Hub Bads33d

Two turntables and a microphone

2010-09-07T20:05:00.002+10:00

I've got this idea for a show.

It would be a drag cabaret show. I even have a potential host.

The two drag queens would play sisters - the Idas of Marchmont. They're two snooty Roman Catholic 'women' with a murderous streak and penchant for musicals.

Think every evil-character's theme from every musical: Mrs Lovett having a little priest, Cruella de Vil, Lucy Harris bringing on the men. Then add in the madness of Brideshead - arch plots to control the men in the audience, fey sons, messed up daughters, absent husbands... it would all be madness.

I've even managed to get a hostess for the night: Cruella de Rohan.

New layout

2010-04-05T11:53:00.002+10:00

I've hated the old layout for ages, but never really got down to fixing it until now.

Prettier and much easier to read, no?

Dreamscape: The Wall

2010-04-04T18:08:00.003+10:00

There is this wall. I don't know if it's the front of a container, or a large door or something, but it's painted yellow. Not any old yellow, but the kind they use for road signs: bright yellow.It's clearly there to protect the material from oxidisation, but it's not doing its job; there are sheets of paint coming off to reveal rusted metal underneath. Beautiful patterns formed by the peeling paint: hordes of elephants, people; a circus of events, moments, all revealed if you squint.

A man stands in front of the peeling wall. He's the guy from a million movies who you know will offer you the deal of a lifetime if you let him speak. But he doesn't.

Opposition is the first option

2009-12-16T21:41:00.005+11:00

This post has been floating in my head a while now.
A few weeks ago, the Australian Federal Government Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee published its report into the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009. To put this into perspective for overseas visitors to my blog, Australia has the dubious 'honour' of being one of the few (the only?) developed countries who have constitutionally defined marriage as being between a man and a woman, so the commission's recommendations - that the government review relationship arrangements so that impediments to recognition of same-sex couples are removed, but that a bill allowing same-sex marriages be knocked back - is no huge surprise.
Go a few pages into the report and the submission figures are startling. 11,000 submissions from individuals and organisations for same-sex marraige. Opposition to same-sex marriage, however, numbered 17,000 - about 1 1/2 times to the affirmative submissions. Ever since I read that section, I've been haunted by these figures.

Let me start by stating that I have not read the report in full. This post is not about the contents of the report. It is about how opposition is the easiest option - but it comes at too great a cost.

Opposition is something that has been dominating the political landscape recently, particularly here in Sydney. On a global level, opposition to the concept of anthropogenic climate change has led to scientific espionage and the creation of a series of scandals in the lead-up to climate change talks in Copenhagen. In the last month, opposition to an Emission Trading Scheme within the federal Liberal party has cost the scalp of the (moderate) Opposition leader, to be replaced with a more combative, oppositional leader. In Sydney, the premier of New South Wales found himself replaced following his attempts to defang a group of power-brokers within his own party.
Don't get me wrong: fighting for something is often necessary. When all you do is fight against other things, though, it's easy to forget the overall plan and drag others down with you in the process.

Let's bring this down to more personal level. The work I do as a producer involves a lot of risk analysis. My job is to anticipate potential roadblocks and issues, and develop strategies to mitigate them so that the projects I'm working on come to fruition. A lot of the time, I end up sounding like a Cassandra, warning people that if this doesn't happen, the world will come crashing down.
Doing this work comes at a cost. It's very easy to get bogged down in the negative all the time. It's mentally and emotionally exhaustive; there are many times I get home too tired to move.
To get out of it, I find myself often having to focus on the future, looking to better outcomes and staying my eye on positive scenarios. My out-of-work life can sometimes consist of only focusing on the good - looking for the best in everything as it is far too easy to stumble on the negative. This aspect is gratifying; I get to really appreciate the best in everything, to celebrate the wins. Especially others' wins - that can be really inspiring.

The price you pay for focusing on the negative is great. A friendly disposition can draw people in, but a sour outlook tends to push people away.
I make no preference that I always succeed at being positive. I can come across as intensely introspective. My perceived lack of quality personal time tends to leave me without the necessary reserve of genuine interest in others' lives. I would definitely love to be there more often for my friends and lovers (well, when lovers come along).
Worse than that, spending time with negative people becomes a game of diplomacy. I've noticed, for example, that often those people I know who are going through a difficult period and especially for those who constantly focus on their difficulties, there is this habit of knocking down the positives in others' lives. Spending time with them becomes a battle - when their attention turns to you, everything positive you strive for is criticised, all the good things you talk about are deconstructed to illustrate fault or depicted as personal losses.
It becomes a chore to be around these people. Even when they find something positive, you find yourself biting your tongue lest they turn on you for "not doing enough" or your "inability" to achieve as much as they do. You start to wonder why you would want to spend time with them. After a while, rather than wanting to help them, you start to feel sad or exhausted at the very thought of this negative force in your life.

