A night to remember.....

This is what I wrote 3 years ago after the election:

"If our media and our democratic institutions cannot (or will not) hold our politicians to account then we need to be more vocal. As depressed as we all are, we cannot afford to be emotionally despondent for too long. I'm lifting myself out of this veil of despair (even if I cannot understand all those people who handed the Senate to the govt on a silver platter, you bastards!).

The election result is a setback, but apathetic, doubtlessly self-interested constituents are perennial. But then so is our power to continue to believe that we can cause a change to occur and win this bestial war against ignorance based on small individual effects for the greater good. Being mindful to ensure that those effects are not diluted by mendacious confusion induced loss of focus aimed at personal vulnerabilities (such as interest rates…argh!).

Political activism should not end for an individual because the party they favour is not in power. Electoral promises are just mutable deliberately partial and interpretive working documents attempting to generate credibility in the fragile and volatile environment of opinion. This is the art of spin, jingle-writing and propaganda. Therefore, we have a necessity to be more vocal and politically active. The population needs to become more resistant to easy election talk.

So in a long-winded way, join a party (Greens maybe)! Or if that is not your cup of tea, pick a cause and become active. Talk to as many people as possible but don’t harangue. Give people an alternative, to be better informed, to hear out your perspective. Whether it's about not having two-tiered education and health systems, not detaining innocent refugees, advocating reconciliation, equality in marriage, not engaging in illegal wars, respect for international laws, fair demarcation of boundary lines with East Timor, signing the Kyoto protocol, protecting workers and so on.

Besides, there are a lot of people who don't support Howard (damnit, he was taken to preferences in his own electorate, tradtionally, a safe Liberal seat)! And moreso in 3 years time. It's time to capitalise on that. . "

All I can say 3 years down the track is HELL YEAH!!!! :-) I am ready for a more decent, compassionate, caring and egalitarian Australia. And kudos to Maxine McKew and the voters of Bennelong. My faith is restored.

Wake up in the morning, gotta shake the feeling

"Wake up in the morning, got to shake the feeling. I've gotta face a day at school. What's to be afraid of I can ask a question, and maybe even bend the rules.

I'm seaching for a place where I fit in, there's a way, if I look that I can win. Yeah I can see I'm not alone. I can face the unknown."

I make sure that I leave the office no later than 5:30pm these days because DEGRASSI HIGH IS ON ABC2 EVERY WEEK NIGHT!!!

Gosh, this was seriously the best TV show during my youth (along with Monkey Magic). It was an incredibly progressive show portraying teenagers in a realistic light; kids of various ethnic and economic backgrounds in an inner-city neighbourhood as they navigate gritty serious issues like drug abuse, pregnancy, cancer, homosexuality, suicide and also mundane issues like the opposite sex and popularity. It was sensitive, funny, intelligent and just plain real (aided by the fact that most of the cast were non-actors and that, they were the actual age their characters were unlike say 90210). It showed that school is the best of times and it is the worst of times.

I used to read the Degrassi books as well. I LOVE DEGRASSI!!!

Punks and Hippies

Had a pretty tiring week, frustrating workwise coupled with being deliriously sick with a cold. Persevered to the end of week and had my Friday night mapped out: quiet dinner with Patrick and in bed early to finish Anne Tyler's Saint Maybe (great book). Turns out I was peer-pressured into attending a work party@ Verandah Bar (infamous for skanky underaged asians on RnB nights). The theme was punks and hippies. Glad I ended up going. It was great to catch up with people I hadn't seen in ages. The food, music, and drinks were suprisingly good. I did wake up on Saturday morning/afternoon with a hungover. But it's nice to not be so responsible sometimes. ;)

Ajay and I were coping so well with the loud music, people and alcohol. Head was hurting.

Topic 1 : Climate Change

Sango says I don't blog enough. The issue is I have so many musings and contemplations going through my head during the day BUT I'm not disciplined enough to refine those thoughts into something articulate for others to read. In my quest to write more and challenge my own laziness (and to satisfy Sango :p) , I've decided to blog weekly on the topic of my favourite show, Insight.

For those who are not aware, Insight is a discussion forum focussing on a single issue with the participation of a studio audience (which ranges from experts, politicians, to your average person off the street). It covers many issues and topics, engages in often heated debates (this is hardly surprising considering it delves into contentious topics like euthanasia, Iraq, IR laws, racism), and encourages Australians from all walks of life to have their say. It is hosted in great style by Jenny Brockie - who I have to say is outstanding in remaining objective, fair and unbiased yet still asks the hard questions. Insight is shown on SBS every Tuesday night @ 7:30pm. (Along with the Amazing Race & Survivor, it is one of the only shows our household rarely misses!)

