How many cybermats do you need?

Turned out the blooming "corpse flower" was in the *Melbourne* Botanical Gardens. Doh! Picked up "Genshiken: Second Season #1" and, because it was odd and inexpensive, the "Street Fighter X Sanrio" sticker book. There is a honeycomb Mars bar. You should download "Catapult King" for the purdy graphics alone. Away-hey-hey to Canberra on the morrow.


RIP Tony Greig.

The corrupting influence of RS :-)

Joined the iPad club. Am already mildly addicted to "Letterpress", "Angry Birds: Star Wars", "Puzzle Craft" and "King Cashing: Slots Adventure".

Recommendations welcome!

Yule blog

Dec. 23-27 was about: immediate family; CityRail; the invention of "pepper spear"; feasting; yard maintenance; James Boag's, Fraser Briggs (the Aldi take on James Boag's) and Boa's Bind; "Lawless" and "The Expendables 2" (inferior to the original); immediate family; "Doctor Who - The Snowmen", especially Clara; wacky snacks such as Worcester sauce nuts; darts and cricket; Louis Theroux reruns; slowly remembering how to draw; the seasonal "University Challenge" spin-off; immediate family; and things going to plan.

Cry me a River

20/12

Christmas cheer, spicy "dry aged" hamburgers and duck-fat chips with CM at The Morrison. He was off to a preview of "Jack Reacher", while yours truly was bound for the "Doctor Who" Symphonic Spectacular at the Opera House...

Conducted by Ben Foster, an orchestra, a choir, and male and female solo vocalists performed pieces from Seasons 3-6, all composed by Murray Gold (also in attendance). The dazzling Alex Kingston (River Song) and thoroughly likeable Mark Williams (Brian Williams) provided live introductions. Big-screen highlight reels from the series gave context to the tunes and were well matched by the lighting. At relevant points, monsters appeared in/marched through different sections of the auditorium - a Judoon, Silurians, Saturnyne (Venetian vamps), Cybermen, an Ood, one of The Silence, The Impossible Astronaut in a cloud of smoke, a blinking Weeping Angel. The production was briefly hijacked by Daleks who demanded that Foster play "Dalek music" and who revealed to us in minute detail the function of the Eternal Dalek. That second claim might be a fib.

Overall, the Symphonic Spectacular made for an unusual and memorable night out. Gold's themes can definitely hold their own in a classical setting. The weakest aspect was the backing footage, which - much as I heart Doc Eleven, Amy, Rory, etc. - only served to highlight the nonsensicality of the recent stories. I realise, however, based on the hysterical reactions of the teenage component of the audience, that mine is increasingly a minority view.

21/12

Additional Christmas cheer, plus Doughboy's Scarlett salad and Quattro Funghi pizza, with sister AK, bro'-in-law VK and my nieces. The kids unwrapped some pressies and the overgrown kids did, too :-)


CD: "Doctor Who - The Edge Of Destruction" (2011 audiobook of 1988 novelisation of 1964 serial). A tedious, if splendidly written, exercise in paranoia. I cannot recommend what amounts to four discs of conclusion jumping and recriminations.

"JL8" by Yale Stewart is an adorable little comic that reimagines the Justice League and their foes as elementary schoolers. Even the Endless get a look-in (ta for the link, PG): limbero.org/jl8/1

Music clip for B. and R.: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ku8KpJVfRM

The man in seat 12D

17/12

"Skyfall" may be the perfect Bond film.

18/12

Was a tad less nervous on the flight to Sydney.

Fangs for the memories

16/12

Trudging from Surfers to Mermaid, sticking to the patches of shade afforded by the buildings a street or so over from the beach, I stumbled on the Royal Queensland Art Society Gallery. Its contents were a mixed bag, but there were a few landscapes I fancied, in particular a forest interior done in oils. Toyed with the idea of splashing the cash and having the staff post me my picture. Ultimately, I didn't covet any of the works enough to enquire about that possibility.

NT drove from Brisbane to accompany me to an evening meal/cocktails/cabaret show at Dracula's, a kitschy castle-esque construction opposite the Pacific Fair shopping centre. I've since described it as a cross between The Bronze from "Buffy: T/V/S", "Rocky Horror" and a ghost-train ride, with dashes of The Muppets and an acrobatic circus. I refuse to spoil any of the surprises. Suffice it to say: a must-visit if you're in the area (but not suitable for children due to the ribald humour).


