I want a house like that when I grow up!!

This house of politics is a symbol of Europeans walking the talk about sustainable sources of energy. It is a model for future developments in power generation and usage.

BBC News

The list of energy saving, renewable energy creation technology used is hi-tech but also just based on common sense - waste not, want not. This entire house only costs 30% of what it would cost if they used "old energy" sources from the national grid.

• Pellet heating system
• Solar heating/ cooling
• Geothermal heating/ cooling
• Photo-voltaic electricity
• Insulated facade and roof
• Low emission glazing
• Highly efficient lighting
• Ventilation with heat recovery

It is truly leading by example.

When will our demand for "cleaner" energy be satiated by supply? Old energy companies better start planning now to move some of those factors of production towards goods that are in higher demand - consumers are speaking out :)

Valentine's Day

A day that is supposed to be for lovers? Let me check the history of this famous day of love.

Google: valentine's day origin
Result: http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/

How interesting. Yat Wan and I thought it wasn't related to lovers at all but actually it is.

What do I think of the day itself? I think the Japanese way of celebrating it is nice - girls give chocolate to their Valentines (can be as many as they like) on 14 February and in the next month 14 March, boys have to return white chocolates to the girls who gave them chocolate on the 14th. That is so much less exclusive :)

Anyway, I have never experienced a Valentine's Day before so I don't think I can pass a lot of judgement on it. But here are my two cents for now. Some people are very against the commercialism of Valentine's Day and refuse to acknowledge it. But I think a celebration is only commercialised if you make it that way. If it is just a day to remember someone that you love/have a crush on or enjoy the company of by thinking of them, writing them a small note or giving them a kiss on the cheek there's nothing commercial about it... no need to bash something because people celebrate it in a way which doesn't agree with you.

I think single people dislike Valentine's Day because it reminds them of their relationship status... another reason why you should just go with the chocolate like Japan ;)

mmm chocolate.

Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day - however you may have celebrated it!

Scalping

Today I am angry again. I have only been angry twice this month - truly shouting and disliking certain people in this world. They are scalpers. I don't know what other terms there are for these people and frankly I don't really care what they are called, they are not nice.

According to Dictionary.com:

v. intr.

1. To engage in the reselling of something, such as tickets, at a price higher than the established value.
2. To buy and sell securities or commodities for small quick profits.

One example.

"Jenny" stands in a queue for 5 hours to buy U2 tickets to see the concert, her feet are hurting and she's getting sun burnt just for the sake of seeing her favourite band of all time. Just before she gets to the end of the line, they are all sold out... hours later, they can be seen on TradeMe or eBay selling at the reserve price of what they cost. People bid for them at prices triple or quadruple what they are worth if bought from the retailer.

This practice, my friends, is illegal. And the excuse when questioned about their practices is "Oh I had a couple spare, thought I'd sell them". When they have about 10 spare, you start to wonder... and when they cost hundreds of dollars each, why would anyone keep a couple spare??

My experiences with this have been twofold. The first when my friends and I were buying Rugby Sevens tickets. The second, today, when I was trying to buy a new mobile phone - the Panasonic VS2.

Thank you for reading this rant and if you were a victim of this foul practice as well, I feel your pain and anger...

Star Bucks Coffee

Ozge loves Star Bucks. Did I ever mention it? I think I once said that Star Bucks is just normal coffee but they charge you a lot more for the same thing and even give it to you in a paper cup!

But Ozzy has been dragging us there quite a lot lately. She loves to eat ice. I think I can remember her order off by heart now. What is my honest opinion about Star Bucks? It is still very expensive! But the atmosphere is nice too. Not imposing like some cafes can be - when they're small... and have small tables... and dim lighting. Most cafes seem to expect a lot from you, sophistication, time, etiquette. At Star Bucks the tables are wide, the atmosphere is light and cushy, and people fall asleep on the seats with a book in their hands.

It's a place with fewer expectations, younger punters and a relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for Frappacinos and just after a shopping trip.

But really, if I had to choose where to go for a proper cup of tea and a slice of chocolate, I'd probably go somewhere else! Like Fidel's.

Harry Potter!!

Watched the Harry Potter 4 movie with the girls on 24 November 2005 - the day it was released in New Zealand. It was to say the least, quite good!

I know I have stopped expecting the acting to improve from the first movie until now - it's still quite bad :S and that cannot be helped because the cast is set! But I'd have to say that the new cast for Cedric Diggory, Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour were pretty good. Their acting was solid for the few lines they had in the two hours.

Cho Chang was a little disappointing. Nikita and I both thought so. She just didn't look like the Cho Chang that I had in mind... but I'd have to give her points for the Scottish accent, I thought that was bloody brilliant! (of course her being Scottish born helps...). She beat 5000 other girls for the role and she's had no acting experience so hats off.

The movie experience itself wasn't as good as I'd hoped even though we went to a nice cinema and had the best seats in the house! The view was not obscured at all, we were basically in the middle of the screen. But the guy that sat next to me was a smoker... and he had this odour about him that even Vaish could smell and she was on my right. So that ruined it a little bit...

Ahh yes and now the characters looks. If you don't want go to see Harry Potter movies for the acting, what do you go for? Well apart from the amazing cinematic effects (watching the book come to life) you see what beautiful people they've cast! Daniel Radcliffe looks more and more like Elijah Wood by the year! The resemblance is shocking. In some scenes I swear I was watching LotR. And Hermione is getting prettier. And well Cedric and Krum didn't look bad! Fleur was not as "soft" and "air headed" looking as I imagined her to be (read: Book 5) but she had amazing bone structure =)