Main site's down. Not sure why.

Am looking into it.

And look at this: should we sign up?. How much are you paying for this currently, anyway?

[edit: no, wait. It's ok now.]

[Edit's edit: O-k.
"Legolas?" I take offense at that.
Just one of his many problems...]

Kam

Did you go to Kino? When's +Anima coming?
Are you willing to go shopping on the 4th of November?

And do you know what's Alex's email?
I think Anne would have it, actually, so it's ok if you don't.

It's pop-y and not exactly rock, but I'm really fond of Gavin Degraw's album "Chariot."
Does this sound like an ad? O.o

Well, I didn't really see much point in replying, since you were going on about it anyway.
But speaking of games - I was playing The Sims2, yesterday (only yesterday!). And w00t! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this juggling work load and happiness thing. Although, at one time I did leave the game running by itself for about an hour (I thought I paused it) and when I came back, they had managed perfectly well without me. In fact, they were pretty happy - although, admittedly the girl hadn't done any of her homework.

Birthday wishes to: Beck Yee and Migastein.

Kam

Well, I asked you before if you had the game and you didn't say anything... Think of it as being for the people who haven't played it. In that case I suppose you know what happened in the end? Ha, I cracked up after he'd turned back time. Cheeky bastard. You could tell by the way he contemplated the dagger in his hand that he was thinking something along the lines of "Hey, this thing isn't so bad after all...". I started playing it again for the hell of, just to see how fast I can finish it. And there's no way I'd only play a 50 buck game once. Holy crap, I spent ten minutes walking around that temple with all the doors the first time through. There's something glitchy with my version, I think. It locked up before I fought the Vizier, and on that mirror puzzle, and I think I saw Farah once when she was supposed to be somewhere else. Oh well.

Animania tomorrow~ w00t. I'm kind of yay and kind of blah about it and I'm not sure why. Reminds me I need to recharge my digi-cam batteries. And go into Chatswood to finish fo the printing which I'd planned to do yesterday but they were 'busy' or something. Hopefully I'll have some time free on Sunday to enter the SC2 comp, even though I'm kinda rusty. I've forgotten most of Talim and Kilik's combos.

~Kimi

Yes, I know. We do have the game, you know. And I'm fairly sure I told you about that "why am I talking to myself" quote.

But anyway. I'm feeling a little queasy and really tired. That's what you get from going to sleep so late. Stupid exams. Stupid study. But it's over. And I think (I hope) I did alright. It was pretty easy, actually, but some of the option questions were like: "WTF?"
I had alot of fun writting my answers for those ones, I was being so melodramatic: "And finally, as SS The Future launched, the people looked upon a brave new world of iron... and steel... The days of timber were over." I kept on thinking: "someone's going to have alot of fun giving me a zero for this question. But atleast they'll be laughing while they do it."
What other time can you waffle during chemistry? Kehehe.

Hmmm, three down, three to go. Only one next week, but it's at the start. I'm going to take a nap now.

[Edit: WTF? Sydney Uni just sent me a letter saying good luck. No problem there, but how on earth did they get my email? It's not my usual email, it's the email I never give out to people, it's my private, spam free email! And it's been found! I'm certain I didn't enter it on any UAI/UAC thing, or even on US, so what's the deal? *starts looks very suspiciously at the ceiling and lighting fixures*]

Kam

Bah, I gave in and bought the game anyway. It was actually 49 bucks instead of 80. They'd just forgotton to renew the price tag.

Sands of Time is really quite cute in some ways >:E. The characters interactions between Farah and the Prince have some pricelessly memorable quotes, most of which I've forgotten the exact details of. Although he often goes off on tangents about Farah, and then suddenly says "Why am I talking too myself?". And another time where Farah was helping out by crawling through gaps to pull switches, and he exclaims at a bolted-shut door "Maybe you could fit under that door too. Then I'd be really impressed". At which point she crawls through a nearby crack, and he's all "I knew that hole was there. I was just checking...". They're a bit hard to describe because a lot of it's contextual, but it really made me crack up on a number of occasions XD. He's so goddamn brash and cheeky! It's really quite funny, especially that bit in the end... *snerk*. Which makes me wonder if Warrior Within will have that same charm, given the darker atmosphere. He might still talk to himself, but for all the wrong kinds of reasons... It was interesting, albiet predictable, to see the relationship between him and Farah develop during the game. It was all rather cute and tastefully done, not too over-the top or sappy. I kind of like Farah as a character, which says something amongst the inumerable weak or irritating female gaming characters. She's not completely useless! Even if I have to save her during battles occasionally. And she shot me in the ass once with her bow. It was such a perfectly aimed shot as well =P

