spice up your life

Well you can't say you didn't hear it here first.
Well ok maybe you can, but as I predicted {lol}, THE SPICE GIRLS ARE REUNITING!!!!
And I for one, will be attending the Sydney leg of their tour when they come here.
BRING - IT - ON!

***i do reiterate however that I extremely surprised Posh Spice has agreed to the reunion, not quite like Robbie Williams and Take That (cold day in hell), but she's massive now. My personal theory is that she actually DOES think she can sing, and this is her outlet for that.
I speculate that she will do the tour, and then LEAVE the group, prompting the creation of "Cumin : The Search for the New Spice" the reality TV show where the contestants must create elaborate hairstyles and thigh high boots using nothing but their wits.
You heard it here first-I'm calling it***

Eddie Murphy father of Scary child

Eddie Murphy has apparently been DNA tested for the paternity of Scary Spice's baby daughter, and confirmed that yes, he went there.

In other Spicy news, the 90'd girl group has sparked speculation they will be reforming by calling a press conference next week.

Somehow though I can't imagine "Lady Posh"taking such a backward step as would necessitate her rejoining the group. She has a sweet life now, and everyone knows she was the one who couldn't sing! Although she has apparently recorded a new single.
Listen to a sneak preview HERE. Eek.

Looking at this though, is the world really ready for Spice Girls again?

I wanna really really really wanna zig a zig ahhhh....

Are you kidding me????

Some of you professionals out there will have, like me, a work email address that is your name with your company name as the domain for the email, for example miss.piggy@blondepigsdoitbetter.com.au can you believe in my new job, I getting SPAMMED by our customers to my address? I'm assuming some of them are simply guessing my email, but others, people I've actually given my email address to, send me junk!
And by Junk, I mean those crappy forwards that promise you an iPod if you send this email on, or I got one for a free laptop computer if you sent it on to 30 of your nearest and dearest friends {read: VICTIMS} I'm gobsmacked seriously, how unprofessional!!
Then I got another one that was flogging something like Trendwest. Goddammit!

Tanning beds are the root of all evil.

I've said it before, I'm saying it again, and this time with backup.

Full article here

....Cancer Council Victoria's SunSmart program manager, Kylie Strong, said the ultra-violet light projected by solariums was up to five times as dangerous as Victoria's midday summer sun..... VICTORIA'S booming tanning industry could be subject to government control for the first time as concerns grow over the risks of frequent solarium use.....

.....The current (voluntary) code advises that children under 15 and those with fair skin should be prohibited from using sunbeds, and that parental permission for those under 18 should be obtained. It also recommends users sign a consent form outlining the risks.

The director of the Victorian Melanoma Service at The Alfred hospital, Associate Professor John Kelly, said he was seeing a number of skin cancers for which the argument was persuasive that they were caused by solariums. "It's probably a phenomenon of the last three or four years; before that I had never seen it," he said.

Associate Professor Kelly said he had seen three cases recently that he believed had been caused by solarium light. One involved a 20-year-old woman who had a melanoma in her groin, the other two women had breast melanomas.

"All of the women were partners of solarium owners … they used (a solarium) a hell of a lot and all of them in short order, within a couple of years of doing it, had got melanomas in previous never sun-exposed areas."......

.....research by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer which has shown that people who regularly use sunbeds before the age of 35 increase their risk of melanoma by as much as 75 per cent......

......The manager of Planet Sun Tanning Studio, who asked to be identified only as Tammy, agrees that some legislation is needed as long as it is "not over the top". She also believes solarium staff need to be properly trained.

"We have our own policy here but a lot of our customers come in and tell us how they've been thrown into hot beds when they have milky white skin and … it hasn't been done properly."

Tammy said tanning at a solarium was safe if it was done responsibly.

"It's really a controlled environment. We recommend using sunscreen and if there are suspicious spots we recommend they see a doctor before coming in and tanning."

SunLounge Port Melbourne's manager, Alfie Pezzi, said turning people off UV exposure was wrong.

He said there were medical benefits of vitamin D absorption through UV exposure.

Of course there are, but not THAT much Vitamin D. Clutching at straws methinks......

