up, so she can shine like she's meant to, never pursuing money for money, but chasing love and altruism with a passionate conviction.

Let me tell you a little of her character- she likes to make people feel comfortable, she always offers assistance before anyone else, she values the relationships with those around her, she is welcoming, excited by knowledge and she's fun. And she likes to do hip-hop singing and dancing.

One morning in Penang, she took us for a tour of the street shops and historic buildings. As we travelled through alleyways in the care of our knowledgeable guide, we stopped in at various little stores, as my cousin-in-law would enquire after the store-owners' family members, with insight and affection, remembering small details about their lives. We were scheduled to tour for several hours, with a final meeting point, but her mother rang every hour for a status report, eventually cutting our time a little short.

It's probably important to note here that her family did a great deal for us in our travels, feeding us all we could manage and taking us out for exciting events and tours. As a reflection upon my own culture, it's interesting to note how much more importance we put on relationships and attitude than financial offerings- because her family really pulled out all the stops, and I wouldn't want to understate their efforts.

Her family, along with my wife's family and my own, spent the week before the Big Day travelling around Geelong, Melbourne and Bendigo, largely together. It came to pass that our intended Maid of Honour was... less than helpful, due to her commitments to her work and to her (apparently-not-together-but-still-living-together-and-we-mean-the-world-to-each-other) boyfriend. I suggested strongly that there was still time to get a new one, and we came to the decision that our cousin would make the perfect fit! She'd doted on us for the week prior and we knew she'd be enthusiastic (if her mother would only step back and let her handle things- which she did, praise God!) and we just knew she was the perfect choice. She'd met the best man (who was also travelling with us during that week) and they'd had fun getting to know each other. It was perfect!

And it really was. She was so kind and helpful, and my then-wife-to-be needn't have been jealous of the Best Man's wondrous efforts (which you will hear of later). We had a ball.

I'd really like to take this space to thank her for everything she did for us, and wish her all the best in her future- and I pray it truly would be her future; never fearing failure, nor striving for wealth or status. Full of joyful and meaningful relationships.

Thanks, Aun Qi- our amazing, last minute, Maid of Honour.

Mother 2 (Earthbound) figures by Banpresto

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Here we have some toys that I've been after for a VERY long time. You might recognise this character from the Super Smash Bros. games. Nintendo made the odd decision to include Ness (the chap in the red cap) as a playable character among their line-up of top-tier Ninty characters. He was never a huge star, and even in Japan, didn't receive the attention I (and many others) believe he deserves. He's the hero of a game known as Mother 2 (Earthbound in the US) which was never released outside Japan and the States. Only through PC emulation have I come to know (and adore) this character's tale. He never speaks, he fights with a base-ball bat, and quite often you'll see him eating hamburgers out of trash cans. No, he's not a street-fighting hobo. He's a boy who gets home-sick if he doesn't call his mum. He hasn't seen his father in a long time (always away on business) and lives in a shiny, trippy parody of the US- full of Jazz singers, Mexican immigrants, blues bands, zombies, greedy businessmen and disturbing cults. He is Ness the Brave (as I call him).

And after Ness, we meet Paula. She's sweet, she loves her teddy bear, she is a child-care worker, and she has a habit of getting kidnapped. She is Paula the Sexist Stereotype. She is the healer, and the token female- a look at how women are presented in classic Western tales. She's the damsel in distress, and when she comes into her own, she saves the day in a "womanly" way- taking the necessary actions that elude the more manly characters. She's got tricks up her sleeve. And a super-cute bow.

Then we hear the distant call, concerning a clever boy, son of the famed inventor, Dr. Andonuts. Abandoned at boarding school by his absent-minded, genius father, he has fashioned himself after his dad, making bottle rockets and repairing items (seemingly in his sleep) at such a young age. He is Jeff the Inventor! Still the voice tells of one more to join the party...

In the misty mountains of Generic Asian Country, we see the embodiment of the US interpretation of all things Asian. He gets around in a judo outfit, he meditates on mountain tops, he lives in a palace decorated with gold elephants- and he will go outside the limits of the human mind to unlock his mystical psychic powers... He is... Prince Poo, the Asian!

