May 2008 Archives

After yesterday's sorry excuse for a weblog entry, I thought I'd post something a bit more personal and I guess something a little less motherly. Good news is that I am slowly getting better. Not fully better but I'm getting there. Last night I decided to give up and grab some medicine from the pharmacy. I got something that is supposed to make you sleep at night but it didn't. I finally went to sleep because I had to, not because the medicine made me. But I did sleep pretty well for feeling like absolute shit.

It's funny that I had a message in my MySpace basically telling me that I need to stop treating people like shit. And this was from someone I don't know. I know, I appreciate my friend's friends reading this, but I don't intentionally treat people like shit. I am not going to write anymore about this because I'm sure someone's feelings are going to get hurt. But the saddest thing is that it's reality. So I thank you for reading, but know that I am not out to get even with anybody.

I've been listening to this album lately:

"Bring Ya to the Brink" (Cyndi Lauper)

And I also have to say that it's pretty good. Yeah, I've downloaded three songs from the album though I've bought the full album. I need to download the rest. I've had such a crush on Cyndi Lauper since I was a kid. I liked her because she's different and her voice is unique. Of the three songs I've downloaded, I've loved each one. I downloaded "Echo", "Same Ol' Story", and "Rain on Me". My favorite is "Echo" though as I said, I like them all. It's beautiful stuff.

Speaking of Cyndi Lauper, I just had a look at the True Colors Tour and I wish I could go but I seriously doubt I'll be back by the 21st of June. (For the one in Houston.) I saw Regina Spektor is going to be there and I would give my right arm for the privilege to go. I love both Cyndi and Regina.

Well that's it. It's time for me to sit back and try to get some rest. Bye for now. Oh, and here's a picture I found at Cyndi's homepage:

Ewww yuck. I'm still sick. Not even a little better. In fact, I sneezed about 18 times in a row... no, I did sneeze 18 times in a row... really. I slept from about 9 pm until 11 am this morning and I don't have any medicine because a nameless Chinese guy (who's name is very likely to be Gilbert) didn't pick up medicine like I asked him to. I'm trying NOT to go to the doctor. I probably should, but I don't want them to put me on any antibiotics. Doctors are crazy about putting people on antibiotics for anything. You could go in with a cold and they'd give it to you. Then of course, I'd get one to the doctors who say, "Oh you have the flu. Get rest and drink plenty of fluids. That will be $90, thank you." So why bother?

If it doesn't get better on Monday, I'll have no choice but to go to the doctor. I can't go to "work" with the flu unless I want a few people to die in my care.

So what am I saying? Don't go to the doctor and say that you need antibiotics. Why? Because if you grow an immunity to them and you REALLY get screwed, then you're mega screwed. Then of course, you'll have to buy more antibiotics which costs you more money, then you gain resistance to that and the chain keeps going on. Go to the doctor and let him or her figure out what's wrong with you. That IS their job, right? And if you don't trust your doctor to do the right thing, something's seriously wrong.

And while I'm at it, if you do get prescribed antibiotics, take them until they're gone. That's going to make sure that all the bad bacteria in your body is dead. If there is just a little bit left, they'll gain resistance from what you just took. And Jesus, don't share your medications with other people. You're doing a lot more harm than good. Especially when you've already taken a few... you're not only screwing yourself, but your friend too and... um, that's the bad kind of screw.

Too many times I've had my friends asking for antibiotics. I don't take other people's and I don't give mine away.

So if you didn't learn anything from this, then that's your fault. Or maybe it's mine because I guess I'm not that good of a teacher. But I tried. I think you get the underlying message though.

Oh when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they did. I'm not sure if I told you that I got a busted lip from the dog jumping in my lap or not, but yeah. My lip is busted and I feel like I have the flu. But is it the flu? I am not sure. I usually get a flu shot and I should have gotten one this year but yeah, I didn't. So here I am, the night before an exam sitting here wishing I had some kind of slave to make me lemon and honey. You know, like one of the Chinese miracle cure-for-alls?

Having said this, I will probably attempt to go to sleep only to wake up in the morning and go to class to take my last exam for the course. I won't be done yet for another few weeks. I get to go work at the hospital for two weeks for no pay again.

I thought it would be a great time to update you all on how I am doing, health-wise. As we all know, I have made it a goal to:

a. Eat healthier
b. Lose fat to gain muscle tone
c. Gain more stamina to say I've done 1,000 Steps
d. Look sexier and/or irresistible

This is my progress courtesy of Wii Fit (Amazon Link). It doesn't really give you a good impression of where I've been or how much I have lost really but I'll put that into a table or two at some later date when I am less lazy. (I can't be too lazy because I'm about to lift heavy iron and probably injure something.) These results are from today/yesterday. Not much has changed from one day to another. I was always told that you shouldn't weigh yourself everyday, but oh well.

OK, so yes, it says I weigh 70.6 kg now. For those who are clueless what that means, let me teach you a little something. If you multiply that by 2.2, you'll get my weight in pounds which is 155 pounds.

There are a few points you must remember. I came to Australia weighing roughly the same. At a point a few months ago, I weighed about 75 kg/165 pds if not more. For those who are interested, my goal weight is 68 kg/150 pds which means that I must lose about 2.3 kg/5 pounds to meet my goal. (It's actually a little less than 68 kg/150 pds because I set my goal to be a BMI instead.

