happy 25th b'day linh!

I've already said happy birthday on other people's blogs but I thought I'd say it here too!! So happy happy 25th birthday my dear linhy... so wish I could celebrate it with you but I know for a fact you're having a wonderful time in Vancouver right now so I'll have to party it up with you when we see each other again. I'll try my best not to have a runny nose next time...

Here's wishing that the most divine chocolate cake will be yours to indulge in today!

Miss ya!

rich hobo

incidentally, last week I walked past a homeless person counting his $50 and $100 notes. Notes - plural. What THE? I don't even remember when I last had in my possession a $100 note. $100 bhat maybe, but not Aussie dollars! How does he get that? Did someone give him that? Or did he wander into a bank with his stench and silvers, asking to trade a few hundred coins for a shiny green note?

I started off feeling annoyed and appalled, but now I'm curious and slightly impressed. Impressed because a couple of weeks ago, I lived off $25 for one whole week (including lunches etc), and that was hard. Al was so impressed I made it to Friday that he gave me $10 for my efforts hehe. How is it that a stranger is handing out $100 bills to a hobo?!

I think hobo'ing is becoming a million dollar industry right here in Sydney.

quiet weekend

well this one's been a very quiet weekend. We watched 3 dvds - Team America (crap), White Noise (bit creepy) and Million Dollar Baby (brilliant). Was out and about shopping yesterday and got a couple of great bargains.... got a funky jacket from $79.95 down to $19.95... and a pair of Zoe Wittner shoes half price at $54.95! Wish I had pics to show the ladies.. but anyway.. it was good fun.

the difference between guts and balls..

Guts
Arriving home late after a night out with the boys, being assaulted by your wife with a broom, and having the guts to ask:"Are you still cleaning, or are you flying somewhere?"

Balls
Coming home late after a night out with the boys, smelling of perfume and beer, lipstick on your collar, slapping your wife on the arse and having the balls to say, "You're next."

PS - I know it's a bit strange adding this onto the end of such an insensitive (but funny innit?) post but I'm glad everyone I know who lives in London have not been hurt by the explosions. I hope everyone else out there is ok too.

Not quite hypothetical

I've been thinking about apologising lately. I mean, apologising to anyone who I've ever wronged or hurt, and setting things right again. This struck me yesterday when my workmate told me that a girl she knew had just passed away after a weekend accident. It wasn't that she had hurt the girl, but they had a misunderstanding a few months ago and it had never been sorted and both chose distance over facing each other. So her friend has now passed and they will never ever get a chance to patch this up.

It made me think of a couple of situations I'm sure we've all found ourselves in before. First one's straight forward - we've done something to hurt someone (intentionally or unintentionally). Second scenario is when you haven't done anything to hurt the person, but somewhere along the line, facts have been twisted and your relationship has dissolved. Either way, someone out there now holds ill feelings towards you for right or wrong reasons.

It's weird and again this is kind of hypothetical (yep Arthur, feel free to share your thoughts). I used to be of the opinion that if you have your few close friends who love you and you love them, that's all you needed.. f*&% what the rest of the world thought, in particular who cares about the people who don't even like you! That was what I believed in til about 24 hours ago. Then I thought... what if whatever happened in the past - regardless of who was wrong or right - is now in the past... and that you can be mature and mend your friendship again? I'm not saying that you should now be best friends with these people... just that.. should you never get the chance to fix things.. you can leave this place feeling contented. Which makes more sense? Maybe I'm just affected right now because I feel so bad about my workmate.

It works both ways... in being willing to apologise for what you've done, you must also be willing to accept an apology from someone who has hurt you before. I can honestly say that right now there's no one I would not give a clean slate to. Honestly.

There's only really one person I would want to set things right with, but I don't know if I have the guts to do it.

Before Sunset

I've just watched an amazing movie called Before Sunset. It is the sequel to 1994's Before Sunrise, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The original cast (of 2) came back nine years later to finish off what the first movie started... Before Sunrise started with the chance meeting of Jesse and Celine in Vienna.. where they spent an evening together talking and learning about each other. Sadly they had to part ways before sunrise... and continue with their own lives. They agree to meet in Vienna again in 6 months on December 16th... and that is where the original leaves us.

The sequel picks up 9 years later when Jesse is in Paris for a book tour. We learn that they did not meet up in Vienna 9 years ago, due to unforeseen reasons. However, they now have the day to catch up and learn even more about each other... until Jesse has to return to America before sunset.

These movies may not cater for all, it consists of 2 actors talking (and not much else) for the whole 120 minutes... talking about this and that and everything in the universe. However it is a truly amazing movie about a connection between 2 people, sexual or not - a connection that you don't find every day. After 9 years apart, Jesse is now married with a son, and Celine is in a relationship... but neither can deny the chemistry and almost magical connection that they have.

It does beg the ever challenging question of "the one" and if there is only one out there. Strangely this movie made me think of Arthur's recent post (see my links) on finding love and the one. Jesse and Celine - from different sides of the world - met by chance in 1994. And again met by chance 9 years later. Chance? Who would bet on that? And yet without chance, they would not have met. How do you know that with a blink of your eye, you did not just walk past your one.....?

Lovely, beautiful movie... I have never been so engrossed in a conversation between 2 people as I have been in Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.

Watching these movies individually will pull at your heart strings. Watching them back to back will absolutely break your heart.

hypotheticals

Some hypothetical situations my friends, boyfriend, colleagues and I have been discussing and debating. Not sure why these are such hot issues right now but it seems to be happening to a lot of people around us. Anyway, we've just been throwing around our thoughts on what is correct or ethical, or what borders on being unloyal to a friend or partner. I don't have any answers - just lots of thoughts!

Scenario one - can we split our friendship 50/50?

Regardless of who you met first, or how you met, suppose that a couple who you are equally close to breaks up. Can you split your friendship 50/50? Or do you (a) stay friends with the one you met first? Or (b) stay friends with the one who you have been closer to lately? Although it may seem easy to remain impartial, it is often hard and subconsciously you'll lean towards one person. I'd tend to pick option (a).. but that's me.

Scenario two - can your best friend really choose their own friends?

Ok.. you and your best friend are well, best friends! You like the same things, music, movies, clothes, guys (? hope not!).. so what happens if you one day have a major fall out with some third party.. you become enemies... and your best friend decides to befriend this third party? Are they a "traitor"? Do you (a) say to yourself it's ok, your best friend can choose who they want to be friends with? Or (b) expect your best friend to respect that you and third party are enemies and just "don't go there"? I lean towards (b).... but again, just me. I see that as respect - you don't have to tell them, they ought to know.

Scenario three - is blood really thicker than water?

Say your best friend (who you are super tight with) dates your cousin (who you aren't super close to, but is a nice person). Your best friend cheats on your cousin but it was a once off - won't do it again (well, nothing in life is a guarantee but you have their word). Do you (a) tell your blood? Or (b) stick by your water? I.... am undecided.

Scenario four - do you have to tell your partner everything?

You've discovered you have an admirer (yes, you are still wanted). The admirer makes their interest known, but isn't a homewrecker. Do you (a) tell your partner even though there is "nothing to tell"? Or (b) don't say a thing because there is "nothing to tell"? I'm undecided on this too but probably (a)....