Finally we come to the fat kid next door. We remember his crazy family; his abusive, thieving, self-entitled parents. He chases money, and power- he is a coward who won't stand up to anything unless he knows he's on the winning side. He shows us that greed and cowardice are the ultimate enemies of truth and courage. But at least he doesn't have his little brother's bowl-cut. Or Jeff's for that matter. He is Porky the Selfish!

Below you can see the whole gang hanging out on my shelf. The models are based on the original clay models that were used in the guide book and associated advertising. These folks are super-cute, and I truly believe that everyone would be better off if they played Earthbound. Or Mother 3.

Do it for the Mr. Saturns. And yourself.

I also used the arrival of these figures as an opportunity to do something I haven't done before. I've made great use of them in the past, and I've wished more of them were HD. That's right. You guessed it. I made an unboxing video! Or two... because they arrived over 2 days. Enjoy! Or don't. Whatever.

Beginnings

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:37:00 +0000

This is my first post about married life. Before I begin, I'll leave you with a snippet of a conversation I had the other day:

An IM discussion on adults playing with toys:

...

Adam: heh

where do you keep them all?

me: the spare parts?

Well these 2 guys come with an orange plastic container just for that purpose

But most of my other figures don't have special containers, so I just keep the spare parts rattling around in their original boxes, packed away in the cupboard

See, Mum and Dad?!

This is what happens when I'm not allowed videogames and action figures as a child!!

Adam: hahaha

http://xkcd.com/150/

me: Amen

Slightly pointless rant:

There are a few good rules which I find useful in governing human interaction, but none have been as effective as the "kindness" rule. It is simple: Whether it be to greet, inform, reprimand or console, ensure that in any interaction you show kindness. If there has been conflict it can usually be blamed on a lack of kindness. This is one such rule that helps give me security in my relationships. I don't always follow it, and it doesn't always work, but it's the most reliably effective governing attitude I've come across.

I can think of one such time where I didn't follow it recently. But we'll get into that in another post (Painted Nail Blues).

I have found such enormous security in my new wife, and our life together. Not financial security, or physical security, but security of good-will. When either of us is under the whether, the other has been going from strength to strength in developing their ability to come to the aid of the other, without being overbearing. Teeng finds just the right words, and is ever practical in her solutions to some difficulty I might be having. I've found resources to do more and more when she needs help.

She's not the kind of girl who just wants an ear to listen, in the manner all the marriage books seem to suggest- she wants a hand. If she's frustrated but knows the solution she'll tell you where she's at with the proceedings, but if she's having difficulty with something, she'd much prefer I do something about it.

We've noticed that many of the suggestions on how men work, and how women work in the context of marriage - as found in various marriage guidance books - are wrong, or inappropriate. One in particular talks about women needing to groom a man's ego if you'd like him to participate in some "women's" activities. And I think I know why she's different from everything I've been told: She's a person, not a gender.

Many women (let's be honest) are used to being overburdened with menial tasks, but have many important decision-based responsibilities taken from them, so when they want to talk about a problem they're having, they are sick of someone stomping over their ground-work. They're the one having the concerns, and they know the most about it- so who better to solve the problem?

Our relationship looks a little different (which has made many people used to traditional roles in marriage very nervous). Teeng's very resourceful. She's got more knowledge of finances than I have. She's been working longer. She's run her own house for some time now, whereas I'm very new to this business. If there's an obvious solution, she'll have made a decision, tried it and then worked from that point. And she knows she has my trust. And if something goes wrong, there's no-one to blame, we both know she tried. And vice versa. She's empowered. She doesn't need enabling. She's strong and knowledgable, and for that (and so many other reason) I love her. She has so many resources at her finger-tips, and I'm just one of them.

Various people in our lives have seen something unusual in the way we act. Some people are intimidated by the fact that we're such a powerhouse, and feel that perhaps either she's too strong (how does that even make sense?) or I'm not keeping her in line. When you say it out loud, it's as ludicrous as it sounds, but you'd be surprised. If I disagree with something and suggest an alternative, nobody bats an eye-lid, but when she does it'll often raise eye-brows.

