tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61413836394480602342024-02-16T15:35:29.229+11:00Working Through ItPaid Work and Parenting; Observations and LifeJackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-42650879567588629572020-03-14T13:02:00.000+11:002020-03-14T13:07:03.863+11:00Thank youHi readers and visitors! Given people are still checking out this blog from Facebook (thank you!), I thought it was well beyond time to update this blog and explain myself.<br />
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This blog was a wonderful pastime and creative outlet for me, and gave me membership to a wonderful community of fellow bloggers and readers.<br />
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My main theme in this blog was the combination of full-time work and motherhood.<br />
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I wrote a lot about full-time work, parenting and twins. I also wrote about books, modern life, some popular science and general thoughts and opinions. Some of my posts were cringe-worthy, some were not bad, and a few were pretty good! No doubt ALL have dated badly.<br />
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<h4>
So what happened?</h4>
In 2015 I switched careers to working in IT project and program management, and though I had been a project manager for some years, working for a technology start-up and later for a small-to-medium company as it matured and developed its own technology capabilities was fascinating and FULL-ON.<br />
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I have spent the last few years fully immersed in product development, "agile" development, lean technical projects and the many and various philosophies and community conversations around those. I have been LIVING on Twitter.<br />
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Combined with this, my children were growing up and my day to day challenges and interests were different. Plus, they won't let me post stuff about them anymore - a challenge that hits most blogger parents around the same time :)<br />
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So to my poor, neglected personal parenting blog: I unintentionally ghosted it, and the wonderful community who I connected with through here.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="304" src="https://giphy.com/embed/uu8YsoSJLEvAY" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/animated-the-it-crowd-roy-uu8YsoSJLEvAY">via GIPHY</a><br />
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I am sorry to my fellow bloggers whom I stopped visiting, stopped reading, and for whom I left no explanation on this blog! I am sure they are used to it - bloggers come and go, and most blogs end without fanfare or a proper good bye. I hope everyone is doing well, and I will try and visit your blogs from time to time, as I loved reading them and I miss those perspectives sometimes.<br />
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<h4>
Where am I now?</h4>
Meanwhile, if anyone wants to check out my current, more professional blog, it lives here:<br />
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<a href="https://nonprojectproject.com/" target="_blank">https://nonprojectproject.com/</a><br />
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My latest post may be something relatable to some of you :) -<br />
<a href="https://nonprojectproject.com/2020/01/18/an-introverts-defence-of-the-open-plan-office/" target="_blank">An Introvert's Defence of the Open Plan Office</a><br />
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And I make NO commitment to weekly or monthly updates!<br />
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Stay well everyone.<br />
Thanks for visiting, and thanks for reading my stuff.<br />
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Keep in touch via <a href="https://twitter.com/JackieK_" target="_blank">Twitter</a>!<br />
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JackieJackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-3722984988004144692017-05-09T00:15:00.000+10:002018-12-30T17:17:45.393+11:00IT NEVER ENDS<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My house is a mess<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It causes me stress<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But not quite enough<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To clean up, I confess.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I try, I do -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I know you do too -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But all I can manage<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Is limit the zoo<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'Do 5 tasks before bed!'<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">'Put ten things away now!'<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">So all the posts say<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But they don't quite get how:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those things are not all<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And nor are they small<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I could do things all day<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And achieve nothing at all<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You see...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A house is not static<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It doesn't stay clean<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Those 'five' or 'ten' things<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Go forever, I mean<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It's all very well<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To do a 'ten minute blitz'<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You'll feel glad at the end<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">To have tidied a bit<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">But the blitz will have sapped<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All your energy too<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And still what you have<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Is a shit-load to do<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There are still things to clean,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Still tasks that are waiting,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And kids who need food,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And food that needs plating<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The dog needs a walk,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The garden is scrubby;<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The spiders have scared<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The kids from the cubby<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The clothes still need washing,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The sheets must be changed,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Insurance and banking<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Must all be arranged<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The floor needs a vacuum <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And also re-stumping<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The bedroom needs cleaning,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">My clothes need de-frumping<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The blinds all need dusting<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And the cupboards de-musting!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The barbecue's rusting!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The rubbish bin's busting!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The walls need re-painting -<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We'll do that some day<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We'll pull up that carpet,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And throw it away.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The wood on the deck is rotting, I know<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The front fence is falling and it has to go<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We'll plant those fruit trees we've been talking about<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And hire a skip and clean everything out.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We'll clean out the garage<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And use it for cars!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Instead of parking <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Under the stars.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">There's so much to do<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And no time to do it<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I guess all I can do</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Is Keep Working Through It.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYsh4zqOFWouh9y7XzKyXZmD8N6Yad03loB8pc9t6kC2wtNDIzJ0P20Z-KuDE2TJE518kXmXNUqkXHvwhkcv6y4xZOzNsEcrYfSoZTzf_ynFMVX_QAwS7SmbsGH_Myx3hKSvG_HY0K1U/s1600/7056127189_9693630716_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYsh4zqOFWouh9y7XzKyXZmD8N6Yad03loB8pc9t6kC2wtNDIzJ0P20Z-KuDE2TJE518kXmXNUqkXHvwhkcv6y4xZOzNsEcrYfSoZTzf_ynFMVX_QAwS7SmbsGH_Myx3hKSvG_HY0K1U/s400/7056127189_9693630716_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/junibears/7056127189/in/photolist-bzvm3t-jEnggH-jEpSLW-jEmTNT-jEp631-9Ck8gx-bKwuMk-jEnCLr-jEpMWq-887RiL-54bdM-jEpNuu-34YR2B-jEotJV-51s9mx-m5RPNg-7iVvVh-jEnBfF-887WXU-m5JbGr-8yMZYb-m5Lxr9-m5NJjr-7twiDc-ber4qH-ntzpdy-4QoKF-a7Vbsy-aoPKE9-pmUCAv-9KEVAz-kxYZYD-8UnFCu-8gw1DF-iLJQg-ehJKKn-884D58-7y3jdN-m6fbbY-51wmXf-8wGwQm-m5T2fd-7y3msy-dQcsnq-884DHe-7xYvC4-aoEnX2-9H8Rxh-ehJKMr-56ZjGs">June Yarham / Flickr</a></td></tr>
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-68691049814750184272017-03-20T00:56:00.000+11:002018-12-30T16:40:12.221+11:00Work vs Self-Promotion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here we go: yet another article with "advice" on how to find success - this time at Forbes.com with a terrific example of the genre entitled <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/03/16/want-to-be-successful-quit-working-so-hard/#10f0ea721bb8">'Want to be successful? Quit working so hard'</a>.</div>
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There is a solid kernel of truth in this advice, at least in the title. Being known as a 'hard worker', and slaving away at a desk job (or any job) for 12 hours a day will not generally be rewarded with 'success' in terms of money and renown. Most of us already know this, even if some of us (ahem) only figured it out after years of doing the same.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZatQD8LIwpsI96i0XodB3uqJtMzmvC-E6qcUNGwMOCoXyrH1aRartdBIxWBjYyra65rPTCslKiSUQz2n9lbF_DiQsG4J2SCferITMcr1DInn89PiuVzOnQ0GyKv-sj5UO_iK2Z7_JS-I/s1600/work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZatQD8LIwpsI96i0XodB3uqJtMzmvC-E6qcUNGwMOCoXyrH1aRartdBIxWBjYyra65rPTCslKiSUQz2n9lbF_DiQsG4J2SCferITMcr1DInn89PiuVzOnQ0GyKv-sj5UO_iK2Z7_JS-I/s400/work.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"My childhood dream!"<br />
<i>(image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/elyonline/33462087/in/photolist-3Xv7x-8MjWtZ-azzWuG-4iZc3-d2LojL-nTNn1i-2bEbc-h3NmCY-aXJcf-8HQu1-94qMed-68JxLa-8toDT5-BNbTh-78PF8c-9wkje5-5w5eQY-7NQZZj-8jyRd-bvBqiv-8H5gT-5LRDQ-4FZtT9-71ktx-aduvRD-8ypmqi-yQCvB-DbVTw-4ptRfL-9w26ZW-MQkJS-2o6bQ5-7vLAg-72n2TQ-8EBMum-99M6us-4kNpBo-igm8fm-8VtSX-yQCv9-GwbjN-bpSr4r-btTVJ2-aD2Y7v-9wkjA9-57KMAD-7MFvqF-9pGhN-NHGW-nrp1G">Karl Bedingfield/Flickr</a>)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Of course, 'success' means different things to different people. Becoming an expert in your field, achieving qualifications, building a base for your future, reaching a point at which you are comfortable and can ease off the treadmill somewhat - all of these, if they are your goals, do indeed require 'working hard' for a few years.<br />
<br />
And, call me old-fashioned, but I still think it is important for students and young workers to 'work hard' - not only because this fosters knowledge, skills and resilience which they will need to advance, but because, at a young age, 'hard work' is usually the biggest thing you can offer.<br />
<br />
That's not to say that it isn't a bit of a mug's game - it is - but you still have to do it, at least until you amass the experience and wisdom to work out how to trade your time and skills for appropriate compensation. And that's assuming you are lucky enough to do the kind of work where this is even possible.<br />
<br />
But the "advice" in these articles, such as it is, is that you can leave drudgery and hard work behind by working out what you want and just, you know, doing it. Lift yourself out of the everyday, look beyond the grind, take [insert variable time here, anywhere from 15 minutes a day to a six month sabbatical], find your niche and then... succeed, I guess?<br />
<br />
For at this point the advice becomes very fuzzy. But the intent seems to be to become self-employed in some way, like an Instagrammer or a business consultant or a web designer who works from home and enjoys cafe meetings, yoga before lunch and long walks whenever.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv2bqBgD0qJC183mckk99FsrbQzwCctYVSw1OnZurh82y6VmFTKfBGqzxPmPiMLxvW2ZaAsIY5y-yZngYhAXTvuXWU-YYQ5Dio1nHXMoeM2c7YJQ5O1RhpAJG__02INwRsc25oUy0seI/s1600/success+mountain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv2bqBgD0qJC183mckk99FsrbQzwCctYVSw1OnZurh82y6VmFTKfBGqzxPmPiMLxvW2ZaAsIY5y-yZngYhAXTvuXWU-YYQ5Dio1nHXMoeM2c7YJQ5O1RhpAJG__02INwRsc25oUy0seI/s400/success+mountain.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"That was a great way to start the morning.<br />
Now to my client meeting <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">at the beachside cafe."</span><br />
<i>(image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/143842337@N03/32743904085/in/photolist-RTt4Ur-5YerwC-twJbg-bmAS97-bZUnv3-9itPA9-riat9A-rrSRX-79oTzZ-pGsLTk-KBnGT-b5Pecr-fPSZWn-9yvUoa-bLQGAR-oRQYEH-aozpTJ-bycahe-4BCGkE-eLLuw-ogSZUP-4HGiVC-dzs8SE-RzcC4y-nrTrVY-oVQLG-wzwG9-d4pqrQ-pPxJua-4zLGNH-hRuYNr-49aVxx-8CeFNV-pad852-dpRDqB-jVUVZ2-yUbcme-dR1GrN-hvHU8-5CX8Xd-eyjHVb-H7RY9-rcebnR-cveUDC-7sqGQq-7B2yiC-5sp1Ck-7efaVz-eGjfq3-9yGgwb">thoroughlyreviewed.com / Flickr</a>)</i></td></tr>
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<div>
None of these articles ever suggest what type of work, exactly, fits this life model.<br />
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwOCe4RHfjUttgIpskwLuJoLKcdTqNkAjqaRqj8pIsPxNvLSsD22Ls4qpb_ySlIeEE_OEgRNuc3J0KITy7CSIlOFS2XfvvFsZehs5uNZGGkdoyPhyCqaahxeHq9HBuCrwHXNzaOvd6XE/s1600/sitting+working+outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNwOCe4RHfjUttgIpskwLuJoLKcdTqNkAjqaRqj8pIsPxNvLSsD22Ls4qpb_ySlIeEE_OEgRNuc3J0KITy7CSIlOFS2XfvvFsZehs5uNZGGkdoyPhyCqaahxeHq9HBuCrwHXNzaOvd6XE/s400/sitting+working+outside.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"It's so liberating not being chained to a desk. <br />
Or an ergonomic chair. Or washroom facilities.<br />
Or a roof..."<br />
<i>(image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/brunauto/4930036656/in/photolist-8vDJ91-9GKABW-4ThWvu-au2iEf-9eYkbj-au2kem-oMTYEo-88N6Ti-aph53x-67bpnU-6WLp6v-kd9UDS-9WBD7C-8ozLMP-g8t7D1-rEbrh7-9TbwfD-BkSri5-RWQMYr-nTz85V-8ZTziX-c4QVGW-9hDhuR-bzFaYR-apjLGE-8XXSvU-9bou6U-8PVCv7-okSvMS-7dJLmG-8ZHo4m-nC6cKu-dgTpy8-8TvZgq-9s7KvJ-8NPekA-hRkbwY-4ThWTC-otkZmr-4TdGEc-4TdFXT-pZvdyn-4ThWqG-9nPHRS-nj8VtB-phtNi8-4TdFUV-ib7195-otmvhX-4ThWDJ">Bruno/Flickr</a>)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Short term contractor?<br />
Small business owner?<br />
<br />
Well, we'll all be independent contractors before long, anyway, self-employed the way Uber drivers are self employed.<br />
<br />
Small businesses? The majority fail, or if they succeed for a time, do so on the back of unrelenting hard slog by the founder - which is 'working hard', but I guess in service to your own goals, so therefore is worthwhile, even if you do collapse in a heap after a couple of years and your business along with you.<br />
<br />
<br />
But hey - these articles are not responsible for the details. That's up to YOU!<br />
<br />
So, you can live better than everyone else if you just open your mind, serve your own goals instead of someone else's, and 'imagine possibilities'.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>'<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 21px;">The first step on your path to success is to stop working, stop stressing, and let your mind wander.'</span> </i></blockquote>
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Then: 'envision your future', 'refine your vision', and finally: 'then you can make it real!'<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have two problems with these kinds of articles. <b>First</b>, they recommend ways of thinking and working that simply aren't viable for many workers.<br />
<br />
I don't mean that the advice in these articles is useless if you work in labour-intensive jobs, in shifts, in retail, hospitality or manufacturing for example. Because these articles are not pretending to speak for anyone other than white-collar professionals.<br />
<br />
But aren't they selling a kind of pyramid scheme? Because sure, while there will always be <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/meet-three-australian-women-who-turned-their-instagram-into-a-business-venture-20170316-guzel6.html">a lucky few</a> who manage to <a href="http://www.jamesaltucher.com/">earn a fortune</a> from an Instagram account or an <a href="http://www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/">inspiration blog,</a> surely not everyone can do this kind of work? I mean, there may well be enough paying customers (so it seems!), but who is going to run the banks, bring the coffees and fix the plumbing?<br />
<br />
Or consider even the most-recommend advice in the 'work muse'/productivity articles, like taking frequent creativity breaks and only responding to email twice a day - I keep picturing young graduates reading them and trying EITHER of these things at any typical company they are likely to work for.<br />
<br />
<b>Second</b> though, is the kind of person who writes these articles, and the way they make their own living. Basically, they make their living writing these kinds of articles.<br />
<br />
I could point to many gurus and websites whose whole shtick is basically "dare to dream" and who make their money not from having done what they preach per se, but having done what they preach in the form of selling you what they are preaching.<br />
<br />
They remind me of the old joke from the days before internet gurus, where someone sees a classified ad saying "Learn how to get rich! Send $1 in a prepaid envelope and receive my secrets!', sends the dollar, and receives a postcard saying 'Place a classified ad...'<br />
<br />
So here's how I see it: if your 'mission' in life is helping other people find their 'mission', then what you offer is not a way people can 'work'; it is self-promotion and the selling of those little postcards.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_CPsDPEriDuodQeRkVLU65uw-12MkI5kOSAaObt2SUiypi63utAQ0xm9gxxAJdfAoJyd9uMwlz4eq6rOwQGlzjlzEkTVzziO1ImOZ6TG0I1VmeTZZW0iBDPxoIaFaMoZtL-GiToe90Y/s1600/7900728644_c56b13a14b_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE_CPsDPEriDuodQeRkVLU65uw-12MkI5kOSAaObt2SUiypi63utAQ0xm9gxxAJdfAoJyd9uMwlz4eq6rOwQGlzjlzEkTVzziO1ImOZ6TG0I1VmeTZZW0iBDPxoIaFaMoZtL-GiToe90Y/s400/7900728644_c56b13a14b_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Image: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/xedmundian/7900728644/in/photolist-d3aino-4j7Tjj-5VR5zZ-enJQAA-fZ548z-7arXw8-9vaBhY-9vakXL-q5QT7G-52zwew-4Ssugv-dMjy8H-9vaGeE-9aMoNk-hN1m5u-gUG3g-7z878Z-BhWvv-eHHAFT-9vaoMw-9wjLxH-e4HdSV-8iy8V-27UHa5-eHHDyt-9v7wy6-6SGuaJ-pFK5s6-sqBdV-4QygCA-34Nt7Y-eHHddK-eHPGa7-7z87fr-4TkTnL-58ZExc-6bE77v-fZ63wK-eHHABx-4L5Dk4-fYfE1i-fZcHQH-5VVr6J-bQdFC2-9AvpK-fYjJT5-4ucnWx-AzpQc-6sejnM-bQdGD2">Dipayan Bhattarcharjee/Flickr</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-74904026456984334722017-01-27T13:06:00.005+11:002018-12-30T16:41:36.425+11:00We Interrupt this Dystopian Nightmare for a Visit to Rippon LeaIt's time for some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_facts">#AlternativeFacts</a>. Trump is not President, Obama is allowed to have a third term, and that Simpsons episode from 20 years ago remains a funny satirical portrait of an alternative future America.<br />
<br />
And in this lovely, lovely world, we can safely ignore politics and take our children to visit one of Melbourne's historic houses.<br />