What is BMI? It's your Body Mass Index. It's basically a weight-to-height ratio, calculated by dividing one's weight in kilograms by the square of one's height in meters and used as an indicator of obesity and underweight. So, to be super-advanced nerdy:

The ideal range is from 18.5 to 25. A BMI that is over 25 is considered to be overweight. If it is over 30, then it's considered to be obese and if it's over 40, then the person is considered morbidly obese. And here is mine:

Anyway, enough of that. I'm having a lot of fun with Wii Fit and spent over 45 minutes exercising today with it. It keeps me motivated which is pretty cool. My point I am trying to prove is that it doesn't take a lot of money to make a healthier choice, in fact, the stuff that I do with the Wii, I could have done on my own easily.

But that's how it is going! I'm making progress but the damned thing told me today that I'm not going to meet my goal in 2 weeks. That was today so I had to adjust it. My new BMI goal is 20.99 so I guess the picture that says "Goal" on it isn't right and the information I gave you above might be a little off.

So that is the update for now. And before I go, I'll recommend that you drop drinking any carbonated beverages immediately. Don't drink anymore and you'll start losing weight. Especially if you're used to drinking 1-2 bottles of it a day. 240 calories adds up. FAST! Stop and I guarantee in about a few weeks you'll feel better. (You'll be pissed about a week after because of the caffeine withdrawal. You'll want to kill me for that, but that's how they hook you. It's like cigarettes but not as bad for you.)

This podcast was done in two parts. I devoted the second part to answer Nick Thomas's questions. :

• Brandi's engagement to her boyfriend. Congratulations!
• Mind rambling about my relationship, visa stuff, wanting to be single.
• Behind on podcasts guys but I'll catch up.
• Busy week ahead with school but way too busy being a WoW nerd.
• Money and material possessions ≠ happiness.
• Nick Thomas (nickthomas.org) has asked me some questions that I'll answer in Part II.

• Answering Nick's podcast #242 such as:
  • Accents & keeping my identity
  • Why I stay in Australia in a hopeless situation
  • Sex life regarding my partner and lack thereof
  • Why I can't associate sex with love anymore and why I hate "making love"
  • Chronic masturbation habits
  • Again, why I'm here
  • My thoughts on monogamy
  • Why I don't say what I want to (emotion-wise)
  • Why I want to lose weight/gain muscle tone/etc, health talk
  • Hope you liked my dog's irritating dog barks. :)
• I am subscribed to you, Nick.
• Other misc stuff Nick said.
• Getting fed up with asians because of the bf... leaving a horrible taste in my mouth. (And I did not mean this as being mean or racist! I didn't word it right.)
• MySpace jealousy and jealousy over other couples
• Flying home at Christmas is going to be a f***ing nightmare.
• How to pronounce idiologic & idiopod (like idiosyncratic)
• Go to idiologic.com or idiopod.com for the latest news in weblog form.

So, okay, I didn't do #23 the day I finished #22. I wanted to space them out a little bit. This is a pretty lengthy one of around 40 minutes.

I also want to say thank you for the ones who listen and the new listeners! I appreciate it! (And thank you Mark!)

Want to have a listen? Then subscribe here.

Or alternatively listen here:

idioPod 23: Sex, Love and Replies

Well, it was one of my new year's resolutions to try to be a little more positive. Funny how that's working out, right? Well, I am going to try. I don't think anybody really wants to know about all these crappy things happening to me.

The weekend is officially over in less than two hours and I don't have much to show for it though I did get a little bit of a podcast episode done today. Nick Thomas said he had some questions for me and I am going to listen to what he's saying and then respond. I'll get on that tomorrow after I finish my assignments. I have a feeling that idioPod #23 is something you'll probably want to listen to for that very reason.

And OK, I will be negative. What the hell is up with the people here and them expecting you to give 110%+ into chatting? Microsoft Messenger has been a absolute nightmare over the past few days. Adium refuses to connect to the Windows Live server. So I sign in, usually start reading and 20 seconds into it, I get mauled with 10 IMs and no, I'm not exaggerating. You usually get the 2-3 people in there who send you the "Are you there?", "Hello???!!!", "Where are you?" messages... oh, and the favorite of mine: DING DONG! Selfish_Jackass wants your attention! OK. So I was mauled by two of these while I was working on my assignments. They KNEW I was working on assignments. At the same time, I was getting phonecalls. It was like a call center in here.

One was nice enough to tell me to "fuck off" and that I was taking too long to reply after I said very nicely... twice, that I was a bit busy. (Which makes me wonder, if I was so busy, why was I logged in?) Those are the kind of people who want ALL of your attention. THOSE are the kind of people who suck all the life out of you if you let them. They're like vampires.

Then there is the other kind of jerkoff who says that I'm wasting THEIR time because I didn't make it clear that I wasn't interested in sleeping with them. I made it clear that I am not looking for hookups. I always have! So why are people so selfish and borderline-retarded to think it's my fault for wasting their time?

I said it before and I will say it again. The [majority of gay] people here in Melbourne are absolute shite. I'm so tired of the loopholes and bullshit I have to go through to go out of my way to make these jackasses happy. Well, I won't do it anymore. (And I went back and read that entry and yeah, I do need to relax a bit. I should be better tomorrow.)

With all that said, I'm seriously growing weary of this world and I'll return to Transylvania sometime soon. Or, um, yeah, something like that. I totally loved Magenta. (You'll know if you saw it.) Anyway, goodbye for now.

Pssssst: It's from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

I'm hoping people have learned something from this weblog. If you haven't learned something about yourself, I hope that you have learned something from me. And that lesson is:

There is only so much I can put in my weblog entries everyday. I cannot and will not be able to document every single thing that happens or give credit to every single person I run into. Lately, the things I have "chosen" to blog about is getting everybody's panties in a ruffle.

