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Robots That Reproduce!

2005-05-16T09:05:00.000-03:00

Click on Title for the link...

This, in addition to

*artificial intelligence
*remotely controlled surveillance robots that are able to shoot
*nano-technology

Very Very Scary Indeed

Stuff of sci-fi nightmares? An army of robots that reproduce
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
12 May 2005

It has been the dream - and nightmare - of science fiction writers for decades. Now a team of engineers has conjured up a robot that can reproduce itself. The robot can self-replicate in much the same way that some living organisms are able to reproduce by cloning themselves.

Although the machine in question serves no useful purpose other than to make copies of itself, scientists believe it has set a precedent for a future in which robots will proliferate on their own.
In the long term, the scientists envisage a day when armies of self-replicating robots will be able mend themselves when broken, expand their population, explore space and even establish self-sustaining colonies on other planets.

Hod Lipson, a mechanical engineer at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who led the research team, is one of a number of robot specialists who believes that machines will one day design and build themselves as a form of "artificial life".

"Self reproduction is central to biological life for long-term sustainability and evolutionary adaptation, " Professor Lipson writes with his colleagues in the journal Nature.
"Although these traits would also be desirable in many engineered systems, the principles of self reproduction have not been exploited by machine design.

"Here we create simple machines that act as autonomous modular robots and are capable to physical self-reproduction using a set of cubes."

Modular cubes called "molecubes", each of which contains the machinery and computer program necessary for replication, are at the heart of the robot's ability to self-replicate.
Electromagnets on each of the cubes' facesallow them to attach and detach themselves to another cube according to the computer's instructions.

This allows a damaged robot to jettison defective cubes and replace them by working ones or for it to construct a separate robot from scratch by building a stack of individual cubes.
When the newly-formed robot reaches a certain height it helps to finish off its own replication by adding the last molecubes to its own body.

Professor Lipson said that although the robot they have designed would only work in a laboratory, it would - in theory - be possible to adapt the design to enable self- replication to take place in space or other hazardous environments.

"Self-reproduction is an extreme case of self-repair from an engineering point of view," Professor Lipson said. "Ultimately we hope that we can build machines that can self-repair, especially in a hazardous environment when we need machines to work for an extended period without human maintenance.

"Although the machines we have created are still simple compared with biological systems, they demonstrate that mechanical self-reproduction is not unique to biology. This design concept could be useful for long-term, self-sustaining robotic systems in emerging areas such as space exploration and operation in hazardous environments, where conventional approaches to maintenance are impractical."

The researchers were able to demonstrate a robot made from four modules that could build a replica of itself in two and a half minutes by lifting and assembling the cubes from a "feeding point" on the ground.

Pub Question.......

2005-05-13T23:13:00.000-03:00

If you were at the home of a potential partner and had the opportunity to see what they had in their fridge, what fridge contents would impress you?

I would be impressed with

exotic ingredients used for home cooking (cheating, I know!)
lots of fresh and interesting fruit and veg (shows he looks after his health & body)
a fine wine (but not one that was overly expensive, I can't believe that any wine could be worth thousands of pounds, unless it's one of those undrinkable historic ones)

Happy-ish

2005-05-08T18:46:00.000-03:00

I guess the election result was the best that could have realistically been expected.

Public rejection of Blair (most probably due to the his political whoring and Iraq invasion) has been made patently clear by the huge reduction of Labour seats and the low voter turnout.

Yet it is also clear that people are not prepared to abandon Labour completely and return to the dominance of the soul-less Tories that we had in the 80's.

I never did want to be a manager!

2005-04-18T21:01:00.000-03:00

http://money.guardian.co.uk/work/story/0,1456,1462406,00.html

Is your boss a psychopath?

"Probably, if we are to believe the results of a new scientific study, says Oliver James

Board and Fritzon found that three of 11 personality disorders (PDs) were actually commoner in managers than in disturbed criminals. The first was histrionic PD, entailing superficial charm, insincerity, egocentricity and manipulativeness. There was also a higher incidence of narcissism: grandiosity, self-focused lack of empathy for others, exploitativeness and independence. Finally, there was more compulsive PD in the managers, including perfectionism, excessive devotion to work, rigidity, stubbornness and dictatorial tendencies."

