Feelings To Make Us Stronger

So as many of you would know, I'm trying to get out of here. I've been looking at places, as well as their proximity to the city. Anyhow, I saw a street name I wasn't familiar with, so I google mapped it. A new feature on their maps is a listing of businesses near the place you're looking for. I was looking for the nearest road to this apartment when I came across this listing for some escort. I thought this was probably incorrect, as everyone in this city is well aware that those sorts of services are in the industrial areas, surely not in the middle of the residential/commercial haven of the city, right?? RIGHT??! The Government has mandated that these activities are to occur in those industrial areas, however, I think that may mean commercial brothels.

This piqued my interest, so I googled the name of the escort, and holy crap, yes there is a bloody escort operating right in the city. Not just that, she's in an apartment that I drive past every day to get home! I never would have guessed! Do her neighbours know?? Surely that's why there's so many cars outside that building, even when I'm driving home at like 1am after seeing the other? There were obscured pics of her on the website (obviously to protect her identity), but I swear I have seen this girl head into the apartment complex when I have been stuck at the intersection right out the front of the complex. Haha, I'll never look at anyone going into that building the same way again!

That brings me to prostitution in residential areas. Should it be allowed? Is there an inadvertent risk to others who occupy places near these places? What a crazy world!

Anyhow, had a brilliant jam session with the other! An idea fully fleshed out, and a few others worked on, it felt great! Time to get some more ideas into dropbox.

On that note, I'm out, have a nice day!

It's Hard For Me To Trust You When Your Pants Are On Fire

I just can't believe how quickly technology can catch up these days. I remember a few years ago when portable mp3 players were new to the market. They were very expensive and had little memory capacity. The other day I saw a 4 gig model for just 40 dollars! That's insane!! I think this effect will only get crazier with time.

I've have been looking out for new ADSL2+ plans. This new one from AAPT with unlimited downloads and no shaping sounds brilliant! I think I might just have to get it.

New songs have been coming up from the other on dropbox and I am loving it! Hopefully there should be a jam this weekend and some ideas concreted down. I recently finished a piece that the other and I had been working on a while ago, which came from a warm up riff that the other used. I laid down a nice progression I had up the sleeve and it just went well together. So from there I have put some more half ideas I had into it and now it's looking very complete! Can't wait to show the other. This putting together the smatterings of ideas we have is turning out to yield some fantastic results!

I have been incredibly busy at work, hence no blog notes to think of throughout the day. I'm even busy after work with silly social things, so hence, no time to blog either! Some respite please!

I have been getting in on the winter olympics action! However, the coverage on the Nine network has been abysmal. I want more bobsleigh! I want to know what curling is about!! Johnny Weir is a champion though!

I have really been enjoying Fleetwood Mac as of late. I bought the Very Best of album a few days back and it's been making a regular rotation on my work computer. In addition to my Kid Sister album the other day and Michael Jackson Essential album a few months ago, it's the most amount of CD's I've bought in years!

Anyway, I need to be up early. Have a nice day folks!

Close my close my close my eyes.

Oh No No, You Can't Disguise

Yes, I am trying my best to get out of the house. I've come to realise that this is not a pleasant place to be, and I was much much happier on my own. The sense of isolation and loneliness I felt before was definitely a precursor to get more organised and pursue my own interests and get more things done! Other initiators for this decision need not be discussed. All I know is that I need to get away from people who don't have my best interests at heart.

Hopefully it should be easy, as I make a crap load of money and have a University education, so my rental applications should make owners happy!

I knew this year would be tough, I said it before in a previous post. It's only February, and it's just killing me already! What the hell will the rest of the year be like?

Hot brunettes in training sessions should not wear low cut tops and sit opposite me! I learned nothing from that session, I can assure you.

The system is screwed. I was reading the other day about some med student in the US who had accrued a half a million dollar debt on student loans because of the way their student loan system is set up, as well as interest and admin fees. Student debt is a shitty thing. Tertiary education in Australia used to be free, and the beneficiaries of that system helped usher in a golden age of productivity here. However, now that we have moved to a HECS or HELP scheme, life has just become harder for students. To have it move with CPI adjustments is the icing on the cake, it is such a volatile system, and the rates are quite large! Not to mention the over inflated costs of education! My debt is probably $40,000-50,000. That is just ridiculous! I would have to pay off a lump sum in order to satisfy the debt within the next decade. Or else I'd just have to live with it and see the ridiculous amount of money that gets taken out of my pay in tax for this amount. I hate rich people for this reason. I heard of MANY students (former colleagues included) whose parents or grandparents paid off this debt for them. What the hell? This is not a struggle, you need to earn your stripes, and learn that the system is not there for the benefit of the people.