But no matter how enjoyable Sands of Time was, it's really too short for it's own good, and there's not huge insentives to play over it again. I remember reading on Gamespot that Ubisoft had had to cut out about 1/4 of the sections in order to have it ready for the November release, and in some ways it really suffers for it. Only using the premonition mini-hints on two occasions (Stupid frickin mirror puzzle glitched out on me! I had to do it all over again...), I still finished it in around 9 and a half hours. Compared with things like Ocarina of Time which I'd pace in at about 30-40 hours or more, that's way too short. Which is annoying, because what's there is really great. Except for the fighting, which is kind of boring, and parts of the pacing could be better, but everyone picks up on that anyway. And the Vizier was a pushover too. I suppose that's what you get when you have an old man as a boss. He coughs and wheezes all over the place. Probably one other criticism I have of the game is that it has a lack of tension. Except for some dicey acrobatics in the Prison and Dawn levels, you never really feel in danger. Battles are merely mundane exercises inbetween the next round of puzzling architechture and amusing assides. This is probably partly due to the dagger, since levels where you don't have it feel tougher, but I think in general it was a little simplistic and easy in some areas.

Now I'm kind of looking forward to Warrior Within a lot more, because even though the tone is different, it looks set to improve upon some of Sands of Time's shortfallings, i.e the combat and length. And now I've developed a great leechability for the Prince, although I hope they don't ruin him for the sake of more 'mature' gameplay. I liked his somewhat naive angstiness and humorous mutterings... I wouldn't want him to loose all of those elements which made him interesting and unique as a character.

~Kimi

'tis printed~

I'll be going into Kino on the weekend. Or at least, I'll be in the city so I'll try to get there. I don't think I can pick up ASUKA until tuesday because of the date it comes out in Japan. Yeah, my discount card is only 10%.

This dang Prince of Persia thing is confusing. It's a aplicable to three Ubisoft games which are coming out soon, in that if you preorder them you can get Sands of Time or one of those bloody Tom Clancy games for free. But it's not like those bonus discs or anything, so it depends on whether or not the particular store has a copy of the games in-stock. And they couldn't track down a GC Sands of Time copy at any of their other stores either, which brings up the assumption that Ubisoft will issue a redistibution of new stock to cover the preorder deal. Only problem is they're not 100% sure on this. Meanwhile I managed to track down one Gamecube copy of Sands of Time in the whole of Chatswood, while passing ten other X-box copies in a bargain bin and a second-hand PS2 copy for 35 bucks. The Gamecube copy was 80 bucks, which brings me to somewhat of a conundrum. Do I buy it now in case Ubisoft is simply relying on the existing stock on the popular consoles, or do I wait until PoP2 comes out at which point EB will know for sure about Ubisoft's intentions? Meanwhile someone could have bought that Camecube copy and then I'm fuxored because it's friggin impossible to find, unless I wander around the city for ages going from store to store or something. I'll ring up Ubisoft tomorrow and see if they can tell me anything. I heard from someone else that it's part of an Optus promotion, but they mention nothing about GC on the list of systems for the free games. Poor neglected Gamecube... it's times like this that I wish we had more than one surviving next-gen console.

On the plus side of this I might be getting a job at EB during the busy November pre-christmas rush XD. I was talking to one of the guys at the store and we were complaining about how all the good games come out at the same time, and he mentioned how they were always flat-out during November. So I replied "Well, if you ever need extra staff *nudge-nudge*", and then he said "Send in your resume". I think it'd be cool to work at EB. Surrounded by games all day long! *sigh*. Now I just have to write an EB-themed resume...

Oh, and I got attacked by a myhna bird at the station (or however you spell it). I was teasing in with a chip, trying to see if it would grab it out of my hand, and then when I gave up and ate one myself it flew into my face. Wtf? Stupid bloody bird...

~Kimi

Since my printer's broken; could you... print this out for me?

Here.
Your discount is only 10%, right? Because CC vol 02 is out and I'm get all geared up to purchase it.

