silly obsessions

I can understand trainspotters.

I can definitely understand football fanatics (Aussie Rules is after all, a religion in Melbourne).

I can understand people who collect variations of the same thing, like my human's polar bear collection (crystal, marble, ceramic etc). I can sort of understand his Tintin and Dr Who interest.

Now someone who wants to visit every Starbucks store in the world and averages 29 cups of average coffee I cannot understand. Such a person is clearly an idiot.

See - link

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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I had a wonderful day today. Well, aside from being given my breakfast LATE as my human slept in past 8.30am. Can you believe it?

I did manage to go outside for a brief moment when my human hung out the washing.

In the afternoon, Bobby came over to watch the football grandfinal between the Sydney Swans and West Coast Eagles and drink beer and eat sausage rolls that my human made using organic beef sausage.

It was a terribly exciting game (Bobby supports the Swans, and my human didn't really want them to win as that would mean a back to back win providing them with an opportunity next year for a triple). In the end, it was a very close game which the Weagles won by one point (SYDNEY: 1.4, 4.6, 8.11, 12.12 (84) WEST COAST: 4.2, 8.7, 10.10, 12.13 (85)).

Tonight, my human and I watched a feel good film called The Incredible Mrs Ritchie.

Now that the Australian Rules football season is over, it is another long wait before next year's season. Next up, player trading and drafts will be scrutinised closely (next month).

In the meantime, we will check out the English Premier League games, in particular Everton. They play Man City this weekend (in the very early hours of Sunday morning our time).

other people's books

There is a wonderful article written by Jay Parini, D. E. Axinn Professor of English & Creative Writing at Middlebury College (in Vermont, USA) other people's books and in particular, their personal libraries.

What interests me about other people's books is the nature of their collection. A personal library is an X-ray of the owner's soul. It offers keys to a particular temperament, an intellectual disposition, a way of being in the world. Even how the books are arranged on the shelves deserves notice, even reflection. There is probably no such thing as complete chaos in such arrangements.

You can read more in - The Chronicle Review of 22 September 2006.

My human told me that he totally agrees. A few years ago, he had the opportunity to check out the late Professor Manning Clark's upstairs study with its huge collection of books. Manning Clark was Australia's foremost historian and wrote a massive definitive six-volume History of Australia. My human said that Manning Clark's collection of Russian literature (in original Russian) was fascinating and so was the house itself.

Unfortunately, the small collection of books in my house only number between 1200 and 1500 (they have not been counted recently) which is insufficient to constitute a personal library. Hmmm, I haven't been read to for some time...

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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I refused to eat anymore chicken this morning so my human had to give me some of the tinned salmon that he was putting in his sandwich to take to work. Then I went back to having a nap.

My human returned home from work earlier today. Woohoo! I had chicken for dinner and went back to having a nap and my human had disappeared when I looked up. He was back two hours later just in time for me to resume eating my dinner. It seems he went to Neil's birthday party but thankfully his priority was returning home to cuddle me! Meow!

Bangkok - farewell Don Muang, welcome to Suvarnabhumi

Sometime ago, I wrote about the opening of a new railway station in Berlin.

Now for something much bigger. A giant airport.



Flight passengers arriving to and departing from Bangkok will now do so at the brand spanking new Suvarnabhumi Airport which boasts the world's largest single terminal building, at 563,000 sq m, as well as the tallest control tower.

The former Don Muang Airport is now closed.

My human who has passed through the old aiport many times, reckons that it may have been getting old (over 90 years old), but it was cosy and familiar.

Now that the major Asian hubs such as Hong Kong (Chek Lap Kok) and Bangkok have relatively new airports, it won't be long before Singapore decides whether Changi needs to be upgraded.

Links
- Suvarnabhumi Airport
- Bangkok Post news report
- BBC News

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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Not much to report today. You know the routine. One different thing that did happen was that when my human returned home from work, Sue B was with him and she came over for a quick cup of tea and approved of the furniture re-arrangement. I didn't even sit on her lap.

That's all.

the useless prime minister's wife

Former prime minister Gough Whitlam's wife, Margaret decided to lambast the current prime minister's wife Janette Howard in her biography.


Mrs Whitlam (left) and Mrs Howard (right)

Should Mrs Whitlam have mentioned such rude things about Mrs Howard, even if it is true?

See - Sydney Morning Herald of 27 September 2006

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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Today was another boring day. This morning I didn't feel like eating and went to nap on the dining chair. My human did return from work a little bit earlier today and caught me asleep in my basket-bed on the couch. I woke up and greeted him and he served me my dinner.

Destiny came over very briefly to return some DVDs and have a cup of tea. I hopped straight on to her lap for a few minutes.