*tear* Long live Cassius

As some of you may be aware (not all as I was very slack in reporting this momentus occassion in our life), we became proud parents two weeks ago. We went to the store and instantly became the proud owners of two siamese fighting fish. They look a little like these.

El Salvador
(mine is a little bit greener)

Cassius (mark's)

At least, that's what Cassius looked like. *sniffle* he's dead already. :( And I feel like a terrible parent because I couldn't even care for a fish. I maintain however that he commit suicide as he wasn't eating his food, he simply let it float until it became swollen and sank to the rocks.
*sigh* I'm still sad though. :(

The Poo (NO not THAT Poo!!)

Now stop me if you've heard of this already, oh wait, you can't. Read on then!!

"Our own" Poo (Mark Phillippoussis for those of you playing at home) has somehow gotten himself caught up in a terrible The-Bachelor-Type of reality dating show in the US. You know the ones, hot eligible bachelor lives with 14 nymphs in a luxurious mansion and the female endeavour to win him over whilst scratching the eyes out of every other female contestant. Bachelor picks one, they give it a go for a few weeks before "discovering" that meeting in a fabulous mansion is not a healthy basis for the beginning of a relationship.

I mean how did we go from this

To this?

He looks like a doofus here and what is happening with his right eye? "Eh-baby-wanna-ride-in-my-WRX-ayyyyy????? He looks slightly better in what appears to be the actual promo shot at the show's homepage on NBC.

Somehow he has ended up looking a bit glassy-eyed-insurance-salesman here though...

The actual "twist" of this show is that there's 20-something nymphs and 40-something nymphs looking for a slice of the action, and trying to answer the question "Does Age Matter". I think the real question should be, "Is this what sporting stars are relegated to when they can no longer play their sport?"

Oh Dear...

I'm sorry I've been so lax!!!!
I blame it entirely on falling ill. I got sick a few weeks ago and it knocked me for six a bit. Couldn't muster much enthusiasm for anything really.
So I'm so sorry its taken me so long to post, and I apologise again for not having anything completely riveting to say!

-soon to follow though
- billylou is published! With her permission i will post her wonderful poem that she performed at the Riverside Theatre at Parramatta. :)
- a pic of my cool pink hair
- a pic of Ryder's christening.
Sorry again :)

Digital Fortress - Dan Brown ***/*

When the National Security Agency's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls in its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage-not by guns or bombs, but by a code so complex that if released would cripple US intelligence.

Caught in an acccelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Flethcher battles to save the agency she beleives in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not onlt for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves...

Hmm...As with all blurbs it seems, not quite how it all comes about, but I guess its close enough. Good read, not as good as the others, but better than Angels and Demons.

3.5 / 5

The Caller _ Alex Barclay

Unlock the Door to a twisted mind....

My Prison is a tool, a training ground, a stopover. I look at the bars behind me, the space around me, the confinement. I think of where you are and how tragic for you it is that here I am, there you are, but oh so quickly, there I am. Right with you.

Entrance. Exit.

A killer is locked in a dark fantasy world that has come crushing into reality with devastating results...and a rising body count. He targets his victims in their own homes, subjecting them to a terrifying ordeal before leaving their lifeless bodies in their hallway for a loved one to find.

Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in the high-profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and overwhelmed by friction in the taskforce and at home, he struggles to make progress.

But just when he feels close to making a breakthroughm the investigation is rocked by tragedy and another victim's life is hanging in the balance.

Public Schools up the creek

Articles like this make my blood boil. For the subject matter, not for the existence of the article.
More privelege for the privileged.
Oh makes me so angry.

Your eyes can be so cruel....

Just as I can be so cruel!

As a young thing, my sisters and cousins and I would sit and watch Jareth and Sarah and Ludo for hours, over and over again. I know all the girls somehow felt this alluring pull from Jareth (don't deny it!) and even though he looks ridiculous looking back (umm..pirate ruffles anyone?), there's still a little something there.....
So it was with shock and disbelief that I discovered that
David Bowie turns 60 this year.
He of the Goblin King fame.
*fanning self*

Oh God-I know Bai Ling (sort of)

While some may see it as laziness, I see it as being completely in tune. And also, I don't have the time to devote to research and meaningless surfing for potentially interesting posts.