Actually, looking again at those traits, I think I would be perfect management material!!

Yeay!!

2005-04-15T11:29:00.000-03:00

Am feeling rather pleased to have secured a job, means I can now afford to do/buy things without constantly thinking "is this what i should be spending ym savings on?"

Am soooooooooo looking fwd to moving to Angel again, can't wait!! Will not rent anywhere too fancy, but somewhere a bit nicer than my previous place would be nice. I was spolit in Oz! Am resigned to the fact I won't get a gym in my appartment block. Then again, not sure I would necessairily want one, the main thing that motivated me to go to the gym was being able to gawp at all the fit men!

Hehehe was laughing with my mum last night, she said I would never be able to afford a place of my own, I told her I most certainly would, especially if I found a guy to live with. She got all excited at this point and wondered if I had anyone in mind! If only! It would be sooooo cheap to get a one bedroom place and share a double room. Would be able to get a really nice flat for a very reasonable price. Then again, I do like my sleep and find it extremely difficult to sleep properly with sme else in the bed. Or is it just me? ;)

Hmmmm....... Interesting Thought!

2005-03-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

I'm one of the world's laziest people when it comes to certain things so this was a bit of an eye-opener! I guess I am one of these people who thinks they can can buy things that can't be bought!

People have generally laughed at me when I've said advertising is evil but I'm stickin to my guns on this one!!

"the game: waylay true needs fulfillment, happiness (none / 0)

As an MBA who majored in marketing, and after years as a market researcher (related to socially responsible products, and health education) I've tried to understand the psychological dynamics of advertising from an insider's perspective.

Most advertising attempts to convince people to satisfy "higher," non-material needs through their product or purchased service. Very little advertising is directed at satisfying our basic material needs, since in the rich world, these are fulfilled about twenty times over compared to the situation with the vast majority of humans who've lived upon our planet. (Think for example of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which is just one of serveral similar rankings that have been proposed over the last couple thousand years.)

Thus, most ads appeal to needs for status, social affinity, self-expression, spirtual attainment, and sometimes even social contribution. Oh yes, and for sex -- but in a way that doesn't really get people too much more great sex.

And that's the big scam. 90+% of the goods and services whose advertising appeals to these higher needs don't really fulfill them. Or they do so only because people "want to believe" and hence self-hypnotize.

Start with consumerism's "waylaid" fulfillment of a basic physical need: If someone wants more or better sex, learning about the psychology of men or women (depending on your druthers) will get you there better !and deeper! than a new lipstick or hot car. A few fun hours learning about erogenous zones will yield better sex than the sexiest designer clothing. Unless you're a poor brainwashed sap who gets more excited about wearing or viewing a pair of jeans than sharing erotic touch, caresses, grabs, licks, and more.

Of course, the designer jeans also appeal to one's need for self-esteem, or to be better than the less savvy or monied people around you. Unfortunately, many people are successfully brainwashed to feel better about themselves, or to feel superior, when clad in such attire. Maybe that helps these marks break through their insecurities and thus even feel readier to seduce or be seduced sexually... Or to be happier with their lot in life, be they the expoited, the exploiters, or simply the clueless.

Ultimately however, the advertised products and services don't fulfill the higher needs as well as cheaper, more direct methods can. Want to feel self-esteem? Try education, or service to others, or loving. Want to fulfill your need for self-expression? Try dancing, singing, writing a poem, doing a sport, learning to paint, or even learning to design clothing and sew. Very ironic how deluded consumerists vie to express themselves using the creative product from a few handfuls of professional designers.

The formula is simple in concept, though sometimes expensive and tricky to execute: Target one or more legit human needs. Make your marks (potential customers) insecure about their current level of fulfillment of those needs. Distract them from fulfilling those needs in a natural, direct way that doesn't involve your product or service. Convince them your wares will fulfill the needs. Take your money to the bank.

And because your wares don't fundamentally fulfill the need, your marks will still be empty, wanting more. So vary your product a bit, hook 'em again, and reel them in. Laugh your way to the bank as long as you live and hoodwink.

If you're lucky, the system and the thousands of other advertisers will keep the masses hoodwinked enough that they'll never escape the fog and learn to fulfill their higher needs through higher, natural means. Horror of horrors. Then they'd be satisfied, happy even -- without you. Then you'd feel poor, not having escaped the consumerist trap yourself.

That's the view anyway from one not-quite-fully-trapped insider, attempting to understand real fulfillment of real needs."

What To Do?????

2005-03-13T21:31:00.000-04:00

Decisions Decisions!

http://www.dumpblair.co.uk/dbarts.html

Wow. Now that's what I call poetry.

2005-03-09T22:03:00.000-04:00

I was totally blown away by this poem by Philip Larkin and thought I'd share it.....

Appropriate after Mother's Day, as I interpret it. Or not. You decide!

"They fuck you up, your mum and dad,
They may not mean to but they do
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old style hats and coats
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can
And don't have any kids yourself."

Things We Take For Granted

2005-02-28T07:21:00.000-04:00

Saw the ad on TV, aimed at people who can't be arsed to vote.

Many people "don't do politics". I was never that interested in politics until recently. After reading a bit about American politics it made me realise how much we take for granted in Europe. Such as quality unbiased TV, (relatively) free press, legal abortion and little religious fundamentalism. For goodness sake, in the US there's outrage over a celeb's nipple being exposed on TV for a few seconds but not a fart in the wind over election dirty tricks. Crazy. By the time most people realise the impact of politics on their life, it's waaaay too late for action. e.g. a reduction in public services/increase in taxes.

There's only one problem though, we don't have a decent party to vote for! Bliar? I don't think so. Michael Howard? No way! Lib Dems? Not likely.

Anyone seen the South Park episode where the kids have to vote for a new school mascot, and the choice is between a Turd Sandwich or a Douchebag?

Good Sites

2005-02-22T01:41:00.000-04:00

Decent writer for the Guardian .......

e.g. did you know the UK has spent £6 Billion on Iraq, or $11.5 Billion? Where has that money come from??? (taxpayers like you n me!) And where has it gone??? (who knows!?!)

http://www.monbiot.com

Came across it via Dailykos........

http://www.dailykos.com

Free Mojtaba and Arash!

2005-02-22T01:38:00.000-04:00

spotted this on Dailykos, one of my fave sites.....though China's bloggers probably even worse off!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4278241.stm

The global web blog community is being called into action to lend support to two imprisoned Iranian bloggers.

The month-old Committee to Protect Bloggers' is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on 22 February to the "Free Mojtaba and Arash Day".

Arash Sigarchi and Mojtaba Saminejad are both in prison in Iran.

Blogs are free sites through which people publish thoughts and opinions. Iranian authorities have been clamping down on prominent sites for some time."

That woke me up!

2005-02-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

Was quietly minding my own business, taking advantage of the free internet at Singapore Airport (Yeay!), when I look up and see a machine gun in my face! Shocker. Singaporean police doing random checks.......ok ok so my luggage was just a little bit over the allowed 20 kg.............I figure I'm at least 20kgs lighter than a lot of men & fat people so should be allowed to make up for it in luggage weight! Hell, what about all the fat men who fly? Do you see them gettin stopped at the check in and getting charged for excess weight?! NO! Where's the justice? :)

I sent loadsa stuff home, but there's some things I just can't bear to part with!

I'm on a plane home in 2 hours!! (.....as long as don't get my huge arse hauled into jail, that is!)

Thoughts on Singapore.......

It's very much a cross between Hong Kong and Sydney, but with less partying and more muslims.........good food, hot weather, clean, efficient, pleasant enough. Am not in a rush to return though!

Genius way to get drunk quickly & cheaply.....

2005-02-14T01:26:00.000-04:00

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/050211/80/fc92s.html

......don't do this home, kids.......

