In response to a staypuff article by David - I thought I’d post up some facts and figures about just how poor the East Timorese really are.

GDP: - $440 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -3% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: $500 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25.4% ; industry: 17.2% services: 57.4% (2001)
Population below poverty line: 42% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA ; highest 10%: NA
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 38 (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% NA (2003 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: 50% (including underemployment) (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $36 million
expenditures: $97 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Thank you to the CIA world fact book, now have a quick look at Australia

And I’ll just include a quick paste from this website about the history of East Timor Pre-1990.

“Western” Complicity

It is unlikely that Indonesia would have succeeded in their takeover without this support.

So there are some facts about East Timor. Morally we owe them for a few things, for helping Australian Soldiers in WW2 against the Japanese, for the fact we did not help them when they were invaded. However, some conservative apologists probably believe that we owe nothing, that the East Timorese should probably have defended themselves. Think about this: What if it was Australia that was invaded and in our time of need, other countries turned away and do what we did, and buy shares in the natural resources that this country has, for doing nothing.

I have had a busy weekend, which has been marred slightly by a visit to the vet’s for one of my cats.

It started off just fine, finished work and toddled off to the pub with workmates for a celebratory beer since we’re all off probation, and one of the team was leaving, he’d found another job. Then we wandered down to the bowling alley and had two games. I really suck at bowling. My first game I scored 31. Second game I did marginally better and scored 44. Yay me! I am going to start the Save the Pin Foundation to protect bowling pins from people who insist on bowling and knocking them over. I spent time with J, we don’t talk alot due to work being so busy, but I think we managed ok.

I got home and remembered I had to work from midnight till 6am doing a support shift. *sigh* I found it really hard to stay awake, I managed though, and slept till 2pm successfully. Saturday was busy, doing some house work and cleaning up in the wardrobe. I didn’t realise I had so many clothes. I will have to give quite a bit of it away. Unfortunately I do have a friend who will probably get most of these clothes, but the sad thing is, she needs to lose weight first. I am sure she’ll do it.

Sunday I had a lingerie party to go to but I had to cancelled. Early in the afternoon, BC vomited, and wasn’t eating (day 3) so we had to take him to the Vets. He was running a temp and dehydrated. So he was under observation and I’ll have to ring the vet today to see how he is, he may need more treatment .. tests, xrays, bloodwork… and stay in at the vet’s for a little longer.

I am worried about him.

Another friend of mine is making me laugh with her attempts at using dating sites like adultmatchmaker.com.au. She finds these nice guys and starts talking to them, and then discounts them due to things like.. “going bald, too serious, doesn’t have a real job, still lives at home with parents, too similar to me..” Makes me glad in a way I don’t need to use these websites. To be honest, I don’t think she needs to either - She’s cute, sexy, educated and works full time as a pharmacist. Alot of guys however find her intimidating.. she is very full on, very me me me orientated, can be argumentative, but overall - I think she should just relax and not worry about finding a man, but at least she doesn’t have self esteem issues. She’s a wonderful friend, and I know she’ll find a wonderful man.

I have to go to work soon. Got to finish my makeup, I think it’s a public holiday, so I need to drive to work. I’ll find out when I get to work

I won’t be writing about much to do with IRC after this, so anyone reading my blog for IRC gossip should keep in mind this will be about it. With all the bullshit over the last few weeks, I am tempted to start agreeing with David and Ben’s POV on IRC weenies and some taking IRC too seriously. Including me. Maybe I am! I have to say that even with the last week, I am remarkably unstressed now, but accept that not everything will be the same after these last few weeks. Something I have realised is that after all the support I gave, and losing some friends, it was forgotten very quickly, and maybe I didn’t have the friend I thought I did in the first place. Well no longer my problem. I’ve had enough of the dramas.

