Monday 29 September 2008

Down with ABC

All week I have been waiting for the finale of Dr Who. It was really good but ... and this is a big BUT! As mentioned in a previous blog I went onto the net and started looking for the spoilers. I came across video after video of them (all of them pretty much the same). I probably saw a good 10-25 mins worth of the show in these clips. I must say I was most unimpressed when only 30 seconds of those clips aired. I am certain ABC cut the show short. In fact I was positive. In the spoiler clips Rose was very jealous of Sarah Jane but at the same time realised that Sarah Jane's fate (being in love with the Dr but also being dumped back on earth waiting for him to return) was the same fate she may endure. None of this was in last nights show and the very first time the two meet face to face Sarah Jane says "hello again," to which Rose replies with a big grin. Correct me if I am wrong but not once has Rose previously met Sarah Jane or vice versa so why would Sarah be saying "hello again!" ABC must think viewers are stupid if they thought we would miss that. They probably thought "oh its in an action scene, no one will notice it."

Okay had my whinge. Aside from that it was a great show. Catherine Tate as Donna did her best acting in this show. I especially loved the banter with the second Dr when she was coming to terms with who he was. The fact that in the end she had to lose all her memories of the Dr and their adventures in order to live was sad. Thanks to her mother always telling her how stupid she was, she believed it. I just loved how the Dr told her mother at the end that Donna was, for a few minutes, the most important woman in the universe. Her mother said "she always will be, she is my daughter." The Dr then replied in a tone that was meant as a reprimand, "Then maybe you should tell her that more once in a while!"

I just loved that. So many parents now days take their children for granted, or belittle them in ways that can ruin their self esteem more than a bully at school can. One of my friends once told me that when her mother was angry she would say, "I love you but I don't have to like you." How cruel is that. I have also gone through similar. To certain members of my family I am a stupid klutz with no common sense, so naturally when I am around them that is how I feel and what I become. I am just lucky I am on the other side of Australia to them now.

Anyway, great show, a lot we can learn from it and I can't wait till this season is on DVD so that I can watch the final show again and see if indeed things were edited!

Monday 22 September 2008

Science Fiction/Fantasy

For those of you who don't know me well, I LOVE Sci Fi and Fantasy. It has to be good though and have a great story line and if it is a show or movie then it better have great special effects. Why am I mentioning this you ask? Growing up in Tasmania (for my primary school years) we only had two TV stations: 9 and ABC (great selection of shows). Dr Who was about the only Sci Fi on and it hooked me in. Sarah Jane was my all time favourite companion. In the late 80's the show sort of went ... I don't know ... too 80'ish I suppose and I lost interest.

Well thy have brought it back again. The 9th Doctor didn't really appeal to me much and then I happened to see one show of the 10th Doctor: David Tennant is brilliant. He captures the Doctor perfectly and has brought to light more sides of the Doctor emotionally. Season 2 of the new Doctor Who was OK (even with David). Season 3 was good but it was very dark. Season 4 (which plays the final next Sunday) is brilliant. Katherine Tate (a comedian) as Donna Noble is the perfect side kick to the Dr and the writers have written her parts well. She brings a mix of humour and seriousness to the show that really balances it out and makes an enjoyable evenings entertainment. Katherine is an admin temp who is constantly being belittle by her mother and yet she is stubborn and self sufficient. Watching her grow over the last season has been great but very disappointing to know she will be leaving in the final show. It has been the best season of Dr Who ever and I am not sure how they will top it next year. What is even better is that they have returned Sarah Jane for the final two shows, mixed in a bit of Torchwood and also included two other companions: Rose and Martha. The show ended last night on a cliff hanger and even though I have stupidly read the spoilers on the net I am still looking forward to next Sunday. Bring it on!

Sci Fi Fan signing off and returning to the world of reality.

Thursday 18 September 2008

Last Nights Dinner

Last night I decided to give the dogs a treat and give them the left over chicken with some stuffing as well. Rambo's meal looked a little sparse so I chopped up some of the dog food loaf that he normally gets. Unfortunately the bowl ended up full to the brim.

He is not a big eater but boy did he surprise me last night.

At First he pulled out all of the meat loaf to get to the real meat at the bottom of the bowl.

Once he had finished the real meat I thought he would stop. Sniffing at his loaf (now spread all across the kitchen floor and onto the carpet in the hallway) he decided to keep eating.

I am sure that belly must have been almost exploding. Finally he left about 4 pieces and Tess dived in for them.

In the mean time he decided to trot over to Tessa's bowl and do the dishes!

Sunday 14 September 2008

Great Friends

Yesterday Tim and Jackie came over to fix up our non existent veggie patch and prune the apple tree. I am not a gardener so I need all the help I can get. Trust me when I say I managed to dehydrate a cactus! Not only did they do this but Jackie also made us lunch. Tim had made a lovely gluten free pastie that was just delish.

While they were working hard and enjoying the fresh air I was inside doing some art. Eventually Jackie came in and we started working on Karina's disco birthday invites. Sorry, no photo but I will try and get one. I liked the design that we came up with.

Speaking of design it is about time that I mention I am officially on a team of designers for the How Dare You blog. I have put a link to it in my favourite blog sites. Each month we will get a dare and then we have to create something for the dare. This months one is glue which is a nice easy one to start with. The possibilities are endless. Speaking of which I have a few things that I must get done so I will sign off now.

Wednesday 10 September 2008

So You Think You Can Dance

This is my all time favourite shows. Especially the American one. I hate to say it but the Aussie one was mediocre in comparison and I hope that it will get better. I have a feeling it is because of the style of dance and quality of the choreographers. The only good choreographer was Jason Gilkinson who was invited to do some choreography for Season 4 in the US and did some of the more memorable dances. The whole Aussie show left me feel wanting for some good quality choreographers and I would have loved to have seen out dancers try out a Mia Michaels type of dance. Heck we even had some weird combinations and the majority of them were street dancing.

I must say that Jason is a Perth boy and there are heaps of his dance schools and clubs around the place so when I want to get back into some Latin Dancing again I can go there. There is nothing more thrilling than doing a fast jive with a man that knows how to dance and lead.

Well I must sign off now. I have another full day of training tomorrow and today exhausted me (3 out of 7 turned up)!

Monday 8 September 2008

Where has all the time gone

Lately I have been asking myself where all the time has gone. It seems that I never have enough time to do all that I want. I want to exercise, I want to play with all my new craft techniques, I want to get back into sewing, I want to play ball with my dog. For the last few weeks I have been busy with back to back training sessions and had stay back at work to get things done. (I wish I got paid overtime). I am so tired due to lack of exercise that I can't get up and do any exercise. This last weekend all I have done is sleep. I am sleeping my spare time away.

At least I got to have some creative fun in my Art Journal. Below are two pages I have done. The first is still a work in progress and the second is how I have been feeling lately. I made the clock hands myself and the face is a bottle top that I opened up and stomped on. The biggest clock face is a transfer (yes I am finally perfecting the skill) whereas the picture of the young woman is from a fine art image I printed from the Internet.