Back to my original point, student debt - how the fuck does this motivate people to want to enrol in higher education? You get a degree, accrue a large debt, then work in a field that probably isn't directly related to your degree and have to spend YEARS paying it back. Most kids (sadly) don't care about education these days. They don't care about learning, they just want a degree to help job prospects. Sort of a catch-22 if you will.

Another point, I think investment in property (for residences) should not be allowed. This leads to negative gearing, and prices for rent just inflate artificially. This tends to have some sort of effect on the buying market, and prices increase there. The net result? The rich get wealthier, while other people are left out in the cold, with no way to get a foothold in the market. I don't like the idea that one person can own more than one piece of property, you are only one person! This leads to other problems like over-development, when people are trying to maximise profits on smaller blocks, and quality of life for everyone in these places just suffers as a result. Investment is possible mostly through leveraging of equity in existing property. Since most properties are LONG term investments, where you usually don't break even for decades, the first property must be used as collateral to enter into loans for more places. The property market just gets choked up as a result.

Anyhow that's my rant for today! Joaquin out.

And That Stranger Seems To Listen To All My Relationship Problems

With a book in hand.

I do find it strange that bad things always happen to people I'm not fond of.

Coincidence? I think so.

But I still find it interesting!

Staring Blankly At The Screen

It has been raining like crazy here! I for one, am a massive fan of a big deluge. I don't even remember seeing this much rain before. Looks like London (from all the stereotypes that I've gathered anyway). I remember that in High School I never went to class if it was raining, I'd just stay in bed and sleep in. Ahh I miss those days. I wish I still had that policy in place!

My mouth burn has finally healed and I can eat crunchy good again, so I am uber happy! Yay!

Damn Mondays, killing me! But Tuesday is also the new Monday, so we'll see how that breaks down! I was so tired, I was struggling throughout the day.

I actually had work today, so I was happy for a change! I've been told that work tends to ebb and flow. Things are going to be busy for a while too, so woop! Haha this may also mean that I won't have as many blog notes to get through everyday.

There were girls doing some can-can like dance in the City today. I don't know why, but I could not look away. The outfits, the dancing, it was amazing. It was also ridiculously erotic. I just stared like a slack jawed yokel. Goddamn, it was like something out of Moulin Rouge! Suffice to say, female company was not impressed with my behaviour.

Is cache on the net, namely being able to track down old pages that have been updated/changed from the past a good thing? I don't know. I think if you're gonna put it up, you've already made a conscious decision to put yourself out there. Therefore, cache should not be a problem for you. If it's something you're going to regret later, don't put it up!

I am really disappointed by the failure of others! Especially when you were relying on them to get tasks done. I hate to keep falling back to it, but the only person you can trust is yourself.

With that, Joaquin out!

The Healing Fire

Already at 22 posts for the year, which is pretty damn good! Especially when you compare it against 2007, which had only 39 for the entire year. I put this down to it being my honours and last year at uni, hence I was too stressed out for anything. But I don't know why!

Getting into GTA4, probably a bit too much though! It was a slack weekend, and I don't remember doing anything BUT playing the game. Not good! Haha, it's just too damn absorbing! In relation to Independence FM, I'm not a fan. By putting your own music in the game, you put yourself in the game, and you detract from the story telling and immersing yourself in Niko Bellic's world. If you want to put yourself in, it just loses its impact, as well as the atmosphere.

Winter Olympics are on and I'm very happy! I actually favour them over the summer version. I can just leave them on in the background and just pick things up when I'm ready to watch what I want to. It's also a good way to learn about sports you don't really hear much about, especially living on a dry continent.

It's crappy when you have plans but then they just amount to nil due to other people!! Blahh!

Joaquin out!

Intravenous Robbery

The other is preparing something, and has told me to contact him when I wake up, so I am eagerly waiting to see what it is!

On my way to work each day, I have to pass by the State Department of Health. Out the front was a large sculpture which resembled two large crosses. Every once in a while you would see a bunch of people praying out the front of them. I thought this was typical religious stupidity, with people willing to pray in front of anything that even remotely resembles a cross. However, today traffic was a little backed up, so it took a while for the car to pass the front of that building. Then I noticed the sign next to them "Please pray for all those hurt by abortion". At first I felt angry - what the heck would these people (they were primarily old men) know about abortion?? Then the more I thought about it, I think my thoughts are similar to theirs. I do feel that it's a woman's right to choose. However, when abortion just becomes a knee jerk reaction, or a form of contraception, then that really just pisses me off. I think we're in danger of heading down that path. Abortion has to be a painful experience for everyone involved (I'm not including the baby/foetus in this discussion). Any girl/guy that can go through that and not feel anything is too cold.