Does Anyone Know A Good Cosmetic Surgeon?

2005-02-13T22:41:00.000-04:00

..........cos I need liposuction pronto! I have stuffed myself with good food while over here, and at this moment I am looking like One Big Fat Blob. Went for my last meal at Sushi Train on Sat (waahahahahahahahh it was the best) , deluxe sushi set at another place yesterday (yum yum it incl. jellyfish and sharks fin ship sushi! hmmmm), have just been to the Fish Market for Lobster Thermidor and could not resist buying some yummy salmon sashimi for later..........And I am meeting up with the guy I've been dating later on! Maaan I am gonna have to diet BIG TIME when I get back.

GUNG HEI FET CHOY!!

2005-02-08T22:15:00.000-04:00

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Wishing you a Happy and Prosperous 2005!

I cleaned the flat last night and felt very good about it : ) Also ran water, put red paper on my door, and some (choc) coins on the floor. Also realised that I am not angry at anyone and have buried all hatchets, which I was also happy about. Went to bed all content!

Still, it was too hot to sleep properly (was 38 degs during the day) ..... also I followed the tradition of leaving the lights on, thought it inconsiderate to leave them on in the whole flat so just left my bedroon light on. I'm used to a dark room now so it didn't help!

Not that I'm superstious or anything!

Tonight I am cooking for friends.......

-Garlic & Herb Bread
-Fresh Fettucine with Chicken & Bacon in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
-Side of Honeyed Carrots and Green Beans
-Brie accompanied by Sesame Crackers & White Grapes
-Coffee & Chocolates

Am looking forward to it! Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Not Long Now!

2005-02-06T22:29:00.000-04:00

Am gradually getting a bit more excited about going home and seeing friends and family & hanging out in the old haunts! Also got excited when I looked back at the list of things that I miss about the UK. Yeay, decent chips!! Decent Telly!! I can see myself just sitting in front of the telly eating chips & chocolate brownies for a whole week! Hehehehe

I intend to get out and about much more than I did before. There is so much to see in London, it seems a shame to just spend all my time working or in the gym or in a bar. Also intend to see a lot more of the UK and Europe. Also wanna go to New York with Vix! In fact, I think I will make it a policy to go for a weekend somewhere at least once a month.I had the bright idea of stuffing myself with sushi before I go, so that I actually get sick of it by the time I'm in London. It's working too! It has lost a little of it's appeal. Then again, where am I gonna get soft shell crab in London? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Soft Shell Crab...................

Phew I've pretty much done everything I wanted to do in Sydney. Finally went to Harry's Cafe De Wheels this weekend! Had the biggest, hottest hotdog with everything ever. Then chilled at Finger Wharf where all the celebs live. You should see some of the yachts & boats moored there. One was like a mini cruise liner, I swear. When I got home I realised that I had spilled chilli sauce all over my jeans. Classy.

I think being a traveller and knowing that you've only got limited time to do everything makes you more motivated to just go and do it. I am always amazed at how much travelling antipodeans do when they are over in Europe.

Friday 18th Feb

2005-01-18T22:51:00.000-04:00

In just under a month's time I will back in Good Ole Blighty! I am looking forward to seeing family and friends again, but cannot say that I have missed the UK.......I don't wanna go back!

I guess I will just have to find myself a nice aussie guy in some Walkabout! Hheheheheheh.

There is one guy I wouldn't mind getting back in touch with, that's for sure.....

Did I mention that's I've decided to stop over in Singapore on my way back?! :) Perharps I should ask a few Singaporeans where to go and what to see...............

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

2005-01-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

Only one month until the year of the Cock heheheheheheh! (sorry-I just Couldn't resist)

Was at Sydney harbour for the fireworks at Midnight. Never again! Was sooo squashed and couldn't see a thing. Looks much better on the telly!! Perhaps that's cos helicopters get a better view........DOH!

Saw lots of people falling out of trees too, one girl look just like a Barbie Doll as she fell, poor thing.

