gravy's travel journal

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 23:00:16 GMT

I am posting this again
because it was a magical day
and I think
things like this
deserve to be relived
in our minds.

conversation with brother

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 17:52:23 GMT

me: yo
7:23 PM Chris: yo
me: sup?
Chris: nuttin
me: cool
7:24 PM Chris: yeah
me: awesome
Chris: yeah
me: ok
Chris: what
me: nuttin
Chris: yeah
7:25 PM me: cool
Chris: ok
me: yeah
Chris: nuttin
me: what
Chris: yeah
7:26 PM me: yo
Chris: ok
me: sup?
Chris: awesome
me: cool
7:27 PM Chris: what
me: ok
Chris: yeah
7:28 PM me: nuttin
Chris: cool
me: ok
Chris: awesome
me: yeah
Chris: nuttin
me: what
7:29 PM Chris: yo
me: nuttin
Chris: arab

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 20:04:37 GMT

sexual penetration of a corpse

Let's get this ball rolling. Go to page 154 of the document (which is found at page 21 of the third PDF link). Didn't spend the last 12 days working 10+ hour days as a copy editor/proof reader to let that juicy insertion get taken out. I'm very pleased the review is over. Got tanked at the House of Lords last night, reckon I was inches away from a) being evicted; or b) vomiting all over the Lord Chancellor. Good times.

Fucking gay housemates

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 17:46:04 GMT

Looking for a new housemate for a room that's being vacated.

It sucks.

It was OK before, but not now. I like the housemates that remain, but I reckon they're fucking up the process.

Shadow @ Wireless review + more

Wed, 28 Jun 2006 14:59:46 GMT

It was like Dusk Til Dawn. Started with the usual Endtroducing/Private Press stuff to be expected. Place was so crowded I couldn't get into the tent, and a little part of me died when he played Changeling and I couldn't hear it properly.

Then the vampires came out. It cranked and crunked up for a few tracks. All of a sudden, Keak da Sneak, Turf Talk and others came out. It was unexpected, as their earlier shows had been cancelled cause of visa issues. People left, I got in the tent, and while it wasn't the Shadow most fools expected, I enjoyed it.

This then ended, and all of a sudden Lyrics Born stepped on stage. This was unexpected times one million. They played a Quanuum track. Then they played Lady Don't Tek No ... DOPE. They did Mashin on the Motorway (unfortunately not followed up by Blood, but I ain't complaining ...) DOPER. Then Shadow finished with Number Song and Organ Donor, like In Tune and On Time style.

It would have been the greatest show ever if I hadn't just seen the Flaming Lips who had just set the standard for best gig of all time 5 minutes before I rocked up to Shadow.

Thankfully, Shadow didn't play any UNKLE rubbish. I know a lot of people like the UNKLE stuff, and I do like a fair chunk of it, but compared to the usual stuff Shadow pumps out, it's fairly B-grade. I got the feeling that quite a few people were turned off by Hyphy. It is a very jarring sound - that 3 Freaks chorus isn't exactly a brilliant hook, but it has a unique sound to it than endears after a few listens. In the end, whether you liked Hyphy or not, the set was worth it from start to finish, and I'm glad I went.

I like Hyphy anyway.

But Shadow is nothing compared to my new favourite band. The Flaming Lips had a profound effect on me. It's easy to write up a new favourite band as many people do, but I've never felt such a surge of happiness while at a live gig. Completely natural before anyone second guesses. From the opening with Wayne Coyne in the bubble, to when they rocked the whole park with Bohemian Rhapsody (a note perfect performance), right up to where they had a guy propose to his girlfriend on stage in front of the whole crowd, it was amazing. (She said yes by the way - and they were both members of the alien dancers that The Flaming Lips had on stage).

It sounds gay, but The Flaming Lips know how to inject a little happiness and magic into the world, and it fucking made my day.

taxing big oil

Sun, 12 Mar 2006 03:01:08 GMT

In the year that oil corporations post record profits, there are plans to tax the shit out of them.

Normally I'd support this.