[Edit: Oh yeah. Next time you go into Kino (sometime soonish? When's Asuka coming out?) Could you also ask when +Anima 9 is arriving? It said it was published in September, so I guess that means November, if our delay times are any indication, but I'd like to know so I can buy both at once.]

Kam

*talking to guy at EB on the phone* "If you pre-order Prince of Persia 2 you get Sands of Time for free."

Sweet e.e

Maybe I will get it after all.... Two games for the price of one! Best promotional freebie ever. Cept maybe the bonus disk for Wind Waker... but I'd already played Ocarina of Time ten times over. That means that even if Warrior Within isn't as great as Sands of Time, I'll still have both games anyway. Teh coolness

Anyway~ Study. Then I can go to EB later... it doesn't come out for another month and a bit.

~Kimi

In a word (as oppose to three paragraphs): Yes. So I'm going to hunt down the first Prince of Persia before I get the second, unless reviews convince me otherwise. Now, just need... money! Although if things go well at Animania I should have extra cash~ w00t. I could get it now if I a) can find it and b) the rest of the printing doesn't cost too much...

Now... must study! English. Hmm... I prefer paper two, I think. But that's not an excuse to be lazy.

~Kimi

So... it wasn't as good as the first one?

Chrno Crusade volume 08 has come out in Japan. Everybody's talking about it over in the Astral forum. Apparently there's a whole bunch of extra stuff in it... one with Chrno's return (<3) and Rosette as a adult and Azmaria and Joshua (<3). An epilogue, basically. If I sound calm it's only because I'm all squee-d out.

Study. Now. *slaps self*

Kam

Oh, ye final hours before the HSC...

It is, of course THE exam, but at the same time one must remember that it is ONLY an exam. I'm not sure if that brings more or less comfort to me. Once this whole ordeal actually starts it probably won't be so bad. At the moment there's a few pre-omgitstehHSC-jitters, or somesuch. I don't feel too worried at this stage. I've done more study than I usually do, and I have some practice papers under my belt to boot. I mean, what could possibly go wrong? (touch-wood...). It'll all be over in three weeks. I could have done more, but at this stage of things there's little point in saying that. What will happen will happen. So with that, good luck to all.

In less angst ramblings, I sat down with the PoP2 demo for a few hours the other day, but by the end I left with more of an inclination to seek out a Gamecube version of Sands of Time instead (which hopefully will not be as much of a torturously long experience as I predict. Poor neglected Gamecube...). I couldn't decide if the Prince was acting more like a pirate complete with over-accessorised belts or an angsty Persian Prince. Although in this case I don't think the angst is better. I mean, he was so clueless and brash in the Sands of Time demo, and he had that suave English accent to boot. They changed his voice for Warrior Within! *sobs* I mean, sure, yes, I can't imagine the new Prince with the old voice actor, but when I could actually understand what he was saying in the demo it had a tendency to make me wince a little. I can't even tell what sort of accent he has, although I have a horrible feeling it sounds psuedo-American. There wasn't enough tell-tale words to figure it out completely, although the mini-boss woman you fight had an American accent, which makes me wonder. The graphics look semi-alright on my computer, so I can't really vouch for any sort of graphical upgrade.

I quite enjoyed the new combat system although how exactly many of the combos work is oblivious to me. Jump over then and tap some buttons, works fine for me. At least I don't have to stab them with the dagger all the time which makes things run a bit more smoothly. Am a bit miffed by all the blood though. It looks like it should be red sand or something. On the whole it doesn't seem to have the mysticism of the last one, and it's lost a bit of what made Sands of Time so appealing in lieu of some new 'dark and brooding' theme. Ubisoft is probably focussing a lot on the combat system since that was one element I hear was lacking from Sands of Time, but without that mix of platforming-fun and combat it feels lopsided. Like it's trying to appeal to a certain demographic who find hacking stuff to be a lot of fun. So I hope the final vesion does have the right mix of platforming and combat, otherwise it may suffer. Hopefully it won't end up being another Devil May Cry 2 or something.

