Blocked

I was surprised to find that Vietnam, Australia, and America all have the same level of Internet censorship. From discussions that I had with people, it seemed a lot different when I was there. I didn't have any problems though. These thoughts were all from something I read in the Economist (although belated - I am so behind) about censorship.

WHAT you see—or rather, what you don't see—on the internet may be determined by your government. The attitude of officialdom varies when it comes to filtering content of a social nature. In many places agreements are set with service providers to block nasty stuff such as child pornography. In a few countries intervention is stronger, up to the level of pervasive censorship. This week Pakistan's block on YouTube accidentally caused an international outage for that website. Iran and Saudi Arabia have also prevented their citizens from accessing the video-sharing site.

The day

If there was ever a case for why we shouldn't mess around with DNA and genetic modifications it is well put in the classic science fiction novel the Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham. On a recommendation from a well read person, I went to the library to get the book to read. Luckily there were numerous copies and the wait was short. I started to read it and found that it was hard to put down. I found myself engrossed in the story and I quickly realised why it is a classic. It has inspired me to find some other books, in a similar style and era, that I liked when I was child to refresh those memories. I do recommend this book just for the sake of having said that you have read it, yet you will be surprised to find that it is a good story too.

Tough times ahead

Liverpool plays Man United next week, then Everton followed by Arsenal 3 times in row with two of them away. The games will be all hard fought as all these teams have something to win. Man U and Arsenal are fighting for the title, while Everton and Liverpool are fighting for the last Champions League spot next year. Also Arsenal and Liverpool are fighting for the right to go through to the next round of the Champions League. I am going to be a nervous wreck for the next month as this all unfolds.

Dealing with the hot weather.

The weather is unusually hot yet perfect for the weekend. 30 degrees is the perfect temperature. As I set out for the Southbank Boulevard region of Melbourne, I could feel the excitement grow. I arrived about 5 minutes early yet by the time I had signed in a group of others had arrived on a bachelor party. Within minutes it was ready to start and the first sample came out. It was a Hoegaarden, a wheat beer. I was told to look at the cloudiness of the colour, and find the citrus in the taste. I was also told that this is a good starting beer as there is no bitterness.

The guy who was telling me all this was Charles Coll, a guy with the most enviable job. He is an expert beer guru. He works as a writer for beer industry magazines. He stated a typical day would be waking up at 9.30 in the morning to collect a sample slab, and then test it all day. What a job. After giving us the description of a hard days work, we moved into an area set aside for the purpose of the day – drinking. Sorry I meant beer appreciation.

I felt like I was back in school with the way the tables were set up, except that instead of books, there were glasses. Different types of glasses. The teacher went on describing the merits of different glasses, the mixing of food and beer, the reasons why some women are beer averse, how Budwieser made Asian beer, and why monks became expert brewers, as I went about appreciating the slow trickle of beer coming my way.

The beer that surprised me most was pinky/red. It was a desert beer. I had not even thought about a red beer, let alone making beer taste like cherry. It was matched with chocolate mousse. It was heavenly, think a beery cherry ripe. Maybe, not so good for an all nighter yet definitely a refined way to end a meal.

Afterwards we were put to the test, and I hooked up with these guys on another bachelor party. After trying a few other brands of beer, they went to kick on at the casino and asked me to come along. I went with them to the casino and we went to eat. The mood pretty much died from their as over consumption started to creep in and I split. I was thinking it was a fantastic day and went home to sleep it off in a beery dream world.

And the best way to enjoy beer, in its pure form.

3 out of 4

The wait was worth it. Last night a semi revenge game against an Italian team from Milan. This one was Inter Milan not AC Milan and with their defeat that leaves only Roma for Italy. On the other side of the channel 4 out of 8 teams are from England, good news for them. Yet the best news is that Liverpool, who beat Inter 1 - 0 last night in Milan, has the chance to make it 3 finals out of 4 years.

Sawasdeekrab

Well on the weekend I was invited to attend a festival for the New Year. It was a Thai New Year festival, which usually occurs in April however in Melbourne due to the weather the organisers prefer March as it is warmer and generally sunnier. Sunday was no exception with the thermometer reaching the high 20’s and the sun scorching the land black.

My friend told me to arrive early, however I thought against that and arrived about an hour after he suggested. When I arrived he offered some more advice and I listened to what he said and started off on my journey of discovery. The first stop was the stage where there was a cleansing ceremony being performed by the monks. It all felt very solemn so I decided to follow the crowd down the steps towards the river bank.

At the river bank it was crazy. It reminded me of being in a market in Vietnam, with the crowds, pushing and shoving, sounds of laughter and talking filling my ears, temporary shops, and the smell of food. I looked around and found the stall I was looking for yet no-one I knew was there so I returned to the main stage.

At the main stage the monks had moved off and the official opening ceremonies had begun. There were a large number of speeches, and statistics where I discovered that one in thirty Australians have visited Thailand. After the speeches, traditional dancing was the entertainment.

The opening ceremony

The dances all had special meanings and are performed at the New Year ceremonies as a custom. I was impressed with the intricacy of the design of some of the costumes. The way some of the ornaments twisted and formed patterns was spectacular and the colours of the silks took my breath away.

Oops, forgot to take the glasses off

After the contest the sun had started to turn nasty and I felt like I was only seconds from going up in flames and took a time out. When I arrived back it was a lot cooler as the sun had set behind some of the buildings leaving the park in shadows. Most of the crowd had left and the stage shows had nearly finished. I watched the end of the stage shows which consisted of the awarding of the crown for the beauty show and some sword and stick fighting.

After this my friend said we should go down to the beer garden and enjoy some Thai beer. While enjoying the beer we were entertained by some kickboxing, a band playing Thai songs, and a ladyboy show. The band really got the crowd excited as the beer mixed with the music creating a festival type atmosphere. The ladyboy show was quite interesting to watch as it was like a cabaret show where the audience judged the winner based on a variety of criteria. Afterwards my friend and I went to have coffee nearby and then went home exhausted. All in all a very enjoyable day.

Hidden treasure

One of my favorite t shirts while in LX was one proclaiming that 2004 was the International year of rice. 2005 was the microcredit year, 2006 the rather lame year of deserts and desertification or was that meant to be desserts? 2007 was the polar year and 2008 is the year of the potato. I think potatos are quite a versatile and when deep fried really tasty. Now, thinking of that I am downstairs to get some chips, freedom fries, french fries, papas, ktc, or what ever else you want to call them.

Bursting my bubble

Today I went with my friend Said, to get this Malaysian food. It is like a beef mince curry wrapped in breadcrumbs and deep fried. I find it is soft and delicate tasting that feels like something new is being created in my mouth with each bite. I think it is divine, and tasting so good it has got to be healthy.

On the way back we were discussing the weekend that had passed when suddenly I saw this tall guy dressed in long black clothing walking next to this short girl also dressed in long black clothing. Nothing unusual in that really, even if it is about 30 degrees. Yet on closer inspection I noticed something and just thought it was the heat messing with my head. Then Said asked me what was that. Then I realised that I had seen a collar around the guy’s neck and the leash. A Big black stud encrusted dog collar, with a dog leash. My jaw dropped to ground in amazement as the frontiers of my reality enlarged. After cracking jokes about what we saw on the way back to the office, I thought nothing else could enlarge them and amaze me today until I read this. Ignorance is bliss, yet extreme behaviours are funny.