But considering that big oil is possibly the biggest funder of renewable energy research, is the government taking away these profits a good thing? Would the money taxed go to renewable causes, and would they be spent effectively? While big oil's moves into renewables can be viewed as mostly symbolic, their existance as oil + energy producers will come to quick ends if they don't diversify into other energy markets before the inevitable oil crunch happens. And in their aims to turn a profit, they are best placed to bring a market ready alternative, as it is in their best interests. Also, it can be argued that many government initiatives in renewables are purely symbolism as well.

The UK government and populous are far more serious about climate change than Australia and the US, so the taxation of these companies is perhaps justified, as long as it's spent wisely. Ken Livingstone has taxed the shit out of car drivers with the congestion charge, but has used this money to bring better public transport facilities to London.

I was once a big supporter of government intervention, and in many respects still am. The reason for this was I felt that a democratically elected government could work in the people's best interests, therefore regulate to protect environment, the disadvantaged, and provide basic social services. If they didn't, they'd be deposed for someone who would act in everyone's best interests. Industry and business in my eyes was purely out to make a profit, without caring for the social or environmental consequences.

Unfortunately, democracy seems to be a dilution of opinions - you choose based on the closest approximation to one of two parties. It's almost redundant to the point that elections are decided based on personalities over almost all else.

But aside from that, it seems that if we are to wait for government and democracy to do something about climate change, the environment, and energy crises, we will be waiting forever.

The controversy around CSIRO earlier in the year demonstrated that government influence on departments resulted in the free market being a better choice for climate change scientists than public service. This isn't something I would have thought possible 5 years ago.

My thoughts now are that the only way we're going to be able to do anything about future problems is by taking it into our own hands. Beyond consumer choices on organic produce and recycling, to the point where many of us who are concerned (and wealthy enough) are investing in environmentally progressive companies, such as Geodynamics Ltd (whose major shareholders are mining and petroleum companies, and was set up by two men exiled from a government department because their energy ideas weren't in line with those of the coal sector). It's something I'm planning on doing when I have enough money back in Australia. As far as I'm concerned, it's a better investment than a house.

The point is, that if this was the Australian government taxing a company like Woodside Petroleum, I would be dead against it. Because a company like Woodside is putting its money into alternatives. The current Australian government is fiddling while Adelaide burns.

(RANT: For fucks sake! 37 degrees on March 11. Thank God so many Australian's have air conditioners, otherwise my poor grandparents back home might suffer like those poor French elderly people did during their heatwave in 2003. Ironically air conditioning just adds to the problem. But, why are the Europeans so frantic about global warming while drought-ridden, arid Australia shrugs its shoulders? It's the most ridiculous situation ever ... /RANT)

But the most distressing thing, is the conservatism of the environmental movement. In many parts a fusion of left wing and green ideologies, it is held back by what can only be called antiquated ideas of government being necessary to effect change. While in an idealised world this may be true, the world has moved on, and government is merely an agent for businesses that don't like change. What's needed is for the environmental movement to work with the system, not against it. Maybe some organisations exist that are doing this, I'd really like to find out.

Thoughts?

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 20:06:50 GMT

Our trip to Paris was pretty enlightening for me. I've read up pretty extensively on French history, and quite frankly they all seemed like a bunch of cunts back in the day. While the English are constantly pilloried, I still think there's somehing charming about the way they've done things, at least in the greater sphere of European colonialism. Whereas the French, they were just bitches. And this has extended to the modern era.

For example - why is French still considered an international language? It isn't even in the top 10 of most spoken languages in the world (it's 18th), and even doesn't have a wide geographic distribution (Spanish and Arabic are spoken in far more countries than French). Even in the EU, there are more native German speaking peoples than French.

But these issues are left behind when you visit the place.

I was there last summer and I thought it was great. While a lot of people were rude to us in the south of France (while no ruder than what I've copped in London, or even Sydney), I still enjoyed the sunshine, wine and food. When we were in Paris, the food really nailed it for me.

It happened again when we went to Paris last week. It was rad. I loved it. It was freezing but that didn't matter.

So now, I've decided to teach myself French. It's going to be hard, but I reckon I can do it. I was going to learn Japanese, but I don't think I'll be able to do it without proper teaching.