While I think of it...

TV: "Holy Flying Circus" (2011), a dramatisation of the hoo-ha surrounding the release of "Life Of Brian". Although the portrayals of the Pythons other than Cleese and Palin are patchy, the inventiveness of the presentation is in keeping with the troupe's surreal sketches. Stephen Fry cameos as God.

Tass times

15/12

UFC on FX 6, aka UFC on FX: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson, also went down at the GCCAEC. MR, JC and I were Octagon-side (first row!) for 10 bouts that didn't disappoint in the slightest. If you're a fan, you'll be aware of the results. My pick of the bunch was Robert Whittaker (Team AUS) vs. Brad Scott (Team UK) for the "Smashes" 170lb prize, with our RW outpointing a very game opponent to win the six-figure contract. (Props to BS for walking in to Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills".)

Afterwards, MR and I grabbed a feed at Outback Jack's. It had a mini butcher shop inside and you were encouraged to inspect the cuts of meat prior to making your selection. We ate skewers of chook, croc and roo, followed by Angus porterhouse steaks. Delicious.

The post-event celebration at Melba's was pretty boring. Along with one of my old games-industry contacts and his bud (both MMA nuts), we relocated to a strip club. It was cheaper than the NSW equivalent and, unlike in this state, lapdances were legal. We'd been running into UFC fighters and their entourages for days and this was no exception. Next thing I knew, I was doing tequila slammers with a British trainer(?). Things really got enjoyable when JC rocked up with two gorgeous ladies - a photographer/model and a model/stuntwoman. We pissed on with them until the wee hours (sorry), finishing at a pancake emporium that had materialised out of nowhere.

Korean BBQ, Irish beverages, French babes

14/12

The UFC on FX 6 weigh-ins were at the Gold Coast Convention And Exhibition Centre. I posed for a photo with a replica belt and it was heavy. I then semi-embarrassed myself on a punch tester, my fist glancing off the speedball twice before I middled a third blow and registered 500-and-something. The highest was 800-and-something. Just call me Mr Average!

Southport sucked. We couldn't locate the rumoured large book exchange and 99% of the eateries weren't operating between lunch and dinner (a recurring problem on the Goldie). Fortunately, we found a cracking Korean restaurant.

Our boozy feast begat a pub crawl in which the rules were: 1. You have to order pints where available (and since we were mostly in faux-Irish establishments...), and 2. No repeat brews. Towards the end, we were joined by JC.

The bikini-clad meter maids were out in force, flogging their official merch as potential Xmas gifts. They all seemed to be French - here to practise their English, they explained. Eventually, we succumbed to their charms and bought calendars. The gals happily signed the months on which they appeared.

The notes are getting briefer

13/12

M'colleague MR arrived and we breakfasted at a cafe as fancy as it was woefully inefficient.

The UFC on FX 6 open workouts were held at multi-time world champion kickboxer John Wayne Parr's Boonchu Gym in Burleigh Heads.

Our arvo was devoted to drinkininining in a succession of venues and chatting to a couple of other media dudes.

I finally downloaded and set up the Foxtel Android app so I can record shows remotely.

Queensland has 3-4 branches of Japanese fast-food chain Mos Burger.

An aside

My mate CM once interviewed the curator of an American Odditorium and asked the fellow what was his holy grail as far as objects he'd love to display. The answer was simple: "Anything with three heads."

G/P/P

12/12/12!

Started the day with lime milk and a pastie. This was Dad's brekkie of choice as a young labourer - minus the flavouring.

Got a big kick out of the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Odditorium in the Surfers Paradise CBD... Shrunken heads and torture devices, spider-web paintings and optical illusions... My favourite from among the many curious and macabre items gathered by Robert Ripley on his global trots was a ceremonial Chinese sword consisting entirely of interlinked coins.

At last, a decent video arcade! The Timezone in SP contained heaps of titles that, while not necessarily new, I hadn't seen before: shooters ("Elevator Action - Death Parade", with its gimmicky metal doors), racers (the incredibly bumpy "Hummer"), updates (the 4P simultaneous "Pac-Man Battle Royale"), pinballs ("Not-Tron - Legacy"), unlikely conversions ("Connect Four"), and sideshow-type attractions that would've fitted right in at Ripley's (e.g. the decapitation cabinet that required you to insert your head and hands).

