Who wants to be a millionaire?

That’s not a rhetorical question. I really want to know… Who wants to be a millionaire?

Because I sure do, and soon I’ll have my chance!

A win, a sin, and a guilt trip from Gandhi

This morning when I woke up I was greeted by an email informing me that I’d won the lottery.

Workin’ for the man

What better way to kick off the first day of your holiday than by heading off to work?!

I’m outta here!

By this time tomorrow I’ll be on a plane well on  my way to Dubai from where, after a brief stopover (just long enough to stretch legs and change planes) I will head to Delhi.

This holiday has snuck up on me, like so many before it. We (as in, me and my Aunty Wendy) booked it ages ago, handed over our money, and then I pretty much forgot about it! It is usually my style to leave packing to the day before and my excitement to international departures.

For those of you who’ve been asking what I’ll see when I’m there (and who have met, without exception, with a blank stare and a shrug) here is the itinerary:

Movie Review: No 81. Rashômon

“A priest, a woodcutter and a commoner are taking refuge from a rainstorm…”

If you think that sounds like the start of a bad joke you’d be right.

Running on empty

Last Friday the “early bird” offer for the Sydney Half Marathon closed. It was the moment of truth for me. Was I really willing to part with $95 just to feel the burn for a solid two hour period surrounded by sweaty Sydney-siders?

Apparently I was.

Movie Review: No 23. The Silence of the Lambs

As many of my friends and family would know, I have a terrible memory. My mum has accused me of “manufacturing memories”, my only defense being that without my brain concocting memories out of thin air I would probably have none at all.

On a rare occasion, my dodgy memory is actually a blessing in disguise. It allows me to re-read books and re-watch movies with all the wonder and suspense of a first viewing. Most of the time, however, having a dodgy memory is a real pain in the butt.

To get around this frustrating problem, I rely almost exclusively on my calendar and written notes to make sure I turn up where I need to be and don’t miss any important birthdays.

Unfortunately, even this strategy is not fail-safe… as I very recently discovered thanks to ‘The Silence of the Lambs’.

Movie Review: No 90. Raging Bull

I’m getting towards the end of the imdb Top 100 list now… and it’s just as well because, even though I tried not to, I’ve still managed to leave a lot of the dodgy ones till last.

Now, before I start I should probably begin with a warning. There are 4 movies directed by Scorsese in the Top 100 and I’ve already watched all the others and given them the following ratings:

• Goodfellas (7 pumpkins)
• Taxi Driver (5 pumpkins)
• The Departed (6 pumpkins)

To many, these ratings would be the highest form of sacrilege. To me, it’s what I like to call generosity. Generosity of the highest order to the man I like to refer to as “Snoresese“.

imma take your grandpa’s style

Commenting on my recent review of ‘The Treasure of the Sierra Madre‘, my Dad mentioned that his own father bore some resemblance to the ever-dapper Humphrey Bogart.

I thought I’d put it to all of you and see what you think…

Movie Review: No 79. LA Confidential

It”s been over a month since I finished watching ‘LA Confidential’ and probably more than 2 or 3 months since I started watching it.

I don’t know what it is about this film that made me so uninspired to continue with it. Given that I really enjoyed ‘The Usual Suspects‘, and this film is quite similar to that (Rolo Thomasi/Kaiser Soze, it’s all the same to me), it may just be down to a simple case of timing.

Then again, there may be a more decisive factor at play.