wishful thinking...

Qantas' new first class lounge.
Photo: Janie Barrett

See
- Qantas unveils new first-class lounge (The Age)
- Lounging Around (Sydney Morning Herald)

Design aside, the lounge, housed in a new building on top of the international terminal with floor-to-ceiling views of the tarmac, includes a Payot Paris day spa and a restaurant with menus by Neil Perry. The premium brand names proliferate, from Australian Kevin Murphy hair products in the bathrooms to wool carpets by Hong Kong's Tai Ping and Italian Carrara marble on floors and walls. Soaring oak dividers break up the lounge into areas for entertainment, business, dining and general lounging, with a library at the end featuring leather flooring, a sliver of a view towards Botany Bay and a ban on mobile phones.
...

The minimum time spent in a first-class lounge is 45 minutes, but my tip would be to give this one a few hours (and given a first-class return ticket to London costs $15,448, plus taxes and charges, unsurprisingly all services are free). You'd want to have one of the 10 spa treatments on offer - a full-body massage, or energising facial, perhaps - while remembering to pause at the spa entrance to admire the lush vertical gardens by international botanist Patrick Blanc.

You'd also want to leave time for a meal in the 48-seat a la carte restaurant (tables and chairs by Italian designer Cappellini): breakfast options include organic egg omelettes; after midday, the sample menu ranges across schnitzels, pasta, stir fries and salads. With enough time, you might later sample the self-serve buffet.

Apart from the French champagne and Italian mineral water, beverages include an Australian wine list. Nudie juices, too, are among the locals to get a look-in.

Designed by Marc Newson


Marc Newson and his stylish Qantas lounge at Melbourne Airport are part of a global trend to offer premium services for first-class travellers.

Newson's first project with Qantas was the Skybed. He has since refitted the airline's first-class cabins and is working on the interiors of the A380, which, he revealed during the course of publicity for the airport lounges, will have an on-board spa.

Last year the Sydney-born, Paris-based designer assumed the title of creative director for Qantas and eventually the Newson sensibility will filter through to the back of the bus and be as familiar as the 'roo on the tail. "That is still a couple of years off," he says.

But first things first. Yes, Newson is quietly content with his handiwork on the lounges.

"It is cool, it has dynamic, it is the kind of place people want to be," he says.

Sigh!

******************
I had a pretty good extra long weekend in Melbourne from Friday to Monday, staying at Michelle's place while she is on vacation in Italy.

On Friday I went to see my team train at the grounds opposite their hotel. It was cold and wet and there were television cameras and crews everywhere. They didn't train for very long and apart from Blacky, I didn't speak to any other players.

On Saturday, I met up with Paul and Tim again at the Turf Bar at midday, and we were joined by other supporters, Simon and Peter, visiting from Brisbane. Footy blokes and beer... yeah!

We went to the game together, and I sat with Tim enduring a dreadful game. Brisbane Lions lost, but they played my other team, Essendon Bombers, who won.

I didn't do much on Sunday, apart from catching the train to the city to wander around.

On Monday morning, I went to Windy Hill, the home of Essendon Football Club and watched my other team train. It was awesome. I had an opportunity to speak to Bachar Houli who is a new player and also a devout Muslim so we had a good discussion. Great guy.


Henry Slattery and Bachar Houli


Gussy, Froggy and Big Mal

not slacking off...

Returned from Melbourne today, and alas can't think of what to write.

Watch this space tomorrow

football - round 8

ESSENDON 3.6 7.10 13.15 18.19 (127)
BRISBANE LIONS 2.4 5.8 5.10 8.15 (63)

Goals:
Essendon: M Lloyd 4 J Hird 2 A Monfries 2 M McVeigh 2 B Houli 2 J Watson J Johnson D Hille B Stanton S Lucas A Davey. Brisbane: T Selwood 2 T Notting A McGrath J Brown J Patfull J Drummond C Begley.
Best:
Essendon: J Hird J Watson D Fletcher D Hille M McVeigh A Monfries.
Brisbane: S Black T Selwood R Hadley N Lappin J Brown J Adcock.
Umpires: H Kennedy K Nicholls T Pannell
Crowd: 35,034 at Telstra Dome.

