The Day Before The Day - Dido

beautiful

celebrating 1 year of sobriety!

it's amazing! waking up this morning, i could hardly believe that today's my first birthday as a recovering alcoholic. what a trip!!

so much has happened,

• reconnected to God
• relocated to Taiwan to teach
• got a job
• got an apartment
• got a scooter
• met the most incredible person (in the romantic sense)
• settled most of my debts
• reconnected with those i lost along the way
• quit smoking
• forgave and was forgiven
• found peace
  

since i decided to break out of Baker Street:

Winding your way down on Baker Street
Light in your head and dead on your feet
Well another crazy day, you’ll drink the night away
And forget about everything.

This city desert makes you feel so cold
It’s got so many people but it’s got no soul
And it’s taken you so long to find out you were wrong
When you thought it held everything.

You used to think that it was so easy,
You used to say that it was so easy
But you’re tryin’, you’re tryin’ now.
Another year and then you’d be happy
Just one more year and then you’d be happy
But you’re cryin’, you’re cryin’ now.

Way down the street there’s a light in his place
He opens the door, he’s got that look on his face
And he asks you where you’ve been, you tell him who you’ve seen
And you talk about anything.

He’s got this dream about buyin’ some land
He’s gonna give up the booze and the one night stands
And then he’ll settle down, in some quiet little town
And forget about everything.

But you know he’ll always keep movin’
You know he’s never gonna stop movin’
Cause he’s rollin’, he’s the rollin’ stone.
And when you wake up it’s a new morning
The sun is shining, it’s a new morning
But you’re going, you’re going home.

remembering the day before Change

today was nothing at all like the one 365 days ago - still, i will most likely remember that day again in 365 days time. you see, 29 Dec '07 was the day before the Day.

i had just returned from my trip to the UK and many of my friends were in the region for the holidays - as were several of my cousins. i'd orchestrated an impromptu beach-braai (bbq) near my house for that afternoon - seeing as how everybody had other plans for New Year's Eve. the turn-out was quite astounding! (i had a pretty solid reputation for throwing the best parties...)

i started drinking in the early afternoon - which was not a strange thing for anybody to do, really. we were having so much fun, catching up and reminiscing, joking and making plans, making a huge fire and meeting new friends (everybody brought somebody, of course). the party was light-hearted and cheerful. summer evenings can be endless...



i vaguely recall actually eating something too!

i do not, however, recall leaving the beach. or going to the nightclub in Mossel Bay. or being the life of the party. or deciding that it was time to go home. or driving home...

i do recall a soft "thud" as i swerved at our village's only traffic light. no-one was hurt (thank God!!) but the other car had a serious dent.

i do recall the police arriving.
i do recall the Breathalyzer test, though not the score.
i do recall being taken for blood tests in the back of a police van.
i vividly recall crying myself to sleep in a holding cell.

tomorrow, one year ago, i turned my life over to God and admitted that i was an alcoholic.

*breathe*

on a lighter note:

here's a cool rendition (by The Real Tuesday Weld) of the song that's been looping in my head all day:

Apartheid in America

segregation is the name of the game - and no one plays it as well as Californians, by the look of it. apparently the "Prop 8ers" now want to forcibly divorce same sex families.




it seems all Americans are created equal, some just more equal than others. (does their constitution end in "sich heil"? especially when read by the Governator...)

Merry Christmas - wherever you are

"Isn't it funny that at Christmas something in you gets so lonely for - I don't know what exactly, but it's something that you don't mind so much not having at other times."
~~ Kate L. Bosher
from Immi's blog

the earth moved, but it wasn't me (this time)

Central Weather Bureau Web Site

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she was a 5.6!!

Explanation Fail

i should be running to class - but this is just to good!!