Tonight we are watching Final Destination 3 which is really scarey. Actually I'm not watching it as I don't like scarey movies, but I know it is scarey as my human is scared and keeps cuddling me.

celebrating plurilingualism

Today was the European Day of Languages a day to celebrate linguistic diversity and the benefits of being able to speak another language.

See - Council of Europe, European Day of Languages website

What a wonderful idea. In many European countries people speak more than two languages. Indeed to many, English is their third or fourth language.

In Canada, there are two official languages, English and French. While most people speak one or the other, many also speak another language, particularly new migrants from non-English speaking countries. In the government service, most staff speak both English and French.

Perhaps the United States could adopt a second official language, say Spanish given that many immigrants come from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, but still encourage them to learn English.

Some people feel threatened and uneasy when other people don't speak their language (English). Perhaps it is time that they learnt another language themselves.

In Australia, it used to be compulsory to learn a foreign language in junior high school (for 3 years). The choice was usually a European or an Asian language. Unfortunately, the current federal government cut funding for the teaching of foreign languages at school. What a shame.

Over 200 languages are spoken in Australia including indigenous languages. It is about time that this is celebrated.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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I couldn't keep my human at home today, so I ended up napping on the couch by myself for most of the day. It was good to have him home again in time to serve me dinner.

This bunch of irises came from the farmer's market on Sunday. Visitors to my house should try and bring irises.

new pics

from Sunday, a week ago; amongst Fatty's daffodils


there was a magpie in the garden this morning; it may be the same one that my human saw on his way to work and snapped

Battle of Ideas festival in the UK

People living in the UK are extremely lucky. More people are adopted by cats than by dogs. In 2004, 6.1 million households were run by cats (compared with 5.2 million households served by dogs). (source)

These kitties are also very lucky indeed as the Battle of Ideas festival will be held on 28 and 29 October 2006 at Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7.

We felines are an intellectual lot, unlike those drooling canines. Behind every great person (man or woman) is a smart cat (unfortunately my human is not one of these, but I do so like to amuse myself).

So if you live in the UK, send your person to the Battle of Ideas festival.

See link - Battle of Ideas (check out the list of speakers)

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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What an interesting day today was. I had two breakfasts. Once before my human had a shower and then another after he had finished. Then my human left for work half an hour later than usual.

He then surprised me by returning home just before midday. I had told him to stay home with me. He was feeling really really ill. It seems he may have taken a double dose of medication last night. He couldn't remember if he had taken his pill and was sure he hadn't and took it again an hour later. Silly person.

Anyway, he went straight to the couch for a snooze so I snuggled up to him. It was so nice. He woke up for an hour or so and then had another nap with me on the other couch.

Thankfully he woke up to give me dinner, twice.

businessbib, not just for telecommuters

For people who work from home and do video-conferencing with the office (telecommuters), there is now a half suit called a 'businessbib) that can be worn over any clothing (or indeed, no clothing at all) to give the impression that the wearer is wearing a suit. It's only the top half of the suit, and the sleeves only cover the upper arms.



It's not just those telecommuters who might use it. The television news presenters usually sit behind a desk, and half the time, they are only wearing shorts under the desk (unless the network does the silly thing and makes them stand).

Reporters on the ground also seem to dress up in spite of the climate and wave their hands about when they speak. The 'businessbib' might have a use for reporters in hot climates, as long as they don't use their hands.

See - businessbib

It would be good if my human could work from home, but then... I'd demand long naps on the couch whilst being cuddled.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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Today was cold and wet and windy. I finally ate today, which pleased my human. I just had a sore tummy.

I was napping on the couch today and when I woke up, the furniture had moved around as if by magic, even the couch upon which I was sleeping. I was so confused. I was not consulted for my opinion by whatever strange forces at work that was responsible for the change. Not happy!

I did have two naps together with my human today, once in the late morning and again in the late afternoon. I've trained my human well in the art of the cat-napping.

Tonight, we watched Mozart and the Whale.

on Thailand, the United States and democracy

Two very interesting things happened this week.

There was a coup d'etat in Thailand by the military. Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said the coup was necessary to end intense conflicts in Thailand's society that Prime Minister Thaksin had created.
- CNN 19 September 2006

President George Bush addressed the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly and spoke at length about democracy and elections.
- President Bush address to UN, White House press release, 19 September 2006

White House spokesman Tony Snow expressed disappointment in the coup hoping the coup leaders restore democracy, by an elected government.
- White House press briefing, 20 September 2006

Thailand has had a long history of military rule since overthrowing the absolute monarchy and replacing it with a constitutional monarchy. Since then, civilian democratic rule has been very fragile and the military has maintained its view that it has a role in maintaining order.
- The Military and Democracy in Asia and the Pacific

Fair elections are very important in a democracy. Elections should also be decided by the people, by counting their votes. One vote one person.