Argh, despite Essendon being my other team, this was a horrible game to watch on Saturday afternoon. I love both teams, but Brisbane Lions is my designated team.


Power tacked by Slattery


Bunno can't stop Stanton


Blacky trying to stop Stanton who manages to get a handball away


Harding being tackled by Dyson


Ash after a kick

an interruption to this service

My blog is taking a few days break.

I'm off to Melbourne this morning, returning on Monday afternoon.

Yep, more football.

baldness is not a disease

The media has gone into a frenzy describing a research breakthrough as a 'cure for baldness'.

Since when has baldness been a disease that required a cure?

For the original press release from University of Pennsylvania;

(PHILADELPHIA) – Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that hair follicles in adult mice regenerate by re-awakening genes once active only in developing embryos. These findings provide unequivocal evidence for the first time that, like other animals such as newts and salamanders, mammals have the power to regenerate. These findings are published in the May 17 issue of Nature.

Growth of regenerated hair follicles over 45 days. Arrow indicates hair shaft. Click on thumbnail to view full-size image

A better understanding of this process could lead to novel treatments for hair loss, other skin and hair disorders, and wounds.

“We showed that wound healing triggered an embryonic state in the skin which made it receptive to receiving instructions from wnt proteins,” says senior author George Cotsarelis, MD, Associate Professor of Dermatology. “The wnts are a network of proteins implicated in hair-follicle development.”

Researchers previously believed that adult mammal skin could not regenerate hair follicles. In fact, investigators generally believe that mammals had essentially no true regenerative qualities. (The liver can regenerate large portions, but it is not de novo regeneration; some of the original liver has to remain so that it can regenerate.)

In this study, researchers found that wound healing in a mouse model created an “embryonic window” of opportunity. Dormant embryonic molecular pathways were awakened, sending stem cells to the area of injury. Unexpectedly, the regenerated hair follicles originated from non-hair-follicle stem cells.

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Thank goodness for Thursday. I had a shorter day today at work due to an appointment with the accountant. Last year's tax return now lodged. Can't wait for the small refund. Better than having to pay more tax.

Emily is over tonight. We had duck confit with roast whole baby unpeeled King Edward potatoes with broccolini for dinner.

woohoo... Tintin

I love Tintin and have all the books, even the two rare ones (in the Congo, and in the Land of the Soviets).

Tintin movies will now be made. Woohoo! I remember watching an old Tintin movie as a child on television (Tintin and the Blue Oranges), but have never been able to find it on tape or DVD.

From New Zealand's Dominion Post

Jackson teams with Spielberg to film Tintin

By TOM CARDY - The Dominion Post | Wednesday, 16 May 2007

Blistering barnacles! Peter Jackson has teamed up with Hollywood heavyweight Steven Spielberg to make three Tintin movies, with cutting-edge visual effects to be created by Wellington's Weta Digital.

Jackson and Spielberg are likely to each direct at least one of the big-budget films, based on three of the 23 Tintin comic books.

The announcement comes seven months after The Dominion Post reported Jackson's wish to bring plucky Belgian reporter Tintin, his trusty dog Snowy and pals, including Captain Haddock, to the big screen.

Spielberg holds the film rights for the books by Georges Remi, better known as Herge, and has cited them as an inspiration for his Indiana Jones movies. The films will be made back-to-back.

See also Variety.



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Work was busy today.

I don't want one

I wrote about the Eames lounge chair and ottoman on 3 May.

Now here is a set of chairs that I don't want.

These are chairs designed by a British designer, Lucy Merchant based on her drawings when she was a child. The chairs are made of bent steel rods (powder coated steel). The seat colour is matt white resembling the paper drawn on. They are called Mommy's Chair and cost £285.00 each.


Give me some steel rods and I'll make my own.

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I can't wait for the work week to end.

Monday

Tonight, I'm at a complete loss for words...

good evening Helsinki

The final of the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest is on TV tonight, hosted by Finland in Helsinki.