I will be writing about a comment David made in his journal. I am not PC - I actually think the way I talk. Therefore yes, I’ll object to what he says. It’s his opinion however, and he’s entitled to it. Likewise I’m entitled to object. Some people are PC to the extreme, however I was brought up to be a little more accepting of my fellow man and I can’t change that.

Regarding Ben’s comment, I didn’t mean integrate the way it came across. Late at night and coming down with something, I could have chosen a better word, and I didn’t so I’ll wear it. Cheap point scoring is ok if that’s what you want to do, I left myself open for it.

I went home tonight sick, I’ve had a sore throat and a headache for the last few days, but when I was at work tonight, I broke out into a sweat at about 6pm. I was sweating so much, it was like I had just been for a workout. I decided that perhaps it was time to go home, and got my TL to sign me off an hour and a half early. Driving home with the window open and feeling the heat radiate from my face and chest was interesting and felt the cool air sliding across my skin was most welcome. I’ve spent most of my night dozing on the couch with the blanket over me and sometimes checking the computer and watching Law and Order (second ep. was a repeat)

I don’t know if I’ll be able to work in the morning… if I am sick, I’ll have to go to the docs with some money and get a medical certificate because I’ll be sick on a friday (they need med certs if you have a “long weekend” so to speak). I also found something else interesting about the company which own’s my company.. but I can’t say anything. But all is not how it seems. Also interesting news about Comindico going into receivership. That is going to affect alot of ISP’s who are in a peering arrangement. Telstra and Optus aren’t in on it because they don’t like the idea of free traffic when they can make oodles of cash on check kb downloaded. Meh. Means some IRC servers also won’t be protected from DDoS attacks anymore if the peering arrangement goes down the tubes.

I tried to snooze earlier, but it’s not been working too successfully. So I’ve spent some time toddling around different blogs and adding to my WA bloggers collection. I know I will have to get off my ass and go to the next blogger meetup. There’s alot to think about when doing the meetup thing - how tired i am due to work since I do 2 jobs still, and mixing it with other activities like sleeping, eating and doing my washing. So please welcome to my blogging fold: Twisted Hampster; not the west; Whispering loudly. I don’t seem to have enough chicky bloggers listed so I’ll be looking for more women from Perth to add to it.

I am listening to some Leonard Cohen today whilst staring at this blog entry and putting it together, the melancholy in his music I can appreciate.

TAKE THIS LONGING

Like you would do for one you love.
End

I feel kind of alone/isolated at the moment due to some stuff I can’t really discuss on here, which shits me. I prefer not to censor myself, otherwise I’m not true to my principals. Heh. What are those? I think perhaps that’s what I am thinking about the most. I had to do something really hard today - when being responsible, but the flak it will cause - will produce alot of heartache.

I removed a friend’s blog from my list at his request because it caused too much trouble this week. Once again, blogs getting people into trouble, not necessarily doocing - but personal issues.

Someone sent me this pic today, and I post it in celebration of International talk like a pirate day today.

So in salute to the day, I say this to those who may annoy me

Avast!!!! Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I feel like I sit in a bubble at times, that I am naive and believe the best in everyone, and then find that I will be disappointed because they say or do something. Mum used to call it the pollyanna syndrome - everything was ok and perfect. I can see how I picked it up from her, living at home was like that, on the surface everything looked like it was sane, but in reality it was chaos with a veneer of organisation and peace on the top. If I were to stop thinking that everything was fixable, how would my world view change?

[disclaimer]This schitzophrenic post is brought to you by the word eclectic and one of lori’s numerous personalities.

I went out to a friends house earlier for a meeting and then dinner afterwards and had a ball. I think I put on nearly 2 kilos - judging from what the scales said, so pretty good meal I reckon. They had heaps of food, curries, lasagne, stroganof, shepherds pie, steamed vegies, rice, and bread rolls. It was totally sinful, and after that, there was the chocolate cake. *sigh* I think I also had 2 glasses of wine as well, one being a shiraz blend which went nicely with the spicey food, and the second being a white shiraz which was good after the meal, with desert - it was a little more spicier and sweeter. Really though, the white shiraz was closer to the pink champagne style of colour.