News about that Abu Gharaib shit on now. Man, I wish there was a ANOTHER PLANET I could go to. This one sucks.

S-car GO!

Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:15:17 GMT

+

=

DELICIOUS

something for al ...

Mon, 06 Feb 2006 23:49:01 GMT

it seems they're yet to reach that elusive destination

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 22:10:28 GMT

More Australians buying the Aus Flag

WHAT? It's the second shittest flag after this one

a note

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:42:54 GMT

more people seem to be replying to jello girl's livejournal than mine, which is disappointing, because while i am misanthropic, i naturally have a more interesting livejournal.

no offence alice, it's just difficult to understand how i could be less popular.

oh feelin' pretty buzzed

Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:39:47 GMT

i just drank a whole bottle of merlot.

feelin' pretty good.

today i was responsible for a tapered fee scheme design for legal aid practitioners. the idea behind that is that the longer a lawyer works on a case, the less they get paid. the fee diminishes over time, which is an incentive to be efficient. it's more fair than a lump sum payment for case, yet much less fair than paying a set hourly rate. a rough guide to tapered fees for dummies.

tuesday i worked 15 hours, wednesday only a mere 10 hour day. getting moneyed up.

did you know that for England and Wales £2.1 billion is spent on legal aid? that shit is massive. no wonder they wanna reform it. and here i am preparing dossiers on why a tapered fee scheme promotes efficiency yet retains fairness.

i'd like another bottle of merlot, but i should probably go to bed.

later.

shit that i purchased in the US

Sat, 14 Jan 2006 01:00:04 GMT

i bought some stuff in the US, and have pics of some of it below.

Via Spiga Kafel's - normally retail @ $200 US, i grabbed them for $70. They are sweet.

Italian leather gloves with kashmir lining, normally $70, my purchase $32

I succumbed to the nano craze, but they're practically essential for the dreary London commutes to work.

I bought a hasidic jew. Shalom

i also purchased a green lacoste polo shirt and levi's jeans for general purposes. clothes are so cheap there it's ridiculous.

....

if i don't write this down now i'll never write it.

the trip began with the usual issues around flights. London to Frankfurt was delayed, and we almost missed the connection from Fr. to SanFran. while we made it on to the plane, our bags didn't, so our first couple of days in SanFran was bagless.

at every turn i felt a weird sense of familiarity about san fran, partially because US movies have seeped into my conciousness, but as our time there progressed it grew into a level of homesickness. from my brief stay i think the californian and australian lifestyles are extremely similar, moreso than any similarities aus. might have with anywhere else.

the sun blessed landscape, the gum trees (more common than the major public parks in the Sydney/Melbourne CBD), coastal/surf culture, strong asian influences, a large agriculturally based economy (which extends to a deep appreciation of food and wine), mixed with a lot of higher industry ... basically, there are so many things in common it's ridiculous. lots of people lament australia becoming closer to america, but in my eyes, australia should in some ways aim to be like california. it's just an enlightened place ...

sanfran reminded me of the north shore of sydney. another girl i know reckons it reminds her of hobart. anyway, i'm deviating from the story. very like aus, and because i knew i had to leave, i got pangs of homesickness

sometime early in the trip we went to an Oakland Raiders game. this was our best taste of the more crass aspects of US culture. many very large men, watching very stupid men play a very boring game. the Raiders lost to the Cleveland Browns. they fucking sucked, even i could tell that (and i didn't know what was going on). we met some nice people from Berkley area there who helped us out with a baggage issue. some strange but nice guy talked to us on the BART train back.

we did a few other things, like Alcatraz, which was cool, but you know, a prison. we went to Haight-Ashbury, known for it's hippy status, but it seemed long gone and tame in comparison to somewhere like Camden.

did a shitload of walking up hills, it was pretty dumb in the end how much we walked, but it worked out ok. didn't get as drunk as i would have liked. bought some clothes, sauntered and ate fantastic food. didn't do as much as we'd liked because it rained every day.