The music also miffed me... it was good in the mini cutscene, where it had the same feel as Sands of Time, but in other parts it digressed back into the psuedo-rock which just left it feeling too generic. The whole Arabian thing was what made Sands of Time feel unique. Actually, that pretty much sums up my impressions of the Warrior Within demo. It's opted for something too generic in its feel and atmosphere. Sands of Time felt great because it was new and different and appealing; exotic and mysterious. And now it's like I just hack up people and that's it. Hopefully the demo is not all representative of the final product, or else I'll wait for the reviews to come in before I think of buying it. At the moment I remain unconvinced...

~Kimi

Today is a Special Day, and not just because it's the last Friday before the HSC.

Happy Birthday, Alison.

[Edit: and a link. But especially this one. Man, where the hell do I find this crap? I take a five minute break and stumble upon this sort of weirdness.]

Kam

You know, when you said 'frisky felines' I thought you mean, like, happy kitty or something. Although in other news, there's a foot-long blue-tongue in our backyard. I betcha kitty's not going to come through the door with that in his mouth any time soon.

But, jeebus crap. I didn't think tigers could so that. Whacky o_O.

I just realised that Penny Arcade is right; all the really cool games come out too close to eachother. I can think of at least three right now which I'd like to buy that come out in november. And on the subject of PA, do you have the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time game or was I just imagining you saying something about that PA cartoon and thinking you had it? For some reason I saw some screenshots of the new Warrior Within game and tried out the PC demo of the first one. The prince looks like a sexy Arabian version of Aragorn really cool in the upcoming game though, which is partly what prompted me.... You can usually tell my current obsessions by whatever wallpaper I have on my desktop, which right now is this. He looks incredibly angsty since the last game though. I liked that bit in the Sands of Time demo where you ask Farah not to help you with the fighting because she might accidentally shoot you XD. Cute ;P. If I have any money after the con I might buy Warrior Within when it come out... in November, like everything else.

I hope we never stop blogging. Although with so much going on in the world at any given time, there shouldn't be a shortage of random things to talk about (I'd ellaborate but that might take more time than I have right now. Am starting to feel the crunch of looming HSC-ness.... ._.. Blarg~)

~Kimi

Frisky Felines.
I still haven't decided if this is an elaborate hoax or not, but it's still funny as hell. Ah, the things you can find on the internet...

Kam

You know. When we were in year 10 we made this blog because that was the hottest thing on the web, second only to scanlations (which are still burning hot but not as hot). I don't know about you, but when I said: 'Hey, Kimi, let's make a blog' I certainly wasn't thinking about next year or the year after.
I'm always surprised by how fast time has flown and how we've maintained this odd and now-not-so-little journal over the years. Kleptomania! is nearly three years old. By the time it actually is three, we probably would've parted ways and gone to university, met new friends, found new interests. Will this diary survive by the time the fourth year turns around? I dunno. But I hope so.
Not many people can put up with the effort of maintaining a blog constantly. Alot of the Pitas folk that were around when we signed up have vanished, moved on to greater things and livejournal. I think it could be very tempting to do the same, simply to go with the flow. But I also think that we'd be, not abandoning Kleptomania, but rather risk losing contact with one another.
I shaln't like to think that in a year's time you'd be a stranger that I couldn't talk freely to. That one day, we'll met over a cup of coffee and suddenly find Kiba's shirtlessness no longer amuses us both, or that "friction burns" doesn't bring a smile to our face.
I'd ask you to make a promise that you'd keep on updating, but I know that it would be asking for too much. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? But I wouldn't like this blog to vanish into obscurity. That one day some random surfer would come upon this site and see: 'last updated October 2004.' I wouldn't like the idea that our memoirs would sit here, untouched, only to attract cyber dust and google-bots. I would like the idea that one day, when we're middle aged and dissatisfied that we'll post things like about how our eldest isn't eating her vegetables or how the job's going or did you hear that Miyazaki has once more returned from retirement and is now producing his fifty-third film?

I would hate it, if one day we simply stopped posting and then I find out too late that you've moved and I'll never see you again.

Because that would be too sad.

I don't even know what's the point I'm trying to get at, only that I hope this blog lives as long as we do and that our friendship lasts beyond the end of the HSC. And I think you do too.

Kam

Well, you can still get it. I'm just warning you that if you're anything like me and prefer to have producers who expect their audience to keep their diginity while watching their crap then you might have a couple of issues with the ending. I think that after Cher died everything went down hill. Maybe I'm jaded because I spent all day yesterday watching and writing about one of Japan's best animated movies.
But I sorta liked the idea that "WR is set in a post-apocalyptic future... or is it?" Duh duh DAH!!