G decided to get me to try this curry that he had brought back from a restaurant that M and I love going to, (called the Red Turban, it’s in Cannington/Kenwick near the corner of William St and Albany highway) and it was Rogan Josh (the curry). G had told them to go silly and make it as hot as they could, and I think they exceeded his expectations. So he had saved some. He gave me some peri peri sauce the other week, and I had commented how nice it was on some of the food I had been cooking recently. He thought perhaps I should try this leftover he brought back from the restaurant.

“sure no problems” I said, ~thinking - meh how hot can it be?~

G heats it up and mixed it with some rice, not sure why he did that, perhaps he thought it would save me from burning my mouth. 2 minutes later, I have this curry on a small plate in front of me, and I grab the fork.

“dig in” says G with a smile.

So I take a deep breath and grasping the fork, dig in and grab a nice bit of meat with not much rice and put it in my mouth, taking my time chewing and swallowing it.

*blink*

“mmmmmmm this is really nice!” I comment glibly with a smile ~oh dear god, my mouth is on fire~ I worked really hard keeping a straight face, smacking my lips enthusiastically and nodding emphatically. “Gee, they really made a great curry there G”

Meanwhile G is staring at me intently, and looking a little disappointed as I fail to show the appropriate signs of distress.

~I need water STAT!~ my mouth is so hot, I can feel the prickles of heat scoring it’s way along my tongue and insides of my cheeks towards my lips. I look at the plate and grin broadly.

“I think I’ll have another bite! That tastes just divine” I dig in and grab another mouthful of curry death and chew enthusiastically. I realise that I don’t have water, or milk, but I do understand that if I ask for a drink at this point, I am going to lose this test as G stares at me intently waiting for the sweat to break out, or me to start choking. It’s at this point I now realise that I can’t feel my tongue, or my lips, or the insides of my cheeks.

After a few more minutes of dying on the inside, I keep smiling, as G now gets another of his friends to try the curry, and gets the suitable choking noises and the scream of “Get me a beer!!!” echoes across the kitchen. I stagger to the dining room and flop on a chair, my mouth having lost all of its tastebuds is whimpering - but I did not fail. Please also note; I will never ask for a Rogan Josh at the Red Turban and tell the cook to go silly on it.

Ever get those days when everyone you talk to is an asshat? They get riled up about the smallest details, and deny everything to the point where they make themselves look completely idiotic.

Today I took some abuse personally and questioned back in an agressive manner the infallibility of the bank after the customer stated that we were lying about why we charged the $11 fee on his account after his master card was declined 21 days in a row when we tried to make an attempt to remove money from his account.

Not only did I do that, I also refused to back down on the fee, even though he had been a good payer prior to his call, and didn’t offer to credit it back. I guess I don’t appreciate being called a liar when fees and charges are set out in the customer information and agreement.

I think perhaps that this was my bad call for the week. I shouldn’t have done what I did, but sometimes it’s really hard not to take the abuse personally after such a discussion. It wasn’t the first time today that I had a difficult customer, but I did have someone listening to my call and I know that there’ll be the negative feedback - and I’ll score badly for that call. I am not perfect, but I try to be, and I think perhaps I push myself too hard at times - A constant need to be the best at everything I do can at times really be a pain.. emotionally and psychologically. I do wonder if this has affected other areas of my life.

The meeting went better than planned, everyone is enthused for the most part. Still, I can’t help but feel there are some quarters where there is a lack of enthusiasm. I don’t if there’s anything that can be done to change it, but discussion of the matter would only lead to denial. Perhaps time to reflect on reactions and replies would give a better clue as to why assumption are made would be a great idea at this stage. Because right now, it feels like everything is a fight, but through inaction and words.

Dinner tonight with K. Should make me feel much better about myself and the world.