When It Rains, It Pours...

The week back from Malaysia saw heat on our fair city like we hadn't experienced in a long time. It felt even more intense than the Malaysian heat! This could be because of our lack of air-con, and my house is fairly well insulated as such. Although the rumours of a 47 degree heatwave in the west didn't fully come to fruition, it was hot enough for us to sweat long into the night.

One week exactly after we arrived back home though, the rains came. As I left church on Sunday night i remarked to Tony and newborn daughter that we better get home before it rained. I could smell it on the air. The breeze was picking up, but it didn't actually rain that night. Monday morning however, was grey as winter and we've had wet and dreary ever since. Is it a welcome change? I've always claimed to be more of a winter guy. It allows time for quiet and solitude, while forcing us to stay indoors with friends and family.

I think I'm neither a winter guy nor a summer guy really.
I just try to enjoy whatever
the day has to offer.

[There's that old Carpe Diem Coram Deo thing again!]

So while I've been taking much advantage of the quiet and the solitude since coming back from Malaysia, it finally seems like things are settling down. I even visited ANSTO today for 4 hours to cover some uni stuff, and while it felt a little weird and I'm still a bit confused about it (my brain has atrophied slightly,
but physics is just like riding a bike really...
Just get back on!) it did feel peculiarly nice to be back.

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Summer is gone prematurely.
But I do quite enjoy
wearing a jumper.
driving in the rain.
seeing breath on the window.
keeping you close.
for warmth.

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Change. The things we want to change always stay the same, and the things we don't want to change always do. Whether it be as meaningful as a long-time friendship or as fickle as a TV show, life always seems to change in places we least expect it...

Here's a change I didn't expect to find. Cleaning through our old computer yielded my braces photo! I remember this day very vividly. It was a sunny day in early 2003 as we drove from the orthodontist back to school, this song was playing on the radio and I'm pretty sure I couldn't stop licking my teeth, eager to debut my new accessories (haha). One can't quite forget the unique, permanent taste of metal in the mouth. Not quite a million dollar smile, but $4500 rounds up to a million doesn't it?...

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Please spare a thought and prayer for the Victorian bushfire victims.
The fires are still ongoing, and the damage is tremendous to say the least.
Too many homes lost. Too many lives destroyed.

Watching TV At 2am Never Felt More Important

It's rare in life that we get the opportunity to experience such an important moment and bask in its historical significance with the awareness that in 40 years time we can look back and say 'I was there'. I can only remember a few thus far in my life: the 2000 Sydney Olympics Opening Ceremony, hearing about 9/11, watching the official beginning of the Iraq invasion...monumental events all through the television funnily enough. 

Well last night I was more than happy to watch Obama's inauguration (I was way too full to sleep anyway. Char Chen Teng peanut butter french toast. wow. doesn't go too well with pork though...). 

I read once that this generation has grown up knowing only one US government that used fear and ignorance to maintain its power. The invisible war on terror sparked by 9/11 has existed all around for nearly a decade. That generation has had suspicion and xenophobia written on their subconscious. War, or at least the consciousness of war, was prevalent throughout people's entire teenage years. I felt sorry for that generation when i read that article. 

Then i realised that i was part of that generation. 

This kind of makes me want to become an American just to skip out on the sociopolitical apathy of Australian culture. It makes me want to do and be a part of something bigger than myself (in the words of Obama). If the son of an African immigrant can become president, then truly anything is possible.  

Anyway, I never intended to write a political rant. I just relish the promise of progressive leadership on this dawn of a new age. I hope and pray that the hope and promises aren't empty.

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Going to see Mogwai tonight in KL with Adrian, PB and Keith. Bought their new album before leaving for malaysia, but it didn't import on itunes. And i forgot to put Young Team on my ipod so i am unfortunately unable to listen to any!

Of course this means i miss volleyball, but a couple hours of Scottish instrumental post-rock never hurt anyone! 

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A Poem

When a phone has no credit

When an ipod has no battery

Technology is useless plastic

And i get frustrated