<br />
Our original intention was to visit <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/como-house-and-garden/">Como House</a>, and then take the little punt across to <a href="http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/herring-island#.WIms4LZ940o">Herring Island</a>. And after I talked up both to the kids and got them all excited* about going, I did the very basic internet research I should have done first and found that Como House wasn't open. (It seems to be open on weekends again now, so we will go another time).<br />
<br />
So, on this particular day (last Saturday), we visited <a href="http://www.ripponleaestate.com.au/">Rippon Lea</a> instead. (Read on to see some pretty pictures and experience the charm of Rippon Lea).<br />
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I had very vague memories from my childhood of both houses, and in my memory Como was more austere and beautiful and Rippon Lea less beautiful but warmer. Also I have some weird and I believe mostly false memory of a children's nursery at Como filled with those creepy Victorian china dolls, which spooked us as kids.<br />
<br />
The inspiration behind me suggesting a visit to Como to the kids was the episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine we had just watched where Jake and Sophia stay in the <a href="http://brooklyn99gifs.tumblr.com/post/104282430233/luxluci-jake-sophia-the-room-of-a-thousand">room of a thousand dolls</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XYzH7UHb_lC-pjktJJJCiL4cX3apgFoPy9QQU8DM-SD2ppD4cBhik7FGsEWn5CqC4wcv50ETWxvcpXx-mg-_UP2jw72jqltEI5uL3OmE9yZOR3AbS-4h2zTpWdZxj-1qXlSK6Br5wmk/s1600/tumblr_nfxeujWm5O1qk34klo4_400.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XYzH7UHb_lC-pjktJJJCiL4cX3apgFoPy9QQU8DM-SD2ppD4cBhik7FGsEWn5CqC4wcv50ETWxvcpXx-mg-_UP2jw72jqltEI5uL3OmE9yZOR3AbS-4h2zTpWdZxj-1qXlSK6Br5wmk/s640/tumblr_nfxeujWm5O1qk34klo4_400.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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Anyway, as we know, <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2011/03/limitless-are-things-i-dont-know-about.html">memory</a> is a famously unreliable beast, and when we arrived at Rippon Lea I was not too surprised to discover that:</div>
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<ol>
<li>the house looked completely unfamiliar to me and triggered no memories at all</li>
<li>the gardens were lovely, as I remembered they were, but I had no memories of them at all other than that they were lovely</li>
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The only room I remembered was the old kitchen and scullery, and even that was only vaguely as I remembered it. The layout was different and the rooms much smaller and darker than I remembered.</div>
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<div>
The house itself, while impressive in features and no doubt stunning in its heyday, I did not find that beautiful. I think what lends it its warmth is its family history. According to our tour guide, both of the famous families that lived there were close-knit and loving and the house was apparently always full of running, playing, happy children, whose parents did not at all conform to the way we imagine Victorians and Edwardians raising their children. The first owner, Frederick Sargood, used to apparently let his little daughters crawl all over him and put ribbons in his beard. </div>
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The last owner, Louisa Jones, had the house from the 1920s until she left it to the National Trust in the 1970s. One of her daughters kept a diary <a href="http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/built-environment/rippon-lea-estate/solid-joys-and-lasting-treasure/">which tells of the wonderful childhood</a> she and her brothers and sisters had playing in the grounds, riding bikes, growing vegetables, etc:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "crimson text" , "georgia" , "palatino linotype" , "book antiqua" , "times new roman" , "times" , serif; font-size: 20px;"><i><span style="color: #073763;">"We had our rabbits, pigeons and gardens, from the gardens we sold our poor little vegetables to Mother who always gave us praise for our labours."</span></i></span></blockquote>
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(Though at this point I am imagining a patient but secretly irked gardener, in charge of a huge estate, and forced to spend some of his day teaching children how to cultivate vegetables).<br />
<br />
<br />
Anyway, it was nice to wander the house and gardens and imagine such wonderful childhoods and what sounds like successive families of very nice people all round.<br />
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You are allowed to take photos inside, but are not allowed to touch anything except the staircase bannister, which is allowed for purposes of safety and polishing (apparently the oils in our hands do wonders for polishing bannisters).<br />
<br />
Here are some photos of the house and gardens.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>Visit to Rippon Lea</i></b></span><br />
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The entrance and front of the house:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbRzy0UY-F0BGyseNDvWCCKelAQNnX65tbQSIgXZYxvnh97cX-PdGN9XTqMFJjHVgqK82D6yuHyHy55RHbcwOisK8U8h6LW-KiZzylKckBZ7MfuDlo31axmu2P1JgEnIA_KSelKf3TDM/s1600/RL1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbRzy0UY-F0BGyseNDvWCCKelAQNnX65tbQSIgXZYxvnh97cX-PdGN9XTqMFJjHVgqK82D6yuHyHy55RHbcwOisK8U8h6LW-KiZzylKckBZ7MfuDlo31axmu2P1JgEnIA_KSelKf3TDM/s640/RL1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSRK9Hs3EAKfUQiO8pa7KS1FQaySirFH57fiWn1hyphenhyphenWJi416chFkcWSU_sB_18hqmiqVL1QA-eh2TfdWLcZz7-PVm0S_K-p0HGzEWI4ZweuBZI1OBGswt5GWUutNTTYeGekmKVEkYHz3A/s1600/RL3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijSRK9Hs3EAKfUQiO8pa7KS1FQaySirFH57fiWn1hyphenhyphenWJi416chFkcWSU_sB_18hqmiqVL1QA-eh2TfdWLcZz7-PVm0S_K-p0HGzEWI4ZweuBZI1OBGswt5GWUutNTTYeGekmKVEkYHz3A/s640/RL3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I think this detail clearly shows the Italian influence on the design:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OjwqbBLFEFVB-hC0MSrDGwg4g_ra-quBkeBRDgxRnoHPmxEmU8B9cvNxQtcOkydK_P0BtRAlDvpQyq2FUhNY4QhGmRlKzGOcTNgVM5a7VDSfiEpB_v2eLMbo0MIdRcztOHYEIvbt0Uc/s1600/RL5+DETAIL.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OjwqbBLFEFVB-hC0MSrDGwg4g_ra-quBkeBRDgxRnoHPmxEmU8B9cvNxQtcOkydK_P0BtRAlDvpQyq2FUhNY4QhGmRlKzGOcTNgVM5a7VDSfiEpB_v2eLMbo0MIdRcztOHYEIvbt0Uc/s640/RL5+DETAIL.jpeg" width="436" /></a></div>
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There's not much to love in the front entrance, which is quite dark and covered in frankly hideous Victorian wallpaper.<br />
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But the living room is lovely:<br />
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...and has an enviable drinks cabinet:<br />
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And I loved the furniture in the master bedroom. It is absolutely beautiful and I covet it - as long as I have a bedroom like this in which to keep it, of course. None of it would fit in ours.<br />
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Regrettably I missed getting photos of the bathrooms, both of which were very nice. The ensuite to the master bedroom is big, has a toilet with an old-fashioned high cistern and a chain flush, and a very pretty marble washstand. Also upstairs is a very pretty little green-tiled bathroom which wouldn't look out of place in an older suburban house today. <br />
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I was one of the few in the tour who love this painting. I always have - whether it is this one I remember or another like it:<br />
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I think Louisa Jones looks like a lovely lady in this portrait:<br />
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The back of the house and swimming pool are very nice:<br />
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During the 1930s and 40s Louisa held 'Hollywood style' pool parties here. There are some great photos <a href="http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/built-environment/rippon-lea-estate/pool-party-1940s/">here</a>.<br />
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The gardens are beautiful, and include a fernery and lake:<br />
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And the cafe garden is lovely as well.<br />
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* well, as excited as kids can get about a visit to an historic house/museum<br />
<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-61290971899512017952016-12-27T17:59:00.000+11:002018-12-30T16:49:01.862+11:00Tech Life: Build, Test, Release AdventuresFor the past year and a half I've been working for a small and smart financial software vendor, which I love. I'd been inching my way from financial services to "the other side" of the software fence for a few months before I made the change, and I thought at the time I had developed a solid understanding of technology vendor-ship and what that work would be like.<br />
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But of course, you only know so much until you get there.<br />
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The amount I've learned - and am learning - is immense and fantastic, and I am honestly amazed and grateful that in my late forties I am working in a nimble and dynamic environment where I am still learning and improving (I hope) every day.<br />
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But then, isn't that life these days? We are living in a time of unprecedented acceleration and change, and it's not like there's much of a choice. Exciting times!<br />
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Anyway, in my new life on the vendor side of the technology fence, I have come to appreciate the funny side of the frustrations unique to the software business. These challenges are ongoing, but you can take comfort from their universality - it's not just you.<br />
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There is the classic law on software development:<br />
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And just last night I came across this one, which made me laugh at the same time as it sent a small bolt of pain recognition - a bit close to home this one.<br />
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<b>What makes you laugh in your line of work?</b>Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-28416202485877467172016-11-25T23:31:00.000+11:002018-12-30T16:48:35.628+11:00Living in a Modernist HouseI recently caught up with a great two-episode series on the ABC called <a href="http://www.abccommercial.com/contentsales/program/streets-your-town"><b>Streets of Your Town</b></a>, about suburban architecture in Australia. It's worth a look - you can catch it <a href="http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/streets-of-your-town/AC1416H001S00">here</a> until 30 November.<br />
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Watching this, I suddenly recognised the first home I remember living in. It was a brick box with sloping roof, exposed beams and bricks, floor to ceiling windows, a split level ground floor and an open staircase, all nestled in a native garden and surrounded with a ti-tree fence. Tick tick tick - all of these are features beloved of the modernist architects of the time.<br />
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We have always remembered this house as an oddity - weirdly designed, a menace to small children, plagued with hunstman spiders thanks to being nestled in that native garden. But now I realise it was actually a modernist masterpiece!<br />
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Here is something I didn't know: post World War Two all the way into the early 1970s, there was a program in Australia where great architects worked with housing projects and building companies to create beautiful, innovative modernist houses at affordable prices for the suburbs. The <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/national/melbourne-life/a-grand-plan-for-small-homes-20111206-1oh1j.html">Small Homes Service</a> headed by Robin Boyd provided modernist architect-designed plans which were sold to the public at cheap prices, creating a bounty of beautiful, distinctive and affordable two and three bedroom homes throughout the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Seidler House - <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattadams/1407392873/in/photolist-5akpR7-5cdr7L-6cXPX6-39rH4y-39rJ2E-39rNsw-39nfSn-5sk8xP-5nnBXy-5fd1xC-39rKg5-5sXcsH">Matt Adams Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
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When I moved with my own family to the suburb we live now, I drove to my early-70s childhood house to take a look, as it's only a couple of suburbs over. The ti-tree fence is gone, and it seems so is much of the native garden, at least at the front, but otherwise it looks exactly the same. I was surprised at how small it looks from the street, but that's deceptive, as the tall brick box you can see is just the front part of the house, and it has another box with the whole back part of the house attached behind it.<br />
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Here are the features of that house, all of which are classic modernist design:<br />
<ul>
<li>simple rectangle shape</li>
<li>single roof line</li>
<li><i>very</i> open plan</li>
<li>exposed brick walls in the family room and living room</li>
<li>open staircase</li>
<li>split level - two steps from the entrance area took you to the lounge room</li>
<li>sloping ceiling with exposed beams and track lighting</li>
<li>floor to ceiling windows in most of the rooms 'bringing the external inside'</li>
<li>glass doors and glass walls to the back yard</li>
<li>native garden</li>
<li>in the back yard, a big garden mound covered in tan bark with a ti-tree and native shrubbery</li>
</ul>
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Most of these features were pretty avant-garde to our 1970s selves, and throughout our childhood my sister and I always remembered this house as bonkers. It was also not kid-friendly - we were constantly scraping our elbows on the exposed brick walls and burning the soles of our feet on the heating grates in the floor (again, not a common feature in houses at the time), and one time my little sister tumbled through the open staircase. Our Labrador also had a mishap on the staircase at one point and for some time our dad had to carry him up and down the stairs every night and morning. <br />
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There was a timber deck out the back, one side of which overlooked some bricks down below - which my little sister fell onto and cut her head one time. The room we played in was carpeted with grey nobbled industrial carpet squares on which we regularly skinned our knees and ankles.<br />
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The master bedroom was on a mezzanine floor, the only privacy a waist-high wall that overlooked the rest of the house.<br />
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When I describe the house now, it sounds kind of awesome - but it actually wasn't.<br />
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My mother hated the house because it was not great for small kids (see all the complaints above), it was dark and kind of ugly, and it was plagued with huntsman spiders. My mother is a proper arachnophobe, which she successfully hid to us throughout our childhood to avoid passing on the same fear. She always remained calm and did what needed to be done when a huntsman invaded the house, which was empty a can of fly-spray on it and yell for the dog who would then gobble it up, fly spray and all.<br />
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I did love a few things about this house. I loved playing under the stairs or on the landing halfway up them, and I loved sitting under the tree on the native garden mound. I thought of it as a willow tree, and in my memory it was every bit as magnificent. (It was actually a ti-tree and a few shrubs, but it was still my magical fairy garden).<br />
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Looking back now, I am struck by a few things about this house:<br />
<ul>
<li>it was bigger than it looks from outside. There were two living areas, and the master bedroom upstairs had a walk-in robe and an ensuite. My sister and I each had our own bedroom, and we had a playroom </li>
<li>it was packed with modern features that we probably should have appreciated, but didn't</li>
<li>much of the 'weird' stuff is standard now - like the open plan, and the flow between the kitchen and living area </li>
<li>it was pretty luxurious in its way - a mezzanine floor, ensuite, ducted heating and track lighting - not things a young family in a rental house would usually expect at the time</li>
<li>in hindsight, this was obviously a very cool, designer house - and yet it was also somehow an affordable rental for a single-income family with little money. </li>
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This style of house is often praised for its style and liveability, but we didn't find our house very functional. </div>
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But just as I was wondering if we had in fact been suburban philistines who did not appreciate good architecture, I was amused to come across this article from 2015, when a Seidler house was for sale: <a href="http://www.domain.com.au/news/owners-of-seidler-house-its-hideous-to-live-in-20150120-12u5ta/">"Owners of Seidler house: "it's hideous to live in"</a>. Here's an excerpt from the for-sale ad:</div>
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<i><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: large;">"Looking for serious design heads, architecture nuts and modernism fans with serious money....Perfect if you are Don Draper on his third marriage. But for conventional living, no."</span></i></blockquote>
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When my sister and I asked our mother years later, why the hell did you guys choose that house?? her response was that they never liked it but there was not a lot of choice at the time.</div>
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Something that remains true with rental houses today.</div>
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Some years ago, the house was updated with new bathrooms and kitchen, the open plan was reduced with the addition of a couple of walls, and and the exposed brick walls were painted over. Its estimated value is now over one million dollars, and the suburb it sits in is no longer affordable.</div>
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We could never have foreseen any of this in 1976.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY2y4-Jtwn54GJKm6-UGpKGvxP9twx920xR9S7urpFmUU2zyt2eHFB73gtsWPbgt08kBhCUDYhPdaD9QxDYjsOFCBFYg3b_yy3N82vNMbCAYsdZKUICv19leLMMZDveg03H7iT2ZVANs/s1600/Townsend+Street.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTY2y4-Jtwn54GJKm6-UGpKGvxP9twx920xR9S7urpFmUU2zyt2eHFB73gtsWPbgt08kBhCUDYhPdaD9QxDYjsOFCBFYg3b_yy3N82vNMbCAYsdZKUICv19leLMMZDveg03H7iT2ZVANs/s400/Townsend+Street.png" width="382" /></a></div>
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-85828738590682303622016-11-24T00:01:00.000+11:002018-12-30T16:50:48.208+11:00Illustrations of (My) LifeHello, and welcome to another instalment in an ongoing occasional series I call Lazy Blog Posts.<br />
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As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some photos which I thought were a pretty good short-cut to saying something about life. Or in some cases just my life.<br />
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So without further ado: photos!<br />
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IRONY:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XcKmBhSj4lvCV-VOjVMF-sXQoSwotneSd_qBkYr3IJFgDzIPHbwbKyjHrZL_3uFDbt3T99CMyRk3fuUQ5_JRnUr_JMs_1JESLgyEAy0D-2K-QIV9R4xkdnfJFuTJKTQunHdhbUeRxwA/s1600/BewarePomeranian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XcKmBhSj4lvCV-VOjVMF-sXQoSwotneSd_qBkYr3IJFgDzIPHbwbKyjHrZL_3uFDbt3T99CMyRk3fuUQ5_JRnUr_JMs_1JESLgyEAy0D-2K-QIV9R4xkdnfJFuTJKTQunHdhbUeRxwA/s640/BewarePomeranian.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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ASSHOLERY:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2XmymLRaWfR3MZ0T-r1SLeMMU6aSIABUDOHf4h_RST0QfWcebb73VyIi1-JJNOWCuK46eSQxMH2R5X7iR-rb3VsiLXoRGq6vv7ESRzPUgBFFKBuJfdjrFWMB68tn54PygChVV_PyoLw/s1600/car.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2XmymLRaWfR3MZ0T-r1SLeMMU6aSIABUDOHf4h_RST0QfWcebb73VyIi1-JJNOWCuK46eSQxMH2R5X7iR-rb3VsiLXoRGq6vv7ESRzPUgBFFKBuJfdjrFWMB68tn54PygChVV_PyoLw/s640/car.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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GRIEF: </div>