This week's topic was "Climate Change" and here is my perspective on the issue.

To be honest, the thing that irks me most are people who deny the causality between climate change and human behaviour ie. that it's all part of the natural cycle. I mean, I'm not saying that the reason for climate change is due to only human factors nor am I dismissing arguments that climate variability and change are normal. But evidence suggests that the amount of increase is actually outside natural variability in climatic cycles. Certainly, there are scientifically trained people who question the proposition. But very few of these are climate scientists and bear in mind, most of these contrarian scientists are funded by the fossil-fuel industry.

However, even if there is no causality, what would be wrong with slowing our use of fossil fuels, conserving it & saving the environment in the process?? Also, we have (non-Co2) substitutes like solar energy worth pursuing as well. It's not like there are no alternatives.

And while I'm on the subject, what is the deal with Australia refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Are we going to ignore the opportunity to use emission trading to finance investment and is there really a viable alternative to multilateral cooperation on climate protection?

From an economic perspective, it makes little sense. What is going to be the possible cost for Australia of not being a signatory to the protocol and being barred from participating in the global emissions trading regime that would be established? I'm viewing it in a more long-term perspective I guess. From an environmental perspective, well, I think we have a moral obligation to ourselves and to future generations to protect our environment and live sustainably. It's a big lose-lose in both terms and thus, we do really need to act on it and governments need to legislate.

It really is demoralising when our own government are denialists.

The world is your library

I've been listlessly browsing the internet trying to prolong this wonderful long weekend (seriously how utterly depressing are Sunday nights, or in this case, Monday night *sob*) and came across this great meme. All about books!! Hurrah! :)

Next reading: Hmmm to be honest, no idea. I think I might start this book that Patrick recommended to me ages ago as one of his dearly loved favourite books - The Liveship Traders series by Robin Hobb. The first of the trilogy is Ship Of Magic.

Emotionally Weird: Back Roads by Tawni O'Dell. It's such an emotionally hard and heart-breaking book to read, you get drawn and torn into the confusion of a dysfunctional family. The most heart-breaking book ever though is A Fine Balance by Rohinto Mistry. I have tear stains on all the pages. It took me a while to recover.

Last read: A Man of Peace in a World of War by Stanley Meiser. I was really looking forward to this biography of Kofi Annan. I should write a longer review for this because it was a great read, not only on the rivetting rise of Kofi Annan but the changing face and influence of the UN (particularly since Rwanda and more recently, the Iraq War). It is a much deserved defence of the UN but somewhat of a uncritical analysis of Kofi Annan. It's hard to explain but in some ways, I think the biographer was too much in awe of Kofi and therefore, found it difficult to be critical to any faults and remain unbiased.

Last book bought: Worse than Watergate by John W Dean. I suspect I might read this before Liveship Traders (haha)

Shortest book owned: I think it was actually a book I had as a child and I lent it to someone who never returned it. Something by John Marsden, I think.

Longest book owned: Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary. I adored Ramona as a child. I identified with her immensely as a nine year old because I, too, felt misunderstood by the rest of the adult world. I eventually gave this book to Patrick as a present (which we currently have on our bookshelf).

Favourite book: This is such a toughie. I would have to say my favourite book of all times gave me a lot of hope and inspiration as a teenager. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Book read the most times: To Kill A Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. (They are my comfort books when I want to both relate and escape from reality)

Least favourite book: I don't hate any books, per se. But my least favourite in recent memory is the Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I found it manipulative and didn't live up to its hype. Same with anything from Dan Brown. It's just sloppy terribly writing and plot. Even John Grisham writes better thrillers.

Favourite 'serious' fiction: Crime & Punishment by Dostoevsky and another from Russian literature, Anna Karenina by Tolstoy (one of my all-time favourite books as well).

Favourite comedy: I don't read a lot of comedy but this book made me laugh so hard, Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris.

Favourite classic: Pride & Prejudice and as an an adventure revenge story, The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas.

