The End of the World
Television
So it would be that in The End of the World, the fate and state of the rather mysterious Doctor is out. No more Gallifrey, no other time lords, no more sense of return to a homeworld. Just one left in the world. Alone save for a companion in his travels.
Soon Van - Sunday, 29 May 2005 - 15:12
DDH 43: Hit and Run
Occupied
Collecting the sound of a dog after a screech of tires, not a single person from the floor bothered to even remark at a look outside the window. This despite the fact that every other car slamming on the brakes outside manages to have one pair of eyeballs looking for the smoking bumpers and smashing arguments as the drivers swap details.
Taking place early in the morning, the canine wallop instead belonged to a personal assistant to one of the partners of the firm. The ambulance officer carted on a motorbike and a police car with its occupants were still hovering around the distraught lady. Wracked by the incident, she was still sitting there, rubbing her own forehead for an explanation as the hordes went walking and gawking about in their lunch hour.
From second hand reports, a rather eager taxi driver had picked up a potential passenger. Having not stopped to open the door its driver then sped off down the road as the woman went flying up into the air like a rag doll.
Later on in the week, about a day after the scene, the careers section of the intranet posted an advertisement for a new personal assistant. In another state.
Soon Van - Saturday, 28 May 2005 - 11:44
The Beloved Mountain - Peter Skrzynecki
Books
Turning over the last page in this novel was nothing short of relief. For more than far too many paragraphs and chapters, the story of Dominic Zagubic lines itself with digressionary poetic. Not a scene would go by in The Beloved Mountain where the narrator would wallow in reflection. The mastery of observation painted with daubs of metaphors and similes drowns out any real story or movement. Times are spent too long in the mere act of looking at things that trigger memories in a mindful manner. Like reading a mirror.
Soon Van - Friday, 27 May 2005 - 06:33
Curious about the smells
Freeload
Dripping in the previous week, two samples of fragrances bandied about. One was for collection at a counter, amidst the mist of suffocation and extreme contortions of flowers, citrus and other indescribable odour affectants. The other would be sent along through the post in a manner of no exact details.
Found within a bubble pack, Be Curious, a smell plastered with the face of Britney Spears in a dress with a plunging cleavage of rock solid formations.
Curious would, by reason of elimination, reveal itself as the one not sitting on the counter.
Soon Van - Tuesday, 24 May 2005 - 14:58
Appointment with the Doctor
Television
Staking out the evening, there was nothing but a shimmering glee as the new series of Doctor Who finally reached the screens.
Rose lays out the rather droll life and situation of new companion Rose, taking the time to show her as a person with a life before the sudden introduction of the alien. Nicely reasons her joining the good Doctor on his travels through time and space in the TARDIS.
Christopher Eccleston blasts away the other Doctors as a real tough and crazy nut. Certainly buzzing with this eccentricity that would only be right for the time lord. As the episode crept through the mannequins it was clear how subversive the Doctor's recruitment was of Billie Piper's Rose. Sly and all the while with a mischievous grin.
The new series really just blasts out the doors and runs amok keeping the whole soul of the old tight to its breast. Supremely engaging and wonderfully entertaining.
Surrender then the Saturdays given this juice of fun science fiction and the slices of bread from Monk and Iron Chef. Events such as Wages of Spin at the Performance Space and evenings listening to beaten poets no longer a part of the deal. Far easier to hold down than a Thursday with Lost, The Amazing Race and Stargate Atlantis.
Soon Van - Sunday, 22 May 2005 - 15:15
DDH 42: Missing the line
Occupied
With the addition of a new line on the side of the head, there is a feeling that it has taken out the essence from elsewhere. As if the fuzzy introduction is a deal done against the balance of it all.
Water shot from the bottle over and without touching the lips has been trickling more and more down the front of the shirt. Even the seat is getting quite a splash here and now from failed attempts. Much more relaxed in the execution, far too much finding itself making a limp leap from plastic to gullet.
On answering phones, while other people have taken quite a regular stand, they remained frightfully silent. Names might be delivered in one shot, but come the rest of the introductions, lost in all the flavour. Gone.
Finally, in a round of three, no segues existed to make themselves apparent. More the regularity phasing in and out, interruptions even more pronounced here in this week than in previous. Crazy lines drawn in a sandstorm.
Soon Van - Saturday, 21 May 2005 - 11:56
Falling from the balcony down into the stalls
Spiralling
The heady world of buying tickets is fraught with much deliberation and frustration. An act that should be better left to those of stronger convictions.
The rushing horde of State of Origin and cricket fans vie for a spot in line behind. Edgy, they have to wait until the box office really opens for theirs at 0900. Man at the register knows what they're in line for. He also knows that there are five minutes between the easy sale and the hard sell. He goes for the subversive.
"What's ten more dollars?" he asks, as he pulls up fourth row tickets for The Producers. From thoughts of snaring B grade, they turn in an instant over to the dark side of the A grade. Far closer to the action, and far from Statler and Waldorf. Remorse overwhelms the seconds away in the walk back through the MetCentre of Wynyard station.
Even with days sorting out where exactly seats were going to be at The Producers, it all fell down on the ground. This over on the tip that waiting a little more, just a day, might have saved ten or twenty dollars. A course of action following the news that the Lyric Theatre are not one to cooperate with The Program in handing out review tickets.
Worst case scenario involves enjoying the show from the fourth row stalls. Best case is finding a balcony pair willing to swap at no extra charge. Either way, this will be the last for a long time.
Soon Van - Saturday, 21 May 2005 - 02:05
White - The Australian Ballet at the Opera Theatre
Spiralling
From one side of Circular Quay, a vision and essence of white, shimmering in a cool and clean air. On the other, a black jacket over a black shirt under a black belt holding up black pants covering black shoes. Dark grey socks make the join between.
Polarised in wardrobe, the like minds make a path undercover from rain toward the Sydney Opera House's Opera Theatre. Quite a buzz fills the air as the patrons wait around for the doors to close.
White, a three act program selecting the cool, clean and pristine from the history of ballet.
High up in the dress circle, a clear and unobstructed view. Only five dollars difference between these seats and the rows just outside the reverb of the orchestra pit. Timing is far more the factor as all those in the stalls are gone within weeks of the announcement more than a month ago.
La Bayadère opens the night with a beautiful tale of a prince and his love. Or loss of. Or something. Not entirely sure.
Relic follows on next. A chaotic display of power and energy with no clear or reasonable line of narrative. Brutally fresh and fierce.
Suite en blanc closes it all out with a stunning array and display of talent and sheer showboating. Light, fun and whimsical all over their skill and mastery in leotards and tutus.
Only at the end of each act is the synopsis even taken to for a clarification. Sneaking a peek would defeat the purpose of interpretation. Occasional wafts of Ralph Lauren from below play havoc with the nose. Looking more than the jeans and denim in rows behind and in front, a bowtie was on the cards. The absence only caused by a silk vest nowhere to be seen.
One more notch on the hit list of cultural events. Next stop, in a time beyond in the future, the opera.
Hopefully.
Soon Van - Tuesday, 17 May 2005 - 16:01
Out of whack, bones go crickety crack
Spiralling
A most sensationally shattering and impressive KRAKK on each inflection and turn. Both ankles still suffering the effects of running from Lidcombe to Berala to somewhere close to Lidcombe before coming around to the Cumberland Campus of the University of Sydney.
Making the pain all the more worse, running the majority of the distance on nothing but the tips of the toes. Each pounding bounce along the stretching metres sending trace hints of a bone in either foot looking to break from the sheer weight and stress of it all.
Everything below the knees is joyously screaming for relief outside a masochistic desire to prolong the hurt and agony. Movement is severely restricted to walking in straight lines. The usually revered act of turning in the soles now lost until the Achilles tendons and ankles can figure out a way to work together once again.