I encourage people to read up on me but things are getting ridiculous once again. Back in, oh, let's say 2002 I started censoring myself and I lost tons of readers that I had. Since then, I've probably seen about a 90% traffic decrease. Why? Because I'm always looking out for other people, that is, until recently. I decided to open myself back up a bit, little by little. And this is what I get for it. A lot of drama, headaches and "why not me" speeches.

The jealousy has to stop people or I'll go back to being this guy who has no original thought processes. That's boring and it would make me suck even worse than I do now!

You're still free to comment, complain and stuff like that, but I can't keep going through entries and changing them to suit everybody else's needs. Pretty soon, we'll have something like this:

"Today I went out with CENSORED. We CENSORED and then had lunch at CENSORED because CENSORED with CENSORED. A few of us decided to CENSORED mostly because she was feeling CENSORED and finally, her boyfriend had CENSORED a few people and CENSORED the whole day! Not only am I CENSORED, but I'm glad I have such CENSORED friends to CENSORED CENSORED."

Not fun is it? My weblog is supposed to contain original thought and sometimes I don't want to express my feelings so I put them here. I don't really enjoy telling people what's going on or really talking about it in person. Isn't that OK? To me it is.

I wrote a blog entry late last night but it's going to be erased from history. Why? Because keeping quiet never solves anything. I think more than anything, I'm tired of this swirling mess I have in my head. It's like when you take those liquid timer things and shake them up. That's how I feel.

I feel like I am running out of patience with so many things and I'm tired of dealing with everything. I am not only physically exhausted most of the time but emotionally and mentally exhausted too. And the funny thing is that no one seems to care. No one here at least...

I guess that's harsh to say though because I do have some awesome friends here and you know exactly who you are. (I am protecting identities here, yeah?) I'm very sure if I didn't have the companionship of these friendships, I would be either gone or in a mental institution. So that, ladies and gentlemen, is the glue that keeps me from falling apart.

I'm tired of my relationship. It's sad when I want to leave it but... can't. I am not sure what holds me back and stops me. I think it is just me feeling "bad" for him if I leave but I have to ask myself... what is my role in that relationship? (And why am I this stupid on an emotional level?)

Well, that's OK. These kinds of feelings come and go like the tides of the ocean. One way or another, I'll be alright.

Today... I am excited because I'm going to do a BBQ with a friend of mine. I have been absolutely starving for hotdogs and he's kind enough to do it for me today. It actually is very nice and yesterday he kept me company doing errands. That is the awesomeness that is in my friends here. I wanted him to do a podcast with me but haven't asked him yet. He's one of the most gentle, kind souls there is here and gives me hope for the people of the future.

And oh yes, I am starving for tamales. I haven't had any in probably over a year now. One of my Mexican friends in Texas said he'll make me some... if I go back. Brandi has already threatened to get everybody to pitch in for a ticket to send me back home and as sad as it sounds, the chances of that are pretty wide right now. I am missing good Mexican food and hot Mexican men.

You know, a hot latino man like this would make me a very, very happy guy:

But the thing is that someone like that wouldn't be interested in me. I'm not even interested in myself!

Changes haven't happened yet, but they will. I promise. This podcast is mostly about me trying to understand myself and why I can't seem to equate sex with love or being romantic. I still haven't figured it out. Anyway, in this podcast I discuss:

• Losing weight
• Visa update
• I seem to be anti-immunization
• Coming to terms with my sexuality
• Views on my own sex life and lack thereof
• Why can't I seem to put any emotion behind sex or actually enjoy it?

As you can see, there's not much that I cover. I say it's short, but it's really not that short. In fact, today I will be making 23 because I left a few things off. I'll post the new one later. :)

Want to have a listen? Then subscribe here.

Or alternatively listen here:

idioPod 22: Sex and Love

Another freezing ass day and another post I need to get done in 30 minutes. I'm still lying here in bed with the air feeling like I'm in the refrigerator. Gilbert left this morning to go back to Sydney.

I guess the weekend was alright. It was a bit boring but we sat around watching movies most of the time. The rain was freezing cold so we stayed in. I was expecting it to be raining this morning but it's not (yet).

Good news is that I have started implementing my plan to get more healthy. I have already lost about 1.6 kg which is about 3.6 pounds. For a few days I gained quite a bit. My BMI is about 22.22 now but my goal is somewhere around 21. The Wii Fit stuff has actually helped out quite a bit!

So yes, I will be working on that and gently removing myself from junk food. It's not easy, I'll tell you that. I guess people aren't really expected to just change like that. I have not eaten as much chocolate which is a great thing. Since I've cut that, I have definitely cut my sugar consumption. When I need a soft drink, I just get something with the fake sugar in it. You know, like Diet Coke or Pepsi Max (which I admit is pretty good).

I've started drinking more water (again) and running everyday.

My main goal was to get healthier with the least amount of money possible. Well, $120 was spent on the Wii Fit and there was a weight bench I got for around $70. Really and truly, I could definitely do the things without the Wii Fit. I am not taking anything special, not getting special bread, pills or anything like that and it's going decently.

My next goal is to make a schedule to keep myself in-line. I made it, but it needs tweaked a bit.

Anyway, that's it from me. I just wanted to update you guys on what the hell has been going on.

So, ah, yes. Hello. Good morning to you all. About 4 more days until the bandwidth crunch turns soggy once again so I'll have to make this quick and to the point.