We did, however, go to Yosemite. i recommend it to everyone. it's one of those beautiful places where any amateur can take a shot which looks beautiful because the natural beauty is everywhere, but is also SO INSANELY STUNNING that no professional photographer could capture enough photos that would even describe a 50th of its beauty. it's the world's first conservation park. there's reason too, because a place like that makes you realise that there are some things that just have to be protected, and preserved.

anyway, NYC will come next. it will come, it will come.

happy new year bitches

Fri, 06 Jan 2006 22:01:59 GMT

bum holding a sign, sanfran, california

"I bet you ONE BUCK you read this sign."

homeless teenage kids in haight-ashbury, sanfran, california

"we need money for some LSD and a chainsaw"

dude with the world's biggest mullet walks past us in nyc, martin quietly draws my attention to it, i glance mulletmans way, mulletman catches my eye and knowing stare and says

"FUCK YOU"

guy hands out a nye party flyer to a cabbie, cabbie asks what's the dress code, guy replies

"It's Festive Casual"

What a muthafuckin country, yo.

Emilio and I

Cheryl and Alice

Martin and Pete Rock

ready to rock, ready to roll

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 23:18:11 GMT

... 2005.

What a year. First, living in the hectic, hellhole of Chalk Farm upon Camden. But all was fixed when we made our way to the leafy burbs of West Hampstead. Different surrounds made for different moods, and we'll be finishing the year on a high that was unimaginable 6 months ago. In 3 1/2 hours we'll be jetting to San Francisco, then after 5 days onwards to NYC, the place I've always dreamed of going ever since I can remember. If the modern world has a Rome, then New York is it.

So as the end of the year rapidly approaches, I feel it is my duty to the world to sum up what's been happening. And since I have no creative urge, I'm going to give my top 5 in music...

John Legend - Ordinary People
This song defines my first year of living with Alice. Listening to the lyrics, it sounds like it was written for us, in one of those corny moments that 5 years ago I would have laughed at. In a way, I still laugh at the sentiments now, and feel far removed from the person I once was. I'm no longer the jaded kid who loved punk music and hated RnB. On occasions I still shirk at RnB, but punk Gravy has died, possibly never to return.

Pendulum - Girl In The Fire
This song is to drumnbass as what Stairway To Heaven is to rocknroll. And while there is much contempt for the Pendulum guys in the dnb community, and that dnb is such a marginalised music that very few people will hear this and realise, I feel (and this is purely my opinion) that this song is the most important, brilliant song in drumnbass for years. You can disagree, but I believe that it would be criminal for Pendulum to restrict themselves to drumnbass after making this song. They've already fucking nailed the best song the genre could produce (at least production wise), that any follow up attempts would ludicorusly fall short. Many may disagree, citing cheese amongst other slanders, but a classic always comes with a little cheese, and this is a classic. In fact, it's not even drumnbass. The more I listen to this song, the more I realise that they've merely used dnb as a vehicle to get into an otherwise crowded music scene. Maybe I'm just drunk and rambling. This song comes in at two cause John Legend's voice beats it.

Kanye West - Gold Digger
Yeah, Kanye's rhymes and flow aren't creative, and pretty formulaic. But I like this song. Stab me if you don't. Gwan.

Sparfunk and Ed Solo - The Rapture
I heard more and more people cry that drumnbass was stagnating, but this track proved to me that there's still a bomb track out there which can rock a dancefloor and be perfect for a home listen. Still not sick of this song. In one 8 bar movement completely redeems clownstep

Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict A Riot
These guys are inescapable in the UK. I disliked them at first, felt them rather predictable and formulaic. But after months of heavy bombardment I gave in and decided to d/l the album, THE WEEK BEFORE THE SYDNEY RIOTS. So poignant, there's something in that for everyone. Pretty catchy song too. Good to see something other than Tube bombing terrorists came out of Leeds this year.

Feel free to disagree. Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 22:18:53 GMT

everyone on livejournal excluding jell51 is lame.

interview me!

Wed, 12 Oct 2005 17:45:54 GMT

I'm joining in on this, braap!

Here are the rules:
1 -- Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2 -- I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3 -- You'll update your journal with my five questions, and your five answers.
4 -- You'll include this explanation.
5 -- You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.