Soon Van - Monday, 16 May 2005 - 04:42
Full body scan in glorious 3D
Freeload
The appointment at the Cumberland Campus of the University of Sydney read 1100. According to Adelaide time, plans were running according to schedule.
Behind the glass doors of the School Exercise and Sports Science was an actual Honey. As in name before nature. She and the squad, all from the University of South Australia running their nationwide ADAPT survey into bodies and shapes. The Defence Force are mentioned somewhere.
A quick questionnaire on a dying laptop delivers a hefty container with a robe and slippers. Leg length, sitting height, head girth, bicep circumference, etc. Pretty much naked save for the jockeys and coverings of little triangles all over the body. Reference points for their computers later on. Very clinical.
The actual scan takes only a few seconds. The whole setup with the markings and measurements rounds up at about forty minutes.
From a canvas of friends, only two bit at the chance. At stake, a full 3D body scan with a cheque for $25 to hit the mail some time later. Word has it one woke up too late to make the trek past the cemetary in which the campus lies.
Soon Van - Monday, 16 May 2005 - 03:06
DDH 41: Accusations and allegations
Occupied
And it would come down to this. Facing allegations and accusations of having not done the work for the past who-knows-how-long. Either in full or even in parts, the air around the clutter of street press, discarded minicake wrappers and a wall of leftover water bottles just got a little more edgy.
Add on the news that the position is up again for talks for expressions of interest from the general public and it might not look entirely sold to making that extremely within reach 52 week mark.
Soon Van - Saturday, 14 May 2005 - 14:44
Hurlyburly at the Stables Theatre
Theatrics
On the sheer aura of suicide in an email looking for confirmation, a friend found himself in the rather awkward seating of the SBW Stables Theatre on Nimrod Street in Kings Cross.
Hurlyburly. A rampant rip through the 80s, a decade of excess, lines of coke and bags of weed under gaudy suits all garnished with some decadence for measure.
The only familiar name in the cast was Alex Dimitriades. The rest of the cast were only familiar in face. Dimitriades is a rather strong actor, his delivery of Phil sending shivers of fear down the spine. Mere actions and pent up energy liable to explode and take out any one of the members of the audience.
Ed Wightman, Eddie, who starts and ends the show, is a real swinger of facial expressions and acting. The tip from states of lucidity into being totally overtaken by drugs a sure sign of genius on his part.
Normally, listening to people use endless streams of syllables in sentences better fit to short bursts is infuriating. This remains the case as each and every one, except for the near naked Donna, stretches out their dialogue to all sorts of polysyllabic extremes. Aurally tiring if debates are not the kind of thing one listens to.
Second night of watching theatre with American accents and dope smokers. For a reason that is best left outside, the smell of marijuana comes through like a regular fiend at the back of the head. An all too easy sniff and whiff to bring back memories of sitting on the train with a pothead collapsed in the crossover area between two train cars.
2330 is the walk out time for the first night. Getting home sees the final mark on the bedside comicbook shelving set up read 0200. Trains all disappear by the time Hurlyburly wraps up the final fade to black.
Running into three hours, it's a damn long performance to stay up with only to end on a depressing note. That's the eighties.
Soon Van - Saturday, 14 May 2005 - 07:19
Fuddy Meers at the Darlinghurst Theatre
Theatrics
Two nights in a row of not making up enough time to meet up with a friend is straining this tenuous relationship. Dying at each passing minute past the agreed. With Kings Cross station stuck with no trains so very close to midnight and at a 41 minute wait, it smashes to ruins future excursions.
Fuddy Meers, playing at the Darlinghurst Theatre Company, is a strange affair into a day in the life of Claire, a woman with psychogenic amnesia. The kind that wipes the memory clean on each morning.
Heavy American accents and references abound in this little production. The characters are varied and a little all over the place. The sight of bright lights shot straight into the eyes of the audience is rather disorientating. They smoke some dope and ramble on in a "roller coaster" as they scramble to put some semblance into this particular day. A day in which reasons as to Claire's amnesia surface. First time in a long time.
