I'm in Singapore in transit. My ears hurt from the landing. And the annoying woman in front of me had her seat back all flight (even the seat next to her which was empty!). Plus she watched Sweet Home Alabama twice in the same flight, which I can't respect from anyone except Lillian. I need to go to the toilet now.

Idols (but if you don't want to read about Idol, there's more stuff under this...)

Idol is back in full swing. Here’s my quick rundown of it.

Get the two young pretty boys out. They suck. They have no power in their voices and they’re both way too goody-goody.

Ricky is a less gay version of Anthony. Get him out too.

There are three jailbait girls. Reigan is a passable singer but she’s cute so please keep her in. Likewise Lisa who also cute and has a more interesting voice but has absolutely no stage presence. Jessica is alright too but she likes Whitney Houston so I hope she doesn’t last too long either.

Lavina, Emily’s sister, is better looking than Emily but looks like she could bash me up with one arm and she’s just another rnb singer so I hope she goes soon too.

There are three pub singers. Chris is Courtney Murphy’s brother and looks like him except he’s not really fat and has a beard. Mutto should go because he’s nothing special. Damien is my pick of this bunch. He’s a great falsetto and a certain Irish charm about him.

Klancie is my pick of the women. I think she’s the best singer of the bunch but I doubt she’ll go too far on account of her being a country singer.

My pick of all the singers is Bobby. Kinda fugly, but amazing voice. I’d buy his CD.

__________

The Book of Revelation (nothing to do with the Bible)

I saw this movie today. It stars Tom Long, Deborah Mailman, Colin Friels, Greta Scacchi and some assorted naked women. It’s based on a book that I’ve read and loved so I was really keen on seeing this film. The story is about a man who is kidnapped by three women and is used as a sex slave for 12 days before being released. I think the film does the story justice despite having to compress the events of the novel. The script felt a little stilted and stiff at times but the acting overall was quite good.

Recommended but not for the squeamish or prudish.

__________

xtn’s interview with Sandi Thom (in which she doesn’t reply to any of his questions)

xtn: Hi Sandi, you got yourself a very catchy song.

ST: …

xtn: I was wondering, though… why is there a guitarist in your video clip when there are no guitars in your song?

ST:

xtn: Also, I don’t really get your song.

ST:

xtn: I didn’t think punk rockers had flowers in their hair.

ST:

xtn: Are you sure you weren’t talking about folk singers with flowers in their hair? They sang protest songs too.

ST:

xtn: Folk singers. Like Joan Baez. You know…

ST:

xtn: Well, I mean, if you were a punk rocker during '77 or '69 and you had flowers in your hair, wouldn't you be afraid the other punk rockers might want to bash you up?

ST:

xtn: I guess you could have had dead flowers in your hair...

ST:

xtn: Well did you think of other possible titles for your song?

ST:

xtn: Um… like maybe I wish I was a punk rocker (with a safety pin through my nose)?

[Interview aborted]

About living with me:
It's like masturbation except you can do it in front of your own mother

If my memory serves me correctly, we went through this a couple of years ago. It’s people getting itchy feet and changing jobs or going overseas or both. It’s the couples merry-go-round. Either they’re splitting or consolidating. It’s buying property, moving out. Moving elsewhere. It’s buying cars or expensive toys. Or whatever.

It’s happened before.

I think it also happened again two years before that even. So that would make this the third round of quarter-life crises. I think, personally, I felt it most the first time round. Four years ago. After that, I’m just watching.

The cliché goes… there are two types of people in this world – there are doers and there are watchers.

I’ve always been more the watcher.

I guess that’s probably why I’m attracted to writing.

But I also guess that’s why I’ll probably never become a particularly good one.

Five years ago, I took a month-long trip-of-a-lifetime and came back to a deep malaise. And I plodded through it until I turned 24 and snapped. Snapping was a good thing, it turned out. Living at home was also a good thing. It meant I had quite a bit of money stashed away and a big big itch to scratch. So I became a doer for a while. And over the next year or two, things began to fall into place.

The trip had cultivated a renewed level of spirituality in my life, I had willed myself to face my fears and jump out of a plane, I bought a car that I loved (OK, so it was a car I was already driving anyway, but now it was mine!), I bought myself a home and moved into it, I explored (and was given opportunities to explore) possible career advancements and I met someone who I thought, at the time, could have been special.

(In that order.)

But then when things crashed, they crashed quite spectacularly. In a matter of months, I started to get screwed around at work, then was robbed and then dumped.

(Also in that order.)

So I regrouped. I moved back home, found a job that paid no more (but I needed it) and here, now, I’m watching again.

Just sitting. Watching.

While my friends now fret about their future (again), I’m strumming 4 chords and dreaming of becoming the next Jack White.

For far too long now I’ve been craving my own company above all others.

And I’m strangely content while feeling acutely disturbed by it.

If you’re reading this and you’re expecting me to finish off this entry with some sort of call to action, then I’m sorry to disappoint you but that’s just not on the cards right now. I don’t think I’m changing any time soon.

I’m also going on another big trip soon. Real soon But I don’t think this will be anywhere near as catalytic as my last one.

For one thing, I won’t be on my own this time.

Because God knows more time to myself would be the last thing I need right now.