"I'm On The Pavement, Thinkin' 'Bout The Government"

Greetings all. I'd apologise for the delay, but since I did warn that I'd be away for a while, I'd feel it's unwarranted. Let me just say that it's absolutely fantastic that the other has decided to blog again (and regularly too)! It's always a great read to see what's on the other's mind, because I think he's always got something interesting and worthy to say.

I have a fair bit to say this time around, so let's jump into the deep end, and see where we end up shall we?

It's good to see (umm need to think of a proper nickname, oh there is) Laetitia on blogger! Good to see that the blogs are coming semi regularly, you better blog while you're overseas, bitch!


Market dynamics are very interesting. The other is an economics genius (as his ridiculous grades at our uni show), but it leaves me with a lot of unanswered questions. The stock market is interesting to me, and for a while I've been playing a lot of Fantasy Stock Exchange (FSX) on Facebook, and I have been doing exceptionally well (a PROFIT margin of 10 million dollars plus - from 40 million dollars capital). I did hit 60 million net at one point, but a few bad shorts hurt me in the end. The game engine is a little whacky at the moment, with a few bugs in the latest build, but once it's fixed, I'll be sitting pretty (I'm currently locked into oil and other commodities since you need to trade when the US market is open), so I've been tanking for a while. But on to my point, where does my money go?

When I short something and it rises, I know that I'm paying for the inflated price of the share, and that goes towards the company. But when normally bought shares tank, where does that lost margin go? Does it disappear into some black hole, or is that going to someone else on the market? One suggest an infinite market size (which may not even be possible), and one suggests a, well, maybe not limited size, but one that can be measured and defined, which makes more sense to me.

Also, insider trading is rampant. It's highly illegal in most (if not all) countries that have markets. But within business circles, it's an open secret that insider trading is the key for individuals making massive gains on the market. When I did research into it (for an essay and presentation), there is a whole school of thought that states that insider trading needs to be made legal, as the market is so dependent on a free market/lassaiz faire approach, that the world markets would collapse if people strictly stopped insider trading.

Doesn't matter anyway, 95% of the time people will get away with it because insider trading is incredibly difficult to prove, and the people who engage in it are the type who can afford the best lawyers money can buy.


I saw on the news before I left, that people are at their happiest in their 50's and 60's, and extremely unhappy in their 30's and 40's. This was due to people realising that a large percentage of their life was over, and most of their dreams have gone unfulfilled. The reason for the happiness later on is due to finally knowing oneself, not settling. I thought this attitude was so sad, and existential. I'm also hoping for my dear life that it doesn't happen to me. But the more I think about it, the more it occurs to me that I can't pull myself away from the crowd and maybe their claws will grab on to me and I'll go under too. Better not happen I say! But should I be sowing those seeds right now? Who knows? Life is short. Over like tomorrow!


Australia is the victim of cultural cringe. The vast majority of television and songs you hear on the radio, and the most common culture that's emulated here is the American culture. Ever since the 1960's-70's, Australia has started to copy more and more American culture. We covered this in Comms class, and I'm sure the other has gone over it too. However, there has been a sort of funny result, Australians want to see more Australians on tv, but under American contexts and ideas. Case in point? American shows being bought out and re-made for an Australian audience. So you think you can dance, and Top Gear (before I get angry letters, yes I know TG is a British show), are just a few examples that spring to mind. But the problem with this? Australia just simply does not have the large population required to make these ideas viable. All our versions of these shows seem second rate, and in some ways it seems embarrassing, I hope they don't broadcast them overseas.


Yesterday brought the formal apology from the Australian Government for the Stolen Generation. For those that don't know, look it up, cause I'm sure if I explained it here, there would be lots of misinformation and conjecture, and would cause offense on a sensitive issue. I'm glad it came, it was a long time coming. The conservative government of previous times angered many by bringing the focus on to issues on the peripheral, and trying to say sorry without saying sorry, and not accepting any wrongdoing occurred. This in my mind is pure insanity. When you go back through history, it is painfully obvious that these things occurred, but others (cough cough, conservatives), still want to be oblivious to the truth. People say that about the holocaust, they're called holocaust deniers, and in many countries, it is a serious offence to voice that frame of mind. It seems the conservative government here (known ironically, as the Liberal coalition), are cut from the same cloth. Are they that sick that they'd flat out reject this happened? How can they say one injustice occurred and not another? This is blatant hypocrisy. It also goes to show why I hate conservatives so much. However, I do feel that on some elements, conservative politics just can't be beaten, fortunately (or unfortunately, however you depend to look at it), this arena only seems to be the economy. Why the hell do conseratives consistently run better economies than liberal/progressive governments?! It makes no sense if you ask me!