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(saying goodbye to my Galaxy Note 7)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA5dezcMWZZpkIF6NehaNke1Yc1FDptsPzql3AjXOAR7Gtv0vjNXkB-KOfCozZ_WuJQVFhp-bZiZuKjJR64-OayTFv23mRTmb6ZNzrIeLx8kAq925WQx7tno9jcR4YEbVfGlDA7GU8fg/s1600/GoodbyeGalaxyNote7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyA5dezcMWZZpkIF6NehaNke1Yc1FDptsPzql3AjXOAR7Gtv0vjNXkB-KOfCozZ_WuJQVFhp-bZiZuKjJR64-OayTFv23mRTmb6ZNzrIeLx8kAq925WQx7tno9jcR4YEbVfGlDA7GU8fg/s640/GoodbyeGalaxyNote7.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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LOVE:</div>
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(I love calamari)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmOtEec6SGObQFDWlcZDJv6QvaMDzp_EG9k1aXmwa3bVM80ZktsXgle5hT_-UByGcDZw76aIiinRosHejbuxlKViOya6AZ4ccylyogLpMa9Heg72QOGzs2WyXBmHNnrIMegHvB0QwL80/s1600/heartcalamari.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzmOtEec6SGObQFDWlcZDJv6QvaMDzp_EG9k1aXmwa3bVM80ZktsXgle5hT_-UByGcDZw76aIiinRosHejbuxlKViOya6AZ4ccylyogLpMa9Heg72QOGzs2WyXBmHNnrIMegHvB0QwL80/s640/heartcalamari.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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FAILS:</div>
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The posts said: </div>
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"Say 'OK Google' and then 'Lumos' on an Android phone and your torch will come on!"</div>
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So I tried it and got this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctqGjhCpN1TulRDSTCwURqF8cP0fb6NxXDNsztbsl-5UqLujUD0L14rtTlAff5UsyU_zMOYEWn3BLtJ8ivDTD9efhptx9bgpTs0StumHMHclFHIIZacOVx23kFdjh067gWVJNxPPhNXM/s1600/LouMoss.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctqGjhCpN1TulRDSTCwURqF8cP0fb6NxXDNsztbsl-5UqLujUD0L14rtTlAff5UsyU_zMOYEWn3BLtJ8ivDTD9efhptx9bgpTs0StumHMHclFHIIZacOVx23kFdjh067gWVJNxPPhNXM/s640/LouMoss.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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REJECTION</div>
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When your kids don't want you in the lounge room</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20LmQ1DhmwsY5CFQpkbFDGX2QSG2pBDwxyNOpBXS0FSuP22ILHgSqyXy3JIjMNUp4egI_jtQj9GaVkCm2b3rDylQQip1cKJkT4RD6jFlfDOhRi6MKWHny4eoR9-T3kh9e-LF62Op_DV8/s1600/mattress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20LmQ1DhmwsY5CFQpkbFDGX2QSG2pBDwxyNOpBXS0FSuP22ILHgSqyXy3JIjMNUp4egI_jtQj9GaVkCm2b3rDylQQip1cKJkT4RD6jFlfDOhRi6MKWHny4eoR9-T3kh9e-LF62Op_DV8/s640/mattress.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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FRUSTRATION (1):</div>
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When your husband always leaves the microwave like this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdSCQ8_UYm54JC04yvQRCd9U2TLAEh5rUixibCF_s6AX0n32_1GWdbHba6obeTCGXsWMue4gjNyTQuilbb34lC6rE2Yu4bBGynPxp0RxpdPJhZDywlGDFAsWmDAQLui-mKxpL4kDqLZM/s1600/microwave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFdSCQ8_UYm54JC04yvQRCd9U2TLAEh5rUixibCF_s6AX0n32_1GWdbHba6obeTCGXsWMue4gjNyTQuilbb34lC6rE2Yu4bBGynPxp0RxpdPJhZDywlGDFAsWmDAQLui-mKxpL4kDqLZM/s640/microwave.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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FRUSTRATION (2):</div>
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Every god damn time</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXHw4rlJDKIA-byZnJHwH7RzJP436q5ePuSs9qEyzP6Jg5-GNO6RlYoXj4WD6wQqqixj35Rg2hJrrh6RZZ-2f18zd21_CQUO6Y4B2q0Xv5EM6cnqhJ0f0OjXP0K8Fj6vrCC6gQ7x-Hpc/s1600/packets1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfXHw4rlJDKIA-byZnJHwH7RzJP436q5ePuSs9qEyzP6Jg5-GNO6RlYoXj4WD6wQqqixj35Rg2hJrrh6RZZ-2f18zd21_CQUO6Y4B2q0Xv5EM6cnqhJ0f0OjXP0K8Fj6vrCC6gQ7x-Hpc/s640/packets1.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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STEREOTYPES:</div>
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When your Dorito looks like a sombrero</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpU5wh3ZunttE-W35lgDaxQqrR1E9VJb4u3XossK4k2vuK5XFaox57OV8m0waHjwK2R3wbFBirWNEPBmXvuKbixJz17c304TdmGLc4Jyjc7DDOvZ6ksmZSuMomsjppdCfHdAHc1HWTVA/s1600/Dorito+sombrero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpU5wh3ZunttE-W35lgDaxQqrR1E9VJb4u3XossK4k2vuK5XFaox57OV8m0waHjwK2R3wbFBirWNEPBmXvuKbixJz17c304TdmGLc4Jyjc7DDOvZ6ksmZSuMomsjppdCfHdAHc1HWTVA/s640/Dorito+sombrero.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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GREAT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS:</div>
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Why?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZrKiQmNlaQtfDW_cMj-bfAV0t7bg0iqe__ijM1H0AIeWhtL7mc_04IC5FV6lrLYA2U6Ecl4VKVY5XSGnacapsHYYr8g76_Kjc3cqD_-d0TlbbWloJdCjZXfNMG16PoH8qKIAd2hVStA/s1600/napkins.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZrKiQmNlaQtfDW_cMj-bfAV0t7bg0iqe__ijM1H0AIeWhtL7mc_04IC5FV6lrLYA2U6Ecl4VKVY5XSGnacapsHYYr8g76_Kjc3cqD_-d0TlbbWloJdCjZXfNMG16PoH8qKIAd2hVStA/s640/napkins.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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HUMANITY:</div>
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I think this well-worn path says everything about human ingenuity, rebelliousness, striving, and laziness:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiCFIXaNUT8hRG3N6jfFqnkTTlS0Fno-Fkr-gQChn752pbDp4d7ed6Ka06SrWOZVv8W-Uuj0US1pbUqpQ4YgGHLOsYoED9N0fBYEE8mdOlZq8_01rB0unGjt4jmtVef3d5AaGpTagT3I/s1600/path.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiCFIXaNUT8hRG3N6jfFqnkTTlS0Fno-Fkr-gQChn752pbDp4d7ed6Ka06SrWOZVv8W-Uuj0US1pbUqpQ4YgGHLOsYoED9N0fBYEE8mdOlZq8_01rB0unGjt4jmtVef3d5AaGpTagT3I/s640/path.png" width="534" /></a></div>
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GENIUS:</div>
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Why aren't <b>all</b> picnic tables like this?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdbV4sthPI9UFlGdJNxUFQsRxdxuPV0Ur7JmNIXCqJssgc2EmibH85k1P7mDvpxX84R3Ho20iyighAC361L6JiXsXXEbvBXSCMir8ksGzQbNs3jh8CuN7B_Bn8QYJ3UF7OfzR0ZP6AaI/s1600/picnictable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdbV4sthPI9UFlGdJNxUFQsRxdxuPV0Ur7JmNIXCqJssgc2EmibH85k1P7mDvpxX84R3Ho20iyighAC361L6JiXsXXEbvBXSCMir8ksGzQbNs3jh8CuN7B_Bn8QYJ3UF7OfzR0ZP6AaI/s640/picnictable.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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GOD DAMN IT</div>
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When the alt-right finds your pre-Primaries tweet:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKcZK9CulGLV3wngw-BfjjednwBJ8cRmkAeNBt7gLm8n7BAfBZo7Ty1EpMmB1xz5Yp0cOzH_6gEELGSE9k6FIekKd97P1eyJ-WfgyogRSPhrBH0bjOcun0jnxZZqtI6LYmDAQwRE_ZfQ/s1600/retweet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKcZK9CulGLV3wngw-BfjjednwBJ8cRmkAeNBt7gLm8n7BAfBZo7Ty1EpMmB1xz5Yp0cOzH_6gEELGSE9k6FIekKd97P1eyJ-WfgyogRSPhrBH0bjOcun0jnxZZqtI6LYmDAQwRE_ZfQ/s640/retweet.jpg" width="606" /></a></div>
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GOD DAMN IT!:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnu1BPo2nx7zQPW66T8Ps9DsYCBnnjW5EwJ3aiTWP_wEyI_9xCJL0oXtGaXWo9caHOY2BFiN0Rggb2vT_uyCkUQHlnRmXTKzEzrfb3O7Zw2O5upRTEzDegsYIQiqJcKlOxUBcpEbrhqU/s1600/USelections.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnu1BPo2nx7zQPW66T8Ps9DsYCBnnjW5EwJ3aiTWP_wEyI_9xCJL0oXtGaXWo9caHOY2BFiN0Rggb2vT_uyCkUQHlnRmXTKzEzrfb3O7Zw2O5upRTEzDegsYIQiqJcKlOxUBcpEbrhqU/s640/USelections.jpg" width="552" /></a></div>
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I can't end with that.</div>
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MODERN LIFE</div>
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When your kids create an Instagram account for the dog</div>
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BEAUTY:</div>
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The sea will never let you down</div>
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-456159789094878572016-11-07T01:13:00.000+11:002018-12-30T16:51:37.055+11:005 Favourite PostsHow fortuitous that just when I dusted off my blog this week, along came a new <a href="http://www.katetakes5.com/2016/11/listography-5-favourite-posts-and-2-big.html">Listography</a>! Whether this marks a return of Listography or just a one-off thing, I'm happy to see it and immediately want to participate. I loved Kate Takes 5's Listography when it was a regular thing - always so easy and fun to make a five-point list of anything.<br />
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So this Listography is Five Favourite Posts.<br />
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I've had this in draft since yesterday, trying to decide on my favourite posts, and it's not quite as easy as I thought it would be. Ones I thought were great at the time I read now and am embarrassed by; others I like but the topic is a bit boring, or I like the topic but my execution was a bit meh. But I have finally settled on these five:<br />
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<a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/the-art-of-leisure.html">The Art of Leisure</a><br />
From June 2016 - a post on rediscovering proper joy in leisure activities, which I managed to do once, briefly.<br />
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<a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2016/05/men-and-women-are-completely-different.html">Men and Women are Completely Different</a><br />
In which I argue a topic very close to my heart: that men and women (and especially boys and girls) are not at all psychologically different, underneath all the social conditioning.<br />
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<a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/my-dogs-favorite-toys.html">My Dog's Favourite Toys</a><br />
A little love note to our fluffy beast<br />
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<a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2013/06/how-not-to-handle-confrontation-in.html">How Not to Handle a Confrontation in Front of Your Kids</a><br />
In which I turned into a complete bogan over a small confrontation and lost my family's respect. (Sorry not sorry)<br />
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<a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/breaking-magicians-code.html">Breaking the Magician's Code</a><br />
In which I reveal the secret behind my then eight-year-old's very impressive magic trick<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gerrysnaps/4131141430/in/photolist-7i4bqo-6nbrxQ-7UosBM-cDKJTN-6HiD5y-a7tq3k-dZrjEJ-4YJRQ7-eXBoqX-ovU8BY-gFiVgY-7j6UwB-qWahvi-oNoxqz-oNmNPm-5TiXTC-bsEfVb-oEgTw6-nRfT4G-ovTLJN-ovUqZT-d9FWCr-oCfiot-ovTKJk-oYpPyW-nfghp9-nRfA2Y-o8rMKv-o8BKT7-57hnAH-nRfUrS-o8K7Na-omj7Y7-oHtzry-oCvW4g-84MdQA-nRfMW8-oAuaV1-o8DUUN-oAub5j-oHu38X-gSo5qL-nRfwBw-ovU7Fj-dyE1ge-nRfWN5-qzqw2G-nRfAwq-erbfie-rcMMhx">Gerry Dulay/Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-61607587091948900552016-11-05T21:13:00.001+11:002018-12-30T16:53:30.878+11:00Halloween Party 2016I don't blog much these days. But you didn't think I could ignore Halloween did you? A quick search on the word 'Halloween' on my blog turns up 22 posts (?!), including <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2015/11/halloween-keen.html">this one (2015)</a>, <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/all-hail-halloween.html">my first one (2012)</a> and <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/words-for-wednesday-halloween-poem.html">my Halloween poem</a> - so it's no secret I love Halloween.<br />
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Last year Trick or Treating was a bit of a fizzer in our neighbourhood, but all the kids had fun and afterwards everyone ended up at our house where we served impromptu chicken nuggets and soft drink and nibbles and wine for the parents, and I got the idea in my head, <i>I am going to host an annual Halloween party!</i><br />
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So this year we held our first one. I already decorate our house every Halloween but I knew we needed to up our game if I wanted to become the Halloween beacon-house of the neighbourhood (which I do, obviously).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSH8vTgf1Lg14P75CPkKgnk0Z-ryptu5wfTS1pULRymxQ-RhzmiiWXIceVtIvFbfqpdfNLyqy08RC_ZW7d2f-0n8N9Y5JwgM9udSi52luZP3xECnpMLFEPIuVK6UzrGDBV3mvrHV-Hlk/s1600/halloween+houses.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSH8vTgf1Lg14P75CPkKgnk0Z-ryptu5wfTS1pULRymxQ-RhzmiiWXIceVtIvFbfqpdfNLyqy08RC_ZW7d2f-0n8N9Y5JwgM9udSi52luZP3xECnpMLFEPIuVK6UzrGDBV3mvrHV-Hlk/s640/halloween+houses.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween goals</td></tr>
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So I bought a whole lot of stuff to turn our house into a party house and trick-or-treater bait.<br />
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I got Murderous Chef costumes for Yanni and me to wear - which were not quite as scary as this one but you get the idea:<br />
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I downloaded a Halloween playlist and a scary sounds app, to play when the kids arrived and whenever Trick or Treaters came to the door. (That was fun - though a little hard to co-ordinate).<br />
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And in the end the house looked pretty good, especially inside.<br />
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The only problem: I didn't have enough hot food for the kids. Who would have thought 18 kids coming back from half an hour's trick or treating, stuffing themselves with lollies and chocolates as they went, would be so ravenous?<br />
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We had heaps of sweet food - cupcakes, lollypop ghosts, cinnamon cookies and a cauldron full of jelly eyeballs - but not nearly enough party pies or chicken nuggets.<br />
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Plus these days, kids don't like cinnamon cookies.<br />
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Thank goodness for a friend who helped us host and brought along two huge platters of cheese and kabana sausage and dips. (Also appreciated by the murderous chefs).<br />
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And - again, who knew - hosting a party for 18 kids hopped up on sweets for two hours is exhausting! It's a lot louder, messier and more chaotic than I was probably expecting too.<br />
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But Yanni and I did have fun, and after frantic serves of drinks and hot food we were able to sit down and relax with wine and nibbles and watch 18 kids run rampant through our very own haunted house.<br />
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Plus, our party was apparently the talk of the school the next day and everyone thought it was AWESOME.<br />
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And after all, isn't that what it's all about? :)<br />
<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-42714359117969542452016-08-08T23:45:00.004+10:002018-12-30T16:54:20.017+11:00The Olympics The Olympics are on! So I decided to write something about the Olympics.<br />
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I've written before <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/the-olympics-ended-and-i-was-sad.html">how much I love the Olympics</a>. I always have, ever since childhood, when during school any teacher who could commandeer a TV would set it up in a corner of the classroom for as long as they could get away with it.<br />
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And I love Rio - who doesn't? Not that I've been there, but I have always wanted to, ever since childhood when my favourite song was Peter Allen's <i>I Go to Rio</i>, and my religious childhood self was in awe of the Christ the Redeemer statue; and later when my early-twenties self discovered samba music.<br />
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Buuut.... it's been quite a few days now, and I haven't actually watched any Olympics yet. I'm not sure why not?<br />
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Apart from the Opening Ceremony highlights, that is. Holy cow, how good was that? <i>So</i> good! It was so impressive I almost considered watching the whole thing! I didn't of course - that would be madness - because who has that attention span in 2016?<br />
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Which is a pity, when you think of the time, money and effort that has gone into four years to create this Opening Ceremony masterpiece:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IMTati4ypuo" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The main thing I thought, when I watched this, was "Man, fireworks technology has really moved apace in the last four years" - or even since last New Year's Eve.<br />
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I mean, they had fireworks spelling out "Rio"! When I saw that I thought I had imagined it - I had to watch it again. For sure, "Rio" is a short word and includes two easy letters already in the shape of most fireworks - but still.<br />
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And apparently, despite looking like it must have cost a gazillion dollars, the Rio event was done relatively "cheaply", or at least at a fraction of the cost of the London Olympics Opening Ceremony.<br />
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But as for why I haven't yet watched anything else?<br />
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Well, OK, I have watched the video of the gymnast breaking his leg. OUCH.<br />
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And today I watched a news clip of Novak Djokovic walking off in tears. Made him even more likeable. Who'd have thought the tennis greats would really care about the Olympics?<br />
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But nothing else so far.<br />
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There is that frustration, common to all Olympics, when, at the only time you are free to sit back and catch some live Olympics action, you click on the TV or live streaming - hoping to see diving, foot races, weight lifting or gymnastics, obviously - and find the only thing on is hockey or soccer or some other boring team sport you can catch any other weekend. <br />
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When I watch the Olympics I want to see this:<br />
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Maybe even a little bit of this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V51CZHrpsWaPXU1FW0dfm_sudy20PTh5nqHyZ43dKfTl6quz4cXOMWijxpIB4LWsEt1C7xRZBsYGhduGbhMhj0jx-Xrw8zEdQ61uUussYYnNko5meTCKgESWdGznMBwcFe5ZTEmG6pk/s1600/1992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V51CZHrpsWaPXU1FW0dfm_sudy20PTh5nqHyZ43dKfTl6quz4cXOMWijxpIB4LWsEt1C7xRZBsYGhduGbhMhj0jx-Xrw8zEdQ61uUussYYnNko5meTCKgESWdGznMBwcFe5ZTEmG6pk/s640/1992.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Not so much this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKp5Q3JxlEwS19f_yelAE5o5X4TI6bFvxMnrcbv56q12jZp9HAWexstn5AHHxnHuhk7VEsil6v7FoPmKt-A_9MJEow7UgenIO7igsm_1y9BeM50MOw4_JkxST9R7lWb44eqpAZKeaLPE/s1600/hockey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKp5Q3JxlEwS19f_yelAE5o5X4TI6bFvxMnrcbv56q12jZp9HAWexstn5AHHxnHuhk7VEsil6v7FoPmKt-A_9MJEow7UgenIO7igsm_1y9BeM50MOw4_JkxST9R7lWb44eqpAZKeaLPE/s640/hockey.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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I'll try again tomorrow, and hope I can catch some diving, fencing, shooting, judo or canoe slalom.<br />
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Or maybe Friday, and catch some trampoline gymnastics!?!<br />
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Now that's more like it.<br />