Quaint comes to mind, as does the occasional laugh throughout the night. Not entirely a strong point, they rely on a foul-mouthed puppet for a lot of the shock value. And he really goes off at the mouth. The rest of the actors try and put forth a concerted effort into making points of the play really stick out, like waiting for expectant laughs and such.
Soon Van - Friday, 13 May 2005 - 03:50
Spam! Or your money back
Nothing
Days leading up to this so-called "Internet Marketing Conference" threw a ball of guesses and investigation as calls to a clueless American on a 1800 number were anything but clear or informative. With no hint beyond a date and using Star City as a general location, detailing exactly the pick up location of the free food and organiser was outside of their scope.
Calls with the banquet staff at Star City said to look for ballroom 3 on level 3 of the hotel. It was the only thing they had on that night with ordered food. Add to that the fact that the bill was on an American company and it was the only logical choice.
What soon reveals itself through the night is that the websites flashing up on the wall were all too familiar in their lack of style. The kind of websites found employing massive streams of spam to lure people away from their political and creative discussions on all things philosophical. Ready-Strip removers, cowboy boots, silk screen printing... nothing on nothing.
Ninety agonising minutes of listening to this Doug Simpson talk about his dismal Hollywood stunt career, replete with bad jokes, were rewarded with a free dinner. Tough bread rolls with dollops of spicy mayonnaise and a salad. More of a lunch than a dinner. Certainly nothing that would rank up there in the stakes of the $70 mark.
Sadly, the line of people ponying up cash downs of $50 on the table at the back was rather large. These people were throwing down money and details to sign up for a full day of this delivered by no less than 11 "business experts" flown in from the States direct.
Perhaps it was the promise of a full day of a hot hotel buffet. No price given on that note. Though it might have cost all these hopefuls at least $50. A sum which they had covered without realising.
Evaluations were certainly well above expectations and market norms. Did they include the price of lobotomies in the value tag of the free dinner? The free organiser was as trashy, cheap and tragic as expected. The garish $49.95 note on the box itself would suggest a dream unable to find a reach.
Scary sightings such as this are all too real.
Soon Van - Wednesday, 11 May 2005 - 16:19
Coming out while going out
Television
Catching the very tail of Ain't No Love, Branch slapping on his Donald Trump to shoot a blunt, "You're fired" to ADA Southerlyn. Naturally, having missed the entire episode of Law & Order, it sure sounded like a joke. Especially when Serena hits back with a question about whether or not the dismissal was driven by a personal resolution as opposed to a professional incapacity.
Law & Order isn't exactly the type of show to delve in to the personal lives of its characters, so leaving her out in the wind on a note like this sure is going to give all those fleeting glimpses outside of the court cases a new look.
Soon Van - Tuesday, 10 May 2005 - 16:29
DDH 40: Look who's talking
Occupied
Fast punching activity on the Friday phone rides out a week without supervision. As with any other, the pace at which things can be done is undone by the pace at which it either arrives or other components fill in the queue.
When an invitation for a conference hit the table, it was only right to loop in a few others for the excursion to bust a myth that, "there's no such thing as a free lunch" at a dinner session.
From all things obvious, it reeks of the traditional scam in setting up the fool hardies into becoming a new legion of spammers, still without a blacklist mark against their name and accounts.
The organisation hosting the 90 minute dinner set themselves up within one of the many ballrooms of the Star City hotel. It was only on calling the hosting party that any real details of the night came to fruition. Parties that were marked out for a hit on this were going find it hard to find if they didn't hound the poor staff at the casino.
Many names and aliases were bandied about as the receiver lifted many times during the day. Too many to count, not enough to lose track of. As the final phone call was placed and answered, a reminder to change the voice mail message still remains incomplete.
Soon Van - Saturday, 7 May 2005 - 12:30
The Amazing Race with Rob and Amber
Television
Damn the orchestral and background musical stylings of this fine tuned program. Jumping out of helicopters to start the race around the world, it's as if the other teams in the race that aren't already ignoring Rob and Amber as any other team are taking too much of their time to focus on eliminating the glamour Survivor couple.
