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HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!!

Posted: 2005-01-26 01:30pm
by Zaia
*waves Aussie flag while singing 'Waltzing Matilda'*

:D

Posted: 2005-01-26 01:32pm
by Frank Hipper
*floats on an inner tube nekkid in a muddy pond, humming Waltzing Matilda, drinking an oil can of Foster's*

Posted: 2005-01-26 01:33pm
by Mange
Late (?) congratulations to all the Australians on this board!

Posted: 2005-01-26 01:36pm
by Stofsk
You guys are about 5 hours late, but it's cool. :P

Usually Australia day is used as an excuse to have a long weekend, but not this time.

Posted: 2005-01-26 01:40pm
by Zaia
Stofsk wrote:You guys are about 5 hours late, but it's cool. :P

Usually Australia day is used as an excuse to have a long weekend, but not this time.
Hey, it's Australia Day here still, so hush. Plus it's not my fault you're a country overflowing with apathy and didn't post the thread yourself. :P

Posted: 2005-01-26 02:06pm
by Col. Crackpot
*puts on a pair of khaki shorts, yells "Crikey, thats a bonzer!" and leaps into the river chasing after a crocodile.

Happy Australia Day!

Posted: 2005-01-26 02:29pm
by Ghost Rider
Yay Australia.

I want me a Sheila!

Posted: 2005-01-26 02:35pm
by Stofsk
Zaia wrote:Hey, it's Australia Day here still, so hush. Plus it's not my fault you're a country overflowing with apathy and didn't post the thread yourself. :P
I didn't post anything because fgalkin posted another thread with a "On this day x years ago..." theme that was serious.

Re: HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!!!

Posted: 2005-01-26 02:43pm
by dragon
Zaia wrote:*waves Aussie flag while singing 'Waltzing Matilda'*

:D
Whats with Australian and waltzing matilda you guys were playing it during the new year as well.

Posted: 2005-01-26 03:23pm
by Stofsk
Waltzing Matilda is one of the finest Aussie songs ever written, and by all rights ought to be our national anthem.
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong:
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee.
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker-bag,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker-bag,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me."

Up rode a squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred;
Down came the troopers, one, two, three:
"Who's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me.
Who's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong;
"You'll never catch me alive!" said he;
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!
Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda,
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"

* swagman: an intinerant farmhand, carrying his "swag" (his blankets) rolled into a cylinder
* billabong: a creek (normally with a pronounced "oxbow" bend)
* coolibah tree: a eucalypt (gum) tree )
* waited till his billy boiled: a billy is a tin can used to heat water over a campfire to make tea
* jumbuck: sheep
* tucker-bag: bag or box used to store food
* squatter: farmer/grazier who simply found good land and took possession; some became extremely rich
* trooper: policeman or soldier on horseback
It has a catchy tune, with a sad but upbeat tone to it. It's very much the Australian character: a typical aussie steals a sheep, gets caught, and instead of allowing himself to be punished he dies by his own hand and his own choice. Straight up he's stupid for doing so, as sheep-stealing is by all rights a petty crime; but thematically, the song is about snubbing authority and a strange sense of liberty which we value as a nation. There's also the undercurrent of colonial days, which is the source of the snubbing of authority, as many 'colonists' were of course convicts from Britain, who were guilty of minor and petty crimes.

It's more emblematic of the national identity than that sentimental shit 'Advance Australia Fair' which barely anyone I know can sing (because the lyrics are so mind numbingly stupid). It doesn't inspire anything about my nation. My home is girt by sea? No shit, it's a fucking island, so what? Of course its girt by sea!

Posted: 2005-01-26 04:41pm
by muse
My grade 1 teacher was from Australia, and in addition to teaching us the Canadian national anthem, she also taught us to sing Waltzing Matilda.

Posted: 2005-01-26 08:17pm
by Gandalf
Meh, the highlight of my Australia Day was the seafood linguini we had for dinner. I'm not very Australian. :P

Posted: 2005-01-27 12:01am
by mr friendly guy
My highlight was working 4 hours at 2 and half times pay. :lol:
Then going home only to find my friends had been rostered to work the whole day. :evil:

Posted: 2005-01-27 12:04am
by Lancer
ohh, two reasons to celebrate & riot!

(the other is that MD beat Duke in a really, insanely tight game)

Favorite DVD or VHS boxed sets

Posted: 2005-01-27 12:29am
by Superman
Most people here are collectors in some form or another, so what's your favorite boxed sets? Try to only name your top two favorites....

For me:

1) Friday the Thirteenth DVD Boxed Set: This is the first 8 movies, plus a killer extras disk. They've been digitally restored and the sound has been remastered. The beauty of this boxed set is that Paramount has it retailing for about 55 to 60 dollars; that's less than 10 bucks per movie. It's a horror movie fan's wet dream.

2) The Nightmare on Elm Street DVD Boxed Set: All seven of Freddy's movies (minus Freddy vs Jason) plus an extra bonus disk. While not quite as cheap as the Jason flicks, this one is still well worth it for the collector.

Yeah, I like horror movies. So wut... :P

Posted: 2005-01-27 12:29am
by Superman
FUCK, can a mod delete that? That was meant to be a new thread. *looks for brain*

Posted: 2005-01-27 02:21am
by Darth Fanboy
Which means NRL season is just around the corner....

GO ROOSTERS!

Posted: 2005-01-27 03:49am
by Sarevok
Superman wrote:FUCK, can a mod delete that? That was meant to be a new thread. *looks for brain*
Not to play a mod but in the OT forum you can delete your own posts.

Posted: 2005-01-27 03:52am
by Gandalf
The Shadow wrote:
Superman wrote:FUCK, can a mod delete that? That was meant to be a new thread. *looks for brain*
Not to play a mod but in the OT forum you can delete your own posts.
Only if your post is the last one in the thread. Since Fanboy and you have posted, that's no longer viable.

Or at least that's how I think it goes.

Posted: 2005-01-27 07:08am
by Stark
LOL Australia Day; the day we all show the world that secretly, deep down, we ARE mired in the horrible morass of ocker bullshit. Its sad. And in the middle of the week this year and NOONE TOLD ME! Hell of a night out and I fucking missed it. Bah! :(