All Aboard the Fail Train

sun drenched afternoon

i spent the afternoon soaking up some glorious sunshine at the Pen Bay (former military base dating from the Japanese occupation of Taiwan). here are some photos for you:



---
love and kisses

flickering

oh were i a dying man
who had no need of your forevers
but was at peace with merely
being liked

then would i drink the
love of light and
ne'er be afraid of all
of beauty's eventual end

but lo! i am a living man
who needs but hear a whisper...

Sunny winter days rule!

looking out from the laundry balcony a few minutes ago, I decided not to go to Kaohsiung today:




who wants to go to the beach with me?

spot my pozzy

a little mania goes a long way ;0)
led-style!above, the view of my balcony from the parking lot
below, the view of my building from our local 7-11
mine is the blueish glow, top-right ;0)
i probably shouldn't have shelled out the heaps of dosh for the blinkyness - but it sure is pretty!

SA slang info from Wikipedia:
pozzy - house or home; place where one lives or hangs out.

Foxxi Misq - Last Christmas

it's that time of the year again!
thank you to the anonymous commenter who linked to japansugoi and got the ball rolling again ;0)

Don't quit - motivational poem

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

- by anonymous

from Tudor-Virgil Constantin's blog

Bike Hero

now THIS made me laugh out loud!
the awesomeness!!!

(as seen on alistair's blog)

and a little something from NY

Little boy watching a man: What the fuck?
Mother, reading a newspaper: You better watch your mouth today, little boy!
Little boy: But mommy, he keeps banging his head on the pole!
Mother, watching the man: What the fuck?

--F Train

Overheard by: It looked painful.

from overheardinnewyork.com

Rexmas

this was just what i needed to start my day!
ROTFLMAO

thanks Geoff!!

SA NOT SIGNING UN DECLARATION?

It appears as if South Africa is among the countries that will not be supporting a UN declaration calling for member states to decriminalise homosexuality.

The proposed declaration was initiated by France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and has been signed by all the countries of the European Union.

The draft declaration will be presented to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the sixtieth anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights. It is the first time the Assembly will deal with gay and lesbian rights.

According to Human Rights activist Peter Tatchell, only three African countries - Gabon, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau - have signed on to the document.

South Africa, which boasts the most gay-friendly legislation on the continent, has reportedly not yet agreed to support the initiative.

A recent Human Sciences Research Council survey claims that 80% of South Africans believe that homosexuality is wrong.

The US and Australia are among the democratic nations that have declined to support the declaration, says Tatchell. The Vatican and the Organisation of Islamic States are, unsurprisingly, vocally opposed to the initiative.

Homosexuality is illegal in 86 countries around the world. Lesbians and gays face the death penalty in at least seven nations.

mambaonline reporter

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the magic parcel adventure

after school on friday, i hopped on the bus (not pictured) to Kaohsiung...

where i took the subway to zouying station,

where i took the High Speed Rail (up to 300km/h) to taichung,

where i got on the slow train to Dajia,

where i picked up the deliciousness from SA! Mom sent me some droë wors, coffee cookies, rusks, scarves, Black Cat peanut snacks, Cadbury's, my SpringLeap T-shirts - and even a copy of DeKat!! color me crawling on the floor with laughter when i noticed the fruit-cake and the designer tissues *lol* awesome!!!

today is better

just a quick "mornin' y'all" to smile and wave from the other side of last night's post.

the risperdal and a good night's sleep - plus the resolution to hit the road out of town after school today - has me feeling a whole lot better about myself and life in general :0)

also, thanks to Rod for the comments - both of them. no comment is a bad comment.
and thanks to Immi for all the tips and tricks on her blog! i live better every day.

now sucks

here's the deal: i've lost my mojo.

it's thursday night and i've just returned home from school. my last class took forever and it feels like i'm not getting anywhere with my students. the teenagers are getting the better of me... i've run out of ideas on how to get them talking. it's a "conversation class" - which means we're supposed to converse for 90 minutes. (okay, two sessions of 40 minutes with a ten minute break in the middle.) It's a miracle if i get one of them to say more than three sentences. i've tried sports, rock, hip hop, online gaming, pets, family, fashion, parties, school, poetry, visual arts, movies - everything. harry potter worked for a while, but we've gone through all the books now...

i know they think swearing is funny - but i'm not comfortable with the idea of exchanging insults and cusses with 14 year olds.

fuck i feel useless. i just want to sleep. i honestly don't feel like doing anything.

yup, i know - these are all little red flags saying auntie debra is visiting. time to take the risperdal again.