I am not going to stay up to watch all the counting though... "good evening Helsinki, here are the results from the Finnish vote. United Kingdom, one point, Royaume-Uni, un point pwarnt... Greece, twelve points, La Grèce, douze points pwarnt" etc

Delayed telecast means that we already know who the winner is.

(Pictures and comments from Guardian website.) The winner is...

Serbia: Marija Serifovic with "Prayer" (Molitva). Serifovic is, it’s fair to say, a peripherally successful singer in her native Serbia, which chimes more with the Eurovision entrants we know and love. Backing singers with sashes is always a winner.

(My) honourable mentions...

Greece: Sarbel with "Yassou Maria". A keen advocate of modern laiko music, Sarbel says: I can't tell you whether Eurovision helps my career or not, because I don't know. It's very dangerous.” Crikey, what’s he planning?

Spain: D'Nash with "I Love You Mi Vida". Recently changed their name from NASH to D'NASH, due to the existence of a rapper called NACH, which sounds similar. It’s a small world and you don’t want to confuse people, hence the t-shirts.

Reading the lyrics on subtitle is always fun. They are so lame. Thank goodness for Terry Wogan.

****************************
Didn't do much today. Where did the day go? Devi came over in the afternoon as I woke from a nap. She picked up an old clunky computer for her sister.

familiar?

I thought I recognised the story!

***********************

Didn't do much today. Emily came around and we walked to the shops and back, then Neil arrived with a trailer to help Emily move her furniture (in the garage) to her new place.

Tonight, I joined Neil and Nick at the Canberra Labor Club to watch the Brisbane Lions v Adelaide Crows game along with a few other supporters from the local supporters group which I set up.

It was great to have a small crowd with whom to watch the game, as shocking as our players were.

football - round 7

Adelaide 4.2 6.8 10.13 14.16 (100)
Brisbane Lions 3.6 5.8 6.12 9.15 (69)

GOALS
Adelaide: S Thompson 3, S Welsh 3, S Goodwin 2, C Knights, R Shirley, I Perrie, N Bock, T Edwards, J Griffin
Brisbane Lions: T Notting 2, J Brown 2, J Charman, C Johnson, A McGrath, S Harding, M Rischitelli

BEST
Adelaide: S Goodwin, T Edwards, C Knights, S Welsh, S Thompson
Brisbane Lions: S Black, M Rischitelli, J Brennan, J Adcock

Umpires: C Kamolins, M Ellis, S Jeffery
Official Crowd: 26,978 at the Gabba.

Argh! What a terrible game. Poor disposals - poor kicking to targets, inaccurate goal kicking, and bad passing.


Ash


Blacky tackling Luke Jericho


Browny


Bushy


Lappo


Finger

iPods can make pacemakers malfunction

From CNN

iPods can cause cardiac implantable pacemakers to malfunction by interfering with the electromagnetic equipment monitoring the heart, according to a study presented by a 17-year-old high school student to a meeting of heart specialists on Thursday.

Duh! All that will happen is that a warning will be added to the packaging. Have you seen senior citizens using iPods?

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Leah is in town for work, so a bunch of us went out for a drink after work to catch up.

Even without Keiser around, I still feel strange being out after work and getting home late. It was never so much about having an excuse to go straight home from work, or to avoid after work social engagements, but rather I actually preferred to go home and hang out with Keiser. She was such a great cat. I still miss her dearly.

Helvetica is 50

The Helvetica font is 50 this year.

It was created by Swiss graphic designer Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann at the Haas’sche Schriftgießerei (Haas type foundry) of Münchenstein, Switzerland. Haas set out to design a new sans-serif typeface that could compete with Akzidenz Grotesk in the Swiss market. Originally called Neue Haas Grotesk, the typeface's name was changed by Haas' German parent company Stempel in 1960 to Helvetica (from Helvetia, Latin for Switzerland) to make it more marketable internationally.



Helvetica is used widely today. Personally, I prefer Arial as a font.


In government, we use Times New Roman as the font in all our printed material.



See also BBC News magazine.

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I left work and went home at 1pm today as I wasn't feeling too well (should not have gone to work in the first place). I had a nap in the afternoon on the couch (and missing Keiser).