Strange how the US Presidential election of 2000 was decided, not by the people but by the Supreme Court. Separation of power between the executive, legislature and the judiciary? Not when the courts are stacked by executive appointees.
- The Observer (Paul Harris), 7 September 2006

Not only that, the system of vote counting is not tamper proof. Talk about vote rigging. Perhaps UN observers need to attend US elections.
- CNN - The Cafferty File

Hmmm... what was it about stones and glass houses, and black pots and kettles?

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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Today was a wonderful day, even if I haven't eaten anything all day. I just haven't felt like eating today.

My human was up very early today and went to the Farmer's Market with Kettle's human Klaudia. He came back with some fresh produce including his three favourite types of bread - Italian crusty, sourdough and pumpkin.

Then Elizabeth (visiting from Melbourne) and Sue B came over for brunch. I talked/meowed to them when they arrived but I don't think they understand cat-speak. At least I sat on their laps. Elizabeth also suggested to my human how to repot the water iris plants (which I later supervised him to complete). After they left, I had a wonderful nap on the couch with my human. When he woke up we didn't watch the other preliminary final football game of West Coast Eagles vs Adelaide Crows on TV. Instead we watched a recording of the 2002 Grand Final. How tragic!

In the evening Merlin's human Kim came over and I sat on her lap, then Nell and Declan came over. The humans had dinner of a retro dish of apricot chicken. I did join in at the dining table (sitting on a chair of course) but not to eat (why use cutlery when you have perfectly good teeth to tear through the food?).

Anyway, I'm going back to my nap now. It is my bedtime.

move over Oprah, it's the Hugo Chavez book club

Oprah's Book Club is a wonderful way of encouraging people to read. Oprah Winfrey also chooses excellent books and those on her list are guaranteed additional sales boosting them to the best seller lists.

She may now have competition in the form of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week (61st session), President Chavez recommended to the assembly, Noam Chomsky's book Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance (The American Empire Project) . As a result, additional book sales have put it into the best seller lists.

See
- Chavez's address to UNGA
- Washington Post of 21 September 2006
- Amazon.com
- Noam Chomsky Website
- Oprah's Book Club

No doubt this will have caused White House aides to run around searching for a copy of the book and then having it summarised and briefed to President Bush.

Which begs the questions - what book would US President George Bush recommend to the United Nations General Assembly? And before anybody suggests it, See Spot Run is out of print.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please continue to think well wishes for my dear friend Camilla.

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Today was another so so day. I was glad to see my human return home from work. After I had my dinner, we had a cuddle on the couch and my human fell asleep with me cuddled in his arms. Woo! Then he woke up, thankfully when Emily sent him a SMS text about the football, as I hadn't finished my dinner.

Tonight we are watching the preliminary final football game between the Sydney Swans and the Fremantle Dockers. We want Freo to win as they are Emily's team and Matthew Pavlich is a brilliant player. And besides, Freo is now the underdog. With about 8 minutes to go in the game, it is highly unlikely. Dang!

welcome aboard, if you have no fear of flying, you will...

I've never been on a plane. I don't think I could bear being in the carrier (cage) stuck with the luggage. Unfortunately in Australia, kitties are not allowed in the main cabin. That sucks!

My human on the other paw, has been on many flights all around the world. He told me that the flight safety announcements now sound like "blah blah blah..."

He reckons that when they mention the water landing and the life raft, they are being hopeful and just making passengers feel better.

This is from a recent article in The Economist
Your life-jacket can be found under your seat, but please do not remove it now. In fact, do not bother to look for it at all. In the event of a landing on water, an unprecedented miracle will have occurred, because in the history of aviation the number of wide-bodied aircraft that have made successful landings on water is zero. This aircraft is equipped with inflatable slides that detach to form life rafts, not that it makes any difference. Please remove high-heeled shoes before using the slides. We might as well add that space helmets and anti-gravity belts should also be removed, since even to mention the use of the slides as rafts is to enter the realm of science fiction.

You can read the rest - here

Those doctored safety cards in the Fight Club film are a little more accurate.



*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla. Please also think good thoughts about and for Camilla. She is very sick (though feeling well thankfully).

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My human came home a little earlier today. He had to prepare some more chicken for my dinner and let it simmer on the stove, then joined me on the couch and fell asleep whilst cuddling me. Woo! When he woke up, my dinner was ready (but needed to be cooled down).

Tonight is another couch night, but there is nothing on TV.

Billions of bilious blue blistering barnacles!

Ten Thousand Thundering Typhoons!
Addle-pated lumps of anthracite!
Dunderheaded coconuts!

These are some of the 'curses' or 'swear words' that Captain Haddock uses. He is Tintin's best friend.