*sigh*

Damien Rice - Rootless Tree (Live from Abbey Road)

probably not a safe song to play to your dear old gran... but the power of this performance threw me halfway across the planet!

i have to thank Rod from kickin' tina for loading this as today's "sound choice". i'm not sure why i'm crying - but it feels damn good!

but in humans...

Gay penguins steal eggs from straight couples - Telegraph

The two penguins have started placing stones at the feet of parents before waddling away with their eggs, in a bid to hide their theft.

But the deception has been noticed by other penguins at the zoo, who have ostracised the gay couple from their group. Now keepers have decided to segregate the pair of three-year-old male birds to avoid disrupting the rest of the community during the hatching season.

A keeper at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China explained that the gay couple had the natural urge to become fathers, despite their sexuality.

"One of the responsibilities of being a male adult is looking after the eggs. Despite this being a biological impossibility for this couple, the natural desire is still there," a keeper told the Austrian Times newspaper.

"It's not discrimination. We have to fence them separately, otherwise the whole group will be disturbed during hatching time," he added.

There are numerous examples of homosexuality in the animal kingdom, but gay penguins have captured the public's attention more than any other species.

A German zoo provoked outrage from gay lobby groups after attempting to mate a group of gay male penguins with Swedish female birds who were flown in especially to seduce them. But the project was abandoned after the males refused to be "turned", showing no interest in their would-be mates.

In 2002 a couple of penguins at a New York zoo who had been together for eight years were "outed" when keepers noticed that they were both males.

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Verka Serduchka

who knew that drag could rule the Ukraine?

Вєрка Сердючка!!

a little funny goes a long way

heeheehee - the cuteness, the light, the action ;0)

Enough is Enough (donna summer n westlife)

if my neighbors didn't know they had a fairy in the building - they sure do now!

i freaking LOVE this!
THANKS ROD!!

Linda Clifford - Bridge over troubled water 1976

*le sigh*
reminds me of when Drag could rule the world...

2 views

keeping an eye on prop8 coverage

Saturday with the kids

here are some pics from my 11-hour day with the kids (teachers and parents) from kindergarten last saturday. we went to a "farm" in tainan county, called "cow's house":
doing the loco-motion - everybody's on the train and ready to roll!
daywalker - our guide avoided the sun at all costs.
moving on up - snapped in transit.
calves - the hungry kind
we'z gots ta get some!
note to self: cut out figure on the right...
standoff: Jocelyn wanted to feed the pony - but she wouldn't stand any closer.
Meg loves candy - mom loves coloring.
my sentiments exactly!
Dylan made it to my desktop with this one :0)

The Three Degrees:

how awesome is this!!

24 Nov Devotion - THE GOD OF PEACE

I got this message from a friend on Facebook - and just had to share it with you:
____________________________________________________
"Now the God of Peace be with you all."-- Rom_15:33.
"Having made peace through the blood of His Cross."-- Col_1:20.

WE ALL need Peace! There are sources of Peace which are common to all men. The peace of a happy home; of an increasing business and enlarging influence; of the respect and love of our fellows. As a man is conscious of these, he is inclined to say with Job, "I shall die in my nest." We can all understand a peace like that; but there is a "peace that passeth understanding." It is too deep for words. It is like the pillowed depths of the ocean, which are undisturbed by the passing storm. Here is a sufferer, almost always in acute pain, and needing constant attention, and yet so happy. Joy and Peace, like guardian angels, sit by that bedside; and Hope, not blindfolded, touches all the strings of the lyre, and sheds sunshine,--how do you account for it? Let the skeptic and the scoffer answer! Here is a peace that passes understanding which comes from the God of Peace.

