The Mystery

Welcome back to yet another week that was post! This week we have a focus on the mystery that has gripped the world. I am, of course, talking about the mystery that was Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 that went missing. A plane full of over 200 passengers went missing without a trace and nearly a week later no trace has been found. A similar case occurred not too long ago with a French airlines flight which took over two years to find. However, since there has been very little evidence to show what has happened, there is a lot of speculation. Channel 7 did a big 'news' story on the missing flight and, like all the stories so far, it is all speculation. There has been very little facts but a lot of speculation and sometimes it is hard to separate the fact from the fiction.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-search-marked-by-confusion-1.2569129

The most intriguing part that gripped the world with this story is the fact that the plane disappeared without a trace. One moment there was a signal from the plane's GPS and the next minute it was gone without any SOS signal been sent out by the pilot. The black-box is one of the most confusing pieces of lost wreckage as they send out signals for 30 days yet no signal has been found from the black-box on this flight. It is evidence such as this that has lead to many different 'conclusions'. I must stress that this is entirely speculation as there is no clear evidence to suggest what really happened aboard the ill-fated Boeing 777 headed for China. Some say the plane was disintegrated by something so powerful so as to destroy every single part of that plane, including the black-box. This is one theory that, if it were to be true, would shock many aerospace engineers as they would have a new threat to their 'indestructible' black boxes. The reason the plane would have had to have totally disintegrated is that when a plane crashes into the ocean there are parts of that plane that do float so by now there should have been some evidence found. Another theory is that the plane was hijacked and then rerouted somewhere to be used as part of a terrorist scheme. However, as days pass, this possibility also becomes less and less likely as no news is heard or hostage situation announced. Personally, I think that the scariest part of all this is that when relatives tried to call their loved-ones on the plane the phones rang fully out. This means, that those phones were still fully functional. If they had broken (either by water or disintegration) then they would not have rung out. This scares me a lot for some reason which I can not confidently put my finger on. It will most likely prove to be a very crucial piece of information when the truth of that ill-fated flight does, if ever, come out of the mist. From many different television shows (I think I have been watching too much Fringe [there is no such thing as too much Fringe though so maybe I am wrong]) there has also been the explanation that more and more people are going to; that the plane was simply taken into another dimension. The truth is sure to be a lot less confusing than that but when all that is possible is ruled out, all that remains is the impossible (I did not make that up, I think it was from Sherlock). However, since this story holds an interest for people all over the world there is not going to be a lack of searching for a very long time (if ever). With the world constantly watching, I doubt anyone will stop searching until answers have been found. The different responses have also been great to see. You can see these responses on the news. For example, you have the sad Australian relatives and then the angry Chinese. It is great to have so many different emotions on the one thing as it can open up new avenues and possibilities that may have previously been looked over.

The mystery of this flight is sure to go down in history. See you tomorrow!

You Are Not Forgotten

Welcome back to another post here on Daily Lukey. Before I get started on my Weird News Tuesday post I want to apologise for missing so many days previously due to homework, socialising and other commitments that meant this blog was neglected for a few days. I am super sorry about this but welcome to the VCE years. As the one year anniversary of this blog comes around (very soon) I am trying to keep this blog as updated as possible but sometimes it just is not possible when you have a lot of VCE homework. Anyway, on with some weird news to get back into the swing of things. This week I am using the news site Reuters to find some weird news. As you know, I use a different site each week. We begin the post with the story of a woman in Michigan who was dead for six years but was only found once the bills stopped getting paid. For six years, the lawn was mowed and all the bills were paid so no one found the lady's dead body in the seat of her car in the garage. This was because she had an automatic bill-paying system set up, had stopped work in 2008, and had her neighbour cut the grass. It is a really strange story that makes you wonder what her life must have been life to have not being noticed missing for a full six years.

Source: http://eofdreams.com

In Las Vegas a 'too drunk' gambler is suing a Casino for a $500,000 debt he accrued. I doubt that the case would go far but there is a dilemma here as the man arrived drunk yet the casino provided him with free alcoholic beverages (as usual in a Casino). This raises the question as to whether the Casino should have not provided the man with the drinks or that the man is in control as they did not force the drinks down his throat. An example of how slow the United States is in news is that they have only just written a story on the Darryn Lyons, 'iconic' Australia Paparazzo who became the mayor of Geelong. It must take a while for this news to cross the oceans. According to a new study (they do some studies on some pretty weird things), investors prefer business pitches from men. However, further than this, they also prefer handsome men. Apparently they are more likely to put money into a business if the pitcher is a handsome man. A Sicilian 'Space Program' (after you know what they have done, you realise how loosely this term can be applied) has launched a model cannolo (a cream stuffed pastry roll apparently symbolic of the Italian island) into the stratosphere. For some reason, this is what the Sicilian Space Program (again, I use the title loosely) deems necessary.  A drunken groom caused the emergency landing of a flight after he had a drunken fight with his bride on the way to their honeymoon. I know everyone wants their honeymoon to be unforgettable but when is too much just too much? Citizens of Rio de Janeiro have fully understood the after-effects of a party after their annual Rio Carnival left the city in a state of utter garbage, literally. If the hang-overs were not bad enough, the rubbish piling the streets certainly is. Workers at a funeral home in Mississippi were shocked when the body they were about to embalm suddenly kicked to try and escape the body bag. This would have been an incredibly scary experience for everyone involved (just saying). Police in Stockholm had to disperse an angry crowd after a job office mistakenly called 61,000 people for a recruitment meeting. That is one big mistake that I am pretty sure is going to lead to someone losing their job or being demoted.