So it is with these opposition forces at large. Spending too much time dealing with groups who would do anything to maintain a status quo that is too selfish, or "works" at the expense of others' misfortune ultimately comes at your own peril - and their own.
Striving for constructive solutions (such as creating a healthier, cooler world, or elevating a group of people from second-class status) is infinitely preferable to holding onto obstructive ones, even though it may be easier to oppose things in the meantime.

The boyfriend you don't have when you have a boyfriend

2009-08-24T00:09:00.005+10:00

I've been seeing someone for a little while. He's a great guy, very interesting, incredibly sexy, etc.

The thing is, I haven't seen much of him for about 6 weeks now. It got so bad that I started preparing myself for the breakup the other day. I spent yesterday arvo having conversations with different friends discussing whether I should even bother seeing him any more, whether he was distancing himself or just politely saying he's not interested etc.

So I went to dinner with him tonight expecting the whole dumping thing. It turns out it's none of the above. He is interested; he's just honestly busy. He has a lot of study on his plate at the moment, which means he's pretty much unable to see me more than once a week for the next few months.

The weird thing is that up until recently, that would be a dealbreaker. Nowadays, I'm not so sure. I mean, I'm busy all the time, too. I also have a lot of people around who I love, and I'm not exactly the type of person who absorbs himself completely in the guy he's seeing. So yeah, maybe having a part time lover is not ideal, but it means I can enjoy getting to know him better in between everything else. It also means I get time to myself while appreciating the time we have together. Win-win, I guess.

À bas la Victoriana

2009-05-15T10:38:00.002+10:00

A week ago I threw away the last of my Victorianness. Yes, I switched
my driver's license over to NSW.

And I don't feel anything.

I think it's pretty much guaranteed that every Melburnian I know will
be hating on me right about now.

It's such a Perfect Day

2009-02-22T22:44:00.002+11:00

I went into this weekend with a touch of trepidation.

The thing is, I've had this thing about combining my personal life with my professional. Call it a concern about mixing business with pleasure.

We can all relate to it on some level. A good friend's boyfriend, for example, remains closeted to keep up within his somewhat overly heteronormative company. Another friend is very specific about separating his work friends from his personal friends, for fear of having details of his social life jeopardise his career chances. For me, it's a little strange, in that I wouldn't have got the break in my industry without a lot of help from friends. I'm still not sure whether that was necessarily a good thing.

Then again, the last job I had, I got on my own steam. That didn't work out particularly well - even if I did get to work with some amazing people, some of whom I now consider friends.

You can imagine the concern I had when invited to a birthday party Saturday. The birthday boy is someone I have a lot of respect for on a professional level, but who is also implicated in my friendship circles. The thought of having friends and colleagues in the same room was a little disconcerting.

Add to that the gin hangover I woke up to on Saturday morning (unexpectedly large dinner party with a good friend the night before), I was nervous enough to take my housemate with me to the birthday drinks.

What a difference a day makes. The party turned out to be really enjoyable. The people there were fun, and even the strange situation of having a colleague (and current housemate of an ex of mine) take a liking to my housemate didn't ruin my happy mood.

In the middle of the party, I received an invite to join some friends at the opera house that evening to see Alan Cumming. The housemate and I jumped on it.

Quick costume change later, we headed over to the studio for our little cabaret experience. Imagine my delight when I found out it was a showcase hosted by none other than Justin Bond.

I'd had a conversation the night before with a friend, saying how I've been hanging to see Bond, but my schedule wouldn't allow it. I've been a big fan since seeing him in Shortbus (a personal favourite).

To see such an amazing show was great. To have Justin, Alan, Trevor Ashley and Mark Trevorrow was heaven. Ashley's reimagining of 'I've never been to me' was hilarious, as were Bond's and Cumming's anecdotes. Cumming brought on a couple extra guests, one of whom (David somethingorother from New York) drew tears - his performance was beautiful, especially the introduction where he talked about fulfilling one of his dreams by performing at the Opera House that night.

Having decided that I was definitely in love with Justin Bond and Alan Cumming, I was completely blown away when Justin introduced his final guest: Miaow Miaow. I've had this goal of seeing MM since I first heard about her a few years ago. I almost don't want to mention it, because I can't convey the truly anarchic joy of seeing her live.