<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-32972378681121377972016-07-11T23:25:00.001+10:002018-12-30T16:57:04.491+11:00The Movie Nut's MemeHere's a short set of questions and answers about my movie history. I got this from <a href="http://pandoraqueenofdenial.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/the-movie-nuts-meme.html">Princess Pandora</a>, who got it from <a href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/the-movie-nuts-meme.html">Sunday Stealing</a>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>What was your first movie-going experience without your parents? </i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I have wracked my brain on this but cannot remember. I remember what must have been one of my first movie experiences WITH my parents: I remember seeing <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053285/?ref_=ttmi_tt">Sleeping Beauty</a> at about 7 years old and being entranced by the vivid, gorgeous colours. It was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><br /><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">Do you still buy DVDs or Blu Rays (or do you just stream them)?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I still buy them for the kids, as I don't download movies. But we now stream movies and TV as often.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">What is your guilty pleasure movie? What about it works for you?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I have a few: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137363/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Arlington Road</a>, a really good domestic terrorism thriller with Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack and Hope Davis. I love it as it's creepy and paranoid and really surprising (or it was the first time I saw it)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1219289/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Limitless</a>, which is objectively silly but a good thriller anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364751/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Without a Paddle</a>, which is just extremely funny. Literally every scene made me laugh. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120616/?ref_=nv_sr_2">The Mummy</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258463/?ref_=nv_sr_1">The Bourne Identity</a> are, in different ways, perfect escapist movies I've watched many times.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">You have compiled a list of your top 100 movies. Which movies do you like, but would not make the list?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Hmm... so movies I like but don't love. Hard to come up with more than 100 movies I like without copious googling, but I will nominate these, for some movies I liked but which weren't my favourites:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Sideways</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Cabin in the Woods </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Gone Girl</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Shutter Island</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Departed</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Up</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Moneyball</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Contagion</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Grey</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Imitation Game</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">American Hustle</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">Which movie(s) do you compulsively watch over and over again? What makes it so great?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Maybe <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Jaws</a>. What makes it great? Great story, great suspense, awesome jump scares, and Roy Scheider.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Another of my all-time favourites is <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047396/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Rear Window</a>. I love the old-fashioned suspense, and the set, and Grace Kelly's perfect wardrobe.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hpXMFnFBquL0LOJq-TlahrFzY5qtkJhOp-exl62mlzbVnYRZnUCuo-P3E5at-HRA0XMqKtOofCT2xoV6oKRumZs62opJddpX6wLIfzUl8SPQtfY1KRvZpWDfSKGgSEBtJ3ZoF45IzUQ/s1600/rear-window-first-outfit-sitting-down-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hpXMFnFBquL0LOJq-TlahrFzY5qtkJhOp-exl62mlzbVnYRZnUCuo-P3E5at-HRA0XMqKtOofCT2xoV6oKRumZs62opJddpX6wLIfzUl8SPQtfY1KRvZpWDfSKGgSEBtJ3ZoF45IzUQ/s400/rear-window-first-outfit-sitting-down-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">Classic(s) you're embarrassed to admit you haven't seen yet?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The Deer Hunter, Mean Streets, Singing in the Rain, Dr Strangelove. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">Do you have any movie posters hanging on your wall? If yes, which ones and why?</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">No, but I used to have a movie poster of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091886/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Salvador</a> in my 20s. I loved that movie, and loved James Woods.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><i style="color: #073763; font-weight: bold;">Tell us about a movie that you are passionate about.</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I loved <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090329/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Witness</a> as a teenager - it was my perfect movie for years and years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>What is a movie you vow to never watch? Why?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387564/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Saw</a> movies. I like supernatural horror, not torture porn horror. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Tell us about a movie that literally left you speechless.</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305806/?ref_=nv_sr_4">The Secret In Their Eyes</a>. Very very good. Haunting. Visually amazing and very memorable. Harrowing in one scene.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>What’s a movie that you always recommend?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I love <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351283/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Madagascar</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479952/?ref_=nv_sr_3">Madagascar Escape 2 Africa</a> and am constantly telling grown-up people to watch them.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Who is an actor you always watch, no matter how crappy the movie?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I don't have one now, but my sister and I used to have a Nicolas Cage pact, where we would go and see every movie of his together, because we loved him so much, even though all of his movies are terrible. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120832/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Snake Eyes</a> killed it for us - even we couldn't keep going after that. He started out so well! <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093822/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Raising Arizona</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093565/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Moonstruck</a> were great, but since then.... the last "good" one (I loved it) was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119094/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Face/Off</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Who is an actor you don't get the appeal for? Why don’t you like them?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">George Clooney leaves me a bit cold. He's too self-aware.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Who is an actor, living or dead, you'd love to meet? Why do they intrigue you?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Jodie Foster is pretty cool. I think she'd be interesting to talk to. She's smart and down to earth at the same time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Sexiest actor/actress you've seen. (Picture required!)</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">How to choose...Benicio Del Toro, Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, Clive Owen, Ralph Fiennes, Josh Brolin, James Franco...</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">But actually I think you can't go past Marlon Brando in his youth:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_STTVeDF17s6oyqkkDCrzchdxXeBC0L-_pwjgjM3UUqqvldQmd8BNsa7pUMdWCXq8dMODZUTF0tvzyL-UtQgMI-Q2SEBabsmxRJP6AYmzEmehGoyQzUdpdqGu9X9Xt8r-X9005t_9G0/s1600/151105134120-listen-to-me-marlon-18-super-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie_STTVeDF17s6oyqkkDCrzchdxXeBC0L-_pwjgjM3UUqqvldQmd8BNsa7pUMdWCXq8dMODZUTF0tvzyL-UtQgMI-Q2SEBabsmxRJP6AYmzEmehGoyQzUdpdqGu9X9Xt8r-X9005t_9G0/s400/151105134120-listen-to-me-marlon-18-super-169.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>OK, you are casting a movie, pick four or five actors you’d hire to be in it and why we’d love them together.</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I would love to see more comedy with women - Amy Schumer, Kristen Wiig, Bette Midler, Mindy Kaling and Jane Krakowski ought to be fun.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Who is your favourite actor pairing of all time?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Kathryn Hepburn and Spencer Tracey. She was so cool, and their chemistry was great.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>Have you ever watched movies from a decade that was before you were born? If so, which decade is your favourite?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I like suspense thrillers from the 1940s.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;"><b><i>If you were to be in a movie would you rather play the hero, villain or anti-hero? Why?</i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Anti-hero <a href="http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/the-25-greatest-antiheroes-in-movie-history/">because they're the coolest</a>.</span><br />
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-35978546558346014962016-07-10T10:23:00.000+10:002018-12-30T17:02:11.954+11:00In politics, I am extremely against extremismListen up, Australia. I am pretty sick of our recent political environment. We do not have to do extreme right, religious conservatism and introduce a sudden pro-gun agenda just because America does those things, okay?<br />
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<b>Pauline Hanson</b>, we do not need a <b>Donald Trump</b>, thanks. Get back to 1996 where we thought we left you.<br />
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<b>Cory Bernardi</b> - far out. Where did you come from and why do you even exist? We did not have far right politics here once upon a time. There was <b>Tony Abbott</b>, sure. But he was called 'the mad monk' for a reason. Because he was the only one! Why do we have a whole faction of these people now?<br />
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And listen, <b>Twitter</b> and <b>Facebook</b>. Despite the above, we do not live in a fascist right-wing dictatorship, so calm the crap down. It's a three-year stint to the next election, the country has not locked itself into a future of doom. I don't mind the odd <b>Get Up!</b> post in my Facebook feed, but I don't want to read political ranting or posts and cartoons from lefty nut job sites masquerading as news or proper commentary.<br />
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<b>Listen, everyone</b>: <b>this rabid extremism is exhausting</b>. And we never used to have it. We don't need it! Okay, we need a bit of it. We've always needed a few people on the edges to swing the pendulum where it's needed every now and then. But the system can never live at left or right - it works much better in the middle.<br />
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At work last week I listened to people talking about election day and when I heard a young guy say he "walked in, wrote down some random numbers and left", I was almost glad. Ah, political apathy! In the midst of all the ranting, lecturing and scare-mongering that surrounds us lately, it was almost a relief. Maybe this is what we need! Political apathy and laziness might just save us from becoming a nation of shouters!<br />
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There is no political party that represents my views. And even if there was I probably wouldn't whole-heartedly support it. But here are my politics in a nutshell:<br />
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<li>Taxes should fund health, education, welfare, transport and essential services, science and innovation and environmental protection. 'Small government' is code for skimping on these things</li>
<li>But government should limit the things it subsidises - subsidies lead to price hikes and rorting</li>
<li>There should never be a large national surplus - if there is, infrastructure is being skimped</li>
<li>Government does need to watch spending and not let debt get out of hand - the budget is important </li>
<li>Education and health should be a universal right for all citizens, but cannot be completely free. </li>
<li>University education should not be free but fees should be regulated and student loans should be low-interest. I think our current HECS system is about right.</li>
<li>Government alone cannot pay for all the services we now expect and require. Some privatisation is essential. Governments can no longer pay for large infrastructure projects; government-private partnerships are essential. The private companies that provide these services/investments will profit from them, and the profit will be at our expense. That's unavoidable. It's government's job to make sure we don't get swindled.</li>
<li>Some services are not meant to be profitable and should not be expected to be. Hospitals and education need to be accepted as expenses and should not be expected to generate their own funds, beyond small amounts.</li>
<li>Taxes and government transfers (welfare) inevitably get complex and inefficient in a liberal democracy. Governments have to be fair and accountable and that is expensive. We don't need to wring our hands about our "inefficient" tax system. It will never be fixed.</li>
<li>Decent public education should be available for all - but providing that is prohibitive, hence the current government fashion for funding private schools to lessen some of the "demand" for public schools. I have no problem with governments funding private schools to some extent - you have to fund them if you want them to conform to national curricula, programs etc - but funding should be minimal and the rest of education funding should be needs-based </li>
<li>Company taxes should be low, somewhere between 20 and 30%. Even if you loathe them, big corporations are beneficial to an economy, and to a society. Small business is also an important engine in our economy - though there are plenty of crap small businesses out there.</li>
<li>For an economy to flourish, there has to be some very wealthy people. They are like a side-effect. Economies that don't allow some people to accumulate massive, unfair wealth are stagnant.</li>
<li>Offshore detention for asylum seekers, and turning back boats, are both awful and indefensible - except if the defence is "they work as a deterrent" which sadly, they appear to do. We should not be doing either of these things - they are cruel and inhumane and wrong. I don't know what we should do instead. Increase aid to UNHCR, increase our refugee intake, increase funding for internal detention centres and processing... all of those things, but none of them will "stop boats" or resolve the massive, international problem of asylum seekers and "economic migrants" - which are actually people living in hopeless circumstances and severe economic distress. Even if we did all those things, the "demand" and the boats would keep coming - what do we do then? I don't know, but not what we're doing now.</li>
<li>I don't think we need a royal commission into the banking and finance sector. We know it's rotten. We don't need more regulation either - ASIC needs more teeth to police and enforce the regulations we have</li>
<li>Homelessness should not be a problem to the extent it is - what has gone wrong? There needs to be a full enquiry which no one will hold as no one will want to be held accountable for what comes out of it. But if we're going to hold royal commissions into everything these days, maybe a royal commission into homelessness and poverty wouldn't be a bad thing</li>
<li>Minimum wages and working conditions need to be protected. I am ambivalent about penalty rates - these days there's no real difference between a Friday and a Saturday, though I do agree people should be compensated for working anti-social hours (I know first hand the toll it takes on family life for example). And we need to make sure we don't become like the US, where people can work full-time jobs and earn less than a living wage</li>
<li>Gun ownership should be limited and controlled, just as it is now. No changes to our gun laws!</li>
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So that's politics according to me.</div>
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Now enjoy this flash mob ballroom dancing on a New York crossing courtesy of my new favourite site, <a href="http://improveverywhere.com/">Improv Everywhere</a>. If only life was more like this:</div>
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Edit: this just in:</div>
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Here's a piece of commentary I can agree with (though I like Nick Xenophon myself):</div>
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In Turnbull and Shorten we had the pick of two decent leaders - now let's all pull together:</div>
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<a href="http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016-opinion/federal-election-2016-time-this-country-pulled-together-20160710-gq2l07.html">http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016-opinion/federal-election-2016-time-this-country-pulled-together-20160710-gq2l07.html</a></div>
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-34409857878088168372016-06-16T20:51:00.001+10:002018-12-30T17:02:36.974+11:00Two App Ideas (please send money)Dear Venture Capitalists, Developers and Marketers,<br />
<br />
I have two great app ideas and would like these developed as soon as possible please. Please note these are my intellectual property but I am open to sharing the millions of dollars we make on them under a reasonable arrangement. Please let me know when they are ready.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">1. HairNow!</span></h2>
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You know when you go to a hair salon and they have posters of hair styles in their windows or on their wall that look weird because they're always just slightly out of date?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdw5xCRfk7flAa4zjVEychjrC25OTB3yLwfymS0gmP2jPHRaEo6c_DM9FxiIcG0iLaGPZiJDCtTBjR6_d6qf6DpTsL5l2mmkdotyk9cUndHD_aEzgczV33dllF7WRX8HCkz-Hg-LqXfQ/s1600/salon+hair+posters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdw5xCRfk7flAa4zjVEychjrC25OTB3yLwfymS0gmP2jPHRaEo6c_DM9FxiIcG0iLaGPZiJDCtTBjR6_d6qf6DpTsL5l2mmkdotyk9cUndHD_aEzgczV33dllF7WRX8HCkz-Hg-LqXfQ/s640/salon+hair+posters.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Hairdressers can never keep up with current hair images, either in poster form or in their stacks of style books and magazines (do they still have those?)<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">The app:</span></i></b><br />
A searchable database of hair styles, and a constantly-updating poster display for screens mounted on a salon wall<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">How hairdressers would use it:</span></i></b><br />
Replace posters with huge screens and display an ever-changing rotation of latest hair style images. Optionally filter what styles, or types of styles, to display.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b><i>How customers would use it:</i></b></span><br />
Phone app can be searched for images by hair style and type, e.g. "cool hairstyles for short thick brown curly hair" (just to throw a random example out there that has nothing to do with me).<br />
Or search for current trends, e.g. "London 2016"<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOZXOJ0ith4yFcRPeoX-H6kgmCCclQ0rTwggMEjSatQO_nYVV1ni5Gvxh4eA5W1LSi4t8TCd6aKITXkbrK8NjIXsLwojAeFsAMOoCQDFBVHSO5M9AhvDfrINmfGMVhsMsPKw0KaoBx3U/s1600/fashion-old_man-hair-hair_loss-loses_hair-styles-gra070111_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOZXOJ0ith4yFcRPeoX-H6kgmCCclQ0rTwggMEjSatQO_nYVV1ni5Gvxh4eA5W1LSi4t8TCd6aKITXkbrK8NjIXsLwojAeFsAMOoCQDFBVHSO5M9AhvDfrINmfGMVhsMsPKw0KaoBx3U/s320/fashion-old_man-hair-hair_loss-loses_hair-styles-gra070111_low.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Does not promise to solve this problem</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">How it will make money:</span></i></b><br />
Free for regular people. Hairdressers to pay a small subscription which gives them the rotating images of latest styles. I guess the subscription has to be pretty small, if we compare it to the amount hairdressers spend on updating their posters once every few years.<br />