For the Christian soul there is a silver lining in every cloud; a blue patch in the darkest sky; a turn in the longest lane; a mountain view which shall compensate the steepest ascent. Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land. The thing impossible shall be; because all things are possible to God.

The peace of God is the peace of the Divine Nature---the very tranquility which prevails in the heart of the God of Peace. It was of this that Jesus spoke when He said, "My peace I give unto you"; for His own being was filled and blessed with it during His earthly career. "The Lord of Peace Himself give you peace always."

There are three things against which we must ever be on our guard lest they rob us of our peace. First, un-confessed sin; second, worry; third, the permission of an un rebuked selfish principle. The Apostle says, "Let the Peace of God rule in your hearts." The Greek word means arbitrate. Let God's Peace act as umpire.We shall not escape life's discipline. We may expect to abound here, and to be abased there. But amid all, God's Peace, like a white-winged sentinel angel, shall come down to garrison our heart with its affections, and our mind with its thoughts.

PRAYER
I humbly ask, O God, that Thy Peace may be the garrison of my heart and mind; that it may ever rule within me, asserting itself over the tumultuous passions that arise within. And out of this Peace may I arise to serve Thee.
AMEN.

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Boyzone - Better: Video

one day (http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=mhDC6k7dx00)

ps. youtube has disabled embedding for this video "by request"... oi. the link should work though.

the blessings keep rolling in!

hold on to your hats! i'm flyin' high on some good vibrations today :0)

first i hear that i'm one of my student's idol - and then i get a marie antoinette: a real person- a real award!


thank you so much to Rod (kickin tina) for this surprise :0)
what do you do when your hero hands you an award like this?

smile and spread the love, baby.

here are the rules for the award:

1. please put the logo on your blog
2. place a link to the person from whom you received the award (kickin tina)
3. nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. leave a message on their blogs to tell them.


i browse, read, enjoy and devour quite a number of blogs on a daily basis. choosing the top 7 isn't easy and some of my choices are 100% biased - but i'd like to tip my hat to the following stars in my blogosphere:

1) Life and Times of a Gay Man in Idaho
2) Feisty Female
3) Bipolar to Bipolar
4) Jockohomo Datapanik
5) PinkSheep's spot
6) The Mangina Monologues
7) Defying Despondency

(also - if you haven't already - do yourself a favor and check out kickin tina)

i can be a hero, baby

every week, i have to write in the communication books of my students at kindergarten. it's quite a bit of work (we're talking 4 classes here) - and it often feels like pouring water into a hole in the ground. my comments have to be translated into Chinese so the parents can understand it (which means i can't use difficult words or elaborate grammar - who knows what that will translate to?), and i never get any feedback.

make that past tense - i never got any feedback.

i was surprised by the following little note:


Loosely, I'm told this translates to:

"Hi Willie:
Hunter recently told me that he would like to go back to USA with Willie when he grows up. I used the chance to encourage him to study English harder for it. Willie, you are his idol. Thanks for teaching so well!"

color me all warm an fuzzy :0)

*note: Hunter is barely 3 years old. taken into consideration that i'm pale, tall, hairy and that i speak English - in his world, where else would I be from than the US?

drivel

it's been quite a while since i've attempted to write, well, anything. in fact - ive been staring at the blinking cursor now for... a heck, there i go again.

blink
blink
blink
blink

i'm being over critical of what i write even before i think of writing it. it's a nasty habit. one i only seem to excel at during winter. my personal "low tide" as it were. heck, i don't know if that even makes sense. i probably shouldn't care, right? this is, after all, my personal blog. so what if it all comes out horribly wrong?

nah, that didn't work. theres no conviction in that last sentence. i do care. and caring is a good thing - what with all the power in words and sentiments. caring is good. but for these last few weeks - it's also been debilitating.

still is, it seems. if it really is caring (or some form of concern) that is keeping the words hidden from me. am i scared of what i'll say, if i do say something? there isn't really anything that i feel a strong desire to comment on - so i should be safe. even the proposition 8 fiasco going down in the states leaves me cold. okay, maybe just a bit nippy - otherwise i wouldn't have called it a fiasco, right?