I guess the sign was phrased in a way that you had to admit was well done. If it said "abortion is murder" I guess a fight would have started. But people do get hurt by abortion. They of course meant the baby/foetus, but even disregarding that, it has to be true. What a world.

I was reading up on Game Theory today. God, what an interesting field! I don't remember ever being excited by maths when I was younger, but having a thirst for knowledge, this is something I really enjoy. I particular enjoy the "Games". Thought problems such as the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Traveler's Dilemma etc. I was reading up on suggested answers, and goddamn! I guess I am a hyperrational person! I thought there were definite ways to answer these things, but I guess not! I didn't think about all the other ways of playing them, but I think I am probably too trusting or altruistic, and I'd probably lose in a real world situation!

Interesting don't you think? I reckon if you're interested, you should give it a read, they're quite simple concepts to understand, but the reasoning and thought behind these problems is incredibly exciting and thought provoking. That's it for now folks. Have a nice day!

Some Of Us Made Of Steel/Sleaze-O-Riffic

I had an interesting dream last night. For some reason I was running along this path, parallel to a guy I knew in High School, who was running on another path. You're probably thinking that this isn't interesting. This guy was the fastest guy in school during Primary and still pretty damn quick in High School. So there I was, running damn hard, and for damn long. What's more, is that I was keeping up with this guy and getting ahead on some bits. We ran for ages, it must have been like a kilometre or so. It felt good, it was good. I ran hard when I needed to, I cut back when I needed to. It was great, cause I know I can't and never have been able to run that way.

What is risk? I find the concept interesting. It could potentially be anything and nothing at the same time. This makes risk management consultants and degrees in risk management so perplexing for me. I can't believe that things like these can be taught. To me it just seems to be a bunch of common sense - that nobody can really teach you. If everyone managed risk appropriately, no more risk would exist. That in itself is a risk for risk management consultants, have they thought of that??

I was reading on facebook the other day that some friend of mine became a fan of "curvy girls are more attractive than skinny girls". I have to agree, and my thoughts on this subject are placed somewhere in previous posts, so I will not re-state them here. But I found this strange coming from this guy, as his girlfriend (while attractive) is ultra skinny! Like what the hell?! Does she not possess any self knowledge?? She's not curvy? What if she knows she's skinny? What will she think of his fanboyness?? Haha! It's a strange world i say. I hate it when skinny girls like Jessica Alba etc get called curvy, it's not right!

Anyhow, that's it for tonight folks. Have a nice day. Joaquin out.

Who Loves You, Baby? 600th post!

Yes it's true, according to Blogger, we have reached 600 posts! What a milestone! I hope you've enjoyed the reading so far, and all the reading to come for many years.

Before I go on any further, as promised I have updated the Joaquin Rate List (JRL). You probably thought it'd never happen, so screw you, I did it! I hope you enjoy the latest updates. They can be found here.

What strikes me is when people who you were never really close to somehow find you and contact you on social networking sites like Facebook or something, then have the gall to want to meet up with you! What's worse is that you look like a tosser if you say no! There's a reason why we weren't that close, it's probably cause I didn't like you, and I still don't! Why do you want to waste my time?? So of course I try to delay as much as possible and hope that they forget about it. Why the hell would people suggest to meet up?! It's even stranger when it's people you detested - and who in turn detested you!

A strange thought - fat people offering food. I mentioned the other day that I burned the crap out of my mouth (which still hasn't healed 100% thank you)! Well some chubby girl was the one handing out the meat pies that I burned myself with. I always feel sad if I refuse, and somehow feel guilted into taking the food. Like if you don't eat the food, they will and in turn will get fatter! It's sad don't you think??!

My new boss is a pain in the butt. First I didn't get acknowledgement for awesome work, which I thoroughly deserved mind you! Then they made me change stuff in things that had already been approved by the former boss! Not just that, the wording they changed meant EXACTLY the same as the way I had written it before, but now it was a lot chunkier and slightly confusing! Obviously one of those people who has to change SOMETHING/ANYTHING in order to validate their self worth, or their paycheck.

I learned a LOT about finance from my old job. I was surrounded by people who were genuinely interested in the subject, and it was the subject matter in some of the work I had to do. As such, I got to learn stacks about things that other people don't usually care for, or find too complex. As mentioned in the last post, I have substantial capital now. I'm no wondering whether I should put some effort into some concentrated, aggressive investing. Things like margin loans and foreign exchange gains. Yes margin loans are dangerously risky, but the chance for gains are ridiculously high if you apply it well.