I also made the mistake of wearing all red clothing for new year. I just wanted to express my respect for Chinese culture and tradition by wearing the lucky colour red for the New Year, but it was taken the wrong way..........nuff said.

The Weekend.....

2004-12-13T07:09:00.000-04:00

Deary Deary Me. I have always believed that things always happen for a reason. Got a voicemail message on Thursday saying I'd won a ticket to a Lock And Key party on Saturday as a result of the Kiss N Tell photo shoot. So on Friday went to the work XMas Ball. It was a free bar. People could order whatever they wanted until it ran out. As you can probably imagine, the queues were long, so I decided to use my head and ordered a whole bottle of champagne. For me! Needless to say I didn't quite make it to the evening, but I was fine and left when still pretty sober. Well, sober enough to get home safely...

As for Saturday night's Lock N Key party....... more free drinks .......let's just say mixing vodka and champagne is never a smart move. Still, lots of fun! ;)

Think I will give the free drinks a rest for a while. Well, at least until Weds/Thurs!

SUN SEA SURF

2004-12-07T00:18:00.000-04:00

Yeay! I'm planning on learning to surf on Sat/Sun! Also, it's the work Christmas Ball on Friday.....

Also, Dan is moving out and we're looking for a new flatmate......

Awwwwww

2004-11-28T06:52:00.000-04:00

I am not even going to try and list the things I will miss about my life in Oz, just toooooo many things!! However, there are some aussies I am rather fond of who are coming to the UK next year..... Four in fact! Hopefully a fifth, who is currently in the UK, will decide to stay there.....

The weather has been absolutely glorious this weekend. Yesterday I went to Centennial park. It's Huge and it's Gorgeous. I tried rollerblading, but the blades I got were professional and waaaaaaay too fast. Plus the track I was on was downhill. I stayed upright but was pooing my pants! Especially as bladers, cyclists and CARS all share the same path!!! How crazy is that? I am looking fwd to blading in Hyde park, in relative safety! The most dangerous things there are the kids.....gave up blading after an hour and decided to chill near one of the lakes, fab!

It was another glorious day so I pootled on down to Bondi today. It was packed! Sooooo many fit bods! Yum Yum. The icy water was sooo nice to cool down in, it was around 36degs I reckon, it's currently 21degs, night-time! I've decided to be very british and complain that it's too hot! :) Hmmm if it gets too hot in the evenings I can always cool down in the swimming pool, niiiiiice!

Things I Miss About The UK

2004-11-25T22:15:00.000-04:00

I harp on about how much I love Australia and Australians, but there are a few things I miss about the UK...(apart from friends and family, obviously!)

1) Proper Chips.
2) British TV- it's actually rather good! Especially for documentarys and current affairs programmes. Paxman is the best!
3) Shopping In London - FAB. Nuff Said. Especially as I know where to get the bargains! :)
4) Being able to cross the road almost wherever and whenever you like. Here, you generally have to wait for the traffic lights to change, and it feels like an ETERNITY! Just ask Vix! Heheheh one time I swear we must've been at that flippin crossing for 5 minutes. I kid you not.
5) Aussies Abroad! For example, the gorgeous Adam.....hmmmmmmmmm..........I got an e-mail from him recently *sigh*. Hubba Hubba Grrrrrrrr Ring A Ding Diinng Ohhhh Hellloooooooo.
6) Angel. It's like it's own little village....and I miss it soooooo much!
7) Quality Groceries In Nice Supermarkets. Especially the Blueberry Muffins from M&S and freshly baked Chocolate Brownies from Sainsbury's hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
8) The excited buzz in the air on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
9) The way everybody's really happy when there's a tiny bit of sun. Even when complaining that it's Just Too Hot.
10) Chivalry!
11) Convenience of The Tube. Even if it is totally skanky!

