Thursday, January 22, 2004
Letting Go
Today was the last I spent as a phone monkey. At lunchtime I was pulled into the manager's fishbowl to be made accountable for my actions. Apparently I had failed to follow protocol in regards to Trade Practice compliance and was no longer required by the organisation. ‘Twas a shame, only in that every fortnight they were paying me a tidy sum (by my standards) to convince incoming callers that private health insurance was an important, nay critical, part of their dangerous, never-know-what-might-happen lives.
So, cut lose from another decaying umbilical cord disconnects me from only the most trivial and banal levels of employment I will stoop to. Pas un chose mal.
I have written in my journal three times since noon, when the last time was a fortnight ago.
I wrote,
"I've said before, I am in a transitory period, but it is different, far more complex than previous separation dramas - alien high school, only university entrant, leaving home. It is no longer an adventure, it is a life I am beginning. This is an Angst so far removed from hormone imbalance and the onset of puberty. This is its afterthought, reflexive and dubious, "concerned yet powerless".
We are all on the cusp of greatness, standing, as we are, on the brink of mediocrity.
Today was the last I spent as a phone monkey. At lunchtime I was pulled into the manager's fishbowl to be made accountable for my actions. Apparently I had failed to follow protocol in regards to Trade Practice compliance and was no longer required by the organisation. ‘Twas a shame, only in that every fortnight they were paying me a tidy sum (by my standards) to convince incoming callers that private health insurance was an important, nay critical, part of their dangerous, never-know-what-might-happen lives.
So, cut lose from another decaying umbilical cord disconnects me from only the most trivial and banal levels of employment I will stoop to. Pas un chose mal.
I have written in my journal three times since noon, when the last time was a fortnight ago.
I wrote,
"I've said before, I am in a transitory period, but it is different, far more complex than previous separation dramas - alien high school, only university entrant, leaving home. It is no longer an adventure, it is a life I am beginning. This is an Angst so far removed from hormone imbalance and the onset of puberty. This is its afterthought, reflexive and dubious, "concerned yet powerless".
We are all on the cusp of greatness, standing, as we are, on the brink of mediocrity.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Trawling
I've had a chance to meander aimlessly through the realms of cyberspace today, the first time in a while. So I decided to return to an old favourite blog of mine, Riverbend. As devout readers of this page may be aware, it is my intention to track down this impressive blogger and shake her hand. Apart from this I will mention that her recent blogs, especially the New Year themed one, are excellent. She also propelled my wandering by mentioning a site that has conducted a vote on the best Asian-related blogs. Having received 24948 votes and checked as much as possible for cheating, this represents a good indication of some of the best personal pages from or about Asia currently in existence. Each country has a winner and a list of all sites that received a vote. The site is called Flying Chair. Check it out
I've had a chance to meander aimlessly through the realms of cyberspace today, the first time in a while. So I decided to return to an old favourite blog of mine, Riverbend. As devout readers of this page may be aware, it is my intention to track down this impressive blogger and shake her hand. Apart from this I will mention that her recent blogs, especially the New Year themed one, are excellent. She also propelled my wandering by mentioning a site that has conducted a vote on the best Asian-related blogs. Having received 24948 votes and checked as much as possible for cheating, this represents a good indication of some of the best personal pages from or about Asia currently in existence. Each country has a winner and a list of all sites that received a vote. The site is called Flying Chair. Check it out
Saturday, January 10, 2004
Friday, January 09, 2004
"our borders remain open to visitors but closed to terrorists"
The US has recently decided that anyone with the gall to attempt a visit to their virgin soils must first undergo a strict screening process which will include having their photograph and fingerprint recorded by the newly appointed Homeland Security department. One would assume that these records are henceforth accessible by all manner of US agencies, including (but not limited to) the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. To me, it all smacks of a sinister desire to eventually compile a database of the entire population of the world, but maybe I'm just getting a little too paranoid.
In a victory for clever anagram creators worldwide the digital fingerprints and photographs will be recorded and managed by the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, or US-VISIT. Is there no end to the genius of these people?
Fortunately for any Aussies willing to sojourn in the glorious US of A, we will be exempt from such intrusive measures, as will most European countries and Japan. Funny because I didn't think a person willing to inflict grievous bodily harm on large numbers of people would have much trouble waiting patiently while their permanent residency for a third party country was processed before embarking on their journey to martyrdom. But again, that's just me.
Another result of America's increased terrorism warning, raised on December 21 when word got out that Mr bin-Laden had made a mixtape for a girl he was trying to impress, is that armed marshals will be required on 'sensitive' flights.
In response to these clamps most countries have acquiesced to the demands, with Singapore in particular champing at the bit to get guns on their national airlines. Brazil and other South American countries have decreed that if a plane needs guns then it shouldn't take off. Fair point. Argentina has insisted that US citizens coming into that country will be privy to the same level of security measures.
NRA
In other news Charlton Heston's club, the National Rifle Association, has put together a 15 page hate-list of celebrities, groups and businesses which support the proposed Brady law which requires gun dealers to conduct background checks on buyers. God forbid these upstanding American citizens might ever need to have their fingerprints and photographs recorded.
As a NRA spokesman puts it, the list is "a good way for our members to know who's opposing their Second Amendment rights and who's not".
I guess, in the end, it all depends on what side of the fence you're living on.
The US has recently decided that anyone with the gall to attempt a visit to their virgin soils must first undergo a strict screening process which will include having their photograph and fingerprint recorded by the newly appointed Homeland Security department. One would assume that these records are henceforth accessible by all manner of US agencies, including (but not limited to) the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. To me, it all smacks of a sinister desire to eventually compile a database of the entire population of the world, but maybe I'm just getting a little too paranoid.
In a victory for clever anagram creators worldwide the digital fingerprints and photographs will be recorded and managed by the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, or US-VISIT. Is there no end to the genius of these people?
Fortunately for any Aussies willing to sojourn in the glorious US of A, we will be exempt from such intrusive measures, as will most European countries and Japan. Funny because I didn't think a person willing to inflict grievous bodily harm on large numbers of people would have much trouble waiting patiently while their permanent residency for a third party country was processed before embarking on their journey to martyrdom. But again, that's just me.
Another result of America's increased terrorism warning, raised on December 21 when word got out that Mr bin-Laden had made a mixtape for a girl he was trying to impress, is that armed marshals will be required on 'sensitive' flights.
In response to these clamps most countries have acquiesced to the demands, with Singapore in particular champing at the bit to get guns on their national airlines. Brazil and other South American countries have decreed that if a plane needs guns then it shouldn't take off. Fair point. Argentina has insisted that US citizens coming into that country will be privy to the same level of security measures.
NRA
In other news Charlton Heston's club, the National Rifle Association, has put together a 15 page hate-list of celebrities, groups and businesses which support the proposed Brady law which requires gun dealers to conduct background checks on buyers. God forbid these upstanding American citizens might ever need to have their fingerprints and photographs recorded.
As a NRA spokesman puts it, the list is "a good way for our members to know who's opposing their Second Amendment rights and who's not".
I guess, in the end, it all depends on what side of the fence you're living on.