Favourite Shakespeare: Macbeth. I love that famous line "Out Damn Spot! Out I say!" about guilt & our conscience plaguing us and also the Witches' "Fair is foul and foul is fair. Hover through the fog and filthy air". Oh Macbeth, how I love thee! ;)

Favourite poetry collection/poet: Be still my beating heart! I really do appreciate poetry because unlike being cast as the detached dramatist, poets become engaged in their own observations, their singular experience, rather than the experience of all men. For example, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, their relationship and situation was very romantic and their poetry take up the question of closeness and distance, both emotional & physical, the close rhetorical space of the poems echoes the metaphors of the Brownings' relationship that recur throughout: the closed penknife, the enclosure of the dove's wings, the bee shut in glass, the vine twined round the tree. I love the imagery! I love how their correspondence, their rhetoric presents them as part of a private conversation that we’re somehow privy to by mere chance. My favourite poets are Robert Frost, John Donne and the Brownings. I just think with poetry, you get the deepest emotions in many evocative voices, passion, contentment, longing, illusion, hope and loss. It's grounded in humanity for me in any case (hmmm... moving on...)

Favourite fantasy: Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings

Favourite sci-fi: I don't particularly like sci fi. If 1984 by George Orwell is considered sci-fi then that is my favourite.

Favourite non-fiction: A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. He is hands-down the person I would most like to meet; I am in complete awe of him.

Favourite chick lit/lad lit: Bridget Jones and Starter for Ten.

Favourite horror: YUCK! I just detest this genre now but as a teenager, I really dug the Christopher Pike books (what a messed up kid :p)

Favourite Young Adult: What is young adult? When I was in high school (early years), I read Sweet Valley High if that counts.

Favourite manga/graphich novel/comic: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! The original comics are so much more deliciously darker than the tv or movie adaptations.

Favourite series: Sweet Valley High!! ;)

Favourite short story: Roald Dahl's Kiss Kiss. Most macabre disturbing tales!

Best book read this year: It's still early in the game and I hope to read a lot more this year! Possibly the Kofi Annan one.

Speaking of which, we were talking to a friend on the weekend about book-crossing and it has inspired me to release a few favourites to the world. Great books are meant to be shared! :)

Home-made Morrocan Cuisine

Before Patrick and I headed to Canberra for the Easter long weekend, Patrick had promised the Quachs' (ie. Pat & Jangers) a Morrocan feast at our place to to kick off festivities. (Though, the night before we did indulge ourselves silly with ramen at Ichiban Boshi, followed by delectable morsels of chocolate-y goodness at the Lindt Cafe).

The spicy delicious Morrocan feast consisted of: skewers of lamb kofte with a wedge of lime, simple chicken tagine, sweet potato & orange tagine accompanied with white rice. YUM!!

For a cooking instructions, recipes and more photos, visit Patrick's blog on the food.

Baby, I'm hot just like an oven....

I've had a few stressful weeks. I was promoted at work and whilst, career-wise, I was elated at being given the opportunity to be satisfyingly challenged, the transition has been anything but smooth. I've always wondered about, you know, this whole corporate yuppie scene of the 20-somethings: working 15 hour days, chasing the elusive dollar signs just to buy another investment property. I guess I don't understand this hungry pursuit of wealth nor status. It's soul-less and empty when your identity is defined from the labels in your expensive clothes or shoes.

Anyway, I digress, my point is I don't work for the sake of working. I can work incredibly hard when it means something profound to me, to do some good in the world. Thus, whilst I enjoy my work and appreciate it, I don't take it that seriously because in relation to that of, for example, a doctor, the corporate world is essentially all about consumerism and making the rich even richer. There is nothing wrong with that per se but the reality is, it is not significant and I have no grand delusion about that. So when I actually stressed about work, it was particularly absurb to me (especially when I am in the midst of reading the new Kofi Annan biography - now that's about as stressful as it gets!). Nonetheless, it has been stressful (I was doing pretty long hours) and a little Ben Harper was exactly what the doctor ordered.

Ben Harper @ the Enmore was fantastic! This is the second time I have seen his show and there is nothing quite as magical nor spiritual as Ben live (and by magical, I don't mean the pot that everyone was burning down ;) ). Soulful lyrics, captivating foot-tapping acoustics- an eclectic mix of funk, blues, rock, reggae. My favourite moment of the night was his acoustic version of Walk Away.

I taped some of it on my camera and uploaded to youtube. Sorry for the crazy shaky fuzzy camera-work, I was dancing and singing along to Sexual Healing. Also, the quality is a bit shite due to it being a small digital camera.