This evening, Emily came over and we had Saltbush lamb sausages with Bintje potato mash, and peas. Tonight, we are catching up on Prison Break and Heroes from last night.

shower jumpers

Too many people say that they are going to jump in the shower. I've never heard any auditory evidence of it.

Why say jump or hop in(to) the shower, when it is perfectly adequate to just step into it?

And then, why talk about getting into the shower, whether jumping, hopping or stepping into it, without making a reference to actually having a shower with water?

People are so strange.

********************************
Michelle left this morning. She had booked a taxi/cab for 8am, but it didn't turn up. In the end, we caught the bus to where I work at 9.15am, and she took another bus to where she had to go. Somehow, the whole purpose of getting up early was defeated.

chicken-eating spider

I'm not scared of spiders and leave large Huntsman spiders inside the house, which certainly freaks out some people.

Now the Chicken-eating spider is a totally different matter.

From PBS Nature

Chasing the Chicken-Eating Spider

In NATURE's DEEP JUNGLE: MONSTERS OF THE FOREST, spider expert Martin Nicholas travels to South America's Amazon in search of a spider known as the chicken-eating spider. He heard from a friend about a giant spider that can kill a hen, and he wants to see if these tall tales are true. With the help of a tiny "spider cam" that can see down spider holes, Nicholas comes face-to-face with a huge spider (possibly new to science) that is nearly a foot across and could easily eat a chicken. NATURE recently spoke with Nicholas at his home in Great Britain.

A chicken-eating spider with young. Photo by Martin Nicholas

How did you get involved in spider hunting?

Martin Nicholas: I've always been interested in spiders. When I grew up outside of London, the other kids were pulling the legs off insects, but I was the one feeding flies to spiders and studying their behavior. It just grew on me.

But you are not a full-time spider researcher.

No, I sell commercial water treatment plants for a living. Once or twice a year I get out for an expedition, to see something new. I've been to Vietnam, South America, all over. Every time I go out, I learn something new. I've even discovered a couple of new species ... one is a small, brown, stripey tarantula that builds the most incredible tube webs. It is going to be named after me.

How did you get interested in the chicken-eating spider?

It started a few years back with a letter from a friend in Peru who built power plants. He heard this story of a chicken-eating spider. I love those kinds of stories, they are irresistible. So I had to go to Peru and see if it was true.

The spider cam allowed you to see some remarkable behavior, including some young tarantulas in the same burrow with what appeared to be a parent. ...

Yes, there were some real surprises. Seeing the big mama tarantula with the young was remarkable. Most tarantulas are in no way gregarious. In fact, they often cannibalize their own young. So seeing that was very unusual. But it may make sense. It looks like when they go out at night as a group, they can catch and kill larger prey by working together. We also discovered that those spiders appeared to be keeping a pet. There was a little frog that lived down in the hole with the spiders. It may offer some sort of service to spiders, like sweeping up ants that might bother the spiders.

You believe that mother spider was about 10 inches across. How big are the biggest tarantulas?

I believe the record is 11.8 inches, held by the Goliath spider of Venezuela.

Is the chicken-eating spider a new species?

We don't know yet. I would like to get it properly identified. There are two or three other large black tarantulas that live in the area.

Where would you like to go spider hunting next?

Central Africa. That's my next big spider project. The logistics are very difficult, but there are potentially several kinds of giant spiders living in the region. One that was 11.5 inches across once walked into a British fort a long time ago, but it has never been seen again. Perhaps it was a freak of nature, but maybe not.

Do you keep spiders as pets?

Oh yes. I live in a big converted chapel, and they've got one whole end of a hall. I keep, breed, and photograph dozens of species. I always say keeping and feeding 500 tarantulas is cheaper than keeping a single dog!

Um, even I won't leave one of those inside the house.

See also BBC Science.

********************************
Michelle is in town for work, so is staying over tonight. About time she visited! We had vindaloo (beef) for dinner.

Sigh, Keiser is very much missed tonight.

what's news?

As at 8.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane), on Google news, there are 1147 articles about Paris Hilton going to jail, and 24 articles about glycerin contamination.

The articles about glycerin contamination are important as it concerns counterfeit medication which has resulted in fatalities.

