Binnsy's Hovel

Whose big idea was it to whack Trial HSC exams right over my 18th birthday? First cab off the rank tomorrow is two hours worth of English, then Tuesday sees us line up for Religion, then more English on Wednesday. Then, what happens Thursday? Oh, that’s right, I turn 18. Funny… usually I start counting down to my birthday about a month before but this year it’s sort of taken a back seat to study. All of a sudden it’s four days to go. But am I sitting around lazily waiting for the big day to arrive? No, of course not. I’m cramped up at my desk poring over two years worth of study notes trying to stuff all manner of concepts into my strangely non-receptive head. Oh well. I suppose we all have to put our heads to the grindstone at some points during our lives.

John Brogden should be Premier. Who cares if he’s in the wrong party? Why wait till the next election to delay the inevitable. Oh, and while we’re on politics, I was interested to hear of Alexander Downer’s antics at the ASIAN summit. I wonder if he sings karaoke in that fake British accent of his…? And why was he singing karaoke in the first place? Shouldn’t he have been busy talking Japan out of killing thousands of whales a year for ’scientific purposes’?

Seeing as I’m on the animal welfare train of thought, I’m going to go on a rant that I probably should have done some time ago. For a number of years I’ve been a member of a group called Animals Asia. The plight of moon bears in Asia is slowly being eased by this wonderful group of people. I’m fairly charitable to human charities, but when it comes to humans mistreating animals, I get mighty pissed off. These bears have shunts in their livers, draining them of their bile, which is then sold on the black market. I don’t know about anyone else, but I could go out and quite easily murder one of those sick bastards with not so much as a second thought. Unfortunately certain things – such as the law, for example – prevent me from doing so, therefore the next best thing is to be part of an organisation like Animals Asia. This is, I suppose, a bit of a plug, but it’s something I feel very strongly about, and this blog is my place to advocate whatever I like, and what better to advocate than the saving of beautiful moon bears from such terrible mistreatment. Animals Asia also works to stop the killing of dogs and cats for food in Asian restaurants. And you thought Weird Al’s ‘Cat’s in the Kettle’ was funny, right? Well this shit actually happens. That’ll make you think twice before popping out for Chinese, eh? Thankfully Australia is free of the cat and dog trade, but thousands of dogs and cats are slaughtered every month to line the plates of happily unaware restaurant patrons. Another thing that pisses me off.

If you want to find out more about the good work of Animals Asia, visit their web site.

Until next time…

Again, and in spite of the fact that I’ll sound a little like a broken record, I feel like crap. Lastnight was interesting. Abandoned at home because the parentals had to fly up the North coast for a funeral, I spent the night trying very much in vain to get better. I spent about an hour in a eucalyptus-wafting bath and came out looking worse than when I got into it. I then sat downstairs and watched Wag the Dog for about the fifth time in the past few days, trying to glean some more quotes for the English assessment on Friday. After I’d had some rather nice spaghetti for dinner, I sat down and watched 24. This season truly is one of the greatest. Jack Bauer – I love the guy. Really. Then about 11am I retired upstairs, read for about half an hour then flicked off the light. Yeah, rightio. Between midnight and 3am I alternated between trying to sleep, attempting to be amused at the antics of late-night teleshopping personalities and more reading. I think I finally nodded off not long after three.

This morning I had to catch the bus. Hence my alarm was set for around about 6am. It went, I turned it off, and went back to sleep for half an hour. 6:31am, I get up. Remarkably, I was ready at the bus stop at 6:45. I need a medal or something.

The only real reason I went to school today was for a nice and seemingly neverending double period of maths. What fun. Funnily enough, come Period 6, the last of the day, I had Physics, and for a change, I actually understood just about everything that was brought up, discussed and debated. Miracles do happen. Maybe I won’t fail Physics by quite as much as I thought I would.

Apologies for my second bout of introvertedness. It happens with lack of sleep and stress.

Okay, onto something else.

Did anybody happen to see Sunday’s Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking? I must admit I’m a bit of a skeptic when it comes to the BBC rehashing a bunch of old, washed-up fads and launching them back into the mainstream. However, with Doctor Who and now Sherlock Holmes I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Bloody good job, chaps. What’s next?

Until next time…

I feel like shit. The epidemic of flu and cold-like bacteria that have seemed to be hunting down and incapacitating every able-bodied male and female in my social and family circle over the past few months has finally found its prime target: me. Struck down in my prime, with only a week to go before Trial HSC exams. Super.

So here I sit cooped up in my room with the fog of the vaporiser hanging oppressively like a winter’s morning in Melbourne and the whiff of Vaporub oozing slowly from my chest.

On a better note I finally managed to complete my Extension II story – as in, no more to do with Extension II apart from making my Journal look as though it’s been an invaluable tool over the past 8-10 months. But that can be something to keep my occupied when I’m not studying over the next month or so.

What is it about the lead-up to an exam block that seems to suck the fun and enjoyment out of absolutely everything? Usually at this time every year I’m over the moon about how it’s ten days to my birthday, and this year should be even more excited given it’s my 18th birthday. But because of the super-dooper exams starting August 1, it just seems like another day. Never mind. I’m sure come party time on Saturday August 6 (family coming from all over the east coast of Australia to share in the merriment) I’ll be more than ready to have fun. Funnily enough, on my actual birthday, August 4, and the day after, I have no exams, but I’ll be studying my ass off for Maths on Monday. Meh, shit happens, especially in Year 12.

Congratulations to the mighty Lance Armstrong, who just clinched his seventh and final Tour de France. This year was the first year I’ve actually watched the race closely, and actually found it quite exciting. Most of my enthusiasm was drawn from the fact that it was they who were pedalling up the steep mountainsides and not myself, but I was struck by the incredible beauty of the French countryside and SBS’s coverage was absolutely spectacular: quite enough to make me run out and buy the highlights DVD right now. Again, congrats to Lance, not only for winning the most gruelling sporting event in existence, but for being an awesome rolemodel for millions.

Also I might mention a great victory by the Aussies in the first Ashes test, and a few ‘take that’s to the critics of the Australian team after a few embarrassing one-day losses. We’ve once again proven, quite definitively, that we are nearly unbeatable on the test arena (in a 280-odd runs kind of way). Also, another ‘take that’ goes to the critics of Shane Warne, who shared with Glenn McGrath in the high-rolling wicket-snaring. I personally do not give a rats about Warnie’s private life. He’s proven again that he’s a great cricketer – not only with the ball but as a stalwart low-order batsman and in the field. His private life is his business, and if he chooses to stuff up that part of his life, that’s his prerogative. But let the man play his game, for Christ’s sake.

Until next time…

Celebrations abound around these few days to mark the 36th anniversary of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landings. At least half a dozen members of my family have recounted to me those precious and memorable moments when Neil Armstrong jumped off the ladder and made that giant leap for mankind. But alas, my mother was merely 13 in 1969, and I no more than the faintest speck of a twinkle in her eye, so I have no wistful and nostalgic lunar tale to tell. Ho hum.

It makes me think about events that I would love to have seen. Number 1: The lunar landings, 1969. Number 2: The declaration of peace after World War II, 1945. Number 3: Queen live at Wembley Stadium, 1985. Number 4: The first airing of the MASH episode ‘Goodbye, Farewell and Amen’. And Number 5: To have lived in any part of the late 18th and early 19th century in England to leech off the creative Romantic vibe of the era.

In this age of terror and tragedy, it’s healthy to look back at the times when as much as there was chaos politically and sometimes socially, great things were happening in the world.

Today we all trooped off to a careers market at a nearby university. After a prolonged discussion with a bunch of family members this afternoon, I think I’m pretty much convinced that I’m staying where I am for the next few years. Everything I love, need and want is here, and the stress of university will be quite enough without the additional upheaval of moving interstate – I’ve had quite enough moving around already! So thus it is that I hereby decree that I’m staying where I am! I’ll probably be doing an Arts/Communications course next year – a three-four year course depending on what I choose to do afterwards. Fun fun. Now to attack the next few months and the glorious and ever-present HSC. Super.

Until next time…

Well, I’m back. My computer is now gloriously operational again. Odds are I probably won’t update as often as I was earlier this year because of the busy-ness of the next few months, what with trials and HSC and all, but I’ll do my best. First order of business….

I cannot stand political correctness. The concept itself completely and utterly bewilders me, as there is absolutely no need for it at all. If every family and teacher attempts to instill basic human respect, courtesy and dignity, then there’s no need for us to be conscious of everything we say or do, and no necessity for the traditional Australian culture to be impinged upon by P.C. do-gooders. Why this rant? At a state high school in Sydney there have been complaints about a daily prayer that the school has used every day for the past fifty odd years. I agree that we now live in a secular society, but that is no reason to go breaking decent traditions to appease the increasing amount of non-Christians in Australia. If non-Christians don’t want to pray Christian prayers, that’s fine, but let those who are trying to teach their children decent values do their worst (or their best). I am in favour of respecting other cultures and religions, for sure. But the minute we start denying what we hold true, we lose our national identity. Australia was founded by Christians. For the last 250 years we have been predominantly Christian and have tried to instill Christian values. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to take part; but respect those who want to participate.

In other news, the Corby retrial began today. Where before I cared, I now don’t. Pish. Opinions change, I guess. I still think she’s innocent, but the thought of sitting through another four weeks of news reports and updates from Denpasar does not appeal to me in any way whatsoever. Let her off and be done with it.

In my own life, school went back yesterday after a two week hiatus. To be honest I could have done with two extra weeks, but hey. I went into the city a few times and managed to pick up Tomorrow Never Dies on DVD, a nice Guinness mug, Queen’s A Night At The Opera on LP (the BEST Queen album ever recorded) and Robert Harris’s Fatherland. I also managed to head north for a relative’s retirement dinner and caught up with a bunch of people I couldn’t remember and ended up in an exceedingly uncomfortable motel room bed with my mother and stepfather symphonically snoring in the room’s other bed. Super. And as of today, all of the following must be systemically obliterated from existence: Council workers, juniors, geese, physics things, stuck-up people, stupid and naive shop assistants. That should do for now. Believe me, that list will grow.

It’s good to be back. Hope you’re all well, especially my fellow bloggers that I haven’t seen or read for ages!

Until next time…

Well, I won’t jump the gun, but while I’m here at school some guy is at home having a look at my computer. So, all things going well, I may be back to blogging regularly very very soon.

School holidays are now over, and it honestly felt like they were never there to begin with. Every day of last week was filled with studying and working on assessments – much fun. Went up to some random place over the weekend for my aunt’s retirement dinner and caught up with lots of people that I could and on occasion could not remember ever meeting. Anyway, much fun was had and after about 1am most of it is a bit of a blur.

I’m back into reading David Eddings again which I’m pretty stoked about – I haven’t read any of his stuff for about two years and getting back into it was like reuniting with an old friend. For those of you who haven’t read them, I recommend the Belgariad and the Malloreon – his two sets of five books each, in addition to the Rivan Codex which is a collection of all the Holy Texts mentioned in all the books. All very good books, written in decent but clever language, very funny and full of wit and very likeable characters.

Other than that I’ve got Trials coming up in about a fortnight, which I’m kinda pissed about, not only because they’re exams, but because my 18th birthday is smack bang in the middle of them. Meh, shit happens. I don’t have any exams on the day which is good, though.

Anyhoo, I best be off. I’ll post a highly exalted message tonight if my computer is back in operation. If not, there’ll be an eerie silence in cyberspace…

Until next time…

Still not dead! But my computer still is.

I know all you faithful readers are still reading though so I thought I better update…

Should be back by next week.

Until next time…