By the time we left the Studio, I was highly energised, in a way I haven't been for a very long time (at least a year). It was time to hit the town.

We decided to go to Slide for a couple drinks. The thing is, I wasn't in a chatty mood, and the music was fun, and so I ended up dancing a lot of the time. All of a sudden, I felt a hand in my back pocket. It belonged to a cute blond, who winked and walked away.

Turns out, he'd stuck a note in there:

You are with your friends. I'm with my friends. ;)
My name's Y. Call me 04xx-xxx-xxx.
:) xx

I laughed, then kept dancing. I'm not the sort to not consider notes like that suspicious, no matter how flattering the sentiment. After all, who knows how many others got the same note that night. Still, doesn't mean I'm not going to message him tomorrow.

I've been listening to Does it Offend You, Yeah's Let's Make Out lot lately. It's my little running joke to occasionally tweet some of the lyrics.

In fact, the number of verbal games I've been playing has increased recently. My housemate and I spent the weekend running around describing things using Dee Lite lyrics. The conversation would go like this:

- Oh, it was lovely and delicious
- Bubblicious?
- No. Just lovely. And delicious.
- Pernicious?
- Not vicious. Or Malicious. Just lovely. And delicious.
- Lovelicious?
- (mock anger) Just. Lovely. Delicious.
...etc

One of my favourite vloggers commented on my OC v GG blog today. LittleBiggerChris has been someone I've followed for two or so years, having found out about his relationship with NickasArbata through a Queerty article. I have a lot of love for this warm, friendly guy and his choice to document his life so openly. Plus, it's nice to know that little NY-SYD connections seem to have permeated the whole weekend (I may mention that my dinner guest on Friday was a friend who grew up in New York City).

So, playful weekend. Lots of love and laughter, and even some flirting. It's been a while - nice to know it's still possible. xoxo.

Augmented, Not-so-Reality challenge

2009-02-11T09:19:00.004+11:00

Right. I want to play a game.

I'm constantly playing games with friends. We'll come up with some random phrase or concept, and run with it.

The concept that's been grabbing me the last few weeks is augmented reality. Look it up, if you haven't heard of it. There was a presentation at TED this year on augmented reality using pretty much off-the-shelf gear that ended up with a standing ovation.

But what about augmented fiction? Say, getting into a story by experiencing it in some form, with web enabled devices to build up the character you're inhabiting. Somewhere between acting, producing and writing a fictional piece. Using several (traditional and newer) media. Photography, writing, film, websites, social media - you don't just consume a fictional piece as much as inhabit it.

Or even better: consume, inhabit AND create it. What if you were author, actor and reader at the same time. What if it wasn't just you that was part of the story? Even better - what if there were several players creating the story together in different parts of the (virtual and IRL) world?

Let's get this in perspective - this isn't something where you're playing/consuming/augmenting your 'own' life. You're playing and writing out a fiction, one that could be based around your life, but more than that. The story incorporates all sorts of media, and incorporates realtime and static elements.

The only question to get going is, Who Else Wants To Play?

Overheard in Newtown

2009-02-07T13:23:00.001+11:00

"...well, it was going to take ten years, so I forgave him."

Chim Chiminy... Chim Chim, Uzi

2008-11-13T10:26:00.003+11:00

This goes in the 'so wrong' basket.

Yes, I'm aware this is the sort of thing that should go on a site like Regret the Error, but The Australian really did screw up with this headline typo. It's not bad enough that there's another case of cultural insensitivity on the part of American soldiers + heightened sensitivity on the part of Iraqis, the newspaper has to screw up the headline.

Now I'm going to have visions of psychotic chimney sweeps stuck in my head. Mary Poppins better watch her back.

[The Australian: Slapped Iraqi soldier soots dead two US troops]

Yes they can!

2008-10-10T15:21:00.004+11:00

[ICanHasCheezburger]

calm

2008-10-08T23:28:00.003+11:00

I started writing an entry a few weeks ago, in which I explained that I felt like I was at sea.

I'm starting to realise I've been at sea for a few years now. I've been trying too hard to find that centre, pushing too hard against the current, getting lost nonetheless - or rather, because of my pushing. I got too tired recently of pushing; and went with the flow.

Even then, I've been irresponsible lately. My finances aren't shored up. My emotional state has been a wreck. My sanity a thread in a delapidated doily.

Tonight, though, for the very first time in a while, I feel calm. It's as if I'm coming to shore.

