Friday, March 20, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I have been touched by his noodly appendange
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was 'ARRRRGH!' - PIRATICUS 13:7
After much philosophical discussion and existential angst revolving around whether LRD actually existed despite being an inanimate albeit anthropomorphised being and ultimate questions about "what is it all about anyway?" and "how many times can I use the 42 joke before it stops being hilarious?" Little Red Dave and I have found religion, and have converted to Pastafarianism. Yes, we are now devout followers of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I was attracted by its witty lampooning of the sheer idiocy that is Intelligent Design; LRD's in it for the pirate outfit, beer volcano and stripper factory.
We have been touched by his noodly appendage and are now prepared to spread the word...and the word is ARRRRGH!!
After much philosophical discussion and existential angst revolving around whether LRD actually existed despite being an inanimate albeit anthropomorphised being and ultimate questions about "what is it all about anyway?" and "how many times can I use the 42 joke before it stops being hilarious?" Little Red Dave and I have found religion, and have converted to Pastafarianism. Yes, we are now devout followers of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I was attracted by its witty lampooning of the sheer idiocy that is Intelligent Design; LRD's in it for the pirate outfit, beer volcano and stripper factory.
We have been touched by his noodly appendage and are now prepared to spread the word...and the word is ARRRRGH!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Dave Files: India
So, it's suddenly late February and LRD keeps reminding me that apparently there was Christmas in there somewhere as well. I have photos. One day I'll remember to do something with them. I got the blasted wisdom teeth removed (classic was the look on the surgeon's face when I told here I was in LESS pain post-op than pre-op) and finished my summer semester subject; that took far more effort than it should have.
And now a shot from the Dave files. How to start with India? Insane, vibrant, colourful, stressful, filthy, fascinating India. LRD actually found a friend in India, a little monkey named Little M (his owner had the same capacity for naming stuff as I obviously do) and so I have lots of photos of the two enjoying a sunset or 18 bottles of rum. Of course, if you go to India the must is the Taj Mahal. I spent a glorious afternoon of perfect weather inside the breathtaking monument and a morning of Agra smog across the river from it with Dave. The photo is below.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I am...you are...hopeful
Here we are yet again: Australia Day is only next week. The BBQ is on the balcony, the beer has been purchased and the radio ready for Triple J’s Hottest 100.
But today I don’t want to talk about Australia, at least not directly. They say the world is now a very different place from what it was this time last year and in many ways this is true. The recession we once again had to have is upon us, the Rudd Government has been in power for just over a year and Obama has been inaugurated as President of the United States; giving an inauguration speech that brings hope to a world tired of Bush’s bumbling predations.
The speech itself has been criticised for not being inspirational enough and yet I must admit that this old cynic’s eyes were glistening, for it seemed a blueprint for the type of world in which Obama wants to live; a world that is a shared fantasy for many of us.
Oh, there were the usual clichéd references to God and the military: this was after all a speech by the President of the United States of America. But if you read between the lines you see a harsh indictment of the Bush Administration and a promise to fundamentally change the direction of both US foreign and domestic policy.
“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”
“As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.”
“…power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”
Ultimately, I don’t think this kind of radical re-imagining is possible and certainly not in the short term. A simple glance at the news headlines in the lead-up to the inauguration shows that in many ways it’s “chaos as usual” out there. There may be dancing in the streets in many parts of the world, but when asked what she thought of Obama’s election, a Gazan woman reportedly said, “Obama won't bring my husband back to life.” If the US’ blind support of Israel is not tempered, can the foreign policy problems Obama really mentioned in his speech be countered?
Ultimately though, Obama’s biggest enemy will be the almost crushing level of expectation placed on him from a world that is simply exhausted after what seemed an eternity of Bush. As Vladimir Putin put it, "I am deeply convinced that the biggest disappointments are born out of big expectations."
On this day of self-reflection though, I ask: imagine what would happen if Obama’s vision of a tolerant, charitable, technologically-advanced, environmentally-sustainable, highly-educated, pluralistic and healthy world could really be created despite ourselves? It is this small hope that brings a tear to this old cynic’s eyes and one that informs the outpourings of emotions seen across the globe.
In my youth, this vision was the one I had of my country; a vision cruelly stripped away in 11 years of Howard, Bush’s much-feted literal and metaphorical partner in crime. Deep down, I still believe this new desire for peace and charity is due to our current financial woes. As we come out of the recession in a few year’s time, we’ll once again discover greed and pettiness and meanness and the obscene scramble for wealth will leave the underdogs looking for anyone to blame and hatred will flare and the demand for resources will drive us to war yet again. But until then, I hope.