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<h2>
<span style="color: #0b5394;">2. PlantLife!</span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Zr2Je7u__9rs4qnbYl17FQQzhgxwYRMGEIHlEgSGqNCvDe_9VpFmbhoN7BK5MRcRfixwRXAikpVJlkGVS_c0S9n_RlVnq5wCuAP7YzUl6FH-tQpqFcJbHfAVxUIRPQvMb9pWT9b1GXo/s1600/depositphotos_32386369-Decorative-plant-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Zr2Je7u__9rs4qnbYl17FQQzhgxwYRMGEIHlEgSGqNCvDe_9VpFmbhoN7BK5MRcRfixwRXAikpVJlkGVS_c0S9n_RlVnq5wCuAP7YzUl6FH-tQpqFcJbHfAVxUIRPQvMb9pWT9b1GXo/s320/depositphotos_32386369-Decorative-plant-cartoon.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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You know when you see a tree or plant you like but you don't know what it is? Or you think, "Is that a maple tree or not?" and you have to Google maple tree images and trawl through them trying to match them to what you are seeing?<br />
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Or maybe you live in North America and are hiking through the woods and want to make sure you're not about to walk through a patch of poison ivy.<br />
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We can't all be botany experts. That's why we need....<br />
<br />
PlantLife!<br />
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<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">The app:</span></i></b><br />
Like Shazam but for plant pictures. You hold your phone up to scan a plant or tree, focussing on leaves, for instance, or flowers. You press a button. The app trawls through the whole Google/Wikipedia images database or a botany database of some kind and bam! comes up with the name of the plant and some information.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOKEDmEKdi2TwSynbN7gNWtn5H9nsqW8EQzANDHk-n3oK5wL4f4pkHmOjDBckVFnlyovwJbTjBxwIbwnBZY8uex4w55Dj_Ey3ykr4S59dtG3N4icyy9hYqS7HZEzKBsonZYAM23NepEQ/s1600/14496911-Tree-cartoon--Stock-Vector-plants-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOKEDmEKdi2TwSynbN7gNWtn5H9nsqW8EQzANDHk-n3oK5wL4f4pkHmOjDBckVFnlyovwJbTjBxwIbwnBZY8uex4w55Dj_Ey3ykr4S59dtG3N4icyy9hYqS7HZEzKBsonZYAM23NepEQ/s320/14496911-Tree-cartoon--Stock-Vector-plants-cartoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #0b5394;">How it will make money:</span></i></b><br />
Obviously this is so useful that the money will just come rolling in from advertising we will host on the app. We will offer a premium edition with no ads but over time we will gradually put ads on the premium edition too, and raise the price. We will market this as an educational tool to schools and universities and maybe create a tie-in game? You guys can figure this stuff out, I am sure. I can't do everything.<br />
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<br />
<br />
OK so that's it for now, please go ahead and make these and I look forward to getting rich soon. <br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-11244487556542580232016-06-12T23:30:00.002+10:002018-12-30T17:05:05.849+11:00The Art of LeisureI just came across a post in my Facebook feed called <a href="http://www.womankindmag.com/articles/the-lost-art-of-leisure/">The Lost Art of Leisure</a>, which I didn't have time to read but which I have bookmarked for later. I think I know what it says though, and the title struck a chord with me.<br />
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When I was younger, and the world was not yet digitised, I had ample time for leisure and I used it for the most part wisely - reading, walking, visiting art galleries, trawling bookshops, dinner with friends (we didn't do coffee or breakfast or brunch back then), going to see bands at pubs. I had a big music collection and listened to it. I did painting classes. I sketched, and wrote poetry.<br />
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In short, I was probably an insufferable young idiot, but I did know how to enjoy myself.<br />
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When Y. and I lived in Santorini, many years ago, we spent our precious free time coasting around the winding roads on his bike, lying on the beach and drinking coffee or beer in cafes. This was high quality leisure time.<br />
<br />
When I lived in Twickenham, my favourite activity was to walk the towpath to Richmond and back, snug in my army-surplus parka, a Kate Bush or Blur cassette in my Walkman, headphones on.<br />
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When I lived in St Kilda, my favourite activity was to go to the Espy with my boyfriend to see a band, and wander home in the early hours of the morning to his untidy flat, feeling happy and at home.<br />
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When I lived in Auckland, I loved cooking up dinner parties with my university flatmates and the sorts of long, honest conversations you only have at that age.<br />
<br />
Growing up in Auckland, we were conscious of being at the outer limits of the world, and we lapped up everything that visited our shores. We saw every visiting art exhibit (though I only remember Monet), and every band or singer (Billy Idol, Bryan Ferry, America, David Bowie, U2 - it didn't matter who, in general if they came, I went to see them - though I did draw the line at Dire Straits, and was pleased to have my decision borne out by everyone's judgement the day after that "the laser show was really good").<br />
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But of course, as everyone knows by now, that all disappears when you have kids. And honestly, you don't mind. I didn't miss any of that stuff. Well, except walking on my own, and reading in a quiet corner - I could do both of those things forever.<br />
<br />
When you have kids you grab your leisure where it's available, and when it's available you're not always ready. Or you only have a few minutes or half an hour, or a two-hour block, or whatever - not enough time to really sink into a full leisure activity and enjoy it without an eye on the next obligation.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5aC80UJ_Fct1igk_DNkBkhQc83j8A3DYsLkOB9z9tKkrsVMjtJm6ndJls552tKDnMVtAepeFA1GqwuXZ9-GuVkgcTeZKrdqQ-DUgqybAeewwNZ9t46pVApR06pXRwUdMNl_DOXC8Op8/s1600/3522144781_8df9728ed2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc5aC80UJ_Fct1igk_DNkBkhQc83j8A3DYsLkOB9z9tKkrsVMjtJm6ndJls552tKDnMVtAepeFA1GqwuXZ9-GuVkgcTeZKrdqQ-DUgqybAeewwNZ9t46pVApR06pXRwUdMNl_DOXC8Op8/s400/3522144781_8df9728ed2_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nina_cheng/3522144781/in/photolist-6neUWa-dcHK5Z-bD1T4U-7eqW2W-4vATbj-uMf2H-9iQeX9-aBKEeA-ERbxdU-bF83qY-9G7EKf-bubsSJ-bTHngi-dPZech-839tZA-at9bbf-61gtxM-8Azunf-cGmdD5-F4Zurj-eHdXBK-eGQrNW-cudqCu-sah5qA-bH6fa2-8MBKt-eSoAn2-KBGEi-bubrjY-7mNDgr-6eLfUB-bs5pSh-bubv2b-4JBzKe-ijaiTh-i9ipk-6XYuKR-pSFHd-7bpzQG-dDfrFS-cuapds-hGNA83-62zyKk-7Ux4db-avwDdZ-bH6hUx-bD24Fh-bH6m3X-mbxi4R-cK1Rx1">Nina Cheng / Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />
And of course we're all so busy. Kids, no kids - we're all busy with work and with keeping up with all the ceaseless household, personal and digital administration that is part of modern life.<br />
<br />
All of which creates the situation we now find ourselves in, where leisure time is a five minute break huddled over your phone playing whatever dumb game is your secret shame, or strapping on your exercise shoes and convincing yourself that the 20-minute power walk you are forcing yourself to take at lunchtime is "relaxing" instead of a guilty workout. <br />
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We don't seem to have time to enjoy proper leisure, doing activities that absorb us and bring us joy, often enough.<br />
<br />
Well, maybe this is only me.<br />
<br />
But my guess is that an article called "The Lost Art of Leisure" means that it isn't.<br />
<br />
The reason this article struck a chord was that I found myself, one day last week, quite unexpectedly enjoying some leisure time, that was actually leisurely. I set myself the task on Sunday of doing nothing much, except beefing up my Spotify playlist and cooking a good winter meal for the kids.<br />
<br />
I used to have a lot of CDs and a stereo, and I listened to music all the time. Then I had an iTunes account and listened to music on my iPhone. Then I changed to a Samsung phone and converted my music to Google Play, and.... I sort of forgot to listen to it. Or maybe I got older and music just gradually fell down the priority list, competing with podcasts and reading articles and watching Cracked videos on YouTube?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkFPrIBysZaQ00WKT4q9NVOZm9fiaa3-ApnwnAktxtJmiegp5RxdxQ34PfXqPCH6bFDnNUwIJx4jA8ft8BYhAc8bxykwI1x1002qiiZoF19c02vpjBUiSb47saWOp4dzPPOX4G50PXrk/s1600/14595295821_be64f469a2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkFPrIBysZaQ00WKT4q9NVOZm9fiaa3-ApnwnAktxtJmiegp5RxdxQ34PfXqPCH6bFDnNUwIJx4jA8ft8BYhAc8bxykwI1x1002qiiZoF19c02vpjBUiSb47saWOp4dzPPOX4G50PXrk/s400/14595295821_be64f469a2_z.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/phil-jones/14595295821/in/photolist-oeJGXp-9adSHT-6doBxR-34wgHe-hsDj41-fKHGVX-a5BayU-7z5ton-9bFVGh-7fDhy2-e9r9ai-4uzdkq-5jJU3T-mbZ2BD-5s9BsY-9YbnVE-4XkbGo-9E3DVp-6sjsbg-4gvPyL-ndUwme-7Uut4e-fpnYax-72ei73-28XdG-7uGriy-4oFKZu-4gxm4B-7ZF2R7-96x6EB-5RqJEQ-botf94-aGCLEc-a3fBRf-dMteTt-8pxcXn-wM8n1j-65ucLj-4fAJjc-bUxzCm-9u3JzP-a9kYpR-6Hvaxi-8SWUSi-EYS9q-hjTEEo-AuDDw-8UTz5F-9oqZ7d-8NQv4z/">Phil Mike Jones / Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
But recently one of my daughters set me up with a Spotify playlist (it needs some work, but you can check it out <a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/jymak4/playlist/5gNmK6Cl5m8swu42HHgPHW?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open">here</a>) and I have suddenly rediscovered the joy of music.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-edY6-6Am9mlNCMauPJ63ddrz2PFVdczVkwqzrbaqkZwHCrlnM6zccdXvu2ATxNnlUh22w0jiBUhgvOFyxUwI-5yMoiymgCE9vBdTUEuGmps9gitIDQPvxD10J2iaO0RN3P4PdCAd_4/s1600/5150851337_51aa69e26c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-edY6-6Am9mlNCMauPJ63ddrz2PFVdczVkwqzrbaqkZwHCrlnM6zccdXvu2ATxNnlUh22w0jiBUhgvOFyxUwI-5yMoiymgCE9vBdTUEuGmps9gitIDQPvxD10J2iaO0RN3P4PdCAd_4/s400/5150851337_51aa69e26c_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kitch/5150851337/in/photolist-7hDxGR-oPpyQS-atDGC3-asXnar-2hM96G-rji3LR-5sjyMg-8RasDF-nH7NP5-4d6mka-asK9no-bDVjPc-j8M7vW-aW8EgZ-j8i2PK-raBqA7-sahX41-aC92Uh-9JikZw-gnwrtn-fggb9L-gnw3Tp-gnwbmw-gnw6i4-gnvVpW-dWTjEK-gnwdrd-gnwbKN-srHJUQ-8RfPvT-nSVEMr-gnvP3s-gnw5BK-9Fkfky-96hxux-a1z73A-7j9nke-5XK64N-gnwtkZ-gnwgTU-gnwtgv-gnw42k-srSMWx-oBF3sX-c8i7VY-dLgdh4-srHQ8W-gnw3Lk-nSVEQc">Jake Kitchener / Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I dug out a couple of CDs and played them while cooking on Sunday. Then when they were finished I put on my Spotify playlist and listened to that. As I stirred a slow-cooking meat sauce and chatted easily to my daughter, with nothing else planned for that afternoon, I felt a strange sensation. It was a sweet surge of joy - a simple, swelling happiness that lifted with the music and reminded me that these moments, while fleeting, should be more than just gaps in a busy life.<br />
<br />
I liked it.<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Do you possess, or covet, the art of leisure?</span></i></b><br />
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-52671905547010615722016-05-15T19:40:00.000+10:002018-12-30T17:10:43.681+11:00Men and Women are Completely Different <br />
It is obvious that men and women are completely different.<br />
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For instance, women love dressing up and reading horoscopes, and men love drinking beer and watching sports. But there are many other ways that men and women are different, and all of them are scientific fact.<br />
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The below well-known examples prove beyond doubt that men and women are very different.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<h3>
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Women are better at multi-tasking</span></b></h3>
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This has nothing at all to do with the fact that men are not expected to multi-task, or that there is actually <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=no+such+thing+as+multitasking&oq=no+such+thing+as+multi&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.5686j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8">no such thing as multi-tasking</a>.<br />
<br />
I have to admit my husband cannot remotely multi-task, as he stops washing dishes while he's talking so he can wave his hands around to punctuate his sentences, which drives me crazy and makes me blurt out, "keep working while you're talking!" and then he gets annoyed and stops talking, so then I get annoyed, but he does go back to doing the dishes and I keep folding laundry and it means I get to dominate the conversation because I can do both at once. But that's not because I'm a woman, it's because I'm not <i>him</i>.<br />
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I can't actually multi-task either, unless you count listening to podcasts while driving or scrolling through emails while people are trying to talk to me.<br />
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<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #073763;">When it comes to sexual arousal, men are very visual, while women are more cerebral</span></b></h3>
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Sure.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAvDqemNf97d8zBqBWuF04lmkl8Fds2idDnbwUhtbWrDDOld0EjRAdiw4uJvisG00hOZ3UcINttZoTqELmBA0yNNeFyBeN2_Ex_XHZ9M4crVv6QQGceSR-uB-6nTECJDhig5gc27nLJU/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAvDqemNf97d8zBqBWuF04lmkl8Fds2idDnbwUhtbWrDDOld0EjRAdiw4uJvisG00hOZ3UcINttZoTqELmBA0yNNeFyBeN2_Ex_XHZ9M4crVv6QQGceSR-uB-6nTECJDhig5gc27nLJU/s400/1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Women take ages to get ready</span></b></h3>
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This has nothing to do with the fact that women are judged on their appearance which is generally expected to include flattering clothing, flawless makeup, smooth, styled hair and accessories that complement the outfit. None of that takes time to pull together. No, it's clearly a fact that women just take ages to get ready!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Young women wear ridiculously inappropriate and non-functional clothing</span></b></h3>
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Well, we all know this is true. There's nothing quite as ridiculous as a tipsy young woman holding her shoes in her hand, or shivering in a backless dress on a winter street, or trying to hold down a wind-whipped skirt on a blustery day. Hilarious!<br />
<br />
Here is something that happened to me more than once as a young woman:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Group of young people: Let's go to a bar!</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Young woman (thinking): I am a girl, so I will need to look attractive at this bar. My boyfriend will be pleased and turned on if his friends and others like the way I look. I will feel confident and in control and we will have good sex later. If I don't dress up, my boyfriend will steal glances at other girls who have dressed up, and I will feel regretful and pissed off and we will not have good sex later. So, I will wear something sexy, with high heels. </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Young woman (also thinking): It will be warm inside the bar and I don't want to carry too much as I already have to carry a purse and keys that I can't put in my pockets because women's evening outfits aren't designed to have pockets. So I won't wear or carry a jacket. </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Young man: I am a dude, so I will wear jeans or pants, a shirt and comfortable shoes. I will look good and be comfortable! </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Much time later, outside the bar, early morning. Group of young people stand around and realise there is no available transport. </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Young men: No drama, it's only 2 k's, let's walk home! </span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">Young woman (thinking): Fuck you all.</span></span></blockquote>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">And</span> when you are older, you may still be subjected to things like this, apparently:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbNR4pEmKtWkIisIyl1CV-ETKQdQcg869e9Znu9Gf09zKyYF2u3MmKJQPRvJJ2rlVFxzXDOsTcVZTWLdlkfeuJcTEHOUnhQJWROuTxhEpr_y48VLp1cL5d_Hi5dqvB3mGzEiOSgkn9o4/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbNR4pEmKtWkIisIyl1CV-ETKQdQcg869e9Znu9Gf09zKyYF2u3MmKJQPRvJJ2rlVFxzXDOsTcVZTWLdlkfeuJcTEHOUnhQJWROuTxhEpr_y48VLp1cL5d_Hi5dqvB3mGzEiOSgkn9o4/s400/2.png" width="398" /></a></div>
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<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Men don't like makeup</span></b></h3>
<br />
For sure, men hate makeup. They keep saying so!<br />
<br />
Or maybe, what men like is natural-looking makeup and light, matte lipstick. On a naturally beautiful face. Which still looks better with makeup.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLzd6DyyxjdT1ykY_TnnmY90ygIfSFRxO-XTsl0-vZoirhD5KccwrQ-lDN2CGC9ANp8TMNwzeO3KjqDASILh3EfiFKC8v3kzMOyauKlLkWsUGV3GRkePClBqFT5KdUNkFAZme64qT_bM/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicLzd6DyyxjdT1ykY_TnnmY90ygIfSFRxO-XTsl0-vZoirhD5KccwrQ-lDN2CGC9ANp8TMNwzeO3KjqDASILh3EfiFKC8v3kzMOyauKlLkWsUGV3GRkePClBqFT5KdUNkFAZme64qT_bM/s400/3.png" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Men, this woman is wearing a shit-ton of makeup</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA0W0zPw3Mhito-OxawFEchLIwQA7vy2NbV0isllvILHEwj2Cq7FqcD6AUxwSNf9zQ00_Cz25YOk8w3F_2_LfnV7aVS4NSR44hEW7lNorziYmb0xbLSUafqVswX789b9BEdcGW37Ebhw/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA0W0zPw3Mhito-OxawFEchLIwQA7vy2NbV0isllvILHEwj2Cq7FqcD6AUxwSNf9zQ00_Cz25YOk8w3F_2_LfnV7aVS4NSR44hEW7lNorziYmb0xbLSUafqVswX789b9BEdcGW37Ebhw/s640/4.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">Men are better at 'compartmentalising' work and family</span></h3>
<br />
God knows how I also manage to do this every workday. Luck, I guess?<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b><span style="color: #073763;">Mothers are naturally more bonded to their children / Women are more emotional / Women centre their worlds around family</span></b></h3>
<br />
For ages, I believed this one. When it suits me, I still believe it. But, since more dads are now performing a primary carer role (or even just a sharing-the-burden carer role), I've seen more and more men displaying the kind of 'motherly' behaviour that involves intuiting when their child is unwell, preparing lunch boxes, knowing their children's shoe sizes, etc.<br />
<br />
So this one might be true if you substitute 'primary carer' for 'mothers/women'. <a href="http://www.reservoirdad.com/blog/reservoir-dad/2190-days-as-a-house-husband-what-i-ve-learnt">When men perform these roles</a>, they <a href="http://www.reservoirdad.com/blog/reservoir-dad/the-post-baby-blues">tend to have this outlook too</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="color: #073763;">When boys fight there's no drama. They get over it fast. Girls backstab and hold grudges</span></h3>
<br />
When I visit my kids' school to see a teacher or the principal or do some form of admin or whatnot, I see the student welfare officer mediating a constant stream of bitchy catfights, friendship dramas and tears, accusations and peer-exclusion. The fact that half of these incidents involve boys and the other half involve girls clearly makes our school a bit exceptional, as this is obviously very girly behaviour.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="giphy-embed" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//giphy.com/embed/HcMYa75dvxyec" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/like-being-because-HcMYa75dvxyec">via GIPHY</a><br />
<br />
<br />
In conclusion, it's obvious. Men and women are, clearly, fundamentally different.<br />
<br />
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-43631090894903252382016-05-07T22:27:00.001+10:002018-12-30T17:11:39.907+11:00How To Find Out About Anyone: Great Questions!<div class="tr_bq">
One of my favourite sites is Quora, where people pose questions and others post answers. It's a great different kind of social media, even if these days it is more overrun by marketers and promoters than it used to be (welcome to any social media platform, right?)</div>
<br />