There is some pretty weird things going on in our world (I have not even mentioned the Malaysia airlines flight that went missing). See you tomorrow (hopefully)!

2014: What May Be

Finally 2014 has arrived. Many doubted we would make it past 2012 but here we are now. As is to be expected at the end of a great year for many, we often find ourselves looking at what once was. Even though I am a big believer in "those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it" I also believe that sometimes we need to take a look into our future and what this may mean for us. Personally, I am looking forward greatly to how this year will unfold because there is so much that I am looking forward to and so many new things I want to experience. We only get to live each moment once so we should always try to make them memorable. Carpe Diem (sorry, but I can not do accents on my phone). I wish that in 2014 I get the courage to do some things and the strength to do some others. 2014 is, like any future, a mystery but I can always hope for a great one.

Happy New Year everyone! See you tomorrow.

50 Reasons why I Love Doctor Who (Part 2)

This morning I was awake, as I said I would be, at 6:50 for The Day of the Doctor which, for those of you who have been living under a rock, is the 50th Anniversary Special Episode of Doctor Who. It was actually a pretty awesome episode with emotion, comedy and a great story. It exemplifies the many reasons why Whovians all around the world have stayed true over 50 years, even when Doctor Who was not running. If you missed out on part 1 of this post yesterday where I mentioned the first twenty-five reasons why I love Doctor Who, then click here. Please note that these reasons are in no particular order.

Source: http://whatculture.com/tv/doctor-10-awesome-episodes-weary-waiting-50th-anniversary.php

26. The Soundtrack. What Whovian could not pick out the tunes from a Doctor Who soundtrack. They are so amazing they convey a story without words or images. Sometimes you even have memories of episodes and experiences you had surrounding that episode when you listen to the soundtrack. Music really is magical.
27. The Time Lords. These lords of time have been seen in many ways over the years. They have been seen as wonderful, as scary and as horrible human beings. As the Doctor aptly says "The time-war changed them." They really are the worst creatures in the Universe.
28. The Master. Who could not fall in love with an insane psychopath? The least you can do is love to hate him.
29. Sexy. Those of you who have watched the episode The Doctor's Wife when I say Sexy. I am not using it as an adjective but rather as a name. Sexy: the human form of the TARDIS mainframe which was ripped from its home by House (not the doctor, an asteroid on the fringe of the Universe) and placed inside a human's body only later to die in that human's body and return to the TARDIS. That was one hell of an episode.
30. Gallifrey. This home of the Time Lords which was once thought destroyed in the Great Time War. Those of you who have watched The Day of the Doctor will know at what I am hinting at here.
31. Writers. The wonderful (and ever-changing) team of writers that work on Doctor Who make it as wonderful and as deep as it is today, without them there would be no Doctor Who.
32. Russel T. Davies, the man responsible for bringing Doctor Who back in 2005.
33. The Make-Up Artists who create and change all the actors into monsters or transformed versions of humans. They make magic with some plastic and a lot of skill.
34. Sonic Screwdriver. How many times could the Doctor have died or failed in his tasks if he had not had his trusty Sonic Screwdriver? The answer is too many times to count.
35. Actors. Without the myriad of actors who have worked on Doctor Who, the show would be no where. Part of the success of the show has to be put on the actors who allowed the characters to come to life.
36. No Guns. As much terror and war the Doctor has seen he condemns the use of firearms, especially on people. The one time he was near shooting someone (in The End of Time Part 2) he found the strength not to and instead saved the world, yet again, without the need for fire-arms. America should learn something from that.
37. The Fez. Matt Smith's doctor came with one added attachment, his Fez. Even in The Day of the Doctor, as Clara puts it, "You can never walk past a fez, can you?" No he can not and we love him for that.
38. Steely determination. The Doctor's determination to peacefully settle disputes with as little loss of life as possible is a great strength on his behalf. Even when the opposition does not remotely deserve a second chance the Doctor offers it to them anyway, that is just the kind of time lord he is.
39. K-9. This lovable robot dog who even had his own show for a little while is another of the many reasons why fans love Doctor Who and all his quirks.
40. The Doctor's Darker Side. We see this side of the Doctor on many occasions and each time we see him fight through and realise his wrongs. Doctor Who can be a great moral story at times.
41. Forgiveness. No matter what the enemy has done, the Doctor always feels that they can be forgiven. It is this which separates him from the time lords who changed as a result of the Last Great Time War.
42. Romantic Tension. Who does not love to see the Doctor fight off his companions as many of them (especially in the modern telling of the show) fall in love with this time lord?
43. Story Arcs. Who does not love a good story arc. Some run for just a season (such as the cracks in the universe in Season 5) while others run for much longer (such as the mystery of River Song and Bad Wolf). Most of the time we do not even realise they are story arcs until the big reveal right at the end. It really is masterful writing.
44. Spoilers. River Songs favourite thing to say to the Doctor. Who does not love the story arc of River Song? "The Doctor is her first and her last." There is still so much to be learnt about River Song or, should I say ("Spoilers"), Melody Pond.
45. The Weeping Angels. They are the one new monster that will stand as one of the scariest monsters in Doctor Who history. Who would not be scared of creatures that are statues when you see them but incredibly fast when you can not. One touch will send you back in time while they feed off all the years you could have had if you had not met them. Oh, did I mention they can also turn off lights?
46. Rory Williams, the boy who waited. This couple of the boy who waited and the girl who waited (Amy Pond) sets off a great love story to be remembered by Whovians for decades to come. What love is stronger than waiting 2000 years for the girl you love? Rory Williams is one top bloke. Did I really just say bloke?
47. Putting Hitler in the closet. Who did not laugh at that scene in Let's Kill Hitler. The Doctor did not care (nor apparently did Rory Williams or Amy Pond) that Hitler was, and still is, one of the most infamous people in the world. Instead, he just put him in the closet while he sorted out what had to be done.
48. Human Villains. As much as there are evil monsters, there are also evil humans which the Doctor has to face every now and then. They really do make the story more realistic as who would believe in a world where only aliens are evil and humans play no part?
49. Moral. Doctor Who teaches us a lot about morals in many different ways. You have the Doctor's constant appeals to the monsters to ask forgiveness, then you have his steadfast anti-firearms value. Not to mention all that he stands for.
50. The final reason why I love Doctor Who can only be described using two words. Doctor Who?