Of course those are the English version. Tintin was originally written in French.

Sous-produit d'ectoplasme!
Porc-épic mal embouché!
Crème d'emplâtre à la graisse de hérisson!

Captain Haddock was very creative with his 'insults' as his creator Hergé could not write in actual swear words.

More - here and also in French

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Today was another boring day, but I enjoyed listening to ABC Classic FM.

Emily came over tonight and she cooked up Hokkien noodles with puff tofu and greens with oyster sauce for dinner. She is a noodle addict. I do like to lay on her lap though.

Interesting people, part 4 (Derek Paravicini)

The last time I wrote about interesting people (or rather an interesting person) was back on 24 April last year.

Derek Paravicini is a pianist. He is also blind, autistic and has severe learning disabilities. He is also a genius savant.



His story is remarkable. He was born premature at 25 weeks and 'died' three times. At four years old, his talent was realised when he heard a piano being played and ran over and played the exact same music.

You can read more about him at
- UK Daily Telegraph of 17 September 2006
- Derek Paravicini (official website)

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Splat is a cat who lives at the pet shop at the markets. When my human returned home from work today he asked me if I knew Splat. D'uh! Of course I don't know Splat. He lives in a shop, with rabbits and mice, and rats and goldfish. Hmmmm... perhaps I could go and visit him at the shop. Mice...

Anyway, not much to report today.

football pics

My human is not looking so I'm going to upload a footy pic. He's forbidden me from writing too much about football and going on and on about it.

Simon Black (my human's favourite player)

This means that I should be able to also add my favourite player

Josh Drummond (my human reckons he needs to pass the ball a lot more)

Now that Crackers has been 'de-listed' (fired) from the team, I should put a pic of him on too.

Clark Keating (even team mate Luke Power had nice things to say about him - here)

While I'm at it... oops, better go and upload now. My human is back.

a slap from the prime minister's wife

Poor Cherie Blair. She was in Glasgow for the UK Schools Games and young Miles Gandolfi had his photo taken with her.

He had the audacity to pull that old 'rabbit ears' using two fingers behind Cherie Blair. She playfully slapped him lightly.



Unfortunately, the response by authorities was an over-reaction. Mrs Blair was investigated by police (six police officers) for assault, a charge that did not proceed and cleared.

Ironically, the Child Protection in Sport Unit which was set up by the Labour government and the organiser of the games, was the authority which lodged the complaint.

See - BBC News

Purrsonally, I think she should have thumped him harder, in a friendly way too of course, for showing disrespect to the prime minister's wife.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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I hadn't mentioned that we watched some good films over the weekend. On Saturday night we watched The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and last night we watched The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy (the film adaptation), both of which were very enjoyable.





After such a good weekend, in feline terms, today was back to the usual work week routine. My human came home earlier today, but I still had to wait for my dinner of chicken which he had shopped for today, and had to cook.

Tonight we have been listening to the new Scissor Sisters' CD Ta-Dah which is awesome. It is boppier than their first album, and my human reckons a person could dance the Charleston to some of the tracks.

celebrities love themselves

That's right. Celebrities love themselves and now there is a scientific study to prove it.

See - Los Angeles Times of 12 September 2006

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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I had another great day today. I didn't get to lay on my human's lap as much today, but we had visitors. Woohoo! First Evelyn and Nathan came over for brunch (scrambled eggs, bacon and asparagus) so I was given a tidbit of bacon. They are moving to Melbourne tomorrow.

Then my human had a little nap on the couch with me laying on his lap (also napping). It was so nice. But then he got up to start doing chores like cleaning the floor. Then Devi came over and they went out briefly. When they returned, I wanted to sit on Devi's lap while she was drinking tea, but she wouldn't let me. How rude! After she left my human continued with chores, which continued tonight with ironing so I haven't had as much lap this afternoon and tonight.

please save Wa-Wa from a fate worse than 'cannibalism'... predatory television networks

In West Papua (a province of Indonesia on the western border of Papua New Guinea), there is supposedly a six-year old boy destined for the cooking pot.

Wa Wa

The boy is called Wa-Wa and is from the Korowai tribe. The story goes that the tribe believes in khakhua, or witches who take on the form of men, attributing them as the cause of death, rather than disease. Wa-Wa was blamed as a khakhua and causing his parent's sudden death

A story was broadcast in May 2006 by Australia's version of Sixty Minutes (Nine network), with a reporter Ben Fordham journeying with a Smithsonian writer Paul Raffaele, which attracted very high television ratings. We wouldn't know as we try not to watch sensationalist garbage masquerading as factual journalism.

A rival network (Seven network), which broadcasts an even more appalling version of television journalism called Today Tonight decided to send in a film crew with that awful woman presenter to the village to try and rescue the boy.

the awful woman

Fortunately, the film crew was intercepted by Indonesian authorities and detained before being deported (though they claim they were not 'deported').