Tonight I was happily browsing my feed while procrastinating doing some work, and came across a set of really great 'meme' style questions, in response to a question that asked, <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-10-questions-can-tell-you-the-most-about-a-person">"What 10 questions can tell you the most about a person?"</a><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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As of tonight, 11 people had responded with their lists of questions, but the best response to my mind was this one, from <a href="https://www.quora.com/profile/Barnard-Law-Collier">Barnard Law Collier</a>, "anthropologist, journalist, writer, director Scanmyhandwriting.com":<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: #073763;">"Dear Horatio," </span></i>he begins,<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><i>"<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">These 20 (ten is too few to be at all comprehensive) questions are meant to be asked of public figures and would-be or current politicians, but they work well with almost anybody.</span></i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"></span></i><i>It's best to ask them without revealing them in advance. But even if the questions are known in advance, they are devilishly hard to "spin" even for the most slippery interviewee and her/his spin doctors.</i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><i></i><i>They have been tested extensively, and if they are all asked and their answers recorded <b>IN FULL WITH ALL ASIDES AND REMARKS ON THE RECORD</b> (make this stipulation crystal clear to the interviewee ahead of time: "Be careful, everything you say is on the record") results are often quite astonishing.</i> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><i></i><i>Be sure to listen carefully and faithfully record all the asides; they are often priceless...."</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
The questions themselves are pretty great. They are different or deeper enough from the usual, that I can see some interesting responses - and asides - coming out of people's attempts to answer.<br />
<br />
Perhaps one for a meme, <a href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com.au/">Sunday Stealing</a>?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIIa2oesBRoYcEvt-M-sZMEtz8DDk51hxigrIOXUybQdDKab2uStbnZALRU5N0IqKbGtJpln8mjcuiSxqXrNpSdKlmv2l97_0Q0gakM9kBcDmKJRj3rJVfchAtziGx2ra8lSJkM5hcDQ/s1600/quora.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuIIa2oesBRoYcEvt-M-sZMEtz8DDk51hxigrIOXUybQdDKab2uStbnZALRU5N0IqKbGtJpln8mjcuiSxqXrNpSdKlmv2l97_0Q0gakM9kBcDmKJRj3rJVfchAtziGx2ra8lSJkM5hcDQ/s640/quora.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<h2 style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 1.25; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span class="rendered_qtext" style="tab-size: 2em;"><span style="color: #073763;">What 10 (20) questions can tell you the most about a person?</span></span></h2>
<a action_mousedown="UserLinkClickthrough" class="user" href="https://www.quora.com/profile/Barnard-Law-Collier" id="__w2_SNIcGVc_link" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #073763;">Answers by Barnard Law Collier</span></a><br />
<br />
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">1) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Besides to your God, your family and your country and your constituents (if any), where do your loyalties lie?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">2) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">In as much precise detail as you see fit, how does your mind work?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">3) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Have you ever been in love? If so, describe the experience.</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">4) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">If you were an animal, what animal would you be ~ other than human?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">5) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Define“generosity”.</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">6) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">What did your father fail at?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">7) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Except for "nothing," what or whom do you hate?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">8) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">In deadly peril, name three people you want in your foxhole with you?<i></i></span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">9) </span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Have you ever dealt a death penalty? If yes,please explain.<i></i></span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">10)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Describe your ability to dance.<i></i></span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">11)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">What do you think your worst enemy really thinks about you?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">12)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">On a scale of 0 to 250, where would you score your intelligence?<i></i></span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">13)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">In eight words or less, please define intelligence.</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">14)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">What is the greatest weakness in your character?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">15)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">How do you verify the truth of what you are told?</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">16)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Name and define your favorite word.</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">17)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Of the following, which gives you the most pleasure: a) Music; b) Money; c) Literature; d) Science; e) Spirituality; f) Golf; g) Food & Wine; h) Films.<i></i></span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">18)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Briefly describe your favourite hat.</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">19)</span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">Who is the best living lawyer that you know?<i></i></span></div>
<div class="qtext_para" style="font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #073763;">20)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: #073763;">If you were made to live out the rest of your days as a famous fictional or non-fictional character, who would you select?</span></span><br />
<br />
Source: <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-10-questions-can-tell-you-the-most-about-a-person">Quora</a>, 26 April 2016<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
What do you think - could you answer these?<br />
<br />
The only ones I think I would be stuck on are 18 (whaaaat??) and 19 - though actually, for 19 I'd probably choose Julian Burnside. But I don't know many lawyers.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Just in case you wanted to know of a different way of dealing with boat people: <a href="https://t.co/MXVcHOPW0w">https://t.co/MXVcHOPW0w</a> (less expensive, and more humane).</div>
— Julian Burnside (@JulianBurnside) <a href="https://twitter.com/JulianBurnside/status/728874620711895041">May 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-82407197286785445492016-04-02T23:40:00.001+11:002018-12-30T17:13:20.342+11:00TupperwareToday I went to a Tupperware party, the second one I have been to in my life. The first one was about 15 years ago when, if I remember correctly, I came to my cousin's house, drank some wine and admired some plastic stuff, and didn't buy a thing.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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A week ago I told a friend I was going to a Tupperware party, and she immediately waxed lyrical about $40 lunch boxes and asked if I had a catalogue. I had a digital one, and we looked through it together over coffee while I tried not to spray the coffee out of my mouth in a cliche of shock. Holy cow, this stuff was expensive!<br />
<br />
My friend told me that the last time she went to a Tupperware party she spent $400.<br />
"Oh my god," I said, while inwardly I thought, Ha ha, you big chump! How did you do that!<br />
<br />
So today I went to a Tupperware party to support a friend, and thought I would just buy one thing, if I could find something useful that wouldn't require a second mortgage.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26BLVATabqJfgcP8f0vlAiNgZ3xoBp_tnq-FQCq3YASTCqupMK5bwv7qWTa0MRLgUpV6LJ09-KpBCJrHW7VFWQa49bJK3w4bNJLM9q24BiQl74k29U2Q48D7MPAea2puBgTJDwub9toE/s1600/tupperware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26BLVATabqJfgcP8f0vlAiNgZ3xoBp_tnq-FQCq3YASTCqupMK5bwv7qWTa0MRLgUpV6LJ09-KpBCJrHW7VFWQa49bJK3w4bNJLM9q24BiQl74k29U2Q48D7MPAea2puBgTJDwub9toE/s400/tupperware.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmuseumofamericanhistory/6303569692/in/photolist-kgD8n-aB2rE5-rawHdd-9m3NCw-7DsMe9-dHBeqL-js177W-87crYT-nMxhP-hByW3y-4wdCvt-8Nn7PK-21Fy7B-9CpVM9-7WDRbY-7AQbRM-MrUna-87eb8X-8p3VsP-39pNYh-dU6CnA-7WDRj9-7vrrX-2NSX5-7vriR-dYxCEm-4QZ1MU-7vrfN-5U9LUi-4zixL-7eom2Z-7vrtU-7vr3p-gmvFZ4-qiZsjd-7vr6b-7vrDa-7CS3j-38oMnt-7vrpE-acXCXg-7vrhq-4aW9LQ-7vr4K-cDP7Ub-zMHf3j-ezUBpE-7vrcy-4YLP9d-617KS/">National Museum of American History/Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I very quickly found my Useful Thing: a sort of a <a href="http://jewelpie.com/product-review-tupperware-extra-chef/">manual food processor</a> which chops, blends, whips or purees at the pull of a string. Sounds dodgy - actually works great (I had a go). I don't own a food processor. My blender is only good for blending. So this was obviously worth the money *.<br />
<br />
Then I found another Useful Thing: a replacement for my rice cooker that got lost some years ago. I used to have a plastic rice cooker I bought at Kmart that I used all the time, not only to cook rice but also to make risottos and to steam vegetables. (Ha ha ha ha ha, my kids used to actually eat vegetables and risottos!)<br />
<br />
The red bowl of my old rice cooker was a really good size and I used it as a mixing bowl and storage bowl too. Then the lid got lost so it just became a mixing bowl. Then I took it to the school to collect eggs one weekend when we were on chook duty, and left it behind, full of nice brown eggs, sitting on top of a compost bin in the blazing sun.<br />
<br />
I have always intended to replace my rice cooker. I could have easily gone back to Kmart (where they still sell them for about $12) and bought one there. But why wouldn't I actually get a nice purple one from Tupperware, for only three times the price, now that the catalogue and a friendly hostess were right there in front of me? So that was obviously worth the money too.<br />
<br />
But then, a really, really Useful Thing. Tupperware these days also make cookware, and sitting right in front of me on the hostess' benchtop in all its gleaming, steely glory, was the heavy-bottomed casserole/saucepan combination of my dreams.<br />
<br />
Some years ago my mother gave us a pair of heavy-bottomed saucepans that <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/you-learn-something-new-every-day.html">changed my life</a>. I had no idea how much <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/best-porridge-ever.html">easier</a> they make cooking. We used those saucepans almost daily for years. The small one got burnt out in the <a href="http://keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/mr-ks-busy-day.html">forgotten boiling eggs incident of 2014</a>, and the large one is still being used but the non-stick coating is starting to flake off in tiny bits on the bottom, and I know that's not good.<br />
<br />
So I have been wanting a replacement large, heavy-bottomed saucepan for some time, but I just couldn't afford one. Until today, I guess?<br />
<br />
<br />
So... yeah. I can no longer chuckle at my friend spending all that money on Tupperware.<br />
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<br />
*I have not used it.<br />
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-65618014699112573192016-03-28T00:28:00.000+11:002018-12-30T17:14:47.244+11:00Five (the Easter Meme)Another nice little questionnaire from <a href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/easter-meme.html">Sunday Stealing</a> - a good short one<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Five Things I have a Passion For:<br />
<ul>
<li>reading</li>
<li>writing</li>
<li>art</li>
<li>technology</li>
<li>animals</li>
</ul>
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Five Things I'd like to Learn Before I Die:<br />
<ul>
<li>Mandarin</li>
<li>guitar</li>
<li>ballroom dancing</li>
<li>coding</li>
<li>how to project calm, control and confidence (all at once)</li>
</ul>
<br />
Five Things I Say A Lot:<br />
<ul>
<li>Hi, how are you? (Even when I remember or know people's names, my brain doesn't move fast enough in greeting mode)</li>
<li>Large skinny flat white, no sugar, thanks</li>
<li>Why are there socks on the floor?</li>
<li>Do you have any homework? </li>
<li>Quiet, Harry... Quiet.... Quiiiiiet....Good boy (training dog not to bark at everything)</li>
</ul>
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Five Books and/or magazines I have read lately:<br />
<ul>
<li>New Scientist</li>
<li>Readers Digest</li>
<li>Royal Auto (the RACV magazine!) </li>
<li>Christine, by Stephen King</li>
<li>Joyland, by Stephen King (on a bit of a Stephen King thing at the moment)</li>
</ul>
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Five Favourite Movies:<br />
<ul>
<li>Arlington Road</li>
<li>Heathers</li>
<li>Casino</li>
<li>The Bourne Identity</li>
<li>Madagascar 2</li>
</ul>
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Five Places I Would like to Travel To:<br />
<ul>
<li>Egypt</li>
<li>India</li>
<li>China</li>
<li>Japan</li>
<li>Vanuatu</li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsUh9rzeJsnv0l0gDYbiIonZ08wlSXE6tGOXaNZjmUyqf88Psuq_JQPjUgQSteIMN6q92I_yJ8tTlfMMAK9-XtgFFx0LAuiIhjJN7st8NLjJuqJEMBqH0H9TKITkRFxCPu7-Kc61IT-Q/s1600/hi+five.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsUh9rzeJsnv0l0gDYbiIonZ08wlSXE6tGOXaNZjmUyqf88Psuq_JQPjUgQSteIMN6q92I_yJ8tTlfMMAK9-XtgFFx0LAuiIhjJN7st8NLjJuqJEMBqH0H9TKITkRFxCPu7-Kc61IT-Q/s640/hi+five.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/p_liu/6177417884/in/photolist-apST7U-fA6aQV-7SFphH-rqK2CW-mfxpS-enaezR-4JjsNi-9ixRDo-gApMi-b7ZLyP-9r6FKB-6GzjR6-duNkNc-7j6UwB-498Yog-67r2NJ-9nbTuA-eii14c-ephP28-dhZqwd-ecmiEc-2M2B7e-aAB4HB-qDPWWW-3ccCUp-bV72ZN-dfxXVd-mEw7qH-k2sY72-7GDKkx-7UccnW-of2Hu6-duNpG2-7mhXrS-6MwkvA-duNpMV-akgpTs-aHayjP-bUaEKK-9zwnTm-824Gx-duNkBa-duTXWJ-5wezyd-nzbnqF-5rhis-aADDAm-9ghY22-REcNG-pfMA7">HI FIVE by Paul Liu/Flickr CC</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-33239113405390389192016-03-26T18:30:00.000+11:002016-03-28T00:32:01.366+11:00Currently...My friend <a href="http://pandoraqueenofdenial.blogspot.com.au/">Pandora runs a blog</a> on which she assiduously posts every Sunday. Once upon a time I had this level of discipline - okay, I didn't, but I did post every week - but I possess it no longer. However I do enjoy her Sunday meme posts, most of which come from <a href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com.au/">Sunday Stealing</a>. Sunday Stealing posts are a good way to keep a blog up to date instead of letting it languish a month or more between posts - as I am wont to do lately.<br />
<br />
So, this week I am going to try my hand at a meme post, this one called 'The Currently Meme', courtesy of <a href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/currently-meme.html">Sunday Stealing</a>.<br />
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<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Currently, I am...</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Reading</span></i></b><br />
Bazaar of Bad Dreams, by Stephen King<br />
<div>
Fool Me Once, by Harlan Coben - the latest in the ever-growing genre of 'well-off wife finds she can't trust her seemingly perfect husband and her life has been a lie'<br />
Chasing the Scream: the First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, by Johann Hari. I thought we should legalise drugs before, now I'm doubly convinced<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Writing</span></i></b><br />
Project plans; blog posts; a short story that is going nowhere<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Playing</span></i></b><br />
Fetch and tug of war with the dog every morning<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Watching</span></i></b><br />
11.22.63<br />
<div>
Better Call Saul</div>
<div>
Politics in Australia, with trepidation</div>
<div>
The Trump Show in America, with horror<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Trying</span></i></b><br />
To keep up<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Cooking</span></i></b><br />
A roast dinner every Saturday. I have just decided that this week. I did a chicken roast last Saturday which the kids loved and I quite enjoyed it myself.</div>
<div>
But not this Saturday as I'm planning a family lunch for tomorrow.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Drinking</span></i></b><br />
Pinot Grigio </div>
<div>
Coke Zero</div>
<div>
Coffee</div>
<div>
Lots of water to make up for the rest<br />
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Calling</span></i></b><br />
The shots, when I can.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Pinning</span></i></b><br />
Hairstyles. Dream on, frizzy-haired me.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Tweeting</span></i></b><br />
#Fairfax #fintech<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Crafting</span></i></b><br />
Nothing. I have zero interest and less talent.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Doing</span></i></b><br />
Too much and not enough. The modern existential dilemma.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Going</span></i></b><br />
On holiday to a little rental beach house on the Peninsula in two weeks - can't wait.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Loving</span></i></b><br />
The free trams in Melbourne CBD.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Hating</span></i></b><br />
Knee-jerk politics.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Re-discovering</span></i></b><br />
Season 1 of Fargo on Stan. I forgot how good it was. Every actor in it is fantastic.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Enjoying</span></i></b><br />
Silly YouTube videos: The Community Channel, Everything Wrong With, and Brent Rivera.</div>
<div>
Perfect weather in Melbourne last week, and a mild (late) start to autumn this week.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Thinking</span></i></b><br />
How to marry agile cloud-based small-vendor project management with big-client requirements. </div>
<div>
The implications of the current tech bubble (If even I spent 20 minutes this week considering building a service app then trust me, we're in a bubble).<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Feeling</span></i></b><br />
Optimistic - despite the bubble, despite Trump.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Missing</span></i></b><br />
Blog reading. Have to find time.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Hoping</span></i></b><br />
The Americans don't elect Trump - but also that they don't elect someone who turns out to be awful just to avoid electing Trump.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAq3SFDZIWNq6esnhGXKr4BfNBzVdjKtOMRFpXPocxCIyN0zLHmpMkMnFyLsMa3h5uVJQeVjF4EdaLdhIeQ_UMFVZjafroEZ8cMCG8P5EyTVkfIP7GK9D61vmSjC4yFwDtFMRFEUBFzo/s1600/nope.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAq3SFDZIWNq6esnhGXKr4BfNBzVdjKtOMRFpXPocxCIyN0zLHmpMkMnFyLsMa3h5uVJQeVjF4EdaLdhIeQ_UMFVZjafroEZ8cMCG8P5EyTVkfIP7GK9D61vmSjC4yFwDtFMRFEUBFzo/s320/nope.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clever :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Listening</span></i></b><br />
Too much Radio Nova thanks to the kids. Why was everyone doing covers of Justin Bieber's Love Yourself which is a terrible song? I don't get it. Thankfully some new songs hit this week. </div>
<div>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Celebrating</span></i></b><br />
The fact we can afford to go on a little family holiday for the first time in two years.<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Smelling</span></i></b><br />
Mould in the crockery cupboard again - time for a clean and those way-too-expensive damp-soaker thingies.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Thanking</span></i></b><br />