First, I wanted to say that I am sorry for the delay of idioPod 22. I have been busy with my partner being here and just so many assignments to do. I will try to get a short one done tomorrow but it will be very, very short. I am hoping that I have all my "changes" done to the idioPod format by number 25. (Haven't listened to idioPod? Go here.)

I also wanted to tell you that I've been using Wii Fit and it's pretty cool. It kind of keeps me motivated to exercise everyday but I missed a day. So far, my BMI hovers around 22. (If you're overweight it's over 25.) I will try to make a movie of it and put it as a vidioPod movie soon. I think it would be funny to see.

It's been raining for a few days. Today I was supposed to go to the 1,000 Steps but, yeah, it's cold and nasty outside. It's actually my ideal hiking temperature/conditions but with Gilbert being here with some kind of flu-like junk (he's getting better), I figure I shouldn't push myself. I do like the rain though for now.

We have started working on our visa stuff again and have the papers filled out for the relationship register here in Melbourne. It's a matter of time before the exciting stuff happens. When push comes to shove, I need to get it done by August. While we were working on it, the dates really put into perspective just how long we've been a couple. Then, because we're never social as a couple, we will continue to have some issues with getting someone to do the statutory declarations to move this baby forward. I know people in the USA aren't enthusiastic about letting me stay here, so I won't ask this time.

Anyway, without trying to sound like an ass, I need to go. That's a small update on everything and I am hoping that things are going to be OK.

One of the things I truly hate about Australia is the third world communication here. It's amazing how the commercials on TV say "When you bundle your telephone and mobile together, you'll get a massive 2 GB of broadband per month [Mate]."

There are a few things that worry me about that. The price is already up to about $100. And don't forget that they charge phone sex rates for calling anybody else with a mobile phone. Most of the time I have to call overseas with mine and I make $8 phone calls regularly. Secondly, 2 GB isn't exactly what I would call "massive". "Massive" to me is what I got in the USA for unlimited use at about 1/3 of the cost.

For you people who don't know, I actually get 10 GB a month of transfer. OK, so that should be manageable, right? No, because I am allotted 5 GB from 9 am until 1 am the next day and another 5 GB between 1 am to 9 am. That means, if I do research for class when people are actually "awake" then I am usually screwed after a week.

So this, ladies and gents, is why I am not online much. One of my classmates this month came over and used 1.7 GB of transfer in a few hours downloading DVDs after I explicitly told him not to.

So here I am before 9 am writing this... but this is what made things worse: Right at this moment, I have about 300 MB to use for a week without being punished for dealing with a crappy limit that costs almost $60. That's because I got a new computer to replace the Powerbook that burnt me constantly. I got a mid-level white MacBook. Well when I turn it on and tell it about my wireless signal, I guess it downloads all the updates and junk without telling me. So I sorta sit the computer on the table thinking it's asleep when it's downloading over 300 MB of updates.

I stopped it after it downloaded the 1st few after I realized it had a shortname that I hated. So I made another account. Well, I forget that I need to turn off the "Download important updates in the background" option off. So yeah, ugly just got uglier.

So I got another computer and this one is snappier in a few areas where my new iMac isn't. Probably because it comes with more memory. That makes a huge difference. I am liking it so far, but the main reason I didn't get one is because I thought it would stain easily. I am not a fan with the outer case and the edge of the thing is cutting into my wrists. And it hurts!

So with that being said, I'll end this entry now and let you go on with your lives.

Everybody has highs and lows, unfortunately. I sorta move up and down on a sliding scale. I am OK right now. It's about 7:30 am so I am still a bit tired. I am supposed to go to class but I know that it was cancelled. We still have to go though so we meet the 20 hour a week thing so we'll have to hang out at the library which, yeah, there's no point of me doing that when I haven't opened a single book since I've been there.

For my cultural diversity class I ended up making banana pudding which is good stuff. People liked it but a few people complained that it had too much sugar. There was supposed to be 6 cups in it but I used about 4.5. It was good and it was so good I took a picture of it:

The vanilla wafers on top cost $8.50/box. But they make or break the whole recipe so I had to get them.

In other news, I entered into a competition to win a PSP with FIFA 2008 and actually won. They called me yesterday and I didn't pick up the phone because my phone stays on silent. I called back and I did the "why did someone call me from this number" bit. They said "We're a promotion company." And the next thing I was thinking was like oh damn it. I managed to give someone my phone number without thinking. So I was thinking that I'd be sold insurance or real estate or something like that. So I gave them my number and they said "Are you Ben?" And I said "Yes, I am" and they said "You entered the competition for the PSP for buying the Sony Cybershot" and I said "Yeeeeeah. I won?" And they said that I did. "Awesome."

I am unsure what I'll do with a PSP. I used my nephew's and I'll admit that it was cool but I'm so stuck on Nintendo stuff. And FIFA 2008? I have no idea what I'll do with that... probably sell it.

But it's not often that I "win" something. So, hooray.

Oh and in other news, I did get Wii Fit (link). I have to admit that I really like it. I did something to my knee though. Unfortunately, I think there are going to be a lot of people who are injuring themselves and trying to sue Nintendo for it. But I'm sure they put in the research to make sure people aren't going to overdo it. I really like the aerobics stuff. The balance thing, I suck because of my horrible balance. I'm not sore or anything like that after I do it.

Anyway, I'm heading off now.

One of the biggest problems any business has to work through is the problem of a lack of IT professionals who are in-house. I mean, who wants to be working on their things and have computers and printers break without having someone around who is quick, professional and um, available to help?