This saga has made huge news in Australia. Not so much the story about Wa-Wa, but claims by the Seven network that they were sabotaged by the Nine network.

This is what Dr Chris Ballard, anthropologist at the Australian National University had to say about it:
It's something akin to wandering around Baghdad asking about Paris Hilton.

There aren't [no evidence of cannibalism in Papua in recent years] as far as we know. There have been cannibals in the past in Papua but really that was quite some time ago. I think the sad thing is there are real stories to be had out of Papua, all sorts of conflicts and challenges being posed to the people in Papua and to the Government in Jakarta and really to have these clowns wandering around the landscape on so called missions of mercy, is a tragedy I think for all of us.

It's a complete non-story and it cues into something that's been happening recently, which is the development of adventure tourism and if you like adventure journalism. There are companies that now offer manufactured first-contact experiences in West Papua where rich tourists go in and are made to believe that they're the very first white people to have encountered particular groups.

And I think this the kind of journalism we're seeing coming out of this particular media war but the only endangered species I can see in this is Channel Seven's ratings.

I mean I think it's laughable, it really is. The real cannibals in this are the commercial networks who are trying to consume each other's audiences and each other's market share and I have no time for spurious claims about mercy missions.

See
- interview with Dr Chris Ballard (on ABC, a reputable network)
- Sixty Minutes transcript of the story 21 May 2006
- Paul Raffaele's story in the Smithsonian magazine September 2006 (which reads more like fiction)
- Today Tonight
- reporting by UK Independent 16 September 2006 (it gives better background)

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Emily stayed over last night woohoo! I couldn't get into her room so had to snuggle with my human at bed time. But this morning I did go in and meow at her but she didn't get up to feed me so I had to wake my human. Unfortunately she left this morning instead of spending the day with me.

Fortunately I still had a wonderful day today. I had a mid-morning nap with my human, and in the early afternoon I went outside to check chew on some grass while my human hung out the washing. Then in the afternoon we had another nap together. My human has been catching up on much needed sleep.

Tonight we are watching another football semi-final (they come before the preliminary final, try and figure that one out) between the West Coast Eagles (weagles) and the Western Bulldogs (doggies). My human wants the doggies to win as they are the underdogs (underdoggies?). I'm not sure, I guess I prefer the weagles not to win.

immigration a threat to English language usage?

There was a Reuters story this week about a recent academic study reassuring Americans that immigrants won't be a threat to the use of English language usage.

U.S. citizens concerned that Latino immigrants will have them singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish can rest easy, according to an academic study published on Wednesday.

A report in the Population and Development Review found that far from threatening the dominance of English, most Latin American immigrants to the United States lose their ability to speak Spanish over the course of a few generations.
...

It concluded that by the third generation, most descendants of immigrants are "linguistically dead" in their mother tongue.



See - Reuters article
Also - (PDF) article Linguistic Life Expectancies: Immigrant Language Retention in Southern California by Rubén G. Rumbaut, Douglas S. Massey, and Frank D. Bean

It is quite astounding that the loss of a language ability is gauged in such a positive manner, and the expectation of immigrants to lose their mother tongue in favour of English. Rather, they should be encouraged to retain their mother tongue and learn English, thus becoming bilingual. And that should apply to the generations that come after.

All people should try and learn as many languages as they can, instead of giving up one language in favour of another.

In Europe, most people speak at least two languages. In some countries like the Czech Republic and Switzerland, most people speak three or four languages.

In Australia, there is a moral panic at the moment about new immigrants not learning English. Thankfully, they are no longer expected to lose their mother tongues entirely.

We are multilingual in my household. There was a time when my human only spoke to me in German, so in response I meowed back to him in French. That little experiment didn't last very long.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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My human was a little late this morning so I ended up doing a poo while he was still here. Oh, how embarrassment! My human had to clean my butt fur before he went to work. I think pork is on the banned list now.

This evening Emily is here! Woohoo! The humans had a salad for dinner made with poached Atlantic salmon (farmed from Tasmania), boiled eggs, cos lettuce, grape tomatoes, Lebanese cucumber etc. We are watching a semi-final game of football between the Fremantle Dockers (Freo) and the Melbourne Demons.

Amas de Casa Desesperadas

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

But then Hollywood does have a tendency to remake great non-English language films.

Now it is Argentina's turn to remake a popular American TV series.

- Amas de Casa Desesperadas


do they live on Wisteria Lane?

I guess remaking is preferable to dubbing the voice tracks, but what is wrong with reading subtitles in the first place?

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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For an old cat like me, my days are occupied by sleeping and eating, so not much to report.

kitty toast

Sometimes I convince my human to give me a tiny portion of his toast with Vegemite. Usually, I lick off the Vegemite. Sometimes I will eat the entire portion of toast (a human bite size).

My favourite toast is made with sourdough bread. My human reckons it makes the best toast and I totally agree. My human also likes pumpkin bread and prefers to use that when making sandwiches with leftover cold roast meat.

There is an excellent article on NPR about sourdough - here

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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I think I wore Emily out over the weekend with my incessant demands for her lap. She didn't come over tonight. Sigh! There is always my human and we do have interesting conversations.

elephants?

The Heffalump and Mr Snuffleupagus (who has no ears) uncannily resemble elephants.


Heffalumps


Mr Snuffleupagus

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Even if I don't always stay laying on my human's lap all the time, I enjoy having a nap lying next to him on the couch.

Gore on climate change

Former US Vice President Al Gore is in Australia promoting his documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.

He has also been doing rounds of interviews and coming across as remarkably intelligent.

Makes you wonder if the world would be a better place if Al Gore's presidency hadn't been stolen by an idiot.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Not much to report today. I ate a whole 80g tin of Dine tuna cat food for dinner.

Saddam not linked to al-Qaida

Any normal person with reasonable intelligence would have found it hard to believe the propaganda spun by US President Bush about Saddam's involvement in the 9/11 attacks.

D'uh!

There has now been all this money spent by the USA and her allies on the so called 'War on Terror' and that Osama bin Laden fellow (responsible for the 9/11 attacks) is still at large.

See - Voice of America news

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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I had a wonderful few days with Emily and demanded a lot of time on her lap. But I'm glad my human is back now. He returned just before my dinner time, and I have had two helpings of cooked chicken so far.

My human told me that he had a good work trip to Melbourne and his meetings with the 'branch office' were really good, and also seeing how they operated.

My human also caught up with Leah on Friday when she was singing in a gospel choir, and Michelle on Saturday for brunch, then Elizabeth and Fritz at their house.

Unfortunately my human did not bring back any presents for me. He told me it was not a shopping trip. How rude! I will not be leaving his lap tonight. He owes me hours and hours of lap time.

keisercat@wildmail.com

living in a cube

Yesterday I wrote about a box (Police Box, which is a TARDIS in disguise) which is bigger on the inside compared to the outside.

Tonight, I want to write about another box. It is a house that is basically a cube.

It might look quite boring on the outside, but can be quite functional on the inside.

Check out what one architect did - Boyd Cody Architects (flash site, click on work, complete, then alma rd).








*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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My human remembered to leave the radio turned on for me, so today was less boring. It did get very cold though and has been raining since this afternoon.

Emily doesn't seem to be visiting tonight. Perhaps she doesn't love me anymore. Well, she will have more time tomorrow night to make up for it, as my human has just told me he is travelling to Melbourne for work and will return on Sunday. Hmmmpppphhhhhhh!

I guess that means that my computer will either go with him, or be switched off, so I won't be able to update my blog until Sunday.

keisercat@wildmail.com

which box is much much bigger on the inside?

There is a box whose dimensions on the outside are proportionally much smaller than the actual space inside it.


Outside


Inside

How can this be?

Check it out - here

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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What a strange day today. I spent most of the morning on a dining chair until the sun moved overhead, then I napped on my round mat. My human forgot to turn the radio on for me. How rude!

I have decided that my favourite part of the house is the kitchen, but only when my human is there.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Chateaubriand and vale Steve Irwin

No, it is not a fancy French country house. That would be a château.

François-René de Chateaubriand who was born on 4 September 1768 (happy birthday) and died on 4 July 1848 was a French writer, politician and diplomat who was considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature.


François-René de Chateaubriand, painting by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson

Apparently, a young Victor Hugo was said to have said, "I want to be Chateaubriand or nothing!"

He also wrote an amazing autobiography called Mémoires d'outre-tombe in four volumes.

Chateaubriand not just wrote about his childhood in great detail, but also the French Revolution and his journey to the United States.

This is what he wrote about Baltimore:
Baltimore, comme toutes les autres métropoles des États-Unis, n'avait pas l'étendue qu'elle a maintenant, c'était une jolie petite ville catholique, propre, animée, où les moeurs et la société avaient une grande affinité avec les moeurs et la société de l'Europe.

Baltimore, like all the other capitals of the United States, did not then possess its present extent: it was a pretty little Catholic town, ordered and lively, whose social mores bore a close resemblance to those of Europe.

You can read more here
- in French, first volume from Project Gutenberg
- English translation, two volumes by A.S. Kline

What a shame that Chateaubriand's writings are not more well known in the English speaking world.

In other news, the Crocodile Hunter died today.