Could be interesting, could be a deadly bore. Hopefully it'll be on the former since it's hard to see things slide into dullness even as the program hits its seventh outing.
With Stargate: Atlantis to follow right on the tail, it continues to be a hard day of the week to miss. Having taken in last season's last leg and this season's first leg of The Amazing Race, things open up again for sudden calls of excitement.
Soon Van - Friday, 6 May 2005 - 16:50
Vertigo First Taste
Comics
Felling above the respect of watching another trade go by without at least flicking through once, the second read of Vertigo First Taste confirms the flavour licked from reading the collection the first time around.
Leading samples from Y: The Last Man, Saga of the Swamp Thing and 100 Bullets fare slightly better than the second half which contains Transmetropolitan, Death: The High Cost of Living and Books of Magick: Life During Wartime.
What strengthens the carnival ride is the pull toward grabbing subsequent chapters and volumes spilling out from the that final page with that cliffhanger state: to be continued.
Transmet and Y automatically discount themselves from the run given that there are already volumes waiting. Bought and unread wasting away the highly volatile and disposable income. Might be time now to actually turn their pages.
Soon Van - Friday, 6 May 2005 - 05:12
Chris Addison presents Civilization
Freeload
Part two of the night that nearly wasn't involved third row seats at The Studio with Chris Addison hosting his talk/lesson, Civilization.
Fast and rapid fire, there was a certain expectation on Addison's part with regard to the intelligence of the audience. Namely, something bearing a high school or even university level understanding of ancient society and the world. Nothing deep, but anything close to showing up the perception of a crowd in an extremely down state of attire for a venue such as that of the Sydney Opera House.
It was the start of things that would only improve as the relaxing atmosphere made for a smooth and warm rapport to envelope the night. His delivery on the evolution and building blocks of civilization fill the air in a humorous stance as revelations and reflections punctuate certain inanities with humanity.
Addison puts everyone at ease and their contributions to the show are all welcome. Within reason of course. A drunk woman at the back shows her ignorance on pretty much a lot of things that most well read Australians would know about. Natasha Ryan being one.
Wrapping up the night with a rant and outline for a new and better society, an urge to send back his "goodnight" with one of the same marks down the night as one great call in light of a Julian Easter.
Soon Van - Sunday, 1 May 2005 - 04:26
French Fusion Feast with Claire de Lune
Freeload
With a little finagling, a little Frenching and a little deception, we find ourselves in the company of a lovely gay couple at Morgan's restaurant on Williams in King Cross. Our seats are courtesy of the Sydney Star Observer, as theirs the SX Weekly.
It's Friday night, yet the massive throng on the sidewalks are nowhere to be seen outside the strip in front of the train station.
Though details requested company to be seated at the premises at exactly 1900, the relaxed attitude allows for a late running couple to sit down only a few minutes after the clock. A systematic laissez faire attitude trickles over into the pace of the five courses of the night.
Hosting tonight's special menu of a French Fusion Feast, Claire de Lune. A drag queen with an acid tongue, her style is charming and scathing of her friend in tow, Portia. At other times singing would be part of her repertoire. Thankfully the case flies against that and only a few stories and tidbits pepper the night around the serving of courses.
Taking to carnations left on the table—in the wait between sparkling water and the appetiser—make for a slow rising rethink. Rather bland and void of deep taste, the flower is left half-eaten as the first plate comes on board. Tables are close and elbows even closer to the face. Nerve reverb on edge.
An hour into the night the plates make their dance around the tables. Salmon roe, pickled seaweed, something white and crispy with black seeds and scallops sprinkled with something a little spicy. Tasty and just such a tease for the rest of the night. A night cut short for a bolt over across the other side of the City Circle in order to make it in time for Chris Addison at The Studio.
On account of a religious period of fasting to break into the weekend at the start of Friday, it nearly almost never was.
Soon Van - Sunday, 1 May 2005 - 03:31