Uplogix promises automation through real-time management and not by simply monitoring your distributed infrastructure. They can also free up any resources you need to run your business effectively to transform your business's IT department from an operational burden and cost center to a strategic business driver.

Uplogix can fix all your configuration management woes and worries. If your business needs that extra "oomph" without giving up profits, give them a try.

Hello everybody! How was the Mother's Day weekend? I hope that you told someone special that you loved them over the weekend. I miss my mom a lot. Especially since I'm not close to her in distance. I called her and my grandmother's today so it was nice to talk to them. I'm in better spirits since I did that.

I have a favor to ask of you. And I don't normally do things like this, but can you take a moment or two to push my site up a list at QueerListing? I actually signed up with them a while back but haven't put the form on a prominent area of my site, so here it is:

And if you did that, thank you. I'm not going to tell you to vote it as excellent or good, especially if it's really not. But before you vote it as "Fair" or "Poor" can you at least let me know why? If you would be so kind, I'd appreciate you dropping a note about how bad I suck to my email address.

Alright, I don't really suck that much and I put a lot more work into the website than I really should. I used to spend hours on hours making it "pretty" but I stopped that. People used to (and still do) come to my website wondering why it looks professional. Well, I can't have a website up that looks like this. Just can't do it. So I feel like I need to put a bit of work into it.

It really bums me out when people don't look at it. It's not an ego thing. I could care less about being famous and having all the sexy women (or men... or hell, in a perfect world, both). Then I think there are people out there who are like "Ha ha ha ha ha" when I get bummed out about it. Hell, I probably would. :)

I guess, honestly, since I am brutally honest in my weblog... Brandi told me last week that she's gonna get married. I'm still trying to absorb it. It's a little strange for me I guess in a way. I can't say that I wouldn't expect it to happen. She's a really lovely woman and I wanted her to be with the best possible and compared to who she was dating, this guy is awesome.

I guess now the flame is lit underneath me and I'm realizing how bad it sucks missing out on a lot of things. No marriage. No kids. No full-time partner. No kissing in public without someone telling me that God is going to kill me for doing what I just did. I was feeling the effect on Mother's Day when the fathers were bringing their kids shopping or something to give the moms a day off. (Or at least the morning). I asked myself, "Why can't that be me?"

Last night I dreamt I had a son which was a little weird. His name was Justin and he was always a bit sad. Not sure why, exactly. I don't know if it means anything or not.

But I guess I am just feeling a bit sad because of all this. Brandi will get to experience things like this before I will. Her partner is around whereas mine is somewhere in Taiwan or Thailand right now negotiating with suppliers which is way more important than maintaining a relationship.

I said it before... yeah, I'm jealous. I'm jealous that she has more than I have in 1 year than I've gotten in 8. My heart has continuously bled a little bit every day but it looks like it will never heal. I forgot what it feels like to feel or show a significant amount of love. Sometimes it makes me want to cry. My heart sticks with this person who neglects me like a red-headed stepchild. I know I'm putting myself through so much pain by staying, so why do I do it?

Because it's all I know. I wouldn't be able to date a woman (properly) to get anywhere. I forgot what a "real" date is like too. I just don't know where to start or when to end so when push comes to shove, I'm more or less screwed.

So I've bummed myself out even more. But it's just being bummed out, I'm not depressed or sad. Sorta just... blah I guess.

The new Wii game Wii Fit was released on the 8th of May this month. I was at the store that day and Kmart sold out of them. JB-HiFi had them in stock for $119. So, why didn't I buy one? Why oh why didn't I buy one?!

It's like all the fun again of finding a Wii again.

And what happened today is even shittier. There is a store here that has a US presence. To be nice, I won't call it by it's name, but I'll use a pseudonym and call it EB Games (AKA the store I hate in the US called Electronics Boutique). I remember I went to their store to buy Zelda: Twilight Princess (which is still one of my favorite games) and I brought an ad in for Big W (the Wal-Mart knockoff here) with an advertised price of $44. They asked, "So does Big W have any in stock?" And stupid me, after going to their store, said "No, no they don't" so I didn't get the game for $44.

(I'll also add that after that I went to another store where the guy said "That's a ripper price." And I said, well, yeah, whatever, can I get it here? Then he checked the computer which said the lowest they could go was something like $93. He said that he couldn't give that price to me because it was "too low". So I was like, fine, go fuck yourself.

I went to Kmart and they didn't ask any questions. They did it. The guy at the counter said, "Hey, that's a really good price. Maybe I should get it too." So yeah, that was months ago.

Anyway, at the store I decided to call EB Games (which IS what it's called - I changed my mind). I really wanted Wii Fit because, well, I just wanted it. I was shopping around and someone screamed across the store: "How much is your Wii Fit" and they said $149.95 (because EB Games nor Electronics Boutique NEVER EVER has anything on sale that's decent.) So the woman said "Well I saw it for $119, why would I pay $149 when I can just wait for it?" Then the lady behind the counter said "Oh it's the last one but I'll give it to you for $119." Then the other lady said "I don't have an ad with me." And the lady behind the counter said...

"That's OK, I'll go ahead and give it to you for $119." No questions asked. Stupid bitch.

So, I have sworn off that store in this country too. I hate that company, I swear I do. The service is always sparse at best and the prices are always shitty. I should have said "Well, I saw it for $10 at this Chinese store in China." Maybe I'd get a fucking break then.