My Reputation Precedes Me

2004-11-11T08:33:00.000-04:00

Took full advantage of free champagne at a new place last night, and was feeling soooooooo rough this morning. It was my first day at my new place of work and I looked sth. shocking. Great first impression! Oh yeah, and absolutely everybody knows about the Kiss And Tell!!! I actually thought I'd gotten away with it, but noooooooooo it didn't take long before everyone was takin the p*ss out of the new girl! Well it was certainly an ice-breaker, that's for sure! Thankfully the peeps seem really cool......and pretty sociable. The Christmas party is going to be a Masquerade Ball, should be fun.....what with the impression I've already created! If only they knew what a good girl I really am!

I'm On The Front Page

2004-11-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I am not amused.

Basically, I entered this thing called Kiss And Tell aaaaaaages ago.

There is a chance to go on really cool daytime dates (e.g. ski-diving) and dinner dates at the best restaurants in Sydney. Your photo along with your idea of the ideal date etc. gets published, then the public votes and if you get most votes, you get to go on the date. How the date went then gets published the week after the date.

Sadly I applied ages ago, so when I got woken up by a call from the Kiss And Tell people, I was shocked & sleepy and gave really really crappy answers to the questions like ideal man, ideal date etc. I later sent an e-mail with some better answers but they were totally ignored! Aarrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!! It was a special Kiss And Tell too, a double date! Bet the date is going to be really good! DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yippppeeeeeeeee

2004-11-09T00:43:00.000-04:00

Finally got off my big butt, got pro-active and got a job. Living the life of leisure was sooo cool while it lasted, but all good things must come to end. Like a box of yummy handmade chocolates or a visit to Sushi Train!

Thankfully, the dodgy newspaper pics are coming out tomorrow and I'm not starting work until Thursday. Hopefully I won't be recognised in my new workplace heheheheheh!

I'm Much Happier Now!

2004-11-06T07:04:00.000-04:00

Yeay!! It would appear that the Dems are beginning to fight back against what was so blatently voter fraud. The voting machines that, conveniently for the Repugs, did not leave a paper trail are being called into question. Apparently it's very easy to tamper with them to change votes from Kerry to Bush......who'd have guessed it?!

Anyways, I also did sth else very very fun today. It involved a big hotel bed, 4 girls, 4 guys, some champagne and a camera! It's not what you htink but if anything comes of it I will be sure to let you know.........I may scan something in for you guys to have a gawp at if you're very very good...... ;)

Plus I just had some of my fave sushi and having some more tom!

Plus it's been gorgeous weather!

Life Is Good :)

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

2004-11-04T00:50:00.000-04:00

I'm pretty depressed that Bush won, in a way it makes me question the human condition, though I also believe that it is just "the survival of the fittest"rule in action.

Not that Bush and other creationists believe in evolution. (No, seriously, they don't.)

Anyways, enough about that! It's just too much to even comprehend. My flatmate thinks I'm turning into a religious extremist! Heheheheh and blames my other flatmate! Heheheheh What a laugh. Nope, I just believe that people should try their best to be compassionate and respectful. I'm not relgious at all!

I hear that the folks back in Good Ole Blighty are pretty down about the US election too?

If there is another terrorist attack outside the US, Anti-American sentiment is going to be sky high. People will no longer be blaming Bush, but the Americans who have re-elected him. It makes me sad that even Buddhists in Thailand are being dragged into this whole debacle. Very sad :(

I'm gonna go have some ice-cream now!!

The Good Things In Life!

2004-10-26T05:23:00.001-03:00

Kimmy's comment got me thinking that perharps I should write a bit more about my experiences as a British girl in Oz.

Well if anyone's been to America, Oz is like a cross between there and UK in that there are all these new tall buildings but also some historical ones that they have preserved. The street system is great in that, like in America, there is generally a grid system. This makes it really easy to find a place once you have the address as there aren't actually that many streets and the main streets are often v long. The shopping isn't as good as in London though!! Hmmmm I miss Hennes, Mango and Zara soooo much!

That's the boring stuff, now onto more interesting stuff!