We are equals, with varied talents- a blessing and resource to each other. But I am not her keeper. And for that I praise God.

From the start, she often lead the way- in romance and in discovery. I've never been attracted to women who take a back seat, whether by nature or training. Every girlfriend I've ever had has been self-sufficient and vibrant, a pillar for others to look to, a smile that lifts people up. A leader.

The way I'd hope everyone to be. If you can't take charge sometimes, then it's time you reclaimed your life.

I strongly disagree with those who'd suggest that a man should lead the way. We're each given gifts, and Teeng and I are both masters of our own destinies (only in a sense, God is the true master). And we chose to join our lives together. And if either one of us can see a clear path, why should physical appearance override our ability to offer a way forward?

Here's were I started writing again, after that little rant. And a few days' wait. All I really wanted to talk about is the beginning of our life together. And it's been such a great start. Up until the wedding itself, I thought that all of this preparation might just be a way to test our relationship under pressure- but her words made me realise this couldn't be the case; "What's there to worry about? I'm going to be there, the groom's going to be there- Peta's going to marry us. And our friends will have fun."

And she was right. The only stress we had to worry about was the most pointless variety: Anxiety about whether we'd be anxious or not. The mental equivalent of screaming; "DON'T ANYBODY PANIC, OR YOU'LL RUIN EVERYTHING!"

The day was easily the happiest of my life. I hope she had fun, too. The ceremony was perfectly pitched: It highlighted a fantastic balance between the joy and gravity of this commitment- and in all ways acknowledged God as the buoyancy that will keep our marriage sailing along, past sun-drenched beaches and through terrible storms. Using the same analogy, I'm reminded of the story of Jesus calming the storm, beginning at Mark 4:35. It not only serves to show God's power through Jesus, but also has a message concerning a life following Jesus. It doesn't mean we'll be free from storms, but when we face any turbulence in our relationship, we'll come out the other side.

Our three weeks away, beginning with 3 or 4 days by ourselves, was a lovely way to step into married life. We stayed in a ridiculous hotel (The Marina Bay Sands- I suggest you have a quick Google) courtesy of Uncle Lee, and we swam in the Infinity Pool on the roof.

Before any of that could happen, we had to wait for our luggage to arrive. Thanks, Jetstar, for losing our clothes for a few days. It really showed us that despite the hiccough, we were able to celebrate the beginning of our life together and be at ease no matter what happened.

After meeting up with many friends, and sitting through several "wedding dinners", and travelling around Malaysia and Singapore, as depicted below, we returned home to finish unwrapping wedding gifts, and to enjoy each other's company in our new home:

We've had lots of fun setting up our new house with all the wedding gifts we've recieved- like our new piano, light-up numbers for our house, books and board games and art works and so many fantastic gifts. We're so thankful for the amazing start we've been given.

There will be many more joyful posts of marital bliss (I apologise in advance) and others about silly trinkets or nail polish patterns. I hope you'll stick around. I want to thank you all for your company, your friendship and you kind wishes from across the ocean.

Much love to you all,

Evan

Blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:39:00 +0000

For all those that couldn't be there- here's the main event: The vows and the kiss.

Thanks to everyone who made it amazing. Over the next few weeks I'll have stories to tell of the Beginnings of our life together, and I must tell you about our wonderful Last-Minute Maid of Honour, as well as The Best Man Who Really Was, and the best Toilet Tour of my life. I really must tell you all about Monkeys, Monkeys and More Monkeys, as well as Family Ties. But right now I'm going to leave you with that video, and this picture:

Oh, fine. And this one, too:

I hope you have an amazing year, and I hope you managed to take some time to dwell on the gift of Jesus Christ this Christmas.

Much love, everyone!

Praise God for where we've come from, where we're going and all those who walk with us.

Thanks again!

Love,

Evan

P.S. Oh, here's a few more... Enjoy!