Getting this "game" is going to be HARD. You know, thinking about it, I don't play with my Wii (ha ha) much. The more I think about it, the more I think I should have just grabbed an XBox. Nintendo's stuff, I've noticed, is always crippled in one way or another. They have the capabilities, but never want to implement good stuff. I mean, take a look at what the PS3 (and even PS2) can do, then compare. Then look at the XBox 360. Nintendo is always lagging behind. Sure I like Metroid and Super Mario Brothers, but I am tired of not being able to pop in a DVD or something because I can.

If given a choice and someone said "Here, trade me this XBox 360 for your Wii," I'd so do it.

And no, this isn't because I didn't get Wii Fit today. This has been on my mind for years.

Bottom line: I hate EB Games and/or Electronics Boutique. They fucking suck.

Okay, honestly I don't know if it was yesterday or today. I think it was May 9th when I left Texas but on the 10th when I left Los Angeles, then arrived here on the 11th. But yes, it's been one year. I have mentioned this a few times in both these entries and my podcast but... I don't want to repeat myself. I am surprised that I'm still here.

Why is the one year anniversary important? I means that I am officially able to (legally) submit my interdependency visa application to the Australian government. That is, if I'm going to stay here. Otherwise, I will be heading back before the end of August. I guess I forgot to mention that.

My partner and I still have issues which need worked out. Eight years together hasn't been bliss and I'll admit that it's hard to stay in love with someone who is gone so much out of the year. But yeah, well see.

I was going to have an anniversary party but I don't think I'll bother. I feel like it will be like my going-away party when only three people showed up.

But anyway, it's been a whole year, the longest I've stayed away from the USA at a time. It will be about a year and a half or so total before I go back home (coming this November). I miss my mom a lot and I know Brandi would like me back right about now.

One of my very favorite things in the world is graffiti. I am not entirely sure why but I like it. I think it's an art-form but I guess here in Australia it's just ugly. And it's everywhere. They started giving people a $550 fine here for carrying a spray paint can which I'm not sure will do anything to help the problem.

This is just a little bit and I'm not going to reveal the location or anything like that but let's say it's in Melbourne... pretty broad, yeah?

I took this picture of a table and I guess I have a lot to learn about Australian slang. I'm not fully sure what it means, but hey, I took a picture of it:

Absolutely classy, eh? Are they talking about camels like in the Middle East or the brand of cigarettes? And she's "off" from what? Work or what?

Anyway, I added a new album for graffiti in my photo gallery. It has quite a few bad words of course because I guess people get truly pissed about what people write on tables and junk. Take a look anyway, if you're not offended by nasty language.

For those who don't know who Brandi is, she's my best friend. You may have heard her on the earliest episodes of idioPod (and if you haven't, I suggest you ilsten to them).

Anyway, she has just told me that she's engaged to her boyfriend of one year. They've known each other for years on top of years, so it's OK. In a few ways, I'm very jealous but I already told her that. What she has accomplished in a year or so, I haven't even done in eight years. So damn it, kudos to Brandi!

A date to get married? I hope it's when I am there. I don't know too much but I'm sure if I were still in Texas I'd know everything... which is pretty sad. It's not really her fault or anything, but the distance just makes things hard. Very hard.

And the video? I'm going to steal it from her MySpace Videos page.

Engagement

Usually when things like this happen, it's a domino effect. I am expecting Rowdy and Kate to be next. (I know you haven't heard much about them, but they're friends in Texas too.)

This comes hot on the heels of my first year anniversary being in Australia. I know both Adam and Brandi weren't expecting me to be here that long and I'm sure if I was there earlier, Adam would have done it sooner. But even if that's the case, I'm happy that they're engaged. :)

Hello, everybody. Yes, I need to be sitting down at my desk actually working on an essay that was originally due today. I am just not feeling it. I don't really feel like working on it, honestly. I'm sure it would take me about four hours maximum to finish, but... why would I do that when I can find something else to do that is at least nine times more amusing?

I have had a slow start to my diet and have cut down significantly on the amount of sugar I have been eating. Unfortunately, that's after eating a big chocolate chocolate chip muffin late this morning. My classmate was eating one right next to me this morning and it's my favorite kind of muffin. Is my self-control that bad where I can't give up a muffin for a day?!

You'll be proud to know that I haven't drunk a single carbonated beverage for days. I have gone back to water and juice and though it's a small step, I feel a tiny bit better. I haven't really bothered writing anything down with what I have been eating. Why? Because calorie-counting, sodium-counting and fat-counting is just way too involved. I figure that if I eat enough veggies and don't add salt, I'm good to go. I'm also limiting meat but I am feeling quite hungry all the time and I think that's why. I definitely don't have much meat in my belly these days. This diet stuff is just a lot of trouble... no wonder why people can't stay motivated. But I am going to do this.

Oh and the working out thing isn't working out. It's like I have no time to do anything though I admit I do walk a lot. I need to run a bit but I have crappy shoes... I need to do something with that weight bench I have... which, oh yes, I did. I lifted up the bar (with weights) about 10 times. I think I really did my arms in because sometimes they hurt when I extend it. I need to be careful and should know what I am capable of.

One of the major misconceptions among my colleagues (WHEW!!!) is that I am doing this to lose weight. I understand that I don't need to lose weight unless it's fat. People are concerned that I'm anorexic because I don't eat much. Well, little do they know that when I get home I raid the refrigerator for cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes. (I absolutely love all those things in salad.) That, and I have been forgetting my lunch on accident almost everyday. I do have to leave the house a few minutes after 6 am.