With foreign exchange, I missed a grand opportunity previously. The AUD was at 90 US cents. My friend said that things will drop once interest rates become lower. They became lower, and the forex became something like 50 US cents to the AUD! Oh my god! If I had listened to him and transferred something small like 5,000 AUD to USD just for that amount of time, I would have doubled the investment! Now interest rates have risen and the dollars are almost back on parity! Will it happen again? I'm too chicken to try!

I don't have that much work on at the moment. As such, I have been researching financial topics like the ones mentioned above. It's true that you have to make your own work in the public service, but I don't see the point in that, it just wastes resources, and you make yourself inefficient when real work comes around.

Anyway, I have a hankering for some guitar, so let me hit that up before bedtime. Have a nice day folks. Joaquin out!

Sometimes You Just Have To.

I'm in the money. I don't know if this has happened to any of you, but have you been in a situation where your expenses now equal zero? Therefore any money that comes in to you is all revenue? Each paycheck I receive adds to my bank account, and I love seeing that balance figure going up every fortnight, as well as at the start of the month with interest payments from my uber savings. It's a great feeling.

I'm sure I've explained this before, but I have 3 accounts. A credit card (with exorbitant credit) that I never use, unless it can't be avoided - restaurants, online purchases etc. Then I have my regular spending account which I keep at a standard $1,500 amount, no more. By doing this, I can never spend more than that particular amount over a fortnight period. It also stops me from buying heaps of little things, cause once you drop below the $1k mark, you start looking poor. Haha, it happened to me every fortnight when I was in Sydney with rent and groceries etc. It wasn't a great feeling.

Then I have my high interest internet based savings account. Everything above that $1,500 amount in the other account goes into here. At this point in my life, that number is rather substantial. I could buy a high performance sports car in straight cash if I wanted to. However, I am saving for a house or a nice holiday, so we'll see what happens. I remember being in Sydney and seeing my savings only regularly accrue in a low 3 figure amount. Now that I'm here and earning more, my savings are going up by 4 figures every pay check, which I am absolutely loving.

This particular change means that in the space of 8 months, the interest payments I derive at the end of each month are now 3 times as much as what they were previously. I cannot believe this!! I am amazed and oh so happy!

Here's to buying stuff and getting the hell out of here.

Thanks for bearing with me folks. I will update the JRL as my penance tomorrow. Have a nice day. Joaquin out.

The Land Of Opportunity

Courtesy of the generosity of the friend who broke my guitar string, I have now got GTA4. Goddamn, it looks AMAZING! It plays awesomely and I have barely started the game!! I cannot believe it! I am freaking out, it looks REAL!! REAL! No cartoons here! I'm already forgetting about GTA SA! I can't believe it!

So what did I have to say? I was reminded of a funny random story the other day. I remember when I was a kid we were driving home and a police officer passed us by on a motorbike. I gave him a thumbs up to say "hey good job". I was not wearing a seatbelt. So of course we got busted and I think we got off with a warning. But hey, way to do a good job! Scare a kid that thinks he's done the most heinous crime imaginable and doesn't like police anymore! Haha, but the message got through, I always wear my seatbelt now.

I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I will mention it again. At the request of the other I tried out a nice Mexican fast food joint called Zambreros. It was bloody amazing. So well made, tasty and fresh. Cheap too! Not just that, the other told me about a girl he liked there. Of course I figured the best looking one was the one he liked. Haha of course I was right! Good choice, we share the same tastes.

My friend and I had an insane session of COD4: MW 2 the other day. I arrived at 8pm and we finished at 3:30am! Co-Op spec ops missions are the best fun ever. We smashed the juggernaut related missions easily on Echo, we just need to finish the Breach mission and it's all done! We can get back to playing Gears Of War 2 Co-Op! I can't wait! Had some brilliant stories in there, I am a juggernaut killing machine! Haha I also remember on the explosives + knives mission that we were pretty much goners on the last juggernaut when I realised I still had my C4. So I was laying it down in a trap when it came around the corner and I knew we were screwed. I told my friend to move back cause I was about to just blow up all my C4 with the juggernaut on it...with me there to lure it! Sure enough, it worked! I hope I get a posthumous Victoria Cross medal for my exploits!