The state government for awarding the paramedics a pay rise. Everyone working in emergency services and health should get a big pay rise.<br />
<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Considering</span></i></b><br />
What the hell to get my husband for his birthday. He's impossible.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></i></b>
<b><i><span style="color: #073763;">Starting</span></i></b><br />
To relax after spending the day cleaning and preparing lunch and an easter egg hunt for all my family on Easter Sunday.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-89598349841153530422016-03-21T01:06:00.000+11:002016-03-21T01:06:33.400+11:00What Journalism Has In Common With StockbrokingI'll dispense with the preamble. What journalism has in common with stockbroking is this:<br />
<br />
<b>An old model which was well established and profitable is transitioning with a lot of pain to a new model, which everyone is still trying to figure out. </b><br />
<br />
The old model was comfortable and cushy (for those at the top). The new model is a major change, culturally, psychologically and commercially, and it is not yet - but one day will be - profitable.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PWi6QGOSfml7DZOeC_mjtT-9APXC393-zh_hsCyOlpYJTq3pJwHfASNHANKAcIXOwuSJTS6aDowi-7KQwJeNQ6ZsXru0FOwv-_2A8R2XJbdT7fKToMeDN9nEk_jFQnP6s2J43JxPxbg/s1600/ID-100399040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-PWi6QGOSfml7DZOeC_mjtT-9APXC393-zh_hsCyOlpYJTq3pJwHfASNHANKAcIXOwuSJTS6aDowi-7KQwJeNQ6ZsXru0FOwv-_2A8R2XJbdT7fKToMeDN9nEk_jFQnP6s2J43JxPxbg/s320/ID-100399040.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/businessman-falling-photo-p399040">Sira Anamwong/freedigitalphotos.net</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h3>
Journalism:</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Another month in Australia, another horrible rupture for Fairfax. If I was a journalist I would probably write "the embattled Fairfax". After already pruning itself <a href="https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=fairfax+job+cuts+2012">back in 2012</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=fairfax%20job%20cuts%202013">again in 2013</a>, this week the company announced <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/striking-fairfax-staff-hold-protest-rallies-over-proposed-job-cuts-20160318-gnlvsj.html">it will cut the equivalent of 120 full-time jobs from its newsrooms</a>.<br />
<br />
That's a lot of journalists. It's hard to imagine the company even has that many jobs left to spare. (And according to staff, they don't).<br />
<br />
And I really feel for Fairfax. Not only because I love <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/">The Age</a> and am a subscriber who reads it every day, but because I think in very difficult circumstances they have been forging an evolution towards an online model quite well. <br />
<br />
New media is great. But blogs and tweets and news fragments do not fill the gap left by traditional newspapers. New media still needs journalists to write the stories, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJMfQIlrxo">"citizen journalists" just aren't as good</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MTJMfQIlrxo" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Of course, we will get used to it. Just as we have got used to the passing of <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=headline+puns&espv=2&biw=1423&bih=755&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWjrzMqs_LAhXBo5QKHbVDAI0QsAQIIg">great puns in headlines</a> (largely gone in favour of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization">SEO</a>), and elementary grammatical and syntax errors in broadsheet news (now that sub-editing, like everything else, is outsourced to cheap workers overseas). We got used to those things, and the world didn't collapse.<br />
<br />
So, there is no choice - citizen journalists it shall be, and the real journalists will find work somewhere, somehow, in this new cacophony. Not all the ones being let go now, unfortunately, but future ones will.<br />
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Somehow I don't think either the paid subscription model used by most newspapers and journals online now, or the Buzzfeed model, will be the lasting profitable solution.<br />
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I wonder what it will be?<br />
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Stockbroking:</h3>
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Stockbroking has always been a world of boom and bust, but ever since the 2008 crash and the Great Recession that followed (or still follows), it's been all bust. The stockbroking model as it was before then has truly broken and is never coming back. That's probably even a good thing.<br />
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Since 2008, it's been impossible to squeeze money out of traditional stockbroking. The margins are too thin; no one wants to pay for brokerage and research when they can get what they need online.<br />
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In Australia the ASX has piled more and more compliance obligations on brokers, and ever-higher liquid capital requirements to guard against insolvency collapses. In classic Law of Unintended Consequences style, the result has been an explosion of "shadow brokers" - small and nimble dealing and advisory businesses that range from serious, ethical companies with management and due process, to guys operating out of their loungerooms with, let's just say, less than that. <br />
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In the last decade that I worked in broking operations, I watched these companies come and go, the same people moving from license to license and company to company in a never-ending scramble to find some way to make money. Most of these people are straight up, love broking and just want to make money for their clients and themselves - but the landscape is unforgiving.<br />
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So now everyone knows the future is "online". The future is "robo-advice" (less risk of non-compliant customer management or advice), and "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_technology">fintech</a>".<br />
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But what is the best kind of company to run? What's the best service to offer: advice to customers, or services to dealers? How do you innovate and create a solution, and not be copied by a thousand imitators with the same access to the cloud that you have?<br />
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Time will tell.<br />
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I'd love to step 5 years into the future and see what's happening in both journalism and financial services. My guess is both will be profitable, but not exactly in ways people are building them now. The future will come up with something else.<br />
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Disclaimer: I work in FinTech and love it. :)<br />
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-13215797098146543052016-02-18T23:06:00.000+11:002016-02-19T01:21:10.061+11:00How not to be annoying on FacebookThere are four kinds of people on Facebook:<br />
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1. People who post happy braggy stuff about their kids, spouses or holidays, and kind of annoy everybody</blockquote>
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2. People who post inspiring or melancholy quotes in script font on meadowy pictures, and kind of annoy everybody</blockquote>
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3. People who post political rants and opinions, and kind of annoy everybody</blockquote>
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4. People who post an engaging mix of news, articles, jokes, current events, personal life, family tidbits, occasional celebrations, completely on-point social observations, witty and relevant opinions and a bit of self deprecation, and who never annoy anyone at all, ever.</blockquote>
I am obviously in the fourth category! I just know I'm never annoying to <i>anybody</i>, <i>ever</i>. *<br />
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So why can't everybody else manage this as effortlessly and gracefully as I do?<br />
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Ha ha. Do we all see ourselves, and Facebook, this way? I suspect we do.<br />
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This is quite funny - it's a little dated now as most people have by now self-corrected for the most annoying stuff that used to plague Facebook (I haven't seen a "<a href="http://www.mommyish.com/2014/04/03/vaguebooking/">vaguebook</a>" status for awhile, or a <a href="http://twistedsifter.com/2011/05/funniest-humble-brags-on-twitter/">humblebrag</a>), but I'm sure we can all recognise our Facebook friends - and ourselves - in at least one of these: <a href="http://kevinmartineau.ca/ways-to-be-annoying-on-facebook/">7 ways to be annoying on Facebook</a>.<br />
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And yes, I do actually enjoy reading what my friends are up to on Facebook!<br />
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* <i>I might sometimes be guilty of <a href="http://www.stfuparentsblog.com/post/59490967155/mommyjacking-the-childfree-life">mommyjacking</a>. And unintentional <a href="http://www.mommyish.com/2012/12/05/stfu-parents5-mommyjackers-who-one-up-their-friends-on-facebook/">one-upping</a> when trying to express empathy. And using stupid immature words like "OMG". And sharing news stories that validate my personal viewpoint on something with a comment that basically means "I always knew this!" Other than that, I'm not annoying at all.</i><br />
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-18061260263074592482016-02-14T21:32:00.001+11:002016-02-15T00:05:09.723+11:00Minecraft Part 2: Getting Banned<div>
Last week <a href="http://www.keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/minecraft-part-1-what-hell-are-you.html">I wrote about Minecraft online gaming</a>, known to non-parents as pvp (player vs player) - an arcane universe inhabited by ten-year-olds and their demonic alter-egos, where good times can turn to crap at the tap of a birchwood block. </div>
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At some point in their recent Minecraft career, my kids discovered the shock and horror of being BANNED.</div>
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At this point you may want to refresh yourself with the PvP glossary presented in <a href="http://www.keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/minecraft-part-1-what-hell-are-you.html">Minecraft Part 1</a>. </div>
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Being BANNED is worse than being KICKED. Being KICKED just means you've been kicked off the game (disconnected from the server), and you can get back in another time. Being BANNED means the Admin (owner/moderator) has BANNED you from the server, probably forever! (At least in most cases).</div>
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To cheer up my kid and out of curiosity, I googled "reasons for being banned in Minecraft" and the result is very funny. You can be banned for all sorts of reasons, from legitimate ones like <a href="http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Tutorials/Griefing">griefing</a> or trolling or killing other players, through minor infractions like speaking in all caps or asking for "OP" one too many times, to baffling ones that apparently involve saying or doing the wrong thing in front of the wrong Admin.</div>
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Most of the ones below came from <a href="http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-discussion/discussion/164018-what-are-some-stupid-ban-kick-jail-reasons-you">this Minecraft forum thread</a>. They made me chuckle.</div>
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<span style="color: #073763; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Some reasons for being banned from a Minecraft PvP server</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For being too badass</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Because you peaked</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQKigCpjvqBp8UGZzlwF_hbeFdufGEwY_0tu5g43OMQ45YiJ2rZCFhHVFTZziGvH3w_JRLdyMTnjtoGs5Q530e9aYmiYXs0k887nb4t2XHEpdMR2yEon2CT6w8bbrCNxFCS13_b9oxMo/s1600/peaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQKigCpjvqBp8UGZzlwF_hbeFdufGEwY_0tu5g43OMQ45YiJ2rZCFhHVFTZziGvH3w_JRLdyMTnjtoGs5Q530e9aYmiYXs0k887nb4t2XHEpdMR2yEon2CT6w8bbrCNxFCS13_b9oxMo/s400/peaked.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For solving a game challenge too quickly</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2Tz3P19aCTW4VmyQuzcSwBFT0Y7Uv1xCDZer5u8uXIdtWpZZZKPNpg8C1e4_C3nY8RJckiLpai9kc5GGmgW9dRn9xZQG9HNR3FIdDA3R_BGXNEmAiuw-F5bN4OwVjUXOOosb5uVVe9g/s1600/too+soon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2Tz3P19aCTW4VmyQuzcSwBFT0Y7Uv1xCDZer5u8uXIdtWpZZZKPNpg8C1e4_C3nY8RJckiLpai9kc5GGmgW9dRn9xZQG9HNR3FIdDA3R_BGXNEmAiuw-F5bN4OwVjUXOOosb5uVVe9g/s400/too+soon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For asking an annoying question too many times - like once</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLumul80yplJ5LJFUbHk5GHinxLQMkYGM8jvKPB3dX9ADeSArwWV96JwklknZ0VTBlsCxzpTjSRZzCQd-6qCW9HK0QgYBLDfEwqnjfr7GsMraxAjEqUEszl09YUTyC_Z3E-vMzf_o2-A/s1600/stop+begging.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdLumul80yplJ5LJFUbHk5GHinxLQMkYGM8jvKPB3dX9ADeSArwWV96JwklknZ0VTBlsCxzpTjSRZzCQd-6qCW9HK0QgYBLDfEwqnjfr7GsMraxAjEqUEszl09YUTyC_Z3E-vMzf_o2-A/s400/stop+begging.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For possibly being a <a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=brony&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=689&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx2u7A_vbKAhVG6GMKHXG1B4IQsAQIMg">Brony</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7tDj6Z4qcQcDnZ2XKT3IPY3jyBNKINRajklRbTaZjzv8ql2mC-5Rdrm7uNoxr9R7GFs7OyLPoTHV4gVpevWvJ36mYPUKnRvbwxhYtRhjOB4R2tsYUXxRs7GEFzjWCPy2JJZHdkdFgec/s1600/rainbow+dash+skin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7tDj6Z4qcQcDnZ2XKT3IPY3jyBNKINRajklRbTaZjzv8ql2mC-5Rdrm7uNoxr9R7GFs7OyLPoTHV4gVpevWvJ36mYPUKnRvbwxhYtRhjOB4R2tsYUXxRs7GEFzjWCPy2JJZHdkdFgec/s400/rainbow+dash+skin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX6uD0FcFE185VBz1nqtdhTrBie9l1VwKh6JpsrkWZxT6wPshoa8kUqcIdaUBobbZKdHhusJJDPTBIO09YwgqvoDLkYCcb-7aFx-fCeyd_cwZ6dJmIyXDvG9u7HRc2d-aiBZ3o6wDknU/s1600/talk+ponys+better.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrX6uD0FcFE185VBz1nqtdhTrBie9l1VwKh6JpsrkWZxT6wPshoa8kUqcIdaUBobbZKdHhusJJDPTBIO09YwgqvoDLkYCcb-7aFx-fCeyd_cwZ6dJmIyXDvG9u7HRc2d-aiBZ3o6wDknU/s400/talk+ponys+better.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For saying Hi</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlj35zzt0SbwwVQI8enoG6eiXpAeACTv1-H9-mKf64XG0AzOcaAlWBFjDLmRAHvUdrhyphenhyphen77PUCDONIVV0EBebV8UuI1EjN_ajgbjg8T_gysxMKo47dw-zmDebyBtX_5iY9iqIOe-YvCuSw/s1600/hi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlj35zzt0SbwwVQI8enoG6eiXpAeACTv1-H9-mKf64XG0AzOcaAlWBFjDLmRAHvUdrhyphenhyphen77PUCDONIVV0EBebV8UuI1EjN_ajgbjg8T_gysxMKo47dw-zmDebyBtX_5iY9iqIOe-YvCuSw/s400/hi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For wanton destruction</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt3oCN2GOfMsUfEjQWM3nAfi7DPjExyO9ZfllSlfbCnnQXf8UKNJgoWS4hVxplQpL7BFdoqpT0sCuurNldJFBsZDWwFp9_n22LiuL3HaxnIfAapQATQdgwPKx3qA6pJ-1ATJRyQN3jqY/s1600/tree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOt3oCN2GOfMsUfEjQWM3nAfi7DPjExyO9ZfllSlfbCnnQXf8UKNJgoWS4hVxplQpL7BFdoqpT0sCuurNldJFBsZDWwFp9_n22LiuL3HaxnIfAapQATQdgwPKx3qA6pJ-1ATJRyQN3jqY/s400/tree.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For committing two horrible crimes at once:</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMNAkr_YFkpoH-oVVHqWJuwV8EzuPScSb6QUF7qSY8Bpnc-fM4Os7QVk3mfIka4-znz1zC4Q0UlAebcMvKnKSW4rm5gOfJEbWs2TcpFgSU0u_IS7iSrVx1jisi5Umrr8VaC-jjn7Zr-c/s1600/yolo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgMNAkr_YFkpoH-oVVHqWJuwV8EzuPScSb6QUF7qSY8Bpnc-fM4Os7QVk3mfIka4-znz1zC4Q0UlAebcMvKnKSW4rm5gOfJEbWs2TcpFgSU0u_IS7iSrVx1jisi5Umrr8VaC-jjn7Zr-c/s400/yolo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For unrepentant warmongering</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvnEDjUTTCNjvTX0b8d8N1bhQ6n_LZJbECGoIXDU23GK35mHEBnhDLP311NwWy2x3gQVTF-A_HSstkyp9j7fZDyL9UB56-mUDWmM6saGb-dgrVUwmVXdVpxIMtUR9Iix0OzeH-cWndWw/s1600/enderman+army.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvnEDjUTTCNjvTX0b8d8N1bhQ6n_LZJbECGoIXDU23GK35mHEBnhDLP311NwWy2x3gQVTF-A_HSstkyp9j7fZDyL9UB56-mUDWmM6saGb-dgrVUwmVXdVpxIMtUR9Iix0OzeH-cWndWw/s400/enderman+army.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For being American</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DJf9eI_RGZDnlsb0U4qVOJV1C6QH4j12bqM0n7mTKApkT1xZ5RefJ731CUeVz2G-9I290rQNptlByH8mD6abIwCjMHwQFjFHEFjSwiha1gKhReN2K4ES6Ynf58HSFurreeiCFETGORI/s1600/canadian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-DJf9eI_RGZDnlsb0U4qVOJV1C6QH4j12bqM0n7mTKApkT1xZ5RefJ731CUeVz2G-9I290rQNptlByH8mD6abIwCjMHwQFjFHEFjSwiha1gKhReN2K4ES6Ynf58HSFurreeiCFETGORI/s400/canadian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For annoying the French</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAwh4FsCY8ZfHVEarKECvVmOWtdDrKRRw7VP2fHblUiMR_awhr7bV8fHtbwgas3p29fB1PQwrhgyuKeMlZ3zavqmDgQBSFoir1iLPyPZCip3RsXbymRD_4f-yOs-YvInVY1iItUrR-0o/s1600/english.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAwh4FsCY8ZfHVEarKECvVmOWtdDrKRRw7VP2fHblUiMR_awhr7bV8fHtbwgas3p29fB1PQwrhgyuKeMlZ3zavqmDgQBSFoir1iLPyPZCip3RsXbymRD_4f-yOs-YvInVY1iItUrR-0o/s400/english.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For being called Dylan</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fDTwWfXODG6bhA7SbSDW3maBHQoSJMEgI7nZOKpxyRQO9U7WQpK6cAu6jbsKYwNFIOwmFeNDlBSGx4aBDYSOvQVGZjsNJlNh8nOo1D77JeJmCh_4HoqJJypXvjsJmhQN8kBgG1YsCjo/s1600/dylan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fDTwWfXODG6bhA7SbSDW3maBHQoSJMEgI7nZOKpxyRQO9U7WQpK6cAu6jbsKYwNFIOwmFeNDlBSGx4aBDYSOvQVGZjsNJlNh8nOo1D77JeJmCh_4HoqJJypXvjsJmhQN8kBgG1YsCjo/s400/dylan.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For swearing</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeQCN9pvvI8-NPPs9DO3GQfuLqxbr4xDx3B-sWmaP626wXrpa-vJaSRCFoPOKeQUk2YXsmb3qw5_x-cnOPdpoqvVI4kH1LUqN4OLurxWbm13h2r0yD9p3AmzKszbNV3dacPts0VmY3z0/s1600/crap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOeQCN9pvvI8-NPPs9DO3GQfuLqxbr4xDx3B-sWmaP626wXrpa-vJaSRCFoPOKeQUk2YXsmb3qw5_x-cnOPdpoqvVI4kH1LUqN4OLurxWbm13h2r0yD9p3AmzKszbNV3dacPts0VmY3z0/s400/crap.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For hate crimes against art</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ej_NR0g-3RnUhMcSDm11VcNTdrgEqETumFUX1C6ctq30BO9ipd3dvlddVonEVayOKodU1fhlj6vQ-WgTDayOi0A28dtePrtV7uPXsiywRLPuA4HAVW1-d_7IQ2pgebWoe7xElWh5oc/s1600/hate+crime.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA7ej_NR0g-3RnUhMcSDm11VcNTdrgEqETumFUX1C6ctq30BO9ipd3dvlddVonEVayOKodU1fhlj6vQ-WgTDayOi0A28dtePrtV7uPXsiywRLPuA4HAVW1-d_7IQ2pgebWoe7xElWh5oc/s400/hate+crime.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For inverting a Minecraft element to reference a <a href="https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=the+cake+is+not+a+lie">pop culture trope</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPwhq6STS4RJC1X_oePkYo-pJqaTX99Sm2to9VWKa__Bzovl9XFeqVcmXbXTCH_Y-gwIBYtdyZ_OtCjHJL_helqljhXPvVcnKSKDobuXDbCVZ8LiHmb6u7u2a8Y6V-o_-1y-CPedhbt4/s1600/cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPwhq6STS4RJC1X_oePkYo-pJqaTX99Sm2to9VWKa__Bzovl9XFeqVcmXbXTCH_Y-gwIBYtdyZ_OtCjHJL_helqljhXPvVcnKSKDobuXDbCVZ8LiHmb6u7u2a8Y6V-o_-1y-CPedhbt4/s400/cake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As a result of a complex battle which ended with mutual respect</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For killing everyone and taking their stuff - actually this ban sounds pretty legit:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For inadvertently playing against someone's political beliefs </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Just because</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">And perhaps saddest of all: FOR NO REASON</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These cheered up my kids and gave me an entertaining evening's reading. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But I still don't quite know how to play Minecraft.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.google.com.au/search?q=minecraft+wallpaper&espv=2&biw=1440&bih=689&tbm=isch&imgil=AupXjYqRvDZiwM%253A%253BpeGnPxnZp169WM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwall.alphacoders.com%25252Fby_sub_category.php%25253Fid%2525253D169958&source=iu&pf=m&fir=AupXjYqRvDZiwM%253A%252CpeGnPxnZp169WM%252C_&usg=__UhIJnT1PAuRafJ7NNlTrI0WwziY%3D&ved=0ahUKEwiBwrTihffKAhXF6aYKHWr-ALAQyjcILg&ei=ylbAVoG1BcXTmwXq_IOACw#tbm=isch&tbs=rimg%3ACQLqV42Kkbw2IjiPR3fhfghZVaub2-X8WfZlaeErk3LB3kgsP7hfdIb3-8iAoiulYpKEaO24h41MPuJD7QFP_1YSKkSoSCY9Hd-F-CFlVEd4vcyPN9cpEKhIJq5vb5fxZ9mURBt1reLXIpqwqEglp4SuTcsHeSBFoAPWNjPShcSoSCSw_1uF90hvf7ERtDiLlmZIUcKhIJyICiK6VikoQRNlPu7hYr7IEqEglo7biHjUw-4hEVeIOBK6qKBioSCUPtAU_19hIqREY1jZsaWydiI&q=minecraft%20wallpaper&imgrc=dg_kH3fsvfxZAM%3A">galaxybackground.com Wallpaper 15</a></td></tr>