Yes, actually. I rather like what Lujan is wearing... or atleast the top side of it.
Actually... I have a completed story arc of The Harem which I was planning to dedicate to you. But I don't really want to edit it during this phrase of the STUVAC. When do your exams finish? 10th November? I'll be finished early Nov so I think I'll post a couple of pages then to cheer you up. I dunno, I think you'll like it. It's very OOC for Arithon, (when hasn't it been?) but it's really just about how only the closest of friends could piss each other off so badly. :P (Yes, Arakasi is in it, that's why this is filed under his name.)

My brothers got the Sims2 a few days ago and Mark was playing around with it while he updated his WoW. It's pretty detailed and sorta frustrating - especially with the damn furniture placement! And anyway, when he went back to WoW I was mucking aorund with his character. We have a single mother and a daughter, right? On the first day everything was running smoothly, because the girl didn't have any school. But it's been downhill from there. She comes home all bothered and I can't balance her happiness level with the study that she's meant to do.
It saddens me to think that even in games you can't have fun and keep up with work as well.

Or maybe I've just made her too much like me.

Kam

...I probably shouldn't have read that last post, seeing as I was thinking of buying Wolf's Rain :o... although I knew pretty much everyone died in the end anyway. Although now that you mention that topless scene, half of me was giggling like a fangirl.

My heel is going to feel fux0red after this. It always does after I rest it on the case. Arggg! I need my foot-rest pillow.

After having woken up and looked at that pic again, I do realise most of what wrong with it. Blasted retrospect and non-12-AM-artistic-blur. *replaces thumbnail with a link* Muah. I liked Ara' first when I was drawing him first, but his forehead reminds me of Sakura. And for some reason i didn't more shading. The hatched shading on his hair was suppose to be the white streak (don't ask how that's supposed to work o.O...). I think I messed up something with his expression but I can't quite place my finger on it. Part of me now likes Lujan better. Not sure if that armour is feasibly practical, but meh. Meh, I say! I think, if I would have to place it in any kind of situation, it would be a passing glance while walking past eachother in a hallway at Mara's estates. That particular look you reserve for someone you know and have shared past experiences with; a mutual exchange.

Now I feel like reading it again. *moves foot with some consternation* Bitchin'. I think I need to practice more...

I did seem to recall that at one point I really enjoyed this anime, so I was all set to do a nice bout of fangirl-ing over the last two episodes... except that I didn't. I fucking hated it. It was probably the dumbest, most melodramatic piece of biological fuck-up I have ever seen.

Why is Toboe allowed half an episode, plus three disembodied voices and two visions, when Cher was given five minutes and a four-wheel drive with not enough air bags? I never liked any of the wolves except for Darcia, Kiba and Blue. But the fucking death scenes had to screw them over, didn't it? Why the hell can Blue and her lover-wolf speak when Darcia /fucking bit through their necks/? Excuse me, I am aware that anime does expect a certain liberty from their fans, to suspend their disbelief, but this isn't about forgiving little scientific errors, this is about the level of intelligence these fucking producers think their fans posess. You don't need to have a bloody PhD in medical science to realise that your voice box is located in your fucking throat.

I didn't mind Wolf!Darcia and Human!Darcia dribbling, infact I thought they pulled off the whole wolf-gone-loco very nicely. It's pretty difficult to draw a wolf standing there nonchalantly while maintaining that gleam of psychotic looney in his eye. Heck, I didn't even mind the fact that Kiba spent both episodes with scars all over his face - although it was a tad disconcerting, seeing him beat-up and not pretty-boy like.

But the whole thing about killing off the characters was pulled off pretty badly. Now, when an anime starts killing off everyone, they should take a couple of precautions. Ie. no fucking death soliloquies. It's ok if they say things like "See you in Paradise" when they've got a fatal stomach gash, but a ten-minute death whinge when they have a broken jugular is a major no-no.