I'm also not looking to be some kind of gym junkie or body builder. I'd be happy with a belly button like I used to have but I'm afraid that I will not be able to get that back, but we'll see. In a week or two I'll post some photos of how it's going. Remember, this is what I'm working with:

Yeah... exactly. :) Toned would be good. Chest muscles would be good. Then maybe the ladies will like me a little bit, if that's even remotely possible. I don't think any of them that read this would be interested in the least bit. Especially with all the baggage. Sometimes I think it would be so much easier.... uuuuhhhh there I go questioning my sexuality again. :)

So that's it for now. My diet is... um, going. Now if I could only get my essay headed in the same direction. Heh heh. Oh, and speaking of beautiful women, Rozella has been sweet enough to be commenting and leaving me stuff. So thank you, sorry you got put in the same weblog entry as my shirtless picture. You probably weren't expecting that in a million years. :)

I have to admit that I have had pretty bad allergies most of my life. I started getting injections when I was around 14 years old. One in each arm weekly. Then I was lucky to be poked with a needle every two weeks after a year or so of that. Oh, if and only if I had access to good air cleaners, then I'm sure things may have been a little better for me. I could probably count the days I could breathe through my nose on my hands (and feet, MAYBE).

And if you live in the great state of Pennsylvania... the Southeast of the state, Lowry Electric, Heating and Cooling can help you out by repairing your heating and cooling, troubleshooting electric problems, hooking up equipment and all at the same time, providing fast service for those people like me who don't have time to wait for the repairman. You don't have to suffer with allergies anymore because they'll come and install air cleaners of your choice!

Do your nose a favor and get them to take a look at the cooling. I know you guys need it right about now! :)

My least favorite iPod has bitten the dust. (You can see it's had problems in this entry and especially this entry oh and this one too.) God that thing was a piece of shit. I refuse to watch it die though. I have to admit that I liked it because I could change the songs in my pocket easily. With the iPod Touch, I actually have to take it OUT of my pocket to do anything with it.

I was just telling my friends that it was nice having two iPods.

So yeah it's dead. I have tried hitting it on the side a few times to see what the fuck is going on with it. That didn't work so I threw it around a bit like the dirty slut it is. At least the clicking stopped but it still has this ugly picture on it:

I don't know whether to be happy or what, but for something that costs $400-500 at the time, I was hoping that it would last a little longer than a few years. So is it worth fixing or not? Or should I just get an iPod classic or something? Who knows?

Oh and PS... this was the shittiest iPod I have ever owned. I don't know what's worse, their products these days or how fucking cheap they are not to include earbud covers anymore.

Good day to you all. I hope you're doing peachy and if you're not, then I hope it all gets better from this second onwards! I have so many thoughts floating around in my head at the moment. So many I might have to bullet them for your reading pleasure, but then again, why bother? Maybe I can post a cute picture here instead:

How's that? It's Felix and that robe is not pink as Alex seems to think it is. It's actually dark red. I have to get used to my camera and the quality is set on the lowest right now. Felix is growing up so fast. I remember about 5 or 6 months after I had Andy (my other dachshund), I started feeling so bad that he was growing up and getting old. In 2004, my dog of about 20 years died so it's a bit sad that these little guys die of old age. (Gilbert calls him Phoenix for some reason.)

Next, I'll talk about religion again. Why? Because sometimes I feel pretty darn bad about the things I say to people. I noticed when my friend was here, I was pretty much putting down his and how the Bible is a work of fiction. Honestly, who knows. I don't so I could keep my mouth shut. Then I started saying that one of my characters on WoW was a priest (a Catholic one) and he had special child-molesting powers. I'll have to be honest with myself. Then later, he drank a bit of wine and I said he was drinking like a "good" Catholic since he appeared drunk. I grew up around Catholics. But I don't think I ever was fully Catholic. Some of you might know that I grew up in my early teenage and late teenage years as Mormon. I don't think I can ever go back though I really think that some of the values they have are worth adopting for everybody with a family. And no, I'm not talking about the polygamous thing. I didn't know that even existed. Polygamy is too much work. So the lesson is that I need to be nicer and more tolerant. Coming from a place where there ain't none of them blacks and all guys were expected to know how to take apart a 1946 Ford pickup and put it together, well, I need to get over that.

I am seriously crying in my bed at night that my Google PageRank (the link is my actual PR) has slipped a point. Oh, if you people know what kind of impact that has on me. It's not an ego thing, it's more financial than anything. I sorta stopped linking to my weblog and started linking to the feed instead. So I was asking for it. This means if I don't pick up the pace, there's a chance I might have to close this shin-dig down early next year. There will be no way I can pay for school and this at the same time, especially when I'm paying $20k a year for school (in USD). But I think I might have to move my weblog to the first page so my website qualifies as a blog instead of a personal site. I really wanted to avoid that but it might be best.

Someone's cutting grass today. I can smell it. I'm just waiting for the headache now.

I've been watching gay-themed movies lately. One of them, going back to the Mormon thing, is "Latter Days" and a German movie called "Summer Storm". A lot of the times while watching them I get quite a bit jealous because here I am 28 years old and absolutely nothing romantic ever happens to me. I said it years ago that I think my romanticism has disappeared. I wouldn't know romance if it jumped out and bit me on the lip! Then I started resenting Gilbert because he's never around and though things were at one time nice between us, it's all gone. At that point, I started questioning why I'm here. I guess the best thing I can do is be patient.

