The Topic of Great Randomness

[bookfanatic_ally]

[Birdhead]

Ok, variously:

Re Tom Stoppard: OK. Cool.

Re scifi/fantasy: Check!!!! I love fantasy, particularly epic fantasy, and I like scifi too but read it less often, probably because I'm lazy. I like fiction, too, and I read a lot of that as well- I think they each have their merits. I know people who only read one or the other, and it always seems to me like they miss a lot of good books. People who only read fantasy miss out on John Marsden and Melina Marchetta and David Hill and Witi Ihimaera and Fleur Beale and Gerald Durrell and, like, eight zillion other authors. People who only read fiction miss out on Ken Catran and YW and HP and Lord of the Rings and Eddings and McCaffrey and Gaiman and Pratchett and Philip Mann and another eight zillion authors. I think I'm lucky I like both.

Re the flag: I don't have an opinion on the Maerican flag. I do like the star for every state idea, the colours are the same as our flag (but then I'm not much of a fan of our flag)... yeah. It's nice enough, I guess.
It's funny, though, because at the moment there's a semi-movement around trying to change our flag. This is the NZ flag:

And I guess it's nice enough, except that this is the Australian Flag:

Which is also nice enough (they do the same deal as America, by the way, they have a star for every state.)
Except that the flags are very, very similar- because we're both pacific colonies of Britian. The flag in the corner is the Union Jack (obviously) and the stars form the Southern Cross (again obviously, but I don't know if you guys can see that in the States.) So it's showing our connection to Britain and our unique location. However, because the flags are so similar and because we don't feel our ties to Britain are so strong any more, it's generally felt that the flag is not a good representative of New Zealand as it is now. Especially because our sports teams compete in black and occasionally white, often with the silver fern logo, which looks something like this:

So yeah, there's a lot of debate about changing it. I personally favour a koru or fern design in the corner where the union jack is and retaining the Southern Cross, all white on a black background.

I agree, the Union Jack is kind of nice. I just don't particularly want it on New Zealand's flag. As for the star and moon, crescent moons and stuff tend to represent a large Muslim population. They're pretty, but I don't think any country is going to be changing their flag to that any time soon!

Oh, yeah. As for Red, White and Blue: I'm sorry, that's such a STUPID patriotic slogan. Why? Because there's red white and blue on the
-French
-British
-New Zealand
-Australian
-Uhm.... LOTS OF OTHER COUNTRIES!!!
...flags. So.... uhm, yeah, I think it's a little silly. Especially considering Freedom Fries, yeah???

As for room-redecoration- well, I'm moving out in a year. (Oh god, I can't wait.) So redoing my room is... purposeless, basically. Also, I just had it re-painted (yellow)..... it's OK, I guess. I have so many posters and junk on the walls anyway that you basically can't see it, and also my room is too big to do theme decorations, especially as I can't draw to save myself. So... *shrugs*

As for "Americrap:" I just don't like those stupid belts- you know, the ones with the flag all pver them? It's like, ugh, stop conforming to the Americanisation of the western world, GET A BETTER BELT!! It's not that I don't like America, it's just that I'm not American. Therefore if I want to buy a belt with flags on it, I want to see MY flag. And I never do. So.... it's not America, or Americrap, itself. Just the way it spreads like a virus.

Wanna know something terrible??? It's summer here, and it's POURING and FREEZING and it's NOT BLOODY FAIR. I am aggrieved and hard-done-by. It's not like Wellington has the best summers in the world, but they're not usually like this!!

And my parents cancelled my library card, and they're taking away the television. (not that I watch much television, but I do watch a lot of videos.) I think I'm doomed. See why I can't wait to leave home?

M! New avie! It's pretty.

Yeah, Fahrenheit is annoying, but it's about as comprehensible as Celsius. Metric, though, is SO much better than Imperial. It's all in base ten, for goodness' sake- it's gotta be easier then base whatever.

As for changing- uhm, we managed it here. Ages ago, with money, and that is a BIG issue because of minting new coins and stuff. But dollars are EIGHT ZILLION TIMES easier than the original one. I mean, half-crowns? What's with them??? OTOH, having the difficulties with imperial I do, I guess it would be really tough to change. (I know that three feet is a metre, and that's about as far as I go. pounds elude me. )

*stretches fingers* MAN it's good to be home.

EDIT for spelling, and also to say:
Oh, god, oh, god, I'm about to get my exam results over the net and I DON'T WANT TO KNOW.
*quivers*

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[crookedfrog13]

Tui!!!! Have you heard of Sara Douglass? She is totally awsome Aussie writer! She worte this fantasy series i love called "The Axis Trilogy". Mmmmm...love,love,love,love,love,love,love,love!!! ! Lots of love!!!


Now aren't you happy that you read this!?
"What do you say to three shillings, andwe forget the name?"
Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow- "Pirates of the Caribbean"

[Birdhead]

Aundrea!!! WHERE have you BEEN????
This is getting to be a theme.

Yeah, I have heard of her, and I keep meaning to read some of her stuff. I've heard that she's really good, that the Axis stuff is really depressing, but her other one is great. I will find them, eventually.

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[Wilf]

On the grounds of metric vs. imperial.... When it comes to height of people, buildings or aircraft, I think in feet. When in comes to heights of mountains, depths of oceans, and lenegths of most objects (eg cars), I think in metres. Then again, I prefer feet for lenths of animals.
Do you think it shows I am form a country that uses both?

"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right" - Salvor Hadrin, in Isaac Asimov's Foundation

[Agent M]

[Birdhead]

Hi. Congrats on the test, that's grreat!

My parents cancelled my library card because I had about a million dollars in library fines and my mother, an ex-librarian, is really anti-fines. She thinks they're ineffective and only succeed in putting people off the library, as opposed to encouraging them to read. She also thinks it's ridiculous that someone my age, ie still a kid, can and has been charged (in total) several hundred dollars. (Not all at once!!)

"We are philosophical geniuses [sic] who will one day rule the world!"
--Agent M
Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha, Ahahahaha!
Still the Typo Queen

[Agent M]

[crookedfrog13]

Tui!!! Several HUNDRED dollars?!! Arg! I have only ever been charged with about $15...total!!!! all my life!! you should know better!

*flicks M&M at Agent M*

I like Mutch...for those of you who don't know me, Mutch is the name of my Avatar...I love him alot. Agent M doesn't.


Now aren't you happy that you read this!?
A sheperdess is quite a mess, but little lambs are lovely....

[crookedfrog13]

Hey, guess what?! today, i finished "A Wizards Holiday" after i was finished with my science final. It was really good!!!! I LOVED IT DD!!!


Now aren't you happy that you read this!?
A sheperdess is quite a mess, but little lambs are lovely....

[Zgirl]

The library doesn't charge me until 2 months of having the book.
I don't even have a library card, I use my mom's. It's not like I can ride my bike to the library in the winter.

Have an issue get a tissue!!--Steph C.

Kisses taste like chicken-- Absoulutely Normal Chaos...sharon creech

[Agent M]

[crookedfrog13]

Hey!!! this isa also 100 pages!!!

WHOOPWHOOP!! *happy dance*
Can you belive it?? It is insane!!!!


Now aren't you happy that you read this!?
A sheperdess is quite a mess, but little lambs are lovely....

[Agent M]

[papercrane]

Yay! Chocolate all around!

re library fines: Several hundred dollars? heh, I've never had a problem with that...however many books I request, I usually finish them in two or three days. After that, I have to rely on fanfiction...

The important thing about adventures, thought Mr Bunnsy, was that they shouldn't be so long as to make you miss mealtimes.
-- (Terry Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents)