Comments on: Top 10 New Year Traditions

By: The_Snowdog

The_Snowdog — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:08:07 +0000

ok I obviously posted the above post (# 148) to the wrong list

Sorry about that

How embarrassing. I’m so ashamed….

By: The_Snowdog

The_Snowdog — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:06:12 +0000

I thought Ledger’s performance as the Joker was overrated and attribute a lot of the hype concerning his acting to the fact that he died. I like Nicholson better as the Joker.

What about some of these villains…

Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Jason from Friday the 13th series
Michael Myers from Halloween series
Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street series
Vincent and Ida Smith from Motel Hell

By: segues

segues — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:03:48 +0000

@astraya (144): “It still depends on an arbitrary New Year’s Ever, though.”
****
Do we really need to get into a discussion about the Gregorian calendar (which was preceded by the Julian calendar), as the worlds basic calendar? Not to ignore the fact that other calendars exist, such as the Hebrew, the Chinese, the Islamic, and several others for religious purposes.
Do I really have to get into lunar cycles?
The calendar is not as arbitrary as you would like to think. It’s based on minute calculations which means the calendar has to be corrected by seconds or minutes every few years.
*****. I’m wasting my time. You know all this

By: astraya

astraya — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:17:32 +0000

So do I, because it is one of the dreariest tunes in existence.

By: Meg

Meg — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:03:33 +0000

For some reason, I always get teary-eyed whenever I hear Auld Lang Syne. XD

By: astraya

astraya — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:05:45 +0000

It still depends on an arbitrary New Year's Ever, though. Anyway, watching the sun set over the Blue Mountains isn't quite the same as watching it over the Pacific Ocean. (On the other hand, I could watch the sun rise over the ocean. (A colleague of mine has just moved to Bondi Beach.)) To whoever suggested I visit a relative on NYE: I only have one relative within visiting distance, and we'll be there for Christmas and a few days after.

By: segues

segues — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:34:39 +0000

@astraya (141): I have my own New Year's Eve celebration, and it has nothing to do with some arbitrary midnight where I might be living. Every New Year's Eve, I go down to the ocean and watch the sunset. It's very moving for me, watching the sun set on the old year, knowing that when I wake the new year will have begun.

By: astraya

astraya — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:16:08 +0000

Hmmm … the google ads at the top of the page are for NYE parties in Sydney and Melbourne, and also for bank loans from one of Australia’s biggest banks. Is there a connection?

By: astraya

astraya — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:14:48 +0000

Something else I just don’t understand is the obsession with “counting down” and going silly at one point of time imposed on nature by the entirely artificial concept of standard time. At the best of times, true local midnight varies according to latitude, longitude and time of year, then the human race has imposed standard times measured from the arbitrary choice of Greenwich Observatory as the prime meridian. For example, Melbourne is in the same time zone as Sydney, but lies several hundred kilometres further west (and south). Thus, “midnight” should fall later for Melburnians than Sydneyites. But owning to standard time, we celebrate at the same time. Then there’s daylight savings. Queensland doesn’t observe daylight savings. Although Brisbane is very close to Sydney’s longitude, Queenslanders celebrate one hour earlier. It’s all too artificial for me.

In Korea, as well as their being traditional and modern celebrations at midnight, many people would stay up until or get up before dawn to watch the sun rise from the highest available point. Many travel to the east coast. The beach at Korea’s easternmost mainland point is very popular, though possibly some mountains near the coast actually see the sun first.

And to various posters re Another Subject: I remain unconvinced. (I just said on the “Things you should never discuss” discussion that I doubt if anyone has ever changed their mind as the result of an internet discussion.)

By: JessicaKarli

JessicaKarli — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:38:17 +0000

The last few new years I usually kiss someone at midnight.

One year was a peck on the lips with my best friend, the last 2 years have been with my boyfriend.

But apart from that I have no traditions.