(note: i deleted and rewrote a follow-up sentence 5 times before deciding to just give up on it.)

maybe it's this cold i'm battling with? probably not - though it is a handy excuse.

ugh... i need a hug.

Sights of Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung city is one of my favorite cities in Taiwan. by grace and good fortune, it is also not that far from DongGang, where i live and work :0)

it is safe to say that i pretty much love this city.

imagine my great joy and surprise when i discovered the following video on MacMing's page! treat yourself to a sneak peak at the wonder of KHH:

MSNBC Keith Olbermann on Prop 8, Marriage and more!

new adventures in teaching II

look at the jello men
going wobble, wobble, wobble
they're in the kitchen now
going gobble, gobble, gobble...

i recently refilled my red marker - and overfilled it *grr*
now, when my kids have to draw in their books - i encourage them by splattering red ink all over the white-board, and then (through adding and erasing) finding an image inside the chaos.

probably not my best work ever - but these guys loved the new approach to the song ;0)

if only...

from Geoff's page:
 

Counting Crows in my head

Anna Begins

My friend assures me its all or nothing
I am not worried- I am not overly concerned
My friend implores me for one time only,
Make an exception. I am not not worried
Wrap her up in a package of lies
Send her off to a coconut island
I am not worried - I am not overly concerned
With the status of my emotions
Oh, she says, were changing.
But were always changing
It does not bother me to say this isn't love
Because if you don't want to talk about it then it isn't love
And I guess I'm going to have to live that
But, I'm sure theres something in a shade of gray
Or something in between
And I can always change my name if thats what you mean
My friend assures me its all or nothing`
But I am not really worried
I am not overly concerned
You try to tell your self the things you try tell your self to make
Yourself forget
To make your self forget
I am not worried
If its love she said, then were gonna have to think about the
Consequences
She cant stop shaking and I can t stop touching her and.....
This time when kindness falls like rain
It washes her away and Anna begins to change her mind
These seconds when I'm shaking leave me shuddering
For days she says.
And I'm not ready for this sort of thing
But I'm not gonna break
And I'm not going to worry about it anymore
I'm not gonna bend. and I'm not gonna break and
I'm not gonna worry about it anymore
It seems like I should say as long as this is love...
But its not all that easy so maybe I should just
Snap her up in a butterfly net-
Pin her down on a photograph album
I am not worried
Ive done this sort of thing before
But then I start to think about the consequences
Because I don't get no sleep in a quiet room and...
The time when kindness falls like rain
It washes me away and Anna begins change my mind
And every time she sneezes I believe its love
And oh lord.... I'm not ready for this sort of thing
She s talking in her sleep-it s keeping me awake
And anna begins to toss and turn
And every word is nonsense but I understand it and
Oh lord. I m not ready for this sort of thing
Her kindness bangs a gong
Its moving me along and Anna begins to fade away
It s chasing me away. she disappears, and oh lord I'm not ready for this sort of thing

Barack Roll

we are a generation doomed to encounter Rick Astley around every corner... LOL

Life is a Cabaret!

this morning, especially for Geoff, a bit of Liza ;0)

trick or treat!

