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I'm excited! Rugby's back! And hoorah, the latest wonderboy is not an expensive league sellout, but a boy of 18. What an explosive beginning to his international career? After witnessing last week's try at the SFS, O'Connor has given me hope in the Wallabies backs that I haven't felt since Matt Burke's retirement.
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Whilst he's yet to prove himself fully (these tries were pretty much set up for him), the boy has a lot of promise. Time and tests will tell. We're yet to see him take a big hit (please, don't let him be one of these Campese-esque "I'll pass the ball if it ever looks like I'm about to be tackled" types), but we hope he is kept safe from injury, and can be tried out against the Boks and Kiwis.
But the great news is he's not the only talent in the Aussie shed.
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I feel it's going to be a good year for Australia in international rugby.
Bollywood has been gaining greater industry cred over the last year or so, thanks to Danny Boyle, films like "Bride and Prejudice", and Bollywood dance classes. It even gets a mention in Disney's HSM3 as the ultimate final destination on a starlet's journey to self-promotion, and Disney even made a crossover movie with "The Cheetah Girls" film (I know this as I have a tweenager, who, I'm proud to say, knew who Aishwarya Rai was before she knew of Miley Cyrus). Disney is brilliant at cross-promotion, so it is only logical that they have jumped on the Bollywood bandwagon, whose films regularly feature product placements as part of the action (the film "Baghban" springs to mind, with its blantant advertising of a certain brand of tea intertwined in a legitimate part of the script). Disney's self-referential script writing pales into insignificance to such amazing scenes as the after-party scene in "Om Shanti Om", where almost everyone who has ever been a star in a Bollywood film, and was still walking and presentable, got a dance on role.
Indian businesses are acceptionally clever at making the most of every opportunity. Like the kids in "Slumdog Millionaire" on the train and at the Taj, they create opportunities. Whether it's boosting your chai brand's profile by having Amitabh consume it on rising and on returning home to his beautiful, dutiful wife; or by creating a clever way to learn the tricks of the trade of the world's finest cricketers, whilst undermining their abilities to succeed as a national team through player fatigue, by paying them more than they earn on their national contracts; they are astute business people, and will, as a nation, give the Yanks a run for their money.
The challenge for India's elite is to create equity and opportunity in their society. Whilst Bollywood stars are drenched in diamonds, watches, and designer suits, salwars and saris, villages burn and kids die. Can India become better than the US in this field? Surely Bollywood needs some philanthropists and politcal activists, like Hollywood has seen.
I look forward to seeing this occur. We cannot wait for "destiny" to intervene in improving educational, health and social conditions for the "slumdogs". Someone local has to take a stand and do some good, with the blessings they have received.
In the meantime, though, I cannot begrudge them their award ceremonies, and will watch in awe as some of the most elegant and beautiful people existing today celebrate their achievements. "Slumdogs" sure beat the "white trash" celebrities in classiness and decorum.
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I have long thought it a little tasteless, to be extremely euphemistic, to give your child "Dora" underwear. A look at the SMH website has proven my instincts are sharp.
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For those who don't know who "Hoppa" is, he was an NRL player infamous for placing his fingers into other players' shorts, as a tactic. Not the sort of rolemodel I want for my kids.
Sorry for my silence over the last few months. I'm not dead...just extremely preoccupied by life's toils and snares.
As usual, the news gives ample rant fodder. Stay posted.
A: You boil the Hell out of it!
Boom, tish!
So goes the joke popular with Anglican ministers of a certain age (that age being retirement). Terribly non-PC to say this at a Baptism when the infant's extended family are Roman Catholic. I recall cringing at such an occasion once
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When I was bored on NYE in Brighton, I searched to see if a dream of mine would come true. I have longed to see this band play at St Kilda Beach. Alas, an internet search proved in vain. The Cats were not out to play on the Espy, and it seemed the keyboard player and Harry, the lead singer and lead trumpet, had become Jackson Jackson. Alas, no gigs for either outfits.
However on the long drive up the Hume on Thursday, I was blown away to discover the Cats would be at the Sydney Festival!!! So tonight, like many others, my daughter and I hopped a train to Martin Place for opening night. No point going with the husband. He once slept through a John Butler concert. Our daughter, however, likes the Cats and knows their songs.
Summer in Sydney is a strange place. The rush and lack of eye contact is replaced by languid days, beachwear in any context, and public alcohol consumption. We can add travelling games of Twister to the list. It would have seemed a bit like some trendy art installation, were it not for the cans of UDL, brown bottles of liquid amber, and blonde hair, eyeliner and short shorts. On City Rail, on a trip from Sutherland, it was more like how a Cronulla riot might get warmed up
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I kinda do, too.
In Brighton, Vic, where nothing is happening...
Doug Bollinger has been selected as part of the squad for the New Years' Test. A very happy wokmate of my husband's and my fellow Manly fan; a close friend of Doug's, called at around 2:30pm with a trivial work question, so he could spread the good news, that E.D.Bollinger had received a call from Cricket Australia, suggesting he research the Proteas' batting styles. We were around Mt Beauty in Victoria, stopping by the roadside till our daughter's nausea subsided, when the call came through.
So well done, Doug. Sorry we can't be there, as we're being very un-Australian. We are missing the Sydney Test, for the first time in our 12 years of marriage, to give our daughter the chance to be at the Australian Ballet School Summer School. Despite my pleading, husband also decided it was of more value to cruise around the bends of the high country till the kid actually did vomit, rather than fast-traking our trip to Melbourne to catch the fifth day of the test at the MCG. Our kid wasn't the only one who was spewing today! I've never been into the 'G.
So rather than seeing the Cricket, we made do with listening to the ABC coverage on radio; intermittent due to overhead powerlines. We did have a couple of amusing days, listening to the ruminations of Kerry O'Keefe et.al., on topics such as "Why do Rangas not make it in Test Cricket", and would it be the newly hirsuit Bollinger; surely looking for an Advanced Hair sponsorship deal if O'Keefe is correct and he has "rugged up", or someone else, to replace Binga Lee
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Comments (3)
Comment by Jeannine Baird
on Back to Blogging
Clean Green Neen
How's that for a sledge, babe?!
(For those reading this Husband received "The Art of Sledging" for his, here it comes again...38th Birthday!!!!!)