What the hell is "hair clay"?

I asked around my office and someone queried: "Is it some kind of hair-loss product? Some kind of clay you slather over your bald spots to look like hair? Or is it hair that has the consistency of clay?"

It's mildly distressing to see strong, virile males(cough) so fixated on cosmetic products.

Andrew - when I was there, I never considered any alternative to Optus yes! - I can't tell you how many 19 minute calls I made everyday to other Optus subscribers between 8-12:) Thankfully, I left way before the yes! Time promotional period expired. Generally though, most mobile phones rates are financially comparable unless you go for very specific IDD plans or those suburban-cell/region-cell special offers, which aren't worth the hassle.

However, you should consider getting prepaid only if you're the type of guy who receives calls more than making them.

And as for anime, not being into "big robots gawking around" and "gory stuff" seriously restricts your choices somewhat - but I suspect you'd be the type who would get off on drama/comedy series or decent mid-range action...

For movies or one-shots - I'd suggest milder offerings like Wings of Honnemaise, Nausicaa: Valley of Wind, Castle of Cogliostro, or the surprisingly whimsical Porco Russo(all of these are widely available at the various anime stores around) - these are good story-oriented animes with understated violence and not too much emphasis on technology. If you want to break into anime series, that demands a fair amount of time - here are a few suggestions.

Ruoroni Kenshin is a very common starting point for most neonate anime fans, but it's a LONG series (90+ episodes!). Start with the first 5-10 episodes to decide if you like the overall feel - it's got decent characterization, typical anime slapstick humour, good visual production values, and the story arcs are interesting without being too heavy. Fushiigi Yuugi and Slayers are another couple of decent titles in the medieval/magic vein. For really less serious stuff, go for Ranma 1/2 or Akazukin Cha Cha!

For comedies and drama series - I think you might enjoy Golden Boy, but it deals a little too frankly with some adolescent themes for your puritanical tastes. Most animes do, in one way or another, so it's difficult to recommend something decidedly inoffensive. Try Love Hina, or You're Under Arrest!

Japan Hobby over at the Chinatown shopping center(the one beneath the Chinese cinema) offers a very comprehensive range, and getting an account isn't too expensive. What I did was to band together with a few anime fans and borrow about 10-15 tapes a week on one account and pass them around. I'm sure you can find fellow enthusiasts there.

If you want to break into the hobby at a more serious level, head over to the Melb Uni anime society - WWWA(Weekly Watchers of Wonderful Anime). They have regular screenings twice a week(at Lowe and Latham theaters last year, but not sure where they've moved to now), and their weekly screenings are generally milder fare for obvious reasons. There are lots of very nice people there who will be willing to offer suggestions. Check out their screening times from the Student Union's daily event sheet.