Another thing. When a character falls down a twenty metre cliff and onto his head, he doesn't fucking lift a weak and trembling hand to light his fucking cigarette. He doesn't stop to smell the faint perfume on his dead spouse's handkerchief. You know why? Because his fucking brain matter should have painted the ground in a six diameter circle. So don't give me any of that shit, I'm not an idiot. No fan is that dumb. While we're at it - the human body is not tougher than stone. When we hit the ground at that velocity, it is our bones that break, not the fucking ground. You might get a couple of cracks, depending on how brittle the ground is (if it's cold, then yes), what you don't get is a damn crater.
And last of all. Cheza. Dear, lovely, little flower girl Cheza. I think I've already given them a pretty good dose of "ok... I'll let that one pass" over this bundle of mystery but what they showed her doing in the last couple of scenes was just.... what the? If she's a flower.... how does she walk? And how does Kiba carry her in his arms, if he's really a wolf? In his mouth? She doesn't straddle his back, does she? Ok, let's not go there. I thought a few things was cute, like how her blood was green, and how when she cried tendrils of plant shot up out of the ground. I thought it was cool how her limbs dislocated and her bum started to take root (yes, I know what I said). What I thought was major not cool was that she somehow mysteriously fertilised and dispersed into black beads, which went all over the world like some giant space creature spilling a handful of poppy seeds. I didn't mind the dispensing. I did mind the fertilising.
She's a flower so once she got the other half of her gametes she dies. Ok, fine. But if she's the only damn flower left in this world.... How? I'm not sure, but I don't think Kiba counts. He's a wolf, not a flower, and transgenic species don't work that way. (Although, I am fairly sure that Kiba was what the producers wanted you to think. The clothes tearing, the gasping and throwing back of the head.... You know. Sorta like a watered down version of Jerry Springer) Of course, Cheza could have self-fertilised. Which is perfectly normal for a plant and not so normal for a girl.

It wasn't all bad. As mentioned afore, one of the best scenes was what I call "PG Sex." Warning: very tongue-in-cheek, sort of thing.
So the villian is, mysteriously, killed by Cheza's deadly nightshade, and it's now the time for a bit o' Lovin' between the protagonist and the... love-interest? Femme Fatale? Girl-thing.
She grasps him protectively to her bosom, and strokes his soft, soft fur (probably releasing pheromones which act as a aphrodisiac), and whispers, tragically, "I must leave you soon" or some other crap similar to that.
"No," he strains, because his leg has been chomped to pieces in the battle prior to this scene and probably because he's feeling a little tight in the groinal region, although as a wolf, he shouldn't really be restricted this way.
She says some more stuff, which I don't really remember because I was too distracted by the sight of Kiba tearing open the back of her clothing as he buries his face into her stomach and lower.
Kiba presumably answers, in a voice a bit muffled, but again, the sight of Cheza'a immensely long fingernails ripping, and I mean ripping Kiba's jacket and t-shirt to expose muscled arms and chest was too much for me and I was busy convulsing on the floor in joy.

You know, thinking about it... I reckon people should watch this anime if only for that amazing shot of Kiba, nearly topless.

When I cool off, I will reply to your previous post.

Kam

I said I'd draw you some Ara+Lujan fanart one day... So behold, my late-night doodle! As evidence of the late-nightness, I just tried to spell 'my' with a 'b' and a 't'. Which also means that there's probably a lot of things wrong with it, and the poses are very blah and such... I don't think I've ever really drawn either of them at all. Well, in the last 2 years in any case. I suck completely at scaling, or else I have an imability to plan my pictures properly, so they're foreground/background instead of back-to-back. But anyway. Enough artiste-bitching. It came out alright. I drew it on the back of a Minoan past-paper print out, so I forewent cleaning it up (You can see part of the source picture in the BG...). I like teh textureness >:E

[!link!]

[what's thebet I'll wake up tomorrow, look at this and realise everything that's wrong with it... blarckness!]

~Kimi

Yay~! It works. Ah, brings back memories of Chrono Trigger.. not that I played it all that much, but yeah. Not sure I want to know all the details of "At The Gates".

I'm feeling good and bad about the HSC. Good, because I don't have many exams, and they're spread out, and Animania is in a huge free block. And bad, because I feel like I should be doing more, and it's the HSC, and blarg! I mean... how much could I possibly need to know? Because most, if not all of my exams are essays, that carries with it the horrible fear that, you know... maybe I'll screw up a question. Maybe I'll be more confident when I have more practice under my belt.

I need to stop getting to bed at whacky hours of the morning. Part of the reason why I don't work before midday is because I'm not awake.