I hope you enjoyed this, in further celebration I will soon be posting my top 50 Doctor Who moments. See you tomorrow!

Adventures

There is just something about an adventure that makes you want to take it. Have you ever just wanted to take a random turn and see where it leads you? Ever walked the Dog and decided to go somewhere you have never been before for the sake of what you might find. It is this mystery that intrigues. It is ironic that it is this mystery that intrigues the majority of us yet it is also this mystery which frightens us. People are not afraid of the dark, they are afraid of the mysteries it holds. Though of course it is contradictions that make up most of our lives. Animals are one of our greatest friends while they can also be used as our greatest enemies. We seek help from strangers yet are forever weary of them. It is this contradiction that forms a strong basis in our lives and our love for adventure.

Source: http://www.redbubble.com/people/joweha/works/723301-mysterious-road

The other day I took one of these adventures on one of my walks with Sandy. As part of the training for Kokoda one of the activities on our scheduled exercise plans is a pack-walk where we walk with a backpack filled with some form of weight. Anyway, it is best to walk on uneven ground so concrete paths are not the best help. I then remembered an area near the river in an estate not too far from mine. It was a bit of a walk but Sandy and I finally made it (it would have been quicker if Sandy had been a little less curious but anyway). It was a great area full of grass and tress and if you went far enough in you could no longer see the houses and it was like being in your own private oasis. Also, as this place was not near any major roads it is always empty so Sandy and I go down there and explore. It is a lot of fun (for me as well as Sandy) and one day we found a little pier that goes into a little lake (empty but full of plants) which is blocked off with a fence and a chained gate which can be moved for pedestrian access. This was one of the great discoveries that keeps me coming back because I know that each time I will find something different and it is this mystery that intrigues me (for Sandy it is mostly just all the grass he can urinate on). Then you have learner driving. We often go driving around back roads and into more countryside rather than urban living. Here there are farms and paddocks everywhere and sometimes there are even dirt roads. Generally we make the trip up as we go just to get hours up but we rarely go on dirt roads (even though it is a four-wheel drive). Today however we did go down one of these and it was such a nice drive that seemed to stretch off into paddocks with nothing to see but grass and wooden/wire fences. It was just so peaceful and I cannot wait to go back there or explore some of the other dirt roads that take you into the middle of nowhere and back out again. This is again the mystery that intrigues me and makes me come back for more.

It surely is the mystery of the adventure that spurs us on to new and wonderful places. See you tomorrow!