So ner.

The Fug Girls have found an awesome addendum to my earlier comments about Bai Ling in Cannes. Hilarious. And Riona, I have IMDBed for your convenience- See here for Bai Ling
OMG. Stop the Press.
I have just discovered in my {meagre} research that Bai Ling is actually an actress I know. In the way that you "know" anyone in any of your favorite movies.

Bai Ling is actually the cool Asian girl in The Crow! Sister to the baddie."....I Like the pretty lights....."

Pic from The Crows Loft

Oh God, I'll never look at her the same again now.....

Also from Fug

"And also, can we discuss how scarring it must have been for Mary-Kate Olsen to see her not-technically-identical-but-who-are-we-kidding-they-look-almost-exactly-alike twin sister ranking at No. 37, while she herself was left off entirely?"

Hahahahaha hilarious and well spotted. Fug Shame.

In the news....

Headlines on SMH today :

HICKS ENJOYS AUSTRALIAN BREAKFAST

Ummm....no updates, so let's talk about his breakfast? Hey guys, I had toast this morning, maybe I'm newsworthy now!!!!

SATAN MADE MY HUSBAND MICROWAVE OUR BABY

You can tell there's a problem when you put a baby in a microwave in any instance.

101 Starlicious Makeovers

Oh dear god did anyone else end up watching this drivel on Tv last night? The worst thing about it was Kate Fischer's horrid wooden hosting, closely followed by its redundancy. I didn't realise until I went hunting this morning that it was made in 2004. I realised it was out of date when they got to Anna Nicole Smith and they spoke in the present tense. Other key indicators: not mentioning Britney Spears' spectacular fall from grace and lack of skank talk about the Olsen twins.
Kate Fischer though, was just appalling. She kept sort of tossing her head around, a bit like a horse. And she had this awful hair and this white suit jacket which her breasts seemed determined to spill out of in a most unseemly fashion. Each ad break would yeild this horrible short with her and her arched eyebrows and high hair and ever imposing breasts. Awful.

Cannes Film festival

I think Toni Collette just looked stunning for the opening of Cannes. The colour suited her beautifully, and I was just really pleased to see her looking wonderfully glam. My one criticism is that her gown looks a teensy bit Bridesmaid/Yr 10 Formal, but otherwise, just lovely. I've been looking everywhere for a really GOOD pic, and finally found this.Just stunning. *sigh* I love the boning, very flattering. Weird expression, but we'll gloss over that shall we?

I was firstly very excited to see Bai Ling, of horrid fuggyness, on Channel Seven's news coverage of the event. of the THREE red carpet shots they had of "celebrities" at Cannes, in addition to the actual story of Toni Collette being a judge, they featured Jude Law, someone else, and BAI LING of all people. I actually think this is testament to the fact that they don't actually watch the footage and research it, they simply put it on the TV, assuming I imagine that even though they don't know her, she's on the red carpet, she must be famous. I can only imagine they had her confused with Shu Qi an apprently famous Chinese actress that's actually there for a purpose, or Li Gong who's been is all sorts of things, including Memoirs of a Geisha, and Hannibal Rising.
Seriously though, they must have been really hard up for an MC, they had Diane Kruger doing it. Has she done anything since being the emphatically pathetic Helen in Troy. She wasn't exactly the face that could launch ten ships, let alone ten thousand. IMDB tells me she's done 11 films since then, none of which I know. I rest my case. (I know, the arrogance...)

While on the subject of amazingly gorgeous women however, I had long held that I think Elizabeth Hurley is the most stunning woman in the world. Not a great actress, probably an airhead to boot, but she I think is absolutely the epitome of beauty. Divine. Interestingly as I selected a good pic from Cannes, I realised she is beginning to show her age a little. Not in a bad way, she's just got a couple more lines than when she did that movie where she was the devil with Brendan Fraser. And with Valentino on her arm for the night, who can go wrong...And my second contender, a newer one (I've always loved `Liz) Aishwarya Rai, an Indian Bollywood actress, and incidentally, a advertising lady for Longines watches. (Bit of A&C trivia for you there). She's gorgeous also....