Steve Irwin was larger than life and a friend to all creatures great and small. He reminded Australians that Quarantine Matters.


Steve Irwin with a kitten, err Tiger cub (Mogo Zoo, New South Wales south coast, 2004)

Even Australian Prime Minister John Howard issued a statement today.

Most Australians across the nation are just stunned. My human told me that people at his office found it hard to believe. My human said maybe it is because Mr Irwin is up close and personal with so many dangerous creatures that he's invincible.

The animal kingdom lost a very good friend today.

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Monday again. Not much to report.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Lucy Gao's 21st birthday party at the Ritz Hotel, London

This is Lucy Gao's birthday invitation (by email)

-----Original Message-----
From: Gao, Lucy [CIR]
Sent: 16 August 2006 12:53
To: Curwen, Phoebe Sarah [CIB-GTS]; Olea, Ovidiu [CIB-GTS]; Brennan, Paul1 [CIB-GTS]; Cartwright, Nick James Peter [CIB-GTS]; Casey, Krystal [CIB-CRRM]; Croatto, Marco [CIB-GTS]; Gayeva, Ulyana [CIB-GTS]; Jensen, Kim [CIB-GTS]; Lvov, Nikolay [CIB-GBKG]; Seugnet, Sophie [CIB-GTS]; Spencer, Harry Belford [CIB-GTS]; Andrews, Edward John [CIB-GBKG]; Schwarz, Daniel Christopher [CIB-FI]; Seugnet, Sophie [CIB-GTS]; Zhuk, Dmitry [CIR]; Chinelato, Marcelo [CIB-GBKG]; Moratti, Andrea [CIB-FI]; Butler, Rachel Louise [CIB-FI]; Lin, Jingjing [CIR] Cc: 'Theodore Kyriacou'; Choi, Alan [CIB-GBKG]; 'sophie.sandner@luxurypublishing.com'; 'olga.x.bogdanova@hsbcib.com'; 'jessica.boen@allianzglobalrisks.co.uk'; 'colin.kelly@hsbcib.com'; 'Gill, Sanampreet'; 'Entwisle, Sunita (IBK EMEA)'; 'mandeep.samra@balliol.ox.ac.uk'; 'kate.tolley@balliol.ox.ac.uk'; 'lisema777@yahoo.co.uk'; 'pegger_007@hotmail.com'; 'psatiarthi@googlemail.com'; 'destinysy2k1@hotmail.com'

Subject: Details and instructions for Lucy's Ritz Party


Dear Friends,

Thank you for all your replies and I am glad all of you can come this Friday to celebrate my 21st with me.
Please read ALL the following to ensure your entry into the Ritz.

Lucy's 21st Birthday Party
at The Ritz Hotel London

Friday, 18th of August
9pm Champagne Reception
10pm Photo Shoots
10:30pm Blowing Candles

Mid-night Pangaea, Mayfair


I have arranged the Ritz to host a Champagne Reception with a selection of Ritz Champagne for all my guests, this will be on me so please come and indulge.

A specially made birthday cake has also been ordered and the Ritz waiters will kindly serve you each a generous slice with Ritz cutleries, etc...also on me.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENTRY:
* When you arrive, take the Hotel entry on the opposite side of the Green Park tube station [Please refer to your arrival time at the end of this email]
* When asked "how can I help you Sir/Madame?", you reply "I am here for Lucy's Birthday Party at the Rivoli Bar"
* You will be escorted to the lounge area next to the Rivoli bar, where you will hopefully see a gorgeous group of ladies.

If you experience any issues getting in or getting to the Ritz, please call my mobile on 07782 205 450 and my PA Ms Gill will kindly deal with your queries between 8:30pm to 10pm.

STRICT DRESS CODE:
Gentlemen: Jacket, shirt, and please also bring a tie (no jeans, trainers, flip-flops, polo-shirts)
Ladies: skirt/top, cocktail dress (no denim, min-skirts, flip-flips, bad tastes)
Advice 1: It goes without saying that the more upper-class you dress, the less likely you shall be denied entry.
Advice 2: Photos will be taken between 10pm to 10:30pm, and these will be distributed once processed, therefore you may want to be well-groomed!

Finally...
I will be accepting cards and small gifts between 9pm to 11pm... hehehe

I very much look forward to seeing you all at the Ritz this Friday.