I have no idea why the other topic about an infamous nobody has generated so much interest.

************************
Work week started again. Ho hum.

the worst lyrics ever

Radio BBC 6 Music had a poll on the worst lyrics.

The worst at number one was Des'ree with her song Life.

I don't want to see a ghost,
It's the sight that I fear most,
I'd rather have a piece of toast,
Watch the evening news.

I wonder how she could keep a straight face singing that...

************
Didn't do much today. Went to the club in the afternoon to watch the game, even though it was live on free to air TV. Caught up with Courtney, then Nick and Sunny. Hopefully I can get a bigger crowd next time. There was also some barbaric boxing match on and most of the screens were tuned to that.

I miss spending do nothing days with Keiser.

football - round 6

BRISBANE LIONS 5.5 9.10 12.15 17.18 (120)
FREMANTLE 4.5 7.8 9.14 10.15 (75)

GOALS: Brisbane: A McGrath 5 C Johnson 2 L Power 2 J Sherman 2 J Brown 2 J Patfull C Begley C Stiller M Rischitelli. Fremantle: M Pavlich 3 C Tarrant 3 T Cook R Warnock D Headland P Bell.
BEST: Brisbane: A McGrath L Power B McDonald N Lappin S Black. Fremantle: P Bell M Pavlich H Black J Carr D Mundy.
REPORTS: C Johnson (Brisbane) reported by field umpire S Wenn for allegedly headbutting S Parker (Fremantle) in the second quarter, Antoni Grover (Fremantle) reported by field umpire M Nicholls for attempted trip on A McGrath (Brisbane) in the third quarter.
Umpires: M James M Nicholls S Wenn.
Official crowd: 27,175 at the Gabba.

What a great win by my team on a hot day! I like attending Sunday afternoon games, but don't like sitting in full sun though. Although this game was telecast on free to air TV, I went to the club and watched a bit of it with Courtney, and then Nick and Sunny.


Ash (five goals from him)


Blacky


Bozo flies


Shermo


Browny


Mike

frog juice

From via MSNBC, 4 May 2007

Not feeling sexy? Chug some Peruvian frog juice

Blended drink is said to cure asthma, bronchitis — and low sex drive

View related photos

A frog juice vendor, Bertha de Jesus, right, puts a frog in the blender as she prepares a juice in Lima, Peru. Vendors assure frog juice is good for asthma, anemia, brain activity and, is also used as a powerful aphrodisiac. (photo by Martin Mejia / AP)

LIMA, Peru - Carmen Gonzalez plucks one of the 50 frogs from the aquarium at her bus stop restaurant, bangs it against tiles to kill it and then makes two incisions along its belly and peels off the skin as if husking corn.

She’s preparing frog juice, a beverage revered by some Andean cultures for having the power to cure asthma, bronchitis, sluggishness and a low sex drive. A drink of so-called “Peruvian Viagra” sells for about 90 cents.

Gonzalez adds three ladles of hot, white bean broth, two generous spoonfuls of honey, raw aloe vera plant and several tablespoons of maca — an Andean root also believed to boost stamina and sex drive — into a household blender.

Then she drops the frog in.

Once strained, the result is a starchy, milkshake-like liquid that stings the throat.

At least 50 customers a day ask for steaming beer mugs of frog juice at Gonzalez’s countertop-only restaurant in eastern Lima, and many treat the concoction as their morning — and afternoon — cup of coffee.

Rebeca Borja, a 53-year-old housewife and mother of five, originally from Lima’s central highland city of Huancayo, where the beverage is common, said simply: “It gives you power.”

Yes, and tiger penis or ground rhino horn is good for virility...

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I went to the farmers'/growers' market this morning with Mary. It has been a long time since we went. Apples are in season. Found bintje potatoes. Woohoo!

Didn't do much today except watch the Essendon v Hawthorn game on TV. A dreadful game by the Dons.

Tonight, I went to Mary and Margaret's place for dinner. Mary baked a snapper which was so nice with boiled king edward potatoes and a salad. We had fresh oysters to start.

hmmm... my beliefs most resemble

You scored as Buddhism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Buddhism. Do more research on Buddhism and possibly consider becoming Buddhist, if you are not already.

