Quindom

The Question Game

Let's all get to know each other a little better. Below is a list of random questions from yours truly (I've also graciously answered myself). Please copy and paste the questions in your post, but erase my answers and replace them with yours. We'll all be BFF in no time. This is going to be SO fun!

1. When you were born, how much did you weigh?
8 lbs. 12 oz. I was 3 weeks late. Sorry mom.

2. What's you're sugar poison?
dark chocolate. Mmm. So good!

3. If you had to choose between meat and cheese for the rest of your life, which would you choose? Then be specific.
Cheese hands down. Specifically, Gouda, jarlsberg, mozzarella and parmigiano. Cheese rocks!

4. What, is your opinion, is the worst song ever?
Hmmm... that's hard... let me think about it.... hmmm.... at the top of my mind, "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias

5. Who was your favorite teacher growing up and why?
Ms. Stevens from 12th grade math. She was way cool in teaching a seemingly dull subject(for me). Math was never boring because of her plus I learned A LOT because of her lessons. I was never anxious to recite in her class and she was a very engaging teacher...

6. What personal activity, when performed in public, bothers you the most?
I hate it when people clip their nails in public. Grossest thing ever.

7. Ok, there's a $50 bill lying on the ground. You pick it up. Dumbfounded by your incredible luck, what do  you selfishly purchase?
A guitar strap, a CD and a DVD.

8. Do you have a recurring nightmare? If so, explain.
I have a dream where I wake up from my bed and as I try to stand up, the bed suddenly increases in height until its as tall as a skyscraper and I'm suddenly blown away because of the wind at such a high altitude. I know. Weird.

9.Name one place on Earth you've never been, but vow to visit at least once.
There's too many to mention but at the top of my list is Iceland(a snowball fight with Bjork would be hilarious! Cool, Weird Ice Bitch). How do they do it, and with such a thriving music scene? Tokyo and Havana as a close second and third, respectively.

10. You notice that question #9 wasn't really a question. You feel smart for catching such a small detail. What else can you do really well that reminds you how smart you are?
I can name the capitals of different countries without batting an eyelash(I always read atlas as a kid and I would memorize the capitals of different countries). Oh, and I can argue people to death about circular logic and distracting tangents. Geek! Hehe...

Your turn!
Q

No spell checker

Aoccridng to a rscheearch at Cmabridge Uinervtisy it deosn't mttaer in waht odrer the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny imrpotnat thnig is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rihgt palce. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it withuot porblem. Tihs is becuase the huamn mnid does not raed evrey ltteer by istelf, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Or rather...

According to a research at Cambridge University it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be at the right place. The rest can be total mess and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.

Here's where I found it

What's wrong pussy cat?

So there I was on a Thursday night, curled up on the comfy brown leather couch at my lovely hovel - a house bereft of laboriously lazy lepers(aka flatmates) - when a small black and white cat came silently padding into the room and started talking to me.

No, it wasn't an acid flashback; when I say "talking", I mean the cat started making noises at me. In cat language. mostly meows and all that sort of stuff, which absolutely makes no sense to us humans, but probably is some form of complex and superior language. I imagined the cat striding into the room, saw me relaxing on the couch and said, "Ah, puny human. I am Zanthor, your new ruler and feline master. I will jump on the couch and demand attention, and your role as a pathetic human being is lavish said attention upon me. I would like some food or perhaps some patting - I haven't quite made my mind up yet about it, pathetic human."

At which point the small black-and-white cat  jumped on the couch and immediately began pushing its head up against my hand, purring, and dong all those other sort of catty things, like sinking its ludicrously-sharp claws into my leg. And silly little I, being a pathetic human who happens to like animals of all sorts(except Chihuahuas - what the friggin' hell is going on there, people?), started patting the cuddly little cat, disregarding the fact that ten little needles of pain were shooting up my thigh.

I can't help it. If a completely strange cat came waltzing into the room, most sane people would probably do that human-trying-to-scare-the-cat-away thing - you know, where they stretch out their arms really wide and walk towards the cat whilst opening their mouth wide and either hissing or yelling "go! GO!" at the poor cat. I don't know why people feel the need to try to scare away a cat by acting like an even bigger cat - why don't you just pick the pussy up and toss it out in the window?

I however, have a little history with "adopted pets" and cats in general. It all started back - cue shimmering dissolve and harp stroking music - in 2003 when I was living together with my brother. It was a hot summer night, and I was slaving on some university project on my computer when a gray Siamese cat jumped in through the windows, smack bang onto the keyboard.

And then the cat, whose name (according to his name tag) was "Rastas" (?) started meowing at me. And didn't bloody well stop for the next three months.

Rastas was a cool cat though - he'd hop around every evening at a certain time, ask for a pat and a bit of milk, would then meander off into the night. He was the ultimate in low-maintenance pets, although he wasn't on the brightest side. When the weather started cooling down, my bedroom windows would be shut at night. Every now and then, at 2 am in the morning. I'd hear a "doonk", followed closely by a second(or sometimes third) "doonk" a dew seconds afterwards. poor Rastas had made a habit of through my bedroom windows, and subsequently jumped right into the the glass more than a few times.

All that brain impact must've eventually scared him or something, as he disappeared a few months later. It was a sad time, but a week later another cat started paying regular visits to us at nighttime. This orange-and-white tabby had no name tag on it so we gave it the nickname "Silent Bob" - because it never made a sound. Not one meow.

So when the black-and-white cat came into the lounge-room a few nights ago, I thought "Yay! I have a new adopted pet!" and immediately ran into the kitchen to pour a little bowl of milk. I wanted to convince our new adopted pet that he/she was welcome here anytime, and that if it came strolling into our house, it'd get rewarded with some wine, women or song. Or perhaps just milk.

One of my flatmates, Missy,  came home half an hour later whilst the cat was padding around the living room sniffing the TV and clawing the rug. Upon seeing the cat, she immediately dropped her bags, stretched her arms out wide and started hissing at the cat, yelling "go! GO!"

I assume she doesn't approve of the adopted pet. Major bummer, dude.

Q & A

I stole this from Dan and from Mighty.

First Name:
Quin

Were you named after anyone?
Not that I recall...

Do you wish on stars?
Yes, sometimes.

When did you last cry?
I was seriously bawling like a little girl last January 31, about 9 pm...

Do you like your handwriting?
Yes, very much

What is your favorite lunch meat?
beef

What is your most embarrassing CD?
N*sync's "No Strings Attached" album. Ick.

Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell?
Yes

Do looks matter?
Yes

How do you release anger?
Exercise, karate, music, video games

Where is your second home?
Auckland, New Zealand

Do you trust others easily?
Yes, and I can sometimes be TOO trusting of people...

What was your favorite toy as a child?
Didn't really have a lot of toys as a kid(I was outside a lot) but I really liked Legos

Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Sometimes

Favorite movies?
Gosh, there's a lot but at the top of my mind: You Can Count on Me, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Rushmore, Shawshank Redemption, Chopper, Old School, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, The Wedding Singer, Almost Famous, etc.

What are your nicknames?
Quin; Q

Would you bungee jump?
I already did in NZ and I would do it again in a heartbeat

Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
Yes

Do you think you are strong?
Yes

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate with almonds and fudge brownies

What are your favorite colors?
Green and Black

What are you listening to right now?
In Time by Zero 7

Last thing you ate?
sushi

If you were a crayon what color would you be?
Green

What is the weather like right now?
According to Wunderground, it's currently 17'C and it's partly cloudy...

Last person you talked to on the phone?
My brother

Do you like the person who sent this to you?
I actually stole it from these guys: Dan and Mighty.
They seem like really cool guys.

How are you today?
Very nice, thank you.

Favorite drink?
Orange juice with pulp, beer, vodka

Favorite Sport?
Rugby and tennis

Hair color?
Dark Brown

Eye Color?
Brown

Do you wear contacts?
Sometimes

Favorite Food?
Japanese and Italian. Oh, and my mom's got some serious chef skills...

Last movie you watched?
Amores Perros

Favorite Day of the Year?
First Day of Spring

Scary Movies or Happy Endings?
Happy Endings

Hugs or Kisses?
Hugs. Can I say both?

What is your favorite dessert?
Ice cream and cheesecake

What book(s) are you reading?
Life of Pi by Yann Martel and The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff

Living arrangements?
Townhouse with two flatmates

What is on your mousepad?
No mousepad

What did you watch last night on TV?
No TV, just Amorres Perros.

Favorite Smells?
Freshly-cut grass, lemon, vanilla, guys, new-car smell, cinnamon

Rolling Stones or Beatles?
Beatles!

Do you believe in Creationism or Evolution?
Both

Ok that's it for now. Gonna crawl into bed now.

Peace and Love to all,
Quin

I'm such a big dork

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys, class started last Monday! All the student orientations happened last week - *yawn*. For those who don't know, I'm currently studying Engineering Management in the University of Melbourne. The first and second years were full of Mathematics, Physical Science and Engineering Science while years three and four(which is where I am right now) include Professional and Engineering Sciences, Business subjects and electives. But enough of this crap.

Let's talk about what happened to me today.

This morning, as I was getting my cappuccino and bagel, I was dumbstruck by the beautiful man on the couch reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Now, Mr. Sexy Reader was definitely my type: tall, athletic build(yum) AND wears glasses(as I do; I've always had a thing for guys with glasses). His hair was a bit disheveled but it was cute and he was wearing a striped oxford shirt, jeans and flip-flops. I sat near him, ostensibly reading my textbook, just to get a glimpse of him(enter theme music from Psycho here). After about fifteen minutes, he left, *sigh*.

Gosh, he's sexy. Just thinking about him gives me a boner.
Hopefully, I can stalk him again tomorrow. God, I'm such a big dork.

Gee, your hair looks terrific

People often say to me, "Quin, how is it that you keep your hair looking so fresh and so clean?" And I say to them, " It's not clean and fresh you silly twat, it's messy as all hell, you're just getting me confused with that dude from the shampoo ad," and then they reply, "Shit, so I was, I must be an idiot," and I say, "You got that right sport." And then it ends up with both of us having another conversation about something completely unrelated.

But I digress. Soap is dead. Long live shower gel. I came to this conclusion two years ago while holidaying at my dad's. My step mom had no soap whatsoever in the shower - instead, the shelf was full with a rich array of shower gels, all the colours of the rainbow( and all the scents that crazy white-coated scientists can concoct in between working out new ways to blow us all up). I was awakened to the possibilities of shower gels then, and now I consider myself a shower-geller(not a real word, btw). I stopped using soap and embraced the bubbly world of shower gels.

I mean lets face the facts - soap is shit. Sure, you can get your gourmet soaps, and the really nice ones with coconut embedded in them(I'm still partial to the occasional tryst with gourmet soap), but the majority of household soap is a big hunk of brittle, slippery rock that cleans little and smells like crayon. I prefer to step out of the shower in a burst wave of new scent, ready to face the day. Do you think I'm strange?

Test ver.1

According to Channel 4's Gay-o-meter:

Quin is 26% percent gay

You might act straight, but I bet your mother always knew you'd grow up to be a gay guy!

The Weekend Roundup

• So as of this moment, I'm watching the Oscars - *yawn* - Oh! Cate Blanchett won! Clive Owen is hot! Hilary Swank won! Kate Winslet is beautiful, as always... the Aviator's winning a lot! And what's up with the 3, count them THREE Beyonce performances! Can you say overexposed?! Eternal Sunshine won for Best Original Screenplay!(",)
• So Sunday afternoon me and my friend Missy were doing our weekly grocery shopping when we suddenly saw her ex TOGETHER with her other ex... damn! They were seriously getting it on on the cereal aisle. Of course, we hid behind the Corn Flakes cereal boxes... Bummer for Missy. I guess she's officially the gay starter-kit.
• I've spent all weekend dancing and listening to really bad music, and my feet are still on fire.
• "I love you" is so much better than "You were a good fuck."

Mal-supremacy

He gripped it firmly, but not too tightly, one hand beneath the other. It was not his first time but he had not done this in a long time. Yet that familiar surge of power coursed through him once again. With the slightest glimmer in his eye, he stroke the shaft with his forefinger, lovingly, before squeezing, gradually applying more and more pressure, until... CRACK! the explosion reverberated in his ears and he was satisfied.

This all happened a fortnight ago...

Target shooting is fun, y'all.

I have nothing new to post

So I'll just post these random quotes I've collected:

"The way I see it, the world is divided into those who go after what they want and those who don't. The passionate ones, the ones who go after what they want, may not get what they want, but remain vital, in touch with themselves, and when they lie on their deathbeds, they have no regrets. The ones who don't go after what they want... well, who gives a shit about them anyway."

- from "Being John Malkovich" by Charlie Kaufman

"My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."

- Ayn Rand

"I don't cut or burn myself, but until a month ago I smoked cigarettes. I've dated people who weren't right for me and stayed up until 2 a.m. when I had something important to do the next day. We all choose small ways of being masochistic: things that, for whatever reason, feel good but are simultaneously painful.

- Maggie Gyllenhaal

"You know that point in your life when you realize that the house you grew up in isn't really your home anymore? That idea of home is gone. Maybe that's all family really is - a group of people who miss the same imaginary place."

- from the movie "Garden State"

"Human existence is a kind of a painful progress, longing for what we've left behind and dreaming ahead..."

-Harper played by Mary-Louise Parker in "Angels in America"

"Do one thing that scares you everyday."

- director Baz Lurhman

"We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us."

- Charles Bukowski

"There is nothing more fearful than ignorance in action"

- Goethe

"The opposite of love is not hate: it is indifference."

- Anonymous

"Happy is just a concept I try to not but into- it justs gets me in trouble..."

- from one of my favorite shows, Six Feet Under

"I do not wish to treat friendships daintily, but with the roughest of courage. When they are real, they are not glass threads or frost-work, but the solidest thing we know."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Links

• Finally, a blog for font cheapskates!
• I pity the fools who still use Microsoft's crappy Internet Explorer!  Use Firefox instead...  Mozilla  recently released a beta version of Firefox 1.0.1.  Download it. Now.
• I'm such a Geography geek! I go to this site everytime I'm online...
• The Google Cheat Sheet
• Having a hard time deciding the font color you want on your blog? Just go to Color Blender...

Evolution

I have recently striven to understand man.

I have come to plot out an evolution of the species, over my own personal evolution, as the teenager extinguishes and the seemingly primordial whimper of the infant fades into obscurity and my organism occupies its 20th year in its living and breathing existence. Since I left home, I have progressively come to understand, to accept even my own mortality. The passing away of my grandmother when I was twelve, the ice-cold kiss on the marble-esque forehead before she was returned to earth seemed easy to brush away, as one does falling tears, restoring a respectable brow -  but no, such moments linger, disturb one's sleep, contort the reality thought as sound and understood and definitive.

Accepting the similar fate, it has pushed me to think of love. It is a romantic ideal, one I still don't completely adhere to, that love is a beautiful channel through which to discover oneself. I have always supported the self-sufficiency model that I will direct my own inner voyage and will depend on no one's compass or maps or trade winds.

I still believe this is valid but I ask myself on occasion, whether this belief is sustained more by the possibility of being alone through life and having no other choice or by a truly-founded conviction. The idea of mutual discovery is becoming more and more appealing. I remain skeptical, only because I suspect this could be the beginning of a common mania that, at its apotheosis, sees people marrying or coupling with ANYONE at around 30-35 just so as not to be alone. However, in principle, the idea that, through love, you discover yourself by metaphor, by parable, by proxy, in exploring the inner life of another person and relating that back to yourself and coming to mutually understand yourselves through the inner language of the other strikes me as sublimely beautiful and dynamic.

I am a child throwing a roped bucket into the deep currents of the lazy river. With each return of the bucket, through weeds, water-life and dirt, the murky, foreign under-life, I understand more of what is inside of me.

I guess you could say that I am hungry , that I am ripe, that I am ready to  open my eyes and behold what man is.

Man, from my earliest childhood proto-erotic fantasies, has undergone as evolution of sorts to what I consider now to be the object of my affection.

Man has, therefore, emerged from the mud infantile distinguishing, the love of the masculine principle - the pure, unadulterated essence, like the descending races in the Old Testament, to occupy the a few simple types - the athlete, the androgen, the pervert, the beast, the adulterer, the poet, et al. The splintering and dissonance continues into adolescence. Preferences come with hormones. Fetishes, textures, colours, smells, etc. All become subject to inexplicable discrimination. A pattern emerges that heads toward infinity: to know man. The types will split and disseminate and enlightenment will come when the erotic centre ceases to cling the hallowed generalizations and myths that are whispered out of the grave of infancy.

I continue to love men according to type and prejudice.

At the beach

My friend Chris, my little cousin and me...

Hello Pegman

Amusingly, when I got to the gym, got ready and said "Good morning" to Andrew, the cute personal trainer who's been seriously flirting with me these past couple of days, I received a "Hello Pegman" in reply. I was momentarily confused by this - as anyone would be - until Andrew explained that I had a peg hanging off my back... which I did.

This is when it occured to me that I'd walked 40 minutes from my apartment to the gym this morning along a busy road, with my headphones on, bag slung over my shoulder, and a single wooden peg hanging off my shirt.

God, I must have looked so cool.

Playlist:

Doves- Black and White Town
Jeff Buckley - Lilac Wine
Editors - Bullets
Hot Hot Heat - Goodnight Goodnight
Scissor Sisters - Filthy and Gorgeous
Snow Patrol - How to be Dead
Bloc Party - Banquet
the Shins - Pink Bullets
Irene Kral - Gentle Rain
New Pornographers - The Laws Have Changed
the Walkmen - Thinking of a Dream
Estelle - 1980

My stomach is all yucky! Help!

Erm, well not really that bad, but today is Bren's birthday so we had cake. The birthday boy chose the most lethal chocolate cake in the history of mankind - mudcake with a 3-4 cm thick coating of fudge, topped of with hazelnut and toffee. Subsequently,  my piece of the cake is now sitting in my stomach like a large fuzzy rock. It's all good though -  in about 20 minutes the sugar rush will hit us and we'll all start running around the apartment, kicking in walls and shit.

I'm using Missy's computer to tyoe this at the mo - my precious laptop's broken due to water spillage(ok, it was beer) and so there's no chance that I can use it. Gonna go to some bar tonight...

Tally ho!