We have this road here called the Gungahlin Drive Extension. It was a novel concept. To link the northernmost suburbs with the main arterial road in Canberra. They had other avenues of getting there, however the lobby groups bitched and whinged and moaned and finally got their way; at the expense of the rest of us. Traffic around the road before the extension became a bloody nightmare! It's such a bad road, now that everyone on the North side takes the road and not the other roads, traffic is congested along that main arterial road. A trip that should take 12 mins (even in traffic) now takes 30 mins. It's ridiculous. What people don't understand is that roads are a network, and changes to one road will have an impact on other roads.

However, having said that, it's a handy road. I take it when I go to the North side now to visit friends. It was planned for some reason as a single lane two way road, which was absolutely stupid. What if a car breaks down? What if you're stuck behind a slow car? No overtakes possible I'm afraid! This is partially not the builder's fault. They ran out of funds when completing the road due to the number of legal challenges faced when environmentally relevant land was being cleared away. The road itself is not in the best shape, but it is now being upgraded and an extra lane is being added both ways which in THEORY should mean less traffic. However that arterial road has not been upgraded and it cannot handle the existing traffic, let alone increased traffic flows from an upgraded road. This city needs a ground transport plan!! A consolidated one to make everyone happy. Where did all these bloody people come from?!

Haha, that's it for now folks. Have a nice day. Joaquin out!

Back To Posing

I burned my mouth like a mofo the other day. I was eating something hot when it started to fall apart in my hand. Then I had a brain snap and decided to put it in my mouth so I didn't drop things on the floor. Of course I burned the roof of my mouth and it's been hurting ever since (2 days ago). I'm bleeding slightly still and it hurts to eat. That's what I get I suppose!

We're creeping up on 600 posts on this blog, which is a massive achievement, especially since we had a few mediocre years back there, but no longer! As you can tell, I am back to blogging with a vengeance, and hopefully the other should be joining me soon.

I went to the Paris exhibition at the National Gallery today. It was very good, and the pieces were well chosen. However, the planning of the entire exhibition was just a shambles I have to say. Impressionist paintings such artists such as Cezanne and Van Gogh are not meant to be mere centimetres away from other paintings in tiny spaces. The whole idea behind them is that they're meant to be analysed from far away, from various angles and so on. That brings me to my next point, there were far too many people let in at the one time. It really impacts on the enjoyment of the pieces! So think about it National Gallery, more space for fantastic paintings, and less people - hell we may not even complain about the exorbitant entry prices if the service is great!

It also drew my attention to the fake "artiste" types that think they're crash hot and just want to call absolutely everything "art". That's not how I roll! Put your berets and cigarette holders away people, get some talent and do something about it! It's not just about being critical on things you have absolutely no eye for judgement on.

One of my biggest pet hates has to be people breaking strings on my guitar! People try to tune to notes when they do not have the experience or a reference note or tuner, and they don't care for the strings. You can't just tune up high or down low and start playing straight away. You have to tune to a point just before and just let it stretch out, then let it settle, re-tune and then play it in. This will increase the life of your strings. What I hate especially is that all the strings tend to break JUST near the head, so I'm losing money on purchasing a complete new set of guitar strings just cause the string is a few millimetres short of gaining enough leverage to be inserted into the tuning nut.

Had an interesting few days near the end of the working week. On Thursday night I went to bed rather late, then in the morning my dad comes in and asks "are you going to work" and I'm like "well yes" and he goes "well it's 8 o'clock" and I'm all WTF! I turn to my alarm clock and it is 8am! I am late as hell. I don't know what happened, cause I swear I set the alarm, and I don't remember for the life of me turning it off at 7:20am. Regardless, I felt fine. Then that night, I just passed out at 9:30pm until 12:30am. Then I slept from 12:45am-11:30am! How weird?? It felt like I was dead or on a bender! I guess my age is catching up with me, as is my waistline as of recent findings *sigh*! Haha I'm getting old.

I pulled the absolute flukiest fluke ever the other day. My workmate got a security warning for accidentally leaving her secure keys on her desk when she went home. She had to write e-mails to the boss' boss' boss' boss! That's how major it was. Then the next day I did the same thing! However, I think someone must have missed it, cause I didn't get pinged! I was sooo happy, and damn lucky. You can bet your ass I'm never gonna be that stupid or forgetful again!

You know what the difference is between the public sector and the private sector? Reports! Everything in the public sector needs to be reported on. Every week my inbox (and time) is wasted on reading reports or having input to some report. Why can't these things be automated?! Why are there so damn many? I'd have to say that at least 70% of my working week is devoted to reports. It also gets silly, there's reports (fair enough), reports of the reports (ummm) reports of the reports of the reports of the reports (crazy)! No wonder the public hates us, we have no time to do any real work!