Hope you have a great Happy Australia Day.
But today I don’t want to talk about Australia, at least not directly. They say the world is now a very different place from what it was this time last year and in many ways this is true. The recession we once again had to have is upon us, the Rudd Government has been in power for just over a year and Obama has been inaugurated as President of the United States; giving an inauguration speech that brings hope to a world tired of Bush’s bumbling predations.
The speech itself has been criticised for not being inspirational enough and yet I must admit that this old cynic’s eyes were glistening, for it seemed a blueprint for the type of world in which Obama wants to live; a world that is a shared fantasy for many of us.
Oh, there were the usual clichéd references to God and the military: this was after all a speech by the President of the United States of America. But if you read between the lines you see a harsh indictment of the Bush Administration and a promise to fundamentally change the direction of both US foreign and domestic policy.
“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”
“As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.”
“…power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”
Ultimately, I don’t think this kind of radical re-imagining is possible and certainly not in the short term. A simple glance at the news headlines in the lead-up to the inauguration shows that in many ways it’s “chaos as usual” out there. There may be dancing in the streets in many parts of the world, but when asked what she thought of Obama’s election, a Gazan woman reportedly said, “Obama won't bring my husband back to life.” If the US’ blind support of Israel is not tempered, can the foreign policy problems Obama really mentioned in his speech be countered?
Ultimately though, Obama’s biggest enemy will be the almost crushing level of expectation placed on him from a world that is simply exhausted after what seemed an eternity of Bush. As Vladimir Putin put it, "I am deeply convinced that the biggest disappointments are born out of big expectations."
On this day of self-reflection though, I ask: imagine what would happen if Obama’s vision of a tolerant, charitable, technologically-advanced, environmentally-sustainable, highly-educated, pluralistic and healthy world could really be created despite ourselves? It is this small hope that brings a tear to this old cynic’s eyes and one that informs the outpourings of emotions seen across the globe.
In my youth, this vision was the one I had of my country; a vision cruelly stripped away in 11 years of Howard, Bush’s much-feted literal and metaphorical partner in crime. Deep down, I still believe this new desire for peace and charity is due to our current financial woes. As we come out of the recession in a few year’s time, we’ll once again discover greed and pettiness and meanness and the obscene scramble for wealth will leave the underdogs looking for anyone to blame and hatred will flare and the demand for resources will drive us to war yet again. But until then, I hope.
Hope you have a great Happy Australia Day.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
It's a big big rock
Uluru:
Ancient
Monolithic
Sacred
A sandstone remnant of a mountain range long since eroded away.
Red at sunrise and sunset, brown in the afternoon, silvery-grey when it rains.
Standing 348 metres high and measuring 9.4 km in circumference.
9.4 kilometres exactly, actually, and I should know because I walked it.
So, LRD seems to have forgiven me slightly. He's finally climbed out from behind my mountain of Terry Pratchett novels and has slowly inched his way across the living-room floor to my desk. Either all is now well or he's just curious to see the photos.
Sunday morning, after only 3 hours sleep, we rose and drove from Yulara into the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park to the sunrise viewing area for Uluru. Just us and a couple of hundred of other people watched the first strikes of sun turn the rock red. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara people of the area, who gained land rights over the area in 1985. The land was then leased back to the Government for 99 years and is jointly-managed.
Photo: south-west side of Uluru
Ancient
Monolithic
Sacred
A sandstone remnant of a mountain range long since eroded away.
Red at sunrise and sunset, brown in the afternoon, silvery-grey when it rains.
Standing 348 metres high and measuring 9.4 km in circumference.
9.4 kilometres exactly, actually, and I should know because I walked it.
So, LRD seems to have forgiven me slightly. He's finally climbed out from behind my mountain of Terry Pratchett novels and has slowly inched his way across the living-room floor to my desk. Either all is now well or he's just curious to see the photos.
Sunday morning, after only 3 hours sleep, we rose and drove from Yulara into the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park to the sunrise viewing area for Uluru. Just us and a couple of hundred of other people watched the first strikes of sun turn the rock red. Uluru is sacred to the Pitjantjatjara people of the area, who gained land rights over the area in 1985. The land was then leased back to the Government for 99 years and is jointly-managed.