Comments! You people are beginning to leave comments again which keeps me inspired to keep going. I appreciate you all for that. It's a nice gesture, really. If I could go and do something nice for you, I would. I don't know like mail the damn postcards I have on my desk? :)

That is all for now. I need to clean this place today and make some grilled cheese so the bread I bought doesn't go bad. I ended up getting a pizza from Pizza Hut last night and ate the whole damn thing. Diet? What diet? :)

I promised a change and well, the changes haven't happened yet. I'm getting ready for them though. And I'm hoping that they get done very soon. I'm pushing towards being more organized. Anyway, this episode consists of me talking about:

• The diet I was trying to start but didn't. Not too many details what I was trying to accomplish, but that will be coming next.
• How I don't like whole grain bread, but bought some anyway to prepare for the transition.
• No more sugar or carbonated beverages are in my house anymore. I figure Quik is OK because it's loaded with good stuff like the vitamins and minerals I need.
• Mexican food here isn't so tasty and the Texas Chilli isn't so Texan. It tasted like canned chilli. I cook it better.
• My love for KFC Twisters.
• I bought a new iPod Touch which makes me want to buy other things and I bought a new camera.
• "Fairy Bread": Not as gay as you think, but pretty damn close.
• More on my visa situation / 1 year anniversary being here is coming.
• Overspending money (see bullet about new items purchased) on things I don't need.
• Planning for idioPod 22 onwards.
• Lightbulbs and fixtures in Australia suck.

Want to have a listen? Then subscribe here.

Or alternatively listen here:

idioPod 21: I am the Anti-Sugar *Link Now Fixed - 5 May 2008*

Alright. Back home and this time I didn't come home with a new iPod or computer. I came back home with a camera and thats it. You know, screw the fact that I was supposed to pick up a light bulb to put in my bedroom. I totally forgot about it.

What did I get? I did actually get the Sony Cybershot W150. I forgot that they actually had letters in front of them. I also paid about $345 USD for it thinking I was getting a good deal. I could have bought the damned thing in the US, flew in to pick it up, then back for a lot cheaper. So far, I am not really liking it too much.

It was like my last camera had a better interface than this. I can't seem to get a picture of my dog without making him blind, poor thing. It's thinner than my last one and it has... *gasp* a rechargeable battery! Wow! No more going through 20 batteries a month taking pictures. BUT this is the big problem... iPhoto refuses to delete my pictures and shows some kind of error (-61) if it tries. How irritating.

I live in a land that you have to actually BUY shit to go into the draws for free junk. So wish me luck on getting the PSP. The good thing about that is that not everybody and their grandmother can enter it so I actually might have a better chance to win than being kidnapped by aliens.

My friend (and a very adorable, cute, and sweet one may I add) suggested that I show him the first picture I take with it. I think everybody has a good idea where I pointed my camera after I ripped open the box. Yeah, the dog was my victim. He had a feeling it was coming.

So here it is:

The white spot on the wall is where, when i moved in, I peeled the paint off the wall because there was a bubble there. The stains on the carpet have been there since I've been there. The white spots on the carpet are torn up bits of paper because that's what my dog does in his spare time.

So yeah, iPod: Check. New camera: Check. I'm done for now though I do need some memory. I went to the store today and was going to get some and they had one stick of 2 GB for $169.99 AUD. I can get 4 GB for way cheaper than that in the USA so... yeah, why bother? You can't find the crap easy here. Sometimes I wonder if they're in the Stone Age with all their overpriced electronic junk. Maybe someday.

Well, I seemed to get out of seeing my classmate yesterday or today so that's good news for me. I didn't go to class yesterday out of pure laziness and I think my instructor was trying to call me or something. I have been missing a lot of that class. (It's so boring.)

Today I'm going to go camera shopping. I haven't really decided what I want yet, but I think I'll just get the same thing I had. I wish I could find it so I can grab the SD card out of it and use it. I'm about 98% sure that the guy selling it to me (assuming it is a guy) will try to sell me the most expensive one.

But we'll see. I pretty much already know what I want. I'm usually prepared when I go into a store to get something I want, that way I'm not talked into buying crap I don't want or need.

So that's what I'll be doing in about an hour. I was actually researching for the last hour or so while this was open. Unfortunately, I have to go now.

Everybody have a good weekend!

(Ah yes, I had a Sony Cybershot 50 or 55. I'm looking at the Sony Cybershot 150. The silver one and if not that one, black or red is good too.)

I've been a bit lazy with my blog lately and probably with everything else under the sun. The good news is that three of my assignments are done and I got the marks on the last one and made a 96%. It's about 29 points out of my final grade. Now I just have to do a kick-ass essay and I have another high distinction to add to my collection.

Speaking of laziness, I was in a group for this project and two people did absolutely nothing until the day it was due. I heard only a little bit from one of the two that didn't do anything. He basically was all talk. The other just didn't bother talking to anybody and never went to class anyway. He pretty much did a shitty part of the presentation. I didn't care what they did or said because we were all graded separately. So I told them yesterday they're on their own.

How's that for teamwork?

Also, continuing my rant on laziness, I have a classmate coming over today to "work on" an essay that was due a few months ago. He expects me to write it but I'm not going to do it. My essay is done. He's the one that downloads DVDs in the livingroom while I bust my ass to work on the stuff I need to. The most input I am giving is "Do what you can, and I'll check it later."

Why? Because I am so tired of doing double the assignments. I have my own shit to do. I'm so tired of having people come over to work on these things to get absolutely nothing done. It's wasting MY time because I definitely could be doing something else while they're there downloading DVDs and using all my bandwidth.

So that's what I'm mad about. Tomorrow I am telling my classmates to fuck off in the very nicest way possible while using the words fuck and off.

My good friend is coming over and we're going to eat ourselves crazy, damn it. I need to be around someone who doesn't irritate me so bad. I just wish I had tonight to myself.