~Kimi

Hey, are you capable of uploading things to a-b.net? I was trying to upload stuff to show you... but it's not working.

Ok... November has a whole bunch of crap coming out. It's quite freakeh. I'm trying to think of it as a reward for finishing HSC... but that brings it into mind that I actually had to trudge through the exams /first/.

English exams are really starting to piss me off... It seems to be about regurgitating information not really about developing those of your own. And that ticks me off. I mean, BNW is such a good book to be discussing religion and human nature on... instead, we have to talk about historical context.

[Edit: Oh wait, I think it's alright now. Lemme test this.

Anais in: At the Gates!
Conversation from Chrono Trigger
And the text-fied first three, 01, 02, 03
Please work, or I shall have to hurt someone.]

Kam

I shall strive to be more like Mearn! ....tomorrow.

Hmmm... one of these days I'll probably read more than half of the first book of WoLaS. I seem to have grown a list of books to read. I saw a woman on the train the other day reading Assassin's Apprentice (I think that's the title... although I have a sudden fear that I'm wrong). Procrastination is teh suck.

~Kimi

I'm telling you, democracy doesn't work!
With any luck, Howard'll resign before the end.

And it sudden occured to me why you couldn't be Mearn (as old as this news is.) He's not a procrastinator. In that case, we're probably most like Dakar - well, aside from the whole whoring thing - since he's a sucker for life's little pleasures.

Kam

It's over. The rest is merely a formality of figures. The Australian people have consigned themselves to another term of the Coalition government, although whether Howard will see that whole time-frame out to its end is questionable. What's the bet he runs at the first sign of trouble? I think a Leunig cartoon in The Age on the eve of the election summed it up eloquently.

"It was said by one of my predecessors that you change the government and you change the nation and so it will be that if government changes on Saturday, the nation will change"
-John Howard, October 7

"It was truly said by one of my predecessors that you divide the people, exploit their fears, lie to them continuously, commit them to an illegal and immoral war, treat refugees horribly and you change the nation and so it will be that if government changes on Saturday, the whole nation will change"
-John Citizen, October 7

I was half expecting it to happen. But there's always that lingering, hopeful anticipation that you'll be wrong. That the Australian electorate might actually look past the Howardite scare campaign, and think about what the Coalition policies mean for the future of this country. The mere prospect of a Coalition held Senate is too horrible to contemplate, although it remains to be seen what truth there is in that prediction. But you know, watching the 7:30 Report and listening to Bob Brown talk about the old growth forests in Tasmania (while wishing Kerry O'Brien would shut up every once in a while), and what the Coalitions forestry plan means for it. It just tends to culminate in a sense of disgust at the fact that John Howard is going to be the face of this country for another term. Perhaps Labor was too ambitious, too positive in the cynical world of politics. In the end, they just couldn't push the envelope far enough to convince people. When you look through the facade of the Coalitions scare campaigns, they really don't have a lot of vision for Australia. And the policies they do have tend to make me worry about what kind of future they want for this country. What does it say about us as a people when we re-elect a prime minister who lies to us, who misleads us into an illegal war, who clings to the past, who confines our health and education systems to the scrap-heap, who holds our environment in contempt to economic profits and business, who refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol as one of only two countries, who relies on scare tactics rather than positive policies and vision. I would have prefered to have woken up tomorrow knowing that those were things of the past. Not to wake up to a political record, as if 4 terms of the Howard Government was something to be proud of.

Ah. But that is Democracy, as they say. The people have spoken. And it is, I fear, something they will live to regret. But what is the use of retrospect, when our mistakes are in the past, and we leave it to future generations to clean them up.

The allusion to Bob Brown isn't just about trees. It's about a principle, about what I think this election stood for. This was Latham's response to the Coalitions forestry policy;

"Labor's policy will preserve the mighty Tasmanian forests. I don't want my children, I don't want anyone's children growing up wondering, 'What if that Latham guy in 2004/5 had taken action, what would those forests have looked like?'".

Well now we know Latham won't be able to act on it, just like they won't be able to act on so many other policies they had. But it makes you think, ten years down the track, what would Australia have looked like tomorrow if he had won? What would the new face of Australian politics have said to the world about who we are and what we believe in?

To that we will never know an answer. And as for tomorrow, it will be but another day in history.

~Kimi