This country is sooo cool. There is lush rainforest, gorgeous beaches & coral reef, desert-like environment and modern vibrant cities like Sydney and Melbourne that are full of things to see and do. The scenery in Oz generally is really pretty. There are places dedicated to the beach & nightime hedonism too, like Surfer's Paradise. Queensland is great for outdoor activities like surfing, scuba-diving & snorkelling, white-water rafting, sky-diving etc. Heheheh I think Ellen was probably onto sth when she said there was a whiff of Tenerife/Ibiza about some of the sea-side resorts like Cairns here. But like she said, it's all the fun but somehow it doesn't feel tacky. I think it's cos the people over here are just so laid-back that it all seems pretty natural. Maaaaan I still can't get over how many good-looking people there were in Airlie Beach! Drool Drool!

Yup Aussies are great and most of the friends I have made over here are Aussies. Generally they're very friendly, tolerant and laid-back. Anyone pretentious has to kinda stick with other pretentious people cos they're not accepted otherwise! One thing that strikes me is that they know how to enjoy the really good things in life like great food & wine, partying (24 hr drinking here!), relaxation e.g. beaches, arts & culture, physical activities etc. (waaayhey! I meant scuba-diving etc., honest guvnor)

I often think to myself, this is the life!!! Especially when i'm eating sushi or seafood!!! :P

However, apart from the food, one of the best things about Oz is it's animals! ! And I'm not just talking Aussie men! Yum Yum. Gimme Gimme! Heheheh nooo, wallabies, koalas, possums, platypus', wombats, little penguins too! I could go on & on....Awwwww they are all sooooo adorable!! OK I know said after bottle-feeding a kangaroo joey that I could never eat kangaroo meat again....but it's soo tasty, v. nutritious and cheaper than other meats here!

Due to ample free time & gorgeous weather (25 degs), today I went to Watson's Bay. OK I'll fess up, I only went there cos I fancied some Fish N Chips for lunch! There is a Doyles there that is supposed to be v good. The fish and calamari rings were excellent but the chips were not the best I've ever had. Sadly it's hard to get good chips over here :( But still it was v nice to sit in the sun watching the boats come in and out of the little harbour. Then I went to The Gap Bluff nearby, there are cool geological formations where land meets ocean that are now part of a National Park. There was sth weirdly calming about watching the waves crash against the cliffs. Lots of people commit suicide there! Maaaaan they should've tried going Up North in the UK to find out what grim really is! Hehehehh only kiddin! I actually like what I've seen of it, and had a great time even though it was Mid-Winter and Sub-Zero temperatures. I still remember my shock when I saw the girls going around in the streets dressed in next to nothing, and there was my friend and I in our winter coats, gloves and scarves! I swear, we woulda worn our wooly hats too, but we didn't wanna look like Complete wimps!

Skirts Vs Jeans

2004-10-21T02:22:00.000-03:00

People, your input would be most appreciated. Last night one of my flatmates and I were having a conversation about how he thinks women should wear skirts and dresses as opposed to trousers and jeans.

Arguments for skirts/dresses:

* Women look more feminine in them.
* Women look tarty in tight jeans as they are showing off their arse, whereas skirts/dresses leave more to the imagination.

Arguments for trousers/jeans:

*They're more practical to move about/sit down in without showing all and sundry your, erm, womanly goods.
*They're sooooo much warmer. Try going around in a mini-skirt in the UK mid-winter without freezing yer butt off. So unless some guy wants chauffeur me everywhere and can ensure that I don't ever have to wait around in a queue for a club, I think I'll stick to trousers thankyouverymuch.
*They're mostly more flattering on legs then skirts/dresses, especially when the cut is long and lean. I'm only 5'1 and my little legs need all the help they can get to look longer!
*A woman can definitely still look feminine even if she is wearing trousers/jeans.
*I'm sorry, and these points are going to rather controversial, but surely any guy who thinks all women should go around in skirts/dresses all of the time is thinking, even if sub-consciously, that

a) all women should look feminine just to please men, despite dresses/skirts being generally more impractical then jeans/trousers.
b) there is more of a chance to perv at all that flesh on show.
c) should he score, he'll have, erm, easier access!