In Buddhism, there are Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is suffering. (2) All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment, and grasping that result from such ignorance. (3) Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. (4) The path to the suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. These eight are usually divided into three categories that base the Buddhist faith: morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration. In Buddhism, there is no hierarchy, nor caste system; the Buddha taught that one's spiritual worth is not based on birth.

Buddhism		96%
Satanism		83%
Paganism		79%
Hinduism		71%
agnosticism		63%
Islam		63%
atheism		58%
Christianity		50%
Judaism		46%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)

Not surprising really.

a kiss is still a kiss...

Louis Armstrong sang a wonderful song called As Time Goes By (A Kiss is Still a Kiss) -

You must remember this
A kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh
The fundamental things apply
As time goes by ...

Most friends kiss with a peck on the cheek, particularly between women and their male or female friends, and indeed between men in France, Italy and Eastern Europe.

A kiss is not just a kiss in some cultures. In fact, it is considered seriously offensive and even illegal.

First it was Richard Gere and Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty who caused a reaction in India.


and now Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his former school teacher (and that was on her hand!)

Respecting local or one's own culture and customs is one thing, but cultural practices do change with time. Sometimes, it is worth questioning why certain customs are offensive.

********************************
Thank goodness the weekend is here! What a week at work.

I want one

Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman
Designed by Charles and Ray Eames

Design Story
The Eames lounge chair and ottoman is the culmination of Charles and Ray Eames' efforts to create comfortable and handsome lounge seating by using production techniques that combine technology and handcraftsmanship. Its heritage goes back to the molded plywood chairs pioneered by the Eameses in the 1940s, and it's part of the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Charles Eames said his goal for the chair was the "warm, receptive look of a well-used first baseman's mitt." Every one is a special refuge from the strains of modern living.

The first lounge chair and ottoman, produced in 1956, made its public debut on Arlene Francis' Home show, which later became the Today show.

The Original Look
Classic aesthetic. The lounge chair and ottoman are now available in santos palisander, a lustrous veneer that has the same characteristics as the original color and grain.

Environmentally sound. The wood is harvested exclusively from sustainably managed forests.

Classic Comfort
Luxurious feel. The chair has 6-inch-thick urethane foam cushions and rich leather upholstery.

A place to relax. The contours of the seat and high back welcome the sitter, and a swivel mechanism is built in.

Quality and Craftsmanship
Attention to detail. All pieces are hand assembled.

Durable construction. Shells are seven-ply cherry, natural cherry, walnut, or santos palisander veneer; the base and back braces are die-cast aluminum.

Practical features. Cushions are individually upholstered and replaceable; back cushions are interchangeable; shock mounts are resilient natural rubber.

51 years old and still a design classic. Price? You don't want to know.

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I had an urgent speech to do in a short amount at time this afternoon. Always tiring, these intensive bouts of creativity.

Emily has left now to do some housesitting. It was nice to have her around again.

the world below your feet

A few days ago, I mentioned going with Leah to check out the foyer of Eureka Tower, the tallest (apartment) building in Melbourne (92 storeys).

Not only does the building have an observation deck (like most tall buildings), but it incorporates a glass cube 300 metres above the ground (on the 88th floor) called The Edge.







Meh! The glass elevators on the outside of Seattle's Space Needle are more thrilling (though at about half the height).

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I roasted a marinaded pork belly for dinner, with roast potatoes and blanched beans. Emily is a salty crunch junkie (crackling).

We watched Prison Break on TV this time and now up to date with the local broadcast. And ahead on Heroes.

300th anniversary of the Treaty of Union

Today marked the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Union which merged the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. Wales had already been incorporated into England in 1284 following conquest by King Edward I. The union with Ireland and eventual division was more complicated.


This facsimile of the Exemplification of the Treaty of Union, 1707, can be seen in the Scottish Parliament Visitor Centre. It was reproduced for the exhibition from the original held in the National Archives of Scotland

Would Scotland be different today without the union? Would Scots be speaking Gaelic instead of English?

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Not much happened today. Work was busy. Emily and I have been watching episodes of Heroes.