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before, but I have to say my favourite car is definitely the Dodge Viper (GTS-R or RT/10). I just love that absolute classic car. I guess it stems back to that old 90's show called Viper where the car featured and was damn awesome. I loved it so much, I made it my car of choice in all my Gran Turismo games. Drives like a mofo, but damn it goes fast, and I have quick reflexes! I was looking up the history of it on wiki the other day, the first generation was good, the second even GREATER. But the 3rd generation and afterwards does not really capture my imagination. Sure it's faster and handles better, but it just looks odd to me, it's lost it's pizazz or x-factor that made it so unique in the first place.

Speaking of fast, I had a classic moment the other day where I was driving along a street which has a speed limit of 60km/h. So I was driving casually, when I noticed there was a speed camera hidden up ahead on the traffic island. I checked my speed and saw everything was fine, so I kept going. However, in the lane to my right some doofus just flew right by, RIGHT into the path of the speed camera and he SLAMMED his brakes on hard and I was laughing my ass off. BUSTED, BABY! Hahaha it was wonderful. I love it when people get pwned like that. That's what you get for speeding. Too many people speed, and too many people suffer from road rage in this city.

I've been driving MY car lately and damn, it has been a while. It doesn't go like it used to, and the handling/steering is a bit whacky. But damn, it's drivable, and it gets me from Point a to Point B, that's all I need really!

I actually had a fairly decent sized list of blog notes, but I think I'll save those up for tomorrow night's installment. Have a nice day folks. Joaquin out.

Dear Jesus, Please Keep Us Safe From The Poor People

I had another interesting dream last night! Apparently I got into some situation in some slum somewhere (where I was either going to school or working) where some annoying guy hurt me, so I pretended that he'd killed me to get back at him. Then I had to set about convincing people that I was actually dead, and when they saw me, it was really just a ghost and not real. So I was sitting next to people talking and carrying on like normal when everyone could see me etc. but they all thought I was dead!

I need to buy the Best of Fleetwood Mac album. Note to self: BUY IT!

I was incredibly busy as hell this morning! It was a nice change of pace for once. Reminded me of the old daysss at my last work, haha! Haha, it was crazy town I tell you, I was doing work that I'm not even responsible for, again just like the old daysss, haha!

What's annoying is that I can't even rest my eyes on the job anymore! At my old desk I could just look like I was reading something intently while I had my eyes closed and just trying to recharge my batteries. But these days, because of the location of my current desk - a central location - I can't do it anymore!! It's bloody annoying, especially since I am so tired these days. Even much more than I was at my last job, and that's not a good thing.

I fleshed out an idea for Anarchy Inside My Mind, that I'm hoping the other can comment and improve on shortly. It sounds pretty good, I must say!

You know what the difference is between public and private sector work places? Children. In private work places you only see kids at the end of the day when it's almost home time and they're just going to get a lift home. But in public work places you get kids around ALL day, screaming, crying, taking people away from work and everything. It's like a bloody menagerie I tell you!

It's good to have some rain lately. The weather had been extremely warm as of late. We have these little solar powered notice boards on main roads which show current dam levels, and things were seeming to shrink, and that would be a terrible thing. But hopefully with the week of rain that is forecast, things should be turning around. I just really wish I was at home playing guitar and streets of rage.

Our building is split into two parts. The side I'm on (especially on the floor that I'm on) lacks talent. I rarely venture to the other side, even if it is part of our division. But I was there today and goddamn, one of the sections (of course on the side I have never walked past) has TALENT. AWESOME talent. Why was I not told of this earlier??! I am astounded. But no, I am stuck in my nook, with nothing! I guess it's penance for all the hotness of my last job, haha!

I read a report today that less American teens are blogging, but have turned out in droves for social networking sites and microblogging (ie twitter). These people are idiots! I am not a teen, nor am I American! I like my blogging thank you. In fact for me, I have neglected social networking and prefer this!

That's my 4.5 cents for now. Have a nice day folks!

Lonely Lunches With Cameron

I don't know why, but everything seems to be in a state of flux at the moment.

I was working at my desk when I saw the face of someone who I had seen before. This fellow is the spitting image of Kiefer Sutherland (and hence Jack Bauer)! Haha, oh it is priceless. It reminded me of when I first saw him at some information session being held at another building. He was wearing casuals and aviators and just looked like the biggest buffoon ever, I was trying not to laugh my ass off! It was incredibly difficult, especially with an incredibly attractive woman in

the session, but Jack Bauer was in there and he was cracking jokes!!