On Love and "Dating"

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Note: I've addressed this to heterosexual males in my wording, but that's only because the people who have been asking me the questions are male. This is my way of saying, no I'm not palming your questions off, and no, these answers I'm giving you aren't that ludicrous. This is me explaining myself.

It's always difficult watching someone bang their head against a brick wall. We all do it, and I feel sorry for everyone who suffered through watching my mistakes. I am apprehensive about giving advice to people, but rather I try and explain my own thoughts as they apply to me.

Lately many people have come to me for dating advice. And dating advice isn't something I know how to give- because I don't know if I've had more than one or two "real dates". As soon as someone mentions dating, I get nervous. My own thoughts on the matter are extensive. I think everyone's are. But there are a few things I need to put out there before we begin this conversation:

1. I'm getting married in 8 days. This hasn't affected my outlook on dating, but it might affect your perception of my outlook. I wouldn't want to hide anything from you. Apart from my bank details.

2. If you want assistance to get into someone's pants, then I can't help you. Not because of my own thoughts on the issue, but because you'd have more of an idea than I would.

3. Through my understanding, if you're good at making friends (of both genders) then we have something to work with.

That last one is key, for one very important reason: I've been on as many dates with girls as I have with guys. Does that bother you? Then we might have different ideas about dating.

I watched a video recently about a man's struggle with depression and his thoughts on the topic. He presented some disconcerting ideas about love and friendship. He mentioned soldiers loving their comrades more than they love their wives. I personally believe that sentiment would likely be derived more from the purpose for which they selected their wives (and most likely vice versa) more than his idea concerning shared experience.

This is a tricky conversation for me to have with the person off the street because of definitions. What does love mean? I believe it is an active thing- not a presence, but a desire resulting in action. I am not talking about desire to be with a person, or to be physically intimate with a person, but actually a desire to perform this action called love. That might sound like a syntax error or a recursive definition, but it's the only way I can explain it. Love comes from a will to love. Will is choice. And love is a choice, and is not something a person can therefore "fall out of". Lust is a whole other issue.

Let's return to the topic of the video. I engaged this man in a discussion about "women". He felt that all the "women" in his vicinity were cruel and uncouth, a product of the society they've grown up in. The unfortunate thing is that he too has fallen prey to social conventions and thoughts on the subject that don't let him see past the way women in his life present themselves to the far more destructive issue of his own self-perception and his perception of women at large. Here we arrive at the first pillar of TSC's Guide to Dating:

i. If you don't have any female friends, things will be very difficult. If you do, then you can probably skip this point. If you don't, why? Is it external, or internal? I find it very difficult to believe that no woman would befriend you, all things considered, no matter where you live. So let's find out what you've done to set yourself apart from women.

Have you chosen to not make women your "friend" (as is the case with the man in the video)? Why is this? Is it because you believe in the inherent differences between men and women that make communication at the level of "friendship" difficult? There's a reason it's called "more than friends" (although I feel this detracts from the importance of friendship). It's not "more than friends" in the way that sponge cake is more than a cupcake. It's "more than friends" in the way that Doc's DeLorean is "more than a car". If you can't make it up to 88 mph, nothing's going to happen. It's got to be a car before you can go further.

My wife-to-be and I went on "dates" in the same way as getting to know any new friend. I could not deny her physical attractiveness, but there are many beautiful people out there, and we didn't bond over her appearance; we bonded over bush-walking and choral music, we shared experience to build friendship, valuing the discussions, not knowing whether we'd be remotely compatible as partners. And without needing us to be. The same story has been told many times in my life, but the girl isn't always physically attractive, nor even female. I've developed friendships with many people (as we all have) and through that, I've been able to reach a place where I know about a certain person enough to open up and have them open up, and that's miles before we've discussed any romantic interest between us.