Under our Liberal/Progressive Government, the Reserve Bank of Australia has raised interest rates, and will do so again in a few months. The idea is to stop inflation, and allow external growth. However, this also brings internal growth to a grinding halt. How can the economy grow when people are struggling to survive and pay back loans? The Conservative Government were sneaky bastards 2 elections ago, and conned everyone into thinking that the Government has direct control over the RBA and therefore can determine interest rates, and that under a Labor (the progressive Gov.) fronted country, interest rates would skyrocket. Morons believed them, and they won that time. This time however, people saw through the lies but now that the RBA is raising interest rates, it all seems so fishy, given that the economy was doing so well before. The bubble couldn't have burst, and why count on external growth when the world market looks to be headed into recession? It just strikes me as weird, given that the last few appointments to the RBA are all buddies with the previous conservative Government, and there's no doubt in my mind that words were said that interest rates should be lifted under a new Government to make them look bad. It's just not logical I say.


Was in Sydney for the past week looking for a place to live. The rental market is meant to be awful, but not as bad as it is here. However, here everyone I know seems to find a place! In Sydney I applied for 6 places and have been rejected from 3 already! What the hell?! Most of the time it's due to lack of rental history. This brings me to the employment catch 22 situation -
"What experience do you have?"
"Well I need to have a job to have experience" -
How the hell can you rent a place after you just moved out of home? It's basically impossible for me! Again, it comes down to how you look on paper. As the other mentioned previously, on paper we are not much. But goddamn it, in person we are fabulous, and we're the best and we're all spirit. Why isn't that how things are decided? It's not like I can't afford these places, because I can easily, but damn it none of it makes any sense.


I have a crazy feeling I'm either going to be homeless when I move, or I'm going to be living in the ghetto. Wonderful. The more I think about this bullshit the more apprehensive I am. This job was just so pointless, as is this whole moving fiasco. I'm barely going to have any savings, depending on where I live. If I had just taken a job here I would have saved SO much, and the work would have been cushy and I would be happy. But on the advice of others, who had no idea how tough it would be, I am now wilting under the pressure of the real world, because I'm telling you, it's incredibly heavy. I feel abandoned, which comes with its own sense of fucked up freedom I guess. I hate Sydney, hate it hate it hate it hate it hate it! I've said this a million times, but I'm one of the young people who actually love my city. And here I am, moving interstate to a city I hate with a passion. It has no redeeming qualities. It's like that ever since the First Fleet arrived, there has been no planning whatsoever, everyone just took up space wherever the fuck they could, and the people of today are paying the price. Our city is a totally planned City, and everything is easy to deal with. Over there, it's congestion, crime, and nonsensical topography 24/7.

A week was long enough. I always said before that it's a nice place to visit, but not to live or stay for an extended period of time. I was already feeling the isolation and despair. I feel like I've just signed away the next 40 years of my life for certain unhappiness and struggling. What of that? Is there anything else left?

Net result? I think I'm starting to lose feeling, which isn't a good thing at all. They say that it's better to feel the wrong thing than to not feel at all. There's an awesome song in that.


Props to T Boy for all the poker shows that I can now watch after studying each day. I've fixed my body clock, so it's early to bed, early to rise for me. It kinda sucks, cause I get more done yes, but I can't finish my downloads ever. Sydney doesn't really do cable internet in rental places, so I'll have to get ADSL, which is expensive as hell and unreliable. Hooray for that! I think I had more to say but now I can't remember!

Oh yes, props to blogger for having this autosave feature! IE just had a spaz and died, and I came back and my post was still here, so well done folks! I'm out, this has been a monster. Have a nice day!