So my new boss is tough! More so than I'd like. I'm getting a lot of stuff beneath my level, like reporting and just simple fact finding stuff. I was also bumped from a meeting that I had planned and set up! And then I'll probably have to report on it and write up notes on this meeting I did not get to go to! Haha oh well! It was a nice mix of a slack and busy day today. I really need a handheld electronic chess game! It'd be much easier to get away with. Especially compared to a chess game on the computer on a 24 inch screen!

I read that Soundgarden is reforming! That's awesome news, definitely one of my fave bands from the 90's! The other was suitably impressed too. But what about Matt Cameron and Pearl Jam? How will he play for both bands? DOUBLE HEADLINING TOUR??! Haha we'll see. It seems everyone is reforming these days! Whether warranted or not - Bros, Soundgarden, Rage Against The Machine, Spandau Ballet, Jane's Addiction (I think you can tell which ones are warranted and the others less so from that list)! It's a crazy world.

Music and the things I can play now. It's interesting, besides a shocker of a day today with my warmup exercises (some days you just have off days, no matter how hard you try), my playing has come a long way. When did my skills get so much better? From just THINKING of my playing when I first started to where I am now, I am just amazed at the progress. I really never dreamed that I'd be able to play like I can now. Now to see how it goes with other instruments!

Yes I think you've gathered that I am bored at work most of the time. I am starting to think I'm suffering from brain rot. I'm telling you, people with boring desk jobs have to have higher rates of dementia as they grow older. I'm a firm believer in the adage that you lose it if you don't use it! I used to be smart, right??!

The windows at my new desk are heavily glazed - even if I don't face them it's still really dark where I am. I feel like I'm not getting my Vitamin D intake!

I was with some friends the other day who I realised had not accomplished anything. They're pretty much going on 30 and they're still working retail. They have no tertiary education and they have no other skills. Where is life going to lead them? Then I realised I can't be friends with people like that. When you realise that you make 2-3 times as much as some other people, it somehow alters your perspective - though not in a snobbish way (I'm pretty sure it's coming along like that at the moment though).

Why do we have to deal with personal relationships?! It's a pain in the ass. Personal relationships. Isn't that a tautology? Aren't all relationships by their very nature personal?? I don't know if I've ever blogged about it previously, but this is going to be the toughest year I've ever had. Everything - professionally, personally, academically - yes I am going back to university in order to obtain the qualifications to become admitted as a Solicitor.

But for now I am incredibly tired. I just need a break from everything to do with my life at the moment. Get away from it all for a while, just recharge my batteries and enjoy myself.

I miss my old place in Sydney! The fabulous luxury one bedroom apartment! It was so quiet, in a central location, it was wonderful! Prime, exclusive real estate it was! I was living amongst millionaires and drug dealers (surely)! I was easily the poorest person there. The place had good facilities, I should have used them more, including the pool! I should have made friends with the attractive women that seemed to inhabit every 3rd apartment!

Random break: there was this kid in Primary (elementary) school who used to suck his thumb even at the age of 11-12. It was incredibly disconcerting, even for us, even at that age! What on Earth was going on with him?

So she's back! I thought I'd never see her again, but the stalker girl is back with a vengeance. I'm sorta glad though, she does bring a smile to my face, with her tall stature and totally impossible body. Damn you private schools!

Goddamn, Streets Of Rage is HARD. I was playing the first one last night and I died on the last level, just before the boss! How frustrating! Some of the sub bosses are downright impossible, but it's a damn good challenge. Playing the second one at the moment, much easier, but definitely a lot more fun!

I've had this weird feeling lately that my teeth are being touched by something. The front teeth on my lower jaw. It just feels odd! I hope nothing serious is happening! A trip to the dentist may be on the cards.

Anyhow, that's it for now folks. Have a nice day. Joaquin out.

A Witty Riposte Leads To A Chocolatey Overdose

I would just like to say that Ferrero Rocher's are addictive as hell. I thought I'd just eat one when I got home, but no, I have eaten at least 11 within the last 4 hours! Needless to say, I am not feeling the love right now.

I have plenty of blognotes from today that I'd like to hit up before I get down to some guitar playing and uploading more ideas for the other. Can't be late tonight, I have an important meeting tomorrow.

I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, why the hell is there always someone hot when I go to eat at a restaurant? If it's not serving staff, it's fellow diners. It's really disconcerting! Today's waitress was amazing, reminded me of a girl I used to work with. But think about it! What are the odds? Sure, my city has the most restaurants per capita, but look at other factors here. The city is only 300 thousand people; let's halve that for females; then a quarter of that who would be age appropriate, then probably 10% of that who would be attractive - that should be 3,750 who would qualify, and at least one of them who would be dining out, or working at a restaurant that I am eating at. That's quite uncanny I have to say!