Don't get me wrong, I like to wear skirts and dresses, especially in hot weather. However, I believe all the points I made in favour of trousers/jeans are valid. I also believe that many UK women would agree with me as they mostly wear trousers/jeans when going out too. Except maybe the Essex types! :) Let's not go there........

Awwwwwwwwwwww

2004-10-17T23:27:00.000-03:00

Vix left yesterday :( awwwwww was sorry not to be able to show her more but we have been seriously sleep deprived. Awwwwwwwwwwwww. I was moping around all day yesterday but looked at my photos and had a good chuckle heheheheh Vix I Seriously gotta have those ones of you "jumping" in front of the Opera House! Hehehehehehh I will try n set up an album of my piccys asap.....

Hmmmmmm I fancy some sushi for lunch...... :P

Adventures Down Under.....

2004-10-02T03:23:00.000-03:00

Have been havin a fab time in Airlie Beach/the Whitsundays! There's a real party atmosphere and there are soo many beautiful people here walking around in next to nothing hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, we had fun on Weds night ;) There's soo much to do here but we have just done a few things like snorkelling, seeing all the coral & fishies in a submarine and chilling out on Whitehaven beach, which apparently has the whitest sand in the world as it's 98% silica. Today we went sea-kayaking, which was a lot harder than I thought it would be! Then spent some more time chilling out by the lagoon here. Nice... Tonight we are off to Cairns, arriving early tommorrow morning, I don't think Vix is keen but I really think we should go to this famous pub/club and dance on the tables! It has to be done! Last time I went there I didn't get any pics of me doing that as I was a little, erm, pre-occpied.

Tooooo Good....

2004-09-26T23:05:00.000-03:00

I woke up at 8 this morning. That sounds like a reasonable time, except I was supposed to get up at 6.15 and had to be at work for 7!! Oppppppppsssss.......but at least I feel pretty refreshed. The blackout material was sooo good, I didn't even hear my alarm. Or perhaps I did and just carried on sleeping anyway, I was having a great dream! Nothing dodgy, I dreamt that I got my treasured travel toiletries bag back. I spent Years assembling the perfect collection of traveller's bits n bobs and left it in my old room in the UK. I miss it like an old friend. I was gutted when I woke up and realised it was all a dream......and that it was 8 am! DOH!

I didn't even stay out late last night or anything. Went for lunch & girlie shopping in Bondi and then for a thai meal in the evening at a place called "Best Thai". I can assure you, dear readers, that it was definitely not! Perharps the shopping just wiped me out? Plus I am just getting over my cold and am in the phlegmy/coughing stage, so have not had much sleep recently and look like sth the cat dragged in. My body probably just refused to wake up until it was ready to!

Tired and Grouchy!

2004-09-25T07:32:00.000-03:00

The sunlight always comes into room and wakes me really early, which has been good as I have been starting work at 7 and switched off my alarm only to fall asleep again and wake half an hour later! I get really grouchy when I'm tired. Now that my work contract is almost finished I've put up some black-out material and am soooo looking fwd to going to sleep, and it's only 8.30! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah heaven!

And I wanted Vix to sleep well when we come back from going out at 6/7am! (I kid you not)

Holiday!

2004-09-23T20:58:00.000-03:00

Hmmmm I don't think of food ALL the time but almost everyday around 10 am I find myself looking forward to lunch already! Am I the only person who does this? Or is it just that I am bored and looking for satisfaction in the form of food? Today my work collegues and I are going to have pizzas at the Australian pub, yum yum! They do Kangaroo Pizza!

Monday is my last day at JP Morgan and I'm actually going to miss my work collegues. I think people over here are just a little happier then in UK, it's not really surprising either as the environment here is a lot more pleasant, e.g. it's clean, spacious and uncrowded. And the food is sooo good! I am sooo looking forward to showing Vix around! Hmmmmmmmmmmm sushi!

Greetings From Down Under!

2004-09-23T06:33:00.000-03:00

Helloooooo There

Just thought I should stop hi-jacking Vicky's blog and start posting on my own! Sorry Hunni!Gonna go get some nosh now...

Ciao!