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Snow

Jacob moved carefully, wary of the many improbably perched ornaments that decorated the house.

“Over here,” called Angela, her voice seemingly distant. It was no real help, but the corridor had only one way out that didn’t seem to be covered in years of dust. Jacob stepped into the brightest room in the house, a window letting in the rays of dusk.

“See? He’s still alive,” said Angela. The kitten in her hand looked bedraggled, but it was breathing, its tiny chest rising and falling rythmically.

“Just barely. How’d you find him?” Jacob asked, examining the kitten with the practised care of a professional.

“I saw his mum limping out of the house, and just out of curiosity followed the trail through the house…”

“So curiosity actually saved the cat this time,” Jacob said, smirking. Angela fixed him with a withering look. Jacob looked around. “Cats usually have more than one kitten per litter, though…”

“Yeah, I know,” she said.

“Oh, right. Well…” Jacob said, backpeddaling. Angela was a sentimental one.

“I figured you were a vet,” Angela began.

“No! Really?”

“Ha ha. Anyway, you should know what do with him.” Angela finished, hopefully.

“Well I think he’s actually a she, but we should be able to see to it. I’ll keep her for a week, but after that… well, I could always give her to one of the pet shops.”

“Oh… can’t I keep him? I mean, her?” Angela asked, almost pleading.

“Hmm, you might have to do a lot of taking care of her. She is only a day old right now, and even in a week she’ll need near-constant attention. Are you sure you want to?”

“It’s not like I have anything else to do, other than maybe start looking for a job again…” Angela looked at the kitten, its eyes tightly shut like all babies, peacefully asleep. Its starkly white fur glowed orange at the edges in the dusk light.

“I’ll call her Snow,” she said.

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“Teen” ringtone

A ringtone only teenagers can supposedly hear: The sound is supposed to be too high for people over 20, unless you have “exceptional” hearing. Given I can hear it and my hearing sucks because of years of headphones, I’m a little skeptical (or maybe I’m just paranoid about my hearing). The sample is very annoyingly pitched, though.

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Bottled Up

There’s a frustration to his expression. He reaches and reaches for the right words to express the meaning behind his thoughts, but seems the message lost too easily in the endless words he seeks to communicate it. He wonders if there is a language that can accurately express what he wants, why it is that thoughts can’t be said as easily as they can be created. It’s a barrier to finding his place in the world, to finding those who understand him and those he can understand.

He occasionally wonders if he is alone in this, or if the whole world was the same and because of that no-one could realise they weren’t alone.

Fleeting glimpses of stories pass, objects of beauty, poignance and complexity created and destroyed simultaneously in every moment. The ability to capture and express these stories, so that others may glimpse the beat at the heart of the universe. Perception defines reality, not the other way around, and it is the ability to express it that raises one up from the mediocre to the magnificant, from relegated to respected.

If only he could find a way to express but one of the stories, completely and elegantly.

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I don’t get the nuclear debate

Australia’s politicians are wrapped up at the moment with the idea of a nuclear reactor and expanded uranium mining. I’ve got my own views on it and all, uninformed as they are, but one thing I really don’t get, and it keeps coming up, so I’m asking for your wisdom here. They (media, politicians, etc.) always mention “Well, Oil prices are going up and up… so we should investigate Uranium as an alternative source of energy.”

What?

I think I blink and miss something there, every time. What on earth does oil have to do with uranium?

p.s. if you were wondering where the sunday recipe was… I was too lazy and didn’t cook on Sunday. Next week, promise.

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Australia 3 def. Japan 1

World Cup breaking news – Australia 3 (Cahill 84′ 89′, Aloisi 92′) def. Japan 1 (Nakazawa 26′)

I don’t even care that I tipped 2-1 and so miss out on a bonus 2 points =D

オーストラリア：３　日本：１　＝P　すまん、日本人たち、これは私たちの勝ちだ .

G’nite folks!

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Q&A: The Weekend

Q: What kind of mechanic/barber/post office/motor registry is open extended hours on the weekend?

A: A profitable one. Let me spend my money, bastards!

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World Cup 2006 Drinking Game

Pushing the Sky does not condone the excessive or otherwise illegal consumption of alcohol (beyond your body’s ability to cope with it) and prefaces the following, uh, “game” with the warning that World Cup match that fulfils many of the conditions of this game could leave your body quite broken, and your head dearly regretting in the morning. You may wish to keep a path to the toilet well clear.

Feel free to replace alcohol with a non-liver-damaging drink of your choice, although if you pick tea you may wish to keep the way to the toilet clear anyway.

The Rules

  • A “drink” is at least a mouthful of liquid
  • A “sip” must involve liquid passing your lips, not just making a sipping sound. Cheater.
  • A “skol” or “scull” or “skull” (you try spelling it) means the whole glass, or however much remains of a glass if you’re less than half way through, in one go.
  • Get some mates. Drinking alone is a deep, dark well you do not want to jump in to.
  • Rules are enforced by mates. Majority wins.
  • Must be watching in a timezone which forces you to be awake at hours of the night no sane person would (i.e. in Australia)

The Details

  • At the start of every match, line up the glasses/cups/mugs/schooners/bowls/liquid container of choice. Ensure you have sufficient supply. How much is “sufficient” is left as an exercise for the reader.
  • For every goal, scull. If Saudi Arabia (or other lucky-to-be-there team) are playing, you may wish to sip instead. To pace yourself.
  • If Saudi Arabia scores a goal, scull twice.
  • For every corner, drink.
  • For every penalty kick, drink.
  • If the penalty kick was awarded because of a theatrical fall worthy of a Tony, drink.
  • For every hand ball, drink.
  • For every offside, sip.
  • For every goal denied because of an offside, drink.
  • For every free kick, sip.
  • If the free kick was awarded for a fall that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Ben Hur, drink.
  • For every yellow card, drink.
  • For every red card, scull.
  • If the yellow or red card follows a fall that could be considered a strong contender for the Best Actor Oscar, scull twice.
  • For every time the ball goes out, sip.
  • If it looked like it was truly intentional, drink.
  • For every time the ball is passed back to the goalie, sip.
  • If a goal is scored because of a bad pass back to the goalie, scull.
  • If a goal is scored in injury time, scull.
  • If the game goes to penalty shoot outs, drink for every miss. If the shootouts are level at 4-4, scull.
  • Every time a commentator mentions a previous World Cup, drink.
  • If Australia beats one of the teams ranked higher than them (42), drink.
  • If Australia beats one of the teams considered one of the “traditional powers”, scull. A few, maybe.

Any more to add? Suggestions welcome =)