Photo: south-west side of UluruAfter sunrise, we trekked round the base of the monolith (takes about 2 and a half hours) before heading off to Kata Tjuta, otherwise known as the Olgas. Kata Tjuta is Pitjantjajara for "many heads" and its series of large domed rocks do look like many heads. The Olgas are also sacred to the Pitjantjajara people but while Uluru is primarily a tourist attraction, ceremony is still undertaken at Kata Tjuta.
Photo: Inadequate shot of Kata Tjuta.
After finishing our walk into the heart of Kata Tjuta (we were far too tired by now to do the Valley of the Winds walk) we barbecued some lunch and drove back to Alice Springs.
And drove...
and drove...
and stopped for icecream...
and drove...
And when I finally got back to Alice Springs I curled up in my lovely king-sized bed with five pillows and a view of the McDonnell Ranges and I slept.
Great weekend.
PS: Oh, and on Monday I saw the sights of Alice Springs: climbed Anzac Hill and went to some art galleries.
The Lonely Road
So, Little Red Dave refuses to come out from the bookshelf: he’s currently sulking between a copy of My Name is Red and my as-yet-unread copy of War and Peace. (Hey, have you seen the size of that thing? It’s on my to-do list...for the last 10 years). Apparently LRD’s still despondent over the whole Uluru thing and, coming on top of me going to Kakadu without him earlier this year, I think he’s waiting for some sort of grand apologetic gesture. I’ll try to write up my trip without rubbing salt in the wound too much.
I flew down to Alice Springs on Friday and checked into the Comfort Inn Outback, nestled in the McDonnell Ranges. 5am I was up and 6am I was on the road as the sun rose over the surprisingly-green landscape. I had booked a tour with an Adventure Tour company so it was just me, about 10 European tourists, who were all about 12, and two older English women so at least I had someone to talk to. [Yes, Dave, it would have been better if you had been there. I called this post 'The Lonely Road', didn't I? No, don't hide behind the Terry Pratchett novels. I'll never find you again.]
Photo: Heart Attack Hill. It's much higher than it looks.
I flew down to Alice Springs on Friday and checked into the Comfort Inn Outback, nestled in the McDonnell Ranges. 5am I was up and 6am I was on the road as the sun rose over the surprisingly-green landscape. I had booked a tour with an Adventure Tour company so it was just me, about 10 European tourists, who were all about 12, and two older English women so at least I had someone to talk to. [Yes, Dave, it would have been better if you had been there. I called this post 'The Lonely Road', didn't I? No, don't hide behind the Terry Pratchett novels. I'll never find you again.]
Photo of Alice Springs from Anzac Hill
And we drove....
and drove....
and stopped for a coffee...
and drove...
Kings Canyon is about four hours from Alice Springs but of course, by the time we got ourselves together and stopped for breaks, it took us 6. We grabbed a barbecue lunch and then drove to the canyon itself. The walls of Kings Canyon are over 300 metres high, with Kings Creek at the bottom.
Against my better judgement and possibly against sanity, I decided to do the 3-4 hour Rim walk with the rest of the group...at 1:30 in the afternoon in 37 degree heat. The walk itself is fantastic, if far too hot to be doing in the heat of the day, but the first part of the climb, Heart Attack Hill, is the most challenging. Once the steep ascent was under my belt, the rest was comparatively easy. Afterwards, we stumbled down the mountainside, piled back into the car and drove...and drove...and drove...arriving in Yulara about 9pm. We set up camp, we ate barbecued roadkill and then hit the sack. Literally: I have never been so tired in my life.
Photo: Heart Attack Hill. It's much higher than it looks.
Photo: Lilliput, so named because it looks likes a miniaturised version of the Gorge itself. One can imagine tiny people, just like ourselves, walking through it and looking up at the sheer walls.
Photo: Garden of Eden
Photo: Walls of Kings Canyon
Monday, December 1, 2008
Mea culpa
Dear Little Red Dave
You know I love you, right? I mean, I did dedicate this entire somewhat thematically-confused blog to you, because of my love (and not at all because it gives me an excuse not to publish photos of myself). So I know you won't take it personally that I went to Uluru, the iconic world heritage-listed image that defines Australia for so many, and left you on my bookcase in Darwin.
I know, you'll say there are photos of you at the Great Pyramids of Giza, the leaning tower of Pisa and the Taj Mahal. I can lug you across Europe and Asia but when it comes to my own country, I consistently forget.
I can only hope you accept this apology and stop sulking behind my copy of The Hogfather.
Mea culpa
genfie
PS Here's a photo so you know just what you missed
You know I love you, right? I mean, I did dedicate this entire somewhat thematically-confused blog to you, because of my love (and not at all because it gives me an excuse not to publish photos of myself). So I know you won't take it personally that I went to Uluru, the iconic world heritage-listed image that defines Australia for so many, and left you on my bookcase in Darwin.