1. If you could ask any one question of any person, living or dead (though if it's a dead person, pretend that they are still alive or something), what question would you ask, and of who?

Hmm ... well, if given the chance I'd probably ask a dead person, like I'd probably like to ask Lee Harvey Oswald if he shot JFK or the Big Bopper whether he deserves more attention than the other two musicians he died with. But then I don't know if that's really a question I'd want to ask. So I'd probably ask Mike D how he can work so well in the Beastie Boys yet be so painfully wack outside of them. It really bugs me, because out of the three I like his ultra-Jewish New York voice the most.

2. Gropie has unfinished business. I am travelling at the end of next year, will you be back at all before that? What are your plans for the next while?

Gropie is one of the few things I miss. I really don't know when we'll be back, but if all goes to plan it might be March 2007. That's a fucking long way off. I don't think Canberra is ever going to capture the same sort of radness that was 2001-04. It will be a different place when I get back, an empty shell of what it was.

3. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? (Or at least the most embarrassing thing you are willing to reveal here)

Shit. There are so many. I have to say that if I was capable of being embarassed the day that I shat myself after not crapping for a week probably would have been embarassing. Suffice to say I was only 6 months at the time and probably got a kick out of the fact that I pooped up to my armpits.

4. What is your favourite line from a hip-hop record?

It'd have to be a Public Enemy line. That group sealed the deal I was making with hip hop. Hip hop was holding out on me, at the time I was listening to typical dork white boy shit. So I was like, "prove to me how rad you can be". Chuck D came along with "I've got so much trouble on my mind ..." and I was sold. Not a particular grabbing lyric, but the delivery was all it took. Nonetheless, I fucking love every line of Jeru The Damaja's One Day. I don't listen to the lyrical content as much as the flow, I probably should.

5. What is a weird thing that you like and look for in the opposite sex that other people maybe wouldn't understand?

*thinks* How often they laugh? I don't reckon it's weird, but a chick has to laugh the optimum amount of times. Not too much, not too little. I get annoyed when people laugh a lot cause it seems like it's fake or nervous. And not at all goes without saying. I don't mean laughing at with/me, just in general. My sense of humour can be pretty hit and miss as well, so either too much or not at all is just weird.

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 22:31:50 GMT

Let's dance ...

... in my car

a bit of the old in out

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 20:27:26 GMT

Ludwig van ...

Everyone knows the story. Beethoven went wrote a shitload of music, couldn't get laid and then went deaf. He wrote his 9th Symphony after he'd gone completely deaf which makes it even more astonishing. It's been featured in awesome movies (notably A Clockwork Orange), is the European Union's anthem, and is said to be the reason that CDs are 74 minutes long, which is the exact length of his 9th Symphony.

But it's most awesome use was in an episode of Neon Genesis Evangelion. If only that show focused more on the fight scenes and less on the psuedo-philosophy.

One day I will return to Japan ...

Food poisoning: A footnote and a header

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 18:10:59 GMT

This picture represents how I am feeling right now ...

This overseas jaunt began with chronic food poisoning for me and Alice - my female companion suffered whilst in Tokyo, and I on arrival in London. Strangely enough, I've been rather ill more often this year than the previous 4 years. The combination of poorer diet and the stress of living out of home have combined to make me more susceptible to disease.

Anyway, food poisoning has cruelly struck me down again, for the third time this year. Being restricted to bed for this weekend has left me in a contemplative mood. As in it's time to sum up the past 8 months.

We're a third of the way through our alloted time on this sceptred isle, and things have progressively gotten better. I don't think I've ever experienced the prolonged exhaustion that accompanied our first two weeks in London. A culmination of many different stressful factors: packing for the trip in the week prior, the Big Day Out the day before we left, the redeye flight to Japan, the craziness of getting drunk with freaky Japanese at a psytrance rave (I found that very stressful!), the mega problems with baggage and Lufthansa (this has stained my soul) and to top it all off - jetlag.

Things got better, slightly, when we found a place to live, and then found jobs. Neither were great but they helped. We should have used this good fortune as stepping stones to something better. Unfortunately, we stuck through both until the bitter end. Best to know better.