Oh Shappelle Shappelle Shappelle

more at twiigs.com...

Angels and Demons - Dan Brown ***/*

When a world renowned scientist is found brutally murdered, a Harvard professor, Robert Langdon, is summoned to identify the mysterious symbol seared onto the dead man's chest. His conclusion:it is the work of the Illuminati, a secret brotherhood presumed extinct for nearly four hundred years-now reborn to continue their bitter vendetta against their sworn enemy, the Catholic Church.

In Roma, the college of cardinals assembles to elect a new pope. Yet somewhere within the walls of the Vatican, an unstoppable bomb of terrifying power relentlessly counts down to oblivion. While the minutes tick away, Langdon joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to decipher the labyrinthine trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome to the long-forgotten Illuminati lair-a secret refuge wherein lies the only hope for the Vatican.

But with each revelation comes another twist, another turn in the plot which leaves LangdonVetra reeling and at the mercy of a seemingly invincible enemy.

Hmm didn't enjoy this as much as Deception Point. It's actually the one book that before reading it had really turned me away from reading the rest of Browns books. Deception point was a breath of fresh air as it had nothing to do with Religion, which I wasn't expecting. Angels and Demons however, as you can assume from the name, ALL about religion, and while it was it;s own story, overall I felt there were too many shades of Da Vinci code and Deception Point to really make it stand out. I only read it over two days because I was sick in bed all day yesterday. Other than that it may not have kept me as interested. Worth a look, but read Deception Point first IMHO.

3.5 / 5

Cold Target - Patricia Potter ***

In the dead of night, Holly Matthews- the wife of a New Orleans senator- takes her son and flees for her life...

At her mother's deathbed, lawyer Meredith Rawson learns that she has a sister- and promises to find her...

As Holly and her son try to start over in Bisbee, Arizona, Meredith begins a desperate search for information on her long lost sister. Almost instantly, her life is threatened and her house ransacked. She finds help - and passion- from an unexpected source. Detective Gage Gaynor is investigating a closed murder case that dead-ends at Meredith's powerful family. As sparks fly between them, they begin to rebuild the past, linking Meredith and Holly in a conspiracy of lies that could shatter their lives- and the dreams they never had a chance to dream....

While the last two lines of the blurb smack of "WTF, where did they pull that from?" this wasn't a bad read. I was very concerned when the recommendation said "Pat Potter writes Romantic Adventure like nobody else" on the back cover, but I actually now think she got a bit of a bad rap. I mean, there's nothing wrong with a little sideline romance thrown into a good thriller or crime fiction, it helps you feel for the character if they're in danger, but to have your romance story, with danger thrown in, that's bad. That's not what this was though, even though the comment tried to make me believe so. The love stories do get a little too saccharine though, so not be read with a weak stomach.
All in all, worth the read, not bad for something someone gave me.

3 /5

Weirdest Dream ever

Had the most bizarre dream last night, full of bugs and creepy crawlies, and also a wedding, and a boating accident. By boating I mean canoeing.
So the fragments I remember, there was an Indian wedding at mum's house, and they were getting married sort of over the pool, and there was a big archway thing and dancing and it was a bit Bollywood, floating things in the pool and people sort of coming over the fence near the clothesline and we were sitting down behind the fence at the corner of the house (weird) where the hotwater system is and I was regretting not having my own wedding over our pool! LOL. But even in my dream state I was like "Oh...but even if we'd had it here, I wouldn't have known how to make it look like this!..." And I kept changing outfits.....

And then later in the dream I was going canoeing with T.o.m and I think I fell in the water or something he found very funny cos he was laughing at me.

Lastly there was this whole sequence of events where my bedroom (not really my room as you imagine, some sort of plantation house, *just finished book set in Louisiana so I'm assuming that where this part is coming from...* and it had snakes all over the ceiling and giant shelled bugs crawling up the walls and Mark was trying to calm me down and say it really wasn't that bad....

Freaky freaky stuff.... *shiver*

It's Official!

Official word today that Oral sex is bad for you and can give you cancer.