Guess it's time to find my land legs.

fa fa fa fa

2008-10-08T23:14:00.006+11:00

(for those scratching their heads, watch this.)

Christianity in a nutshell

2008-09-22T08:16:00.007+10:00

This photo is not doctored in any way - I think that's the best bit about the whole thing.

Forest at the Opera House

2008-07-26T21:37:00.003+10:00

Apologies for taking so long to get this up, but I wasn't sure how to convey the feelings of the evening. Being such a staccato/legato experience, I figured it's easier to make it read almost like a haiku.

Outside. Rain.
In Line. Hipsters. Suburbanites. Bad Cowboy boots on one girl. Yelling Teenagers. "Ben!"
Inside. Foliage. Foliage. Construction v Nature. Smoke: columns, haze. Singer. Lost Masses. Contemplation of Outside and Inside.
Outside. Posters: 39 Steps - the Musical, Hamlet @ Belvoir.
Opera Bar Alien.
Home, James.

Gossip Girl: An OC-Lover's Guide

2008-07-20T17:59:00.019+10:00

Josh Schwartz's latest project, Gossip Girl, has started showing in Australia, exclusively on cable.

I've been debating whether to write this post given there's so many (check out a few, below) others, especially this article doing practically the same thing.

The thing is, they're just a wee bit too simplistic. Sure, you can map most of the characters from the OC pretty easily to their Gossip Girl equivalents, e.g.

Marissa Cooper is cooler and more worldly as Serena van der Woodsen.

Kaitlin Cooper gets bigger exposure as Jenny Humphrey, as does Oliver as Chuck Bass:

Luke Ward has his equal in Nate Archibald:

There's also the 'trouble' with fathers: Nate's likes a little too much of a sniff of the coke , whereas Luke's is gay. The mapping is supposed to continue in the second season, with a storyline where he gets to see an older woman played by Central Park West's Mädchen Amick (remind you of anyone?):

Seth's first girlfriend, Anna Stern, becomes Dan's friend Vanessa Abrams:

Of course, Sandy Cohen translates Eastward as ex-rocker Rufus Humphrey

And his wife Kirsten becomes the love of Rufus' life, Lily van der Woodsen (cue the semi-incestuous storyline):

But that's when it gets more complicated. For example, Little Jenny's brother, Dan Humphrey, is a bit of a mix of Seth Cohen and Ryan Cooper:

Serena's best friend and Queen 'B', Blair Waldorf, is very much the mix of Summer and Julie Cooper Nichol:

Kiki, Julie and the Noopsies get younger as they turn into the girls' clique at St Jude's:

(FYI, I've missed a few of the secondary characters in the right-hand side of the photo).

The relationship between Dan and Serena is a blend of Summer and Seth and Ryan and Marissa, with all the angsty-ness, Dan's longstanding up-until-now-unrequited obsession with Serena, and the insider-outsider aspect of the relationship:

Similarly, the friendship between Blair and Serena isn't as reminiscent of the stick-by-you Summer and Marissa as the on-off semi-but-still-ultimate-BFFness of Kirsten and Julie:

JK-BS.jpg

And the relationship between Lily and Rufus is complicated by her courting of billionaire Bart Bass, a pseudo Caleb Nicholesque character:

Finally, Luke's relationship with Marissa in the first season of OC translates to childhood sweethearts Blair and Nate:

So, that's a really basic starting guide. You know, I love it.

[People.com: Gossip Girl: The New O.C.]
[Socialite Life: Chace Crawford Checks Out An Older Woman]
[meeVee: "Gossip Girl" - "The O.C." Without the Heart]
[Muckety: Gossip Girl resurrects OC themes]
[Metromix Chicago: 'Gossip Girl'... in 'The O.C.'?]
[NY Observer: The O.C. Goes N.Y.C.]

You like Gawker Stalker?

2008-07-15T12:20:00.004+10:00

No way!*

I just found out about this 'even better' version that News Limited have created for World Youth Day:

http://twitter.com/popedownunder

Ya - you can totally follow the pope on his visit around Sydney. It's, like, so hot right now.

*For the record, I don't care much for Gawker Stalker. Nor the pope and his brood.

Oh, no you did-int...

2008-06-02T22:23:00.007+10:00

I'll still go watch it. Still, this has to be one of the worst mental-image inducing headings I've come across in a long time.

PS. Has anyone else seen this lovely tip to To Kill A Mockingbird?

[The PEN15 Club]

dumb idea #3,938*

2008-05-13T09:56:00.005+10:00

How about - 'let's set the slogan for the 2008 Republican Presidential campaign to the same one used by an anti-anxiety drug'?