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-76698140261903091962016-02-07T11:42:00.003+11:002016-02-14T21:40:02.489+11:00Minecraft Part 1: What the hell are you talking about, kidsI thought I was a very tech savvy parent and secretly felt pretty smug about my preparedness for my kids to gradually enter the fray of online life. Then along came Minecraft.<br />
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I'll admit, gaming has been a bit of a black hole for me. What little I know about gaming I have gleaned from <a href="http://9gag.com/search?query=gaming">9Gag</a> and <a href="http://gawker.com/what-is-gamergate-and-why-an-explainer-for-non-geeks-1642909080">Gamergate</a> (which, you know, both make gaming seem <i>super awesome)</i>.<br />
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I am, however, a technophile and ambitious to know it all. I mean, I switched from an iPhone to a Samsung two years ago, so I'm like, pretty cutting edge.<br />
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Now that the kids have an Xbox, I fully intend to give up some Netflix time to learn how to steer the goddamn <a href="http://www.ea.com/au/rivals">Need for Speed</a> car down the middle of the highway instead of careening from barrier to barrier and getting stuck in reverse, and I am looking forward to trying a first-person shooter game to see how violent it makes me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4a8WnqCWuq8WT3NlRlXTNDXYYQx_eQEasvxcM4t3P40BzCFTwhPdGGTtndb6GafFlAptn8E-W_CnLJ2orqk0wVJI5FUnUdSaek75EUh7q2eydoodpMbkKUmTOvn8gP0dcMKLSM-whxBI/s1600/cool+mom+gif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4a8WnqCWuq8WT3NlRlXTNDXYYQx_eQEasvxcM4t3P40BzCFTwhPdGGTtndb6GafFlAptn8E-W_CnLJ2orqk0wVJI5FUnUdSaek75EUh7q2eydoodpMbkKUmTOvn8gP0dcMKLSM-whxBI/s400/cool+mom+gif.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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But commanding the Xbox controller is, like, hard. Why are kids immediately so dextrous at this stuff? I cannot get all my fingers plus my brain to work in unison. I cannot get my car or skateboarder to go more than a couple of metres without crashing. This is a good way to immediately feel like your own parents as your kids try and keep the laughter out of their voices while they show you how to use the technology. Karma.<br />
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<b>Back to Minecraft...</b><br />
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The kids have long loved Minecraft and spend a borderline unhealthy amount of time glued to their screens building stuff and playing interactive games. And here's where I (also) got caught napping. I had no idea you could play Minecraft online.<br />
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When my kids started having run-ins with online etiquette and trolling, they came to me with complaints and lengthy descriptions of online interactions I could barely understand. And I thought I knew about online interactions! I was a bit shocked and had to have some quick tutorials from my ten year olds on what the hell they were talking about.<br />
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Here's the deal: you can join servers run by other people and build stuff in their world, or play battles or racing games where you are playing against, and interacting with, other players. This whole world is subject to a whole lot of arcane rules and etiquette the kids pick up fairly quickly, but is also obviously subject to the whims of the people running it.<br />
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There are also the usual dispiriting online spats between friends where someone gives some people access to a game but not others, or kicks one person out for bad behaviour but lets their best friend behave worse, etc. There are days when this seems to be happening all the time and I have to tell the kids to take a break from it and do something else, and sometimes they even listen to me.<br />
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The thing with online play is that your kids can be sitting calmly in the lounge room tooling around on their iPod and you can be sitting a metre away, and a whole world of turmoil can be going on where they show no sign and you have no idea.<br />
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For me (and I'm trying not to sound smug here, as I <i>know</i> I don't have this solved) the answer is to try and be involved enough to understand what's going on and be interested in the games and the online world so they will talk to me, and we can talk about the problems as they come up.<br />
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There are millions of kids playing Minecraft. Most Minecraft players these days are probably under 13, but there are a lot of adults too. My kids and I have talked a lot about this, what it means and what they need to keep in mind. We've had a couple of ugly moments, but for the most part, it's been fun and educational and the girls have been handing it well.<br />
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There are Minecraft glossaries and guides online you can Google if you want to know how redstone is used, or what a creeper or an Enderman is - <a href="http://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/minecraft-the-beginners-guide-part-1-some-vocab-and-blocks/">this one</a> is a good place to start - but they don't have the words my kids and their friends are using when they talk about interactive play.<br />
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Here are the Minecraft words I hear all the time and what they mean:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Minecraft online play words and meanings</span></b><b><span style="color: #073763; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></b></h2>
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<b>Seed</b> - the code that Minecraft uses to generate terrain and content in worlds you create. There are online directories where people have shared good seeds or people pass them on through word of mouth. The reason these are valued is that without a good seed you have no idea where you will "spawn" to start your game: it could be awesome terrain, or it could be "<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "lato" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><a href="http://www.pcgamesn.com/minecraft/30-best-minecraft-seeds">a bland, uninspiring world full of flat grassland and the odd chicken</a>" </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(that sounds familiar as that's what I got the one and only time I tried to play Minecraft on my own)</span></span><br />
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<b>Server</b> - any Minecraft player can set up a game on a Minecraft public server and others can join if they have the IP address of the server (which is passed around by word of mouth or found in the Minecraft public server directory)<br />
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<b>Admin</b> - person who runs the server, gives access to players and polices behaviour<br />
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<b>OP</b> - "give someone OP" - full access to all the available commands. The Admin as someone who is already OP gives OP status to other users. If you are given OP, it is generally bad form to give others OP without permission from the Admin.<br />
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<b>Donate</b> - Admins will sometimes ask players to donate money to the server, which is fair enough when it's a couple of dollars to <a href="http://gametyrant.co/minecraft/server/how-host-minecraft-server-hosting-list-ukip-free/">help with the cost</a> of an established game, but can be a bit rich if players are asked to donate as soon as they join, or if it's more than a couple of dollars, or if it's in return for getting a ban removed, etc.<br />
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<b>PvP</b> (player vs player) - term refers to interactive play with other online players, but my kids and their friends (in which case others they play with online as well) are using it as a noun to mean the server/game hosting the play, e.g. "I was on an awesome pvp yesterday but I updated my iPod and now I've lost it"<br />
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<b>Grief</b> (verb), Griefer (noun - person who griefs) - destroying things others have built, generally causing trouble in the game<br />
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<b>Lag</b> (verb) - perform moves that cause the game to lag - a major infraction that can get you banned. Eg flying.<br />
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<b>Kick</b> - to be "kicked" is to be kicked out. Not as bad as being banned because you can usually get back in, but it is done as a warning, or in a fit of pique<br />
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<b>Ban</b> - you can get banned for griefing, lagging, trolling, speaking in all caps, using annoying phrases like "lol" or "yolo" or... all sorts of things really! I will cover that in Minecraft Part 2...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wallpaper image by <a href="https://minebook.me/dkjjr/photo/38119">dkjjr at Minebook</a></td></tr>
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-79340795537739421752016-01-03T01:29:00.001+11:002016-01-30T15:45:26.510+11:00Zoo, Brooklyn Nine Nine and other equally great ways to waste time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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Golden Age of Television. It's a great time in history, is it not?</div>
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There's more good TV than you'll ever watch (Mad Men, House of Cards, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Fargo, Broadchurch, The Killing, Sherlock, The Thick Of It, Homeland, Narcos, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and more)</div>
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There's more kind-of-good TV than you'll ever watch (Orange Is The New Black, Game of Thrones, Parks and Recreation, The Walking Dead, Supernatural, Doctor Who and more)</div>
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There's TV I still haven't watched but which I know is at least kind of good, and likely very good or great (The Fall, Jessica Jones, Master of None, Girls, Transparent, Veep, and more).</div>
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There's TV I tried some time ago and have no interest in it so stop talking about it, internet, as if it's as good as the good stuff! (Entourage, The Good Wife - get out).</div>
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But, thanks to Netflix (or Stan, or Presto), there is always something at least passably good, and most often actually very good, right at your fingertips. For people my age who grew up on decades of lame to woeful network TV shows, it's amazing how good most of it is, and how <i>much</i> there is.</div>
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It's not all "great" television but it is stuff the Golden Age of Television probably makes possible nonetheless, because there's room for every niche as long as everything has high production values and a fast turnaround time.</div>
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Here's the stuff I've been enjoying - a mix of good, great and silly:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Better Call Saul</span></b></div>
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Who didn't love Saul in Breaking Bad? This is very different but didn't disappoint. I love him even more now. Plus he's kinda hot. I know!!</div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>The Delivery Man</b></span></div>
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Really pretty silly. Cop becomes midwife and reverse-sexist shenanigans ensue. Also has Jenny from Cold Feet (remember Cold Feet?) Mildly funny and easy to watch.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;"><a href="https://press.discovery.com/asia-pacific/apl/programs/human-prey/">Human Prey</a></span></b></div>
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6-episode doco series with melodramatic narration, each episode re-enacting 3 stories of people who survived horrific animal attacks. Includes interviews with the survivors, and representations of the animal bites using x-ray-style graphics of teeth and skeletons, complete with blood and bone crunching noises. Shamefully awesome.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2467372/">Brooklyn Nine Nine</a></b></span></div>
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Finally! Season 2!! I love this show. I love it more than Jake obviously loves Amy. Which is a lot.</div>
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Some movies:<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>The Awakening, Case 39, Let The Right One In</b></span></div>
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Good supernatural horror</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Passengers, Unknown, Chloe</span></b></div>
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Ridiculous but enjoyable psychological suspense/thrillers. </div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/?ref_=nv_sr_1">Interstellar</a></b></span></div>
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Just saw this and loved it. Awesome (I mean I was actually awed) movie. Not really what I expected and left me thinking (unlike most of the other things on this list...)</div>
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And back to TV: my current show of choice:</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3250026/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt">Zoo</a></span></b></div>
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Oh this is so good. It has an awesome premise (the world's animals have had enough, and are en masse turning on people), but is not great in execution. It could have been a lot better - or maybe the story is just a bit too silly. It is fun to watch though. It has a predictably evil global corporation, some beautiful settings, beautiful animals, and it has Billy Burke (the only hot man in the Twilight movies)<br />
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It also has Bess Armstrong - remember her?? I think I last saw her in Jaws 3D. But it came back to me, watching her scenes, that she was never a very good actor. In fact, once I saw her name on the opening credits and started looking for her, that was how I recognised her.</div>
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Zoo also has some silly dialogue, cliched characters, leaps of flawed logic and what I believe is probably very inaccurate science (but, you know, I could be wrong). The scenes with animals are also a little weird, because you don't actually see any animal attacks, and the animals are obviously just standing or running as ordered. (The scene with wolves attacking a prison was a scary idea, but looked a bit too much like a group of dogs loping happily towards their off-screen trainer).<br />
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There is a <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Zoo/">thread on Reddit</a> with a link to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrdkRuuNlO0">this review on YouTube</a> which pretty neatly skewers this show. But whatever, it's silly schlocky fun and I'm enjoying it.</div>
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My favourite piece of dialogue so far:</div>
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<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace;">"I don't know which was worse, being attacked by lions, or finding out my sister was sleeping with my fiance."</span></i></blockquote>
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And re-reading this, I think I may be spending too much time watching TV. </div>
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Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6141383639448060234.post-91843668617822876942015-11-02T06:39:00.000+11:002015-11-02T06:39:20.852+11:00Halloween keenAs <a href="http://www.keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/all-hail-halloween.html">I've mentioned before</a>, I <a href="http://www.keepworkingthroughit.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/words-for-wednesday-halloween-poem.html">love</a> Halloween.<br />
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My formative trick or treating experiences in Los Angeles as a child were fantastic, and the whole thing was just so much fun. So I have been gung ho ever since it looked as if Halloween might take off here.<br />
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It hasn't. It probably won't. Too many people don't like it. It's a bit of a shame, as it's such easy, harmless fun.<br />
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From a good strong start three years ago, Halloween has sputtered out a bit in our suburb; last night I got three trick or treaters and one of those groups was a kid from two streets away who knows I do Halloween and probably headed straight here when she left her house.<br />
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As always, I massively over-catered with a deep casserole ("cauldron") and a fruit bowl full of lollies from which our kids and their friends ended up doing massively well.<br />
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The kids and I had decorated the house and attached balloons and skulls to the fence and lamppost to attract the roaming hoardes... to little avail. </div>
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At one point I saw some kids hesitate at the end of our street, and I almost opened the door and called out to them. Then I remembered that would be weird.</div>
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However, always hopeful, I manned our front door and dipped only occasionally (i.e., quite often) into my overflowing cauldron to munch on jelly eyeballs and Milky Ways.<br />
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My kids were originally meant to meet at a friend's place for trick or treating but the parents had to cancel, so everyone met at our place instead. While I tried not to eat all the good lollies the other three mums walked the streets with our gang of zombies, witches, skeletons, gypsies, grim reaper/Scream ghost and Batgirl.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRlSmzon_RxDq0afWaDVUfRTCbE9t7sUQ_RagDmq0-hJ3tJUQsV_nO8o2K7TX6zU7rVFrfUhlRkSz2WByJmngebZPlOirRIiHqneYg_cGYbeIoo18HLtJJekbhFD53wFJ4byC3uVqOPI/s1600/20151031_180355_22629028585_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxRlSmzon_RxDq0afWaDVUfRTCbE9t7sUQ_RagDmq0-hJ3tJUQsV_nO8o2K7TX6zU7rVFrfUhlRkSz2WByJmngebZPlOirRIiHqneYg_cGYbeIoo18HLtJJekbhFD53wFJ4byC3uVqOPI/s640/20151031_180355_22629028585_o.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
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The kids had a great time roaming the streets and knocking on doors. Most of those doors didn't open, but those that did were (as always) friendly and most had candy or treats.<br />
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Once plastic buckets were full, they all came back to our house. After a big bowl of potato wedges and cold drinks the kids played outside and we mums all sat down with a glass of wine. It was a fantastic evening and if I end up hosting a Halloween party at my place every year, I will be very satisfied.<br />
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Or... maybe I will set up a light show, some dry ice and a Vincent Price soundtrack to attract more trick or treaters?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGt6WMNFHX6DRTfAvQd4KGZHt3J22RkakyO4Q4O3L0hi_o2ZpvNYajw8nGDgOdGdaMKJ3AAn8TKcyGC-HQFmtfIHz5SQHWd6e7bkp4y7h2hM-s0P2DlTpYcVbpiiO0T4L0X28AajfFjo/s1600/Modern+Family+halloween.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGt6WMNFHX6DRTfAvQd4KGZHt3J22RkakyO4Q4O3L0hi_o2ZpvNYajw8nGDgOdGdaMKJ3AAn8TKcyGC-HQFmtfIHz5SQHWd6e7bkp4y7h2hM-s0P2DlTpYcVbpiiO0T4L0X28AajfFjo/s640/Modern+Family+halloween.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">What - too much?</span></td></tr>
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<br />Jackie Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06322613989851869319noreply@blogger.com10