I had a hilarious training session at work the other day. It was being held by a HR rep (i.e. a specialist in nothing). But she told us she had a background in Psychology. This almost made me erupt in laughter, as she had labelled everything meticulously with her name and contact details, and made sure it was all returned to her after the session was over. Talk about anal retentive, and you're meant to be a Psychologist??! Hahaha, absolute irony I say.

The new episodes of 30 Rock (season 4) are absolutely brilliant! Monday night tv is going to kill me now that ratings period is back on. Let's see, we have Malcolm In the Middle, Mythbusters, Good News Week and 30 Rock all on the same night!!

I have a new boss at work who is quite different to the last 2 that I've had since I've been here. Seems to be tough but fair, which I am ok with. Now it seems that everyone my age has left my Branch! What am I ever to do??! Oh well, it's just work. The latest one is going to a private firm, similar to the one I used to work at. Am I jealous (especially given the themes of my more recent posts)? Not really, but it has piqued my interest! Today was a damn busy day, which is certainly a change from what I've been getting used to lately. Interesting no doubt! It's going to see how things turn out here. I will divulge more on that later.

I work for the Government. This means we work for the Minister of our portfolio. Therefore we tend to get a lot of letters from the public asking questions about various topics, as well as imploring the Minister to do something, or complain about something. This would seem to be a fundamental facet of democracy if you ask me. However, most of the time the Minister never sees these letters. Ministerial advisers tend to look at them, and will only allow the Minister to see the letter if it is from some powerful lobby group, or involves something incredibly damning or controversial. That is blatantly unfair if you ask me. The remainder of the responses are written by people like me and signed off by my superiors with some lip service. In doing this, the Minister is definitely not doing their job. I think that this should be a fundamental part of any Minister's role - engaging with the public. No matter how mundane or silly the query, the public deserves to be heard by their elected representative. You should not have to belong to a powerful lobby or anything like that in order to deserve a response from the person in charge.

Those who have followed our blog for a decent amount of time would probably get the idea that I am an elitist. That is true to some extent I must say. However, I have to say that some of the best conversations, where I have felt intellectually stimulated, have been with people who on paper would not be considered smart. However, it should be noted that university is where I, and the other will certainly vouch for this, have met some of the dumbest people I have ever come across in my life. The level of stupidity is mind numbing at times. There are inherent problems with literacy and numeracy testing - a LOT of people are falling through the cracks and even getting to university level studies without basic spelling/grammar or arithmetic skills. In my opinion, rate the schools. Pull your kids out of the crap schools and give them a bloody fighting chance at life, please!

That's it for now folks. Have a nice day! Joaquin out.

A Crooked Rendezvous

It's interesting catching up with people who I have not seen in years. I think these people are usually inclined not to meet up with me again. I think I'm different from when they knew me. I'm definitely quiet, more withdrawn, and that probably makes me a difficult person to deal with. I don't know what triggered it, and I don't know when it began, but I know I'm not the same person I was before.

Kids give up too easily these days. We had a dinner party last night and I had to entertain some kids, so I let them play the Sega Mega Drive Emulator "GENS" and a lot of my fave games were on there. The Sonic series, Streets of Rage, Road Rash, and these kids thought the games were too hard and kept changing games cause they were bored. Sheesh, kids these days, no hopers. I LOVED the challenge of these games, and the difficulty just made me want to play them even more. Haha they probably contributed to my annoyingly competitive mindset of today. Games of today are definitely much easier. And I just want to say that the Streets of Rage series has the 2nd best music of all time (compared to Panzer Dragoon 2)! I hope they remaster that stuff and do it professionally! Good techno/house stuff, the perfect soundtrack to bash punk mofos to!

Also got a bit more into the drumming, and it's loads of fun! Just need to find that right groove, that right feeling, and you can just nail everything. Playing butt end out with the sticks also gives me a brilliant dynamic, I love it!

I don't know if I notice this more than others, but I think people have doppelgangers - the reason people don't recognise this often is because it's not linked to race. White doppelgangers can have indian doppelgangers and so on! So it's not so much a case of "all you people look alike", it's more a case of "you look alike!" There's this guy at work who is the clone of some Indian guy I'm sure I've met a long time ago. I've also seen it in stacks of people! Keep an eye out, and an open mind!

Have a nice day folks. Joaquin out!