For a worthwhile relationship, for a lasting relationship, you don't need to see the same way in every aspect of your life, but to be open enough to engage with difficulties when opinions differ. And you definitely need to be friends. To people who say: "I don't date friends," I must say I don't understand your view point. I understand it if the purpose of dating is sex. Because, really, who wants the awkwardness of sharing something so intimate then having to face that person on a regular basis. What if they fell for you?! Ewww...

ii. You already know what a good date is like. You've been on many. How many times have you shared an activity with someone because you're both interested in something? Seeing a movie? Going to a floral display exhibition? Playing video games? A great date came out of spending time with a person (same or opposite sex) and it wasn't because the film was amazing, was it? Or the flowers blew you away, right? It wasn't because of anything you'd planned. It was because you both grew closer during the experience, and it was because of the compatibility of your personalities.

She might be beautiful- so beautiful you'd write volumes and volumes about her beauty, but what does that matter if you can't relate to her or communicate with her.

iii. Maybe it's her. Maybe it's you. I'm reminded of this video in so many different areas of my life. It essentially asks the hard question for budding game designers: do you have what it takes? To cut a long story short: Are you even ready?

In the video it suggests a well-rounded person is a big requirement of the job. What do you know about art, history, philosophy? All that helps you contribute something to the world of video games.

Now, I like video games, but if video games are all I know, then I don't have the tool set to be a good game designer, or partner. If you're struggling to find someone compatible with your claustrophobic corner of the world, then maybe you need to broaden your horizons. There are plenty of ways to both broaden your friend base and your interests by joining various communities. Lack of potential partners is a real problem. Over the last few years, a friend of mine has gone from being surrounded by blokes in his programming course, to enjoying the friendship of many more people. It can be difficult if you're working full time, or in a remote area, but the majority of us live near thousands of people, many of which engage in social activities that we can become a part of.

If you don't get out, you'll have trouble finding someone else who would happily share in your reclusive behaviour. They're out there. But probably not worth it. Classes, church groups, sports groups, board game clubs- there are many groups are looking for members, so if you have any interest it can only do you good.

iv. Do you REALLY want a girlfriend? More than anything? Then that'll definitely be an issue. If you see my first point, you'll remember that building great friendships is the best way to expose yourself to potential partners. And I don't mean "leading someone on" (that's an important issue, too). Don't do that. Be honest.

I refer to the guy we all know. We can't help but notice he's single, because he hangs off every new girl he meets at every party we go to. He keeps asking us why he can't get a girlfriend. He wants one so badly. He's "doing everything right". He's got books about it.

He scares off potential partners (victims) more than a serial killer. He remembers every girl who he has fallen for, and resents past "relationships" which the girl in question possibly never even knew about. It's to this person (and we all know one, or twenty if we study computer science) that I give this very important advice: Try not looking at every endeavour of friendship as a potential mate-for-life. But know that each friend you make time for, and each new friend you get to know improves your chances of one day being the right person at the right time.

And to each of the guys (and couple of girls) who have approached me about this issue, know that I love you. I want to make time for you, go out with you, to walk and talk with you. But also know that advice on this issue is very difficult to give, and the hardest answer to hear is: Maybe you're not ready, and your mind isn't in the right space. If you haven't seen me for a while, say hi, call me up, I want to see you again, just to watch a movie- or see a flower show, or walk through an art gallery. Maybe we'll have a life-changing conversation. Maybe I'll learn secrets from you. We can really have a conversation now that you know where I'm coming from.

Just wait until after I get back from my Honeymoon. Married life, here I come!

Love,
Evan

P.S. Thanks, Kim, for reminding me I'm not (completely) crazy. And thanks to My Love, for being the best friend I could ask for.

P.P.S. This piece wasn't meant to be a fail-safe guide, just an insight into my own thoughts on the matter, for those who have asked. And for everyone else it's me opening up a little. I've posted enough cat pictures lately.

P.P.P.S. Nearly.

"I go first?" asks Lilly

Jo lied!

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:35:00 +0000

She said it would just be a token gift, but she lied... it's beautiful! I love ornaments (as many of my blog posts will show) and I love kitties~!

So check this out:

Isn't she adorable?!

I can't show you the other gift we received until the 10th December.

While visiting their wonderful tea shop in Elmore (the best tea shop in the world) she showed us these gorgeous kitties, and I fell in love! You can find out more about them here.

With a half-half face just like our Honey, she's a wonderful addition to our family.