But enough dwelling on the bad shit. We've found better paying jobs and better accomodation and our life has become ... better. Nonetheless, the first 6 months over here was a pretty tough experience and these circumstances are something I'll be keenly aware of wherever I go next.

To the next 16 months!

Oh, and on New Orleans front: it turns out they actually required a US work permit. Perhaps if I was awesomely qualified they would have waived it. But at least I tried. C'est la vie.

See how cultured I've become? I know French ... actually I learned that phrase from that awesome song by B*witched which had a Riverdance breakdown. Top stuff.

And now for some sheep improv ...

now aks yourself - who's the mack?

Thu, 22 Sep 2005 23:36:03 GMT

my dick runs deep, so deep, so deep - put her ass to sleep

Having internet at home is 50 different flavours of awesome. All the hip hop I've been missing has been downloaded.

G TO THE R TO THE A TO THE V
E TO THE D TO THE I TO THE G
G TO THE A TO THE ZIG ZAG Z
GRAVEDIGGAZ, NIGGAZ - 6 FEET DEEP

I received a few emails from a engineering recruitment company recently about applying for jobs to rebuild Nyawlens. I'm gonna fucking apply for it! Chance of a lifetime, to say you rebuilt a city, even though my qualifications probably aren't sufficient - why the hell not?

Though with all that's been going down there, I better pack myself one of these:

Let's just hope I don't have to use it.

ain't no party like an S-Club party

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 20:45:40 GMT

Over there, Paris

One of my brothers used to call the Eiffel Tower the Tour De France.

In news: I received $2700 back from the ATO. If ATO was represented with human flesh, I would kiss them. For the purposes of this assignment, Alice will be the ATO.

Over here, Alice

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 21:28:24 GMT

The DJ is a camp extravaganza of fur, make-up and sparkles ...

Today is my birthday. Significant things that have happened on my birthday.

September 11. Yeah, it happened on September 11. But when I went to bed on September 11 it hadn't happened yet. When I woke up for my 19th birthday, someone had attacked the Pentagon, the WTC twice, and some place nowhere.

Ashes loss.

There you go.

Today has been a great day. I refrained from using my AK today. A day of happiness, but I was sad for a bit. It's the first birthday ever that I've been away from my family.

But more sad was the fact that in 5 weeks Chris, my brother, moves to Perth. Probably for good.

This means that even though I could get massively homesick, and really want to go home, the house I will be going home to won't be the home I remembered it. I suppose the phrase "you can't go home again" makes perfect sense. After Chris leaves, Anthony will be going to Melbourne next year to study Civil Engineering at Uni of Melbourne.

All that will be left is Mum and Dad, Olivia and the kitties. There'll be no big, loud arguments about dumb stuff. No fights. No dumb games like "Tournament of the Minds" (FYI a game between my brother and I where we shoulder barge each other until someone does a fakey and the other barges into thin air) or "Chicken Fighting" (a game where you fight like chickens).

This is what will come to an end. I suppose it has to sometime, but I just wanted a holiday from the real world. I didn't want to come back to completely different world.

Nonetheless, Chris going to Perth will be good for him, and Anthony will be well served by a Civil Engineering degree. So congratulations to them. Hang tough, brothers.

SHE GOES WITH ME TO A BLOSSOM WORLD

Sun, 11 Sep 2005 21:19:51 GMT

Theremins rock.

don't know where but she sends me there
oh my my what a sensation

more london elektricity stuff ...

Sun, 04 Sep 2005 01:50:56 GMT

When chavs hit 40 ...

Power Ballads sounds like it will be a rad album, and while not as good as Billion $$ Gravy (yet), sounds a bit more like a band type thing. Some of the stuff isn't even really drum and bass, especially Out of This World which is more like a song. Anyway, something to get excited about over the next couple of months, including their album launch in October coinciding with dear old Martin arriving.

Yes, London Elektricity are close to becoming my favoritest band.

and sorry for the size of the pic, but i couldn't figure out a way to resize it without getting horrible aliasing. and if you (aka mishwah) want the massive original, click the pic :)

WE'RE ALL OUT OF THIS WO-OR-ORLD BA-BA-BA-BA-BAAA