In a shop window, a singlet emblazoned with the Warner Bros "WB" caught my eye. Line below: "Warn a brother". Line above: "If you see the cops".

Indigenous telly station NITV has gone free-to-air.

Golden rough

11/12

En route to the airport, I saw an elderly chap wearing a baseball cap patterned to resemble a brain.

Sailed the sky sea and it wasn't too choppy. Didn't feel comfortable for a single second, though.

Went mini-golfing at a facility near the resort. The three courses had cartoon, aquatic and jungle themes. I shot 72, then my putting skills came back and I improved from hopeless to mediocre, going 'round in 52 and 47.

Collected a set! Thanks to the poker machine "Lucky Samurai" at Jupiters, I have now gambled in every major casino in Lostralia. (Henceforth, said pokie shall be known as "Unlucky Samurai".)

Had a nice piece of beer-battered barramundi at the local surf club, overlooking the water. No sign of Alf Stewart.

Jane Horrocks was wonderful and Tom Hollander lent great support in the BBC telemovie "Gracie!".

I woke up early the day I flied

Flew. Off to the Gold Coast for a week. Trip is 29% business/71% pleasure. Not looking forward to the flight. Haven't been on a plane in five-plus years. Had an unpleasant experience. Will be equipped with an engrossing book. Will be fortifying myself with red wine. Talk to youse when I return.

Kenneth Oath

LPO drove us to Macquariecon 2012. We commenced with "Snakes On A Plain", a module for the "Fellowship Of The White Star" RPG (think: "Call Of Cthulhu" using modified "D&D 3.5" rules and where the PCs are all members of a do-gooder organisation). Set in 1905 Arizona, it was laidback fun with plenty of period detail and handouts - always a bonus in historical/investigative adventures. Our ultra-cautious group completed the quest with ease. L. and I also got to try the White Wolf system "Scion" (magical beings, the offspring of a mortal and a god/goddess, keep the peace on Earth while aiding their oldies in an ongoing war against the titans). "Good Intentions" took place in a Pommy village in 1799 and I was proud of the way we nutted out each of its mysteries. The GM told us we were the only party to destroy the boss.


TV: "Britain's Lost Routes" (2012)
CD: "Ceremonies" (2012) by Fields Of The Nephilim

Unmakin' Bacon

A painting speaks to me instantly or not at all. Standing in front of it for 10 minutes changes nothing, no matter how famous the painter. I felt a few such artistic sparks at "Francis Bacon: Five Decades" (AG of NSW). People often describe Bacon's works as "disturbing", and I guess the flayed faces and liquefying limbs of some of his deconstructed figures inevitably sees them likened to mutilated corpses. I generally made no connection with those images, but they didn't disturb me. It was my impression that Bacon was merely depicting an extra - equally valid - dimension of ourselves. Even more so with the ghostly actors facing away from the viewer. And with the pale screaming heads, like corrupt signals penetrating thickly layered reality through faint, broken borders. It's late. I should probably go.


TV: "50 Years Of Bond Cars - A 'Top Gear' Special"
CD: "Futhorc" (2012) by David Worgan. DW, a poker pal of mine, demonstrates his guitar mastery on this double-disc journey into sound, a concept album based around the Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet. Dedicated website and iTunes availability coming soon.


Did I share this charming blog with DGN-dom, or did I maybe only email it to AZ? My mother's fave zinester (fact!) is exploring Sydney's suburban libraries one at a time - biblioburbia.wordpress.com

A man walks into a bar...

...but he can't stay for long, even though his buddy SC is there, even though the Super Dry is free, and even though there are other game journos who might have interesting things to say about the price of eggs in Hyrule. He has to bus, train and jog to the Opera House for a comedy gig where he will laugh a bit at Wil Anderson, laugh a hell of a lot at Todd Barry, and bask in the crude/winsomely cute/shrewd unpredictability of Sarah Silverman.


TV: 2012 reality drama "Start-Ups - Silicon Valley" is proof you can be revolted by someone's avarice yet inspired by their hustle.
CD: Kirby Krackle's self-titled 2009 debut. "Villain Song" is the standout.