Happy Halloween

a small glimpse into my classroom after nap time ;0)

the feeling of family

in tonight's "ABC Class" - the really young kids - we talked about family.
okay, so 'talked' might be too strong a word - more parrotting , but you get the idea.

one of the exercises was to draw a picture of your family. one dear little heart made use of the opportunity to make my heart pump custard by drawing the following picture:notice the "extras" outside the picture frame? that would be me and my Taiwanese co-teacher, Christene.

see how everybody is smiling? i'm positively glowing man *lol*

Saw V

i went to see the latest installment of the SAW franchise on friday - under protest, to be sure. i'm not all that big on blood and gore - but i do like a good psychological thriller.

in one word - the movie was: disappointing.

apart from leaving me a bit queezy, there was nothing to the movie. to be clear - i didn't see any of the previous movies. but if this was anything to go by, i'm glad i didn't.

sure - people get decapitated, blown to bits and mutilated in various ways - but there's no real story to it. gaps in the plot irritated the heck out of me - and what passed for character development or unraveling of the "mystery" was seriously under-cooked.

it seems that Saw V had a few intriguing ingredients, but these were merely slapped together with no thought or cohesion. like making a club sandwich by taking a day-old, white bread crust, piling on some steamed chicken and drowning it in ketchup. dress it with fried sweet potato peels and a 1000 island sauce.

what makes it a club sandwich?

exactly.

converting 40c into 40 meals

my original intent with the previous Blog Action Day posts was to donate 10cents for every comment received on those posts, leading up to and including October 15th 2008. the turn-out, despite the effort of the 4 people who posted (thank you all!!), was rather disappointing though.

i personally feel that it is a shame to only donate 40cents to any cause, seeing as how it is within my power to do more. (don't get me wrong - if 40cents is all you have - it's plenty!)

at the same time - in looking for a specific cause to donate to - i've identified Hunger as my main focus.being hungry is not funny - and starving to death must be the worst thing that can happen to anybody. not to mention, the worst thing to happen to a child!

without going on and on about the topic - i have decided NOT to donate those 40cents to fight poverty. in stead - i am going out and sponsoring 40 meals.

this still doesn't solve the world's problems - but it can sure feed a family.

as a parting shot: it's amazing how one little picture can bring new clarity on the reality of starvation - and how our societies rank the importance thereof.

extended opportunity: leave your comments now

the past almost-24 hours has seen 2 comments on my previous post.

2 comments @ 10c a pop = 20c donation thus far? come now - that's less than the bank charges involved in making the donation...

i've decided to extend the comment-period with another 24 hours.

for every comment received on my Blog Action Day post - i will donate 10c to one of their listed causes.

you've got 24 hours - make it count.

i'm donating 10cents a pop

Tomorrow is Blog Action Day - the initiative to help rid the world of poverty. I am following Jacob Cass' lead (he of Just Creative Design fame) in "doing my bit by leaving it up to you guys to decide how much I will donate."

I will donate 10cents for every comment posted in the next 24 hours - starting from the time of this post. Leave a comment saying “I’m helping to rid the world of poverty”.

the sound and the fury

ever stood on the roof of an apartment building to look at the lights?

it's been quite a day in the south of Taiwan. people from near and far dressed up to parade through the streets of Donggang (TungKang) and pay their respects at every single temple en route. i went to take some pictures at a temple near my home and was amazed at the unfamiliarity of it all.

later, trying to capture some fireworks from the roof - the encroaching shadow i've been trying to shake all week, finally caught up with me.

my cycles are slow, but consistent. even on the other side of the planet - Fall flips the switch in my head. I can feel my 'Cold Mind' setting in.

i notice that i am paying more attention to the darkness - and yearning for silence...

i could really do with a cigarette right now.

Project 10^100

Project 10ˆ100 is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible.

submission deadline in 10 days - so click on through, baby!

Hell hath... well... nothing, by the looks of it

You gotta love this guys explanation of Hell...
The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term.

The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well:

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
   

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct... leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

This Student Received The Only "A".

bullet list madness

it's one of those saturdays: my brain is running spirals through 4 dimensions and neither of my twins - nor my subconscious archer - have anything remotely resembling a grasp on the horse's reins...

just a taste of what's buzzing upstairs:

tiramisu requires:

• Mascarpone cheese
• raw eggs
• sugar
• espresso coffee
• ladyfingers
• liquor (substitute)
  
• cocoa
• heavy cream (should never be merely optional).