Jo and Richard have been amazing to us- they've fed us and cared for us when I've been ill, they've cooked for us many times, and it's been so much fun getting to know their beautiful family. We're so blessed to be able to share with them as we start our own journey, building a nest of our own.

We're looking forward to a BBQ with them this weekend, and I hope Jo has a great birthday tomorrow.

I'm certainly enjoying mine thus far.

*Hugs*

Evan

A very Honey Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:23:00 +0000

Honey snuggles with Mr. Saturn

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Again, I'm really sorry. If you can't tell, I'm REALLY fond of our beautiful kitties.

Dude, there's totally some Earthbound in my K-On!

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:22:00 +0000

I'd just started watching K-On! and look what popped up! It's one of my beloved Mr. Saturns!

K-On! Ep. 07

When Yui is picking out presents for the upcoming Christmas present swap, she chooses on old man's head, which in itself resembles Mr. Saturn, but the real deal is sitting on the shelf beside it. In the end she opts for...

...well, it's cute. Go watch it.

I'm led to believe that more Mr. Saturn-y goodness will pop up later in the show, so I'll update you when I find things.

Because I know you'll be waiting with bated breath.

Or else.

Bisous!

P.S. Honey is clearly a Lapsang Souchong fan.

And Miles is really good at looking pretty.

Sleepy Kittens

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:51:00 +0000

Awwwww... Right?

Kitty scribbles by My Love

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 03:12:00 +0000

My Love is amazing. I've told you many times, but she is. We've had so much fun over the last few days, even with me in my state of disrepair...

Here are some lovely drawings of our beautiful kitties, courtesy of My Love.

Here's My Love, grinning in her new pair of shoes:

Snuggles with Mr. Miles:

Peek-a-boo!

One of Honey's favourite positions:

...Chewing our chairs:

Enjoy the break, all you (Aussie) Uni students!

*Mwah*

Evan

Honey 11/11/11

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 05:34:00 +0000

I tried to capture some of Honey's devious look in this scribble I did today:

And as I was chatting with Jax, My Love sketched the cutie below in all of about 30 seconds...

She's too talented, if you ask me.

One month

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:17:00 +0000

And then I'll be a married man. Bound forever to love and cherish that wonderful girl. It's a little scary. Not because we'll be inseparably entwined for the rest of our lives. But because I'm not good at organising things.

Luckily, she is. And so's my father.

In fact, she's great at a lot of things. Cooking. Drawing. Physical exercise.

I've got a few things to bring to the table. I'm good at cleaning. I hope I'm thoughtful (when it comes to her).

It's not a competition. But I really should get her to handle the illustrations around here, if she won't do any for her own blog.

These're all hers:

Meet my man:

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:20:00 +0000

http://jackson-in-germany.blogspot.com/2011/11/lost-in-translation.html

Isn't he amazing? Not only is his poem more heart-rending, it's in freaking German, (which he only learnt this last year) the language whose homeland has stolen him away from me! *Shakes fist*

After that convoluted sentence, I shall slump in a heap. It will be wonderful to have him back- if only for a short while...

This is a pretty good demonstration of how I'm feeling:

Vague, sketchy, but ultimately bright.

Missing you. MissingNo. Zzzzz... Back to bed.

*Hugs*

*Air hugs*

TSC

Our Love

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 04:22:00 +0000

Thank you, Dear Jax
For walking with me
While we test out our strength;
As we splash in the sea
For your smile when I'm crass-
and your hugs all these years
are BY FAR the best...

...I wish you were here.

Zehnten Dezember wouldn't be the same without you-

I love you so much,

See you soon,

Evan

P.S. In case I screwed that up, I do mean the 10th December, whatever the German might say.

P.P.S. For everyone else- I've been unwell for several weeks, battling this. It'll still be a few weeks before I'm recovered. Thanks for the prayers. I hope those Uni students facing exams aren't too stressed right now. Buona fortuna!

Stay for the ending- it's classic

noreply@blogger.com (Evan Ritchie) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:57:00 +0000

Also, watch with sound: