gather round people.

I GOT AN IPOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell i'm excited??? I got a good deal, got it from parallel imported and i think cos i was wearing a slightly revealing shirt (seriously, only like half a millimetre of cleavage..) I got a discount. Ah the joys of being a girl.

But the fun part was trying to work out how to set it up etc, with the instructions. Sounds simple enough, right. Oh no. They were in Japanese. So computer-illiterate me, I'm sitting there wondering why my USB thingy won't fit into the side of my computer like it shows in the picture. Only after a lot of wrestling with my computer and the end of the thingy, do i realise that the computer in the picture is a laptop. so my thingy doesn't belong in the side, it belongs in the boxey thing on the floor. Right, hurdle one is cleared successfully.

So i insert the disc and nothing happens. I locate the disc drive thingy - this i know how to do - and start it manually, and it whirrs around and nothing happens. "right" i think "you're playing a fun game of hide and seek with me, aren't you?" and it was - i couldn't find it ANYWHERE. then it magically appears when i was about to give up hope. So this is how it's going to be then.

I fill out all the things it asks of me, cos I'm good like that, but then when I have to register it, it says "i'm sorry - something computer techno blah bah can't work right now." so i'm like "this is horrible, awful. it's a sign that i shouldn't have invested. It was that dodgy seller guy he sold me a faulty one, i knew i shouldn't have bought a cheap one. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

I set it up, finally, with funky names. like meh. then erika arrived and saved me from the evil out-to-kill-me japanese intsructions. and now me and my ipod are as one.

so. I saw the gay cowboy movie

Yes. Not knowing what to expect, other than gay cowboys, I went along with Erika to see Brokeback Mountain. Considering the first few minutes of the movie NO-ONE talks, I was starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea.
Also, in the first few scenes, Jake Glynenhall (or however you spell it) leans suggestively on the back of his pick-up... And because every is expecting a gay cowboy movie, we laughed, cos he's like leaning towards Heath Ledger going "ooooo yeah, look at ma sexy body!" heheheh

Note: if you haven't yet seen the movie, but are intending on doing so, avert your eyes. If you're interested but don't wanna pay to see it, I'll give you my run through now.

So yes. Heath and Jake are strangers who show up at a ranch type place looking for work in the summer. And this guy says he needs two fellas up on Brokeback Mountain to look after sheep, or something, and so that's it. Jake and Heath pack up and head on up. Now Heath's your strong, silent type, where as Jake just rambles on and on until someone stops him... and cos there's just the two of them, there is no-one else. So he rambles. just like me.

And they carry on, looking after sheep and stuff, with not much happening. The odd run in with a bear or a deer (oh i rhyme) and that's about it. Then suddenly, one night, at dinner time, they get a little drunk. I mean what else is there to do stuck up on a mountain, right?? Then it's cold. Heath, being the man he is, says that he'll sleep outside by the fire while Jake can sleep in the tent. Jake says it's far too cold, he'll freeze once the fire goes out, but Heath's all "i am man, hear me roar" and stays outside. But during the night, Jake wakes up hearing Heath's teeth chattering cos he's freezing, so he demands that he comes inside. So he does, cos Heath doesn't wanna die. Then, when Jake thinks Heath is asleep, he reaches out for his arm and drapes it across his chest, so they're spooning. Then Heath, in his drunkeness, wakes up and is like "huh?" but Jake knows what he wants and they go for it. At this stage I turn to Erika and say "Cos you just crack into it, just like that!" and she's like "Would you just be like, 'yeah, sure.. ok' ??" And they have sex, quite violently actually. And cos I read Womens' Day i know that they actually hurt each other filming that.

Then, the boys are slightly confused, claim that neither of them are gay, but they keep doing it. They wrestle and kiss and cuddle and stuff. Then they come down from Brokeback, go their seperate ways, get married and have kids, but continue to meet up for "fishing weekends" every month. But as Heath's wife so astutely pointed out, "you never bring any fish home, and you know how much me and the girls like fish." In the end, Heath gets divorced but doesn't wanna shack up with Jake, who thought Heath's divorce was his chance to leave his wife and lie with Heath up in the mountains. But Heath says no, and Jake's upset and says "this is one son of a bitch of an unsatisfactory situation" and then somethig really cute, but in a hick accent. "I wish I knew how to quit you." It was cute.
In the end, Heath finds out that Jake was killed. The story was that he was changing a tyre and it blew up in his face, but Heath knows it's cos he was gay. (this relates back to something earlier in the movie.)
And Heath lives alone for the rest of ever with a bloody shirt of Jake's.


Right. I think it was good, better than just good but not super good. I mean, good, but I don't see why it's winning awards and stuff, other than for the fact it had the guts to tackle something no other mainstream movie ever has - homosexual men. And the acting was good. But I have two things to moan about.

1) There's no real emotional connection shown before they just launch into it. I mean, two guys who claim to have no real interest in other blokes before... you'd think there'd have to be some sort of connection before they felt comfortable with that. As my friend said "a guy and a girl would bang each other without emotional connection because it happens all the time, but a guy and a guy wouldn't just go for it." so yeah. But maybe that's the hopeless romantic in me crying out for attention - I wanted some gushy emo! I cried though, when Jake died...

2) They never said they loved each other. Is this a manly thing? I know that Jake loved Heath but Heath never looked as into it as Jake was. Saying that, it wasn't a one way street. I mean, you pretty much knew Heath loved Jake with how he reacted when he knew Jake was dead. That's when I cried. But yeah... I just wanted to know if a man saying he loves another man was just too much. I mean, sure, anal sex, that's fine, but love... No way. That's just not possible.


but yeah. i liked it. something i don't think my dad would like, but something I think he should see cos it'll open up his views on that type of thing.

Being a cricketer, I can't escape homosexuality. It's everywhere I turn, and I have no problem with that. While it's not something I'd be keen on, I have no issues with other people. I mean I'm hardly in the position to object to it, am i? There are four girls in my indoor team who "swing the other way" and to be honest, I couldn't care less. It doesn't change them in any way and I think the world of them all.
And one of the funniest guys I knew at school was gay, and the best thing was he was comfortable with it. And it was awesome being able to talk about hot guys with him. He was class. Yay for Josh!

As Carson would say "Cheers for the Queers!!!!"

I'm back

And i bet you're all thrilled.

Totally.

Anyways, I had a whole heap of stuff to say but now I don't remember what it was.

No morw Woolies, and I couldn't be happier. According to Graham, the place is falling apart without me. Yes.... that was the plan all along. HEHEHEHHE.

Only a month til U2.... very exciting. I'm pumped. And $130 bucks less off, but i think it'll be well worth double that. But i hope tall people don't stand infront of me, then I'll be screwed.

My friend Stacey is going to Korea today.... Darn it. We were gonna buddies, cos she failed stats too, and we'd do it again together and dominate. I'll wait for you Shamu!!!! We love you!

Yeah. I'm like the worst person in the world for cell phones. Firstly my vodafone one claps out, and yeah, then I change, reluctantly i may add, to telecom, and now that one doesn't work, so i'm stuck with a crap loan phone for 5-10 working days while they attempt to fix it. I don't like telecom. It smells, and it's not cheaper, really. Not at all. :(

I'm cricketless at the moment and it's driving me crazy... but after being sick I'd thrown any hope for outdoor (I reckon I could've made the development team this year.... as a bowler!! who'd believe that??!!!) out the window and now i'm focussing on indoor, but I don't know if I'll be well enough to hack it all, lots and lots of training, in the hope of making the Northern team and then at least attempt the NZ side. I wanna go to England!!!!

Oh well, at least there'll be a contiki either way :)

December already

yep. and the end of the year has got me thinking how much I've wasted what I thought would be the best year of my life. But I'm not angry about that. Because now I know HOW to waste a year, I'll know how NOT to waste a year. Next year, onwards and upwards. Erika and I are gonna take indoor cricket by storm! And i mean it; I'm going to England in 2007 and it's not going to be just to sit on the bench. I've been there and done that, thank you Mark Cini.

But yeah, December brings Christmas. And I love it. Even more so since the twins were born. I can remember their first xmas, and our uncle bought them those little ride-on plastic fire engines, or ambulance, or whatever they were. They didn't care, all they wanted to do was sit the boxes. I've got this cute photo of each of them sitting in boxes and Matt and Andrew pushing them around the room, and they're giggling away. More fun than the plastic fire engine Poppa! Christmas is truly magical to kids, and that's why i reckon it's so cool.

But this year, the traditional family Christmas will be different. For one, my dumbass brother "forgot" to book tickets home from Dunedin early enough and now does not have enough cash to get a $400 ticket home. Silly. So my brother won't be around. No traditional Dawson backyard cricket on Xmas morning. Oh well, guess that means by default, I retain the Test Match Championship of the World. Hey, winning by default will probably be harder than ACTUALLY winning against Andrew.

But also, they'll be no "Dawson/Fairbrother" afternoon dinner at the Fairbrother house, where the boys can swim and play in the park and join us in some more cricket. But this year, it's not going to happen. I wonder if my aunt thought about the disappointment her grandsons and nephews will have not being able to share their toys together. I wonder if she thought about that over the past 18months she's been banging some random while my uncle was working. One would think not. The mention of the word "sue" tells me that she was only thinking of herself, what part of my uncle's hard earned millions she'd take. (my uncle owns a machinery producing company thing.... i don't know, he makes post-drivers.... and he's expanded to the US and he's worth heaps.)

So yeah. I think it's just going to be me, mummy, daddy and Nana this Dec. 25. And maybe Erika. No twins. No cousins. Weird. I'll have no-one to beat at cricket.

Cos really, that's what it's all about. :P

I forgot something off the list of hate.

Yes, hate. A very strong word. I don't hate much but I tell you what I hate.

The word "tits".


It is the most vulgar terminology ever. I mean, I'm saying everyone should walk around calling them breasts, but tits is definately the most horrible word in history.

Everyone who ever uses it should get an arrow through their head.

Die all of you.

The Llama song.

I totally implore you to go here. http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/llama.php

Do it.

Do it.

Do it.

Do it.



Vickie, do it.

It takes a while to download if you're dial up, but well worth it.

Now, to lighten the mood. Things I like/enjoy unrivalled by all except what joins them on this list.

westlife. Especially Shane. And I say that with no shame whatsoever. Pixie Caramels. Franglais. The fabulous four, well the other three members of the fabulous four. Family Guy. Going for a lesiurely drive in the rain. Fozzie, watching her have psychos. Funny. Chocolate milk. Watching Kevo sing/dance to Pussycat Dolls. Cricket, in almost all forms.

Erika. Ballads; big, soppy, girly, played-on-love-songs-'til-midnight-with-gael ballads. Simpsons...They'll never grow old. Chicken. Getting paid. Making blow off valve sounds when I change gears. Ben and Josh. (In fact all my little cousins. Not the older ones. They should've been on the last post.) Funny TV ads, like the Gravox ad, and the new ones with giant walking fruit. Music.

My teammates. Doing "Cosmo" quizes that are supposedly going to make me a better "new age female". Laughing at teenage girls who can so easily be put in a category like I don't like people doing, but you can spot them REALLY easily. Billy Joel. An ice-cold Coke back at the club after a win. Cycling. Christmas. My friends, if just work-mates or people I've known since I thought I was Fireman Sam. Scoring hundreds.

Get Over It. ("KEEP ICING YOUR FRONT BUM!!!!") Scrubs. Cookie time. Holdens. The Muppets. Holidays. Funny lecturers. Rire avec ma soeur. Richie McCaw. Making fun of JoJo and Hillary Duff. Out-witting people. Riding on grannymobiles. My family. Singing obnoxiously loud all the time, no matter who is present or what the occasion may be. Magna Doodles. Yeah, that's a good one. Puns. Pulp Sport. When Kiwi sportspeople do really cool things, like winning world cups and gold medals. When the All Blacks win and there's lots of pictures of Richie in the paper the next day!


Put me in a room with a Magna Doodle and I wouldn't come out for days. And only then it would be to pee.

Things I have a gross dislike for.

Wind. Periods. Vijay. Boys who don't keep their word. Girls who don't keep their word. Arrogance. Bitchiness. Injuries. Maths. Sarah Pearson. Kumara. Avril Lavinge. Not having enough money to buy important people xmas presents.

People the say 'somefink'. Bushpig. Dean Flyger. Annoying customers. People who have odour problems. People who have odour problems without knowing they have odour problems. ricky Martin. Scott Styris. Missing "Family Guy". Headaches. When the internet won't work when you want it too.

Being lonely. Woolies uniforms. People who think they know me but they really don't. Whether that's if they think i'm a good person or a bad person, they're probably wrong either way. Ducks. Ducks are for losers. (Not ducks "i swim and go quack" ducks. Cricket ducks.) Exams. People who are from a different country who use that as an excuse for something after they've been here forever. Bad drivers - therefore pretty much everyone in central Auckland.

Being confused. Rain on a Saturday in the summer time. Early mornings. Alcohol. Drugs. Smoking, that's a big one. Science. Being lost, or the feeling you've lost either your keys, wallet or cell phone. Shopping queues. Boring books. Not being.... how can i say this.... attractive. hmmm. Linkin Park.

Letting people down. Being mean. Not having an explanation for something. Missing someone's birthday. Classical music. Not playing as well as you know you could. Grrr. That one pisses me off.

And people judging other's purely by dress sense, looks or rumours. Just because I'm not skinny and blonde doesn't mean that I'm not a decent person. But all through college that's what people are made to believe. Isn't that weird?
That's what I ahte the most, not being given a chance to prove yourself. In anything.