5 experiences i'd like:

• lunch @ El Bulli, Spain
• dinner @ Bukhara, India
• breakfast in Australia
• living in France
• the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain
  

stages of learning:

• acquisition
• fluency
• generalizaton
• adaptation

or:

• unconscious incompetence
• conscious incompetence
• conscious competence
• unconscious competence

for apartment:

• mirrors
• crockery
• frames for art
• art
• comfortable couch
• heaps of old books (hardcover-ish)
  
• mop (cleaning service?)
• fix the washing machine
• drawing board
• magnets (idea board, fridge etc)
  
• lighting solutions
• air conditioner
• sound system (O.Cat speakers?)

check the lease - maybe a smaller apartment is the answer?

freelance income supplements:

• copy writing
  
• magazine work
• apparel design (graphic tee trend set to grow before it finally blows over)
  
• creative studio (too soon)
• resurrect life-stylist concept

aaaaaarrrgghhh - go to sleep!

the universal decleration of human rights

do you know your responsibilities as well as you know your rights?


The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.

from overheardinnewyork.com

Nerdy guy: I don't understand what the significance of the number 69 is. Can someone explain it to me?
Girl: You go to NYU and you don't know that?
(nerdy guy shakes his head)
Girl: To put it bluntly, it's two people giving each other head.
Nerdy guy: Wait, but what does that mean?
Girl: Oh my god...I can't tell you that now. You're the most innocent guy here. It would be like killing a unicorn.

--Kimmel Center, NYU

... a job that lets me travel

last night's 8th graders' conversation class got me thinking (again).

the topic of our class was: "I want a job that lets me travel". i asked each student to name the top 3 identifiers of their dream jobs, which i listed on the white-board. afterwards, we discussed each student's answers, their personalities and what we know of them and "chose" their ideal occupation. it looked pretty much as follows:

Andy:
1) help people
2) lets me play
3) not 9 to 5

Peter:
1) easy
2) lots of money
3) nice office

Tom:
1) work from home
2) lots of free time
3) creative

i was astounded - as by the end of the evening i realized that i had:
1 philanthropic, professional basketball player,
1 writer and
1 arms dealer in my class!

it got me thinking though... i'm probably not going to be TEFL for the rest of my life - so what would my list look like?

i've come up with the following identifiers (in no particular order) - what would you suggest?

• work at my own pace
• creative in various disciplines
• mix with people
• non-prescriptive client base (minimal stressful interaction)
• lets me travel
• lets me breathe
• conceptualization (start projects rather than finish them)
• social impact
  
• financial freedom
• celebrity

i'm such a gemini, aren't i.

google meme

i took the cue from warrior scout over at kickin tina:

this is a meme that's been around, but i thought some pictures might be good today. everyone is tagged if they choose to be..

how old on your next birthday?
31

Where would you like to travel?
i'd like to go back to Spain - this time doing it like Polly Evans in "It's not about the tapas"

What is your favorite place?
Transkaroo restaurant in Great Brak River: great food, good friends and memories

What is your favorite food?
chicken

What is your favorite pet?
Poepies, my jack russel

What is your favorite color combination?
red and black, at the moment

What is your favorite piece of clothing?
denims

What is your favorite song?
Gabriella's Song (Sa som I Himmelen O.S.T.)

What is your favorite tv show?
Queer as Folk

What is the name of your significant other?
Peter

Name the town in which you live.
Donggang

What is your screen name?
absolutwillie

What is the first job you had?
land surveyor's assistant

What is your dream job?
creative director

What is your greatest fear?
being alone

Name one thing you want to do before you die.
see the feature film based on my life

What is the first thing you would do if you win $1,000,000.00?
settle some debts