I know, you'll say there are photos of you at the Great Pyramids of Giza, the leaning tower of Pisa and the Taj Mahal. I can lug you across Europe and Asia but when it comes to my own country, I consistently forget.
I can only hope you accept this apology and stop sulking behind my copy of The Hogfather.
Mea culpa
genfie
PS Here's a photo so you know just what you missed
Sunday, November 23, 2008
The Dave Files: Part Something or Other
Apparently there's a rumour that this blog was supposed to be about this "bear" called "Little Red Dave", affectionately known as LRD or even just "Dave". In honour of this, a photo from the Dave Files just to remind us all why we're here.
This photo was taken in the beautifully-restored city of Dubrovnik in 2001, probably about May. After trekking up through Northern Greece, through Macedonia and Kosovo and then moving down through the glorious Montenegro I arrived, broke, in Croatia. Restaurants, ATMS, other tourists, local men looking down on me because I was a poor backpacker and wasn't dressed well enough: all the trappings of modern civilisation again! As I took a taxi from the border through the mountains, the cab driver stopped to give me a wonderful view of the city. I'll also attach this photo, although it doesn't do the view justice. It was taken on an old film camera and then scanned and has lost a lot of resolution in the process.
I absolutely loved Croatia and didn't stay there long enough. Firstly because I had had to leave Montenegro because I ran out of money (yes, I actually went to Dubrovnik just to use the ATM!) and went back there as soon as I'd cashed up, and secondly because I was racing to get to Italy before the peak tourist season. If I'd known that it's always peak tourist season in Italy, I wouldn't have taken the freezing ferry from Split and would have made my way to Zagreb instead. Still, beautiful country. Would love to go back.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
My inspiration for post titles is gone
The Wet is here! What happened to the build-up? It just never really happened. I'm disappointed actually. There's nothing better than a steaming day with the pressure building minute by minute until it finally breaks in a spectacular electrical storm. It seems to have gone from the Dry straight to raining. I find it not a little ironic that while Darwin is experiencing so little storm activity, Brisbane is being wiped off the map with its worst storms in like 30 years.
Haven't been moving around too much lately, mostly due to work and Uni. I have finally finished the great all-consuming research project, the popularised version of which is in a post below. I also spent the last two weeks in Nhulunbuy (Gove Pensinsula, north-east Arnhem Land) doing some work at the indigenous community of Yirrikala. It was not the most successful trip but it was great to see a part of the country I would probably not see otherwise. Here's a photo of Nhulunbuy from the lookout, which is on a Yolgnu sacred site nearby.
Haven't been moving around too much lately, mostly due to work and Uni. I have finally finished the great all-consuming research project, the popularised version of which is in a post below. I also spent the last two weeks in Nhulunbuy (Gove Pensinsula, north-east Arnhem Land) doing some work at the indigenous community of Yirrikala. It was not the most successful trip but it was great to see a part of the country I would probably not see otherwise. Here's a photo of Nhulunbuy from the lookout, which is on a Yolgnu sacred site nearby.
I also managed a short trip to Galiwinku, an indigenous community on Elcho Island and the home of Gurrumul Yunipingu. They've recently had a festival there complete with the Chooky Dancers, Saltwater Band and Gurrumul. Wish I'd been there to see that.
Wisdom teeth: is there a better argument against intelligent design?
My teeth hurt. I mean, my teeth really hurt. Not only do I have two wisdom teeth floating in my sinus cavity pressing against bundles of nerves, but one is currently engaged in an attempt to move all my other teeth slightly to the right to give itself room. The pain is constant, the pain is grinding and, while the pain is not overly bad at times, its persistance is enough to drive me into a slow insanity.
And as I sit here, doped up on painkillers that seem for some reason not to be working and contemplating all those aspects of our physiology that are now redundant due to the great force that is evolution, I ponder how anyone could believe in creationism or intelligent design. I mean, seriously, God thought, "I know, four useless teeth" or, "how about an appendix?" Useless, painful and possibly deadly. Yeah!
Just a thought.
And as I sit here, doped up on painkillers that seem for some reason not to be working and contemplating all those aspects of our physiology that are now redundant due to the great force that is evolution, I ponder how anyone could believe in creationism or intelligent design. I mean, seriously, God thought, "I know, four useless teeth" or, "how about an appendix?" Useless, painful and possibly deadly. Yeah!
Just a thought.
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