Great move, John McCain! Almost as good as 'Mission Accomplished'...

* [Casualties in Iraq since 'Mission Accomplished']
[Huffington Post: Jason Linkins]

i can has lolpeoplez now.

2008-05-12T22:40:00.002+10:00

i blinked, and lolcats all of a sudden became lolpeople.

it's fantastic - i especially love these two. i'm still waiting for the lolpriests, tho (scarletscorpio and cvm?)

[pundit kitchen]

Cuteness Friday

2008-05-02T10:50:00.004+10:00

The sun is shining. I can't help it.

1. Star Wars, explained by a 3 year old

2. Hey Jude - one toddler's interpretation

I know. Oldies, but goodies.

bad pun land - know the difference

2008-04-29T14:41:00.001+10:00

in this case, wong should be right.

wright, however, may not be.

introverted social media alien

2008-04-29T11:11:00.003+10:00

for those of you that know me personally, you'll know i started working for a very interesting interactive agency a few months ago.

now that i've made the switch from software to online media and advertising, my life is even more focused on the online world, especially how I can contribute to the different spheres of online life. i've finally bought my first ever wireless modem/router the other day (unfortunately, i've not yet set up a broadband connection at home for a few rather annoying reasons). i've added myself to twitter and have updated my RSS feeds. I've made an effort to use facebook more often and acquaint myself with a whole heap of social networking tools. I've even managed to learn a lot about google analytics and development tools, and can talk about viral marketing best practice with some confidence.

if you'd asked me the difference between HTML, ASP and ASPX a month ago, i would have had a blank look on my face. Now - I may not be 100%, but i'm getting there. I'm able to tell you all the wireless hotspots within a km of my house. I can look at a site and pull apart its components in a few seconds.

Learning all this stuff comes at a price, however. I'm constantly exhausted, and the whole new household settling in thing isn't really helping. To add to it, I've been running around like crazy: networking, farewells, birthdays, celebrations, catching up with old friends, etc.

The thing is, I'm feeling a little done with it all. I'm constantly in contact with people, and as much as I love everyone, it's all a bit much. I don't feel like I'm adding anything to my life in the end, and I just want some time to myself. I need to work out how often I should tweet, blog or IM and what for. I need to know that when I get home, I won't be so exhausted I need to veg out for a good hour or two before I look up (that's assuming I get home before 10, which lately I haven't been doing often enough). It's just not that useful for my health, or life in general for that matter. I want to feel like I'm contributing something interesting, and not just floating along and watching life go past.

So, I'm slipping off the social radar for a little bit. My room needs a reorganise. I have books to read, plays to watch and films to catch up on. Oh, and I haven't been to the gym in god knows how long.

I'm not interested in going out to a bar every second night for the opening of an envelope. I'm not interested in sitting around watching the latest reality tv bore me with its inane host and pathetic contestants.

I'd much rather do a few things around the house, maybe catch up with the odd person, and recollect my thoughts. In other words, it's time to collect some social surplus. Maybe then I'll have something truly stimulating to contribute.

if only madonna had been as popular when chornobyl exploded

2008-04-22T11:27:00.005+10:00

I'm completely bemused, even if a little wary, by this latest round of celebrities sticking their noses into politics.

I mean, it was amusing when Madonna decided to save the world from nuclear waste with magic Kabbalah juice. It kinda makes sense that, as director of the STC, Cate Blanchett would be part of the 2020 summit, especially with regard to Arts. But Shakira, advising the British Prime Minister on educating the developing world?

Next up: Jordan (sorry, Katie Price) advising Thabo Mbeki on hygiene best practices for South African hospitals.

times like these, i need a cocktail

2008-04-11T17:07:00.004+10:00

or five.

stupid me went on a date, and proceeded to be a total fool.

how do i explain this? i went for a lovely drink at one of my favourite establishments, met a lovely guy, you know the game. we went on a date to my current fave venue on king st, in newtown.

a few drinks in, we decided to go for a nightcap at the marlborough. while we were chatting away amicably, i went for the kiss.

except he stepped back.

i tried badly to recompose myself. after a minute or two, even managed to get the conversation going again. half an hour later, he dropped me off at mine.

i feel like such a moron, but i'm even more confused by the fact that the 'date' continued after my gaffe. i have no idea what to make of this whole thing.

on the up side, it is my first date in a while. maybe it's just like that first job interview after working in a role for years - it's like practice for the serious jobs you want to go for later. or else, it just proves that i truly am a masochist.