Lucy

ARRIVAL TIMES: [Please stick to these as best as you can, thank you]
9:00pm: Lucy, Sophie Sandner, Kajai, Mandeep, Preet, Sanami, Su, Lisa, Kate.
9:15pm: Phoebe, Sophie Seugnet, Theo, Dmitry, Ed, Nikolay, Paul, Nick, Harry.
9:30pm: Marco, Andrea, Jess, Ovi, Yuki, Olga, Kim, Marcelo, Ulyana, Krystal, Dan.
9:45pm: Sunita, Alan, JingJing, Emma.
10:00pm: Anthony, Rachel, Roger, Uli, Yogi, Gharzi


Lucy Gao
Citigroup Real Estate Equity Research
4th Floor, Citigroup Centre (CGC1)
25 Canada Square, London E14 5LB
Direct Line: +44 207 986 4116
Fax: +44 207 986 4341
Mobile: +44 778 220 5450
Email: lucy.gao@citigroup.com

Poor Lucy. Her email was forwarded by one of her friends to somebody else in their place of work, and then it circled the globe and made it into the press. Lucy was ridiculed for being uptight. Seriously, who tells their friends to stagger their arrival at a party?

See - Sydney Morning Herald of 1 September 2006

At least she paid for the festivities at the Ritz Hotel. There is nothing worse than people who send birthday invitations to their friends to go out to a fancy dinner, expect their friends to pay for an expensive meal, and then also expect a gift.



*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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Today was a really strange day. It rained early in the morning and then it stopped. My human was wavering over whether to sleep in or get up, but in the end he listened to the news on the radio first and then got up and fed me.

There was a thunderstorm in the late morning and it rained heavily. Thankfully my human decided to join me in an early afternoon nap on the couch in full cuddle. After a good hour or so, he decided to go outside to do some weeding and pruning.

keisercat@wildmail.com

not just a date

If you are a schoolboy and invited a former Miss Universe as your prom date (even if you do not know her personally), and she accepts, it would be wise to keep it quiet and let her appearance at the prom be a surprise.

If on the other paw, you are that schoolboy and tell everyone including the media that you invited a former Miss Universe to be your prom date, and she accepted, and you end up on TV and radio because of all the fuss, then it is most likely that a media circus will end up at your school during the prom.

Now if the former Miss Universe is a really nice person who is thoughtful about others and doesn't want the school prom to be spoilt for the other kids because she is there, then she may consider changing her mind about the invitation. After all, she is no Paris Hilton.

Guess what? This actually happened to schoolboy Daniel Dibley when he invited former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins to his school prom (they are called 'formal' in Australia). She said yes, then changed her mind after all the media attention (of his doing).




He is an idiot .

See - news.com.au (one of Rupert Murdoch's)

*For more kitty thoughts, check out Camilla.

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I had a good day today and even spent some time on my human's lap. This morning I went outside while my human hung out the washing, then he carried me in his arms so that I could check up on Hagrid next door by peering over the fence (Hagrid was not there).

In the afternoon, Merlin's human Jordan came over for some help with his maths assignment/homework. I even sat on his lap. Later, Kim and Liam came back and patiently waited for Jordan to finish.

keisercat@wildmail.com

Football - round 22

Football - round 22 (final round). Sigh! We may have lost the game, but Shermo was amazing with four goals (we are watching the delayed telecast)! Well, that's it for my team for this year's season. There is always next year. It was also an emotional game for Brad Scott who is retiring, and Vossy who will decide in a few weeks whether he will return next season or retire.

BRISBANE LIONS: 3.4, 4.7, 7.14, 7.15 (57)
ST KILDA: 4.1, 10.5, 13.6, 16.12 (108)

GOALS – Brisbane: Sherman 4, Johnson, Adcock, Bradshaw St Kilda: Brooks 3, Harvey 3, Gehrig 3, Milne 2, Riewoldt, Goddard, Koschitzke, Gram, Fisher
BEST – Brisbane: Voss, Adcock, Sherman, Black, Merret, Harding St Kilda: Ball, Dal Santo, Baker, Harvey, Brooks, Goddard, Gram
INJURIES – St Kilda: R Clarke (concussion)
CHANGES – St Kilda: Hudghton (ankle) replaced in selected side by Jason Blake
UMPIRES - McLaren, Grun, Quigley
CROWD - 27,101 at the Gabba


Vossy leading the team on to the field

Joel Patfull vs Barry Brooks


Daniel Merrett versus Nick Riewoldt


Vossy going for goal


Brad Scott and Rhan Hooper having an altercation with Jason Gram and Sam Fisher


Daniel Bradshaw versus Sam Fisher


Crackers versus Barry Brooks


Vossy 'kick it to me'


Vossy - the Greatest


Vossy (the Brave) versus the Saints


Shermo (the Shermanator) after kicking one of his four goals


Shermo after another goal, the skipper (Vossy) approves


Mal Michael challenging Xavier Clarke


Brad Scott


Blacky versus Brett Voss


Jared Brennan versus Justin Koschitzke


Brad Scott - his final game (thanking the supporters)


Vossy being congratulated by St Kilda's Jason Gram