oh harry

 Oh Harry, you get me every time.

I lament the butchery that my beloved early-adolescent memories undergo with each Hollywood interpretation of the Harry Potter series, but without fail I rush back year in and year out to the cinema to see the latest installment. And every year I suffer the same geeky disappointment and nerd-frustration. Each adaptation seems to skim over the meaty bits and favour action sequences over good old fashion atmosphere-building and story-telling.

This year, however, was different.

It seems director David Yates has realised that because the franchise is at its close, the true die-hard HP fans must finally be catered to (and if i'm anything to go by, we're a neurotic, hard-to-please bunch). And that's exactly what Yates has done with Deathly Hallows Part 1, by far the most faithful of the Potter movies.

There's action a-plenty, but this time there seems to be a lot more attention to J.K Rowling's detail. I know i'm not alone in saying that her books shaped a large chunk of my early adolesence and with the final film installment around the corner, perhaps there's hope that the inner Potter-nerd in me will finally be satisfied...

And who knows, maybe that Hogwarts letter that obviously got lost in the owl-post 9 years ago will finally arrive on my window sill.

inkling

So i've gone blonde, shaved my head, moved out of home, changed jobs a couple of times... and now in a further quest to quench my insatiable thirst for metamorphosis (and some might say, to succumb to peer pressure and the trends du jour) i'm getting a tattoo!

 I won't divulge what exactly i'm getting just yet (stay tuned sportsfans!). All i'll say is that it's both meaningless and meaningful at the same time, which i'm sure if you've been following Teddy Pickle you know i'm all about that.

Now I invite you to peruse my favourite tattooed icons that have inspired me and their various enternal ink-stains...

Megan Fox - obviously if hot girls get tatts, then so should I

 

Popeye - someone who has both a tatt and eats spinach is cool in my books 

 

Ange - (refer to Megan Fox)

 

Draco Malfoy - he didn't have a choice, but he's reppin' it nonetheless

 

Gaga - fighting for peace, love & the right to wear meat dresses

 

And of course old Wino - the embodiment of "fuck worrying about the future, let's get stupid shit permanently marked all over our bodies!"...

... and let's face it, getting a tattoo often requires a lot of Winehouse-ish recklessness and lack of foresight. Wish me luck, hombres!

angsty birthday to you...

Why is it that every year, in the few days leading up to my birthday I always feel this horribly squidgy mixture of emotions? WITHOUT FAIL, every year I feel the same paranoid, confusing, anxious feeling and this year it's only being amplified thanks to the fact that i'm turning 20. Add my reluctance to exit teenhood to my annual pre-birthday jitters and you've got one emotionally-unstable 19 year-old.

 I got more angst than the cast of "The Breakfast Club"!

I'm looking back at my fleeting teenage years with a belly full of regret - regret for the multitude of stupid decisions i've made, but mostly regret over the things I never did. It's a horrible feeling and I hope that any teenagers reading this take heed of this piece of wisdom: you're a teenager, just do whatever the fuck you feel...

Because one day you'll be 20 years old and that, i'm told, is when shit gets real.

the flying kangaroo, as dead as "skippy"?

 An insightful little poll on The Age website today (ooh haven't newspapers become so interactive these days?):

Are you worried about Qantas's safety after two major engine issues in two days?

Ah... let me think... two engine-related scares on a Qantas plane in the last week? Yes, you could safely say I won't be hopping on the back of the Flying Kangaroo any time soon.

(See the latest article here http://www.theage.com.au/business/engine-woes-hit-second-qantas-plane-20101106-17ht9.html)

 I'm not ashamed to say that i've always had a fear of flying. From screaming like a demon banshee on my first ever flight at age 7 to running up and down the aisle in blind panic on a more recent flight after convincing myself i'd lost my passport (which, according to my mum, is pretty much on par with a fiery death).

I feel a little sorry for Qantas at the moment. In PR talk (I might as well show off the little knowledge that i've gleaned from this year's study) the shit has officially hit the fan and the Aussie airline is going to have to go into some epic crisis-management if they're to survive this debacle.

Yes, I feel for lil' Qantas, but at the same time - an airline's main priority should the the safety of it's planes... so just fucking fix them, mmm-kay?

Movemberance

I'm Movembering this year, raising money namely for Prostate Cancer awareness (as it runs in my family loins, along with our stubborness and big mouths).

So if you're feeling generous, make a donation here: http://au.movember.com/mospace/579896

booze du jour: cider

 Being a cynical, shallow hypocrite, I usually dismiss the flavours of the month before swiftly giving into them and grabbing them by the balls.

A great example of this is Melbourne's current obsession with cider (apple, pear - taken your pick) that i'm sure's only going to gain even more popularity this Summer.

At first I scoffed at it, calling it beer for those without balls. But after downing a pint bottle of Magner's Pear Cider a couple of weeks ago, I was instantly converted to Cider-ism in a fruity baptism of pear-flavoured booze.

Here are my picks for this Spring/Summer:

Aussie brewers 2 Brothers Gypsy Pear Cider

The Irish King of Ciders - Magners

NZ's Monteith's Cider

Ok so these are my favourites so far... give me a month or two of good solid drinking and i'll get back to you with some more.